I am 100% new to the pc world and want to make the switch from consoles. I have very limited knowledge and would like some input on the parts list from you guys because you all seem very informed. You will notice that the parts list lacks a hard drive and an optical drive, that is because I already have a 500 gb WD Caviar Blue hard drive and an optical drive. The rest of the parts list is as follows:
-COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
-ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
-CORSAIR CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
-PNY XLR8 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model MD8192KD3-1600-X9
-AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX
-COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel
-ASUS HD7850-DC2-2GD5-V2 Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
I'm thinking that I could use an upgrade in either the ram department or the motherboard. Also is the CPU cooler neccessary, I really have no idea if it is, just seemed like a good idea. Thanks in advance for any and all help!
Most bang for the buck:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/14B09
- CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 @ Amazon)
- Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($95.99 @ NCIX US)
- Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
- Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.63 @ Amazon)
- Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
- Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
- Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
- Total: $660.57
Thanks, I will defintively check out that combination
The CPU cooler is mandatory if you want to overclock. If you dont, then you can use the stock cooler.
Here is a build I made. More powerful CPU. The GPU I used is ever so slightly better than the 7850, but it has 3gb of ram so it gives you a little future proofing for games.
This build has more CPU power and GPU power
Total $606
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/14Bfy
Now if you can spend a little more I would recommend these replacements in order of importance:
- replace the gtx 660 with a AMD 7950
- Get 64 gb (or more) SSD to install windows to
- that CPU cooler would be good to get more performance from the CPU
- 8 gb of ram (4 is good for gaming, but 8 gigs is better for future proofing and other tasks)
- additional case fans for better cooling.
Sorry I missed the part about the no HD or DVD drive needed, so I adjusted to get you a better system:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/14Ko0
- CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
- Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($95.99 @ NCIX US)
- Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.05 @ Newegg)
- Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
- Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
- Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
- Total: $659.94
Things of note:
- CPU is 8 core and will do just fine, especially if you want to do some streaming and just about any multitasking.
- Mobo supports front USB 3.0 ports (if you have a case that supports this, which I've listed below)
- RAM is fast at stock voltage (1.5v) and also has LOW PROFILE heat spreaders, so you can have just about any aftermarket CPU HSF.
- GPU performs at 7950 speeds, but at a 7870 price!
- Case has 2 x front USB 3.0 ports and can handle just about any GPU out on the market.
- PSU can handle any single GPU out on the market and will last for several builds (5 yr. warranty)