Advice on my first-ever build

Dave3x

Hello there gents!

I've wanted to build a gaming PC for the last decade, and have finally decided to take the plunge. Why? Because I have the chance to nab an i7 3770k very cheaply, and have some spare cash to build a machine around it.

I've filled out the standard form, and have a smattering of parts listed below:

1. What is your budget? // €600 – €850. This is for everything except the processor.

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? // Gaming, media, and a tiny bit of hobbyist video and image editing. I'd expect to run today's demanding games – Skyrim, Planetside 2, etc at high settings.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? // Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? // I have the processor, an Intel i7 3770k, already sorted. A few external drives too.

5. Do you need a monitor? // No.

5a. If yes, what size do you need. // N/A

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

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? // Wireless Card

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? // Yes

8. How can you pay? // Credit Card/Laser

9. When are you purchasing? // Preferably in a matter of days, but no strict deadline.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? // No help required!

***

Now, based on reading threads others have submitted, I was thinking something along these lines.

Am I spending money on things that make no sense? Can I get away with spending less? Am I skimping on anything?

Item|Price
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R|€14.64
InLine® Antistatik Handgelenk Manschette|€4.99
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€86.49
Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 Boost, 3GB GDDR5|€283.38
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance Low Profile schwarz PC3-12800U CL9|€39.89
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€53.91
Corsair Carbide Series 300R, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€68.63
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€85.04
Intel SSD 330 Series 120GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€94.99
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€63.99
LG GH24NS bare schwarz|€18.38
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€833.32

Your generosity with your time is appreciated.

beno619

Very solid build imho,No windows 8 tho ?

Dave3x

beno619 wrote: »

Very solid build imho,No windows 8 tho ?

Ah! Well, this is something I could use advice on - a lot of recent builds I've seen online opt for 7. I assumed there was some kind of compatibility issues with games or something, and reasoned the upgrade would be pretty cheap.

Am I worrying for nothing?

beno619

I have not used Win8 enough to give you a personal opinion, most people I know love it tho,
faster boot times,less resource hungry in general, The big issue seems to be with the not Metro UI,
but there are ways to get rid of it and get the start menu back.

Actually now that you mention it I think people are going with 7 because of you can upgrade to 8 for 15e
and revert back to 7 if you dont like it.

Dave3x

beno619 wrote: »

Actually now that you mention it I think people are going with 7 because of you can upgrade to 8 for 15e
and revert back to 7 if you dont like it.

That was kind of my logic. I tend to like the newer things, but there's no harm in playing safe.

But everything looks compatible with everything else?

beno619

Dave3x wrote: »

That was kind of my logic. I tend to like the newer things, but there's no harm in playing safe.

But everything looks compatible with everything else?

Should be a beastly set up

III

jaysus if you're getting an i7 3770k and with that gpu you might as well splurge on an ASrock z77 extreme 4 mobo

III

and I really don't know if a 550w psu can handle a 7950, bit dodgy

marco_polo

III wrote: »

and I really don't know if a 550w psu can handle a 7950, bit dodgy

Nah should be fine, whole system shouldnt draw much more than 300w even near flat out.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/08/16/amd-radeon-hd-7950-3gb-with-boost/7

Dave3x

III wrote: »

jaysus if you're getting an i7 3770k and with that gpu you might as well splurge on an ASrock z77 extreme 4 mobo

Ok, nifty – what's the advantage? I'll admit, motherboards confuse the bejaysus out of me.

tuxy

Dave3x wrote: »

Ok, nifty – what's the advantage? I'll admit, motherboards confuse the bejaysus out of me.

The extreme supports dual graphics card,raid and esata. In theory it should overclock better too but I don't think there is much difference in practice.
I wouldn't bother unless you need the extra features it has.