PC build 900euros/1,200$/750pounds - help needed - beginner

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Robotmutt

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Mar 24, 2014
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Hi,

I have been playing games a lot recently and was looking to invest my money in a good/worth the price custom built pc as it seems to be better doing and funner. Also this means the possibility of customization and removal of certain parts in the future. I am not very experienced in this sector and require assistance and suggestions. I have about 900euro/ $1,200/750pounds to spend. I do not mind whether it slightly exceeds my money limit, I am looking for the best build I can get with that money NOT including any monitors/peripherals .etc. I have looked at PCPartPicker and do not have much of a clue where to start, I've looked at videos and have the general idea of what I need - I would prefer Nvidia over ASD. Whatever suggestions and must haves will be a great help! I am not sure what the average price for each component should be and how to balance everything out. Not to forget, I do little work, only microsoft word .etc. I will also be watching bluray films, at the moment I have a DVD drive to use and plan to buy a bluray drive in the future, I don't mind whether it is included in the overall build for the moment. At the moment I play Rust, DayZ, Metro, Bioshock, Borderlands, Skyrim and a whole list of similar games quite similar. I will also be looking to keeping this for 2 years or more and be playing games such Titanfall and possibly other mainstream games.
 
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if you can stretch the budget a little bit, i'd go with this build:

it has an i5 processor (one of the best for gaming), a 780(also one of the best for gaming), the corsair case, a highly rated psu, an ssd for your operating system and programs and your favorite games, and a hard disc drive for everything else. where i am it comes into $1250, which is a little more than you wanted

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fQnw

i can probably make it a little less expensive if you want, without sacrificing much gaming performance
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I was ust testing Metro Last Light all on max setting used nvidia geforce experience and put it to 'optimize', at the start in a scene I was at about 70fps then it hit 20s for some reason and stayed there then went back up to high 80s and then suddenly went to 9/10fps at this certain gun fight and I felt the back of the gpu and wow it was very hot, I'm not sure if I'm overloading it with Metro Last light or the case is getting bad airflow and heat is not getting out... Anyway it just worried me, I hope the 230mm fan intake will help get airflow and cool down the gpu..
 
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I'll definitely buy the 230mm fan and when I install mcafee this weekend I will check out the programs you recommended to monitor temperatures etc and see if it helps, I think mainly it is due to Metro Last Light, I can't install another game until I install Mcafee so I can't test on other games. I went to go look at the programs you recommended and read a small section from awhile back and saw I made a stupid mistake accidently mentioned I was gettin 2x8gb RAM but I actually bought 2x4gb: http://www.amazon.it/Corsair-CML8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance/dp/B00569K7LM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1402423695&sr=8-6&keywords=corsair+vengeance

Also what are good programs to monitor my cpu and gpu?

Found the right cable to connect from my psu to 3 fans which will be the 230mm and 2 120mm, also it's green!! ahaha matches my desired colour scheme and now when i get the wire and fan I should definitely have better in take in the front and better exhaust at the back and at the top with the 120mm!

http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B004J3RB3S/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A11IL2PNWYJU7H
 
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the only downside to the cable is that the fans plugged into the psu will run full blast. it shouldnt be extremely loud, but be ready for more noise. id say put the intake fan and one rear fan, the intake fan wont be as loud as the 120mm. the second 120mm can stay in the motherboard.

also, the ram issue isnt an issue. you only need 8gb of ram to game, i think the 16gb was to help with the professional type work and so you wont have to upgrade it anytime. you wont have to upgrade over 8gb for a while though, so it doesnt matter. (it could be years)

for programs, use msi afterburner for the gpu. its not limited to only msi products, so dont worry. you can monitor temps, core clock, vram usage, atc etc. nearly everything you need to know.

for the cpu, you can use coretemp or hwmonitor. either one works great, you can decide which. i currently have core temp but ive used hwmonitor before and that works good too.
 
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Awesome, I'll be sure to check them out! Also I would've expected the 230mm fan to make most noise at full blast or is it the 120mm that will? I did find a cable which connects to the motherboard and has 2 plugins for fans which is 12euro, 6euro less than the bitfenix cable, I also found a cable that connects to motherboard and has 6 fan connection but that costs 3 euro which seems too cheap and led me to think it won't be well made and then 10euro shipping because it's from a seller!

http://www.amazon.it/InLine%C2%AE-alimentazione-ventola-Mainboard-Supporta/dp/B005IETO1O/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1BDGRM6RJ6ESC8ZTR4E9

http://www.amazon.it/DeLOCK-89343-cavo-di-alimentazione/dp/B008ZZZRIC/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1402427131&sr=8-12&keywords=female+molex

So yeah that's why I picked the bitfenix version so I could connect all 3 fans and it is good build quality and the right colour. Does the bitfenix cable cause the fans to be slower than they would be connected to the motherboard?
 
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the smaller fans are louder, since they spin at a faster rpm. the bigger fans dont spin as fast, and are quieter as a result.

for the fan problem, if you have fans plugged into the psu (with the bitfenix cable) they will run at full blast all the time. This is louder and takes a toll on you fans. it shortens their lifespan. when its plugged into the motherboard, the fan speeds are adjusted by the temps in your case, so they can be running real slow when they arent needed to be pushing alot of air.

the 3 euro one seems really cheap, i suggest against getting it.

the other fan splitter is good, but it doesnt look very good either.

this might be a good option, its only sleeved black though. but it should control all 3 fans.

http://www.amazon.it/Phobya-Cable-Pin-PWM-30cm/dp/B000WVAL0G/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1402435565&sr=1-3-fkmr1&keywords=Phobya+Y-Cable+4Pin+To+2x+4Pin+PWM+%26+1x+3Pin+30cm+-+UV+Green+%3A+Pwm+Y+Cable+Adapter
 
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Yeah that seems a better option, I don't want to kill out my fans too soon and I don't mind too much on the colour of the sleeves, all my wires are black anyway. I again played Metro Last Light and realised in certain gameplay areas of the game it kills my fps not sure why and then other gameplay areas it's fine and hits a good 70 and above so yeah something is odd there.. Anyway I'm ordering the fan and cable now so I can hook it up asap to get better airflow :) Update: I just ordered the 230mm fan and cable and decided to treat myself with new money I earnt and bought a 30cm bitfenix green LED strip to place in my case to get that black&green colour scheme going on 😉 But what use would it be without being able to see inside? Well that's why I bought the bitfenix window side panel so I can see that sexy graphics card with a green glow around it! 😀 Although not too sure how that performs as in the previous side panel had ventilation as it is right next to the graphics cards fans and instead this new panel is just glass, should be ok hopefully with all fans installed. I'm really sorry you haven't seen any of this build yet as you were a key factor in making it! It's just I am finishing off my exams and want to do a good job with the photos so that takes time and I can't do that at the momemt but I will do it asap so you can see this beauty! :)
 
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that build is gonna look awesome. heres a good guild that helped me: http://www.overclock.net/t/912437/how-to-photograph-your-rig

i bet the frame drops are from the temps. make sure you have the latest nvidia drivers for you gpu, if the tech people did it its probably temps. with the new fans the window vs the mesh part shouldnt make too much of a difference. maybe a few degrees but with msi afterburner you can set the fans to go up to 100% or 80% or whatever to keep it from going over that temp

also, if you feel adventerous in the future, take a look at this: http://www.overclock.net/t/662039/cable-sleeving-gallery-discussion

you can buy pre-sleeved cables or do it yourself.
 
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Yeah I looked into that but thought it might be too tricky for my first build, don't want to mess anything up..

Also I don't think it is the temperatures because just as I start the game up (several times I have tried) it immediately goes down to 8fps and the gpu isn't hot. Anyway my fan and window side panel arrived, I installed them and they look awesome! I connected the 230mm for now and the 2 120mm I have set up at the back, 1 on the back and 1 on the top, the wire is coming later on so I have to wait for that to connect all 3 fans. I tried Metro Last Light again and played a scene which would last a good time previously and the fps was good until everything started to heat up and the fps dropped to 20 and the case was boiling! I figure it will be better to have the other 120mm fans on right next to the gpu, also I think the window isn't helping with getting heat out...and finally that Metro Last Light isn't the best game to try yet! It always seems to heat my gpu up a bit too much or I am worrying too much, but I'm going to wait to try that game properly once I've installed the other 2 fans. Also I'm not sure what's wrong with 8fps scene that's definitely odd :/ Also once I get mcafee I shall install the program to measure the gpu temperature because I'm not sure if the heat is ok and under the limit and it might just be me thinking it's too hot or if it actually is too hot and going above the limits.
 
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Make sure that your fans are set up like this ;
2v8jrz6.png
 
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Yeah I have a 230mm bitfenix spectre at the front of my bitfenix prodigy intake, and then a 120mm bitfenix case fan set up at the back outtake, another 120mm bitfenix case fan on top outtake and then the cpu case fan on the motherboard.
 
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So I should expect the case to heat up? It's worse now as I don't have all 3 fans connected only the front 230mm one not the back 2 120mm? And as for Metro Last Light I don't believe it's the temperature affecting this scene where my fps drops to 8fps or so...Even as I just start up my pc and try the scene it immediately goes down to 8fps, then I try another scene further back in campaign and it's around 70fps usual.
 
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I don't have a program installed to check out my gpu temperatures, I just tried installing MSI afterburner recommended by jshoop but it didn't work, also I don't yet have mcafee installed so if you recommend one it must be safe :)
 
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My dad insists on using mcafee and I am currently waiting to install that with him but I will install HWmonitor now.
 
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I've installed MSI afterburner and HW monitor, I saw the gpu fans were on 36% or something so I boosted that up to 60% anything above got a bit too noisy, I played some Metro Last Light and my gpu temperature was around 75 -85, at the moment only my 230mm fan is connected and the 2 120mm fans are NOT connected as I am waiting for a wire I bought to connect from the motherboard and splits into 3 fan plugins. On HWmonitor you can't adjust anything correct? Also how could I possible control my 3 fan speeds or is it automatic?
 
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Sorry i was taking a break 😛
I think that you should also replace the two 120mm fans you currently have with some better ones , like some noctuas , they're VERY quiet and cool extremely well , or you could get the spectre pro's you currently have , they cool very nicely but they do make a lot of noise
It's normal that your hole system is so noisy because the 2x120mm fans in the rear don't work , when you'll recieve that converter you'll have far better performance and a fairly quieter system
No you can't adjust anything in HWmonitor , you only can see temperatures
You can controll them in the BIOS and with a fan controller ( if you're talking about the case fans ) , but if you're talking about gpu's fans i think that you can do it with MSI afterburner
 
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Yeah I was considering buying 2 120mm spectres LED green to match my desired colour scheme - black&green. But that will have to a bit later on as that will cost 46euro which is a fair amount I'm not sure about buying just yet as the current case fans should do the job for awhile. Or I could buy a 120mm and 140mm although the 140mm is 5euros more is that worth the cost? And yeah I did change the gpu fans in MSI afterburner, and when I set up the case fans in the BIOS is there anything you recommend setting them at or should I just leave them as they are? Oh and any comments about my idea, you know I am aiming for a black&green build, I did look into sleeving but figured it was too tricky for my first build and didn't want to spend the money on it for the moment, I thought I could buy some spray paint for plastic and paint all my wires (cautiously) green.
 
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I wouldn't buy the spectres personally , they're too loud .
You don't need to buy like 4 spectres , two of them will do the job . A 140mm is quieter than a 120mm and gives better airflow , but did you make sure you can fit 2x140mm in the rear of the case ? Because I highly doubt you can in a mATX case . I just looked up and saw that you can put 2x 120mm fans in the front , 2x 120mm on the top and one on the rear
If you want a fairly quiet case fan then this one is for you : http://de.pcpartpicker.com/part/bitfenix-case-fan-bfflpro12025grp
Honestly i don't really mess up with fans speed so i can't help you there , i'd suggest leaving them where they are but it's up to you
I don't think that custom painting your cables is a great idea , unless you don't put spray in the psu

EDIT : I gotta sleep , it's 11:05 PM here and i'm fatigued , have a good day/night and see ya tomorrow
 
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