my 1st pc build (mid-range), went from 0 knowledge
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2014 3:40 am
Hi everybody... This is going to be my 1st PC.
Some backgrounds about me:
I decided to buy a PC for myself around a month ago. I know my way around software but i was a notebook user and i couldn't tell which way is left from right regarding what PC components does and which ones suits my needs. Extensively googling for the past month, and now i'm going to buy the PC on next tuesday or wednesday but i still need a bit of a help regarding some parts.
The PC usage:
a) heavy internet browsing habit.
==> i load 10-12 tabs at the same time from a website hompage, while leaving 40-50tabs open at idle normally.
b) watching HD movies on my 23" screen
c) light photo / video editing
d) office work
e) very minimal gaming (i don't play FPS at all. i do play interesting titles like remember me or tomb raider). So, i game once every 8 months i'd say
======================
Kindly need help and advice, my budget is $1200
The parts i'm still in doubts and need help deciding are ::
1) PC Case :: I could afford Corsair 330R ($132), and Corsair Obsidian 550D ($203)
Technically my budget could only afford a Corsair 330R price range, if i buy an Obsidian 550D, then the $70 difference would cut my Speaker budget from $150 to $80.
However, i view a PC Case and a PSU as an investment, when i change my system in the future, i wouldn't change my PSU nor my Case.
I can't see and touch the goods in person here in South East Asia, that's why i desperately need opinions about it.
**No Nanoxia here, Define R4 will be here in 3 months time i've heard
2) PSU :: i could afford either Seasonic G650 ($147) or Seasonic X560 ($172).
a) With a stock core i5 and an R9 270X... can a 560 Watt powered the rig?
b) I've read reviews and i'm aware that Seasonic X series has its fan turned off until certain percentage and its use a Sanyo fan.. but considering the watt consumed by the rig, the rig would consumed more percentage of a X560 watt PSU than a G650 watt PSU. So my question would be, which one would be more quiet between the two? is it the G650 or the X560?
c) Also, regarding coil whine, does an X series PSU are more prone to get coil whine out of the box compared to a G series PSU?
ps::you could also recommend a Corsair RM 650W and a super flower golden King 550W though im leaning towards Seasonic.
the above are my only PSU choices, goods are limited here, so no Antec, no XFX, and no Rosewill.
===
So far the parts that i've decided to buy are
Processors : i5-4570 ($243)
motherboard : MSI H87-G43 gaming ($158)
HDD : Seagate Barracuda 2tb ($102)
GPU : MSI R9 270x $295
RAM : Corsair vengeance pro 2x4 gb ($120)
CPU Cooler : Noctua NH-U12S ($80)
The PC should ideally be quiet, reliable to use in 4 to 5 years, and have enough performance to last that 5 years. minus the graphic card which i'll change once in a while.
to add a bit more context about myself, i used iphone 3gs and not upgrade until iphone 5s came out. i still use the same sony tv from 2002, i bought console right when it's out so that i can use it as long as it possible. Which i did. i used the same laptop from when vista came out until end of 2011.
So basically when i use electronic goods, i use it and grind it till it dies of old age, i dont change until i really have to. i'm really tired of having my notebook died in less than a year for the past 3 years, so yeah, i want the PC to last ^_^. at least for my usage.
===
1) Motherboard Question : Does a Z87 board last longer than it's H87 counterpart in general?
Say my board pick MSI h87-G43 gaming ($158) has a Z87 counterpart (Z87-G45 Gaming $232). Does a Z87 board in general use better / more reliable components than its H87 counterpart?
2) Processor question : if i want to use the rig for 4-5 years... will getting a K processors and pay a premium now makes me able to squeeze a little more juice out of my PC down the road....? Say, i'll OC 10% in Year 3 to make it last longer for example. or will OC and heat killed processors faster? does technology has catch up to the point that safe minimal OC will squeeze me more performance but still as reliable as stock? I don't think i'll do high or extreme OC.
The price difference is a concern though, getting a Z87-G45 gaming and an i5-4670K will cost me in total $520 VS my current build i5-4570 + H87-G43 gaming ($400)
Does the $120 premium of getting Z board paid off in 3-4 years in terms of OC-ing in years 3 to 4 to squeeze it?
3) Does WD Red / Seagate SV35 will be quieter and more reliable than Barracuda / green if i write on it 12-15 hours a day...?
my internet speed is snail slow, like 125kb/second, so i upload and download for many hours.
=========
Additional unimportant addendum ::
Addendum: If one PC shop don't have the parts then 95% of the time all the other PC shops on the city won't have stock, because PC components Shops are concentrated in one area, and the PC Shops don't have inventory/stock for the goods, they're more a middleman store than a proper shop with inventories.
When and only when a buyer have "oral agreement agreeing to buy", the PC shop will go to the distributor and get the goods (which are located in the same building / area). More like a PC Middleman Shop than a PC shop really
Addendum 2 : If you're wondering about my extensive question regarding reliabilities, it's because aftersales on this island is subpar to say the least. So, i don't really care about warranty so much as your experiences and QC from the factory itself.
No point of being under warranty if when a part is broken i have to wait 3~6 months for RMA from the local distributors, and even when i get the exchanged goods, it''s not always in a like-new state. (happens more often than a customer would want). So yeah reliability is more important than long / short warranty.
========================
btw, i learned all these in 3 weeks from zero so im terribly sorry for the very long and detailed questions... this is my 1st pc and i want to get it right.
Some backgrounds about me:
I decided to buy a PC for myself around a month ago. I know my way around software but i was a notebook user and i couldn't tell which way is left from right regarding what PC components does and which ones suits my needs. Extensively googling for the past month, and now i'm going to buy the PC on next tuesday or wednesday but i still need a bit of a help regarding some parts.
The PC usage:
a) heavy internet browsing habit.
==> i load 10-12 tabs at the same time from a website hompage, while leaving 40-50tabs open at idle normally.
b) watching HD movies on my 23" screen
c) light photo / video editing
d) office work
e) very minimal gaming (i don't play FPS at all. i do play interesting titles like remember me or tomb raider). So, i game once every 8 months i'd say
======================
Kindly need help and advice, my budget is $1200
The parts i'm still in doubts and need help deciding are ::
1) PC Case :: I could afford Corsair 330R ($132), and Corsair Obsidian 550D ($203)
Technically my budget could only afford a Corsair 330R price range, if i buy an Obsidian 550D, then the $70 difference would cut my Speaker budget from $150 to $80.
However, i view a PC Case and a PSU as an investment, when i change my system in the future, i wouldn't change my PSU nor my Case.
I can't see and touch the goods in person here in South East Asia, that's why i desperately need opinions about it.
**No Nanoxia here, Define R4 will be here in 3 months time i've heard
2) PSU :: i could afford either Seasonic G650 ($147) or Seasonic X560 ($172).
a) With a stock core i5 and an R9 270X... can a 560 Watt powered the rig?
b) I've read reviews and i'm aware that Seasonic X series has its fan turned off until certain percentage and its use a Sanyo fan.. but considering the watt consumed by the rig, the rig would consumed more percentage of a X560 watt PSU than a G650 watt PSU. So my question would be, which one would be more quiet between the two? is it the G650 or the X560?
c) Also, regarding coil whine, does an X series PSU are more prone to get coil whine out of the box compared to a G series PSU?
ps::you could also recommend a Corsair RM 650W and a super flower golden King 550W though im leaning towards Seasonic.
the above are my only PSU choices, goods are limited here, so no Antec, no XFX, and no Rosewill.
===
So far the parts that i've decided to buy are
Processors : i5-4570 ($243)
motherboard : MSI H87-G43 gaming ($158)
HDD : Seagate Barracuda 2tb ($102)
GPU : MSI R9 270x $295
RAM : Corsair vengeance pro 2x4 gb ($120)
CPU Cooler : Noctua NH-U12S ($80)
The PC should ideally be quiet, reliable to use in 4 to 5 years, and have enough performance to last that 5 years. minus the graphic card which i'll change once in a while.
to add a bit more context about myself, i used iphone 3gs and not upgrade until iphone 5s came out. i still use the same sony tv from 2002, i bought console right when it's out so that i can use it as long as it possible. Which i did. i used the same laptop from when vista came out until end of 2011.
So basically when i use electronic goods, i use it and grind it till it dies of old age, i dont change until i really have to. i'm really tired of having my notebook died in less than a year for the past 3 years, so yeah, i want the PC to last ^_^. at least for my usage.
===
1) Motherboard Question : Does a Z87 board last longer than it's H87 counterpart in general?
Say my board pick MSI h87-G43 gaming ($158) has a Z87 counterpart (Z87-G45 Gaming $232). Does a Z87 board in general use better / more reliable components than its H87 counterpart?
2) Processor question : if i want to use the rig for 4-5 years... will getting a K processors and pay a premium now makes me able to squeeze a little more juice out of my PC down the road....? Say, i'll OC 10% in Year 3 to make it last longer for example. or will OC and heat killed processors faster? does technology has catch up to the point that safe minimal OC will squeeze me more performance but still as reliable as stock? I don't think i'll do high or extreme OC.
The price difference is a concern though, getting a Z87-G45 gaming and an i5-4670K will cost me in total $520 VS my current build i5-4570 + H87-G43 gaming ($400)
Does the $120 premium of getting Z board paid off in 3-4 years in terms of OC-ing in years 3 to 4 to squeeze it?
3) Does WD Red / Seagate SV35 will be quieter and more reliable than Barracuda / green if i write on it 12-15 hours a day...?
my internet speed is snail slow, like 125kb/second, so i upload and download for many hours.
=========
Additional unimportant addendum ::
Addendum: If one PC shop don't have the parts then 95% of the time all the other PC shops on the city won't have stock, because PC components Shops are concentrated in one area, and the PC Shops don't have inventory/stock for the goods, they're more a middleman store than a proper shop with inventories.
When and only when a buyer have "oral agreement agreeing to buy", the PC shop will go to the distributor and get the goods (which are located in the same building / area). More like a PC Middleman Shop than a PC shop really
Addendum 2 : If you're wondering about my extensive question regarding reliabilities, it's because aftersales on this island is subpar to say the least. So, i don't really care about warranty so much as your experiences and QC from the factory itself.
No point of being under warranty if when a part is broken i have to wait 3~6 months for RMA from the local distributors, and even when i get the exchanged goods, it''s not always in a like-new state. (happens more often than a customer would want). So yeah reliability is more important than long / short warranty.
========================
btw, i learned all these in 3 weeks from zero so im terribly sorry for the very long and detailed questions... this is my 1st pc and i want to get it right.