My New Computer

Technology and Gaming
#1

I’m pretty much ready to buy my computer parts after months of research, pricing, etc. But I’d like to run my specs by everyone so I can get some feedback first. I’ve included all the links so if you would like to, you can read more about each component:

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600 Processor 3.4GHz 8 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 ($294.99)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD Superclocked 1280 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 Dual DVI/HDMI/Display Port SLI Ready Limited Lifetime Warranty Graphics Card, 012-P3-1573-AR ($289.99)

Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard ($70.99)

Case: NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case ($129.99)

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B ($49.99) NOTE: Would 8 gb be enough to run today’s games/programs efficiently? Just curious.

HDD: Seagate Pipeline HD ST31000322CS 1TB 5900 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive ($109.99) NOTE: While viewing this HDD, I didn’t see any cables in the photos. So can anyone tell me if it comes with the cables or not?

Wireless Card: Linksys WMP600N Wireless Adapter with Dual-Band IEEE 802.11a/b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI WEP, WPA & WPA2 Personal, WPA & WPA2 Enterprise ($48.99) NOTE: I know wireless ins’t the best option but unfortunately, my computer isn’t the “household” computer and can’t be connected via Ethernet or USB

Monitor: ViewSonic VX2250WM-LED 22-Inch (21.5-Inch Vis) Widescreen Full HD 1080p LED Monitor with Integrated Stereo Speakers (149.99) I know built in speakers suck. But I have a VERY nice pair of Sony headphones I’ve been using for almost two years now. And I’m really only going to be the only one using this computer so it’s not a huge deal.

Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech Desktop MK120 (19.99)

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (169.99) NOTE: OK, this is more of a personal preference but what version of Windows do you use? Just curious to see what the majority of people use.

Optical Drive: LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS90 - OEM ($17.99)

PSU: COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS700-PCAAE3-US 700W ATX 12V v2.3 Active PFC Power Supply ($79.99)

Thanks for taking a look. I apologize for all the information (just copied and pasted my parts list). Again, please tell me anything and everything you can so I can make my build successful. I personally think it’s a good start. Expensive, yes. But it’s totally worth it.

Thanks!

#2

yes, your comp can play any of today’s games. I don’t get why people ask that so often, the requirements for games nowadays are so low you can almost max them with a $45 card, excluding some resource intensive games.

#3

8 gigs-o-ram is overkill, you’d be fine with 4. But RAM is cheap, so it doesn’t really matter either way. I have 7 Home Premium as well. It’s fine, almost never locks up or sucks in any major way.

#4

Your mainboard will probably have some SATA cables with it. Harddisks usually do not come together with cables. Other than that I think that HDD isn’t very good for what you will use it for. 5900rpm will slow everything down a little bit and you may consider getting a 7200rpm disk or even better a SSD.
8 Gb is not really overkill. It’s just right and Windows will feel happy to use up as much as possible so programs and shit will react a little bit faster.

#5

I only have 2 gigs of RAM and I can play most games on max settings.

It can get a bit slow at times, though, and I’ve been meaning to upgrade.

Also, I run on Windows 7 Ultimate, even though I much prefer XP, but I was forced to upgrade.

#6

I have 4GB of RAM, been meaning to upgrade to 8 just to please my need for OMEGA hardware.

But you probably won’t need that much for a long time, though.

Lastly, Windows Home Premium should be just fine. I use it and I haven’t had any issues.

#7

My Suggestions to you… Don’t get the 2600k. Get the 2500k. It is just as fast and it’s 100 dollars cheaper. Put that 100 dollars towards a GTX 670 or a really nice aftermarket CPU cooler. You’ll want one of those to overclock the crap out of your 2500k.

2nd… Why did you buy a full tower case but then go for a Micro ATX motherboard?? Did you just find the cheapest Motherboard you could find?? bad idea. The motherboard is just as important as the processor and the video card. You get way skimpy on the motherboard you’re going to lose the performance of the entire system.

The Ram is good. I didn’t get it because it sits WAY high and could cause interference with the larger aftermarket CPU coolers. I suggest going with the G. Skill Ripjaws. They look good and they are not really tall so they don’t interfere with coolers as badly. 8GB is good. Windows 7 LOVES lots of ram so it can cache programs in it to start them up faster. so yes keep the 8GB.

Hard Drives as stated before are definitely a weak point here. You bought a 1TB drive at 5900 RPM when seagate has a 1TB 7200 for cheaper. I recommend looking through it again.

I’m just curious here. What’s your budget if you don’t mind me asking? 1500? I’m just wondering. If you have a little tech know how I’d say save yourself another 50 bux and just buy the windows 7 home premium upgrade. There are lots of websites that tell you how to install a clean version and activate it later so that you dont’ have to have another version of windows installed to upgrade to windows 7. But if you reply to this and let me know a budget and what exactly this PC will be used for, we’ll see if we can whip something up for you. :slight_smile:

Edit: I decided to explain the processor thing. The only real difference between the 2600k and the 2500k is hyperthreading. But since most games and windows are not optimized for multi core, hyperthreading doesn’t do JACK. I disabled mine and allowed it to run a little bit cooler.

#8

lol buying windows

#9

Don’t listen to him, luner. Become one of the members of the Legitimate Owner of Windows club :slight_smile: .

#10

Not really.

#11

If you are playing on a really low res monitor this might be true.

#12

I have no excuse for not being a member of this club, considering I work for a university and can get a copy for (relatively) cheap. Alas, laziness.

#13

I think my school only had that apply towards 32 bit copies of Windows 7 so that wouldn’t have helped me much.

#14

Dude I have 8GB of RAM, a friend of mine has 12 and another has 16. Now which one is overkill?

#15

HOLY SHIT YOU WERE BLESSED BY THE ALLCOLORED.

back to the topic. You really shouldn’t buy a 2600K without intention of overclocking it. A 2500 without the ‘K’ will do just fine.

#16

The ugly one.

#17

While 8GBs of RAM is a lot, it’s best to have too much than too little. And it’s cheap now so you might as well. I have played a game, Stalker Call of Pripyat with a high res texture pack and AtmosFear, that uses 60% of my 8GBs of RAM, so it’s not unheard of. And like I said, if you’re spending so much on a computer you might as well pick up some extra RAM for a few extra bucks.

#18

I could run with 6gb instead of 4, but that would mean turning my CPU down from 3.21 to 2.4Ghz :frowning:

#19

Not really, you just gotta know when and where to find the right deals :wink:

#20

screw the 2500. Get the K model. It’s the only way to go. And the 2500k will overclock just as much as the 2600k. The only real difference is hyperthreading. Not worth the extra 100 bux.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.