Building a PC

B

BLazerules

New Member
Umm yeah Hello! Dunno if this is the correct place for this but here goes I guess. I am going to build a gaming PC for around 1000 euro but I don't know where to start. This is because I have never done this before so my knowledge about PC hardware is pretty limited to say the least. So I hope someone can help me out with this.

Now because of the country I live in (CYprus) there aren't much trusted sites so I am using this one: http://www.pixmania.co.uk/component/ukuk9_103_pm.html
I am pretty sure the CY version of the site has the exact same items in stock. Just in Greek. Which is why I am not using it since I can't read Greek.

So yeah this is the stuff I have thought of getting so far...

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H - 1155 -Socket Z77 Chipset - ATX
Processor: Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge 3570K - 3.4 GHz - 6 MB L3 Cache - LGA 1155 Socket
RAM: Dunno yet
Video Card: Dunno yet
Hard Drive: Dunno yet

Tower: Dunno yet
Cooling: Dunno yet
Monitor: Dunno yet
Speakers: Dunno yet
Keyboard: Dunno yet

Oh also if this helps in any way. I would like to play games like Skyrim, HAWKEN, Firefall, Borederlands, Sleeping Dogs etc on it. Cant think of much games because so far my laptop can only play 2D games. And even then they run at 5FPS...
 
BLazerules said:
Umm yeah Hello! Dunno if this is the correct place for this but here goes I guess. I am going to build a gaming PC for around 1000 euro but I don't know where to start. This is because I have never done this before so my knowledge about PC hardware is pretty limited to say the least. So I hope someone can help me out with this.

Now because of the country I live in (CYprus) there aren't much trusted sites so I am using this one: http://www.pixmania.co.uk/component/ukuk9_103_pm.html
I am pretty sure the CY version of the site has the exact same items in stock. Just in Greek. Which is why I am not using it since I can't read Greek.

So yeah this is the stuff I have thought of getting so far...

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H - 1155 -Socket Z77 Chipset - ATX
Processor: Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge 3570K - 3.4 GHz - 6 MB L3 Cache - LGA 1155 Socket
RAM: Dunno yet
Video Card: Dunno yet
Hard Drive: Dunno yet

Tower: Dunno yet
Cooling: Dunno yet
Monitor: Dunno yet
Speakers: Dunno yet
Keyboard: Dunno yet

Oh also if this helps in any way. I would like to play games like Skyrim, HAWKEN, Firefall, Borederlands, Sleeping Dogs etc on it. Cant think of much games because so far my laptop can only play 2D games. And even then they run at 5FPS...
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Well, I'll start off with the parts. This is what I recommend :

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GPU: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Silverstone Strider Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V

For the monitor, keyboard and speakers, that's for you to pick.
The only thing I recommend is, get a mechanical keyboard, they're much better. I prefer Razer mechanical keyboards, but that's just personal preference, they're in no way better than some other good keyboards out there.

Now about building it.
What I would do is, first of all, get the motherboard. Insert the CPU and then mount the CPU Cooler and plug it into the socket on the motherboard.
After this, insert the ram dimms. Remember the read the motherboard manual first because the ram dimms will go in a certain slot.
Insert the motherboard into the case. Remember the standoffs, you don't want to put the motherboard in without them.
Insert the case cables up into the motherboard.
Put the HHD's/SSD's in.
Put the PSU in.
Lastly, put the GPU in.
After all this, what you'll need to do is connect the cables from the PSU to the hardware. You can see where to connect all the cables in the manual.

This might not be the best way to put everything in, but it's the way I do it, and if it's not the correct way, it's not far from it. Also, sorry for not going in-depth with how to insert all the hardware. If you have a basic knowledge of building computers and the manual next to you, I'm sure you'll be fine.

If you have any problems, post it back on this thread. There's also a lot of online tutorials where people lead you through the stages one step at a time.
 
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Are you planning to overclock? If not, I would consider upgrading from the Core i5 3570K to a Xeon E3-12x0 V2, they are about the same price and most Z77 boards support them (check first, though). I've got the E3-1230 V2, was only $5 more than the 3570K over here but that'll give you 2MB extra L3 cache (which already more than makes up for the insignificant 100MHz clock speed difference) and hyperthreading which puts them in the same league as the big boy i7 processors but for way cheaper. The only thing is, they don't have integrated graphics (unless you go for a E3-12x5 but they cost more too), but since you're getting a discrete graphics card that doesn't even matter.
 
hackapelite said:
Are you planning to overclock? If not, I would consider upgrading from the Core i5 3570K to a Xeon E3-12x0 V2, they are about the same price and most Z77 boards support them (check first, though). I've got the E3-1230 V2, was only $5 more than the 3570K over here but that'll give you 2MB extra L3 cache (which already more than makes up for the insignificant 100MHz clock speed difference) and hyperthreading which puts them in the same league as the big boy i7 processors but for way cheaper. The only thing is, they don't have integrated graphics (unless you go for a E3-12x5 but they cost more too), but since you're getting a discrete graphics card that doesn't even matter.
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I disagree, I think he should get the i5-3570k.
The Xeon's are mainly used for servers and there's also no need for hyper threading unless he's doing a lot of video editing.
 
If you do not know what you are talking about, please shut up. The Xeon is not only a server chip. It processes the same 1s and 0s as a i5 or i7 or even Pentium MMX. Only difference is they do it cooler and with less power.

Okay, so you are saying that you would prefer to get a hotter processor than a cool, low power one with 30% or more more power for the same price?
 
wolfeking said:
If you do not know what you are talking about, please shut up. The Xeon is not only a server chip. It processes the same 1s and 0s as a i5 or i7 or even Pentium MMX. Only difference is they do it cooler and with less power.

Okay, so you are saying that you would prefer to get a hotter processor than a cool, low power one with 30% or more more power for the same price?
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Did I say anything about it ONLY being used for servers? I said it is mainly used for server, which is true. If you can't read, shut up. You don't need to be rude about it.

For gaming, the i5-3570k is the better choice.
It performs better and can be OC'd much more than the Xeon.

Also, what are you talking about it uses less power? It used around 5W less, get a grip.
 
And you are on about OCing. If you are going to take a chance on ruining your processor, go right ahead. 5 Watts can make a lot of difference, especially with 30% more processing power.

And for your information, I will be as RUDE as I want. I live in a free nation where I can say any thing any damn way I want to. So take your attitude and shove it up your arse please.

The xeon is a better processor, and will game just fine.
 
wolfeking said:
And you are on about OCing. If you are going to take a chance on ruining your processor, go right ahead. 5 Watts can make a lot of difference, especially with 30% more processing power.

And for your information, I will be as RUDE as I want. I live in a free nation where I can say any thing any damn way I want to. So take your attitude and shove it up your arse please.

The xeon is a better processor, and will game just fine.
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You're completely wrong.

The Xeon may be better than the i5-3570k at some things, but for gaming, the i5-3570k is definitely better.
I respect your opinion, but unfortunately it's not true.

Also, what are you talking about ruining the processor? OC'ing is not going to ruin a processor.

You may live in a free nation and are allowed to say what you want, when you want, but if you want people to respect you, you should be a little nicer.
Was I rude to you? No, so why be rude to me?

Anyway, this argument is over. The Xeon is clearly not better than the i5-3570k for gaming.
 
For gaming, the i5-3570k is the better choice.
It performs better and can be OC'd much more than the Xeon.
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I did say "if you're not planning to OC" - the i5 only has 100MHz clockspeed advantage over the E3-1230 V2 (300MHz over the E3-1220), but the extra L3 takes the Xeon ahead easily in just about everything. HT or not (it can be turned off if it's a bother), the Xeon will perform better overall at stock speeds. IDK how much it costs over in Europe, though, but here the price difference was only $5 where I bought it (and about the same at newegg too), definitely worth it.

EDIT:
The Xeon may be better than the i5-3570k at some things, but for gaming, the i5-3570k is definitely better.
I respect your opinion, but unfortunately it's not true.
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I'm going to ask you to back that up. They share the same microarchitecture, the only thing better about the i5 is the extra clockspeed, but even that's not enough to make it "definitely better" at anything. There's no logical reason for games to perform worse on a processor just because it is labelled Xeon, nor have I ever seen benchmarks indicating otherwise.
 
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hackapelite said:
EDIT:
I'm going to ask you to back that up. They share the same microarchitecture, the only thing better about the i5 is the extra clockspeed, but even that's not enough to make it "definitely better" at anything. There's no logical reason for games to perform worse on a processor just because it is labelled Xeon, nor have I ever seen benchmarks indicating otherwise.
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Agreed. The only thing that the i5 has over it are the unlocked multiplier, and even that is not all that great. You can max anything out and be far ahead of and AMD at stock, so saying you NEED OC is retarded. Otherwise it is the same darn chip and will do the same dang job.


He is just another one of those guys that sees Xeon, Quadro, or Firepro and says it can not game. Which is completely wrong. My FX2500m games very well. It is held back by its processor, which can not be upgraded much.
The Quadro arguments can be backed up with BIOS and Driver arguments, but the Xeon can not, because it is the same chip, off the same batches, with lower voltages.
 
hackapelite said:
I did say "if you're not planning to OC" - the i5 only has 100MHz clockspeed advantage over the E3-1230 V2 (300MHz over the E3-1220), but the extra L3 takes the Xeon ahead easily in just about everything. HT or not (it can be turned off if it's a bother), the Xeon will perform better overall at stock speeds. IDK how much it costs over in Europe, though, but here the price difference was only $5 where I bought it (and about the same at newegg too), definitely worth it.

EDIT:
I'm going to ask you to back that up. They share the same microarchitecture, the only thing better about the i5 is the extra clockspeed, but even that's not enough to make it "definitely better" at anything. There's no logical reason for games to perform worse on a processor just because it is labelled Xeon, nor have I ever seen benchmarks indicating otherwise.
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I've tested a lot of hardware for gaming and when it comes down to them, the i5 performed better.

The i5 can also be OC'd much more than the Xeon, which will make it perform even better.

The Xeon may be better for some things, but for gaming it's not.
 
I've tested a lot of hardware for gaming and when it comes down to them, the i5 performed better.
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I don't buy anecdotal evidence, sorry.

The i5 can also be OC'd much more than the Xeon, which will make it perform even better.
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Aware. Though for the third time, I am saying that the Xeon, at similar price, would be a better deal if you're not going to overclock.

The Xeon may be better for some things, but for gaming it's not.
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Vigorous assertion is not proof.
 
hackapelite said:
I don't buy anecdotal evidence, sorry.

Aware. Though for the third time, I am saying that the Xeon, at similar price, would be a better deal if you're not going to overclock.

Vigorous assertion is not proof.
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Okay, you have your opinion and I have mine.

I would definitely not buy a Xeon for a gaming rig, but you would. Lets not argue about it.

Also, it's not anecdotal, I build computers all the time for people. If you don't believe me, it's fine, I'm just telling you what's true.
 
_Controlling said:
I've tested a lot of hardware for gaming and when it comes down to them, the i5 performed better.
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Benches, and or CPUz before entering game videos or it did not happen.

The i5 can also be OC'd much more than the Xeon, which will make it perform even better.
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And that totally makes up for absolutely nothing. Overclocking is nice, but in a work or game machine it is a gamble that may or may not pay off for you. Not to mention most people want to build their machine and use it in the same day. Overclocking safely is at least a 2 day affair, if not more.

The Xeon may be better for some things, but for gaming it's not.
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I will believe your assertion when you can prove it with something other than words. This is not facebook. Your words are worthless without proof.
 
Okay, you have your opinion and I have mine.

I would definitely not buy a Xeon for a gaming rig, but you would. Lets not argue about it.

Also, it's not anecdotal, I build computers all the time for people. If you don't believe me, it's fine, I'm just telling you what's true.
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Opinion?

You can say that you're telling the truth as many times as you want, but the fact is all you've done is assert your position. I have not once seen a benchmark where the i5 beat the Xeon, nor do I have a reason to believe that they even exist. Literally, at stock speeds the only advantage the i5 has is a tiny bit of extra clockspeed. As far as I'm aware, that is a fact. There is no logical reason for the Xeon to perform any worse. The only thing that the Xeon has that might cause poorer performance is HT in some select few games that don't like it, but like I said that can be turned off, and the extra cache is some sweet magic juice for just about anything. I'm not trying to beat you to death with an opinion, and I'll gladly back off if there is some proof that shows I'm wrong, I'm not participating in a be-right-on-teh-webz competition. I just see absolutely no reason to believe that the i5 is any better at games.

And yes, it is anecdotal. You're providing a personal account of you experience to support a claim; that is by definiton anecdotal evidence.

But anyway. On topic, though, unless the OP is going to OC, there's no real reason to get any K variant anyway.
 
The only reason i could see for going with a xeon is if your going to pay the premium for a solid workstation board and ECC ram, otherwise id stick with a iSeries chip.
 
The only reason i could see for going with a xeon is if your going to pay the premium for a solid workstation board and ECC ram, otherwise id stick with a iSeries chip.
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The 1155 Xeons are basically way cheaper multiplier-locked i7s with no IGP. Surely you can see why someone would want one?
 
Strange how this turned into a topic in which you argue over i5 and xeon... Didn't expect that. Anyways. What do you guys think of this? Also is my motherboard any good? (And yea I am well aware I passed the 1k mark. I guess I will search for cheaper places to buy these parts on later and then try and make some more money.). Also I guess I am missing a sound card ehy? Oh and a video card... Wow I forgot a ton of important stuff...

Processor: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/30299...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search

GPU: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/34849...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search

RAM: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/19137...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search

Sound Card:

STORAGE: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/30976...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search


PSU:

Case: http://www.pixmania.com.cy/cy/gr/08574599/art/cooler-master/Κουτι-pc-haf-912-plus.html

CPU Cooling: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/28101...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search

DVD Drive:

Monitor: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/26550...{420} ae62{18.6-21.999} &ob=4&urlrefer=search


Keyboard: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Razer-RZ03-...Keyboard/dp/B001LNNODU/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

Not on play because of this: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/81161...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search
Yes it costs 3714.95 EURO. The hell!? Almost had a heart attack.

Speakers: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-OE...UTF8&colid=6JSF6Z1P1605&coliid=I1R19UC1ADHR2T

EDIT: Hahhaa I like how AlienWare is overpriced but the PC I am going to build will probably be more expensive than a few of theirs xD
 
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