My very first build

[Franicelcha]

Hi folks

After having watched many youtube videos on how build a computer, I have decided to make the plunge and try to build my own. My first build. Needless to say, I am nervous. Very nervous.

The build will be a desktop computer and will not be used for gaming. It is a computer for every day use (Internet browsing, email, watching youtube and Netflix videos, watching hockey games, burning DVD’s etc..) No gaming for now but who knows later on what I might want to do... I want something that will be high quality (I insist on quality) and will last for several years. I have paid much attention to every single part of the build to the best of my knowledge (I am no expert but I love computers). I tried to provide for some possible future expansion and maybe in the process, I went overkill. I do not really know.

I would like to have your expert opinions on my parts selection and provide some alternative choices should you feel appropriate. If you folks can save me some money while maintaining the quality, that would be good. There are however a few things that I do not want to compromise on. Here are the things I definitely want to have:

1-6gbs sata ports on the mobo (minimum 4) and USB 3 ports on the front panel of my casing . (At least 1, possibly 2).
2-Possibility of putting in a video card in the future.
3-Dual channel memory.
4-No APU overheating.

I really did not know which case to pick. I went with the star rating of the item. I want a black casing which would provide a good airflow with the possibility of adding a fan if you folks suggest so. For now, I AM PLANNING ON USING THE STOCK FAN THAT COMES WITH THE PROCESSOR (APU) UNLESS YOU PEOPLE SUGGEST OTHERWISE. But keep in mind that this is my first build so I’m trying to keep it as simple as possible. No real fancy stuff. However, I do not want my system to oveheat (that goes without saying…). That is the reason I went with a modular PSU.

Since I reside in Canada, the prices are all based on Newegg.ca prices as of today (June 28,2014) and are denominated in CDN currency before applicable taxes.


Thanks in advance to all those who will care to help.

So, here we go with the parts.

My first computer build.

Estimated total cost before taxes: $627- $646 CDN

Power Supply ($64.99 + 9.99 S/H) = $75.
Antec BP550 Plus 550W ATX12V (Full modular)

OR

Power Supply ($84.99+8.60 S/H) = $94.
SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply



APU ($103.99 +4.99 S/H) = $109.
AMD A8-5600K Trinity Quad-Core 3.6GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 100W Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7560D AD560KWOHJBOX


Motherboard ($114.99 + 9.99 S/H) = $125
GIGABYTE GA-F2A88X-UP4 FM2+ / FM2 AMD A88X (Bolton D4) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard


Memory ($79.99+5.99 S/H) = $86.
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT


Case ($59.99+29.99 S/H) = $90.
NZXT Source 210 Elite Black Steel with painted interior ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Black Front Trim

Optical Drive:
No cost since I already have it here at home and it is almost new
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B – OEM

HDD x 2 ($64.99 +5.99 S/H) x 2 = $142.
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive – OEM

OS: Windows 7
(I already have it. So no additional cost. I have a FULL version which mean I can install it on a new build)

I am sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum. I am new to Tom's Harware site.Please feel free to move my post where it is appropriate. Thanks

 

[Obnoxious]

AMD's are great in terms of performance per price, and also the APU (on-chip/integrated graphics) they provide. However regardless I would still go with Intel, as that would provide you a greater path in terms of upgrading; whereas with AMD you are limited in processor upgrades. In addition AMD's per core performance is not on par with Intel's offering; Intel is superior. With that said too, AMD's motherboards are starting to get dated, both the AM3+ and FM2+ have been out for years.

As mentioned AMD's are great for their APU, however a dedicated GPU with Intel would be a better option. Even if you don't have a dedicated GPU and still go with Intel, the integrated Intel HD with the Intel processors are adequate enough for daily tasks. I was using Intel HD for the last 2 years for my university work, web designing/coding as well as even emulating the Android Virtual Machine. Intel HD is more than satisfactory for daily needs; therefore I would still go down with Intel rather than AMD.

Here is a build below which includes an Intel i5, and a H97 motherboard. The motherboard does not permit overclocking the CPU, however it will support the next generation of Intel processors, Broadwell which will be released towards the end of this year, or next. I have not included an optical drive or the OS as you stated you have both those. By the way, the motherboard has 6 SATA3 ports, along with support for 2 USB 3.0 front panel ports; it has 4 USB 3.0 ports at the back panel.

If the price is a little high, you can always downgrade the CPU to an i3 and that alone should save you some bucks. You're free to downgrade the PSU too, I've included a fully modular one. In addition feel free to replace the case too, if it costs too much; I'm just a sucker for Corsair cases as of late. 😀 The case does however support 2 USB 3.0 ports at the front, along with the motherboard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.86 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.78 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($115.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $662.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

If you go with the above, I believe that will last you longer than the AMD build you have in mind. In addition you're free to add whatever GPU you desire, as the PSU should be adequate enough to power it.

P.S. I also included a single 3TB HDD. 😉

All the best.

 

[Franicelcha]

Thanks a lot Obnoxious. Will certainly go over your suggestions one by one soon. I already looked at the casing you suggested and I liked it a lot. Watched youtube videos on it and that was certainly very impressive (I mean the case) and informative.

Thanks a million for your help and suggestions.

Now, can you list or direct me to a place where I could find the next steps to be carried out AFTER ALL THE PARTS HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED. There are lots of videos on youtube detailing how to assemble the parts but I find that they go rather quickly over the steps that needs to be looked at right after like the order in which the steps must be carried out. I am referring here to drivers installations, installation of the OS (Windows 7 in my case), bios settings ( i am very confused as to what needs to be done in the bios). This part scares the hell out of me (remember that I am on my first build..).

Thank you