First time build, any suggestions appreciated.

asb116

New Member
I'm building a rig for mid-high end gaming, as well as for school applications like AutoCAD and MSCAD. The following is a list of components I have selected. Any advice is welcome, will this all work together? It's my first build, so i'll take all the help I can get...

Case - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144197

HardDrive - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

GPU - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150439

PSU - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170017

RAM - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211409

MoBo - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128414

Processor - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116091
 
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For that price, you can upgrade every single one of those parts, and buy a disk drive as well.

What is the maximum budget for this? And do you have an operating system? CAD programs can be exceedingly resource-intensive.

edit: By maximum budget, I mean how much exactly are you willing to spend. If you give a budget here we're probably going to go right up to the top of it with suggestions.
 
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My max is 750$ Canadian. The programs already run on this laptop, which is running with muuuch lower specs than the proposed desktop.

I have a monitor and operating system ready to go.

I also have various spare disk drives and the like lying around, seeing as I only want one to install the OS, it isn't a requirement.
 
My max is 750$ Canadian. The programs already run on this laptop, which is running with muuuch lower specs than the proposed desktop.

I have a monitor and operating system ready to go.

I also have various spare disk drives and the like lying around, seeing as I only want one to install the OS, it isn't a requirement.

As long as they run. Gaming will be pretty resource-intensive though, as will heavy 3d modeling.

So you're looking to buy one for around $750? If you'd rather go cheaper say something. That build had some low-grade parts in it, so I assumed you were trying to save money.

edit: It's really much easier to specify the exact price that you want, rather than a maximum.

What OS and hard drives do you have?
 
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I have a copy of Windows 7, and a standard DVD drive.

Currently I'm playing games like Modern Warfare 2 and Bioshock on this laptop. A dell XPS 1530, 1.8 Ghz dual core, 160GBHD, 256 Geofrce 8600 GM.... You get the idea. Now these games do run at medium to high settings, perfectly playable if not the best looking. I'm figuring a desktop with those specs indicated above shouldn't have too much trouble. The CAD programs aren't very graphic intensive, so thats no worry there.
 
Oh, you meant you have a DVD drive...my bad. Good call on Win7.

Depending on the CAD program, they can be very graphics intensive. Yours apparently aren't though, so no issue. I'll have a build up in a bit.
 
Thanks a lot for your input, as for a build. If you're tlaking about putting one up for me, I should indicate that my 750 dollar budget includes tax and shipping.
 
They charge sales tax? Hopefully this won't go over budget...I didn't know CA had tax on online purchases.


PSU- OCZ Fatal1ty 550W (you don't want to skimp on this)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

CPU- Core i5 750 (a beast, will easily rip through cad programs and games)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

Mobo- MSI P55-CD53
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130240

RAM- CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (better voltages)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

GPU- HIS Radeon HD4670 (get it soon...price will go back up)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161287

Case- Cooler Master Elite 310
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119203

Hard Drive- Same
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319


The GPU is actually a slight downgrade, but it's still really good. IMO, it's better to start with a good CPU and upgrade the GPU later than vice-versa.
 
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If others want to recommend a complete overhaul based on budget they can - I'll just look at the parts and find upgrades in roughly the same price point.

The one that stood out the most was Pentium Dual core. As a hardware newcomer - I think that technology predates the core2duo. For just a few extra dollars you can upgrade to a new AM3 socket rather than a 775 socket on it's last leg - and get a notable bump in performance with Phenom II Cual Core 550 BE http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680&Tpk=phenom ii 550

The 775 has little to no CPU upgrade path - while the AM3 offers one if you want to add a budget quad core 2 years from today and still stay up to date.
 
Thanks a lot! I appreciate taking the time to try and help out a newb. Yeah, newegg.ca does apparently, though I can't complain, they offer the best prices i've found by far.

My budget is.. Semi-flexible, but 800$ is more or less my absolute max, im merely a poor college student trying to put together a decent PC. Lol. When it comes to gaming I quite enjoy PC gaming, but im not one of these people that needs all my settings maxxed out to enjoy a game.
 
Thanks a lot! I appreciate taking the time to try and help out a newb. Yeah, newegg.ca does apparently, though I can't complain, they offer the best prices i've found by far.

My budget is.. Semi-flexible, but 800$ is more or less my absolute max, im merely a poor college student trying to put together a decent PC. Lol. When it comes to gaming I quite enjoy PC gaming, but im not one of these people that needs all my settings maxxed out to enjoy a game.

No problem :)

Jamin was correct about the LGA 775 processors...they're on the way out. The i5 is on the LGA 1156 platform, so no worries there. Also, after the rebates you should be within bounds on the price. :good:
 
Well, i'm going to rework some things, try to see what I can do. I'll post an updated configuration in a bit!
 
Alrighty! Heres my new setup... Went for an AMD setup rather than intel. I've never used an AMD system before, though I do hear good things! Any comments on Intel Vs AMD? Anyhow, heres the new setup.

I'll stick with a dual core for now... I can always upgrade later... This one totals about 750 dollars with tax and shipping. Good setup for the price?
 

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I think I will upgrade to the quad core, it's worth it for the extra 10 dollars. Thanks for the heads up, you've been very helpful, the both of you.
I'll likely have the system and assemble it within' the next 2-3 weeks, if anyone is interested I can post how it goes, as well as some performance specs, for if anyone is ever looking for a similar system.
 
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