SOLVED Need advice on first gaming rig build

[XDMickeYXD]

Hello, i'm looking to get some parts together to build my first gaming rig.

I currently have a Packard Bell Easynote LJ65 laptop, which really doesn't cut it for me gaming-wise (have to run everything on low to get near-decent fps)

I've already done some googling for parts, and have my eye on a few of them, but i have no idea what other parts i should get, or even if the parts i want are compatible with each other.

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930k Intel Core i7-3770K
GPU: GeForce GTX 580 GeForce GTX660 Ti
RAM: 2x 8Gb Kingston HyperX Red DDR3 1600Mhz
Audio Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX (Yes, i do want one unless MB sound=better) Never mind, i have USB speakers.
Case: Lian Li PC-9F Black Aluminium
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ASRock Z77 Extreme4
BluRay/DVD R-W: LG WH14NS40
HDD: 1.5TB Barracuda ST2000DM001
PSU: No clue
OS: Win 7 Ultimate (Have it already)
SD/Media Card Reader: Don't know, really only need it for SD on my camera.
Fans/cooling: Don't know, but a little better than necessary would be good, so that there's breathing room for future overclocking/upgrades.

My budget is around €1000, but of course less is always better.
I already have most of the peripherals, just need a nice monitor, preferably with USB (2.0/3.0) ports on it to connect my speakers.
I'm also not quite sure where to order all these parts from, i live in the Netherlands but perhaps some local stores might have them.
I don't plan on overclocking, but if i do want to later on down the road, having the option to do so would be nice.
I also don't really care about the loudness of the thing, since i'll probably be wearing my headset anyway.
I would like to be able to upgrade parts of it in the future, but i do hope i don't have to for a while after the build is complete.

In any case, these are my questions;
Are the parts listed above compatible with each other, and if not, what alternatives are recommended?
Do you have any tips for a first time computer builder?
What monitor should i get? I'd prefer a 16:9 aspect ratio one, and not too expensive if at all possible. 3D would be nice, but definitely not required.

Thanks in advance,
-XDMickeYXD

 

[Knufire]

Hey, welcome to OCF!

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.

• What is your budget?
  
  1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
  2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
• Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
  
  1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
  2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?
  
  1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
  2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
  3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
  4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
  5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF!

P.S. If your speakers are USB, they'll bypass/won't use the sound card.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

Hey, welcome to OCF!

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.

• What is your budget?
  
  1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
  2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
• Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
  
  1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
  2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?
  
  1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
  2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
  3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
  4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
  5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF!

P.S. If your speakers are USB, they'll bypass/won't use the sound card.

As implied in the title, i'm planning to use this computer for gaming.
Specifically graphics-intensive games. I hope to be able to run the latest games at ultra for a while.
Apart from that, i think i've already answered most of those questions.
Oh and with the USB speakers, i guess i don't need a dedicated sound card then, thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Knufire]

No website?

In general, you'll probably want a higher end motherboard to overclock, something like a ASRock Extreme4 or Gigabyte UD3H.

CPU wise, that CPU and that motherboard are incompatible (you must match the socket number). Most gamers go for an i5-3570K, as the performance difference between i5s and i7s in games is minimal.

Case, I'd recommend looking at some Lian Lis, they tend to be relatively cheaper in Europe.

PSU depends on which GPU you get and whether you plan on running a second one in the future.

 

[EarthDog]

1. 3930K cannot fit in a Z77 board (needs X79).
2. No point in that platform for gaming and its not futureproof either.
3. 580 is 'old tech', there are newer cards.

3570K/3770K
Z77 based motherboard
2x8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
GTX670 or 7950 (assuming you are playing at 1920x1200 or less)

 

[XDMickeYXD]

No website?

In general, you'll probably want a higher end motherboard to overclock, something like a ASRock Extreme4 or Gigabyte UD3H.

CPU wise, that CPU and that motherboard are incompatible (you must match the socket number). Most gamers go for an i5-3570K, as the performance difference between i5s and i7s in games is minimal.

Case, I'd recommend looking at some Lian Lis, they tend to be relatively cheaper in Europe.

PSU depends on which GPU you get and whether you plan on running a second one in the future.

No website because i'm not sure which store in specific.
Also, thanks for the tips on the motherboard and cpu, i think i'll go with the i5 3570k and the ASRock Extreme4 then, they also seem quite inexpensive, which is a great thing
I think i might get a second GPU in the future, but not for at least a year after i've finished the basic rig itself. Would it be better to buy a more powerful PSU right away, or should i buy a normal one first, then buy a more powerful one when i get the second GPU? (or should i buy a case with a PSU included?) Gonna check out the Lian Lis now, thanks.

1. 3930K cannot fit in a Z77 board (needs X79).
2. No point in that platform for gaming and its not futureproof either.
3. 580 is 'old tech', there are newer cards.

3570K/3770K
Z77 based motherboard
2x8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
GTX670 or 7950 (assuming you are playing at 1920x1200 or less)

1. Thanks, i'll get an Intel i5 3570k with ASRock Extreme4.
2. 'Platform' for gaming? Do you mean the GPU, CPU, or PC as a platform?
3. Ranked 4th on this list. I might get a GeForce GTX 660 Ti, though, since that's a 100 bucks cheaper, with very little performance loss compared to the 580. Never mind, i don't know where they get those values from, but a quick peek at the specs on the GeForce website reveals that the GTX670 is at least twice as good as the 580. Although i'm not sure exactly what the difference in performance is between the GTX660 Ti and the GTX670, so i guess i'll get the cheapest of the two.

Thanks for your advice.
-XDMickeYXD

 

[EarthDog]

No point in the X79 platform for GAMING.

Passmark is terrible for that... 660ti is as fast or faster than a 580.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

No point in the X79 platform for GAMING.

Passmark is terrible for that... 660ti is as fast or faster than a 580.

Could you be a bit more specific? Why is there no point in that platform for gaming? Too much processing power? Too little? Driver problems? etc?

GTX660 Ti is indeed faster than a 580, but the texture fill rate is what convinced me:
GTX580 Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec): 49.4
GTX660 Ti Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec): 102.5
More than doubled.

On another note, i'm having trouble picking a Lian Li case, they all seem great, but I'm looking for an aluminium one which has Mic/Audio + multiple USB 3.0 front ports, looked for that on Newegg, but i was wondering whether the USB 2.0 front ports support USB 3.0, since they're the same size, and that would then give me more case options.

 

[EarthDog]

There are no games that can use that many cores. The platform is much more expensive and will not yield any gains over 3700K/3570K setup. Also, there is a quad core option in that platform but then that is quite possibly an even sillier move to pay the premium for the X79 platform and drop a quad in it.

USB2 spots will work with a USB3 device. It will just work at USB2 speeds.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

There are no games that can use that many cores. The platform is much more expensive and will not yield any gains over 3700K/3570K setup. Also, there is a quad core option in that platform but then that is quite possibly an even sillier move to pay the premium for the X79 platform and drop a quad in it.

USB2 spots will work with a USB3 device. It will just work at USB2 speeds.

Ah, i see. Although, while this may be true, this does not mean that games in the near future will not support quad/six core CPUs. I also think i will be using the PC for more than just gaming... Rendering heavily-edited gameplay footage for YouTube comes to mind. In any case, i'll still be getting the quad core Intel i5 3570k, because i want my rig to be at least semi-future-proof.

In that case i'll still have to look for USB 3.0 cases, since i do want to be able to use the USB 3.0 to it's full potential, and running at 1/10th speed would simply suck.

I do have one other question;
If i were to purchase all the components i listed in the original post (not the crossed out ones), and perhaps slightly overclock the GPU, what PSU would you recommend i buy?
Also, would the stock fans in the Lian Li case be good enough to cool my system, or would i have to buy some seperately? And if so, which?

 

[EarthDog]

Here is the thing (to me) on that platform (X79). In a couple of years, when games PERHAPS will support six cores, a new quad core will walk all over that X79 based Hex core CPU. So you will pay a $300+ premium for the CPU (vs 3570K) or $200+ premium for the CPU (3770K). Your motherboard will also be AT LEAST $50 more expensive on X79.

Since you (now) mention you will be doing some editing and such, I say 3770K (HT cores will help with your other task) and Z77. Unless its your JOB to do rendering/editing/VM's etc, a Hex core isnt needed now and buying one now in hopes of futureproofing is not a logical thing to do.

That said, it is your money and we are just here to guide you. So long as you know both sides going in to it, its up to you. A 3930K will game just as well as a 3570k/3770k.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

Here is the thing (to me) on that platform (X79). In a couple of years, when games PERHAPS will support six cores, a new quad core will walk all over that X79 based Hex core CPU. So you will pay a $300+ premium for the CPU (vs 3570K) or $200+ premium for the CPU (3770K). Your motherboard will also be AT LEAST $50 more expensive on X79.

Since you (now) mention you will be doing some editing and such, I say 3770K (HT cores will help with your other task) and Z77. Unless its your JOB to do rendering/editing/VM's etc, a Hex core isnt needed now and buying one now in hopes of futureproofing is not a logical thing to do.

That said, it is your money and we are just here to guide you. So long as you know both sides going in to it, its up to you. A 3930K will game just as well as a 3570k/3770k.

You make a valid point. I think i will get the 3770k, since, like you say, i really don't need hex core.
I would get the 3770k over the 3570k because it has double the threads and a .10 increase in clock speed and is just overall better,
except of course when it comes to it's price, which is 110$ more expensive.
However, in this case, the performance increases do (imo) make up for the higher price tag.

While it may not sound like it sometimes, i really do appreciate your help and advice. So, thank you =)

 

[EarthDog]

You are fine...

Im trying to make the point you cant go wrong either way. X79 is a solid platform but what a lot of people think are benefits or 'upgradeability' really are not. So long as you know that going in to it, you can go wrong with either platform. One just hits your wallet harder is all. I think you would be perfectly happy with a 3770K and Z77 though. Take the g/f out for a nice dinner and drinks with the money saved.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

You are fine...

Im trying to make the point you cant go wrong either way. X79 is a solid platform but what a lot of people think are benefits or 'upgradeability' really are not. So long as you know that going in to it, you can go wrong with either platform. One just hits your wallet harder is all. I think you would be perfectly happy with a 3770K and Z77 though. Take the g/f out for a nice dinner and drinks with the money saved.

Good advice. I'll get the Intel i7 3770K + ASRock Z77 Extreme4.
If i were to get these:
ASRock Z77 Extreme4
Intel i7 3770K
GeForce GTX660 Ti
2x 8Gb Kingston HyperX Red DDR3 1600Mhz
LG WH14NS40 BluRay Burner
1.5TB Barracuda ST2000DM001 HDD
Would they fit in this: Lian Li PC-9F Black Aluminium Case
And more importantly, would the stock 3x Lian Li 120mm fins be enough to cool all the components at full capacity for extended periods of time? (e.g. during gaming.) Or should i buy the fans seperately?
Also, with those parts, what PSU should i get? I checked out the PSU buyers' guide in your sig but i haven't even got a clue what wattage i need.

 

[EarthDog]

As long as that case supports ATX motherboards (which I think it does), yes.

As far as a PSU for that system, a Corsair CX550 would be plenty. If you want to add another 660ti down the road, a 650W would be fine.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

As long as that case supports ATX motherboards (which I think it does), yes.

As far as a PSU for that system, a Corsair CX550 would be plenty. If you want to add another 660ti down the road, a 650W would be fine.

But what about the fans?

In any case, the case is indeed an ATX midtower. (c wut i did thar?) My concern, however, is whether there are enough bays to fit all the seperate parts in, not whether the motherboard is compatible (which it is)
Looking at the Corsair CX series PSUs, but i can only find the CX500/600, no 550... Did you mean one of those?

 

[EarthDog]

Fans... what is included is fine.

ICWUTUDIDTHERE - you looked it up!

CX500, yes.

You only have one thing going in the expansion area (the GPU) so yes, it will work.

 

[XDMickeYXD]

Fans... what is included is fine.

ICWUTUDIDTHERE - you looked it up!

CX500, yes.

You only have one thing going in the expansion area (the GPU) so yes, it will work.

Oh, do you mean the CX500 or the CX500 v2?
So, with all those components + case, i could build a working gaming PC?
Or am i forgetting something?

 

[EarthDog]

v2 is the newer one, correct.

Yep, looks solid to me!

 

[XDMickeYXD]

v2 is the newer one, correct.

Yep, looks solid to me!

Awesome.
Now i've just got to get the cash, and then i just have to find out where to buy the stuff,
and then i just have to build it, and then i just have to set up the bios,
and then i just have to install windows, and then i just have to set the date/time,
and then i just have to install directx, and then i just have to install steam,
and then i just have to download a game, and then i can play.


But seriously, thanks for your help, i now know what to buy.