First ever build: PC mag's gaming PC for $500

R

rbelshoff

New Member
Hi all,

I've already ordered these parts for my first ever computer build:

Case and Power Supply: Cooler Master Sileo 500 RC-500-KKR3-GP
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 640
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB
Video Card: XFX HD-667X-ZHF3
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black (1TB)
Optical Drive: Lite-On DVD Burner iHAS124-04

Never having done this before, I plan to follow the step by step instructions here
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394156,00.asp

Has anyone here built this system before? Any comments on this setup,
or on any of the components? General comments on what to do or what
not to do when putting this together?
 
rbelshoff said:
Hi all,

I've already ordered these parts for my first ever computer build:

Case and Power Supply: Cooler Master Sileo 500 RC-500-KKR3-GP
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 640
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB
Video Card: XFX HD-667X-ZHF3
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black (1TB)
Optical Drive: Lite-On DVD Burner iHAS124-04

Never having done this before, I plan to follow the step by step instructions here
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394156,00.asp

Has anyone here built this system before? Any comments on this setup,
or on any of the components? General comments on what to do or what
not to do when putting this together?
Click to expand...
Those all seem like very reliable components. It's always a good idea to go with Western Digital hard drives. :good:
 
Think the first main tip is take your time, wait till you have a full day off.

Then check you have all your components, start with preparing your case there may be a plate fixed to your case where the i/o plate of the motherboard goes, slowly wiggle this if you try to just pull it off it will leave rough edges.

From there different people do it different way`s.

personally i fit the power supply first, then fit the motherboard because if you fit the cpu and cooling fan outside the case on a flat surface you can damage the four fixing points of the cooling fan, because they pop out the bottom of the board, so if you are trying to push them through with the board flat it`s harder.

Then i will fit the front panel connections and cable tidy them out the way.

Then install the hard drive and disc drive.

Then connect all the power cables and sata cables and cable tidy them.

Lastly i fit the graphics card ( if there is one ) i do the card last because depending on the length of your cables you may have to put them under the top end of the card. ( The end with the connections )

Then you should be ready to power up and check it`s ok
 
Last edited:
Thanks spynoodle, jamesd1981, and claptonman.

Perhaps I should have added that my son and I are building this together as a father/son project. The main goals of this project are (1) to teach my son (and me!) about the components and how they fit together, and (2) to get the satisfaction of actually building a computer that works.

If it were up to me, I'd run linux, but you're right, in order for this to be a real gaming PC I'll also have to spend about another $99 for Windows. :(
 
rbelshoff said:
Thanks spynoodle, jamesd1981, and claptonman.

Perhaps I should have added that my son and I are building this together as a father/son project. The main goals of this project are (1) to teach my son (and me!) about the components and how they fit together, and (2) to get the satisfaction of actually building a computer that works.

If it were up to me, I'd run linux, but you're right, in order for this to be a real gaming PC I'll also have to spend about another $99 for Windows. :(
Click to expand...

There's away around, though. ;) Windows 8 is currently in the developer preview stage, so it's free for download:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516
There's a registry hack that makes it look like Windows 7:
http://www.addictivetips.com/window...-menu-explorer-and-task-manager-in-windows-8/
I use Windows 8 with this hack and it's great. Pirate FTW! :D Here's a tip with the hack: if you enter a value of "2" instead of "0," you get to keep the updated task manager of Windows 8 and the awesome start menu of Windows 7. It's the best of both worlds.
 
You could try Linux Mint. I'm not too familiar with that distro, but it plays a lot of games and windows programs. Might be worth it (and a learning experience) to see if the games you/your son wants to play works on it.
 
Spynoodles idea is good, would get you a free os for a while and the newest one, but if you can hold out until feb 28th or 29th, they are releasing windows 8 consumer preview which will be the final edition until it is released to the public.
 
The processor (AMD Athlon II X4 640) I was planning to use seems to be out of stock everywhere I've checked. All the other parts I've either got already or they are on their way.

So I need a processor that will work with the Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 motherboard.

Should I keep trying to find the AMD Athlon II X4 640 processor? Or should I substitute something else and if so what?
 
you probably will not find one. they have stopped production. You will need to look for either a Phenom II x4 or a FX6100 or so. IF not, then look on ebay for the athlon you wanted.
 
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