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First time building a desktop PC.


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#16
Erolunai

Erolunai

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D:
Well, considering I just ordered it, I'm just glad that I got it cheaper than I was originally going to pay for it ^^;;...
I know that the ram got a discount removed, but I really hope nothing else does that, or I might not have enough oxo;

Thank you very much for the information on the mail in rebate as well!

Edited by Erolunai, 20 January 2010 - 10:05 PM.

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#17
cbarnard

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No Problem always like to help...

Just keep your eyes open on the rebates and the rules... And there is also a time line.
Best thing to do in my experience, send out the paperwork the same day I receive the shipment. otherwise I miss the rebate. All because I suffer from CRS "Can't Remember Stuff"

Anyways have a great night

Good luck with your build!!! Your first one is always very "fun" and "memorable."
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#18
Erolunai

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It seems I'm a little out of luck for a few parts, again...
The video card and the RAM are both sold out, and the money should be coming into my paypal within the next few days, I'll need to look for new parts that fit within the same general price range as before...

If anybody has any advice, it would be appreciated, I'm not quite sure what to look for in RAM in particular, I've been checking the daily deals every so often, sometimes there are some choices that look really nice, though I'm not certain they're compatible with the other parts. :)


I took a look around Newegg, and I'm still not quite sure how they stack up, but the closest items I could find would be:
For RAM, It's really hard to say, I still feel inexperienced, but I'm taking a quick look at the prices closest to $100, just a little over, and there are many for Corsair and G.skill that look nice, several of the Corsair have a slight discount, some say "perfect" for i5 and i7...
For the video card, an EVGA GeForce GTX 260 and a cheaper Gigabyte GeForce GTX 260...
Actually, comparing what I had chosen before, the only difference between this Gigabyte card and the one that just sold out is the "Memory Clock" being slower by 500MHz, even the model number is the same... the EVGA card looks exactly the same except for the price...
Does this mean I should just go for the cheaper Gigabyte card? :)

Edited by Erolunai, 26 January 2010 - 04:05 AM.

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#19
cbarnard

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Hi sorry to hear they sold out on you...

Try this Ram it is compatible -->> HERE

If you are trying to check compatability then you want to focus on the specs I bolded below. Those are what you need to make sure is the same on the other ram

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model

I posted some reasonable Video cards below.

-->> HERE

-->>HERE

-->>HERE

I was trying to get cards around the same price you were looking at before it was sold out.

Hope it helps, If you have anymore questions ask them and Ferrari or myself will get back to you... :)

Good luck
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#20
Ferrari

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I like this Video Card: Sapphire 5770 128bit 1gb GDDR5 Even the last card Cbarnard recommends is already sold out, Newegg (Canada) must not keep as good a stock as the regular Newegg.


There Ripjaws are still available. Click Here Though the Corsair set Cbarnard linked to are nice too, I like a little style in my PC :) :) So it's really up to you.
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#21
Erolunai

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Thank you, I need to run off to work soon so this post will be short, I'll definitely take a good look at the RAM, and double check the video cards, though I quickly want to ask, what are some of the important things to look at when choosing a video card? And I noticed the card that sold out seems to have the exact same specs as this card , only from a different manufacturer at a lower price, is there something wrong about that card that I don't know about?

Thank you, and hopefully later tonight I'll be ready to order the parts :3
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#22
Ferrari

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Gigabyte cards are a bit cheaper for some reason, maybe just made a little cheaper, or possibly just offer better prices. I always like EVGA and Sapphire cards, but the graphics processor unit (GPU) is always either Nvidia or AMD. Some cards have better cooling styles or use a quieter fan, more unique design, etc.

Things to look at in a video card: (keep in mind that all the cards you are looking at are really nice)

AMD/Radeon: 5000 series is newer/supposedly better than the 4000 series.
Nvidia: GTX 295's are better/faster than the GTX260. Before all that was GTS 250 and the Geforce series, like a 9600GT being better than a 8600GT. (All generally speaking of course, in a nut shell)

Memory Clock: The higher the mhz the better.
Core Clock: The higher the mhz the better.
Memory Size: Higher is better.
Memory Interface: (bits) Again, higher is better
Memory Type: GDDR5 is better than GDDR3
DirectX: Higher is better! Do you noticed a trend here? DirectX 11 being the latest and only compatible with Windows 7, not sure about Vista.
OpenGL: Higher is better, and I don't know much more than that on this one.
Max Resolution: Always pick a card that supports the minumum resolution that your monitor supports and/or that you plan to play your games at. Most modern cards support well over High Definition... 1920 x 1080p.
Display Ports: The 5000 series of Radeons actually support up to 3 monitors, usually with 2 DVI ports, an HDMI port and what always has to be used when using the 3 monitors the Display Port. (Eyefinity is what they call it) On most modern cards, there will be always two DVI ports or a DVI and a VGA which means it will support dual monitor setups
P.S. Most cards come with at least 1 DVI to VGA adapter because many monitors still use VGA connections.
Power Connectors: This is pretty important. You MUST purchase a power supply that meets or exceeds the video cards power requirements. Furthermore, that power supply must have the appropriate and/or enough power connectors(PCI-E connectors) to plug into the card because these high end cards require there own power source. Most of the cards you are looking at require 2 x 6 pin power connectors, which means you will be plugging in two connectors usually located at the front of the card. Some power supplies will have something like a 6 + 2 pin connector which can be used as a 6pin or combined as a 8pin. Look at these here... 6pin and a 6 + 2 pin. They would plug into something like this on a card... CLICK HERE. SEE?

Ok, I know that may be a lot of information, but you asked for it, so there you go. You can always refer back to this topic and see that if you ever need to, they keep topics around forever here. :)

If you really want a point in the right direction, go with a 5770, that's really new technology, supports DirectX 11, look for a nice core clock and memory clock, and the higher the "bits" the better. Also has support for 3 monitors if you really want to do something fancy in the future.

Keep in touch!
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#23
Erolunai

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Thank you, Ferrari, I appreciate the information, and... again, I'm sorry for having to leave a short message today *running to work in 6 minutes*

The money just arrived in my paypal, yay~, so I'm going to do a final check through newegg tonight, and make sure everything fits together and sounds good before I order, but I think it's going to turn out just wonderfully, if it works, but I'm trying not to be too impatient ^.^; , I thought I saw a few similar deals on some really nice power supplies and what not the last few days while checking newegg. I just want to be sure, so I don't order a part that's incompatible and wind up wasting my money and having to wait even longer to get it in...
I'll take a look at both brands of video cards as well!
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#24
Erolunai

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Alright... I mentioned building a computer to a friend, someone I respect a great deal.
He offered another option for a build, allowing for the i7 chip as well...

DVD/CD Burner
500 GB hard drive
650W power supply
(*notes, this power supply costs the same as the previous power supply, only with a larger discount, higher original cost, and no mail-in rebate.*)
previous power supply: http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16817341010
Corsair 4GB
intel i7 920 CPU

windows 7 32-bit
Biostar LGA 1156 i7-compatible motherboard
Geforce 9800 GTX video card

The power supply, CPU, motherboard, video card, and windows 7 all were changed, the power supply is a different discount, I was assured that the LGA 1156 motherboard is compatible with the other parts, a bit of money was taken from the graphics card fund to upgrade the CPU to i7 920, windows 32 bit (I wasn't quite sure on this point in particular, from what I heard, the difference being that one allows for all four gigs of ram to be used, but is less stable, and runs 32-bit programs slower, is that right?, the other allows for less ram in general, but with i7 and the stronger ram, it's already running so much faster, and eventually it could be upgraded to 64 bit if neccessary, right?).
The video card doesn't look as nice as some of the ones as before, but it's still a huge leap from what I've been using before... and there's always more, new technology coming out, it could eventually be upgraded, but for now will last a good, long time...

Any thoughts before I make the purchase? In the end, it comes out to just about $1,104.65
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#25
Ferrari

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Any thoughts before I make the purchase?
I was assured that the LGA 1156 motherboard is compatible with the other parts


Yes, the i7 920 is not compatible with the Gigabyte board or the Biostar board you just picked. There are two kinds of i7's, socket 1156 and socket 1366. The 920 is 1366. It will not physically fit into the socket, completely incompatible. Also, Biostar is one of the cheaper made boards out there, and I don't recommend it at all.

The i5 setup you were originally looking at will perform better when playing games and provide plenty (I mean plenty) of zip when installing programs, surfing the web, and other normal tasks. Though the i7 920 is an awesome processor, (it's what I have) and the best bang for the buck period... in your case you are sacrificing your video card. In my opinion this isn't a good idea at all. I went with an i7 920 and a cheaper video card because I don't game all that much... hardly ever... I really think the i5 setup suits your needs best.

One thing that actually DOES make the i5 1156 better than the i7 920 1366 is that the i5 processor has the north bridge located on the processor. This allows for amazing communication between the video card, north bridge and cpu... allowing for some really nice gaming. So you know, all of the "i" series processors are in the same family and all have some of the latest and greatest technology being offered right now... the i5 is newer technology than the i7 920, so you know.

Windows 7 32bit vs 64bit. In the past, 64bit wasn't all that great and compatible with many programs because it was so new, but this is not the case anymore. You will have no problems with a 64bit Operating System and it allows you to see way more than 3.2-3.5gb of RAM which is all you can use with a 32bit Operating System, again limiting your gaming computer. The more RAM the better, it makes nice Christmas presents/upgrades. :) I use Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit and I have no problems whatsoever.

and runs 32-bit programs slower, is that right?

No, I don't notice that at all... remember, this computer you will be building is going to be pretty power packed, you won't notice many slow things at all.

there's always more, new technology coming out

That's true. I want you to realize, the system you are looking at right now IS that new technology though. The 5770 is extremely nice, and the i5 setup is the newest processor available from Intel. Also, the 1156 board (either one) will allow you to upgrade to a faster i5 or i7 socket 1156 in the future and there will always be room to add even a larger bigger and better video card... though you won't need that for quite some time.

Edited by Ferrari, 27 January 2010 - 10:49 PM.

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#26
Erolunai

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I see... thank you for clearing this up.
Well, I think I will actually go with the i5 then, I'm not quite sure on the i7, and no matter what happens, it's still going to be an -intense- upgrade compared to the previous build.
No offense to said friend, but I feel more comfortable with this one, it's been in the plans a lot longer, and it feels like I'm not risking on a part I'm unsure of - the 1156 motherboard with the i7 920.
Part of why I'm building my own computer is to know what goes in it and be comfortable with what goes in it, to try something new, to use something that works better, and will last me a while. In that way, trying to squeeze the money from an 1156 board set into a 1366 set doesn't quite feel right either.

I just... want to know that everything -will- work together just fine if there's no problems with the parts on arrival or anything like that.

I'm still having a heck of a time picking out a video card though. :<

Plus, this is the first computer I've really bought for myself, it's still going to run -loads- better than what I have right now, so I'm absolutely fine with getting an i5 instead of an i7.

Thank you, Ferrari. ^^

I think I'm almost ready to order, just... *sigh* need to choose that motherboard, still having trouble with that... along with if I should get that 650W power supply or the 600W.
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#27
Ferrari

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No offense to said friend,

It was hard to type my last post because I was going against what your friend said and recommended, and I was trying to do it as nice as possible. :)

The choice of motherboard is simple to me... knowing all that I know, taking into consideration what all of the people that have ever taught me, and from personal experience, go with the Gigabyte board. It is the brand I chose for my parents computer (with not a single problem now for a year) and it is the brand I would have chose for myself, except for a last minute change to EVGA (very nice boards, but very expensive). I recommend Gigabyte boards to everyone trying to build a really nice rig, but need to save a few bucks. Read this summary of the board I want you to get:

The Gigabyte Ultra Durable 3 series GA-P55M-UD2 motherboard once again leads the motherboard industry for the highest quality and most innovative motherboard design. Featuring the industry’s first consumer desktop motherboard design to introduce 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, delivering a dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking.

The Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 motherboard is equipped with the Gigabyte Ultra Durable signature features including Japanese Solid Capacitors boasting an operational life time of more than 50,000 hours, Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs (providing lower resistance to reduce power consumption and heat generation) and Gigabyte patented DualBIOS technology (providing dual hardware BIOS protection).

The Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 motherboard promises to provide the stability, reliability and longevity essential to meet the power needs of high-end processors and other components running today's most demanding applications and games.


The BIOSTAR mobo offers NONE of those features... like 2 ounces of copper, Japanese Solid Capacitors, or operational lifetime. Gigabyte is the better board.

I just... want to know that everything -will- work together just fine if there's no problems with the parts on arrival or anything like that.

That's what I'm here for, and once you build your computer I'll be here if you have any questions. Don't sweat it, you'll be just fine. Wait till you get everything plugged in and setup and you have to press the power button for the first time. :) You'll start having thoughts of "maybe I should have a bucket of water in case of fire" and "please don't fry anything". :) It can be quite an adrenaline rush.

if I should get that 650W power supply or the 600W.

Remember to keep in mind about the PCI-E power connectors for what video card you go with. The Antec power supply (which are very nice power supplies too by the way) doesn't show me what kind of PCI-E connectors it comes with... it just says it has two... I hate when they do that! 50 watts isn't going to make a huge difference or anything... I've used the 500watt version of OCZ power supply in the past, and I have had no issues with it either. Also, the OCZ power supply is modular, meaning it is MUCH better for cable management which allows for a nicer looking setup and improves airflow keeping the computer cooler, and you can leave cables unconnected that you don't need. If you ask me, I'd go with OCZ.

I'm still having a heck of a time picking out a video card though.

I say go with a 5770, you'll be really happy with that. 4870's are nicer too, but they are the older of the two series of cards.

Sorry I type so much, but I'm trying to help teach you and have you understand the things it seems that you are wanting to understand and learn about. Plus, I type fast... no biggie :) You are one of the cases I wish I could just be there and show you... and teach you. I can tell you really want to learn and understand this stuff.

Just make a final list of what you plan to buy, before you buy so I can make sure it is all compatible. Like I said before, your setup will be really nice no matter what you pick and you will be very happy, I'm sure of it. And remember, Newegg has a return policy, so a few days in if there is something you don't like, return it. Right?

Edited by Ferrari, 28 January 2010 - 12:15 AM.

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#28
Erolunai

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Thank you, Ferrari, for all the help you've given me, I feel I've learned a lot the past while, with all the help you and everyone else has given me. ^^

I can barely express how excited I am for this now, with everything coming together!

I thought about it a lot, and I think this is the final order:

Intel i5 cpu
Sapphire Radeon 5770
Gigabyte 1156 motherboard
Windows 7 64-bit
Corsair (2x2) 4GB RAM
OCZ 600W power supply
Western Digital 500GB hard drive
DVD/CD burner combo

This comes to a total of $1060.56, $76.34 left over.


...I'm almost ready to get the bucket of water right now. I feel I might burn out myself already!

I'm feeling very confident and comfortable about these parts now.
Though, I'm also tempted at getting UPS express, considering they left my case out in the snow earlier, I don't want over $1000 in parts to be left out to be stolen >x<.
As well, an anti-static wrist strap was recommended by someone once more... I heard it's not required, but I'm also somewhat paranoid. oxo

Edited by Erolunai, 28 January 2010 - 12:54 AM.

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#29
Ferrari

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It's all compatible... I just got done making sure!

I can barely express how excited I am for this now, with everything coming together!

I'm excited for you :) Us geeks love this stuff!

...I'm almost ready to get the bucket of water right now. I feel I might burn out myself already!

:) :) :) Just wait, I bet you'll be shaking in your boots. ;)

Though, I'm also tempted at getting UPS express, considering they left my case out in the snow earlier, I don't want over $1000 in parts to be left out to be stolen


I don't blame you... I'm sure no one would take the stuff, but considering you live pretty far North and you mentioned snow... you don't want your components becoming ice cycles or wet by no means! How you ship is up to you, I generally just go with Newegg's default shipping.

an anti-static wrist strap was recommended by someone once more... I heard it's not required, but I'm also somewhat paranoid

For a beginner it's not a bad idea. As I'm experienced with working with PC's, I don't ever wear one. Even with your strap on, just be sure to touch the metal inside your case, before touching any components. Grab your components from the edges, not clamping between your fingertips. Try to stay away from touch any gold connectors, especially on the cpu as this can put oil residue/corrosion on the connectors... not to mention if you are not grounded shock and ruin the computer part.

Good Luck... Let us know how it goes or if you have any questions as you put the computer together or before you start. I generally answer in less than 24 hours, but usually quicker than that. I believe Troy(staff) and Cbarnard may still be watching the topic as well.
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#30
Ferrari

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I just noticed the 600watt version of the OCZ power supply is NOT MODULAR. I said earlier it was. This has nothing to do with compatibility and I'm sorry for the mistake. I would still pick this power supply if I were you. Just in case you wanted a modular, here is the one I was talking about... OCZ 600Watt Modular $89 I'm not real sure why this isn't the one I picked the first time... it may have been more expensive at the time, I'm not sure.

Keep in touch.

Edited by Ferrari, 28 January 2010 - 01:13 AM.

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