Help a new guy build his PC, alot of questions

Hardware Build a PC
1

Hi guys, before i go any further i would like to appologize for my bad english it's not my first language.

Like the title said i would like help choosing part and in general any tips on a PC i want to make.

I would like to price to be kept around 1000-1150 canadian dollars.

Here is all my question or thought that i would like this awsome community to help me with :)

1- my own personnal reschearch a good graphic cards around that price would be a gtx 970. Keep in mind the main activity of the PC i want to build is gaming. I have some question however. Personnaly I don't plan on overclocking. I don't feel confortable doing it since I don't have alot of knowledge about it. When i was looking at the 970 i saw that there is alot of different models. Like i said i don't want to overclock so i dont really want a really special cooler. Furthermore I don't want a card that you expect to overclock to be good. I am really confuse about this issue and i would like your help
2- In the same idea for the processor i looked at the option i saw the intel core i5 4460 and again im a little bit confuse There is a K model i think that is overclock friendly but like i said i dont really want to. what is some good options here for me.
3- For the processor once again i think i would use the default cooler. I looked and saw alot of people bashing intel base cooler but like i said i don't care of overclocking and i dont care for the sounds either. Is it still an awful idea to not buy a better cooler for this type of build?
4- For the storage space, i honestly dont care for size i dont need 1tb hard drive at least not right now i have a 500g usb hard drive that i already use for my laptop. However i would really like a SSD i have one in my laptop and i cant see myself using a computer without one. only 128g would be enouf, well to start i can buy a hardrive if the futur if in tight but right now i dont really need more. I don't really know anything about what are the good one. I dont need a high performance one jsut a basic SSD would do the job.
5- For the ram i heard you jsut go by the deals you see when you buy them. Personnally i would start with 8g but i would like to have the possibility to just buy another 8 and upgrade to 16 if i desire to. I know that is connected to the motherboard wich will be my next point
6- I know absolutely NOTHING about motherboard it all seem really confusing. I dont really need alot of feature some usb 3 support for a SSD cause i think it need to have some feature for the read or write speed? im not sure. I really dont need anything fancy.
7- For the case, i really dont care about the size. I would actually it to be big so i have some room when i work in it since i dont have any experience in building the PC. I dont really care about the looks either. In connection with teh case are the fans i think? Do i need to buy more fan than the one it comes with because i think some case comes with some fans?
8- Another issue i just thought about is that I often play games that are said to be heavy on the processor like guild wars 2 and world of warcraft. Maybe i should shigt some budget of my graphic cards over the processor?
9- For the rest im not really sure. Like the power supply i heard there is some shady one out there? I don't want one of those of course. I would like to be able to upgrade my PC in the future so maybe i need to overkill a little on the power suply?.
10- I am not familiar with installing an OS so i guess i need to buy a windows copy. I personnaly never use a CD drive but I guess ill have to get one to install windows. I really dont know about the BIOS or anything that is outside of the windows and the mac OS that i see alot of people play with when they do their PC build.

For my original set up if that can help you with some choice part. My computer will be connected to 2 1080P monitor. I only play my games on 1 of them however the second one is habitually use to do some productivity or i play a movies or some youtube video when i game. I have a razer naga for a mouse and just bought a K70 for a keyboard that i am in love with (first good keyboard ever, i can feel so much difference). At the moment i play on a laptop with a 650m so it will not be hard to get improved performance.

I think that is it some things might come up if we have a discution.

Thanks alot for your help. It is a big wall of question and alot to answer. I Dont exepct everywone to answer all of my question if you know alot about 1 subject you can maybe give me an advice!

P.S. Again im really soory about my broken english.

2

1- 970... really? alright well if all the puff hasn't scared you good for you. pick one. the things you need to look for are memory size (how much the card can deal with) and Bus size (how fast it can deal with it). the more of each the better but if you have to cut costs in my opinion cut memory size before bus width. In specific games a 4GB card with a 512 bit bus can be better than a 12GB card with a 128 bit bus.

2- Both intel and AMD are terrible with their naming conventions. A i5 is good but you just have to really dig into the features page. I am running an AMD 8350 for its superior virtualization support but with Intel you get better mothboard options. just read as much as you can. Start a spreadsheet and track all your research

3- Buy a better cooler. The stock one works if you are typing word docs but playing games you will heat that sucker up. the cooler you can keep that processor the longer it lives for the most part

4- I use a 128GB Plextor SSD. I love it. It hooks in like a Graphics Card so it works super fast plus a physical hard drive (1TB) for more cold storage stuff. I'd say its a good method to follow because for a 10GB game that is nearly 10 percent of your space on a 128GB drive.

5- 8GB is great! look at whatever motherboard you buy though because similar to your graphics card the bus width is important. JayzTwoCents made a video playing BF4 without a graphics card using higher frequency RAM. I would suggest to make sure your motherboard can handle it but 1866 to start with.

6- Just like with everything use a spreadsheet. compare options and look to see what you like. I am AMD but I use a ASROCK Extreme3 because it was cheaper than most with all the features I needed. If you stay with intel you can get cool stuff like dual ethernet ports or different features from the standard boards.

7- Buy the case last. Figure out all the other stuff you want then find a case that will fit you. if you want to go extreme check out the 900D from Corsair or a more affordable option the NZXT H440 which comes in many colors (I have the white one).

8- You really have to figure out what you want then check your spreadsheet for what you have found. Personally I plan to use my machine as a Linux Server Host when it gets old so I put more into my processor since I'll buy a new GPU when I build a new PC but if you want to build a gaming PC that will game until it dies I would say its' appropreate if you had a CPU/GPU fund that it would be split 40% to the CPU and 60% to the GPU.

9- The brands I build with for home and for clients are EVGA, Corsair, and Seasonic. I can't testify for other companies but I have yet to see one of those fail.

10- To install an OS use Linux lol if you can. Just look at the software you use most and see if it is supported on Linux. If you are in Windows or Linux you can now install with a USB stick no CD Drive required especially if you buy with Newegg. You just buy, download, and burn to USB.

Good luck on your build I can help as much as I can. Feel free to link out stuff you are considering and I can give input.

3

You are being extremely helpful but sadly you are too technical I don't have enouf knowledge to understand r or research alot of things you are talking about. I'm really bad with all of this and you are obviously really good with all of this.

Do you think you could give me a really simple list of part that fits with my Prince point?

4

Absolutely but FIRST: decision time

First Intel or AMD

-Intel if you want the latest and greatest with more enthusiest grade hardware

-AMD if you want the most support for the longest time and a solid user base

Second Nvidia or AMD?

-Nvidia for the latest and greatest with the more enthusiest grade gear

-AMD for open source supported gear

5

I would honestly go for Intel and nvidia! But by support do you mean upgradability or customer support. I would like to be able to upgrade but for I don't care that much if a piece break in 2 years I'll replace it by upgrading it.

I don't really know if that make sens to you?

6

I personally use an Intel, nvidia machine. And they work well. The only problems I see with them both is you often pay (these numbers are made up as an example to make a point) 20% more for 10% better performance Compared to amd.
But what I strongly recommend is you look for second hand components, you said you are interested in looking for a 970, well the biggest difference between the 970 cards will be the coolers made by the various companies. What they generally do is make the best cooler they can and then over clock the chip to get the most performance out of it, but in real life you will not really see much difference.
This is why i recommend you look at ebay for second hand cards, the new titan card is out now so there will probably be lots of high end Nvidia parts in perfect condition being sold as people upgrade. I use a second hand card, I got a 560ti for £100 and new at the time went for about £150, it is still acting perfectly.

For the cpu, the Intel cooler will be good enough, I use the stock cooler and although it is definitely the loudest component in my machine but it had never over heated. But I strongly recommend of you don't want to spend money on a new cooler that you at least buy some good thermal paste, and replace the stuff already on the stock cooler That could take 5°c off your machine.

For the building itself, I strongly recommend you watch all the build videos you can. Both tek syndicate and linus techtips have done very good build videos where you will learn all you need to know about Building machines.

For the OS, you can install windows from a memory stick of you want, but I personally recommend having a DVD drive in your machine anyway, because you never know when you might need one so you could just use that, it will be slower but simpler.

I will look into a specific build tomorrow when I get in a proper Internet connection.

7

Let daddy fix it for you. 240gb is better value for the money SSD. Also never fill a SSD more than 80%.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.78 @ Directron)
Total: $832.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 23:06 EDT-0400

8

Thanks alot to both of you i watched their guide on building and i think i am somewhat prepared. I looked for builds online and austin evans made one for 1000$ without windows install that i think would be perfect for me any opinions?

intel Core i5-4460: http://amzn.to/1vG09KX

EVGA GTX 970: http://amzn.to/11PxXbh

MSI H97 Guard Pro: http://amzn.to/1xtIhyG

8GB Corsair Vengeance RAM: http://amzn.to/1r2HQ1m

256GB Crucial MX100 SSD: http://amzn.to/1C5S9Xf

1TB Western Digital Blue Hard Drive: http://amzn.to/1zlbaPI

600W Corsair CX600 Power Supply: http://amzn.to/1pfN34Z

NZXT S340 Case: http://amzn.to/1HDn7Gj

9

oh you did want the 1 tb

that looks great man, happy gaming

10

O no soory i didnt i copy pasted that from a built ive seen.

Only 1 issue can you give me a tips on another motherboard i cant seem to find this 1 shipping in canada

11

O and one other thing i saw the card you recommended the radeon poped alot in my readings how does this card perform compare to the 970 without overcloacking

12

Soory for the multiple post after some more reshearch ive found a version of pc part picker that is for canadian prices. Here is what I came up with http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ . Any opinion on the case and the ram? they are not knowed company to me. O and one other thing does any ever deal with vuugo or direct canada as internet stores?

13

If I were you I would go with something like this, if you have any questions or concerns please ask.
The Build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/jpBFMp

14

TL;DR it depends on price. RIght now a tri-x is your best bet for R9 290. 50 dollars Canadian cheaper than the worst gtx 970. You can play on ultra, full textures, full AA, for cheaper.

Best cheapest gtx 970 is the Gigabyte Windforce for 409 dollars. With tax and shipping. Well you do the math. And that's entirely boils down to your personal preference.

I have an asus GTX 970, and my wife has an asus r9 290. I overclocked both, I still can't tell the difference. I've played all my games maxed the F out on 1080p. Litterally I can't even. Synthetically the 970 beats the snot out of it, but in certain games, the 4gb memory of the r9 290 pulls through.

Also keep in mind Mantle, and the upcoming dx-12 and vulcan API's.

Tl;DR you're only looking at a 5-10 fps difference at the worst times. You won't notice it.

As for the motherboard, If you don't want to sli (looking at your 600w psu you, don't need a full atx motherboard. so I would go with the Gigabyte H97M extreme http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00K7807IK/?tag=pcp0f-20
lots of features, cheap.

Good luck.

15

Thanks alot! I probably shouldve mention it earlier but I plan on buying all the peice in maybe 2 month? Im not aware that nvidia or AMD is going to put out a new generation of cards?

16

They wont put out new cards until later this year.

Buy your parts at the same time.

Wait until you have your 1000 dollars and another 200 to cover taxes and shipping. You will save a lot more money ordering in bulk. Especially if some of your parts are coming from amazon prime or newegg.ca deals.

17

thanks! i actually have some good news! One aquintance just gave me one of his ''old pc'' i think he said it was 5 years old. He said he paid 900$ buck for it. If i post the copmponent inside can you tell me if i can use some? you really seems to be a computer god. Well i know it's old anmd i may not be able to use anything but at least i got a case its a big asus tower.

18

Here are the specs of what my friend gave me
AMD phenomenon II x6 1035T processor
There is 8gb of ram I looked it was 4 stick of 2gb each
1 dvd reader
For the graphic card wich I assume I need to change Ali radeon HD 5750 1024mo
I also have a 1.5 tb hard drive wich is nice.

How I see it wich may be wrong is that I can use the case for my build I can use the dvd reader and the hard drive wich is all really nice. It cut the cost. I may need to have buy a specific mother board to can use the 8 gig of ram in this format so 4 slot right? So it cut the cost I thin the big question is can I keep this processor and not bottle neck a good graphic card? O and can I keep the power supply it is not branded however so I guess I can't.

19

So I used google for you and I deduced that it's an OEM tray processor. That and all the 2gb ram tells me that's a prebuilt computer. To me, you could just sell that computer right out for 400, but you'd probably make your friend mad.

There is nothing wrong with that computer.
Go buy a gtx 970 or r9 290x if your power supply on that rig IF the PSU is big enough. Figure that out, then you may have to get a smaller gpu like a 750ti or gtx 960

The only time you have a "bottleneck" is if all your cores are maxed out and it's stuttering. Like my turion x2 gets bottlenecked when I open a modern web browser. I used google again and found out that CPU is fine. You could even add a SSD and install an OS on that and you'd be rocking dude.

20

Thanks alot! I was worried that the CPU couldn't hanndle a 970 or a 290. That is really good news! I will need to change the power supply it's only 400w. A 600w will be fine or should i go 750? O and 1 other thing this machine has windows 7 on it i would like to keep that but i would like to reset the hard drive to zero. Is there anyway this is possible?