Building my first PC, Need suggestions!!

[CoMaToast]

ALways wanted to build my own, as it seems you will get more bang for the buck, also including the satisfaction of doing it myself

Here is what I have so far, But would like to Repace the RAM with a good 16 GB setup instead, but dont know what is better to go with 8x2, 16x1, or 4x4.. Also need a good wireless card..

Intel Core i5-3570K, Sapphire Radeon HD 7950, Corsair 500R Black - System Build - PCPartPicker

 

[Doc]

ALways wanted to build my own, as it seems you will get more bang for the buck, also including the satisfaction of doing it myself

Here is what I have so far, But would like to Repace the RAM with a good 16 GB setup instead, but dont know what is better to go with 8x2, 16x1, or 4x4.. Also need a good wireless card..

Intel Core i5-3570K, Sapphire Radeon HD 7950, Corsair 500R Black - System Build - PCPartPicker

That's a very nice setup, I have been building systems since the late 90s and that's a nice system to start with, I run 4X4 16g GSKILL Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL, the trick is to make sure what ever combo you use its paired sets, but looks like your off to a great start....

 

[Uzephi]

In my personal experience, nvidia chip sets work better with Intel. Then again, I haven't built a rig in almost two years. Radeon I found works better with AMD.

This was found by trying same processor on different cards. My friend had a core i5 processor and his video benched higher with same spec video card on the nvidia compared to Radeon. My Phenom II benched better with the Radeon.

Keep in mind this was benched two years ago and maybe the video card chipset matter anymore.

 

[CoMaToast]

That's a very nice setup, I have been building systems since the late 90s and that's a nice system to start with, I run 4X4 16g GSKILL Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL, the trick is to make sure what ever combo you use its paired sets, but looks like your off to a great start....

Im gonna change a few things up, Adding a wireless card of some sort , 2 of these LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (WH14NS40) - PCPartPicker , or these http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihes11204

And a solid state drive of some sort for frequent games, OS etc.. ANy suggestions? Im pretty new to this so there is alot I need to know

 

[CoMaToast]

In my personal experience, nvidia chip sets work better with Intel. Then again, I haven't built a rig in almost two years. Radeon I found works better with AMD.

This was found by trying same processor on different cards. My friend had a core i5 processor and his video benched higher with same spec video card on the nvidia compared to Radeon. My Phenom II benched better with the Radeon.

Keep in mind this was benched two years ago and maybe the video card chipset matter anymore.

So what would be a comparable chipset from nvidia if I go that route?

Current GPU is Sapphire Radeon 7950 3 GB


And heres the list of cards


Choose A Video Card - PCPartPicker

 

[Doc]

Im gonna change a few things up, Adding a wireless card of some sort , 2 of these LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (WH14NS40) - PCPartPicker , or these Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer (ihes112-04) - PCPartPicker

And a solid state drive of some sort for frequent games, OS etc.. ANy suggestions? Im pretty new to this so there is alot I need to know

Well as far as SSDs go, personally I would stay with the proven ones, intel, corsair and samsung, it depends on your budget, you can get a good SSd for around a buck gig now, I would read reviews on the ssd your thinking about, be in no rush, personally I run Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A310, its priced very well and it holds my OS which is Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit, I install my games to another drive, I play Crysis 3, Bicoshock Infinite and COD.

I have always had good luck with Lite-On products, they are cheaper than most but they seem to hold up very well........

 

[CoMaToast]

Well as far as SSDs go, personally I would stay with the proven ones, intel, corsair and samsung, it depends on your budget, you can get a good SSd for around a buck gig now, I would read reviews on the ssd your thinking about, be in no rush, personally I run Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A310, its priced very well and it holds my OS which is Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit, I install my games to another drive, I play Crysis 3, Bicoshock Infinite and COD.

I have always had good luck with Lite-On products, they are cheaper than most but they seem to hold up very well........

Thanks for the help and heads up.. When you first come into this, looking at the thousands of parts is a little overwhelming .. I mean for one certain cpu or gpu there are many made by multiple companies, which makes it even more confusing, then , what to mix and match etc... Lots to take in all at once

 

[Doc]

Thanks for the help and heads up.. When you first come into this, looking at the thousands of parts is a little overwhelming .. I mean for one certain cpu or gpu there are many made by multiple companies, which makes it even more confusing, then , what to mix and match etc... Lots to take in all at once

Agreeded, just read all the reviews about what you want, some of it is personal preference's, but getting all the info on what your building is the way to go, it looks like your on your way to building a nice system...

 

[CoMaToast]

What is your take on the compatibility / performance side in CPU/GPU, Intel/Nvidia, vs Intel/Radeon etc?

 

[Doc]

What is your take on the compatibility / performance side in CPU/GPU, Intel/Nvidia, vs Intel/Radeon etc?

Well lol personally im a big AMD and Nvidia fan here are my specs:

Crosshair IV Formula
Amd Phenom 1100T@3.8 per core
16 gigs Gskill Ripjaw DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A310
Seagate

 

[CoMaToast]

Gotcha.. One more question for ya.. On the optical Drive, Im going to start out with a BD drive, and possibly get a BD burn drive later.. But just comparing them, what is the difference in the cache? Some are 2MB and Some are 4MB

 

[Doc]

Larger cache may save you from a crappy write, but only if you're burning fast. Decrease the burn speed and you're likely never going to see a benefit from 4MB of cache.

Cache isn't really going to make a difference with just reading, only writing. And really with buffer underrun protection cache doesn't even really matter all that much for writing anymore either... Hope that helps...

 

[CoMaToast]

Larger cache may save you from a crappy write, but only if you're burning fast. Decrease the burn speed and you're likely never going to see a benefit from 4MB of cache.

Cache isn't really going to make a difference with just reading, only writing. And really with buffer underrun protection cache doesn't even really matter all that much for writing anymore either... Hope that helps...

Thanks again.. Here is the newly revised setup... Not 100% but gives you a much better idea of everything now going in

Intel Core i5-3570, Sapphire Radeon HD 7950, Corsair 500R Black - My Custom Build - comatoast's Saved Part List - PCPartPicker

 

[Doc]

Thanks again.. Here is the newly revised setup... Not 100% but gives you a much better idea of everything now going in

Intel Core i5-3570, Sapphire Radeon HD 7950, Corsair 500R Black - My Custom Build - comatoast's Saved Part List - PCPartPicker

Your going to like that Rosewill wifi adapter, got a few friends with that same adapter and it works very well, your system looks very nice man, kudos...http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-wireless-network-card-rnxn180ube

 

[CoMaToast]

Your going to like that Rosewill wifi adapter, got a few friends with that same adapter and it works very well, your system looks very nice man, kudos...http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-wireless-network-card-rnxn180ube

Yea, I know it will more than likely be overkill for what I need, but just want to keep it a mid-hi end machine for the next few years... Is there anything I should downgrade, that I might not need?

 

[Uzephi]

750W might be a little overkill. I run a 650W with a Phenom 2, two SLI Radeon 6950, 16GB 4x4 RAM, 2 HDD and one SDD, two optical drives (one BD and other BD-RW) and have no issue with power output. Wireless mouse, keyboard, and a controller plugged in my USB ports.

 

[Doc]

Yea, I know it will more than likely be overkill for what I need, but just want to keep it a mid-hi end machine for the next few years... Is there anything I should downgrade, that I might not need?

Nope everything looks good, I wouldnt downgrade your power supply at all, I would look at maybe getting a bigger HD, 1 TB is fine but for just a little bit more get a 2TB and not worry about running out of space, but again just my opinion..............

 

[davoid]

Nope everything looks good, I wouldnt downgrade your power supply at all, I would look at maybe getting a bigger HD, 1 TB is fine but for just a little bit more get a 2TB and not worry about running out of space, but again just my opinion..............

Totally agree on this one. The storage space/cost ratio is much higher if you step up to the 2TB size. A fraction of the cost increase, but double the capacity.

 

[Mehta23]

The latest build looks pretty good to me !

I'm in the UK, so I don't really know what good US prices are, but I foudn that the Intel SSD's are usually a lot more expensive (although probably worth it) I'd recommend going for a Samsung 840 or a Sandisk Extreme, as these drives are very good, and a little bit cheaper

Any reason why you're not going for the i5 3750K? A small overclock could give about a 10% boost which may or may not be worth the price difference.

I'm not too sure about the WD Blue models, but I've found that my Seagate Barracuda 2TB is a lot cooler, quicker, and was cheaper than my 1TB WD Black. But whatever you do, I'd also recommend going for the 2TB.

The nvidia 660/Ti is supposed to be around the same price as the 7950, but I was told it was better. Really depends on what games you intend to play...

Apart from that I don't see much else to improve. I believe there's an XFX PSU that's based on the same model as that Corsair, but I'd only consider moving if the price difference is quite big.

 

[CoMaToast]

The latest build looks pretty good to me !

I'm in the UK, so I don't really know what good US prices are, but I foudn that the Intel SSD's are usually a lot more expensive (although probably worth it) I'd recommend going for a Samsung 840 or a Sandisk Extreme, as these drives are very good, and a little bit cheaper

Any reason why you're not going for the i5 3750K? A small overclock could give about a 10% boost which may or may not be worth the price difference.

I'm not too sure about the WD Blue models, but I've found that my Seagate Barracuda 2TB is a lot cooler, quicker, and was cheaper than my 1TB WD Black. But whatever you do, I'd also recommend going for the 2TB.

The nvidia 660/Ti is supposed to be around the same price as the 7950, but I was told it was better. Really depends on what games you intend to play...

Apart from that I don't see much else to improve. I believe there's an XFX PSU that's based on the same model as that Corsair, but I'd only consider moving if the price difference is quite big.

Well since Im not that computer saavy, I dont think Ill be overclocking anything lol .. I was basically putting this whole thing togeter based off what I want and review scores.. ANd yea, you are about the 5th person to suggest the 2TB Seagate drive as well, so that will be a switch too... As far as the GPU, I looked at the 660/ti, but then looked over a few benchmarks, and decided on the 7950 for the performance/price

AnandTech | Bench - GPU12

 

[CoMaToast]

Also Ive been pushed away to buy something else for the MOBO... Which is odd, because it was very highly reviewed by many people... Thoughts?

AnandTech | Bench - GPU12

 

[CoMaToast]

Also to mention... I asked WHY the MOBO I had chose was bad , and this was his reply

Overclocking options sucked and ASRock offered no explanation as to when they will resolve the BIOS issue with Windows 8 causing it not to hibernate properly.

EVGA still has not resolved it but I have confirmation from them there engineers are working on it.

That and that particular ASRock Motherboard is considered a low to midtier Motherboard, the Extreme 9/11 series are your high end ASRock motherboards, but still not as good as ASUS Rampage IV Extreme/Maximus Extreme or EVGA Z77 FTW Motherboards.

The EVGA offered so many more options compared to the board you have selected if you can get it at the price I did. Not to mention if by chance something happens to the primary BIOS you have 2 others you can switch to as backups.

 

[sfbloodbrother]

16 is a lot. Though you can never have too much RAM, but I have yet to coming close to maxing out my 8GB.

 

[CoMaToast]

16 is a lot. Though you can never have too much RAM, but I have yet to coming close to maxing out my 8GB.

Bud, I probably wont use HALF of the potential of this build lol, But If I do need , or want it, its there

 

[Mehta23]

If you're not doing anything intensive like video editing, 8gb will be plenty.

I've also heard that Asrock aren't that good, but I'm not sure if that was just fanboyism