Where to start when picking parts

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

was wondering where the best place to start is when picking parts and where to go from there.

 

thanks

[another random person]

5 minutes ago, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

was wondering where the best place to start is when picking parts and where to go from there.

 

thanks

 

1. CPU
2. Motherboard
3. RAM
4. GPU
5. Storage
6. CPU Cooler (if applicable)
7. PSU
8. Case

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

11 minutes ago, another random person said:

1. CPU
2. Motherboard
3. RAM
4. GPU
5. Storage
6. CPU Cooler (if applicable)
7. PSU
8. Case

could you start with the motherboard

[Xineas]

31 minutes ago, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

was wondering where the best place to start is when picking parts and where to go from there.

 

thanks

First of all, decide what you're going to use the computer for. Then decide what the budget is.

 

If the budget is low, say up to 500$ you may not be able to get a case that looks awesome, but you'll have to look into a case that is practical. There are cases in the $50 range that will do the job but don't look a million bucks. Generally those fit the ATX or micro ATX motherboards. Choose a case you like, but generally don't spend more than 10% of your total budget on one.

 

Choosing a motherboard is dependent on your choice of CPU, as many CPU models come with a different socket, such as the 1151 socket for Skylake. You choose these together, based on the ports on the motherboard you think you need and the processing power you want. It is not strange to allocate 30 to 50% of your budget to a motherboard/CPU combination, depending on the application of your build.

 

RAM is dependent on your motherboard. Generally speaking, anything recent from the Intel side (that supports Skylake CPUs) wants DDR4. Older stuff might only fit DDR3. Check the specs of your chosen motherboard to be sure. Don't blow the budget on this. Up to 75$ for 8GB and up to 150$ for 16GB seems to be good right now.

 

Graphics card is next. If you're only going to play minesweeper, skip it altogether and just use the integrated graphics of the CPU. For more serious gaming, the latest deliveries from AMD and nVidia will serve you well. It's not strange to spend up to 50% of your budget on one, if you're going to play serious games.

 

Now that you know the power hungry parts of your PC, look into a good PSU. Don't get a no name unit. Aim for a 80+ Gold unit from a reputable brand, it will save your bacon in the long run. Spending upwards of 70$ is not strange.

 

CPU coolers are only necessary if you're going to play games, render things, or do other intensive tasks with your CPU. If your only aim is to play Minecraft and use Microsoft Word all day, don't bother. Otherwise, good air cooling units will set you back 40 to 80$ and all in one liquid coolers will be double that.

 

Storage should not be forgotten and these days an SSD is becoming standard, at least for your OS and programs. Either get an SSD that's big enough, or add a secondary drive for bigger storage. Good 1TB hard disks are generally about 40$, good 240/250GB SSDs will set you back 80-90$.

 

For easy building, use http://pcpartpicker.com as it will roughly tell you the wattage consumption of the parts you chose, making choosing a PSU easier. Also it has a compatibility filtering system, so that you can only choose parts that will fit. It's not strange to choose the parts you want and end up going 50% over the budget. That's why PCpartpicker is easy, you can just replace an item with a lower priced one but with good enough specs so that you end up within budget.

 

If you want us to show you an example, tell us your all in budget, whether that includes monitor keyboard mouse headset etc and your main intended computer use.

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

30 minutes ago, Xineas said:

First of all, decide what you're going to use the computer for. Then decide what the budget is.

 

If the budget is low, say up to 500$ you may not be able to get a case that looks awesome, but you'll have to look into a case that is practical. There are cases in the $50 range that will do the job but don't look a million bucks. Generally those fit the ATX or micro ATX motherboards. Choose a case you like, but generally don't spend more than 10% of your total budget on one.

 

Choosing a motherboard is dependent on your choice of CPU, as many CPU models come with a different socket, such as the 1151 socket for Skylake. You choose these together, based on the ports on the motherboard you think you need and the processing power you want. It is not strange to allocate 30 to 50% of your budget to a motherboard/CPU combination, depending on the application of your build.

 

RAM is dependent on your motherboard. Generally speaking, anything recent from the Intel side (that supports Skylake CPUs) wants DDR4. Older stuff might only fit DDR3. Check the specs of your chosen motherboard to be sure. Don't blow the budget on this. Up to 75$ for 8GB and up to 150$ for 16GB seems to be good right now.

 

Graphics card is next. If you're only going to play minesweeper, skip it altogether and just use the integrated graphics of the CPU. For more serious gaming, the latest deliveries from AMD and nVidia will serve you well. It's not strange to spend up to 50% of your budget on one, if you're going to play serious games.

 

Now that you know the power hungry parts of your PC, look into a good PSU. Don't get a no name unit. Aim for a 80+ Gold unit from a reputable brand, it will save your bacon in the long run. Spending upwards of 70$ is not strange.

 

CPU coolers are only necessary if you're going to play games, render things, or do other intensive tasks with your CPU. If your only aim is to play Minecraft and use Microsoft Word all day, don't bother. Otherwise, good air cooling units will set you back 40 to 80$ and all in one liquid coolers will be double that.

 

Storage should not be forgotten and these days an SSD is becoming standard, at least for your OS and programs. Either get an SSD that's big enough, or add a secondary drive for bigger storage. Good 1TB hard disks are generally about 40$, good 240/250GB SSDs will set you back 80-90$.

 

For easy building, use http://pcpartpicker.com as it will roughly tell you the wattage consumption of the parts you chose, making choosing a PSU easier. Also it has a compatibility filtering system, so that you can only choose parts that will fit. It's not strange to choose the parts you want and end up going 50% over the budget. That's why PCpartpicker is easy, you can just replace an item with a lower priced one but with good enough specs so that you end up within budget.

 

If you want us to show you an example, tell us your all in budget, whether that includes monitor keyboard mouse headset etc and your main intended computer use.

this is really helpfull 

i was wanting to play the newer games like No Mans Sky with a budget of $1000 aud

[Xineas]

56 minutes ago, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

this is really helpfull 

i was wanting to play the newer games like No Mans Sky with a budget of $1000 aud

NMSky is generated as you go, so relies on the CPU quite a bit while still demanding a high end graphics card as well. Damn that AU$ pricing though. Not too happy with the PSU, should be higher wattage or better quality.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/gyrt8K

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($274.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 412 Slim 58.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($49.00 @ CPL Online) 
Motherboard: MSI B150M BAZOOKA Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($119.00 @ CPL Online) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($57.00 @ Centre Com) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($68.00 @ CPL Online) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($333.00 @ CPL Online) 
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($75.00 @ CPL Online) 
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.00 @ CPL Online) 

Total: $1053.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-14 21:46 AEST+1000

[Xineas]

1 minute ago, Xineas said:

Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.00 @ CPL Online) 

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/DbqdnQ/corsair-power-supply-cs550m 

This is actually a safer choice, but is an extra 50$AU.

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

6 minutes ago, Xineas said:

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/DbqdnQ/corsair-power-supply-cs550m 

This is actually a safer choice, but is an extra 50$AU.

Also does a mini motherboard do anything different 

[antisleep]

1 minute ago, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

Also does a mini motherboard do anything different 

Just less slots for ram/pcie lanes/sata ports mostly.

[Xineas]

Just now, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

Also does a mini motherboard do anything different 

There's ATX, which is the biggest. Then you have micro ATX, which is smaller and mini-ITX, which is very small. All have their application and it depends on the case you pick which one you use. Tiny portable builds usually have mini-ITX boards because they have such a small footprint. As far as function, no, they all do the same. They just have different amounts of connections and expansion slots. The price generally shows what kind of quality you're getting, to a certain extent. $150-200 boards are simply better and have more features than 50$ boards.

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

1 minute ago, Xineas said:

There's ATX, which is the biggest. Then you have micro ATX, which is smaller and mini-ITX, which is very small. All have their application and it depends on the case you pick which one you use. Tiny portable builds usually have mini-ITX boards because they have such a small footprint. As far as function, no, they all do the same. They just have different amounts of connections and expansion slots. The price generally shows what kind of quality you're getting, to a certain extent. $150-200 boards are simply better and have more features than 50$ boards.

so for an enthoo evolve i will need an atx bored

 

[Xineas]

Just now, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

so for an enthoo evolve i will need an atx bored

 

If you get the Enthoo Evolv ATX, then it would be best to get an ATX motherboard as well.

There is also the Enthoo Evolv ITX, which takes the tiny boards only.

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

4 minutes ago, Xineas said:

If you get the Enthoo Evolv ATX, then it would be best to get an ATX motherboard as well.

There is also the Enthoo Evolv ITX, which takes the tiny boards only.

do you know an atx bored that would be good

 

[Xineas]

6 minutes ago, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

do you know an atx bored that would be good

 

Can't really go wrong for general use. https://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#xcx=0&f=2&L=4&s=30&sort=a8&page=1

The site shows ratings as well, those with many 4-5 star ratings are generally good value.

[antisleep]

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($275.00 @ CPL Online) 
Motherboard: MSI H110M Pro-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($48.99 @ Mwave Australia) 
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($333.00 @ CPL Online) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($65.00 @ CPL Online) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra M 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($97.99 @ Mwave Australia) 
Total: $997.98

 

You need $1200-1300 budget if you want the Evolve ATX case and an ATX mobo without changing the cpu and gpu. That extra $200 I'd rather spend on core components.

[Oskar Mcfarlane]

3 minutes ago, antisleep said:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($275.00 @ CPL Online) 
Motherboard: MSI H110M Pro-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($48.99 @ Mwave Australia) 
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($333.00 @ CPL Online) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($65.00 @ CPL Online) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra M 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($97.99 @ Mwave Australia) 
Total: $997.98

 

You need $1200-1300 budget if you want the Evolve ATX case and an ATX mobo without changing the cpu and gpu. That extra $200 I'd rather spend on core components.

yeha its just that i might be getting the case for a present so i wont have to pay for that 

[antisleep]

Just now, Oskar Mcfarlane said:

yeha its just that i might be getting the case for a present so i wont have to pay for that 

So it's a $1000 build without a case then?

 

Spoiler

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($275.00 @ CPL Online) 
Motherboard: ASRock B150 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($139.00 @ CPL Online) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($59.00 @ CPL Online) 
Storage: OCZ TRION 150 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.00 @ CPL Online) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($333.00 @ CPL Online) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX ATX Mid Tower Case  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra M 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.00 @ CPL Online) 
Total: $994.00