First time buying a pre-built PC(custompc.ie)

SOLID_SNAKE!

Hey, guys

Please forgive my ignorance in this area.

I'm thinking of getting a PC for gaming later this year, I put together what I wanted on the aforementioned website, I'm really just starting out and don't have the years of knowledge or experience, I do however have a limited knowledge of computers and how they work(using them since 1999), but I am not "streetwise" per se, to be honest I don't even know if the components that I picked will be supported by the PSU I picked, or if the cooling system is inadequate(I'm 90% it is inadequate).

I plan to have a a PC that will last me a few years(CPU-wise anyway)
I'd like to be able to run games on the highest settings
My monitor will be a 42" HDMI-in, Screen res is 1920x1080
If you're wondering what kind of games I'll be playing mostly it's FPS games(and perhaps some 3D modeling)


So here is what I picked out

Processor CPU: Intel i7 2600 3.40 4 Cores
CPU Cooling: Intel i7 Standard Cooling
Memory: 8GB Viper 1600Mhz Extreme
Motherboard: AsusP8H67-M Pro M-ATX
Hard Disk 1: 500GB UDMA 300
Optical Drive 1: Sony 24X DVD Rewriter
Video Card 1 Main: ATI Radeon 2GB HD6950
Video Card 2: Optional SLI / Crossfire Configuration(Worth it?)
Sound Card: 8 Chanel OnBoard Sound
Power Supply: Antec Gamer 520 Watt Power

[FONT=verdana, arial]€1,305.00[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial]
[/FONT]

again guys please forgive my ignorance, I'm just looking for some down to earth advice


PS. If somebody were to point our an AMD equivalent, that'd be great for the budget and all, I wasn't going for Intel, but I read up a bit more on the 8150's "8 cores", not mind blowing

1. What is your budget? [€700-€1200]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming(Yes)(fast fps games, Unreal, Bioshock, CoD4, Crysis)/Video editing(Yes)/3D Modelling(Yes)/Internet(Yes)]

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (I'd rather all new components, stuff I have access to is an old Pentium 3 that's not mine)

5. Do you need a monitor? [No]

5a. Not applicable

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor[1920x1080] and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard[No]/Mouse[No]/Wireless[Yes] Card/Card Reader[No]/Speakers[outputting display via HDMI, shoud carry audio, right?]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [No, that's a bit beyond me atm, I don't think the "K" model CPU's would be any use to me, unless overclocking is simple enough]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer(Yes)/Credit Card(Yes)/Laser(Yes)]

9. When are you purchasing? [Third quarter of 2012]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Co. Sligo]

Bloodwing

I'd suggest you copy this list and fill it out,

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74542374

The lads here will be able to spec you a great machine once they have this info. One of the few things I do know is that if this is just a gaming rig you wont need an i7, an i5 is a much better choice.

deconduo

Cheaper and better build:

Item|Price
Total build cost: €1,173.20 + €30 shipping
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€187.76
Thermalright HR-02 Macho|€33.70
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€112.71
XFX BLACK EDITION RADEON 7950 900M 3GB D5 2x mDP HDMI DVI|€401.65
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€32.63
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€146.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB, SATA II (HD502HJ)|€71.00
Corsair Carbide Series 500R schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€100.87
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W|€69.94
Samsung SH-222AB bare schwarz SATA|€15.95

SOLID_SNAKE!

deconduo wrote: »

Cheaper and better build:

Item|Price
Total build cost: €1,173.20 + €30 shipping
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€187.76
Thermalright HR-02 Macho|€33.70
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€112.71
XFX BLACK EDITION RADEON 7950 900M 3GB D5 2x mDP HDMI DVI|€401.65
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€32.63
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€146.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB, SATA II (HD502HJ)|€71.00
Corsair Carbide Series 500R schwarz, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€100.87
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W|€69.94
Samsung SH-222AB bare schwarz SATA|€15.95

Do they have an assembly option?, is there a need for an SSD?

Serephucus

They do. Chuck this in your cart as well if you want them to assemble it. (I'd suggest you give it a go yourself), and there's no "need" for one, but then again, no-one really "needs" a computer that powerful either.

An SSD will dramatically speed up you boot and shut down times, as well as applications and web browsing (to an extent) too. It's just one of those things that makes your computer feel very quick and snappy, and is pretty much the single biggest upgrade you can do for a machine in terms of perceived performance. I say perceived, because something like a GPU or a CPU will give you better numbers, but only in certain circumstances. A lot of the time you don't notice it as much.

SOLID_SNAKE!

Serephucus wrote: »

They do. Chuck this in your cart as well if you want them to assemble it. (I'd suggest you give it a go yourself), and there's no "need" for one, but then again, no-one really "needs" a computer that powerful either.

An SSD will dramatically speed up you boot and shut down times, as well as applications and web browsing (to an extent) too. It's just one of those things that makes your computer feel very quick and snappy, and is pretty much the single biggest upgrade you can do for a machine in terms of perceived performance. I say perceived, because something like a GPU or a CPU will give you better numbers, but only in certain circumstances. A lot of the time you don't notice it as much.

I shall open the link when I get home, the College's firewall blocks it for "Pornography":rolleyes:

I saw a youtube video that said the ATI GPUs don't support PhysX, is that something that I should be worried about?, or does the 7950 900M support that?.

Tea_Bag

SOLID_SNAKE! wrote: »

I shall open the link when I get home, the College's firewall blocks it for "Pornography":rolleyes:

I saw a youtube video that said the ATI GPUs don't support PhysX, is that something that I should be worried about?, or does the 7950 900M support that?.

PhysX is an Nvidia thing, and nothing to worry about. there are a few games on the market that use it, such as Mafia 2, but most of the stuff can be configured to run off of AMD cards too, or offloaded to the CPU.

its what happens when GPU card companies pay off developers to entice consumers. scummy stuff altogether.


im not a faboi of either sides btw.

SOLID_SNAKE!

Ah well, I know what you mean, so I'm not really missing out with 4 cores split into 8 threads on the i7?

Tea_Bag

not in gaming.

SOLID_SNAKE!

Tea_Bag wrote: »

not in gaming.

What if I needed to do some 3D modeling?

Tea_Bag

SOLID_SNAKE! wrote: »

What if I needed to do some 3D modeling?

what programs do you use?

SOLID_SNAKE!

Tea_Bag wrote: »

what programs do you use?

Had a look there, "SolidWorks", "SolidEdge", that's probably not it though, actually I think it's MS Blend, you see It's a class I have next year, all I heard is that it runs the CPU like crazy

Tea_Bag

SOLID_SNAKE! wrote: »

Had a look there, "SolidWorks", "SolidEdge", that's probably not it though, actually I think it's MS Blend, you see It's a class I have next year, all I heard is that it runs the CPU like crazy

Its hard to tell. SolidWorks says it will, but the kernel is still single threaded. SolidEdge doesnt, and i cant get a good answer on MSBlend. if you got the cash, why not.

crazygeryy

Serephucus wrote: »

They do. Chuck this in your cart as well if you want them to assemble it. (I'd suggest you give it a go yourself), and there's no "need" for one, but then again, no-one really "needs" a computer that powerful either.
.

i thought it was 5 euros assembley for the month of march?

SOLID_SNAKE!

Will it be very loud?

Monotype

crazygeryy wrote: »

i thought it was 5 euros assembley for the month of march?

Just a special offer than ran for about 2 weeks.

SOLID_SNAKE! wrote: »

Will it be very loud?

If you're concerned about noise, the Fractal Design Define R3 has soundproofing in it. Very nice case and a little cheaper (you'd be sacrificing some airflow but it would still be fine for that build).

SOLID_SNAKE!

Monotype wrote: »

Just a special offer than ran for about 2 weeks.



If you're concerned about noise, the Fractal Design Define R3 has soundproofing in it. Very nice case and a little cheaper (you'd be sacrificing some airflow but it would still be fine for that build).

Thanks, man, I'll look it up, I really hate noisy fans.

This it?

Monotype

Yes, or black if you prefer -
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=36379

There's white and light grey too.

bennyc

Hey Snake if you want to have a go at building this yourself I am in Sligo and can give you a hand if you run into trouble. You will end up having more fun building it than any game IMO.

SOLID_SNAKE!

bennyc wrote: »

Hey Snake if you want to have a go at building this yourself I am in Sligo and can give you a hand if you run into trouble. You will end up having more fun building it than any game IMO.

Cheers, man, I might just go for the assembly option in the end, but if
i do decide to put it together my self I'll let you know.

Thanks