Questions regarding PC building.

[Xenn]

Please bear with me, as i'm not rather experienced when it comes to this kind of stuff.

So as of right now, i'm planning on getting parts for my new desktop PC and I have most of it planned out.

So far I have bought the case and the motherboard, which fits well together, so i'm glad about that.

Now, the other parts I plan to get are:

AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition
NVidia GTX 560 Ti 1GB
4GB RAM DDR3 1333mhz/1666mhz (If overclocked) (Not sure which manufacturer I will buy from yet)
500GB or 1TB Hard Disk Drive
802.11n Wireless LAN Card
Firewire Card

Now for my questions.

Would I really need a Power Supply that is above 500w, which is the requirement for the video card according to many sites? I heard the video card will not reach that high on idle and full load. I do not intend to use SLI or Crossfire either.

Will things like the wireless LAN card and firewire card require a lot of wattage? I haven't been able to find wattage usage these cards use and it makes things harder for me to find the right PSU.

Sorry for the (possibly) dumb questions, i'm rather new to this.

Much thanks.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Would I really need a Power Supply that is above 500w, which is the requirement for the video card according to many sites? I heard the video card will not reach that high on idle and full load. I do not intend to use SLI or Crossfire either.

No you won't though you have to make sure that it is at least a decent quality power supply. A bit more power won't hurt if in the future you decide to get a more power hungry video card. What options do you have in PSUs?

Will things like the wireless LAN card and firewire card require a lot of wattage? I haven't been able to find wattage usage these cards use and it makes things harder for me to find the right PSU.

No

 

[Sharky.]

Would I really need a Power Supply that is above 500w, which is the requirement for the video card according to many sites? I heard the video card will not reach that high on idle and full load. I do not intend to use SLI or Crossfire either.

While you may be fine with a 500w PSU, it is always best to get one that's an appreciable amount more powerful than what you think you "need" - I personally wouldn't use anything less than 600w in any PC build. A PSU is one of those things that you should never need to upgrade so there's no point skimping on it in the beginning.

Will things like the wireless LAN card and firewire card require a lot of wattage?

Nope.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

I'd go with 600W/550W.

 

[Xenn]

Thanks for the answers, quite helpful!

No you won't though you have to make sure that it is at least a decent quality power supply. A bit more power won't hurt if in the future you decide to get a more power hungry video card. What options do you have in PSUs?

Taking what NissanSkylineN1 suggested, here's my options:

OCZ 600W ModXStream Pro Power Supply
Corsair CMPSU-600GUK Gaming Series GS600 High Performance 600W Power Supply
OCZ Stealthxstream Ii 600w Power Supply
Cooler Master RS550-ACAAE3-UK GX-Series 550W Power Supply Unit
XFX P1-550S-XXB9 PRO550W Core Edition Power Supply

Or basically any Power Supply within those wattage ranges. Of course, if there's other Power Supplies you recommend, that'd be great!

 

[bergauk]

Are you going to run your pc into the ground with no upgrades ever? Or do you plan on possibly upgrading it at some point? If you plan on upgrading it, get one with the most options for upgrading the pc, PCI-e connectors 6+2 x2 or more, SATA power cables x5-6, 80+ certified, longest MTBF. If its going to be built, run for 5+ years at the same spec and dumped/parted out. Just go for what's required of your build. Though honestly, I'd go with something like a 750w PSU just because they tend to be higher grade, and will last you through a few upgrades.

 

[Sharky.]

Make sure it's modular too, no point in getting a non-modular PSU if you aren't going to be using all of the cables for something.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Out of those the GS600 is probably the best. The XFX and OCZ units are also pretty good, but only the ModXstream is modular.

 

[Xenn]

Are you going to run your pc into the ground with no upgrades ever? Or do you plan on possibly upgrading it at some point? If you plan on upgrading it, get one with the most options for upgrading the pc, PCI-e connectors 6+2 x2 or more, SATA power cables x5-6, 80+ certified, longest MTBF. If its going to be built, run for 5+ years at the same spec and dumped/parted out. Just go for what's required of your build. Though honestly, I'd go with something like a 750w PSU just because they tend to be higher grade, and will last you through a few upgrades.

For me, i'm aiming for a setup that will last me a good while, so if upgrading does become needed, I have the money to do so.

Make sure it's modular too, no point in getting a non-modular PSU if you aren't going to be using all of the cables for something.

I looked up on modular PSUs, and I think that will be something i'll go after, thanks! I'll have a look for some good ones.

Out of those the GS600 is probably the best. The XFX and OCZ units are also pretty good, but only the ModXstream is modular.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep looking for modular PSUs and see what I find.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

From that selection, I'd go for the ModXtreme. Look at the savings too! However, as Berg said, The GS600 is best in terms of quality and brand reputation.

Here are some great brands:

Antec
Corsair
Seasonic
Silverstone
Thermaltake (They're OK, but one of hte better brands).

It is also important to know that many PSUs on hte market are the same, and that they are rebrands. here's a guide:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,review-32187.html

 

[tlowr4]

I'm going to suggest 8GB of ram, right off the bat. First off it won't affect power consumption. Second, I've seen games like BF3 and MW3 take up to 4GB of ram just by themselves, let alone if you have any programs running in the background (I know FRAPS chews a lot). RAM is so cheap these days, I'm sure you can find a cheap kit of Corsair Vengance or Kingston HyperX, maybe even G.Skill Ripjaws.

Second, when you're buying a PSU, look at the 12V rails. The higher the amperage on the 12V rail(s), the more power you will get. You'll probably find a PSU with 50A on a 12V rail that's 500W, will perform better than a 700W PSU with 15A on teh 12V rail. This might sound a bit Russian, but jsut remember this: Higher Amperage on 12V rail = more performance (in a nutshell).

Also, you may want an aftermarket CPU cooler if you plan to overclock

 

[Seismica]

I'd suggest not buying an entire build from amazon.

First off the motherboard is not in stock, so you would have to buy that elsewhere unless you wanted a 7-8 week lead time on arguably the most important component.

Secondly, the case you selected and the various PSUs you selected are sold from and dispatched by different sellers (i.e. not stocked by Amazon themselves) so you would get all the parts at different times, from different sellers. The shipping costs would be higher as you would be charged on each individual item rather than the whole build in one large box and you would likely recieve the items at different times. It also means you would have to deal with multiple small retailers when returning items, as Amazon can only do so much (Though they usually help out above and beyond what is expected, at the end of the day you are relying on the independant retailer).

I would advise using one of the following, depending on price:

http://www.scan.co.uk/
http://www.dabs.com/
http://www.ebuyer.com/
http://www.novatech.co.uk/

I also would suggest keeping an eye out on the 560 Ti prices, they're in the process of a price change due to the newer AMD Radeon 7xxx series coming out (Also reinforcing rumours that the next gen Nvidia processors are also scheduled for release). You can easily get one for £150-155 if you shop around. Or you could get the very evenly matched HD 6870 for ~£120, saving you quite a chunk of the budget.

I would advise going Intel, but that depends on your budget, and i'm guessing if you're going for a phenom II and 4GB of RAM, your budget isn't that high.

As for the PSU, i'll pass on the bit of advice given to me when I was building my rig: "Get the best PSU you can afford because if the PSU goes, everything goes". I maybe question the 'everything goes' part, but it's good scaremongering and is better than giving a list of reasons why you shouldn't skimp on the PSU.

Make sure it's modular too, no point in getting a non-modular PSU if you aren't going to be using all of the cables for something.

Definitely get a modular PSU, and make sure it's fully modular and not semi-modular like mine. The cables are so much easier to organise in your case if it is modular. A tidy case is not only good practice, it also aids air cooling significantly. My case is a complete mess inside and I wish i'd spent that little bit extra on a more powerful modular PSU as I know I'm going to have to replace it if I want to upgrade my graphics card in future.

 

[DG_Silva]

Above to seimsica's point above, I would recommend Aria.co.uk, their prices are cheaper than all those you listed above, their staff are knowledgeable, and the delivery is reasonably priced and quick. Plus, you can get some absolute bargains in the superspecial and bargain basement areas.

 

[tlowr4]

I have to argue your point on Modular power supplies. Personally I think they're awesome. But they come at a price, and for a budget rig, they're not ideal. I just stuff the rest of the cables in behind the hard drive mounts on the bottom of the case, if the HDD mounts face back to front. If they face side to side you're screwed, but they're hidden almost completely if they're back to front.

 

[Xenn]

It is also important to know that many PSUs on hte market are the same, and that they are rebrands. here's a guide:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/power-...iew-32187.html

Ah yes, I remember a friend of mine telling me about rebrands, i'll be sure to keep an eye out for them.

First off the motherboard is not in stock, so you would have to buy that elsewhere unless you wanted a 7-8 week lead time on arguably the most important component.

I actually have bought the motherboard, it's fitted inside my case now.

Secondly, the case you selected and the various PSUs you selected are sold from and dispatched by different sellers (i.e. not stocked by Amazon themselves) so you would get all the parts at different times, from different sellers. The shipping costs would be higher as you would be charged on each individual item rather than the whole build in one large box and you would likely recieve the items at different times. It also means you would have to deal with multiple small retailers when returning items, as Amazon can only do so much (Though they usually help out above and beyond what is expected, at the end of the day you are relying on the independant retailer).

I would advise using one of the following, depending on price:

http://www.scan.co.uk/
http://www.dabs.com/
http://www.ebuyer.com/
http://www.novatech.co.uk/

Thanks for the advice, i'll be sure to check the sites out.

I would advise going Intel, but that depends on your budget, and i'm guessing if you're going for a phenom II and 4GB of RAM, your budget isn't that high.

That's true, my budget isn't that high, which is why i'm going for an AMD processor. I could push 4GB to 8GB though, depending on the prices.

I'm going to suggest 8GB of ram, right off the bat. First off it won't affect power consumption. Second, I've seen games like BF3 and MW3 take up to 4GB of ram just by themselves, let alone if you have any programs running in the background (I know FRAPS chews a lot). RAM is so cheap these days, I'm sure you can find a cheap kit of Corsair Vengance or Kingston HyperX, maybe even G.Skill Ripjaws.

Second, when you're buying a PSU, look at the 12V rails. The higher the amperage on the 12V rail(s), the more power you will get. You'll probably find a PSU with 50A on a 12V rail that's 500W, will perform better than a 700W PSU with 15A on teh 12V rail. This might sound a bit Russian, but jsut remember this: Higher Amperage on 12V rail = more performance (in a nutshell).

Also, you may want an aftermarket CPU cooler if you plan to overclock

I could possibly get 8GB, depending on the prices of the RAM I look for. Thanks for the advice, I will most likely get myself a CPU cooler as I do intend to overclock at some point.

Above to seimsica's point above, I would recommend Aria.co.uk, their prices are cheaper than all those you listed above, their staff are knowledgeable, and the delivery is reasonably priced and quick. Plus, you can get some absolute bargains in the superspecial and bargain basement areas.

Thanks for the site, i'll be sure to check it out

 

[Seismica]

I actually have bought the motherboard, it's fitted inside my case now.

I don't know how I missed that. I should've read the first post more thoroughly

That's true, my budget isn't that high, which is why i'm going for an AMD processor. I could push 4GB to 8GB though, depending on the prices.

It is a very good processor, if you can find anywhere that still has them in stock (Some places no longer list the phenom II series, silly imo). As you've already got the motherboard, disregard what I said about Intel

It is a good call on the RAM; 2x4Gb sticks are usually only about a tenner more than 2x2GB sticks, it's definitely worth it. As long as your operating system is 64bit you're fine.

 

[Conza]

Please bear with me, as i'm not rather experienced when it comes to this kind of stuff.

So as of right now, i'm planning on getting parts for my new desktop PC and I have most of it planned out.

So far I have bought the case and the motherboard, which fits well together, so i'm glad about that.

Now, the other parts I plan to get are:

AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition
NVidia GTX 560 Ti 1GB
4GB RAM DDR3 1333mhz/1666mhz (If overclocked) (Not sure which manufacturer I will buy from yet)
500GB or 1TB Hard Disk Drive
802.11n Wireless LAN Card
Firewire Card

Now for my questions.

Would I really need a Power Supply that is above 500w, which is the requirement for the video card according to many sites? I heard the video card will not reach that high on idle and full load. I do not intend to use SLI or Crossfire either.

Will things like the wireless LAN card and firewire card require a lot of wattage? I haven't been able to find wattage usage these cards use and it makes things harder for me to find the right PSU.

Sorry for the (possibly) dumb questions, i'm rather new to this.

Much thanks.

Well it would be interesting to hear your reasons for going with AMD, but since the MB is AMD you'll need that AMD processor

I'd stay far and clear from Nvidia for the graphics card, and I say this having bought the best DX 10 graphics card from Nvidia the 285GTX, and having been a long time supporter, they just aren't up to speed (literally) when it comes to shader clocks, or up to size.

Instead go for a AMD 6970/6950 much better value for money.

Maybe get a bit more ram, I'd say 8GB if possible, 2x4GB chips if you can afford it.

Yes, I would get at the very least a 650W and I'd be concerned of future proofing if I did. If you're only going to have 1 HDD, 1 Graphics card and 1 Rom drive, 'maybe' 500W would be ok, but why risk it (to save money, derr), I mean, its not worth the risk of it not working, unless you've gone to a store and have an agreement with them that if it doesn't work you can take it back.

I've built several PCs for myself and others from scratch, repaired computers, upgraded, spliced computers, I've been a PC user for more than 15 years, and a builder for well over 5, so I have some small experiences in these matters, and I also read alot regarding PC parts and the PC market.

Good luck!

 

[Pako]

Well it would be interesting to hear your reasons for going with AMD, but since the MB is AMD you'll need that AMD processor

I'd stay far and clear from Nvidia for the graphics card, and I say this having bought the best DX 10 graphics card from Nvidia the 285GTX, and having been a long time supporter, they just aren't up to speed (literally) when it comes to shader clocks, or up to size.

Instead go for a AMD 6970/6950 much better value for money.

Maybe get a bit more ram, I'd say 8GB if possible, 2x4GB chips if you can afford it.

Yes, I would get at the very least a 650W and I'd be concerned of future proofing if I did. If you're only going to have 1 HDD, 1 Graphics card and 1 Rom drive, 'maybe' 500W would be ok, but why risk it (to save money, derr), I mean, its not worth the risk of it not working, unless you've gone to a store and have an agreement with them that if it doesn't work you can take it back.

I've built several PCs for myself and others from scratch, repaired computers, upgraded, spliced computers, I've been a PC user for more than 15 years, and a builder for well over 5, so I have some small experiences in these matters, and I also read alot regarding PC parts and the PC market.

Good luck!

I have to say that the GTX285's were not the best nvidia card. I ran a couple GTX280's that smoked the 285's. The 285 is plagued with similar handicaps that the new GTX590's are faced with. Granted I am running two of the 590's, but forget about throwing extra volts on it, it will pop on it's first test drive, that is if you can live with an older driver that lets you adjust the voltages.

In any case, there have been quite a few card upgrades from the GTX285. I could have the same ATI argument as the X1900XTX crossfire setup I had was riddled with catalyst issues and constant graphical artifacts. That is why I made my switch to Nvida.

Bottom line, both manufacturers are great and both have high performance cards. I find that ATI run's hotter and Nvidia seems to have better physic's support for multi-GPU setups.

Edited: I wanted to add, you would probably be better off finding the budget range of card you can afford then look at the benchmarks of both ATI and nVidia to arrive at an educated decision.

 

[Sharky.]

I'd stay far and clear from Nvidia for the graphics card, and I say this having bought the best DX 10 graphics card from Nvidia the 285GTX, and having been a long time supporter, they just aren't up to speed (literally) when it comes to shader clocks, or up to size.

Complete and utter nonsense. The GTX 560Ti is the best card on the market when it comes to the performance:price ratio and the GTX 580 is arguably the best single-GPU card short of the new AMD 7970.

I'd rate Nvidia's cards above AMD's simply because of AMD's drivers, especially if you're running a multi-GPU setup.

 

[Pako]

Complete and utter nonsense. The GTX 560Ti is the best card on the market when it comes to the performance:price ratio and the GTX 580 is arguably the best single-GPU card short of the new AMD 7970.

I'd rate Nvidia's cards above AMD's simply because of AMD's drivers, especially if you're running a multi-GPU setup.

The 560TI's a great card, the 570's even better. The 580 is a monster GPU along with a hefty price tag.

There is no doubt that people have had success and pitfalls on both sides of the GPU camp. Not sure how ATI's driver support is these days, but it was the lack of driver support that made me hop on over to Nvidia some 6 years ago and I haven't looked back. Their driver support has been awesome! eVGA is another great company to work with with their custom drivers, great product build, and customer service, I would highly recommend them and could not say enough good things about their product build or company.

 

[bevo]

On thing you could do for a GPU is buy a used MSI card. You could get a 570 for the price your going to pay for the 560. MSI has a 3 year warranty that follows the serial number so you don't need a receipt if something goes wrong. I got 2 twin frozr III 570's for around 540 if I remember right. You could get a regular msi 570 for around 225 used all day long, with at least 2 years left on the warranty.

 

[Pako]

On thing you could do for a GPU is buy a used MSI card. You could get a 570 for the price your going to pay for the 560. MSI has a 3 year warranty that follows the serial number so you don't need a receipt if something goes wrong. I got 2 twin frozr III 570's for around 540 if I remember right. You could get a regular msi 570 for around 225 used all day long, with at least 2 years left on the warranty.

The 570's a solid card. Built a system for my brother with a 2600k and a 570 and plays BF3 at 1920x1080 maxed and gets well over 60 frames per sec.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I actually have bought the motherboard, it's fitted inside my case now.

Why fitted? You probably would have been better off waiting.

 

[Xenn]

Why fitted? You probably would have been better off waiting.

I thought installing it now would get it done over with out of the way, so I can deal with the other parts later.

 

[tlowr4]

Yes, but now you will have trouble to put in the new parts, and testing them. ALWAYS build your system outside the case first (just on the motherboard box, if you buy a proper motherboard), to test the parts before putting it in your case. Take the mobo out.

 

[bergauk]

Yes, but now you will have trouble to put in the new parts, and testing them. ALWAYS build your system outside the case first (just on the motherboard box, if you buy a proper motherboard), to test the parts before putting it in your case. Take the mobo out.

Who the hell told you this? That's the dumbest thing you could do, all it does is waste your time building your whole entire computer twice. Source: Myself, and having built numerous pc's at my job. Never have I done something so stupid as to build the whole thing twice.

The only reason he should take the board out is the mount the CPU properly as it can be a major pain if it requires a special backplate.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

Who the hell told you this? That's the dumbest thing you could do, all it does is waste your time building your whole entire computer twice. Source: Myself, and having built numerous pc's at my job. Never have I done something so stupid as to build the whole thing twice.

The only reason he should take the board out is the mount the CPU properly as it can be a major pain if it requires a special backplate.

Newegg reccomends this in their video. What I would reccomend is put everything on the mobo outside of the case, then remove them except for the CPU and cooler and put it in the case. This is to check for any bad parts or compatibility issues.

 

[Azuremen]

Newegg reccomends this in their video. What I would reccomend is put everything on the mobo outside of the case, then remove them except for the CPU and cooler and put it in the case. This is to check for any bad parts or compatibility issues.

Or just build everything in the case. I've had zero problems with parts in the 20 years I've been doing this basically, and you can't install a motherboard reasonably with all the cards or anything on it, plus it just increases the risk of you shorting something.

You've built a PC last I checked, please stop talking like you know what you are doing.

 

[tlowr4]

Dosn't matter who recommends it. It's a fact of common sense. How pissed off would you be if you installed the entire system, only to find out your motherboard is buggered, or that a PCI slot is jammed so you can't get that last graphics card in. I've built over 20 systems and every one I do this too. I use old parts sure, which means I find lots of fried or not working parts. Even if the parts are new, you should always test them first.

What the 🤬. "Increases your chances of you shorting something". Putting it in the case increases your chances of shorting something, since it's metal on metal. putting it on a cardboard box is better.

And i don't appreciate being told to stop talking like I know what I'm doing. I do know what I'm doing. People mightn't agree, and my knowledge certainly isn't as advanced as most of you all, but to just build a simple computer, I do. And no, I've built more than one PC, as I just said (that is if you directed the last sentence to me...)

EDIT: Sorry for the rage, should keep on topic...uhh

Glad to hear you considering more RAM, you'll need it...(that OK?)

 

[Azuremen]

What the 🤬. "Increases your chances of you shorting something". Putting it in the case increases your chances of shorting something, since it's metal on metal. putting it on a cardboard box is better.

And i don't appreciate being told to stop talking like I know what I'm doing. I do know what I'm doing. People mightn't agree, and my knowledge certainly isn't as advanced as most of you all, but to just build a simple computer, I do. And no, I've built more than one PC, as I just said (that is if you directed the last sentence to me...)

Oh lawl, I quoted Skyline; learn to read.

The only metal on metal would be at the riser contact points, which are separate from the board circuits. Certainly better than cardboard on top of god knows what; though I've built my fair share of things on counters. But suggesting to pull the mother board out to test a part? Are you serious? It would take several times longer to pull it out of case, even if installing a CPU, than just doing it in the case.

Building PCs today is damn near idiot proof. There are no jumpers, no slave or master stuff, everything is color coded, and you don't have to side load drivers to use an optical drive. Its literally put parts in box, put disc in tray, hit power button, click "OKAY" a few times, and come back. It has been this way for years.