First build help

[Saladin643]

I need a new computer and am thinking of building it myself, this would be my first build and I have some

 

questions.

 

Note I live in New Zealand so I cannot use Newegg or Amazon. I would most likley use TasTech computers

 

http://www.tastech.co.nz/ to get parts.

 

I want this PC to last a long time so I want to be able to upgrade it.

 

These are the things I think I want:

Intel i5 2500k

 

Windows 7 64bit Oem

 

8gb of ram, 2x4gb prefferably

 

Sapphire 6950 1gb

 

Lots of usb ports

 

1155 socket p67 chipset Mb Perhaps this

 

Western Digital 1tb 7200rpm 6gb/s hdd. I don't think I can afford a ssd but if I could I would put OS, Cs5 and games on it,

with pics, music etc on the hdd is that the best use?

 

A case that can hold the motherboard and prefferably 2 hard drives (ssd and a hdd) I have lots of room so I should get a full tower right?

 

A psu that works with the motherboard this?

 

A Dvd r/w drive this?

Is there anything else I might need?

 

Will I need a special network card to connect to the internet?

 

What version of windows should I get? (home, pro or ultimate)

 

What elements can be upgraded (eg. could I add a ssd later)

 

Edit: I don't want to spend more than 1500 nzd on it, I plan to use photoshop, games and some video editing, my budget is flexible so I'm willing to spend more if I think it's worth it.

[OldJoe]

If you want AMD, why not wait a couple of weeks for the new cpu's to come?

The X6 is only useful if you work with multi-threaded programs, not for gaming. Otherwise an X4 or i5 cpu.

64bit, or i'll throw fish at your house. I use Win7 premium because i don't find the extra stuff on pro worth it.

I don't know what graphics card you want, what do you plan to do? The 5850 is around 100€ here in Europe, which is a great price.

 

It's a bit difficult to recommend anything without knowing a total budget.

[jasignhagj]

You don't want a phenom, and if what I've heard is to be believed, you won't even want Bulldozer. The i5 2500k is the best gaming processor out there (the extra $100 for the i7 is far better spent on a GPU), and even the i3 2100 is better than the x6 for gaming.

 

Give us a budget, and what you want to do with the computer, otherwise it's hard to put a good build together.

[Saladin643]

The i5 2500k looks great and Ill go with 64bit windows home.

 

I don't want to spend more than $1500 nzd on it (about 1200 usd)

[jasignhagj]

Everything at that store is super expensive, even for NZD. Are there any other retailers that ship to NZ? If not, you may have to cut back a bit.

[Saladin643]

These places also sell parts and ship to nz but are all the same/more expensive than Tastech

 

http://www.pp.co.nz/

http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentlist.asp?parttypeid=186&t=1

http://www.ascent.co.nz/Category.aspx?majorcatID=37

 

What about this for a build (is it all compatible?)

 

Cpu: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=337413

Ram: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=346566 (2 of these)

MB: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=350690

OS: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=308391

Case: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=310924

Hdd: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=335178 (there is one with 64mb cache for another $20 is that worth it?)

Opitical drive: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=302962

Gpu: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=331419 (I don't know anything about gpus so this probably isn't very good)

 

I don't know whether the the psu, motherboard and gpu work together though.

[jasignhagj]

You'll want a P67 motherboard. That GPU is very weak, I'd be looking at a 560 ti or 6950 for decent gaming. The HDD is fine though. I'd also look at a case with better ventilation.

 

Ill take abetter look at it tomorrow.

[Ouchy]

In terms of your build, I can offer no advice at all unforunately.

However, I offer sites which should be cheaper.

Try these:

 

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/

http://www.playtech.co.nz/

[Saladin643]

I'll most likley go with a p67 Mb and a 6950 gpu unsure about cases, I can't figure out which one is best so help on that would be great.

[jasignhagj]

Just look for one with at least one intake and exhaust fan, preferably more. I'm assuming you don't care about rice, but make sure you like the look too, unless it will be under the desk.

[Saladin643]

Is there anyway of telling if a psu will fit in a case?

[OldJoe]

Is there anyway of telling if a psu will fit in a case?

It will. But i hope for your own sake that you aren't thinking of purchasing it.

Get something like this http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=597/ID=15159/SID=151008902/productdetails.html or spend some more for a modular one if you are going for that sort of build.

[jasignhagj]

Seasonic makes nice budget PSUs, Corsair makes higher end ones. I wouldn't trust many other brands. If you are interested in other brands, go to tomshardware and check the chart that shows who manufactures the PSUs that other companies rebrand and sell.

[Saladin643]

So maybe something like this:

Psu: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=348473

Case: http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=387727

Mb: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=337394

Gpu: http://www.tastech.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=345246

With everything else the same.

 

If that all works together I'd be willing to save up for a little longer :)

[jasignhagj]

All looks good. Just know you won't be able to Xfire or SLI later on if you choose to as you will have one 16x pci-e slot and one 4x pci-e slot. I'd also look at getting a 2gb 6950 as they can be flashed to perform as a 6970, but I don't really know much about how that works.

[OldJoe]

Seasonic makes nice budget PSUs, Corsair makes higher end ones. I wouldn't trust many other brands. If you are interested in other brands, go to tomshardware and check the chart that shows who manufactures the PSUs that other companies rebrand and sell.

And you know who produces Corsair's psu's?

Seasonic isn't budget.

 

Apart from Corsair and Seasonic as good brands, i'd include: Antec, Enermax, Fractal Design and OCZ.

[Saladin643]

Thanks for the help everyone, I'll think about getting the 2gb card while I save.

[Lord Diddy]

Everything looks good, the i5 2005k is a great processor, i'm currently using it on my build and its excellent. I HIGHLY recommend getting an after-market cooler, the stock just won't cut it if your doing overclocks (and you'd be kicking yourself in the nuts that you aren't getting its full potential if you don't OC). With my Asus motherboard I literally get over a 1Ghz faster overclock with a simple press of a button. Personally I've never liked Gigabyte motherboards because of their capacitors and just that I prefer some companies over others. I might also wan't to recommend getting a full tower if you have the space to do so, its really so much nicer to have room for upgrades and just peace of mind having so much workroom.

 

New CPU cooler, along with a nice tube of thermal paste

Maybe check other motherboards

See if you're interested in full towers

[jasignhagj]

Seasonic makes nice budget PSUs, Corsair makes higher end ones. I wouldn't trust many other brands. If you are interested in other brands, go to tomshardware and check the chart that shows who manufactures the PSUs that other companies rebrand and sell.

And you know who produces Corsair's psu's?

Seasonic isn't budget.

 

Apart from Corsair and Seasonic as good brands, i'd include: Antec, Enermax, Fractal Design and OCZ.

 

Bad wording on my part, I shouldn't have said budget/high end. Seasonics do tend to be about $20 cheaper than their Corsair counterpart.

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913-4.html

[Saladin643]

Sorry I don't know much about cases. So a full tower is bigger? Does that mean more room to upgrade? I have plenty of room so that is a possablity.

I don't know much about motherboards either I just had a gigabyte on my old comp which worked for 4 years :) I will have a look at other motherboards.

So the cooler that comes with the processer won't handle overclocking? I definatly want to do that so I will look at that, any advice on which one?

Also what is Xfire? I may change mb if it is something I want to do.

[Lord Diddy]

Sorry I don't know much about cases. So a full tower is bigger? Does that mean more room to upgrade? I have plenty of room so that is a possablity.

I don't know much about motherboards either I just had a gigabyte on my old comp which worked for 4 years :) I will have a look at other motherboards.

So the cooler that comes with the processer won't handle overclocking? I definatly want to do that so I will look at that, any advice on which one?

Also what is Xfire? I may change mb if it is something I want to do.

 

A full tower allows for improved air flow, usually better cable organization, and more hard drive bays/optical drives, also its almost guaranteed any future upgrades will comfortably fit. The cons of full towers are there are just a bit more expensive and need more room.

 

Gigabyte is a respectable company, personally I am an ASUS person and find their Sandy Bridge MBs are phenomenal. That motherboard is fine but just have another look around.

 

I personally use the CM Hyper 212 Plus for my build, it really is amazing for its price and performance. I get 28 C idle and never over 48 on max, overclocking adds only about 5 degrees more on the min and max. I have it overclocked to about 4.4Ghz on air.

 

Crossfire is AMDs name on the way they allow multiple GPUs of the same model to be used in tandem to achieve even better performance. It almost doubles your graphics potential if you buy two of the same cards. This allows you to buy another graphics cards and utilize both of them rather then just replacing them. Nividia has their own called SLI which does the same thing. Nice link here http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/245454-33-crossfire-faqs

[Saladin643]

Thanks I'll look at some other Mbs then.

[jasignhagj]

I have a Gigabyte X58 (old i7) mobo, and I really like it, especially the bios. Only downside is you can't use a USB keyboard in the BIOS, which can be a pain if you have a wireless mouse/keyboard that run off the same adapter.

[Saladin643]

What is the BIOS? I have a usb and one with a purple connector (ps2 or something) and intend to use the purple one.

Does crossfire help with gaming? 2 6950s sounds kinda overkill but maybe it will help in the future, could i get a crossfire mb now and another gpu later?

Would it be possible to get a less powerful gpu now, then get another and crossfire if I need better graphics later?

[jasignhagj]

I'd go with one 6950 now. If you downgrade to a 6870 with plans to crossfire later, you will have to spend about $50 on a better motherboard. Planning to xfire later is only worth it if you plan to upgrade soon. If you wait more than a year, you money will probably be better spent getting a whole new card. Plus you have to deal with increased power consumption and heat issues.