My first PC build - Update 24/08

Bram Turismo

Bram Turismo

Go Flying Lizards!
Premium
10,837
Belgium
Belgium
bramturismo
Hey guys,

Some of you might remember that I made a thread a little while ago about my laptop starting to act up on me. Well, I've used it nearly for 3 years now, but the randomly freezing issues might suggest it's on its last breath.

Now, here's the thing. I work with quite powerful PC's at work with big screens because we are working a lot with AutoCAD and radiation analyzing tools. While I don't need a PC to do this kind of work at home, working with a large screen feels a lot more comfortable than looking at a small and bright laptop screen.

So now I have to decide whether I want to invest in a new laptop and retain mobility which I no longer need, or investing in a desktop that I could upgrade into the future.

I'm not looking for a very powerful system. My usual stuff I do on my laptop everyday includes watching YouTube, listen to my music on iTunes, use Photoshop once in a while, and the game I do play with my friends is not a heavy game at all. (League of Legends).

I am looking for some performance to an extend, though. Not in the sense of maxing every new game, but I would like the freedom of being able to play new games if there are any I'm interested in. So you could say I'd like something in between; no overkill machine, but not investing in something that would limit me either. Then again, PC's these days are probably getting so fast you don't need a huge system to play most games.

I'd probably need a screen too. My laptop is a 16"'er, but I have no idea what I'm looking for either. As long as it's not the biggest and most expensive screen on the market.

It's difficult to describe exactly what I'm after. I'd say an inbetween PC that is not the most expensive to build, but neither one that just gets by on a very low budget. I have a keyboard with a blue backlight, so I'd like some more blue. I got a mouse as well, so a new one won't be needed yet. So a PC with a screen, and whatever comes with those. If possible, I'd like to build a pretty PC. Not something bland, but neither those cases that seemed to have come straight out of an ALIEN movie.

I was looking at this case earlier, I thought it looked pretty neat. I kind of reminds me of the movie Oblivion which I very liked:

1915845036_1326719923_o.jpg



I see a lot of PC's have lights inside the case. Does this come from custom installed parts? I'd like a case with a shade of blue at night to match my keyboard, but not so far as blinding me at night either.

But like I said, I have no idea at all about desktops. I've never built my own PC, I've always had laptops. I'm just going to let the usual GTP Pc geniusses coast into this thread and see what everyone has to say about my idea of my PC.

For now, budget is not so important as much as getting everything straight what might work for me and what wouldn't.


Cheers!
 
Last edited:
Lighting kits are a pain in the ass, but what you're talking about (from within the case like the NZXT above) are the LED's on the fans... and the case itself actually has LED's. Didn't even notice that. :lol:

You'll definitely want an IPS screen for the colors, vibrancy and sharpness, something along the lines of a 24 or 26 incher and with a good refresh rate to boot.

You can put together a more than capable system for less than a K, and you'll be sitting pretty until you want to upgrade. To pull a trick from Sharky's hat: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/wE18

Just substitute the HAF with the NZXT case you want, and maybe toss in an SSD for the Windows partition and you're good to go. 👍
 
An SSD is what allows my PC to boot up really fast, right? I like the idea of having an SSD for it being really quick to boot up, and store everything on the hard drive.

For reference, my laptop holds 580GB. I have 433GB remaining so I actually use very little hard drive space from my laptops/PC's.

Would you reckon that midi tower I linked gives me room to upgrade parts to something faster if I ever feel the need for it?
 
Bram Turismo
An SSD is what allows my PC to boot up really fast, right? I like the idea of having an SSD for it being really quick to boot up, and store everything on the hard drive.
Click to expand...

Sure is. I guarantee this first time you boot from the SSD you're going to be all wide-eyed. And the novelty never wears off... because it never has a chance to get old; that's how quickly it's going to boot.

For reference, my laptop holds 580GB. I have 433GB remaining so I actually use very little hard drive space from my laptops/PC's.
Click to expand...

You're good to go then. Are you planning to pick up another for backup purposes?

Would you reckon that midi tower I linked gives me room to upgrade parts to something faster if I ever feel the need for it?
Click to expand...

Well the Phantom has but seven expansion slots and a 670 only consumes two, so yeah you'll be sitting pretty until you want to pop in another, even if you want to use a dedicated sound card.
 
You can also pick up a cheaper Graphic card like a GTX660Ti if you need a bit of money for your screen. It will do what you describe. A GTX670 is closer to max most things. Depends on your budget I guess. That case is a NZXT Phantom, a 410 is good enough if you have only one card.

Link to the NZXT site : here

As for the screen I can't really comment. I would recommend a SSD as well, it's great to speed up windows.
 
Budget is pretty unlimited, but I don't want to throw away any money if that suggested setup does everything I'd need from a PC.
 
Well it depends on how well you want your game to play.

A GTX670 will max out pretty much everything except AA on recent game (except stuff like Witcher 2 or Crysis 3)

A GTX660ti will be just a bit under a gtx670, you'll be able to play all game in high settings.

I personnaly dont recommend ATI because I think there's much less driver update and nothing like GEforce experience which configure your game according to your system so they run the best. But other will tell you that ATI works as good. I just didnt like my experience very much (had an ATI card 2 years ago).

So it really depends on what you're expecting from your system.
 
Well let's take pCARS as an example. I'd love to try out the game when it comes out, same goes for Assetto Corsa when that will ever release. I'd love to be able to try out these games without my PC having any difficulty with it. I'm not requiring it to run said games on the highest possible settings with max AA and max resolution and whatnot. Even on medium settings I think current gen games are looking pretty insane on PC.

But like I said, I have no idea what I'm after to play games. Last time I was actually looking at graphics cars was when everybody had to have ATI cards.

Don't hesitate to recommend me a different case, as well. I was merely posting that one because I liked the looks of it.

You're good to go then. Are you planning to pick up another for backup purposes?
Click to expand...

Not sure if I'm following you here. I was kind of assuming I could go for an SSD card for a fast boot, and have the 1TB hard drive you linked as my hard drive to store everything onto? Also, I have no idea on what IPS is for PC screens, lecture me :P Any brands specifically that I should look out for?

I guess a Windows 7 copy and a screen will set me back the most. Or is Windows 8 good enough to go for?
 
It seems that a GTX660ti is good enough for you. It will do what you want without costing too much. The case is fine really. It's a pretty good one. Good cable management, lots of fan to cool the inside if you ever decide to overclock/add another graphic card. One of my friends bought one and he's really happy with it so if you like the look, go for it.

And yes, SSD for boot and a 1to HD to store stuff is good enough and if you ever need more, it's super easy to add another HD.

Windows 7 is good enough for me but I heard good things about windows 8. Apparently performance wise it's pretty even while gaming.

As for the screen, I've check my regular site and this one is recommended : Philips Brilliance 241P4QPY Here's the link since you're from belgium you might understand french : clicky
 
Clearly you should do it the American, way bigger and more expensive the better!!!!

Just go ahead and get the GTX690 :sly::dopey::drool:

obvious sarcasm here
 
RX-7_FD3S
Well it depends on how well you want your game to play.

A GTX670 will max out pretty much everything except AA on recent game (except stuff like Witcher 2 or Crysis 3)

A GTX660ti will be just a bit under a gtx670, you'll be able to play all game in high settings.

I personnaly dont recommend ATI because I think there's much less driver update and nothing like GEforce experience which configure your game according to your system so they run the best. But other will tell you that ATI works as good. I just didnt like my experience very much (had an ATI card 2 years ago).

So it really depends on what you're expecting from your system.
Click to expand...

ATi drivers are the downfall of their otherwise superb cards, but the 7970 GE edges out even the 680 where allowed to, and you most certainly can max out Crysis 3 with a 670 if you use FXAA.

I haven't installed Witcher 2 yet so I can't comment on ubersampling whatsoever. :P

Bram Turismo
Well let's take pCARS as an example. I'd love to try out the game when it comes out, same goes for Assetto Corsa when that will ever release. I'd love to be able to try out these games without my PC having any difficulty with it. I'm not requiring it to run said games on the highest possible settings with max AA and max resolution and whatnot. Even on medium settings I think current gen games are looking pretty insane on PC.
Click to expand...

pCARS is still heavily unoptimized, however, at this point it does run better on nvidia cards so you have that advantage.

AC will run spectacularly on the rig as well and you'll really enjoy the tech demo.

Don't hesitate to recommend me a different case, as well. I was merely posting that one because I liked the looks of it.
Click to expand...

The Phantom is more than fine for your build. And if you'll ever want to expand to watercooling you can just fit it right in without any issues.

Not sure if I'm following you here. I was kind of assuming I could go for an SSD card for a fast boot, and have the 1TB hard drive you linked as my hard drive to store everything onto? Also, I have no idea on what IPS is for PC screens, lecture me :P Any brands specifically that I should look out for?
Click to expand...

Oh, my mistake. I'm trying to turn you into a storage whore now. :P

As for the IPS monitors, you can opt for Dell (generally expensive because they're the cream of the crop as far as consumer solutions are concerned), or you can opt for this: ASUS MX279H. It's a pricey bit of kit but your eyes will most certainly thank you.

As for what an IPS panel is/does, essentially, it allows a better vertical viewing angle and the color reproduction is damn near perfect.

I guess a Windows 7 copy and a screen will set me back the most. Or is Windows 8 good enough to go for?
Click to expand...

I haven't gone near W8 and have no intention to, but I've heard nothing but good things from people who have used it. But you have to ask whether or not you actually need it, otherwise you're just adding an unnecessary expense.
 
Last edited:
I know a few people who don't like windows 8 and one guy whose laptop has windows 8. He got the non-touch screen laptop because he does not like the idea of touching his screen.
 
A PC screen might not even be necessary for now. Turns out my dad has an unused 22" Acer screen I could use. Might as well use that for a while until I make up my mind about a screen. A 26" does seem like an enormous screen, or maybe I just have no clue.
 
2 screens are even better. Once you've used multi screen you'll never want to go back to one.
 
I'd say. Having two monitors is nice(I use a dual monitor setup). He could buy a second monitor that is the same model as the Acer monitor that he can get from his father.
 
My generic comments.

Get the SSD (I have a 250Gb, love it, never going back and you can't make me!) and a 1TB drive for storage.
I'd skip the lighted fans as I find them distracting and a bit of a novelty item.
I have a cheaper NZXT case but so far I have no complaints.
26" is maybe a touch large if you're not used to it but I use a dual 24" setup at work and it's fantastic. Can't argue with a free screen, though.
Once you're at the desktop, Windows 8 is virtually the same as Windows 7. Pro tip - install the Pokki start menu if you go with 8.

For reference, here is my setup. Add a dedicated graphics card and you should be pretty well set. 👍
 
Bram Turismo
I was looking at this case earlier, I thought it looked pretty neat. I kind of reminds me of the movie Oblivion which I very liked:

1915845036_1326719923_o.jpg
Click to expand...

That's how it looks in the beginning, and while the side panels stay that shiny white, the white plastic front and top is prone to discoloration. I've got the original full tower case which is a couple of years old now and the plastic parts are more of a darker yellowy cream color now. It doesn't look all that nice anymore, particularly in contrast with the shiny white side panels. I mean, if you're interested in looks for at least a few years to come. Then again, maybe it's just my case?

Bram Turismo
I see a lot of PC's have lights inside the case. Does this come from custom installed parts? I'd like a case with a shade of blue at night to match my keyboard, but not so far as blinding me at night either.
Click to expand...

The 410 pictured actually includes a blue top 140mm LED fan, so maybe that's all you'd want? If you want more lights, you can always add more LED fans, or add some light kits. I've actually got a couple of switchable UV cathodes in mine, which by memory do look quite cool in the dark, but I can't actually remember when I had them turned on last. I've only got one LED fan in the case at the moment, and it's a white LED front fan, which functions as a night light. I guess it all depends on what exactly you want, but you've got options with respect to lighting.

TB
My generic comments.

Get the SSD (I have a 250Gb, love it, never going back and you can't make me!) and a 1TB drive for storage.
Click to expand...

And this, most definitely this. I've got a 120GB SSD for OS and apps, which is more than enough for me, and have two 1.5TB drives in RAID1 for all data.
 
Funnily enough I have an NZXT full tower case, in black as I think it looks a bit tacky in some of the other colours, though I haven't even owned my own PC before I find it quite easy to work with and live with. It did not come with a front fan however, which given my position I felt was a must when speccing the thing as it was only a cheap upgrade on my budget.

I'm also using a 120gb SSD boot drive paired with a 2TB HDD for everything else, just be mindful to always choose advanced installation options for programs so you get it on the drive you want. Excluding that small bit of effort the SSD has been a great touch.

Regarding Windows 7 v 8, my only issue with 8 is the text smoothing is woeful on my large screen (40inch single screen is how I roll as I am purely focused on my game which is mostly FPS at the moment, if I need a second screen I use my iPad/laptop). There's also some issues with older games you might run it too with 8, though they may not be exclusive to 8, Crysis 1 springs to mind as something I simply can't play as it doesn't work on Win8 (or didn't I haven't checked back). On the whole it's not bad at all though, performance wise I have no problem with modern games although I would say my system is overkill for what I've played (7970 Ghz MSI Lightning BE, CPU FX-8 8350 8 Core @ 4.4Ghz and 16gb RAM).
 
Alright, here's what I've got:


  • Corsair Builder Series CX 500 Watt - $49.99
  • Sparkle PC GeForce GTX 660Ti 2 GB 256-Bit - $249.99
  • SanDisk Ultra Plus SSD 128 GB SATA - $94.99
  • Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA - $70.81
  • Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) - $64.99
  • MSI Computer Corp. DDR3 1600 Intel LGA 1155 (Z77A-G45) - $124.99
  • Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - $27.99
  • Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (OEM) - $90.00
  • Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz - $209.99
  • NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower - $84.52

Subtotal: $1,068.26

Anything I'm missing? Probably going for a black case.

I still have no idea how power suppliers and fans fit together, not to mention how I know what motherboard fits what build. Most of this is just copy-paste what T12 posted, except for the graphics card. I searched Amazon for "GTX 660ti" and I got about 2-3 pages of GTX 660 cards. Is there any difference between all of them?

Where does everyone from the EU in here order their parts from? I noticed the closest thing to me were German stores on PCparts.com, and Newegg seems to be exclusively for the US so I just put this together on Amazon.com. I actually have no idea which Belgian stores I could look into or whether ordering from an international shopping website could deliver more benefits.
 
Bram Turismo
Alright, here's what I've got:


  • Corsair Builder Series CX 500 Watt - $49.99
  • Sparkle PC GeForce GTX 660Ti 2 GB 256-Bit - $249.99
  • SanDisk Ultra Plus SSD 128 GB SATA - $94.99
  • Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA - $70.81
  • Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) - $64.99
  • MSI Computer Corp. DDR3 1600 Intel LGA 1155 (Z77A-G45) - $124.99
  • Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - $27.99
  • Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (OEM) - $90.00
  • Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz - $209.99
  • NZXT Phantom 410 Mid Tower - $84.52

Subtotal: $1,068.26

Anything I'm missing? Probably going for a black case.

I still have no idea how power suppliers and fans fit together, not to mention how I know what motherboard fits what build. Most of this is just copy-paste what T12 posted, except for the graphics card. I searched Amazon for "GTX 660ti" and I got about 2-3 pages of GTX 660 cards. Is there any difference between all of them?

Where does everyone from the EU in here order their parts from? I noticed the closest thing to me were German stores on PCparts.com, and Newegg seems to be exclusively for the US so I just put this together on Amazon.com. I actually have no idea which Belgian stores I could look into or whether ordering from an international shopping website could deliver more benefits.
Click to expand...

The only problem I see there is the PSU, go for 600 to 650 watt PSU
 
128GB Samsung 830 master race... or what T-12 said :)

I'd give yourself a bit of power headroom and go for a 600w power supply, while a 500w will do the job when/if you overclock and add more stuff like optical drives, dedicated sound cards and, er, more video cards, the power requirement can (and will) jump up quite markedly.

While we're measuring our storage e-peen:
128GB Samsung 830 SSD
1TB Samsung F3 HDD x2
3TB WD Black HDD
= 5 1/8 TB :D
 
Right, I totally forget about optical drives and a soundcard. Won't go far without those!

I guess some thermal paste is required as well? I saw somevideos about putting a PC together and they all put a line of paste on top of the processor before the installed a fan on top of the processor.
 
Terronium-12
Samsung 840 Pro SSD.
Click to expand...
Sharky.
128GB Samsung 830 master race
Click to expand...
And just to be difficult, 250Gb Samsung 840 SSD, not the Pro 'casue I'm not made of money. :P
Bram Turismo
Right, I totally forget about optical drives and a soundcard. Won't go far without those!
Click to expand...
Unless you're looking to do something special, the motherboard has sound built in.

An optical drive, however, you kinda need! :lol:
Bram Turismo
I guess some thermal paste is required as well? I saw somevideos about putting a PC together and they all put a line of paste on top of the processor before the installed a fan on top of the processor.
Click to expand...
The stock cooler that comes with the processor already has thermal paste applied and the Cooler Master aftermarket cooler has a small tube included. At least mine did. There's nothing wrong with picking up "better" thermal paste, though.
 
If you're buying an aftermarket cooler it'll likely be included, but the included stuff is often mediocre. Get a tube of Arctic Silver 5 or something, inexpensive and does the job.

Also, you don't necessarily need an optical drive any more. It's fairly easy to boot and install Windows from a flash drive. My computer doesn't have an optical drive bay and I just used a flash drive then downloaded drivers. That being said, I built in a tiny case and if you have room for an optical drive there's no reason not to get one since they're so cheap these days.
 
Last edited:
TB
An optical drive, however, you kinda need! :lol:
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. I don't have an optical drive in my current system :)

Getting my motherboard to boot off a USB flash drive so I could install Windows was a bit tricky though... installing Windows that way is great for showing off, but not as straight-forward as sticking a disc in!
 
TB
Unless you're looking to do something special, the motherboard has sound built in.
Click to expand...

Well, that's pretty convenient. :dopey:

Another thing I forgot; a wireless network card so I can get on the wifi. Do I need something special for ethernet as well or is this also integrated into the motherboard?

Shows really how little I actually know about building a PC. The more you know!
 

Similar threads

Eunos_Cosmo
Can somebody recommend me a PC?
Replies
9
Views
1K
TB
TB
Jezza819
New laptop or Microsoft Surface?
Replies
12
Views
3K
skazz
skazz
666666
Gaming laptop question need advice
Replies
9
Views
3K
Saidur_Ali
Saidur_Ali
ImmalovemaGTR
  • Question
(solved) Huawei P30 Lite issues
Replies
4
Views
11K
ImmalovemaGTR
ImmalovemaGTR
Silver_Wolf
Mobile Phone Screen Freeze
Replies
0
Views
1K
Silver_Wolf
Silver_Wolf

Latest Posts

Back