Best Place For Computer Parts

[Cube]

I'm looking at building a new PC, to run games better than my laptop. All I need is the desktop (I have a keyboard, mouse, my TV will be the monitor).

 

I've never built a PC before, but it's something I want to do, however I'm not really great on hardware and working out what parts I need and working out the best value. However, if it is expensive then I can spread the cost across a few months. I've always been a AMD/ATI person (don't really know why) - is there a reason to change to Intel/nVidia at all?

 

Where are the best places to look, or the best guides for this?

[MoogleViper]

http://www.ebuyer.com/ and http://www.scan.co.uk/ are the best ones. (You can get free delivery from Scan through AVForums http://www.avforums.com/forums/scan_offer.php you have to wait 14 days so best to sign up now).

 

As for AMD/intel etc., I'd say just go for whichever was the best in your price range.

 

As for guides, the mobo manual will tell you where everything goes, and there are plenty of guides around (just search it in google) if you need extra help.

 

If you aren't sure about parts, then you could always try a mobo bundle, although personally I'd recommend just researching and getting exactly what you want. http://www.novatech.co.uk/motherboardbundles/

Edited May 31, 2012 by MoogleViper

[Sheikah]

I've just built one for the first time and I might be able to help.

 

Best places to buy are ebuyer like Moogle said but also Amazon, who are often cheaper and tend to have cheaper delivery options (although expensive stuff on ebuyer is usually free delivery). Also great sites for parts are Novatech (got my graphics card there), dabs.com (big range), scan.co.uk and aria.co.uk.

 

 

Intel are far more popular at the moment for processors with their i3/i5/i7 range. I wholly recommend an i5 processor (either the older 2500K or the newer 3570K), which are priced great and all you need for gaming (i7 isn't really worth it for gaming). The K denotes that you can easily overclock it (which, while sounding scary, is incredibly easy to do and provides a massive boost).

 

Take note that any given processor will have a socket type. For instance, an i5 processor is socket 1155. This means you need a motherboard that has a 1155 socket (e.g. Asrock Z77 Extreme4, the one I have).

 

Second, the motherboard supports only one type of RAM, as in either DDR, DDR2 or DDR3. Luckily all new motherboards support DDR3, pretty much. But it's always wise to check that your RAM is supported by a certain motherboard.

 

 

You can build a really cheap PC. But you can also spend a bit more, and have a PC that would be pretty damn good and last you comfortably for quite a while. I opted for the latter, so I bought a graphics card for under £200 that you can overclock to make it outpower those that cost £350+ (MSI Radeon HD 7850 Twin Frozr @ Novatech).

 

 

In general, these are the parts you'll need to put together a PC. Here's a link to a post I made a few weeks ago showing what I bought so you could always use that for ideas (and them's be good parts):

 

 

PC Case - I recommend something spacious with good ventilation to get good air circulation. Also nice but not essential for it to have USB 3.0 ports on the front.

 

Motherboard - Decent brands are ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte. Z68 or even better Z77 chipset for definite. Make sure it has the matching socket to your processor.

 

RAM - DDR3, Check compatibility with mobo and reviews (Corsair and G.Skill are pretty good).

 

Processor - i5, for sure.

 

Processor Cooler - important, the one that comes with the processor isn't very good. Stops your processor going into meltdown. A pretty decent one is the hyper 212 evo. Make sure whatever you get is compatible with your socket too.

 

Hard Drive - I definitely recommend an SSD (solid state drive) since they reduce loading times of your OS/programs/games massively.

 

Power Supply - very important you don't skimp on this one. What wattage you get is dependent on your parts - if they're power intensive, you need something higher. 600W can be sufficient for many builds but having 700W-750W lets you have room for upgrades. This calculator will give you an idea of how much power your build will need (usually get something at least 100W higher than what that says you need). 'Modular' power supplies are good too since you only use the wires you need (non-modular PSUs have a bunch of wires attached and you only use some of them, the rest just take up space in your case).

 

Some case fans...

 

And of course the graphics card. Already said which I got which is pretty sweet. A slightly more affordable one is the nVidia Geforce GTX 560 Ti which is still fairly decent.

[Captain Falcon]

 

 

Intel are far more popular at the moment for processors with their i3/i5/i7 range. I wholly recommend an i5 processor (either the older 2500K or the newer 3570K), which are priced great and all you need for gaming (i7 isn't really worth it for gaming). The K denotes that you can easily overclock it (which, while sounding scary, is incredibly easy to do and provides a massive boost).

 

I might be taking crap here because it's only what I've read and not something I have personal experience of, but, it is my understanding that if you do intend to OC an i5, it's better to go with the Sandybridge 2500K over the Ivybridge 3570K because they don't heat up as much allowing for greater increases at safer temperatures. The IB has a marginal benefit at stock speeds (said to be less than 10%) but will never clock as high as the SB one.

 

Of course, if you have no intention of doing anything like that, it doesn't make too much difference - unless you really want the HD4000 intergated graphics.

 

 

 

I've vowed to myself to self build my next desktop PC so I'm sure I'll be pestering people for help too at some point but my laptop is pretty good right now and I'd rather wait until I have a bit more money at my disposal.

 

A good place to keep an eye on is the computer section at hot uk deals as people are often posting components for good prices and you could net yourself a bargain or two and save a few more pennies.

[Sheikah]

I might be taking crap here because it's only what I've read and not something I have personal experience of, but, it is my understanding that if you do intend to OC an i5, it's better to go with the Sandybridge 2500K over the Ivybridge 3570K because they don't heat up as much allowing for greater increases at safer temperatures. The IB has a marginal benefit at stock speeds (said to be less than 10%) but will never clock as high as the SB one.

 

Of course, if you have no intention of doing anything like that, it doesn't make too much difference - unless you really want the HD4000 intergated graphics.

 

The 3570K is still a better processor, I did a fair bit of research myself before purchasing. At only £15 or so more expensive you may as well get the Ivy, as it's an improvement on the previous model.

 

Although the 2500K can get to a higher clock speed with the same cooling setup, the 3570K doesn't need to clock as high for the same result. The Ivy only runs hotter, it actually produces less heat than a Sandy (think of a lit match vs an air heater). That's a great thing in terms of reducing the heat in your caase. The Ivy can actually work at higher operating temperatures (up to 105C), and as a plus uses less power than the Sandy.

 

The built in graphics of the processor is very useful if you are using VirtuMVP (built in utility that combines your onboard and discrete graphics card to improve your performance).