Construction a gaming desktop for first time.

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December wrote on 2013-02-04 01:54

Hello hello!
So it's reached that period where I feel that my ancient Acer Travelmate 6292 laptop belongs in a museum rather than my main form of entertainment (as interesting relics of the past are). The plan is to construct a desktop to use in my room mainly for gaming but also doing a little programming for Engineering course and also perhaps some video editting as a hobby.

This will be my first desktop that I am to construct myself, so my experience is a little lacking when it comes to what's good and what's not. I have read Falcon's guide to bring me a little up to scratch on what does what and ballpark idea of what's need.

The budget is under AUD$1,500, to include everything including mouse and possibly two monitors. Paying less is better, but I'd still like to play most games on high graphics without compromising performance.

[1]Could I possibly get some recommendations on specific parts, brands or just general tips when selecting this and that? Some websites on where to purchase parts for cheap would also be highly appreciated. Please note I live in Australia, so anything from the US or Europe will have shipping fees and possibly (?) compatiability issues (???).

This is apparently a very cheap australian based company: http://www.msy.com.au/

[2]I've read a little bit about Overclocking, don't really feel it's necessary, any comments?
[3]Is a specific cooling system recommended? I've heard watercooler and fans and stuff.
[4]Should I need an extra soundcard or will the inbuilt one suffice?

Thinking of getting a SSD 120gb and a 500 HDD to go with. Can always use an External harddrive for storing TV shows and movies.

Much appreciated.

:bow:
Compass wrote on 2013-02-04 02:11

:V Falcon Guide is for scrubs
[1] There's no compatibility issues between computer parts from different regions
[2] Overclocking isn't necessary, but if you want an extra performance boost than go for it
[3] If you don't plan on overclocking just stick to the stock cooler that your CPU gives you.
[4] Unless you're an audiophile you're good with the onboard one.

Also can you buy from Australian Amazon (if it exists), that site doesn't offer cases or PSUs :V
yumri wrote on 2013-02-04 02:22

[1] there is a compatibility issue with the power supply unit being 120Volts by default if it is from the USA and 240Volts by default if from anywhere else
[2] Overclocking isn't necessary and I advise against it as it decreases the total life span of the motherboard, the wires connected to the overclocked part ( if any are connected to it ) and the part overclocked
[3] if going with Intl CPUs even if not overclocking the stock cooler sucks get a new one. with that I suggest the Thermaltake CLP0554 80mm Sleeve CPU Cooler. Even though that part is a pain to install it works so well that it is worth the pains you go through to get it on the CPU. From newegg.com it is 61.99USD unsure how to get it to tell me it is AUD sorry.
[4] I disagree with the person above me as even if you are a audiophile with a 7.1 surround system the onboard one is still good. The ONLY REASONS to get a sound card are 1 more functionary for sound programs using .mid and meme types of it and 2 to connect studio equipment to your computer
Cucurbita wrote on 2013-02-04 02:23

Liquid cooling is bullshit
Liquid cooling is bullshit
Liquid cooling is bullshit
Liquid cooling is bullshit

/end
Sapphireoath wrote on 2013-02-04 03:19

I recommend these 2 online shops: http://www.scorptec.com.au/ and http://www.pccasegear.com/
Mentosftw wrote on 2013-02-04 03:44

To be honest, you can go cheap on everything but the gpu and the core. For the core, a high end I5 (3570k is basically an I7 without the hyperthreading)should be good enough. I've got an evga produced gtx660ti and that can run both mabi and vindi at max settings full fps at the same time and probably more.
Hitaki wrote on 2013-02-04 03:49

Quote from Cucurbita;1025256:
Liquid cooling is bullshit
Liquid cooling is bullshit
Liquid cooling is bullshit
Liquid cooling is bullshit

/end

My friend actually had to send his computer back for repairs once because one of the Liquid cooling pipes melted or something and the liquid fucked his rig up during the first week or two he had it.
Sapphireoath wrote on 2013-02-04 04:22

If you want to do video editing as a hobby. I'd suggest 1TB as a minimum, video editing can take up a LOT of space, especially if you plan on recording/editing at a decent resolution. Western Digital Caviar Black is one of the best 7200rpm HDD's, so I recommend looking at those.

For the SSD, Samsung 830/Intel 330 or 520 Series are constantly recommended. So I guess it's really a matter of being able to find them. Though all the places I've checked (for my own PC), always seem to have the Intel 330 or 520.

The case would be more down to personal preference, go for one where you can mount the PSU at the bottom, makes things easier. Only personal recommendation is to not go with Antec (I'm even ditching my Antec 900 case, it isn't very user friendly and it ALSO has spacing issues on the back panel). ThermalTake seems to have some nice looking, and user friendly looking, cases (example of the one I'm upgrading to: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/45384-vo100a1w2n).

I'll leave the rest to the tech guys who actually know more :P (for RAM, Mobo, PSU, CPU etc) No point me just saying what others have said.
yumri wrote on 2013-02-04 08:11

Quote from Sapphireoath;1025348:
If you want to do video editing as a hobby. I'd suggest 1TB as a minimum, video editing can take up a LOT of space, especially if you plan on recording/editing at a decent resolution. Western Digital Caviar Black is one of the best 7200rpm HDD's, so I recommend looking at those.

For the SSD, Samsung 830/Intel 330 or 520 Series are constantly recommended. So I guess it's really a matter of being able to find them. Though all the places I've checked (for my own PC), always seem to have the Intel 330 or 520.

The case would be more down to personal preference, go for one where you can mount the PSU at the bottom, makes things easier. Only personal recommendation is to not go with Antec (I'm even ditching my Antec 900 case, it isn't very user friendly and it ALSO has spacing issues on the back panel). ThermalTake seems to have some nice looking, and user friendly looking, cases (example of the one I'm upgrading to: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/45384-vo100a1w2n).

I'll leave the rest to the tech guys who actually know more :P (for RAM, Mobo, PSU, CPU etc) No point me just saying what others have said.

Saphhire oath the smallest they still make is 1TB the rest are just left overs from the last generation of hard drives. I agree that Western Digital is a good brand and 7200rpm is a good speed. Also getting one with at least SATA 3Gbps/ SATA II or SATA 6Gbps / SATA III and not SAS as then you will need to get an expansion card for the SAS drives though SAS is faster for RAID it is not faster when using mixed size and kinds of drives.
For SSDs I will actually i suggest Intel or Mushkin as they both have good IOPS and speeds. int which IOPS is Instruction Operations Per Second which you want very high like 80,000+ is good which Mushkin has and Intel has but Samsung does not but in per speed to and from Samsung is good.
For RAM I still see the G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL part as the best one on the market price vs performance taken into account it is the best. I do not see any use for more than 8GB for anything besides hosting severs while playing games or doing AV editing/rendering and/or compiling of programs/applications.
I prefer the CORSAIR AX760 760W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply for the PSU as I can use CrossFire or SLI with it also Fully Modular will be good b/c of air flow not having to get around as many wires b/c you only have the wires you use in it. 760 Watts is enough for most systems not using SLI and/or Multi CPUs.
I suggest against SLI and CrossFire gains for it aren't they big compared to the price.
The Graphics card I suggest is the MSI N650-MD1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card as it has HDMI, VGA and DVI. As I do not know which you use having all 3 will ensure you have the connector you need. having 1GB of GDDR5 is enough to cover most monitors up to around 24" at max resolution playing HD quality on games. 128-bit isn't that great but it isn't bad either. GeForce 650 is almost as good as GeForce 660 just doesn't have as much CUDA Cores in which I really do not hear you talking about CUDA programing and using CUDA so that's a null factor in it.
For the optical disc reader I personally suggest a DVD Burner any of them but a Sony brand as I have heard many bad things about sound issues with them after just a few months.

I think the Motherboard, CPU, CPU cooler and case deserve a break in the paragraph on here as they are important. The motherboard anything with the chipset of Z77 and ASUS brand. ASUS brand as they have a part which makes parting in all the case plugs for power, reset, etc. so much easier and its propriety to ASUS motherboards so thus why ASUS.
CPU um any quad core Ivy bridge CPU. Reasons Ivy bridge as it uses less power and its slightly faster. Quad core as some things actually use 4-cores especially if you are doing high end gaming and any AV editing of your own game play and/or making anything in any design program.
The Enermax ETS-T40-VD CPU Cooler With VEGAS DUO PWM Twister Bearing Fan Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM2/FM1/AM3+ I personally like be anything besides liquid cooling is good as yeah liquid cooling is the best but the expense and dangers of having liquids inside of it are not worth the slightly better cooled machine and liquid cooling is only good for overclocking.
For a Case I just suggest a Mid or Full Tower as for room and air flow inside of them which I personally have no preference anything which you and the others think will be good.
Sapphireoath wrote on 2013-02-04 09:12

/wall of text
I'm not even going to BOTHER reading that. It's all blending together X_X
RebeccaBlack wrote on 2013-02-04 10:07

Quote from Sapphireoath;1025348:
If you want to do video editing as a hobby. I'd suggest 1TB as a minimum, video editing can take up a LOT of space, especially if you plan on recording/editing at a decent resolution. Western Digital Caviar Black is one of the best 7200rpm HDD's, so I recommend looking at those.

For the SSD, Samsung 830/Intel 330 or 520 Series are constantly recommended. So I guess it's really a matter of being able to find them. Though all the places I've checked (for my own PC), always seem to have the Intel 330 or 520.

The case would be more down to personal preference, go for one where you can mount the PSU at the bottom, makes things easier. Only personal recommendation is to not go with Antec (I'm even ditching my Antec 900 case, it isn't very user friendly and it ALSO has spacing issues on the back panel). ThermalTake seems to have some nice looking, and user friendly looking, cases (example of the one I'm upgrading to: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/45384-vo100a1w2n).

I'll leave the rest to the tech guys who actually know more :P (for RAM, Mobo, PSU, CPU etc) No point me just saying what others have said.

You too? I slightly hate my Antec 1200 case sometimes because toying with some parts is a pain. Makes me not want to mess with my computer when I know I'm going to have to pull out the screwdriver and really sit down for a little bit. I absolutely hate how the hard drives are positioned.

It's a nice case, though, it just has that problem.
Compass wrote on 2013-02-04 10:08

Quote from yumri;1025255:
[4] I disagree with the person above me as even if you are a audiophile with a 7.1 surround system the onboard one is still good. The ONLY REASONS to get a sound card are 1 more functionary for sound programs using .mid and meme types of it and 2 to connect studio equipment to your computer

I was talking more about having a amp in a soundcard like found in theAsus Xonar Essence STX, not whether is has surround sound or not

Quote from yumri;1025519:

I prefer the CORSAIR AX760 760W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply for the PSU as I can use CrossFire or SLI with it also Fully Modular will be good b/c of air flow not having to get around as many wires b/c you only have the wires you use in it. 760 Watts is enough for most systems not using SLI and/or Multi CPUs.

Why would you need 760w for a single card setup? That's way too much. D:

Also why suggest a 650? This is a $1,500 build December can get a better graphics card like at least a 7870.
RebeccaBlack wrote on 2013-02-04 10:24

Quote from yumri;1025519:
[spoiler]Saphhire oath the smallest they still make is 1TB the rest are just left overs from the last generation of hard drives. I agree that Western Digital is a good brand and 7200rpm is a good speed. Also getting one with at least SATA 3Gbps/ SATA II or SATA 6Gbps / SATA III and not SAS as then you will need to get an expansion card for the SAS drives though SAS is faster for RAID it is not faster when using mixed size and kinds of drives.
For SSDs I will actually i suggest Intel or Mushkin as they both have good IOPS and speeds. int which IOPS is Instruction Operations Per Second which you want very high like 80,000+ is good which Mushkin has and Intel has but Samsung does not but in per speed to and from Samsung is good.
For RAM I still see the G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL part as the best one on the market price vs performance taken into account it is the best. I do not see any use for more than 8GB for anything besides hosting severs while playing games or doing AV editing/rendering and/or compiling of programs/applications.
I prefer the CORSAIR AX760 760W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply for the PSU as I can use CrossFire or SLI with it also Fully Modular will be good b/c of air flow not having to get around as many wires b/c you only have the wires you use in it. 760 Watts is enough for most systems not using SLI and/or Multi CPUs.
I suggest against SLI and CrossFire gains for it aren't they big compared to the price.
The Graphics card I suggest is the MSI N650-MD1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card as it has HDMI, VGA and DVI. As I do not know which you use having all 3 will ensure you have the connector you need. having 1GB of GDDR5 is enough to cover most monitors up to around 24" at max resolution playing HD quality on games. 128-bit isn't that great but it isn't bad either. GeForce 650 is almost as good as GeForce 660 just doesn't have as much CUDA Cores in which I really do not hear you talking about CUDA programing and using CUDA so that's a null factor in it.
For the optical disc reader I personally suggest a DVD Burner any of them but a Sony brand as I have heard many bad things about sound issues with them after just a few months.

I think the Motherboard, CPU, CPU cooler and case deserve a break in the paragraph on here as they are important. The motherboard anything with the chipset of Z77 and ASUS brand. ASUS brand as they have a part which makes parting in all the case plugs for power, reset, etc. so much easier and its propriety to ASUS motherboards so thus why ASUS.
CPU um any quad core Ivy bridge CPU. Reasons Ivy bridge as it uses less power and its slightly faster. Quad core as some things actually use 4-cores especially if you are doing high end gaming and any AV editing of your own game play and/or making anything in any design program.
The Enermax ETS-T40-VD CPU Cooler With VEGAS DUO PWM Twister Bearing Fan Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM2/FM1/AM3+ I personally like be anything besides liquid cooling is good as yeah liquid cooling is the best but the expense and dangers of having liquids inside of it are not worth the slightly better cooled machine and liquid cooling is only good for overclocking.
For a Case I just suggest a Mid or Full Tower as for room and air flow inside of them which I personally have no preference anything which you and the others think will be good.[/spoiler]

The only reason I can tell what you're saying is because I already know what you're talking about.

Most people won't get a lot of this... in particular, there's no need to write out the full name of some of those products. If it's easy to get confused about, a link would work.
Mentosftw wrote on 2013-02-04 18:28

OP, you're an idiot. Your first post was a wall of text as well, someone spent a great deal of time compiling that info for you and now you're saying tldnr? I wouldn't think of helping you next time.
Yanm wrote on 2013-02-04 19:18

Quote from Mentosftw;1025698:
OP, you're an idiot. Your first post was a wall of text as well, someone spent a great deal of time compiling that info for you and now you're saying tldnr? I wouldn't think of helping you next time.

Sapphire said that, not December. Also, this could've been worded nicer Mentos.

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