PC build

McWillisac on 24/02/2014 - 11:17

Hey guys thanks for your help, I'm putting together my first PC, i'm a long time gamer and understand its just as easy/cheap nearly to have someone else do it but thought it might be good for my understanding of computer hardware etc. I bought a new PC two years ago but am frothing at the opportunity to u get a new one having just started full time work. In saying that I have a 3rd generation i7 - 2600 3.4 that i think is still fine for another year or two so im going to include that, my old HDD , my wireless, network and soundcards and my 8gb 1666mHz ram in my build.

3rd generation i7 - 2600 3.4Ghz

Samsung 840 EVO SSD 256GB $188 - MSY

Asus H87M-PLUS $119 – MSY ( 4th gen chipset)

Corsair modular CS450M — 450 Watt 80 PLUS® Gold Certified PSU $107 MSY

MSI NVIDIA 2GB GTX 760 $309 MSY
or
Gigabyte 2GB GTX 770 $429 - MSY

Thermaltake USB 3 A41 $119 – MSY
http://www.thermaltake.com/content.aspx?id=3658

= $842 using the cheaper GPU

Note**
I understand its an expensive case but i plan on keeping it for a few builds over the next 5 years or so.
Rome total war 2 would probs be the most GPU intensive game i play.
I don't do any overclocking…as yet.

Questions
1)The motherboard has a 4th generation socket allowing me to get a haswell in the future but will it support my 3rd gen CPU now?
2) GTX 760 or 770?
3) The asus H87 PLUS is a mini ATX motherboard- is this going to be a problem or something i should avoid?
4) Is that PSU going to be enough? Is it worth having gold certified?
5)Is there anything you think would be better to spend less or more on?

Thanks for your time:)

Computing

Comments

  • QW3RTY on 24/02/2014 - 12:46
    +3

    The i7 2600 is a 1155 pin socket CPU, and will be incompatible with the 1150 socket motherboards. Careful with that.
    I'd go for the 760. (http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_value.html)
    Personally, form factor only limits the amount of feature and connectivity as a trade off for a smaller, more compact system build. If size isn't a problem for you, I'd recommend going for a full sized motherboard. They usually knock off things like SATA ports and another PCI slot. Invaluable if you want to upgrade in the future.
    That PSU looks appropriate.
    And my personal tip, never forget a networking card! Unless it's included on the motherboard, wireless internet access won't be usable.

    • _Bruce_ on 24/02/2014 - 12:50
      +2

      They usually knock off things like SATA ports and another PCI slot.

      There are less pcie slots, but not SATA. And pcie slots are not very useful to most people.

      And my personal tip, never forget a networking card! Unless it's included on the motherboard, wireless internet access won't be usable.

      Any USB one will do (and often perfrom better as you can position them). Or even better use the on board ethernet for fixed installations.

  • _Bruce_ on 24/02/2014 - 12:48
    +1

    1: i7-2600 is second gen not third, hence the '2'.

    2: The 2600 has a different socket, it won't physically fit in a new motherboard.

    3: What is wrong with your old board?

    4: "I don't do any overclocking…as yet" Good because that board is locked (no problem with this).

    5: mini ATX makes no difference other than it fits in a smaller case.

    6: The PSU is enough, gold/silver/bronze doesn't matter a lot.

  • McWillisac on 24/02/2014 - 13:56

    Thanks very much guys for your invaluable information. I guess i might need a new cpu as my other one is a H61 i think… Which seems very old.

    How does this cpu sound i5 5670 3.4 GHz for ~$280?

    • _Bruce_ on 24/02/2014 - 14:12

      H61 is a motherboard chipset not a CPU. You don't need a new one, it is fine.

      How does this cpu sound i5 5670 3.4 GHz for ~$280?

      Like a waste of money when you already have an i7.

      • humdingaling on 24/02/2014 - 14:40

        ^
        this

        also i assume you mean 4670 instead of 5670 which should be a xeon and i have no idea why you would want a xeon in a gaming rig

        • scrimshaw on 24/02/2014 - 15:44

          Off-topic:
          Some people have looked at Xeon E3-1230V3 s as a cheaper substitute for Core i7 4770's. (Around $40 cheaper). While it is marketed as a workstation CPU it also works just as well for gaming.

          It has Hyperthreading, but no IGP and no overclocking capability.
          Depending on your usage, xeons can be better value than i7's but I certainly wouldn't go from an i7 to a Xeon since there is no significant gain to performance.

        • donkeydoc on 25/02/2014 - 12:26

          yep, xeons have "turbo" boost which you need to apply yourself? or how does that work?

      • McWillisac on 24/02/2014 - 19:58

        The point I was making is that my current motherboard is an H61 so if I wanted a new CPU then I need a new motherboard.

        I guess I should just keep the motherboard and the CPU and focus on the GPU.

  • humdingaling on 24/02/2014 - 14:43

    why are you upgrading again?

    what is your current GPU?

    • McWillisac on 24/02/2014 - 20:01

      I have a gtx 560 ti. Rome total war is unplayable because waiting for each turn is like 45 seconds. Would I get much from a motherboard upgrade from H61 to H87 or is the motherboard just basically the medium through which you upgrade other components like CPU and GPU?

      • _Bruce_ on 24/02/2014 - 20:23

        Rome total war is unplayable because waiting for each turn is like 45 seconds.

        This doesn't sound right at all. Did this system have the 8G of RAM? Are you sure you don't have malware? Driver issues? This is probably not GPU bound and even if it was the 760 isn't all that much better.

        is the motherboard just basically the medium through which you upgrade other components like CPU and GPU?

        This. Modern CPUs have everything on them, the motherboard does almost nothing.

        • humdingaling on 25/02/2014 - 10:32

          agree
          does not sound hardware specs is the issue

          maybe search on gaming forums to see if other people have same issue with your game

  • mrmarkau67 on 24/02/2014 - 18:40

    The biggest bang for your buck would be the SSD and possibly GPU upgrade. If you are keen to spend some money upgrading your experience, consider a mechanical keyboard, upgraded speakers/amp and matching dual monitor setup. Consider a new case for your existing parts if your old case is hideous - or hide it under your desk.

  • p1 ama on 25/02/2014 - 09:23

    A couple of points.

    1) Your i7 2600 is very powerful as is. Your motherboard is also sufficient.

    2) You should upgrade to an SSD

    3) You should make sure you have 8GB of RAM

    4) You should upgrade your GPU

    • _Bruce_ on 25/02/2014 - 12:50

      You should upgrade your GPU

      Eh. Maybe. It isn't the problem with Total War.

      • p1 ama on 25/02/2014 - 15:36

        Yeah, it's probably not, but a 560 Ti is a bit long in the tooth these days.

  • donkeydoc on 25/02/2014 - 12:40

    1)you need a 1155 motherboard, H61 would be a cheap option, but this has 3x SATA3 and USB 3.0 header http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=9281 $70

    For $60 you get 1 SATA3 which is okay, and USB 3.0: http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=10981

    2)GTX 760 is fine, could go cheaper if you want to, 7950 is great value

    3)No

    4)Yes

    5)Get a SSD I suppose, go cheaper on the PSU too, bronze is great, Corsair don't offer warranty in Australia if I'm not mistaken, Antec Neo 620c is better value, you can go cheaper too

    • humdingaling on 25/02/2014 - 14:27

      here i thought corsair was the bomb…..only if you live in north America i guess

      though seems there is representation in Australia thru Altech
      http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1440337

    • Pr0XyD on 26/02/2014 - 22:29

      ati graphic cards have crazy markups these days thanks to the bitcoin craze. I would go for an nvidia tbh just to stay away from the premium price tags that come with the ability to mine.

      • donkeydoc on 27/02/2014 - 11:28

        bitcoin mining is a joke, stay away

  • s20man on 01/03/2014 - 00:51

    If you are looking at a different CPU I am looking for an i7 2600 as it fits my 2011 imac (its the only i7 that will)

  • vCoreComputers on 03/03/2014 - 09:49

    hey bud what size resolution will you be playing at?

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