First "Ground-Up" Build

[Abir Vandergriff]

So, I found that I should be coming into some money soonish. I'd like to note early that I've been doing a LOT of research to get my build to this point. It should have pretty much everything at this point. However, I'd like to ask some of you if what's here looks good. This is to be a gaming machine, the laptop I'm on doesn't cut it in the slightest. Note that some of the purchases are for foresight more then anything else. Like Win7 Professional instead of Home Premium. I've got a second, much more expensive build, that I'm updating as more things get released and whatnot and plan on recycling certain things like the OS (assuming Steam OS isn't released by the time I actually get expensive one up.) 

I have been keeping a close eye on pretty much all of these products. However, a review or unboxing isn't quite as reliable as people with direct knowledge from use of these products. 

Like I said, this is to be a gaming machine. If I could mine BitCoin or something, that'd be a great plus, although not AT ALL a priority, so don't go into some huge post about how/why it won't be able to do mining. Just say it won't be efficient or worth it and leave it at that. I'm not so much looking to max out EVERY game, but the majority of games maxed would be nice. Although, on my current machine, 16 FPS feels smooth. 

Enough rambling, on to links. 

First, the important one: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37gTX  <- This one is the one that needs judgement - $1200 budget

Then, more for bonus comments and minor input rather then any actual needs on the matter: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37gTr

[SAV1OUR]

hang on which one do you want help with and whats your budget? 

[Abir Vandergriff]

OP edited with this information.

[SAV1OUR]

ok i know this is a bit over but here also use the quote button if you want me to get back to you

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($30.98 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($69.99 @ Microcenter) 

Memory:  Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.94 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card  ($379.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply:  EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive:  LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer  ($15.99 @ Microcenter) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($134.94 @ OutletPC) 

Monitor:  Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor  ($133.58 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($119.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards) 

Mouse:  Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse  ($47.93 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1277.30

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 02:52 EDT-0400)

[Abir Vandergriff]

 

ok i know this is a bit over but here also use the quote button if you want me to get back to you

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($30.98 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($69.99 @ Microcenter) 

Memory:  Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.94 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card  ($379.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply:  EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive:  LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer  ($15.99 @ Microcenter) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($134.94 @ OutletPC) 

Monitor:  Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor  ($133.58 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($119.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards) 

Mouse:  Razer DeathAdder Wired Laser Mouse  ($47.93 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1277.30

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 02:52 EDT-0400)

 

Okay, I see what you've done here. You've lowered price in places like the RAM and the mouse so that you could get a R9 280X in it. So, I looked up a Crysis 3 benchmark that included both the 270X and 280X. http://media.bestofmicro.com/T/W/404132/original/crysis-fr.png

Okay, so about 10 FPS difference at the resolution of the monitor. But I see you've also upped the case to a Corsair 200R, although I don't understand why, really. The cases are so similar. The only difference is the Corsair case is a little bit bigger, which doesn't really seem to matter. 

As for the mouse, the Ouroboros is a mouse that I've really been wanting. Call it a premium that I wanted in the build. 

I also see you've upped the CPU cooler while removing the thermal paste. I don't see any thermal paste included on either cooler, though I can see the differences with the coolers themselves.

As for the mobo, the SATA connectors are the big difference I see, but I won't be likely to get anymore then 1-2 drives. Also the board you picked doesn't have any onboard USB 3.0 headers but the cases have front panel USB 3.0, so that seems like an issue. 

Anyway, that's all I saw, however I'll probably remove the optical drive all together and just install from a USB drive. My laptop should be up to moving Windows to the Flash drive, not to mention the install will be faster anyway. (I had it under the idea that I still have some disk games, but the majority of them I don't really play or are so old I can handle having them downgraded to laptop use and still do decent.)

[SAV1OUR]

Okay, I see what you've done here. You've lowered price in places like the RAM and the mouse so that you could get a R9 280X in it. So, I looked up a Crysis 3 benchmark that included both the 270X and 280X. http://media.bestofmicro.com/T/W/404132/original/crysis-fr.png

Okay, so about 10 FPS difference at the resolution of the monitor. But I see you've also upped the case to a Corsair 200R, although I don't understand why, really. The cases are so similar. The only difference is the Corsair case is a little bit bigger, which doesn't really seem to matter. 

As for the mouse, the Ouroboros is a mouse that I've really been wanting. Call it a premium that I wanted in the build. 

I also see you've upped the CPU cooler while removing the thermal paste. I don't see any thermal paste included on either cooler, though I can see the differences with the coolers themselves.

As for the mobo, the SATA connectors are the big difference I see, but I won't be likely to get anymore then 1-2 drives. Also the board you picked doesn't have any onboard USB 3.0 headers but the cases have front panel USB 3.0, so that seems like an issue. 

Anyway, that's all I saw, however I'll probably remove the optical drive all together and just install from a USB drive. My laptop should be up to moving Windows to the Flash drive, not to mention the install will be faster anyway. (I had it under the idea that I still have some disk games, but the majority of them I don't really play or are so old I can handle having them downgraded to laptop use and still do decent.)

1. gpu the 280x is more of semi higher grade card so theirs more reason to get it 

2. the 200r is just a bit cheaper and i wanted to cut back so i could fit better parts in 

3. mouse id try and find some way to find a random mouse and save up for the ouroboros if you want it that bad its just a price whore for the budget 

3. cooler i currently use the 212 evo and it comes with fine compound and like i said trying to save money and way i can

4. the case has usb 3.0 and im sure you could get a usb 3.0 port

[Abir Vandergriff]

1. gpu the 280x is more of semi higher grade card so theirs more reason to get it 

2. the 200r is just a bit cheaper and i wanted to cut back so i could fit better parts in 

3. mouse id try and find some way to find a random mouse and save up for the ouroboros if you want it that bad its just a price whore for the budget 

3. cooler i currently use the 212 evo and it comes with fine compound and like i said trying to save money and way i can

4. the case has usb 3.0 and im sure you could get a usb 3.0 port

Don't take this for arguing in the sake of being stubborn at all, I'm just making sure all my bases are covered. 

1: Yes, it's the next logical step up, but almost $100 more. Maybe a 280 as opposed to the 280X? I'll look into it later. I really know more about Nvidia's new cards rather then AMD's, so I'll have to look it up for sure. 

2. The 200R is slightly more expensive, from what I'm seeing in my side-by-side windows after the sale on the N400. Before that, they're the same price, although the N400 is a sale, while the 200R is a rebate. 

3. I see. I was unsure about any compound being on it, and that was less of a sure point. $5 adder after the removal of the compound is not such a big deal and I'll probably end up using that cooler. 

4. Yes, but the mobo doesn't have any USB 3.0 headers, just 6 USB 2.0 headers. From what I can see in the spec sheets, the MSI board mostly just has more rear ports over the ASRock one. For $10, I can see where this makes sense, but the headers being absent are a bit of a hit for me, so doesn't really seem worth it, even though the MSI has the OC Genie.

[WoodenMarker]

What's the second link supposed to be?

Why Win7 Pro? The system is just for gaming, right?

[Abir Vandergriff]

What's the second link supposed to be?

Why Win7 Pro? The system is just for gaming, right?

The second link is just a more expensive build that I'm updating to be modern by the time I get around to building it. Win7 Home Premium doesn't support more then 8GB of RAM, and if I buy Professional now, I won't have to later.

[WoodenMarker]

The second link is just a more expensive build that I'm updating to be modern by the time I get around to building it. Win7 Home Premium doesn't support more then 8GB of RAM, and if I buy Professional now, I won't have to later.

Plan later if you're not buying now. ~2-3 days at most before you buy. Parts and prices change frequently so any parts list you come up with now will likely be obsolete by the time you're ready to buy.

Home Premium supports up to 16GB ram. 

[Abir Vandergriff]

Plan later if you're not buying now. ~2-3 days at most before you buy. Parts and prices change frequently so any parts list you come up with now will likely be obsolete by the time you're ready to buy.

Home Premium supports up to 16GB ram. 

I'm doing that for fun. I genuinely enjoy throwing together a list of parts like that. I know that build will be almost totally different by the time I build it, if any of the parts are the same at all. 

I put Home Premium on that build that has 16GB of RAM and the incompatibilities included unsupported RAM by the OS, so I upgraded to Professional.

[WoodenMarker]

I'm doing that for fun. I genuinely enjoy throwing together a list of parts like that. I know that build will be almost totally different by the time I build it, if any of the parts are the same at all. 

I put Home Premium on that build that has 16GB of RAM and the incompatibilities included unsupported RAM by the OS, so I upgraded to Professional.

What do you mean by incompatibilities?

[Abir Vandergriff]

What do you mean by incompatibilities?

It's one of the reasons I use PC Part Picker. It deals with some of the more obvious incompatible parts so I don't have to worry about it so much, and just have to deal with the more obscure things.

[WoodenMarker]

It's one of the reasons I use PC Part Picker. It deals with some of the more obvious incompatible parts so I don't have to worry about it so much, and just have to deal with the more obscure things.

I don't see any of the incompatibilities you're mentioning.

[Abir Vandergriff]

I don't see any of the incompatibilities you're mentioning.

Okay, I misspoke. The high-dollar build has 32GB of RAM and Home Premium only supports 16. My bad.

[brob]

Okay, I misspoke. The high-dollar build has 32GB of RAM and Home Premium only supports 16. My bad.

 

Get Windows 8.1 64-bit OEM. Much less expensive and supports up to 128GB of memory.