Custom Built PCs
I am planning on building myself a PC in a couple of months, and I was curious if any of you guys have ever built PCs before(or maybe you have always bought from Dell or another company).
Yeah, I've built about 4 PC's I believe.
It's really no biggie, takes an hour or two maximum.
It's really no biggie, takes an hour or two maximum.
It really depends on what you want to do with the PC. You can check hardware sites for detailed analysis of cost/performance for most components.
Programming? Decent CPU and 2-4 gigs of ram...
Gaming? Atleast 4 gigs of RAM, atleast Duo 2.8 Ghz...
If you've got the money for it, a decent Quad Core is well worth the investment imo.
Gaming? Atleast 4 gigs of RAM, atleast Duo 2.8 Ghz...
If you've got the money for it, a decent Quad Core is well worth the investment imo.
I am going to be using the PC for moderate gaming, and mainly programming(my current Dell 1501 just isn't cutting it lol). At some point I will probably start to OC my CPU, so I think I'll go with an unlocked(multiplier is unlocked) CPU and an after-market cooler(probably the Corsair H50).
The max I'm willing to spend is about $2500(might go with 2 monitors since VS2010 supports that).
Here are the parts I've got selected right now(I'd appreciate feedback):
Antec 902 case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058
ASUS Maximus III Formula(Probably overkill, but I might go CrossFireX in the future):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131482
XFX Radeon HD 5850:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477
Corsair HX750(Probably overkill, but I might go CrossFireX in the future and do not want to have to buy a new PSU):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
Intel Core i7 875k Unlocked CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116368
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
WD Velociraptor 300GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322
DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335
Windows 7 Pro OEM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758
Corsair H50:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010
Logitech G19 keyboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126053
Logitech G500 mouse:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318
ASUS 1080p monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052
Total cost: $2065
The max I'm willing to spend is about $2500(might go with 2 monitors since VS2010 supports that).
Here are the parts I've got selected right now(I'd appreciate feedback):
Antec 902 case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058
ASUS Maximus III Formula(Probably overkill, but I might go CrossFireX in the future):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131482
XFX Radeon HD 5850:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477
Corsair HX750(Probably overkill, but I might go CrossFireX in the future and do not want to have to buy a new PSU):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
Intel Core i7 875k Unlocked CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116368
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
WD Velociraptor 300GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322
DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335
Windows 7 Pro OEM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758
Corsair H50:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010
Logitech G19 keyboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126053
Logitech G500 mouse:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318
ASUS 1080p monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052
Total cost: $2065
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Damn... The cost of CPU's has really shrunk since I last bought my pieces couple of years ago.
But will it run Crysis? (Necessary comment).
For overclocking, you will want a multiplier-unlocked CPU; however a high FSB (Front-Side Bus) speed yields the best results because it's what connects the CPU to the northbridge (memory controller): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Motherboard_diagram.svg
A piece of advice on overclocking: go up in REALLY small steps. Like 10-15 MHz at a time. Also only increase the voltage if you get instability.
Ok, this is really just superficial.
Good. Asus is the best company for motherboards and nVIDIA graphics cards by far. They're both ATX so they'll be compatible.
I'm not sure I'd go for an XFX graphics card. Sapphire make the best ATi cards, followed by Asus.
Good, although I'd like to mention that AMD has "AMD/ATi Overdrive" which is a soft-overclocking utility. I think soft overclocking is better because
1. No rebooting between overclocks
2. You see the results immediately (so you know if it's good or bad straight away). This also has the side effect of negating the amount of time it takes to overclock.
AMD CPUs also have longer warranties (3 years vs. 1 year).
I've never used G.Skill RAM before but I've heard good things about them. On the other hand, Corsair and Patriot seem to make the best RAM. Patriot RAM is clocked very high (they have 2.2 GHz DDR3) and as all DDR3 RAM has horrible latencies, high clocked RAM is a good idea. Having said that, the G.Skill RAM will easily be good enough.
Western Digital probably make the best hard drives; but with all that money, why not get an 120 GiB SSD as well? Put operating systems and programs on the SSD, and personal data on the hard disk.
[unimportant stuff]
I've never tried liquid cooling so I'm not qualified to talk about it. I will say this, however: try to get liquid hydrogen.
Meh. Logitech are very good, so whatever.
I'm ok with this.
---
Once you've built and overclocked it, it's time to stress test and benchmark it. Download Prime95 ( http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=103 ), memtest86+ (which I believe windows comes with, and Linux almost certainly comes with) and "Video Card Stability Test" ( http://freestone-group.com/video-card-stability-test.htm ).
Run Prime95 one night and if it's still running the next morning, your CPU and motherboard are good.
Run Video Card Stability Test the next night, and if it's still going the next morning your video card is good.
Run Memtest86+ another night, and if it too is still going the next morning, your RAM is good.
Those are stress testing programs, so when they're done, give it a day of normal or no use (doesn't matter which) to cool down and then get going with Futuremark and Furmark:
http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark06/introduction/ (DirectX 9)
http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmarkvantage/introduction/ (DirectX 10)
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/ (OpenGL)
Those are benchmarks. They give you points based on how your PC performs. They're not important but it's cool to know how many points you get. Video Card Stability Test also has a benchmarking tool built in. You could also use the Crysis Demo as a further benchmark.
| Vexer wrote: |
|---|
| I will probably start to OC my CPU, so I think I'll go with an unlocked(multiplier is unlocked) CPU and an after-market cooler(probably the Corsair H50). |
For overclocking, you will want a multiplier-unlocked CPU; however a high FSB (Front-Side Bus) speed yields the best results because it's what connects the CPU to the northbridge (memory controller): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Motherboard_diagram.svg
A piece of advice on overclocking: go up in REALLY small steps. Like 10-15 MHz at a time. Also only increase the voltage if you get instability.
| Antec 902 case |
Ok, this is really just superficial.
| ASUS Maximus III Formula |
Good. Asus is the best company for motherboards and nVIDIA graphics cards by far. They're both ATX so they'll be compatible.
| XFX Radeon HD 5850 |
I'm not sure I'd go for an XFX graphics card. Sapphire make the best ATi cards, followed by Asus.
| Intel Core i7 875k Unlocked CPU |
Good, although I'd like to mention that AMD has "AMD/ATi Overdrive" which is a soft-overclocking utility. I think soft overclocking is better because
1. No rebooting between overclocks
2. You see the results immediately (so you know if it's good or bad straight away). This also has the side effect of negating the amount of time it takes to overclock.
AMD CPUs also have longer warranties (3 years vs. 1 year).
| G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB: |
I've never used G.Skill RAM before but I've heard good things about them. On the other hand, Corsair and Patriot seem to make the best RAM. Patriot RAM is clocked very high (they have 2.2 GHz DDR3) and as all DDR3 RAM has horrible latencies, high clocked RAM is a good idea. Having said that, the G.Skill RAM will easily be good enough.
| WD Velociraptor 300GB |
Western Digital probably make the best hard drives; but with all that money, why not get an 120 GiB SSD as well? Put operating systems and programs on the SSD, and personal data on the hard disk.
[unimportant stuff]
| Corsair H50 |
I've never tried liquid cooling so I'm not qualified to talk about it. I will say this, however: try to get liquid hydrogen.
| Logitech G19 keyboard Logitech G500 mouse |
Meh. Logitech are very good, so whatever.
| ASUS 1080p monitor |
I'm ok with this.
---
Once you've built and overclocked it, it's time to stress test and benchmark it. Download Prime95 ( http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=103 ), memtest86+ (which I believe windows comes with, and Linux almost certainly comes with) and "Video Card Stability Test" ( http://freestone-group.com/video-card-stability-test.htm ).
Run Prime95 one night and if it's still running the next morning, your CPU and motherboard are good.
Run Video Card Stability Test the next night, and if it's still going the next morning your video card is good.
Run Memtest86+ another night, and if it too is still going the next morning, your RAM is good.
Those are stress testing programs, so when they're done, give it a day of normal or no use (doesn't matter which) to cool down and then get going with Futuremark and Furmark:
http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark06/introduction/ (DirectX 9)
http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmarkvantage/introduction/ (DirectX 10)
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/ (OpenGL)
Those are benchmarks. They give you points based on how your PC performs. They're not important but it's cool to know how many points you get. Video Card Stability Test also has a benchmarking tool built in. You could also use the Crysis Demo as a further benchmark.
| But will it run Crysis? (Necessary comment). |
| Good, although I'd like to mention that AMD has "AMD/ATi Overdrive" which is a soft-overclocking utility. I think soft overclocking is better because 1. No rebooting between overclocks 2. You see the results immediately (so you know if it's good or bad straight away). This also has the side effect of negating the amount of time it takes to overclock. |
| Antec 902 case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058 |
How does this graphics card look?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884
Corsair 4GB Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
Corsair 128GB SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233087
I think a slower hard drive for data storage will be fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Total cost: $2316.83
lol at the Liquid Hydrogen. Did you see that team that got an AMD Processor up to 6Ghz?
EDIT: @NGen I just saw your post right after I posted, lol. I'll look up other cases.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102884
Corsair 4GB Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
Corsair 128GB SSD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233087
I think a slower hard drive for data storage will be fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Total cost: $2316.83
lol at the Liquid Hydrogen. Did you see that team that got an AMD Processor up to 6Ghz?
EDIT: @NGen I just saw your post right after I posted, lol. I'll look up other cases.
Last edited on
On average Intel processors can overclock higher than AMD processors. I've seen so many Intels overclocked to 4.0GHz+, mine can't even get to 3.9GHz and be stable.
That card should be fine. That should chew up and spit out Crysis on High.
That card should be fine. That should chew up and spit out Crysis on High.
Last edited on
That's a good point about the size of the case. And I didn't say AMD processors were inherently better, or that AMD Overdrive was good; just that soft overclocking is very useful.
Plus AMDs give you a 3 year warranty vs 1 year.
Yeah, but they used liquid nitrogen followed by liquid helium. Liquid helium is ~15K colder than liquid hydrogen.
There's a followup video where they get one to 7 GHz btw.
Plus AMDs give you a 3 year warranty vs 1 year.
| Did you see that team that got an AMD Processor up to 6Ghz? |
Yeah, but they used liquid nitrogen followed by liquid helium. Liquid helium is ~15K colder than liquid hydrogen.
There's a followup video where they get one to 7 GHz btw.
What do you think about a Corsair 800D case?
I chose the Corsair H50 because I have seen lots of good reviews and it is supposed to be easy to install(I have zero experience with building computers).
I'm not one of those people that needs to run every game out there on highest possible settings. I will be fine running Crysis on High/Medium settings if I need to(my current computer can't even play Combat Arms at 1280x800(all low settings) at a playable framerate, so I am used to playing games on low settings.
Just for kicks, I installed the Heaven benchmark a few days ago. I wasn't even able to render the first frame(computer locked up each time).
@chrisname According to the page on Newegg, the CPU I chose has a 3 year warranty.
I chose the Corsair H50 because I have seen lots of good reviews and it is supposed to be easy to install(I have zero experience with building computers).
I'm not one of those people that needs to run every game out there on highest possible settings. I will be fine running Crysis on High/Medium settings if I need to(my current computer can't even play Combat Arms at 1280x800(all low settings) at a playable framerate, so I am used to playing games on low settings.
Just for kicks, I installed the Heaven benchmark a few days ago. I wasn't even able to render the first frame(computer locked up each time).
@chrisname According to the page on Newegg, the CPU I chose has a 3 year warranty.
Last edited on
Corsair H50? You listed the Antec 902.
The Corsair 800D looks like an amazing case. Plenty of grommets for water cooling and cable management, a dedicated area for a PSU, and it doesn't have 50 ODD slots. My only problem with it is that it doesn't have the much-needed fan on the side panel, but there isn't much space for it in that case anyhow. You'll need a case with a fan on that panel to get a constant supply of fresh air to the GPU and CPU.
The Corsair 800D looks like an amazing case. Plenty of grommets for water cooling and cable management, a dedicated area for a PSU, and it doesn't have 50 ODD slots. My only problem with it is that it doesn't have the much-needed fan on the side panel, but there isn't much space for it in that case anyhow. You'll need a case with a fan on that panel to get a constant supply of fresh air to the GPU and CPU.
Water cooling on what? CPU and GPU? Unless he gets a good radiator, that isn't such a good idea.
Well that's what the H50 is for, so I'm assuming he's getting watercooling.
I agree though that it mostly isn't worth it unless you're willing to spend a lot.
I agree though that it mostly isn't worth it unless you're willing to spend a lot.
Yes, the H50 is a basic water cooling unit that is "All in one"(it includes the radiator and the pump all in one package pre-assembled with coolant already in it).
I am looking at the Aragon 900 kit, I might go with that.
I am looking at the Aragon 900 kit, I might go with that.
I wouldn't go cheap on water cooling, seriously. Air cooling is more effective and cheaper until you reach £100 ($150) at which point water cooling becomes drastically more effective.
That kit, however, looks decent.
That kit, however, looks decent.