Gaming PC Build!!!

Well gents, I finally bit the bullet and ordered the parts to start my first ever PC build. I have been looking over different parts for weeks and making different shopping carts on different sites to find out how much it is really going to hurt my wallet. I finally found pcpartpicker.com on accident, and I have to say, it is a great source for comparing every part out there and seeing everything in one place. I was going for a budget PC build, and after many videos and reviews, I know the performance I will be getting from this setup, and I am happy with what I have chosen. Here is what I have purchased (finally).

AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) 6-Core Processor
MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card
Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply

Total: $536.14

I have yet to purchase an optical drive, windows 7, and an aftermarket CPU cooler. I also left out an SSD due to the price, I may add one later on.

Now I know what you may be thinking, a 430w PSU? Well after the rebate, I got it on sale for $19.99. You may think "Why the hell would he get such a small power supply". Well, my build, all together, only uses about 360w. Later on when I decide to upgrade something or add extra parts, I will upgrade the power supply as well. I chose the cx430 because it is the same PSU that very many people use in their builds, and I have read nothing but good reviews.

I started this thread just to show you guys the process of me building my pc, and for myself to ask questions to anyone interested enough in commenting here. I can guarantee I will have some questions along the way, and from my last thread here http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technology/281092-help-me-speed-up-my-laptop.html I discovered that there are many knowledgeable people on this site when it comes to computers. I have been researching a ton and feel pretty confident going into this new project. I would like to thank people like TurboGT and Dexterdog for taking the time to PM me about questions I may have asked in my first thread, and TurboGT even took the time to email me back and forth and answer all my questions.

As soon as the parts arrive I will be updating this thread with photos, and I may even do a build video if I get my hands on a decent camera. I'm sure someone on youtube would watch a video of a first timer building a PC.

*If you see parts I ordered that you think may suck or you aren't a fan of them, please don't point that out because then I will start rethinking all of my life choices. And I don't want to be doing that. They are all ordered already and I can't back out now! (except the GPU and HDD will be ordered tonight, so I can change that still!)

 

A 430W PSU will be fine. Your new setup is gonna be great!

With so many Microsoft folks around here you can likely get a legit copy of Windows on craigslist for cheap. I traded an old saw for a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

 

OMG Y U GET SUCH WEAK STUFF?!?!?

LOL, best of luck

 

Okay good! I know it will work for what I have now, but once I decide to upgrade something, I will have to get a bigger psu for sure.

 

If you can spare the cash I would urge you to go Intel. Spend another 150$ or so and get a decent Intel CPU with matched Mobo.

I've built a dozen gaming PC's in the last 6 years or so, and I to started it all with a few AMD builds. When I switched to Intel I never looked back, there's really just no competition, especially now. Take a look at some benchmarking scores for comparable Intel/AMD CPU's and you'll see that AMD truly isn't on the money anymore.

 

I haven't gotten any of the parts yet!!! I can upload stock online photos I suppose?

 

Question! I haven't ordered the graphics card yet. It says it uses PCI Express 3.0 x16, and I can't figure out if my mobo supports this or not. It said PCI express 2.0 in a diagram but I'm not sure if it will work. Someone help me out before I order?

 

somebody? I want to order the last couple parts but I need someone to tell me it will for sure work before I do!

 

Can you post a picture of the Mobo?

 

Nevermind... I found it.
It's got one x16, one x4, and it looks like a couple of x1 slots.
You're good.
I haven't seen an x8 card in a long time. Sucks because some of the Dell boards have slots that are "keyed" and won't accept an x16 without cutting half the socket off (the x16 will work in an x8 slot, just slower).

 

Look at the website pcpartpicker it goes through and tells you what will fit with what and it will show you where the parts are cheapest.

 

This is what I did for the whole list of parts. I didn't see any alerts telling me it wouldn't fit, but I wanted to make sure anyway.



So thiss card will work with my mobo? I really don't want to run into any issues once I get all my parts and start building.

 

You're okay. 3.0 is backwards compatible.

 

Okay good. Now, another question not regarding the gpu. Does anyone know about wireless adaptor? Preferably the PCIe versions? I need to get one of these as well, because I can't get ethernet directly in the room this computer will be in. I need one that will hold up while gaming, but not super expensive. I see them ranging from 15 to 100 bucks and know nothing about what one to get. I really would like to stay cheaper. I have a linksys usb wireless g adaptor now that is basically garbage.

 

I've been happy with my Belkin. It's the transmitter/router, wife uses it on her notebook and I swear she's faster than my (old) desktop running hardwire.

I ran through a couple of Linksys routers, had issues with them both.
Cisco really turned to shit some time in the last 10 years

 

TP-Link and D-Link both have nice wireless PCI-E adapters.

It's worth noting that while wireless can usual compare to a wired network for download/upload speeds, it still can't keep up in terms of latency (ping), which is what really matters in online gaming.

Make sure you get a wireless-N compatible card (and a wireless N compatible wireless router) as they're noticeably faster. Dual Band is certainly nice if you'll be gaming on it, and it's worth looking for cards with at least two adjustable antennas, or look for a remote antenna depending on where you're going to keep your computer. The rats nest of wires at the back of your computer isn't exactly conducive to good wireless signal

 

Wireless N speed up to 300 mbps. Is this a decent card or should I find something better?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwn881nd

 

I have been using a wired connection via an Actiontec 500Mbps HomePlug adapter that is awesome. Plugs in anywhere, makes the existing wires in my house act like Ethernet cables, costs sub-$50. Highly recommended.

$70 Actiontec PWR511K01 500 Mbps HomePlug HD Powerline Wall Plug Network Adapter Kit (2 Units)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00871SR68/ref=ox_ya_os_product

 

Stay away from a wireless connection if you can. Go powerline or through the telephone lines.