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Tassager
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re: Computer School - Teach Me!

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So, as was discussed in game last night, I'm planning on building a new computer here in the next couple weeks. I've created a google doc with thoughts/parts/questions that I have so far. I'm really new to this whole process, so any dumbing-down is helpful! Would love any input you all have, and appreciate the time looking this over!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12bZmGsZjeru6cnbTut4IpPnJBz9nA8mSspKYIfGAODw/edit

Where is my thinking good? Where is it bad? HALP!

Supp has already been a great help, and a list that he sent me was a substantial starting point for a lot of this... So, thanks to you mang.
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Compuuutarrrrrrrrr

Whenever I get back into the PC-building mood I shoot over to TomsHardware.com and check out their system builder guides and "best X for your money this month" guides.

Your monitor, mouse, keyboard and optical drive will certainly be transferable. Your hard drive is a maybe, it depends on how old it is. You could use any hard drive you want for secondary storage but if it's getting long in the tooth you might want to look up expected failure time. Your memory almost certainly not!

4d) if you wind up getting the case you've linked to, it looks like you could park a sherman tank in there without much difficulty. Any motherboard you pick is going to work; cases of that quality have holes drilled for pretty much any standard size of board you would want to use in them.
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Have you assembled a computer before?
Tassager
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Have I built one start to finish? No.

But I have installed/replaced graphics cards, memory, HD's, and optical drives. I've also watched some pretty detailed build guides on youtube... So, I have a reasonable idea of what's involved. Looks like a lot of fun, and something that I'd like to do.

Thank you for the info... I'll update my sheet when I get home in a bit!
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It's really easy; all it takes is patience and time. Just a couple weeks ago I put an aftermarket fan on my HD 5850 as the stock fan had died; that was a lot of fun but it did take a while =)
Tassager
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Okay, so I did a bit of research and put some memory on the list to purchase.

Thanks for the thought on the case. Is that basically a case of "the case manufacturers know how big it needs to be, and they basically make 'em big enough for all but the most freakish large shit?"

Does this look like way too much system for what I'm aiming to do? Am I spending money in the wrong places?
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Yeah building a computer is not terribly hard. There are only two things you can easily screw up.
1. Buying parts that are incompatible. You seems to have that under control based on your list.
2. Seating the processor is a bit more touchy than seating a video card or memory. As long as your careful you'll be fine. These days the processors comes with pre-applied thermal paste and since your not looking to create max performance you don't need to worry about getting "high" performance thermal paste like some sites will recommend.


I'll add regarding your desire for the computer to last 5 years: The most expensive upgrades will usually be the video card and processor. I don't think upgrading your processor is very likely as the next round of Intel chip (probably coming out next June) will use a different socket (meaning you'll need a different Motherboard). But there is no way around that now and really you can get 5 years out of that processor for your needs. If Wow and Diablo 3 are the most taxing things you make your computer do than you've got enough power there imo. Most video cards aren't even using the PCIxE 3.0 interface yet and your motherboard has that so your "future-proofed" there. Your PCIxE 2.0 card will be fine for now. You'll probably need to upgrade the vid card before the 5 years is out, but then again maybe not depending on what you want to play 3 years from now. Again, there is no way around that.


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Quote:
Does this look like way too much system for what I'm aiming to do? Am I spending money in the wrong places?


Whoa, just noticed you've got an extra heat-sink? Your processor comes with one that should function perfectly fine. Unless your trying to make marginal improvements in noise or looking to overclock you shouldn't need this.

You could save some money on the case. There's nothing wrong with what you've got. Cases are a personal choice. I've been using the same ugly, small case for 7 years (4 computers) because it just sits on the ground and I don't really care what it looks like. Having a bigger case can make it much easier to upgrade/build though. It is a pain in the butt to get into my computer...


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I haven't checked your list but I would advise to get a power supply with removable cables. Just used one for Vid's last upgrade and they're a charm to work with and leave your case looking very neat. It's also good for airflow.


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The memory you selected is a bad choice. You wont be able to run any faster than 1600 without doing an OC (2300 is what youhave picked out) and the voltage is above what Intel recommends for sandy and ivy bridge go with a 1.5v as for latency the returns for the buck are pretty low so cas 9 is fine. As to why you cant recycle your old memory 5 yearold memory is likely incompatible. As Supp pointed out go for a low profile heatsink.

I would also agree with Supp on the aftermarket Cpu cooler, the noise reduction alone is enough reason but the oem coolers tend to be shitty in the cooling and lifespan Dept.

Paste wise AS5 is good shin-etzu isalso very good. The oem cooler is what has the thermal compound preinstalled so you will need something.

GPU you could go with a 6870 and get better to comparable performance for less the updates are easy to install and have built interface to fine tune and OC thecard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521. Also has a lifetime warranty

I 'll post more later its a bit late
Tassager
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Holy cow, you guys are amazing. I'm totally swamped under work for the next few days, so I'm just exhausted. I'll try to really read through and digest all this and post an intelligent response with more questions over the next few days. :-)

Probably start purchasing pieces next week, too.
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Carlctrl wrote:
I'll add regarding your desire for the computer to last 5 years: The most expensive upgrades will usually be the video card and processor. I don't think upgrading your processor is very likely as the next round of Intel chip (probably coming out next June) will use a different socket (meaning you'll need a different Motherboard). But there is no way around that now and really you can get 5 years out of that processor for your needs.


Would this be an argument in favor of perhaps spending a bit more today on a processor than the one I've got on the list? Or is the one on the list likely to get me comfortably through 5 years?

Vosskah wrote:
I haven't checked your list but I would advise to get a power supply with removable cables. Just used one for Vid's last upgrade and they're a charm to work with and leave your case looking very neat. It's also good for airflow.


Yeah, I'd imagine so. I do have this sort of power supply on my purchase list, and put it there after watching some build videos. Seems absolutely worth the few extra bucks for the build simplicity and cooling I can get from it.

SuppliciumSC wrote:
c: I know not everyone is a fan of AsRock but I've never had any problems with them in the past. I'm currently using the same board and haven't had any problems with it, but there may be alternatives out there for a similar price that offer you more which may be more appealing.


Why isn't everyone a fan of AsRock? What would be other good alternatives? Anyone else here have experiences or thoughts on choosing a mobo? At this point, I'm inclined to follow in Supp's footsteps and pick this one up unless there are good reasons not to? His testimony is good, reviews look good, it fits all the parts I'm looking at, and it's got the PCIx3.0 that Jake mentioned.

SuppliciumSC wrote:
d: Are you going to put any other games or programs on your SSD? Currently, I'm using the 90GB version from Kingston and I have Win7, WoW and SC2 on it with ~22GB free still. I personally want ~20% overhead for caching which is far more than necessary, so I could still fit Diablo III on there as well. I ask because you can shave off $40 by downgrading to the 90GB version and you can put that money elsewhere.


No, wasn't planning on anything else, really. This is a good idea. I'll pick up the 90GB instead.

SuppliciumSC wrote:
but honestly I think you may just be better off getting an ATI card. However, you'll have to rely on Mer's knowledge about ATI because I don't know that much about them after they were bought out by AMD.


Mer (anybody?) jump in here. Explain this whole NVIDIA/AMD/ATI thing to me. I feel lost with it. What should I be looking for here?

SuppliciumSC wrote:
Motherboards also come with a chipset, and each chipset has its own features. Examples of chipsets include: H67, P67, Z68, Z69, Z77, etc. Chipsets also require certain CPU types in order to make use of it. In the end, it's mainly a case of researching what chipsets are compatible with your CPU and what features each chipset has.

Generally, Ivy Bridge is going to want Z77 then either Z68 or Z69, again, depending on your needs.


What are important features that I should be looking for in a chipset (aside from it being Z77, )?

Meraxiss wrote:
The memory you selected is a bad choice. You wont be able to run any faster than 1600 without doing an OC (2300 is what youhave picked out) and the voltage is above what Intel recommends for sandy and ivy bridge go with a 1.5v as for latency the returns for the buck are pretty low so cas 9 is fine.


What memory would you recommend? What've you had good luck with?

Meraxiss wrote:
GPU you could go with a 6870 and get better to comparable performance for less the updates are easy to install and have built interface to fine tune and OC thecard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521. Also has a lifetime warranty


Link didn't work? Would love to see which one you'd recommend.

This is so exciting!! Thank you!
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