Gaming Build Advice for a first time builder

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Dr Clockworks

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Dec 6, 2011
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Hello, everyone! As the title of this thread reads, I am needing some help with my build.

Purchase Date: As of right now I am planning on purchasing every part of the build during the second week in January.

Budget: I'd like to keep it at $1000.00 but if it seems like this isn't enough then I can go a little higher. So I'd cap it off at $1,200.00

System Usage: It will almost be entirely for gaming. The only games I won't play on it will be FPS. I'd rather play FPS games on a console. The majority of games that I will be playing will be MMORPG games, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2. A few RPG games, such as Skyrim and The Witcher 2. And a few other games with interesting multiplayer like LoL and DoTa 2. I know that The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 haven't been released yet so I guess with MMORPG games the most difficult to run as of right now would be Rift? I've been out of PC gaming for quite a while now so I'm not really sure.

Parts Not Required: Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers. The OS will be Win7 home 64 bit.

Country: United States

Parts Preference: I have almost no preference as of right now. I've been back and forth between AMD and Intel for the past 3 months that I feel that I really don't have a clue.

Preferred website: I'd really like to get everything from Newegg. I live in a very rural community so there are no retail shops that I know of where I could buy any of my components. Other than a Best Buy but from what I looked at they didn't have much of a selection of anything.

Overclocking: Maybe for the CPU but I won't OC anything else.

SLI/Crossfire: Maybe in the near future. But for now I am only looking to use one card.

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Comments: I really want a large case. Plenty of room for future upgrades, fans, and a nice window to view it all. So far the Cooler Master HAF X is what I'm set on at the moment. If anyone has any opinions on it or a better case please do say so. Multiple large fans and LED's are a must. I do love my flashy lights.

I pretty much need advice on every component. I understand what each part does and I understand what most of the details on each component mean but since this is my first build I really don't know anything in terms of build quality or performance from certain brands as compared to others.

I really appreciate any help that I can get on this subject! Please let me know if I left anything important out or you may just ask!
 
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Ouch.. that really sucks for him. And I'm sorry to say but I really don't like reading something without punctuation.. it gives me a headache (I thought it was pretty funny when you cruise controlled him, haha). Anyways, I do really like the whole layout of the Gene-Z board. I just wish that it was a bit cheaper but I guess you get what you pay for, right?

So, say I filled every fan slot (waaaay to much for me but just for setting up a situation) in the Corsair Carbide 400r case. All 10 fans and 2 more for the CPU Cooler. Could I take each fan connecter, including the ones from the CPU cooler, and connect them all into the fan controller AND use one cable to connect the Fan Controller into my power supply?
 
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Yeah, you would have to either use splitters and put two fans per plug or either get a large capacity fan controller that would handle 8 seperate fans or maybe two that handle 4 each. This still leaves two of your hypothetical ten which you just have to run to either your mobo for control features or straight to power from psu.
If you run splitters and hook two fans per controller you need to decide which fans you want to syncronise. You shouldn't quite need that many though.and if you do put that many in there, I don't really think you would need to control them much other than to turn them to low settings.
 
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Haha, I must say Mr. Rusty, you have gotten me quite excited about everything that has become available to me.

If I did decide on a Fan Controller that would allow me to have control of at least 4 fans I think I'd be fine. I checked the Asus website about the Gene-Z and it's specs say it has 2 x CPU Fan connectors and 3 x Chassis Fan connectors but it doesn't say if they are 2, 3, or 4 pin connectors. ... If there even are 4 pin fan connectors.

I think they are 3 pin connectors. So, what I'm thinking is the 2 Cpu connectors and 2 top and 1 rear exhaust fans for the Mobo that I can control and then probably the front two and maybe the two on the side. Sadly there is no side dust filter. Do you have any recommendations for a fan controller?

Oh, since I'll be adding this Fan controller and multiple fans I go back to what I asked before, how many Watts should I try for this? 700W?
 
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700 watts sounds good for your build ,but might go 750 if going to sli later. The fans aren't going to use allot more for just the few.


http://www.xoxide.com/misccooling.html this is a link to a sight that has some really cool case modding accessories. I linked the fan controller page It is a matter of choice comparing features you want like touch screen control compared to knobs , what you want it to look like etc...

The headers on the mobo are little 4 pin and although you will need a correct connector you may well only have three wires or even only two if not led fan.
 
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I think I might wait a while on a fan controller. Just so I can see how hot my CPU and GPU begin to run under load. Personally, I would like for the fans to have LED's. Not sure what color though.. I really wish that Newegg would put up some photos of the fans in low-lighting.

What fans would you recommend?
 
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As far as brands I'm not really sure it matters,but I usually try to match brands with the case I'm installing to if possible. Just look for long life bearings and the lowest noise ratio you can find.
Check this one out.
http://www.xoxide.com/cooljag-pro-led-flash-120mmfan.html
you can program it to say what you want to. I have never used one but I have seen them used. I think it would look cool as the rear exhaust or as mounted on clear case panel. I think they also have it in 80mm size.
Probably wouldn't want more than 1 tho or it would look gaudy.
Modding supplies are pretty cool and this sight has a large selection of it.
Also , check out this case I found.
http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-strike-xgtblackedition-midtowercase.html
Dont know what your tastes are but I think I love it. lol
I think I will use it in my next build, which I am planning for the first of the year.
I build them and then sell them for around a hundred and fifty more than cost.
They sell allot easier when you have them right there to look at.

Will probably build a ivy bridge in this one when ivy b comes out next year
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=44541&vpn=CSAZ%2D1000R&manufacture=AZZA%20Technology
 
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... That case is beautiful. Haha, I really like everything about that case. Tons of fans, a USB 3.0 port, tons of other things. The only things that I could complain about is there is no side window and while it's not really a problem, the Corsair Carbide 400r has a nice handle on the top of the case. Just makes moving it that must easier.
 
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Newegg has this power wattage calculator that you can find by looking for video cards. I put in my CPu, GPU, RAM, Optical drive, Mobo, and HDD speed. It is telling me that I should only need 477 watts. Do you think I would be fine with like.. 600w?
 
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Yeah cause you do want to overshoot, Keep in mind that if you sli later you will be pushing it and if your going to I would go at least 700w now or even 750w. If you know you wont sli or are willing to switch psu if needed later then will be plenty.
Keep in mind that all of your peripherals keyboard mouse, any usb devices etc... feed from psu as well.
 
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Hey rmiii - and thanks again for your help on my build... Everything now ordered.

I didn't quite read everything through this thread, and my build was a little more playful :). But one thing I did find was a case I wasn't looking for. That was the Corsair 400R and 500R. They got good reviews and have the features I was looking for - check that out if you like.

Also, I saw about ordering parts from one place - I've been ordering mine over the past month it seems, and I just beat the Thailand shortage I guess - but without worryng about everything coming at once, I got almost everything from Amazon. That was almost -0- shipping and definitely -0- tax. They were hard to beat on the price too. Just got my i7-2600k for $303.01.

So, my little input is check out Corsair cases, and Amazon... (oh, and I only bought from Amazon if it came from Amazon - not 3rd party

My build: Total $1620.15
Item Total Cost Dealer Status Expected
PSU Corsair HX750 (Pro) 143.99 Amazon Received
16GB Corsair Vengence Blue (4x4GB) 89.99 Amazon Received
SATA 6 / 7200 (750GB) WD7502AAEX 124.99 Amazon Received
SSD SATA 6 (128GB) Corsair GE Force 199.99 Amazon Received
DVD RW ASUS 24x RW SATA 35.23 Amazon Received
GTX 570 2.5GB 411.17 TigerD Out for Delivery 13-Dec
ASUS Maximus IV Gene Z LGA 1155 Z68 169.99 Amazon Shipping Soon 17-Dec
i7-2600k 303.01 Amazon Not Yet Shipped 22-Dec
Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler 20.63 Amazon Shipped 16-Dec
Corsair 500R 121.16 Amazon Shipping Soon 22-Dec

Sorry about the spacing - this is definitely not alignment friendly. (I tried! It removes what it thinks are extra spaces I guess)
 
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I want to use it for gaming - but I didn't want something that was "just enough". I did that January 2011 with an HP Elite 480t. THen Battlefield came out and I realized my 460 GeForce GPU was "middle". Ok - upgrade, uh oh, Power Supply just enough for the build. So new PSU. I almost went that route and then decided that I haven't built a PC in about 20 years - maybe it was time to play again. This is the result. (and it's been kinda fun - can't wait to get the parts all received and put it together!!)

These new-fangled cases seem to deal very well with cabling routing and tidyness, so the modular is less of an issue. Otherwise, sometimes less clutter is better.

PS - I notice that you could save a few bucks here and there to get to your price - it just depends on what you want. (and maybe how long you might predict it will last before you want to upgrade again!) You'll probably save a couple hundred on the GPU, another 70 on the 2500k, a few on a cheaper case etc. etc. You're in good hands here I thnk.

PPS along with gaming, definitely some OC'ing, and basically playing with a more modern system to see what it can do! I did get talked down from the full-size ExtremeZ mobo for $340... but I think I have enough to play for now.
 
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haha - I hear you really... The Hyper 212 was a good one though (popular anyway) and that componenet is cheap enough that if there's anything I don't like about it I'll bolt on another one later. I think the 212 EVO was what I wanted, but I was having trouble finding it from a popular vendor at a good price. A teeny Weenie shortcut...

(EDIT) I should also add that I got a case that will handle a radiator if I want/need to go crazy. Now if I could just find a working crystal ball.
 
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You don't think the Hyper 212 is a good CPU cooler?

I think I'm pretty set on my GPU and CPU. I can't really find a case that I really really like for under $100 except for the Corsair Carbide 400r and the one that Rusty posted up above. I think this will last me for quite a while.
 
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Heythere, sorry took so long to reply.I had lots to do today and then finally recieved my better hdd in the mail. Didn't have any cloning hardware to clone from crappy old hdd, but that is fine as this system has only been built for three or four weeks. Just decided to do a clean install,and though easy to do you spend a while loading drivers and updates and then retrieving info from backup etc...
It is good you have been able to get your order placed and I bet the excitement is refreshing.
Looks like some good stuff and I will be eager to hear from you after its up and running.
Amazon IS hard to beat for no tax and free shipping, and the items I got from them mailed within a day or so and arrived within 3 or 4 days. Had no problems from them at all save for questionable packaging. (Didn't look so good but no damage to anything)
Yeah if you dont find me on forums in a few days ,email rustymaples@yahoo.com and let me know how you like it etc...
 
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I think modular is the way to go. You can achieve a much cleaner cable management when you dont have so many unused cables to mess with. Only use what you need.

Hey both you and Elmo should keep in mind that the Gene-z mobo has a 8 pin cpu power headerand you will need an 8 pin plug for it. Most modern psu's will have one.
When you first unbox your mobo, and look at the cpu power header there is a cap covering 4 of the pins . Just remove it and plug in 8 pin.
Just thought I'd tell you cause there was no reference in the manual regarding that.
My mobo already had latest bios installed but right after win7 install, you should insert your mobo support cd and run auto play,once opened select drivers and load only the lan driver and chipset driver.after that if you have internet hooked up it will work. Then win7 will begin updates in background.
Now you might want to go online for newest gpu driver for your gpu.
Then you should go onto mobo support cd again choose drivers again, and let asus install all drivers with asus install feature ... after that also on the cd is a section called utilities. Open that and use asus install again to install all utilities. I learned that it was the easiest way to make sure they all worked properly. you will like all the utilities programs and if for some reason you dont want to use them you can disable them.
Just read the manual good and build should go smooth.
 
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What about just setting up the chipset and lan with the driver CD and downloading the more recent drivers from their website?

Oh! Elmo, after you receive your parts and set everything up, please let me know if you have any troubles with the Hyper 212 and your RAM. That's a big worry for me, haha.

One thing I was wanting to ask you Rusty was about the 560 Ti. Personally, I would really, really, really like to go with EVGA on this. I did find a much cheaper 560 Ti for a bit over $200.00 that was made by Gigabyte and another for a bit more that was made by MSI. Do you really think a 560 Ti would be a much better card than just a normal 560?
 
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Yes, you can download drivers the way you said, just the main thing is to get lan and chipset so you can get on line to do the rest, It still wouldn't hurt to look through the driver files on the disk afterward to make sure you got everything.

Shouldn't have any problems with the ram cause I have the big coolermaster v8 cpu cooler and I have plenty of room for all 4 slots if needed. Right now I only have 2 dimms of 4gb each.
The manual says that if only two dims use slots 2 and 4, but even though have only slots 2 and 4 filled, there is plenty of room for even high profile ram in all 4 slots with my cooler.

as far as 560ti vs. 560 the only thing I know technicly is that the ti model operates on more cores making it better. see the following thread for a little info
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/325166-31-geforce
As you can see allot of guys suggest a radeon card through the mid priced range of cards.
I haven't had good experiences with radeon cards because of catalyst issues and compatability issues with other systems, etc. , so I like nvidea which has never let me down.

As far as the gpu brand you cant really go wrong with evga. I chose Asus because I got a good deal on my 560ti and I liked the idea of matching it to the board. I am really pleased with it.
 
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Yeah, so you see the difference now with 560 vs. 560 ti , about 50 cores for substantial gain in performance They have recently been advertising the 440 core models which is supposed to be more like the 570ti in power. It should be cause it costs almost the same as the 570's

I don't have allot of experience with EVGA. I have always heard good about them and that they are usually able to o.c. with stability. Many of the toms Articles speak highly of most evga.
Its funny cause I have a asus 550ti in my other computer and a Asus 560ti in this one . Asus has a overclock utility called smart doctor and it is supported by my 560ti. The 550ti does does not officially support smart doctor. I loaded it and it works to overclock with but some of the features didn't work, so I uninstalled it and installed EVGA Precision which, if your familiar with evga , it is their overclocking software program. It works for my asus and most cards all the way through the 500 series wether EVGA or not.
 
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Woo, very nice. I just watched an Unboxing video of the Gene-Z and all of it's fan headers are 4-pin. So that's good. The only thing that worries me a bit is the PCI slots look like they are pretty close to each other and the first one looks very close to the audio ports. Did you have any trouble setting your video cards into this slot?

And.. bah. I wish I could find a case that looked like a Cooler Master case and had Corsair cable management.
 
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Oh, if you wouldn't mind, could you choose a optical drive for me? Haha, honestly I don't understand the numbers on them.

Also, I finally broke it all down and decided to get a 560 Ti by EVGA. Plus I'm going to get a Cooler Master 932 Adv (The purty blue one!). I'm really surprised by the price for it all because it is just a little over $1000.00. With the drive it should be about $50.00 or $60.00 dollars over. What do you guys think?
 
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