Author Topic: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC  (Read 4970 times)

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Offline Doc

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I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« on: March 06, 2016, 02:31:13 am »
Like xracecar, I too am wanting to construct a computer.
Why? My current PC is an HP Pavilion g6 notebook with an AMD E-350 or E-450 (I can't remember) that runs at a maximum of 1.65 Gigahertz and has 4 Gigabytes of RAM. It sucks for gaming. It's slow and filled with bloatware and crapware and has some malware and a trojan horse.
What I need to do:
  • Play and record video games for YouTube
  • Edit the footage I get
  • play games while the video renders.
  • Also I need a 64 bit CPU to get the amount of RAM I will need.
I know about cooling and such, all I need is what kind of hardware should I buy? DDR3 RAM or DDR4? An Intel processor or AMD? NVIDIA GPU or AMD GPU? How much wattage do I need from a power supply? Stuff like that.
Things I know I will be getting are a 3 Terabyte HDD, a 256 Gigabyte SSD and a Deep Cool Tesseract SW Mid-Tower computer case with side window.
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2016, 03:49:40 am »
Processor:
In your case I believe an Intel processor would be ideal due to speed. AMD processors tend to be more useful for virtualization, which you don't seem to have a need for.

RAM:
DDR4 would be your best bet since it's much faster than DDR3.

GPU:
I wouldn't focus on the brands too much between NVIDIA and AMD, what you'll want to focus on more is the chip-set, GTX or R9. From what I understand though if you plan to get a GPU with 4GB memory the R9 makes better use of it.
***Note: might want to make sure the GPU uses DDR4.

Wattage:
If you use pcpartpicker to create a parts list it will give you an estimate of the wattage you will need. With that estimate of wattage I suggest finding a power supply with at least 2 times that, with a gold or platinum rating.

In regards to:
It's slow and filled with bloatware and crapware and has some malware and a trojan horse.
You could use such things as CCleaner and Malwarebytes to help keep your pc clean.

Basically it comes down to what your budget is for this build. Also what OS you plan on using?

I hope this answers your questions.

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2016, 01:06:25 pm »
I had CCleaner a few years back. Due to some hard drive problems
I had to reinstall it a few times. Then it said I had it on too many computers
and quit working. Even though it was only on one.. Just in case you get it.
It may quit working if you re install it.

Needless to say I didn't buy it again.
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2016, 06:39:48 pm »
I've always just used the free version of CCleaner, has suited me fine for years with just using the cleaner and registry fixer.

Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2016, 12:51:55 am »
Thanks for the info. I think I will go for a GTX card. I`m sure a 980 will do just fine to play Space Engineers with huge ships, stations and multiple large planets.
I think my budget would be about $2,500. It's about as much as I could get in a summer at minimum wage.
GPUs use a different type of RAM than the CPU will use, because of their different work loads. A video card has to rapidly process large files, such as HD textures at 60 fps, so a specialized RAM would be needed to quickly load the file, get it processed, then load another file. New GPUs use GDDR5 while new CPUs use DDR4. So I`m fairly certain system RAM will not affect the video card whatsoever.
One downside to DDR4 is the cost, but there are plenty of upsides that outweigh the cost.
Now... what Intel processor should I get?
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2016, 01:29:36 am »
Despite combing through that post several times I missed that error with the GPU, sorry about that. GDDR5 is what you would want to aim for. Also with your budget you could create a real monster of a PC if you wanted to.

I'm actually still using an Intel core i5 2500K for my desktop and it's working just fine for me. Ideally you will want to go for an i7 but depending how close you are to your budget you could still get decent performance from an i5. Also, more cores tend to be better, but there is an exchange between speed and number of cores.

more cores = lower speeds vs. less cores = higher speeds

In your case however I believe a i7 quad core would be the best fit.
Possibly one like this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k

My current build only cost about $1000 and it can probably do what your looking to do just fine, which is way I said with a $2500 budget you could create a real monster of a PC, though depending how monstrous you may want to look into a liquid cooling set up if you haven't already.

You plan on having a multi monitor set up?
« Last Edit: March 07, 2016, 08:27:12 pm by Elusive »

Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2016, 01:05:20 am »
I do intend to have a dual monitor setup. One for the actual gaming and one for research purposes, displaying all recording software, etc.
As for the CPU, I was leaning towards a Core series processor. My friend has an i5 ( i think the same model as yours) in his build. The RAM his system uses is a mystery to me at the moment, but I will find out eventually. Although the Core i7 4790k is a great processor, a 6700k (take a peek at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117559 Aw, yeah.)
 would be better. Why not have a way better CPU than my friend?
I just found another little blooper: You recommend DDR4, yet showed me a DDR3 compatible processor. Just a blooper, nothing special. Well, I found it slightly amusing.
RAM:
DDR4 would be your best bet since it's much faster than DDR3.
In your case however I believe a i7 quad core would be the best fit.
Possibly one like this:
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k
Now for the motherboard... The case I want is compatible with ATX motherboards and smaller.
Intel Core series DDR4 compatible motherboards... know of any good ones?

Also I did look into water cooling. should I just water cool the CPU and let the GPU heatsink fans and my case fans and radiator fans handle the rest?
« Last Edit: March 08, 2016, 01:07:19 am by Doc »
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2016, 02:45:02 pm »
My new laptop has one close to that, the i7 6700HQ which is built more for laptops so it does lack in power compared to the desktop version. It's doing great so far.

Can't say I have a specific recommendation in mind for motherboards, there are plenty of good ones out there but they all have there own design quirks. If you do plan on using that CPU then you'll need one with support for the Z170 chipset it seems. You'll want to keep in mind about potential upgrades in the future. In regards to the quirks it comes down to how much you're willing to put up with, so my suggestion is to just find a motherboard that supports all your needs and look up a lot of reviews and decide if you want to deal with that one's quirks or not. I tend to read the more negative reviews (In my experience the negative reviews tend to provide the more useful information unless they are short and not well thought out) first then work up to the more positive.

When it comes to water cooling I can't say much as I have not dealt with it myself. So for that you might have to do a bit of your own research.

Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2016, 08:05:07 pm »
Alright. Thanks for the help.
With the parts I have chosen for this build, it will cost $2,154.66. This leaves plenty of room for games!
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2016, 06:25:50 pm »
No problem, take good care of that monster!

Offline GrawnCastillo

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2016, 07:44:13 pm »
I can run skyrim smoothly but i need to go over 3.5 ghz for fallout 4.

Offline xracecar

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2016, 09:48:13 pm »
Take a couple of 2TB harddrives and clarify what each one is being used for (games, videos, music) get a Titan X from Nvidia (lots of power) if you plan with a big budget, and an i7 core slapped on with it. I don't know which Windows OS is better, but I do prefer Windows 7 the most though.
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Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2016, 01:45:55 am »
Sadly enough, I cannot buy a Titan because I would be over budget by $54 and then I won't have any money for a keyboard and mouse. The card I will get is a 980 Ti, which is basically a Baby Titan.
Although Windows 7 is a great OS, I switched to Windows 10 and my little laptop performs a bit better and I like the look and feel of it. I don't like the Start menu, though I have gotten used to it.
Here's what I have from the top of my head:
Intel Core i7 6700k quad core @ 4.0 GHz (water cooled)
NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti 6GB GDDR5
Asus motherboard (can't remember what it was called)
16 GB DDR4  Crucial RAM
3 TB HDD SATA (gaming performance)
256 GB SSD SATA from Samsung (they make phones, SSDs, and tanks!) (as boot drive)
Corsair (can't remember what series) 650 Watt PSU 80 plus Gold efficiency (I think its enough)
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2016, 02:17:48 am »
Just threw a rough build together based on that list and 650 watt may be enough but, you may want to look for a source closer to 1000 watt for possible overclocking and upgrade purposes. This is based on parts that are similar to what you listed but may not be the exact parts. Even with the build for my PC I got a 750 watt power source.

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #14 on: March 10, 2016, 12:04:25 pm »
I wanted to correct an error. The cleaning program I had trouble with was
DLcleaner not Ccleaner.  I apologize to any who it may have affected.
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Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #15 on: March 11, 2016, 02:18:23 am »
Alright. I'll look into that. I won't be overclocking. I don't know how to do it. I'll figure it out later, though.
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Offline Subzerus

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #16 on: March 23, 2016, 08:00:18 am »
Wow wow wow 3 TB? Are you sure about that? More space doesn't mean better, AT ALL. You should be really careful with that, consider getting 1 TB and getting an external hard drive.
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Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #17 on: March 24, 2016, 07:03:24 am »
Well, I revised my plans to a 1TB HDD but I am going to be producing YouTube videos with a good quality and whatnot. I will also be needing the space for games. Videos, especially in high definition, take a large amount of space. 15 minutes of footage @ 1080p is over a gigabyte of information.
Also, what is the purpose of having an external hard drive?
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Offline Elusive

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #18 on: March 25, 2016, 02:04:59 am »
The idea behind having an external hard drive is typically to have a back up of your data that is separate from your PC and stored in a separate safe location. If you do get an external hard drive best thing is to get one that has twice the space of the internal hard drive so you can have plenty of space and multiple backup versions. It's a good idea to get multiple hard drives rather than 1 large one. For example you originally had a 3TB HDD, having three 1TB HDDs could save you a lot of headache in the off chance something bad happens.

Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #19 on: March 25, 2016, 04:37:41 am »
The idea behind having an external hard drive is typically to have a back up of your data that is separate from your PC and stored in a separate safe location. If you do get an external hard drive best thing is to get one that has twice the space of the internal hard drive so you can have plenty of space and multiple backup versions. It's a good idea to get multiple hard drives rather than 1 large one. For example you originally had a 3TB HDD, having three 1TB HDDs could save you a lot of headache in the off chance something bad happens.
One of the easiest ways to have those backups made is to have one baseline storage drive, a boot drive and a RAID 1 pair of drives. Only problem with that is my budget is $2500 and, out of that budget, $170.04 remains. I don't own very many games yet, so that's what the remaider will be spent on. Maybe I'll get two HDDs and set them to RAID 1. That's a little cheaper and still within budget.
Do you know of a power supply that supports Skylake processors and Z-170 motherboards? Also my graphics card has a six pin and an eight pin connector ('cause it's the GTX 980 Ti) while the PSU I originally picked (a Corsair RM 750) supports a two six pin connector graphics card. I didn't notice until a week ago.
Good thing I haven't purchased anything yet.
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Offline Subzerus

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #20 on: March 25, 2016, 03:45:40 pm »
Well, I revised my plans to a 1TB HDD but I am going to be producing YouTube videos with a good quality and whatnot. I will also be needing the space for games. Videos, especially in high definition, take a large amount of space. 15 minutes of footage @ 1080p is over a gigabyte of information.
Also, what is the purpose of having an external hard drive?

Well if 3 TB on your internal drive is going to make your slow down but you want to have those 3TB to store things like your videos you get an external hard drive plug it and store your videos there and unplug it when you don't need it that way you have a faster computer because you don't have a 3 TB internal drive but you can still store your videos.
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Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2016, 10:18:07 am »
I have finally finished planning the system. Check it out: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/H7VfHN
Unfortunately, the sheer size of the case requires me to build a new desk.
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Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2016, 12:10:19 pm »
Looks like a winner Doc.. I see you have good cooling for the CPU and the case too.
Should keep it cool even when playing games. :orbunny:

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Offline Doc

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2016, 12:29:48 pm »
If it overheats with all the cooling stuff on it I will be sad.
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Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: I need some help choosing parts for a new PC
« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2016, 11:52:32 am »
I would be shocked if it overheated with all that cooling. Might sound like
a plane taking off when you turn it on.  :D  j/k.

I had to replace the cpu cooling on my new computer after only a year. That's
what I get for not building it. But when it's a gift one can't fuss too much..  :P
« Last Edit: July 14, 2016, 11:57:19 am by Old Rabbit »
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