Ordered my gaming PC parts! (Everything but the video card...heh.)

[peteer01]

As I mentioned in this thread, I got permission to order a gaming PC, and while I was going to hold off on ordering until I passed my Cisco exam, today I got an e-mail from NewEgg with many of the components I've been looking at on sale...so I ordered those. Then I realized I had pretty much everything but the motherboard and graphics card, so I ordered a motherboard. (The idea is to have it up and running by the time I take my test, and order the graphics card so that I won't be tempted to game on it before taking the test.)

 

I ordered the following from NewEgg:

 

1 x CPU INTEL|CORE I5 2500K 3.3G 6M R

2 x MEM 4Gx2|GSKILL F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

1 x MB ASROCK|P67 PRO3 (B3) P67 LGA1155

1 x SSD 240G|KST SH100S3/240G RT

1 x CASE ROSEWILL|THOR V2-W RT

1 x PSU ANTEC|EARTHWATTS EA-750 GREEN R

1 x CPU COOLER EVGA| M020-00-000234 R

1 x HD 1T|ST SATA6.0 32M ST31000524AS % - OEM

 

 

I ordered the following from Amazon:

Asus 24xDVD±RW Drive DVD-RAM/±R/±RW 24x8x16x(DVD) 48x32x48x(CD) Serial ATA Internal OEM DRW-24B1ST (Black)Belkin Anti-Static Wrist Band with Adjustable Grounding

 

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound 3.5g

 

 

Now...I know I don't have the graphics card, but I've got a copy of Win 7 Ultimate (64-bit), CPU, mobo, 16GB RAM, SSD, HDD, Case, PSU, CPU cooler, DVD drive and thermal paste...is there any problem with that combination? Anything besides the graphics card missing?

 

And yeah, it kinds stinks, but the motherboard doesn't have an integrated graphics card. I'm trying to see if someone at work can loan me an old one so I can try to get the PC up and running before the graphics card shows up...but baring that piece of the puzzle, am I good to go?

 

Thanks for any helpful advice you guys might have!

[TheMightyEthan]

Fans, unless the case comes with them.

 

And I didn't look up the specific components, but assuming they're all compatible it looks good to me.

[peteer01]

I hope they're all compatible! That's a bit of a concern since I haven't built anything in over a decade, but I think I got things right.

 

The case does come with four fans, from what I understand:

-Front 1 x 230mm Red LED Fan (pre-installed)

-Rear 1 x 140mm Fan (pre-installed)

-Top 1 x 230mm Fan (pre-installed) or 2 x 120 / 140mm Fan (option)

-Side 1 x 230mm Fan (pre-installed) or 4 x 120mm Fan (option)

-Bottom 1 x 120 / 140mm Fan (option)

 

Since I don't trust myself not to do something dumb like have every fan blow inwards, I'd eyed that case for my shortlist before it went on sale. When I saw that and the 2500K were both on sale at the same time, that's what started the whole order process. :-)

 

I think the cooler, CPU and motherboard are all compatible, and that the case should give plenty of room for making things fit...but yeah, the main concern I have with that list above is that it's hiding some incompatibility I'm unaware of!

Edited December 27, 2011 by peteer01

[Mr. GOH!]

That Thor is a sexy case. Nerd sexy, that is. I was eyeballing it yesterday while planning my next build, but its aggressive geekiness was too much for me (and I'm typing this post on an Alienware m11x).

 

Looks compatible to me. What GPU you looking at? Also, what monitor you plan on using? And what sorta soundsystem?

 

Edit: Fuckin' apostrophes, man. Fuck 'em.

Edited December 28, 2011 by Mr. GOH!

[peteer01]

That Thor is a sexy case. Nerd sexy, that is. I was eyeballing it yesterday while planning my next build, but its aggressive geekiness was too much for me (and I'm typing this post on an Alienware m11x).

Yeah, I actually really liked it when I saw it came in white, and asked my wife about which version of the case she preferred about a week before it went on sale.

 

Looks compatible to me. What GPU you looking at? Also, what monitor you plan on using? And what sorta soundsystem?

Current thoughts on the GPU are to get a 7950 when it comes out, assuming price and performance line up, and that the card actually comes out on January 9th (or sooner). I'd love a 7950 bundled with one (or more) of the few games I really want, but I have no idea whether or not any bundles will exist at launch.

 

I have two different 20"(ish) Dell monitors I brought with me from Japan. One is being used for the desktop I'm typing this from, and the other was used with my laptop for work in my old office, but it's not being used at the moment. My plan is to basically use that Dell monitor until I see a NewEgg deal (or similar sale elsewhere) on a decent 23"+ monitor. I'm hoping I see some great deal on a 26" or 28" monitor, and that solves my monitor issue.

 

Sound wise, my Astros A40s, coupled with the inability to crank up my surround sound system in Japan, made me very comfortable with gaming on a headset with my 360. I'm not sure how well they'll work with the onboard audio, or if I should just leave the MixAmp for the 360 and use the headset alone, but that's what I'll start with. I'm open to either getting a Dolby Headphone sound card, or maybe even a Dolby Digital Live, but I'll pretty much be using this only with headphones for the next few months.

 

(We're temporarily in an apartment, as that made the most sense for first moving over here, but have just started looking at houses, and once we get to that point, I'm thinking about getting this set up in the same room as a big screen TV with surround sound, and finding some way to go back and forth between a 1080P TV and the computer monitor and headphones, depending on the situation.)

 

Anyway, the short answer version is:

• Graphics card will be bought within a few weeks. (7950, good/bad? I like that DirectX 11.1 compatibility might give the card longer legs)
  
• Monitor will be bought with in a few months. (Any reason the 16x9 23" ASUS that I saw on NewEgg for as cheap as $119.99 would be a bad idea?)
  
• Sound card will be bought when/if it seems worthwhile enough. (Anyone want to convince me I should buy it or don't need it?)
  

Edited December 28, 2011 by peteer01

[TheMightyEthan]

I haven't installed a sound card since motherboards started having 7.1 audio built in. But I am admittedly not an audiophile.

[deanb]

I've never really bothered with them. We had them on our PCs in college, but they rarely got used for much.

 

You'll maybe want some TIM cleaner too if you're using your own since CPUs come with like a pad of TIM on them already. Oh and a static wrist strap are always cheap and a great peace of mind. I've got like 3, but if you've not built a PC for 10 years I've a feeling you won't have any about.

 

And the Core i5 you've got comes with the onboard graphics, not the Mobo these days. As long as you're not wanting to instantly play super high powered 3D games then it should actually do you okay for basic gaming.

 

Also make sure you have cables. Some HDDs come with SATA cables, some don't.

[MasterDex]

And the Core i5 you've got comes with the onboard graphics, not the Mobo these days. As long as you're not wanting to instantly play super high powered 3D games then it should actually do you okay for basic gaming.

 

Having spent a couple of weeks now getting my gaming fix from a GM950, I can vouch that Intel's integrated graphics are decent enough for some light gaming.

 

If you're willing to spend a bit more on the mobo, I'd suggest changing it to this one: http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme6 It's one of the best P67's on the meerkat.

 

I'd also get an external drive if you don't have one already. You'd be surprised how quickly a TB hdd fills up when you start installing everything to it. An external means you're always going to have room to save music, etc. And it's very handy for backing up stuff.

 

Also, if you're partitioning the drive for Windows (A good idea as it means you can protect the rest of the data should Windows go belly up and need to be reinstalled), make sure to give it enough room. Anything from 60-100gb is fine. The updates and all the stuff that installs to the windows partition really fills it up.

[Battra92]

Also make sure you have cables. Some HDDs come with SATA cables, some don't.

 

This is perhaps the most annoying thing ever. I just tend to assume that they don't and I end up with extra cables. Worst case scenario I'm driving out to the local tech shop (which are a rarity around me) and grabbing an extra one. Your Mobo might come with SATA cables as well.

[Battra92]

I'd also get an external drive if you don't have one already. You'd be surprised how quickly a TB hdd fills up when you start installing everything to it. An external means you're always going to have room to save music, etc. And it's very handy for backing up stuff.

 

Also, if you're partitioning the drive for Windows (A good idea as it means you can protect the rest of the data should Windows go belly up and need to be reinstalled), make sure to give it enough room. Anything from 60-100gb is fine. The updates and all the stuff that installs to the windows partition really fills it up.

 

I'm amazed that I've lasted so long on a 750GB drive. Of course I still actually play CDs and own DVDs and Blu Rays and don't download music and I'm not installing everything under the sun too.

 

I know a lot of people who have opted to put Windows on a separate SSD drive for stability and data integrity. I understand and can appreciate it but I'm not quite ready to fork over the money for one yet.

 

This thread is also making me have the itch to build a new computer or upgrade mine soon.

[MasterDex]

I know a lot of people who have opted to put Windows on a separate SSD drive for stability and data integrity. I understand and can appreciate it but I'm not quite ready to fork over the money for one yet.

 

This thread is also making me have the itch to build a new computer or upgrade mine soon.

 

Oh yeah! Peteer is getting an SSD so my bit about partitioning isn't really valid here! Yeah, I'm in the same position as you regarding SSDs, right now, I'm not ready to hand over the cash they're asking for.

 

It's that time of the decade again, Battra. I bet hardware sales this year and next year are going to be massive.

[peteer01]

I haven't installed a sound card since motherboards started having 7.1 audio built in. But I am admittedly not an audiophile.

I'm not either... As long as there's good positional audio so I can hear where a noise is coming from instead of just hearing left and right stereo, I'll be fine with it. I figure the 30-something dollar Dolby Headphone sound cards will be just fine for me if the motherboard isn't living up to my expectations.

 

You'll maybe want some TIM cleaner too if you're using your own since CPUs come with like a pad of TIM on them already. Oh and a static wrist strap are always cheap and a great peace of mind. I've got like 3, but if you've not built a PC for 10 years I've a feeling you won't have any about.

 

And the Core i5 you've got comes with the onboard graphics, not the Mobo these days. As long as you're not wanting to instantly play super high powered 3D games then it should actually do you okay for basic gaming.

 

Also make sure you have cables. Some HDDs come with SATA cables, some don't.

TIM cleaner? Is 97% isopropyl alcohol not sufficient? Will the i5 2500K come with the thermal pad preaffixed?

 

I'm shocked (pun not intended) at how much static discharge goes on with the combination of carpet and cold dry air up here. Static straps are definitely a good idea, and I ordered one from Amazon.com yesterday, so I'm good to go on that.

 

As for onboard graphics, what I mean is that there's no graphics port on the motherboard. Not even a VGA port. I'm not concerned about it, because once I have a GPU, I'll be good to go, but it does mean having to borrow a graphics card from someone if I'm going to put an OS and other stuff on it before getting my graphics card.

 

For cables, what are the chances that this or this come with a cable?

 

If you're willing to spend a bit more on the mobo, I'd suggest changing it to this one: http://www.asrock.co...=P67%20Extreme6 It's one of the best P67's on the meerkat.

 

I'd also get an external drive if you don't have one already. You'd be surprised how quickly a TB hdd fills up when you start installing everything to it. An external means you're always going to have room to save music, etc. And it's very handy for backing up stuff.

For better or for worse, the motherboard is ordered, and it does not have the USB 3.0 front ports plug, but otherwise, I don't think there's any functionality I'll really miss, and I don't regret keeping that price reasonable, I think the board is a good match for my budget and needs.

 

Already on top of networked drives and USB drives. I have reasonable storage, although most of the 3.5TB I can either plug in through USB or access through the home network is filled up...but that's why I got the additional 1TB drive for the PC. The idea is to have the 240GB for system and games/programs where the speed difference and frequency of use is worth having, 1TB for stuff I want in the PC, but not the SSD, and USB/Network for media files that I'm not that worried about.

 

Oh yeah! Peteer is getting an SSD so my bit about partitioning isn't really valid here! Yeah, I'm in the same position as you regarding SSDs, right now, I'm not ready to hand over the cash they're asking for..

So, there's no problem making the SSD into C: and HDD into D:? I've never been a fan of multiple partitions on a single disk, even when it makes sense...so if it's reasonable to go with single partitions per drive, that's what I'd like to do.

 

Also, look what showed up already! I ordered this thing less than 24 hours ago, and used free shipping! (The rest of the parts are coming from California and will take a lot longer to show up.)

 

 

It is big.

Edited December 28, 2011 by peteer01

[TheMightyEthan]

For cables, what are the chances that this or this come with a cable?

I would guess that that OEM HDD does not come with a cable. The SSD probably does, but there's not one pictured so if you want to be sure you'll be able to set it up right away you might do well to find a cable.

 

So, there's no problem making the SSD into C: and HDD into D:? I've never been a fan of multiple partitions on a single disk, even when it makes sense...so if it's reasonable to go with single partitions per drive, that's what I'd like to do.

Yeah, no problem with that.

[Mr. GOH!]

Not sure whether the 7950 will be worth it, yet. I'd wait to see how it performs.

 

I'm a longtime ATI/AMD customer, but it sometimes feels like I miss out on some nice nVidia-only features like PhysX. So much so, that I'm getting a GTX 570 for my next build. I may be believing the hype when I should heed the wise man who said not to believe the hype, though.

 

Have you looked into getting a small TV instead of a monitor? Might be cheaper, and your card will doubtlessly have HDMI out. I dunno for sure, just spitballin', here.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Just doing a quick comparison of TVs vs monitors and monitors are cheaper unless you move about 23 inches or so. In terms of response times, resolution, etc, it's definitely worth it to just get a monitor and only get a TV when you want something bigger to game on/watch movies on. This is why I actually don't own a TV, just monitors!

[peteer01]

I would guess that that OEM HDD does not come with a cable.

The motherboard does come with two SATA cables, but it didn't say if they were 6Gbps SATA III or not. When in doubt, monoprice. I picked up a nice surge protector strip, 3 6Gbps SATA III cables (two mid, one long) and 10' DVI to DVI cable. (I've already got DVI to HDMI, VGA to VGA and DVI to VGA, so with this, I should be ready for any screen/card.)

 

Not sure whether the 7950 will be worth it, yet. I'd wait to see how it performs.

I completely agree with you. The 7950 price/performance ratio and overall price will determine if it ends up in my box...but the space is basically the 7950's to lose. I'm hoping for retail of $400 or so, with performance inline with the paper specs. But even if the 7950 isn't the best fit, I'm hopeful that there'll be price drops for GTXs when the 7950 hits.

 

Just doing a quick comparison of TVs vs monitors and monitors are cheaper unless you move about 23 inches or so. In terms of response times, resolution, etc, it's definitely worth it to just get a monitor and only get a TV when you want something bigger to game on/watch movies on. This is why I actually don't own a TV, just monitors!

Yeah, that's basically the idea. I loved gaming on my projector, but nice projectors are still expensive and LCD TVs have gotten cheap! So...while I currently live in an apartment, I can get a monitor whenever the right deal appears. Once we move to something a bit more permanent, I'm interested in seeing if there's some way to set up a big screen TV in a theater room that's connected, near or in the same room as the gaming PC, so that I can game on the monitor unless it is something I want to play on a big screen with a controller or watch some TV/Movies. That'll all depend on where we are months from now. No interest in gaming on my 720p 32" TV, and no interest in buying another small TV at the moment. (That said, I have a friend in Japan who's been using a 1080p 40" TV for his computer monitor for years, and seems very happy with that setup.) Edited December 29, 2011 by peteer01

[MasterDex]

I've been eyeing up this monitor for a while. It's cheap for what it is and seems like it's a good quality screen so it might be worth seeing how the price is on the other side of the pond.

 

As for the 7950. It's worth waiting for it even if it turns out not to be what you want as AMD are sure to drop the price of their other cards. Personally, I find spending more than €250 or so on a GPU to be a bit of a waste as at any time within two years, you could find your card is outdated or superceeded.

[TheMightyEthan]

Even not taking into account things like PhysX, I've just always had a better experience with Nvidia cards. The ones I've had have had fewer problems/bugs with games, and are just generally more usable in terms of compatibility and adjusting settings.

 

Obviously that's just anecdotal though.

[Battra92]

 

It is big.

 

No it's HUUUUUGGGGGGGGG-JUH! (living in Upstate NY, you'll learn the reference soon enough)

 

Seriously though, that's just begging for decals or an Star Wars style paint job.

[TheMightyEthan]

lol, glad I'm not the only one who instantly thought "storm trooper".

[MasterDex]

Did somebody say Storm Trooper?

 

http://www.techspot.com/review/461-cooler-master-storm-trooper/

 

I should have it by the end of January if all goes well. Sooner hopefully.

[TheMightyEthan]

I know it's called the Storm Trooper, but that looks more ODST to me.

[Battra92]

You guys get super fancy cases. I tend to get cheap boxes and add a good PSU and some fans to them.

[TheMightyEthan]

I got a fancier case this last time I built a computer. The time before I'd cheaped out on the case and there was barely enough room inside (especially for the video card) and it hardly had any places to put fans, and I didn't want to repeat that mistake.

 

But I didn't go as fancy as any of that, I still only spent $100 on it.

[Mal]

Well, its a case that you'll be seeing for a few years, more if you reuse it for your next build. So better to get something sweet looking.