New
#1
Building a new computer, help/info needed!
Hi everybody!
So, as the title says, I'm building myself a new computer, and I could really need some help with, well, almost everyhing really, so I got a ton of questions.
My uses for the computer will mainly be gaming, but also for everyday use and a little Adobe Photoshop/Flash work to mention a few.
I'm gonna try to keep this post as tidy and factual as possible, but please bare with me even if it gets a little jumbled and what not.
So let's talk business shall we?
1. CPU:
I've been looking at three different CPUs, all from Intel, these being the i5-3570K, i7-2600K, and the i7 3770K, but I don't really know which one to go for. I'm planning on overclocking the CPU (which when the time comes I'll also make a thread about) if that makes a difference. I am aware that buying the i5 would save me a few bucks, but the price difference ain't really too big so it doesn't really matter to me.
The i7-3770K is the newest of the three, being of the microarchitecture Ivy Bridge, while the other two are Sandy Bridge, does this matter a lot?
I know that Ivy Bridge is made(?) using(?) 22nm lithography, while Sandy Bridge is made using 32nm, which I believe effect the amount of power the CPU uses as well as how easy it is to keep it cooled. I don't think temperature will be much of a problem as I'm planning on using a Corsair Hydro Series H100i CPU cooler which I believe will be sufficient enough.
Is it true that the i7-2600K only supports PCIe 2.0 as opposed to the other two supporting PCIe 3.0? 'Cause if that's the case than the i7-2600K is out of the equation, being that I'm buying a graphics card that utilizes PCIe 3.0.
I've noticed on Intels homepage that they've listed that all three CPUs support DDR3 1333/1600MHz RAM, are these only recommendations? I mean, would I still be able to use memory with speeds like 1866 or even 2400MHz (assuming that the motherboard supported them of course)?
2. Motherboard:
I don't really have that many requirements when it comes to the motherboard, not that I know of at least.
All I can think of is that is has to support memory speeds from at least 1866MHz to as high as perhaps 2400Mhz, it has to contain USB 3.0 and SATA revision 3.0 (6 Gbit/s), and it also got to have a PCIe 3.0 slot, one being enough as I do not plan on running Crossfire/SLI. Hmm, guess I had a few requirements after all.
Like everything else I don't really have much knowledge about motherboards, but I'm under the impression that motherboards using the Z77 chip set is a good bet?
The ASUS Sabertooth Z77 looks pretty decent, it has the LGA1155 socket and supports 1866MHz memory. Only problem is that it feels a bit pricy, so any other decent suggestions are welcome!
3. GPU:
First of all, and I'm sure it doesn't matter, but for some reason I have in my imaginary world reached the conclusion that maybe perhaps using a Nvidia-based graphics card on a computer that uses an Intel processor is better than using an AMD-based graphics card, is there anything to this?
Would for an example a couple of AMD graphics cards still be able to run in Crossfire and utililze Eyefinity even if I were to have a motherboard with an LGA1155 socket with a i7 CPU in it?
If there ain't, than I'm probably gonna go with the Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz 1GB "Flex".
I'm aware that I won't be running Battlefield 3 or anything like that on the maximum settings, but a graphics card is something that I can easily upgrade in the future without the need to upgrade the rest of my computer as well, though as always other suggestions are more than welcome.
4. RAM:
The dreaded random-access memory, the source of many sleepless nights. So, where to start..
Let's use the ASUS Sabertooth Z77 motherboard I mentioned earlier as an example, would it support a pair of 8GB Kingston DDR HyperX Predator RAMmies? They use/need 1.5V, they're un-buffered, they have the XMP function, dual channel, etc..
Are there anything else I should think about, or that I need to know? Please do elaborate on this whole memory deal as I'm having a hard time getting a grasp of it, especially the whole voltage aspect of it and how important that is when choosing memory modules.
5. PSU:
Okay, so the final part of the puzzle, the power supply.
How much wattage do I need to run this puppy? I could also mention that I'll be using one SSD and two HDDs in my computer, and then there's the fan control, the fans themselves, whatever I put in the USB ports, the graphics card (which'll probably be upgraded in the future to a more powerful one) etc. etc..
Would a power supply delivering 650 or maybe 750W suffice?
And should I perhaps even get a 850W to be sure, or would that be overkill?
Well, that should pretty much cover it, at least I hope so.
I do apologize for the wall of text which might be quite tedious to read through, let alone answer it.
But I do sincerely hope there are a few kind souls out there that are willing to take time out of their day to help me out, 'cause I would sincerely appreciate it if they do.
So yeah, that's all for now and hopefully when I check back there will be a few replies to get the ball rolling.
- Drops