Basic Tips for building a PC

[pewpewmerica]

Sooo... I am building my first PC tomorrow with a friend (who knows a lot more about PCs than me, so he will help a lot). The build will consist of some old parts from my current PC, a GTX 550 ti, my i7 3.4ghz processor, 8 GB Ram and the same 1TB harddrive together with new parts: a second GTX 550 ti, ASUS P8P67EVO motherboard, and a thermaltake case. 

What are some no-gos and things that I should remember while building it with him?

Also, what do you think of the specs? I know that they aren't extremely high end, but I think they should be fine.

[LAwLz]

What are some no-gos and things that I should remember while building it with him?

1) Don't forget the motherboard standoffs! You know those yellow screws you put between the motherboard and the case.

Here is a picture:

2) Don't forget any of the power cables. You need:

• One for the GPU (6 pin)
• One for the motherboard (24 pin)
• One for the CPU (8 pin located above the CPU socket on the motherboard)
• One for each HDD/SSD
• Fans on the case might need one or more molex connectors depending on how you set it up.

3) Take it slow and easy, and don't jam anything in. If you need to put a lot of pressure on something, then chances are you are doing something wrong (except maybe the CPU heatsink, some of them need the force of a thousand suns to get into place).

4) Don't build it on a carpet wearing socks. Also, you might want to have a radiator or some big piece of metal near you, and touch that once in a while to discharge any static electricity you might have built up.

5) Don't be scared if it doesn't start on the first try. You have most likely just forgotten something. Follow this video and you will most likely be fine:

[Stav Kats]

What do you mean when you say a second 550, you have a 550 Ti? You can't combine them to a SLI configuration.

[pewpewmerica]

What do you mean when you say a second 550, you have a 550 Ti? You can't combine them to a SLI configuration.

 

they are both ti?

[Kayn]

they are both ti?

 

if they are both TI then yes you can put them in SLI just make sure you remember the SLI bridge between them.

[pewpewmerica]

I hope i have enough power cables lol. I think i got a lot with the case and the gfx card, ill be pissed if i dont have enough

[Stav Kats]

I hope i have enough power cables lol. I think i got a lot with the case and the gfx card, ill be pissed if i dont have enough

Not only that. You will need at least a 650W gold certified PSU.

[Kayn]

Not only that. You will need at least a 650W gold certified PSU.

 

the gold can be silver or bronze if they are from a good company but a 650W-750W PSU is needed for any multi card build.

[LAwLz]

Not only that. You will need at least a 650W gold certified PSU.

His build would run on a good 500W PSU (does not even need to be 80+ gold). A single 550 Ti build with an overclocked i7-920 will use ~300W while gaming, and that's from the wall. You might be able to run a dual 550 Ti build on a 400W PSU (maybe even 350 but it's not recommended, at all). I would say a 500W is good for this build, or 650W if you want to future proof a bit and be on the safe side. 80+ gold is by no means necessary though, and would most likely be a bit of a waste since they often have such a high price premium compared to 80+ bronze.

[pewpewmerica]

How long does it roughly take to build it?

[ERSCreeper]

You can build a PC is like 15-60 Mins if you aren't adding lighting etc

[Kayn]

the bulk of the time that I spend is cable management. Actually putting the parts together and in the case is an hour at most but then I spend another couple of hours doing my cables.

[LAwLz]

How long does it roughly take to build it?

If it's your first time and you run into a problem, then my guess would be 2-3 hours. If you're very used to it, then an hour with stuff like cable management sounds about right.

[Snickerzz]

buy all your parts at once and give the majority of your budget to the important parts like the cpu and gpu. dont buy a 200$ motherboard and use a 7770