My First Time At A New Hobby

[Actjack]

I would like to first to say hello to this community, you may call me Actjack (Action Jackson for short)

I am very interested in starting a new hobby and after a day or 2 of research, i ask your help and opinions on the set-up I am putting together.
I am wanting to run a Windows 7 desktop mainly for gaming and emulators. I would like to keep the budget under $900.
I want a set-up to have CrossFireX when I get a second Graphics Card in the future.
Now this is just the main equipment I have in mind, RAM & Hard Drives I can get into later. I ask for your feedback on what I've accumulated so far:

1) CPU - i7 LGA1155 ($290)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116502

2) Mobo - Gigabyte GA-Z77-HD4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128580R

3) PDU - Rosewill ($60)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

4) Case - CFI Prime 311 ($40)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811855006

5) Graphics Card - HIS IceQ X H785QN2G2M Radeon HD 7850 ($170)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161405

I am very new to this so I ask you have mercy on my "noobiness"

 

[kirilmatthew]

Your GPU is too weak compared to CPU. For your needs, an Intel i5 or FX chip is a better choice. In a $900 with no ram or HDD you should look at probably an FX-8320 and a radeon 7970. As for PSU I recommend a better brand like corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic. Hope this helps!

 

[houldendub]

First question... Do you plan to overclock your processor? If so, look for the "i7 3770k" instead. The "k" indicates that the cores are unlocked, and that you will be able to increase the speed of them.

Also, if you DO plan to overclock, it would be worth getting an aftermarket CPU cooler, as the one that comes with it is quite frankly shocking.

Everything looks good to me! Even with only a 630w PSU it would be OK to run two 7850s, hell, I ran two 7950s on a 650w PSU recently, you'll be good to go

 

[Actjack]

Your GPU is too weak compared to CPU. For your needs, an Intel i5 or FX chip is a better choice. In a $900 with no ram or HDD you should look at probably an FX-8320 and a radeon 7970. As for PSU I recommend a better brand like corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic. Hope this helps!

What about a Radeon HD7970 with my i7, and ill pick another Graphics down the road?
& I plan on getting a HDD and RAM I just want to cover these details before i proceed

I will definitely change the brand on the PSU

 

[Actjack]

First question... Do you plan to overclock your processor? If so, look for the "i7 3770k" instead. The "k" indicates that the cores are unlocked, and that you will be able to increase the speed of them.

Also, if you DO plan to overclock, it would be worth getting an aftermarket CPU cooler, as the one that comes with it is quite frankly shocking.

Everything looks good to me! Even with only a 630w PSU it would be OK to run two 7850s, hell, I ran two 7950s on a 650w PSU recently, you'll be good to go

Investing in a Cooler is something I have been looking into & thank you and the other user for your input. But wont overclocking kill my CPU? I thought overclocking your CPU wasn't recommended? I dont know, I assume the cooler would make a difference

 

[kirilmatthew]

Your GPU is too weak compared to CPU. For your needs, an Intel i5 or FX chip is a better choice. In a $900 with no ram or HDD you should look at probably an FX-8320 and a radeon 7970. As for PSU I recommend a better brand like corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic. Hope this helps!

What about a Radeon HD7970 with my i7, and ill pick another Graphics down the road?
& I plan on getting a HDD and RAM I just want to cover these details before i proceed

I will definitely change the brand on the PSU

An i7 in a gaming build under $1500 is not a good idea. Too much of the budget is going towards the CPU for no gaming benefit. Is there any reason you need an i7 over an FX or i5?

 

[kirilmatthew]

First question... Do you plan to overclock your processor? If so, look for the "i7 3770k" instead. The "k" indicates that the cores are unlocked, and that you will be able to increase the speed of them.

Also, if you DO plan to overclock, it would be worth getting an aftermarket CPU cooler, as the one that comes with it is quite frankly shocking.

Everything looks good to me! Even with only a 630w PSU it would be OK to run two 7850s, hell, I ran two 7950s on a 650w PSU recently, you'll be good to go

Investing in a Cooler is something I have been looking into & thank you and the other user for your input. But wont overclocking kill my CPU? I thought overclocking your CPU wasn't recommended? I dont know, I assume the cooler would make a difference

Overclocking is fine, and a good idea if you're comfortable. An aftermarket cooler is a requirement as well as an unlocked CPU( FX or "k" series). If you're careful it will not damage your CPU, but I only recommend it if you are completely comfortable with such a process. It is time consuming to initially set up for maximum speed and stability. The type of cooler you chose and the cost is generally equal to how high you want to overclock and how low you want temps to be.

 

[Actjack]

First question... Do you plan to overclock your processor? If so, look for the "i7 3770k" instead. The "k" indicates that the cores are unlocked, and that you will be able to increase the speed of them.

Also, if you DO plan to overclock, it would be worth getting an aftermarket CPU cooler, as the one that comes with it is quite frankly shocking.

Everything looks good to me! Even with only a 630w PSU it would be OK to run two 7850s, hell, I ran two 7950s on a 650w PSU recently, you'll be good to go

Investing in a Cooler is something I have been looking into & thank you and the other user for your input. But wont overclocking kill my CPU? I thought overclocking your CPU wasn't recommended? I dont know, I assume the cooler would make a difference

Overclocking is fine, and a good idea if you're comfortable. An aftermarket cooler is a requirement as well as an unlocked CPU( FX or "k" series). If you're careful it will not damage your CPU, but I only recommend it if you are completely comfortable with such a process. It is time consuming to initially set up for maximum speed and stability. The type of cooler you chose and the cost is generally equal to how high you want to overclock and how low you want temps to be.

Ok, I dont know if im comfortable with such a process but i will consider buying a cooler.
So do you think i should get a i5 or i7? I do plan on having 2 graphics card, my second one that I will buy down the road will most likely be more powerful then the one i start with

 

[Actjack]

Your GPU is too weak compared to CPU. For your needs, an Intel i5 or FX chip is a better choice. In a $900 with no ram or HDD you should look at probably an FX-8320 and a radeon 7970. As for PSU I recommend a better brand like corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic. Hope this helps!

What about a Radeon HD7970 with my i7, and ill pick another Graphics down the road?
& I plan on getting a HDD and RAM I just want to cover these details before i proceed

I will definitely change the brand on the PSU

An i7 in a gaming build under $1500 is not a good idea. Too much of the budget is going towards the CPU for no gaming benefit. Is there any reason you need an i7 over an FX or i5?

No not really i just thought it would help with the type of gaming I will be doing
Do you think I would be ok if i had an i5 and played high-demanding games? Like Assassins Creed for example?

 

[kirilmatthew]

You could always use stock and get a cooler if you want to OC. I'm highly recommending something cheaper then an i7. However, at under $1000 it will be difficult to fit a 7970 and an i5. It might be doable with a non-k version. You cannot add a second GPU that is different to the first really. It will not CF/SLI.

 

[kirilmatthew]

Your GPU is too weak compared to CPU. For your needs, an Intel i5 or FX chip is a better choice. In a $900 with no ram or HDD you should look at probably an FX-8320 and a radeon 7970. As for PSU I recommend a better brand like corsair, antec, XFX or seasonic. Hope this helps!

What about a Radeon HD7970 with my i7, and ill pick another Graphics down the road?
& I plan on getting a HDD and RAM I just want to cover these details before i proceed

I will definitely change the brand on the PSU

An i7 in a gaming build under $1500 is not a good idea. Too much of the budget is going towards the CPU for no gaming benefit. Is there any reason you need an i7 over an FX or i5?

No not really i just thought it would help with the type of gaming I will be doing
Do you think I would be ok if i had an i5 and played high-demanding games? Like Assassins Creed for example?

You would notice no difference between an i5 and i7 on any modern games. At most 1-2fps. The i7 is only a good CPU for highly multithreaded, demanding workloads such as video editing or encoding.

 

[Actjack]

You could always use stock and get a cooler if you want to OC. I'm highly recommending something cheaper then an i7. However, at under $1000 it will be difficult to fit a 7970 and an i5. It might be doable with a non-k version. You cannot add a second GPU that is different to the first really. It will not CF/SLI.

Ok thank you for your feedback, Im learning alot as we speak
But anywho...Im going with an i5k, just incase if do decide to learn to OC. So do better my chances I should go with a lesser 7970, but should I stay in the 7000 series? Ill have the i5k & would a 16 GB RAM be doable?

 

[kirilmatthew]

You could always use stock and get a cooler if you want to OC. I'm highly recommending something cheaper then an i7. However, at under $1000 it will be difficult to fit a 7970 and an i5. It might be doable with a non-k version. You cannot add a second GPU that is different to the first really. It will not CF/SLI.

Ok thank you for your feedback, Im learning alot as we speak
But anywho...Im going with an i5k, just incase if do decide to learn to OC. So do better my chances I should go with a lesser 7970, but should I stay in the 7000 series? Ill have the i5k & would a 16 GB RAM be doable?

Do you mean a cheaper 7970? I recommend going with a cheap one, yes. 16Gb ram is overkill. Modern PCs that are used for gaming should have 8Gb of ram, preferably DDR3-1600 or 1866.

 

[Actjack]

You could always use stock and get a cooler if you want to OC. I'm highly recommending something cheaper then an i7. However, at under $1000 it will be difficult to fit a 7970 and an i5. It might be doable with a non-k version. You cannot add a second GPU that is different to the first really. It will not CF/SLI.

Ok thank you for your feedback, Im learning alot as we speak
But anywho...Im going with an i5k, just incase if do decide to learn to OC. So do better my chances I should go with a lesser 7970, but should I stay in the 7000 series? Ill have the i5k & would a 16 GB RAM be doable?

Do you mean a cheaper 7970? I recommend going with a cheap one, yes. 16Gb ram is overkill. Modern PCs that are used for gaming should have 8Gb of ram, preferably DDR3-1600 or 1866.

Alright So not as expensive as the IceQ as i stated above
I have a few more questions if you can bare with me:

I still plan to Crossfire in the future, just so I feel more comfortable with running graphical games, would it best if I got 2 of the same graphics card?
Does it matter if I get (2) 4GB RAM sticks instead of (4) 2GB RAM sticks?
& since it took me awhile to find a decent Mobo, Do you think the one i chose will suffice?