Building first pc

Hinderk · 11-01-2009, 06:49 PM

I am building a pc for the first time and wanted to know if the parts I have chosen seem alright to you guys. This computer will need to capable of playing current games and I'm trying to keep it around $600

CPU
Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors

Mobo
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard

Ram
Newegg.com - Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PVS24G6400LLK

GPU
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100279-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

HDD
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive

Optical
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive

Case
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Computer Cases

Phædrus2401 · 11-01-2009, 06:54 PM

The power supply that comes with that case isn't good enough to run a 4870. A 4870 should ideally have something like a Corsair TX650W (~$100). If that's too expensive, bump the graphics card down to a 4850 or 4770 and use a Corsair VX550W.

Hinderk · 11-01-2009, 07:16 PM

Do I need a 650w psu for my gpu or could I run it with 630w psu?

Phædrus2401 · 11-01-2009, 07:26 PM

What's the brand and model? That's more important than the total wattage rating. A Corsair TX650W will deliver more and more reliable power than a Tagan 1100W.

Hinderk · 11-01-2009, 07:36 PM

The one I was looking to use was this Raidmax.

Phædrus2401 · 11-01-2009, 07:46 PM

Why are you looking at a doorstop for a power supply?

I know it's tempting, but the power supply is the last place you want to cheap out in a system. And there's a lot more to a power supply than its wattage rating: efficiency, temperature rated at, amperage on the +12V rail, one or multiple +12V rails, protections, quality of internal parts, PFC, etc. If you want to use a 4870, you need a quality power supply, and quality costs. If you aren't willing to shell out for a decent PSU, don't get the 4870. That Raidmax might power a 4670.

Read these links:
Power Supply Information and Selection
Video card quick list

**Tyree** · 11-01-2009, 08:19 PM

I wouldn't trust a Raidmax to power case fans. IMHO they're right down there with Rosewill for quality.
If you go with the 4870 and a quality PSU the 750W Corsair is on special for the same price as the 650W. $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006

rookienoob · 11-02-2009, 06:43 AM

The power supply is one of the main factors to determine the lifespan of your system.

Right now I'm running an outrageous amount of hardware on a 4 year old 400W OEM powersupply.

You might be able to run that system on a Corsair or Antec 500W PSU, but have you considered, that you might want to make cheap upgrades in the future? Or that powersupplies with a lower rated wattage usually runs hotter - and probably will be les efficient in that case?

I'd say go for a corsair 650 or 750W - The only reason why I haven't done that is because PSUs are really quite expensive, where I live. For the 750W Corsair I would have to pay about 170$.

**Tyree** · 11-02-2009, 10:30 AM

@ rookienoob
A 4870 requires a 500W minimum PSU so I wouldn't suggest the OP use a Corasir 500W and certainly not an Antec 500W.

rookienoob · 11-02-2009, 11:25 AM

Me neither - I just try to say that even if a PSU technically "should" be able to run a system, it is wise to buy a better one - simply to be safe and because they lose a bit of their original capabilities over time.

Otherwise Hinderk risks that his new PC crashes right away...

Hinderk · 11-02-2009, 03:46 PM

Guess I'll go a little over my budget and get the 750W Corsair.

Thank you guys for all your help. I went to a couple other sites to get their opinion on my build and no one else noticed that I needed a better power supply. What do you guys think of the rest of my system?

Phædrus2401 · 11-02-2009, 04:05 PM

It looks pretty good. The 4870 might be very slightly bottlenecked by the E5200 (I have a similar CPU and it needs to be overclocked to 2.8GHz for best performance) but it should still be a decent setup, and you can upgrade later. The performance hit won't be too bad, anyway. I don't have any experience with Patriot's Viper RAM so I can't comment on its quality or stability, but Patriot is a decent brand. Aside from that I have no real complaints.

Most computer enthusiasts and builders don't understand power supplies. That's because the PSU isn't as "sexy" as the CPU or graphics card. So it's the place they cut first to save costs; and then when they start getting problems related to power (failing RAM, failing graphics card, hard drive errors, overheating, instability, etc.) they complain that the PC is a lot more involved platform than consoles. It isn't that demanding, they just skimp on one of the most critical parts in the system and pay the price in having to do a lot of tweaks and repairs.

11-01-2009, 06:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
Hinderk Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: vista	Building first pc I am building a pc for the first time and wanted to know if the parts I have chosen seem alright to you guys. This computer will need to capable of playing current games and I'm trying to keep it around $600 CPU Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors Mobo Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard Ram Newegg.com - Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PVS24G6400LLK GPU Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100279-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card HDD Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive Optical Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Case Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Computer Cases

11-01-2009, 06:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,782 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Building first pc The power supply that comes with that case isn't good enough to run a 4870. A 4870 should ideally have something like a Corsair TX650W (~$100). If that's too expensive, bump the graphics card down to a 4850 or 4770 and use a Corsair VX550W. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

11-01-2009, 07:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Hinderk Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: vista	Re: Building first pc Do I need a 650w psu for my gpu or could I run it with 630w psu?

11-01-2009, 07:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,782 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Building first pc What's the brand and model? That's more important than the total wattage rating. A Corsair TX650W will deliver more and more reliable power than a Tagan 1100W. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

11-01-2009, 07:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
Hinderk Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: vista	Re: Building first pc The one I was looking to use was this Raidmax.

11-01-2009, 07:46 PM	#6 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,782 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Building first pc Why are you looking at a doorstop for a power supply? I know it's tempting, but the power supply is the last place you want to cheap out in a system. And there's a lot more to a power supply than its wattage rating: efficiency, temperature rated at, amperage on the +12V rail, one or multiple +12V rails, protections, quality of internal parts, PFC, etc. If you want to use a 4870, you need a quality power supply, and quality costs. If you aren't willing to shell out for a decent PSU, don't get the 4870. That Raidmax might power a 4670. Read these links: Power Supply Information and Selection Video card quick list __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

11-01-2009, 08:19 PM	#7 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,566 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Building first pc I wouldn't trust a Raidmax to power case fans. IMHO they're right down there with Rosewill for quality. If you go with the 4870 and a quality PSU the 750W Corsair is on special for the same price as the 650W. $110 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006 __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

11-02-2009, 06:43 AM	#8 (permalink)
rookienoob Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 49 OS: xp sp2	Re: Building first pc The power supply is one of the main factors to determine the lifespan of your system. Right now I'm running an outrageous amount of hardware on a 4 year old 400W OEM powersupply. You might be able to run that system on a Corsair or Antec 500W PSU, but have you considered, that you might want to make cheap upgrades in the future? Or that powersupplies with a lower rated wattage usually runs hotter - and probably will be les efficient in that case? I'd say go for a corsair 650 or 750W - The only reason why I haven't done that is because PSUs are really quite expensive, where I live. For the 750W Corsair I would have to pay about 170$.

11-02-2009, 10:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,566 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Building first pc @ rookienoob A 4870 requires a 500W minimum PSU so I wouldn't suggest the OP use a Corasir 500W and certainly not an Antec 500W. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

11-02-2009, 11:25 AM	#10 (permalink)
rookienoob Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 49 OS: xp sp2	Re: Building first pc Me neither - I just try to say that even if a PSU technically "should" be able to run a system, it is wise to buy a better one - simply to be safe and because they lose a bit of their original capabilities over time. Otherwise Hinderk risks that his new PC crashes right away...

11-02-2009, 03:46 PM	#11 (permalink)
Hinderk Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: vista	Re: Building first pc Guess I'll go a little over my budget and get the 750W Corsair. Thank you guys for all your help. I went to a couple other sites to get their opinion on my build and no one else noticed that I needed a better power supply. What do you guys think of the rest of my system?

11-02-2009, 04:05 PM	#12 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,782 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Building first pc It looks pretty good. The 4870 might be very slightly bottlenecked by the E5200 (I have a similar CPU and it needs to be overclocked to 2.8GHz for best performance) but it should still be a decent setup, and you can upgrade later. The performance hit won't be too bad, anyway. I don't have any experience with Patriot's Viper RAM so I can't comment on its quality or stability, but Patriot is a decent brand. Aside from that I have no real complaints. Most computer enthusiasts and builders don't understand power supplies. That's because the PSU isn't as "sexy" as the CPU or graphics card. So it's the place they cut first to save costs; and then when they start getting problems related to power (failing RAM, failing graphics card, hard drive errors, overheating, instability, etc.) they complain that the PC is a lot more involved platform than consoles. It isn't that demanding, they just skimp on one of the most critical parts in the system and pay the price in having to do a lot of tweaks and repairs. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.