Help me answer some questions about building my first Pc :)!

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

Hello, Im new to this site/forum.

I joined in, and created this forum, because I'm about to build a PC Desktop for the first time. I've put alot of time into learning the basics of building your own computer, the parts & how to mount it all together, but some questions remains.

Maybe someone could help me answer those frustrating questions
I actually have a lot... i think I'm one of these persons who just feel a need to understand everything

I'm mainly gonna use the computer for 2 things:
1) Gaming, games like: League of Legends, Minecraft & MW3.
2) Video/Photo editing, with programs like: After effects, Photoshop & Premiere Pro.

My budget is around 1600$, but that info doesn't have anything to do with my questions i think.

I don't have any precise specs of what I'm gonna buy, since i haven't decided yet.
Should be something like 16gb ram, Intel i7 gen. 4, GTX670 NVIDIA & a 250gb SSD + 1TB HDD. I dont know anything about graphic cards, so GTX670 is kind of random choice.

Questions:
1)
When i search for the 8 components (CPU, GPU, RAM, Power, Case, MB, DVD Reader, Harddrive) How do i check if all of the parts "fit together" so i don't end up with a scenario like my cpu not fitting the MB, and not enough power from my powersupply?
And how the MB & also things like GPU will fit the case I'm building it in?
2)
I told u what I'm going to be using the computer for, and i came across someone talking about SLI ( 2 graphic cards i suppose)
For the games I'm playing, and the video editing software I'll be using, is it necessary to have 2 graphic cards? And is it true, that SLI only boosts your FPS In game, and not really effects anything else when using the computer other then gaming?
3)
Iv'e read something about overclocking. Its like asking a machine to deliver something its not designed for, and therefor might crash, right? Do i have to worry about my computer crashing, if i build my pc myself and don't manually try to overclock it, but just run it as it is? The last thing i wont, is to fry the new expensive hardware i pick out from the store, so how do i avoid that, and stay safe ?
4)
I asume most motherboards are already equipped with a soundcard? Are they ok quality, or should i buy a motherboard without, and buy a soundcard to install thats better?
5)
If I'm going to do the things i mentioned with my computer, should i then buy a better cooler for my CPU Processor (gonna be a Intel 7 gen. 4 probably) or is it fine to just use the one that comes with the CPU in the package?
6)
Does all Motherboards support 2 hard-drives, or do i have to look out for a speciel one, that can do 250gb SSD & a 1TB HDD?
7)
I know very little about graphic cards, what kind of cards would suite my needs? I have no idea of what "GTX670 NVIDIA" Means
8)
Is it necessary / a good idea, to buy cooling for your ram?
9) Is Ram really just RAM? I mean, can 16gb (2x8) Ram be different quality, if so, what should i buy?

Thats about all, Sorry for my bad english and sorry if I'm writing too much, i tried to keep it short. Any help would be much appreciated Even answering just 1 of my questions would be a big help!!

 

[EarthDog]

1. If you want a 4th gen Intel, you want a Z87 motherboard with an i5 4670/4770(K if you are overclocking).
1a. PSU - depends on your parts and your potential upgrade plans as to how big of a PSU you need. A single GPU with no plans to go SLI/CFx a quality 500W unit is plenty, even with overclocking
2. Depends on the resolution you game at that determines if you want SLI/CFx. If you are at 1920x1080/1200, then a single card is fine. If you are at 2560x1440/1600 a high end single card is plenty (GTX780 or 7970 would be my choice there). SLI/CFx have occasional issues such as improper scaling and microstutter, especially with some AMD setups (though a driver is supposedly coming out at the end of the month to remedy that).
2a. SLI/CFx doesnt really help out in much else, correct.
3. If you test it to be stable with stress tests, then it shouldnt crash. We have easy breezy guides and you wont fry your CPU if you want to go that route.
4. Onboard sound is fine for most and you cannot get one without a sound card that I know of. You can buy a soundcard if you want, but if you do that, have a good set of cans/speakers otherwise you wont notice a difference.
5. If you overclock, yes you need a better cooler, especially with 4th gen Intel chips.
6. Motherboards on the x87 platform that fits the CPU you want (socket 1150) support more than that, 6 at minimum.
7. What resolution are you gaming at? Can't answer this without knowing that.
8. Ram cooling is not remotely needed.
9. Ram is ram. DDR3 1600-1866 MHz CL9 @ 1.5v is what I would get. If you think you need 16 for your editing stuff, go get it.

 

[idkfa]

7)
I know very little about graphic cards, what kind of cards would suite my needs? I have no idea of what "GTX670 NVIDIA" Means

as ED pointed out, we can't give you specific hints without knowing your resolution.
To simply explain what it means, GTX 6XX is the series, Nvidia is the vendor. And the 70 is for the model.
Typically you have a 660, 670, 680 and then maybe a 690, 630 etc.
The higher the number, the better.
Now if you wand to purchase a 670, there are different manufactureres, like MSI, Asus, Zotac, EVGA etc. they all offer the PCB of a 670 either in the reference design of Nvidia or they slightly altered the layout, too. Main difference (and most important) between those cards are the used coolers and some are might factory OCed.
But we should go deeper in that matter, when we know exactly what you need.

8)
Is it necessary / a good idea, to buy cooling for your ram?

As for the 16GB RAM, are you really sure you would need them? I upgraded to 16GB RAM (I use after effects, too) and it gave me a mere performance boost of about 0.5%-1% in Render time. If you have the money and like to spend it, go for it. If you like to keep it on budget, even for AE 8GB is plenty.


Oh and

 

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

as ED pointed out, we can't give you specific hints without knowing your resolution.
To simply explain what it means, GTX 6XX is the series, Nvidia is the vendor. And the 70 is for the model.
Typically you have a 660, 670, 680 and then maybe a 690, 630 etc.
The higher the number, the better.
Now if you wand to purchase a 670, there are different manufactureres, like MSI, Asus, Zotac, EVGA etc. they all offer the PCB of a 670 either in the reference design of Nvidia or they slightly altered the layout, too. Main difference (and most important) between those cards are the used coolers and some are might factory OCed.
But we should go deeper in that matter, when we know exactly what you need.

As for the 16GB RAM, are you really sure you would need them? I upgraded to 16GB RAM (I use after effects, too) and it gave me a mere performance boost of about 0.5%-1% in Render time. If you have the money and like to spend it, go for it. If you like to keep it on budget, even for AE 8GB is plenty.


Oh and

Thx for the welcome

I'm not going for 16gb ram to get faster rendering, thats whats the processor is for (if I'm wrong, plz tell me).

BTW I will be going for a full hd 1920x1080p Screen to around 200-300$ range

 

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

1. If you want a 4th gen Intel, you want a Z87 motherboard with an i5 4670/4770(K if you are overclocking).
1a. PSU - depends on your parts and your potential upgrade plans as to how big of a PSU you need. A single GPU with no plans to go SLI/CFx a quality 500W unit is plenty, even with overclocking
2. Depends on the resolution you game at that determines if you want SLI/CFx. If you are at 1920x1080/1200, then a single card is fine. If you are at 2560x1440/1600 a high end single card is plenty (GTX780 or 7970 would be my choice there). SLI/CFx have occasional issues such as improper scaling and microstutter, especially with some AMD setups (though a driver is supposedly coming out at the end of the month to remedy that).
2a. SLI/CFx doesnt really help out in much else, correct.
3. If you test it to be stable with stress tests, then it shouldnt crash. We have easy breezy guides and you wont fry your CPU if you want to go that route.
4. Onboard sound is fine for most and you cannot get one without a sound card that I know of. You can buy a soundcard if you want, but if you do that, have a good set of cans/speakers otherwise you wont notice a difference.
5. If you overclock, yes you need a better cooler, especially with 4th gen Intel chips.
6. Motherboards on the x87 platform that fits the CPU you want (socket 1150) support more than that, 6 at minimum.
7. What resolution are you gaming at? Can't answer this without knowing that.
8. Ram cooling is not remotely needed.
9. Ram is ram. DDR3 1600-1866 MHz CL9 @ 1.5v is what I would get. If you think you need 16 for your editing stuff, go get it.

I failed to quote u at my first reply, so heres a copy of what i just wrote:

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer all my questions!

U say i would want to go with i5. Why would i go with a gen. 4 - i5 instead of gen. 4 - i7? I do a lot of video rendering such as after effects, shouldn't the i7 be better, to bootst the process a bit up ?

Oh, and if you could tell me more about overclocking then that would be great! Generally what overclocking helps?

And if i want to upgrade my sound car later (because i have some pretty sweet speakers) Then it would be just like adding another soundcard, and not replacing. So i can later on the computer choose to use the new soundcard instead. Or am i completely wrong about this ?

 

[Conumdrum]

Yes, an I7 like a 4770K would be good due to the extra cores for rendering. That's ONLY if your specific software supports the extra cores. If it doesn't support it, your wasting money on features you will never use. If you spend 8 hours a day rendering and have to wait for it to finish, then it could be worth it.

Overclocking is making the processor faster. It's kinda easy but your going to have to learn how, it's not a button you can push. You need better cooling and a better than average motherboard to do it. You can read/learn about it more in the CPU forums here.

Soundcards aren't really needed unless you have a $300 set of headphones, are an audiophile with $1000s of stereo. The digital output of motherboards are perfect, you connect that to your stereo, most need no more.

 

[EarthDog]

I didn't state a specific processor. I said 4670/4770K (i5 4670, i7 4770).

Overclocking will significantly help in your rendering or editing assuming it uses the CPU and not GPU.

You would disable the onboard audio in the bios, and add the card. Install the drivers, and you should be on your way.

 

[scoutcamper]

1. There are standard sizes for Motherboards, usually speaking you will want ATX. Getting a ATX motherboard and case will ensure your motherboard will bolt down to the case(make sure you use the standoffs) As for the GPU most modern mid-tower cases on newegg have measurements listed online that you can check against your GPU, or if you really want to show off you can go get a full tower case, like the cooler master HAF X or Cosmos 2

2. SLI/CFX will likely not be neccesary unless you are running a ultra high resolution.

3. Overclocking is more like putting a turbocharger(or supercharger) on your car. It gets more horsepower out of your car, but the tradeoff is it generates more heat.(sorry for the bad analogy)

4. Yes, in this day and age all motherboards are equipped with an onboard soundcard, and as a professional DJ i can tell you that unless you have thousands of dollars in high end sound equipment the external soundcard will not help.

5. Just to be on the safe side i would get an aftermarket cooler. Be it a Cooler Master V8 or a Corsair h110i the stock intel cooler is not usefull....

6. All motherboards for the z87 chipset(haswell processor) Have 6 SATA ports.

7. Nvidia/AMD is the place where chips are sourced from. GTX/Radeon is the nice name, 7xxx/6XX is the series, and 70/990 are the different card numbers, and in both cases, the higher the # the better

8. Usually cooling for your ram is not needed unless you are doing extreme overclocking.

9. Ram is really just RAM. It is very rare for someone to need more than 8gb of ram unless they are going something specialized, like compiling entire OS's.

 

[idkfa]

And if i want to upgrade my sound car later (because i have some pretty sweet speakers) Then it would be just like adding another soundcard, and not replacing. So i can later on the computer choose to use the new soundcard instead. Or am i completely wrong about this ?

You are right!

I'm not going for 16gb ram to get faster rendering, thats whats the processor is for (if I'm wrong, plz tell me).

BTW I will be going for a full hd 1920x1080p Screen to around 200-300$ range

I know that, but what I wanted to tell you, is that I never saw any real life improvement with 16GB over 8GB. But as RAM is not that expensive, you can't do anything wrong with 16Gb either

1080p it is, would have to look up specific rights now, but from my Point I'd go with a fast single GPU. Without further research I liked the EVGA 770 SC ACX very much. Should give a good bang for the buck.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/evga_geforce_gtx_770_sc_review,1.html

And Overclocking really benefits video rendering, so it is worth considering when building that system, like investing in a good aftermarket cooler. And I'd go i7 if you render on a regular basis.

And please use the EDIT button instead of double or tripple posting

 

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

You are right!

I know that, but what I wanted to tell you, is that I never saw any real life improvement with 16GB over 8GB. But as RAM is not that expensive, you can't do anything wrong with 16Gb either

1080p it is, would have to look up specific rights now, but from my Point I'd go with a fast single GPU. Without further research I liked the EVGA 770 SC ACX very much. Should give a good bang for the buck.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/evga_geforce_gtx_770_sc_review,1.html

And Overclocking really benefits video rendering, so it is worth considering when building that system, like investing in a good aftermarket cooler. And I'd go i7 if you render on a regular basis.

And please use the EDIT button instead of double or tripple posting

I looked at the GeForce GTX770 at a videocard benchmark list:
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

And it should be a good quality compared to the money yes

And your right, 16gb ram will properly only be usefull some years in the future

 

[EarthDog]

As far as the ram goes. It depends. If FirstPCBB knows he needs more than 8GB, then get it. Perhaps start with 2x4GB then if you need it upgrade...?

 

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

9. Ram is really just RAM. It is very rare for someone to need more than 8gb of ram unless they are going something specialized, like compiling entire OS's.

Yes 16 ram dosent help much/aint needed, but since the price is very low on this component part of the computer, then I'm going for it Maybe It will be usefull in a couple years

Thx for your opinion too, looks like you guys made it all clear to me. Except the overclocking, I will research more into that

 

[Hippogriff]

I looked at the GeForce GTX770 at a videocard benchmark list:
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

And it should be a good quality compared to the money yes

To play at 1080p a GTX 760 should be enough. Obviously, if you have the money, a 770 is better

PS: before buying the components, ask here for an opinion.

 

[EarthDog]

Except the overclocking, I will research more into that

We have a guide for that... check my signature (Haswell o/c guide).

 

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

PS: before buying the components, ask here for an opinion.

Before i buy my components, i will make a post to get ppl's opinions, and maybe i could make a link to each part of the computer, and some1 could tell me if it all matches together, or if there is a problem with the build/match

 

[EarthDog]

Isnt that what this thread is for?

When do you plan on purchasing these items?

 

[scoutcamper]

Before i buy my components, i will make a post to get ppl's opinions, and maybe i could make a link to each part of the computer, and some1 could tell me if it all matches together, or if there is a problem with the build/match

Yep. Many of us are good at figuring that out

 

[FirstPcBuildBoy]

When do you plan on purchasing these items?

My current computer still has some juice left, so it might be in a couple of weeks, i just thought that you didn't learn to build your own computer in a few hours so i now i start in good time

 

[EarthDog]

Couple of weeks... cool! If it was months, it would have been best to look at parts closer to the build time, but you are good to go!

 

[scoutcamper]

Yep, Start building a parts list, if you would like some help let us know, we are glad to help