Looking at a new build - (amateur here, suggestions please!)

Forums › Desktop computing › Looking at a new build - (amateur here, suggestions please!)

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#883950 24-Aug-2013 17:16

Can we step back a bit and ask - does your man already play computer games? This better not be his first pc!

andrewNZ

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#883960 24-Aug-2013 17:39

Talking power supplies can be like talking religion or politics.

People do go crazy with power supplies, and there's usually no need. 800w is just silly IMO, it's an animal of a machine that will even come close to taxing a 650w supply. That said, too big is better than too small. If it's too big, it uses a wee bit more power than it needs to, too small and things will start acting up, you'll get weird issues that are hard to pin down.

450w from the calculator looks about right, it's not all about actual total power draw, there's also the capacity of each portion of the PSU, and heat dissipation to take into account. A 350w power supply could possibly do it, but might overheat with extended high use.
The calculators are pretty good at considering all that.

Go with the calculators result, and get the best bang for your buck that suits your needs in the 450-650w range. You might find 500w is much more expensive while 600w is the sweet spot. Don't worry too much, it's pretty hard to go wrong with the info you have now.

erenaissance

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#883963 24-Aug-2013 17:41

Honestly these days the CPU is not so much of an issue on a gaming rig. Put the $$ into the GFX card. Also with a present like this he's not going to be spending much time with you, so don't go too hard out!

Lastly will you be friends with my wife? I feel you have much to teach her :)

Haha, he spends a lot of his spare time on World of Warcraft anyway. Him having a better computer just means less exasperated yelling when his video card has bouts of crapping out.

I'll teach your wife some things if you can teach my boyfriend that the jellybean jar theory isn't true to all marriages (as he thinks this is a good reason to not get married!)

erenaissance

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Wannabe Geek

#883964 24-Aug-2013 17:45

joker97: Can we step back a bit and ask - does your man already play computer games? This better not be his first pc!

Hehe, yes, he already plays computer games. Predominantly WoW. This would be his second desktop PC - He used to game on a HP laptop (*snicker*) until I came along. His current PC is an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @3.0Ghz, 4gb ram, Nvidia Geforce 9600gt. I think he needs an upgrade! :)

Batman

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#883971 24-Aug-2013 17:55

I'd just overclock that thing and get a new SSD and graphics card :p

( no i'm not jealouse, im looking after your wallet)

The only thing a benchmarker would be missing is the FSB and other hyperthreading superiority of the Haswell with above upgrade, yes there will be a bit but ... I'm a guy and i think with my bang for buck curve :)

Food for thought!

erenaissance

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#883978 24-Aug-2013 18:08

joker97: I'd just overclock that thing and get a new SSD and graphics card :p

( no i'm not jealouse, im looking after your wallet)

The only thing a benchmarker would be missing is the FSB and other hyperthreading superiority of the Haswell with above upgrade, yes there will be a bit but ... I'm a guy and i think with my bang for buck curve :)

Food for thought!

Hmm, I did originally think of swapping up some components in his current PC, as we own a house and most spare cash goes on mortgage/renovations.

I ended up deciding I had no idea what the best way to upgrade it without going overboard. (Suggestions for this would also be greatly appreciated!)

I could always pimp his current computer a bit, then maybe I will use it when I feel like I miss playing WoW again.

Batman

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#884005 24-Aug-2013 19:19

As I said a new ssd that uses the sata 2 of your mobo eg ocz vertex 2 120gb with clean install 64 bit win 7 and new graphics card make ssure it fits the slots some occupy adjacent sl, t aand goes in the holes of the mobo. That will make the mosst difference.

MaximiZe the ram your mobo can take is also a good idea.

He wouldn't reccognize the old computer anymore ;)

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#884011 24-Aug-2013 19:33

There was another thread asking for CURRENT best bang for buck graphics card, have a quick search (i hate my ipad very difficukt to navigate sorry). (you could trademe it you know, coz a used card and a new card will work the same, it may last a year less but it will be obsolete before it fails)

erenaissance

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#884141 25-Aug-2013 10:23

Also, thoughts on watercooling for this system?

Phexx

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#884245 25-Aug-2013 17:01

erenaissance: Also, thoughts on watercooling for this system?

Welcome to Geekzone!

Go for a closed loop watercooling system - they're much easier to use (and far cheaper) than a custom loop. Something from Corsairs's lineup (H80i ect) should be fine.

I was about to post suggesting you get an aftermarket cooler, I've made the mistake of buying an unlocked processor thinking I'll buy an aftermarket cooler and overclock. Never happened.

Even though WoW can be quite a CPU intensive game, you'd be best spending more on the graphics card.

Don't bother paying for more than 8gb or ram unless you get a great price. Provided your boyfriend isn't going to be doing any serious video editing you'll be fine.

Cheers

erenaissance

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#884247 25-Aug-2013 17:09

Phexx: Even though WoW can be quite a CPU intensive game, you'd be best spending more on the graphics card.

Thanks! Do you think the Gigabyte GTX 760 2gb overclocked card will be all good?

timmmay

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#884334 25-Aug-2013 21:15

Not sure I'd bother with water cooling. I looked at it for my PC, it may cool a bit better but then you have the noise of a small fridge running, which can be more than good quality air cooling.

Phexx

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#884361 25-Aug-2013 22:35

erenaissance:
Phexx: Even though WoW can be quite a CPU intensive game, you'd be best spending more on the graphics card.

Thanks! Do you think the Gigabyte GTX 760 2gb overclocked card will be all good?

Should be fine, Gigabyte are a reputable brand.

Eddytion

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#884411 26-Aug-2013 05:05

That i5 is pretty fast, for gaming and for that GPU, it's more than enough.
I recommend you to get a better graphics card, instead of a CPU. :) good luck
Your boyfriend must be lucky to have you.

hangon

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#884708 26-Aug-2013 14:25

erenaissance: Thanks for all your input guys!

I think I have narrowed it down a bit.

Currently thinking the following:

i5 4670k 3.4ghz Haswell CPU
Gigabyte GA-H87M-D3H MATX LGA1150 motherboard
Gigabyte Overclocked GTX760 2gb DDR5 PCIE video card
Samsung 120gb 840 series SSD
1TB SATA3 WD 7200RPM Black Edition HDD
Adata 8gb DDR3 1600Mhz RAM
Enermax 650w Tomahawk2 ultra silent fan PSU
Raidmax Agusta titanium tower case
Samsung 24x DVDRW drive

But after reading you posts maybe I should look at more juice for the processor. Pretty happy with the SSD/HDD as he doesn't seem to be a document hoarder. All of our downloaded music/movies are kept on a portable HDD.

P.s. He definitely should put a ring on my finger! He is almost finished his fitter/welder apprenticeship and he deserves a "Feck yeah, you did it!" prezzie.

Really don't spoil him, just get him a new video card. If he wants to play a game and needs a new PC he should get one himself.

no point matching a k CPU with an H87 mobo. 760 overkill here. Since you got a SSD, just get a green for mass storage, not much point getting a black.

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