Hey Guys,
Spent the better part of my weekend working on a parts list for a PC I want to build.
Check it out: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3MJa8
- Not looking at overclocking anything myself so I haven't looked at parts that reflect OC.
- I like the small form factor so went with a mITX mobo and the Cubitek case.
- I'd prefer something quiet so I threw in some Noctua fans.
- This isn't some massive power house so I decided on the i3 and I picked the best performance to $ ratio graphics card.
- I'm not sure about the CPU cooler, I'd like some downdraft to cool the mobo but I don't know if I'm choosing a cooler that is overkill for my needs.
- The power supply is more than I need but I'm restricted by what I can see through pcpartpicker.com (and Australian retailers)
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks
how much do you want to spend?
about as much as the pcpartpicker total ~AU$1200
do you care if it's amd or intel?
Not really, I chose the i3 based on an article about performance vs price.
you wont be needing a 550watt psu thats for sure :)
Well if you have no intention to upgrade your system then I agree you can get a less powerful PSU but it might be working keeping the 500W if you think you might upgrade in the next few years.
Do remember this package does not include an OS so unless you have one already or are using Linux that will add around £60-90 to the total cost (sorry I don't know the Australian dollar equivalent).
Other than that the PC looks pretty balanced but you may not need to get as big a fan unless of course you might switch to an i5 later and overclock. I just use my Stock cooler with my i3 just coz it is nice and cheep. But it is a little loud so you might want to just look for a quiet fan if the nice is the reason you are getting a different cooler.
Oh something I forgot to mention, for the GPU you are probably better looking on eBay (other sites are available) for a second hand card of either this type or a better one as with secondhand GPUs you can get a lot more bag for your buck. There are lots of people that upgrade their systems every year so there should hopfully be lots of GPUs in perfect condition that are much cheaper than the same card brand new.
I am using a Geforce GTX 560ti new it would have cost about £100 more than second hand so you can either re-invest the money you save or just buy lots of sweets :)
For the whole build, I've only used what I can find through au.pcpartpicker.com (except that SSD, that I got on special) so have been limited in what options it gives me. For someone who doesn't know the ins and outs of building a PC as others, this limitation is actually helpful.
For the PSU, I've only ever heard good things about Seasonic. The 550W gold non-modular PSU is cheaper than a 450W gold semi-modular PSU. Headroom is good for upgrading later.
I have a copy of Windows 8 I got a ways back for $15. Never actually got round to using it, now is the perfect time.
Thanks for the tips, I'll have a look out for second hand GPU's or buy everything but the GPU and wait for a good deal. Good to know there aren't any glaring mistakes.
Back to the CPU for a second, is there a large impact on gaming going from an i3 to an i5 (or the equivalent AMD)?
For gaming, no there is not really a huge difference. particularly at the intermediate level. A lot of games do not use any more than 2 cores so often with an i5 only half your chip is being used, however some very new games like Bf3/4 have quad core support and if you are going to try and max out the settings on these sorts of games then an i5 is the best choice (from intel) however your system is likely to bottleneck before the chip.
I am not very farmiliar with AMD chips so if someone says somthing different about AMD they are probably the correct one. But I AMD do use quite a lot of cores on their CPUs this means if the game can only use 2-cores or even 4-cores you are likly not going to be using the processor to its max. However I believe the APUs do work well if you get a radeon GPU.
If you are not sure about try: http://www.hwcompare.com/17331/
this website compares GPUs in quite a nice way and even if you are not familiar with all the elements for GPUs it is still easy t use as each section gives a graph and a quick explanation. I found it very useful when comparing second hand GPUs.
A lot depends on what specific games you're trying to play. Look at which graphics cards and processors at that price range run best for those specific games. I would recommend looking at a GTX 760 or a 750ti at that price range that will also fit in almost all mITX cases. Compare those with what you already have to see which is better for the particular games you want to play. The processor, though, really is a great price to performance chip especially if you're not looking to do any professional editing with it.
Thanks heaps for the advice!
I'll have another think about the GPU I want.
$1200 quick build on PCCG > http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=305771&action=wish_lists + $$ spare for the postage. Also pcpartpicker is mostly a waste of time for Australian builds > outdated price lists and very few vendors. For the best price on each component use StaticIce.