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    The PC (Personal Computer) is a highly configurable and upgradable gaming platform that, among home systems, sports the widest variety of control methods, largest library of games, and cutting edge graphics and sound capabilities.

    I'm Doing It. I'm Building a PC.

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    killacam

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    #1  Edited By killacam

    I didn't think there were enough of these threads already, so here's another one. I've never built a computer before, but am itching to get into the realm of PC gaming. I also do a lot of music production and I'm going into comp-sci to study game design in... one week. So I'm trying not to skimp where it counts. BUT seeing as I'm new at this, any thoughts from the knowledgeable GB community would be appreciated before I drop $1800. Maybe the CPU and RAM are overkill? Who knows if it's all even compatible? Hopefully you do. Thanks!

    CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W

    GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-3662-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16

    Mobo: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0

    Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R

    PSU: Antec EarthWatts Series EA-750 Green 750W ATX12V v2.3

    RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

    SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC

    HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s

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    alistercat

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    #2  Edited By alistercat

    I am looking to get that exact card to replace my GTX460. I'm curious about whether it's worth it.

    Kudos on going to build your first PC. 16GB of RAM is way overkill. I do video production and photoshop, and 8GB is already too much. Most of the time.

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    killacam

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    #3  Edited By killacam

    @AlisterCat said:

    I am looking to get that exact card to replace my GTX460. I'm curious about whether it's worth it.

    Kudos on going to build your first PC. 16GB of RAM is way overkill. I do video production and photoshop, and 8GB is already too much. Most of the time.

    Hmm okay good to know, maybe I'll take it down a notch. From nvidia charts I've seen, the 660 ti seems to be a little bit beneath the 670 in terms of performance, but a much better value for its cost.

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    banishedsoul1

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    #4  Edited By banishedsoul1

    seems over kill

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    connerthekewlkid

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    #5  Edited By connerthekewlkid

    its not overkill if you wanna run games like planetside 2 at max (im in the beta and yeah)

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    Jay444111

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    #6  Edited By Jay444111

    @connerthekewlkid said:

    its not overkill if you wanna run games like planetside 2 at max (im in the beta and yeah)

    Yeah... I myself am saving the money up first then I will get a beastly rig set up... wait... since I have ZERO idea on how to put together a computer, can I just order parts from a single place and have them make it for me? Also... will I have to buy a Windows 7 OS disk? Just wondering.

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    killacam

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    #7  Edited By killacam

    @Jay444111 said:

    @connerthekewlkid said:

    its not overkill if you wanna run games like planetside 2 at max (im in the beta and yeah)

    Yeah... I myself am saving the money up first then I will get a beastly rig set up... wait... since I have ZERO idea on how to put together a computer, can I just order parts from a single place and have them make it for me? Also... will I have to buy a Windows 7 OS disk? Just wondering.

    I'm wondering this as well.. There's a license key on the bottom of my laptop, so if i could get my hands on a disk, maybe.. just maybe..

    BUT are games at the point where they require an i7? I really have no context for these things. It's not purely for gaming, but it's good to know.

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    Justin258

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    #8  Edited By Justin258

    @Jay444111 said:

    @connerthekewlkid said:

    its not overkill if you wanna run games like planetside 2 at max (im in the beta and yeah)

    Yeah... I myself am saving the money up first then I will get a beastly rig set up... wait... since I have ZERO idea on how to put together a computer, can I just order parts from a single place and have them make it for me? Also... will I have to buy a Windows 7 OS disk? Just wondering.

    a) Yes and b) Yes.

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    connerthekewlkid

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    #9  Edited By connerthekewlkid

    @Jay444111: i know it might not be the best option but i do know best buy will put your computer together for you (of course for a price) and i dont if your asking if planetside 2 will run on windows 7 but in any case it does run on XP

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    Jay444111

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    #10  Edited By Jay444111

    @connerthekewlkid said:

    @Jay444111: i know it might not be the best option but i do know best buy will put your computer together for you (of course for a price) and i dont if your asking if planetside 2 will run on windows 7 but in any case it does run on XP

    I was mainly just asking because I would love to know if I have to buy a disc first before making my computer... I would rather be all set and ready instead of having one major part missing. Also... what is Planetside 2?

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    connerthekewlkid

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    #11  Edited By connerthekewlkid

    @Jay444111: its pretty much a sci fi battlefield esque MMO thats completely free and its pretty CPU heavy and graphics heavy and alot of people are excited because you can massive battles with thousands of people and stuff

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    banishedsoul1

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    #12  Edited By banishedsoul1

    would get a cheaper cpu less ram and no ssd

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    Jay444111

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    #13  Edited By Jay444111

    @banishedsoul1 said:

    would get a cheaper cpu less ram and no ssd

    Wait... I thought PC gamers encouraged others to spend insane prices for insanely powerful systems!? Or is that just the gamefaqs PC boards?

    But really. I think going more powerful is better. But I personally think durability is also a highly important thing to invest in. Make sure of what you are buying is of the highest stress tests possible. I honestly would love it if Nintendo would start making some PC hardware. Even though it would be low end stuff it would however be indistructable.

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    Jrinswand

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    #14  Edited By Jrinswand

    I agree that 16 GB of RAM is overkill. I put 8 in the computer that I just built and I really don't see the need for more anywhere in the near future. Also, your CPU may be overkill unless you're doing crazy 3D modelling stuff or something.

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    killacam

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    #15  Edited By killacam

    @Jrinswand said:

    I agree that 16 GB of RAM is overkill. I put 8 in the computer that I just built and I really don't see the need for more anywhere in the near future. Also, your CPU may be overkill unless you're doing crazy 3D modelling stuff or something.

    so is a high-end i5 maybe more agreeable? or a lower model i7? where do the two meet? why can't penguins fly?

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    banishedsoul1

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    #16  Edited By banishedsoul1

    @Jay444111 said:

    @banishedsoul1 said:

    would get a cheaper cpu less ram and no ssd

    Wait... I thought PC gamers encouraged others to spend insane prices for insanely powerful systems!? Or is that just the gamefaqs PC boards?

    But really. I think going more powerful is better. But I personally think durability is also a highly important thing to invest in. Make sure of what you are buying is of the highest stress tests possible. I honestly would love it if Nintendo would start making some PC hardware. Even though it would be low end stuff it would however be indistructable.

    buying a more expensive product does not = durability

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    triumvir

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    #17  Edited By triumvir

    @banishedsoul1 said:

    buying a more expensive product does not = durability

    This. Don't be afraid of buying cheap parts if your research shows they are reliable.

    @killacam:

    If you want to save a little money, I don't think you necessarily need that much space on an SSD. They do provide noticeable performance bonuses, but you can get a slightly smaller one, install the OS on it, and rotate whatever games you are playing that are so taxing that HDDs produce a noticeable bottleneck. You can always upgrade when the prices drop down the road.

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    killacam

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    #18  Edited By killacam

    @Triumvir Perfect, thanks for the advice. 32 gigs enough? And is it worth it to spring for the SATA III?

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    Jams

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    #19  Edited By Jams

    @Triumvir said:

    @banishedsoul1 said:

    buying a more expensive product does not = durability

    This. Don't be afraid of buying cheap parts if your research shows they are reliable.

    @killacam:

    If you want to save a little money, I don't think you necessarily need that much space on an SSD. They do provide noticeable performance bonuses, but you can get a slightly smaller one, install the OS on it, and rotate whatever games you are playing that are so taxing that HDDs produce a noticeable bottleneck. You can always upgrade when the prices drop down the road.

    I have a 120GB SSD and with the OS and some misc programs it fills to about half, so I'd reccomend that if you're going to get an SSD, get at least a 120GB one along with at least another mechanical drive for everything other than the OS and misc programs. Especially if you plan to put a game or two on it. I kept all my games, music, etc. off the drive and it still got filled up to around half.

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    Bigandtasty

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    #20  Edited By Bigandtasty
    Just thought of this for some reason.
    Just thought of this for some reason.

    Anyway, build looks great. Not sure what specific design programs you're working with; if you know, that would give a better idea as to how much CPU and RAM power you need.

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    PillClinton

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    #21  Edited By PillClinton

    @killacam said:

    @AlisterCat said:

    I am looking to get that exact card to replace my GTX460. I'm curious about whether it's worth it.

    Kudos on going to build your first PC. 16GB of RAM is way overkill. I do video production and photoshop, and 8GB is already too much. Most of the time.

    Hmm okay good to know, maybe I'll take it down a notch. From nvidia charts I've seen, the 660 ti seems to be a little bit beneath the 670 in terms of performance, but a much better value for its cost.

    I did a bunch of research on the 660 Ti before buying one myself, and it seems the Gigabyte 660 Ti OC with the "Windforce 2X" cooler is one of the best. It's got a nice solid core overclock (more than the EVGA superclock) and it runs cooler and somehow also quieter than just about any other 660 Ti because of that huge cooler they bolted on, in addition to getting the highest frame rates in the benchmarks I've seen. Personally, I'm thrilled with it. It's running BF3 at completely maxed settings at 1080p and rarely ever dips below 50fps--it's kinda crazy. Admittedly, though, Nvidia's 600 series cards are known for handling BF3 specifically extremely well, and it's definitely the most intensive game I've thrown at it so far.

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    falserelic

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    #22  Edited By falserelic

    You can do it! Build the greatest pc of all time. You have FalseRelic's blessing use it wisely.

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    triumvir

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    #23  Edited By triumvir

    @killacam said:

    @Triumvir Perfect, thanks for the advice. 32 gigs enough? And is it worth it to spring for the SATA III?

    Well, 32GB is way too small if you are going for the OS and games. If your choice is between 32GB and 120GB, you're gonna have to bite the bullet and get the 120. 64GB is more along the lines of what I was thinking, and you should be aware that this will require you to be swapping games in and out. Moreover, large games, like Max Payne 3's 30GB install, are out of the question. Basically, you're looking at the OS and one or two mid-sized installs max. Everything else will have to go on your HDD. You know your own needs better than I do, really. If that sounds too small or like too much of a hassle, just go with the larger SSD up front.

    As for SATAIII: if you want to keep this rig for a while and plan on dropping in new hardware upgrades periodically, you might as well have the current standard, especially if you are set on having a SSD out of the gate. Bare in mind that SATAIII for any HDD is overkill, though. Even with "6.0Gb/s" HDDs, you'd only notice a minor performance upswing if you benchmarked the crap out it, but those sorts of differences are too small for human perception to pick up on..

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    ghost_cat

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    #24  Edited By ghost_cat

    Less RAM, 650 watt PS, smaller HDD, and put it all towards a better graphics card. Maybe you can tone it down on the cpu too.

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    ClairvoyantVibrations

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    I also think that 16GB of RAM is a bit much. I'm only running 4 and I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Sony Vegas etc and I've had no problems. You don't really need the SSD, but if it's within your budget it's great to put your OS on, then use the HDD for all your other stuff. The CPU might be overkill. My i5 2500 3.3Ghz (not overclocked) has been serving me well. You may be able to get that same model of GPU from a different manufacturer for a bit less. I have a 550TI, and I got an Asus made one for less than what I think was an EVGA (I don't remember) and I have not had any problems. I assume there isn't much difference between manufacturers, though.

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    ze_ro

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    #26  Edited By ze_ro

    Congratz, I just put together an almost similar PC with EVGA GTX 670 FTW and half the ram. Do NOT get a smaller SSD than 120gb, u'd regret it later. I haven't installed any unnecessary programs and not even Photoshop and After Effects yet and I'm having barely 10gb free space, with 4 games in there atm (GW2, BF3, Witcher 2 and Sleeping Dogs)...games take a lot of space these days. Say you wanna play Max Payne 3 like I did the other day, it's 30gigs... Of course if you can get by with only 1 or 2 games, good for you. But yeah...after a regular HDD, the difference with SSD is night and day.

    ps. Great case, looks pretty awesome in a dark room. And if you're thinking about getting it put together for you, I'd recommend doing it yourself. Just pay attention to the mobo manual. While doing it you learn about the insides plus it's fun!

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    MURDERSMASH

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    #27  Edited By MURDERSMASH

    Agreed on the SSD front. I run dual 120GB SSD's in RAID 0, and i'm constantly having to uninstall games i'm finished with to make room for others. Some of them get pretty huge (Tera is 25GB or so by itself), so it never hurts to give yourself some room. 256GB SSD's are relatively inexpensive these days, so i'd go with at least that much if you plan on playing games.

    As for RAM, it's all dirt cheap these days, so put in as much as you can afford. i7's use triple-channel memory controllers, so you have to put in 3 matching sticks to get the best performance (I have an i7-950 with 3x2GB sticks equaling 6GB). You'll end up with numbers like 6GB, 12GB, or 24GB. I'd say 12GB should be more than enough, especially if you're going to be doing media production with things like art and music.

    *EDIT* Oh wow, looking at the motherboard you chose, it doesn't support triple-channel memory setups. Unless they've changed the i7's, that's something to look for.

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    PillClinton

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    #28  Edited By PillClinton

    @ze_ro: Agreed about building it himself. It's really not hard at all if you do your research, follow a good guide, and take your time. And once you've done it, you know the theory and every build after that is so much faster and less stressful.

    @MURDERSMASH: Yup, they have. The new i7 uses dual-channel memory. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, all LGA 1155 Sandy and Ivy Bridge CPUs use dual-channel.

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    Shortbreadtom

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    #29  Edited By Shortbreadtom

    I'd buy overkill, so you won't have to shell out for more stuff in the future. Unless something breaks, this setup should last you a long time. Games aren't going to outrun that rig for a LONG time

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    deactivated-60534c109535a

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    Awesome build man.Good luck with your new pc!.16GB ram go for it,especially since the price today is very cheap,and RAM prices will go up very soon.

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    mike

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    #31  Edited By mike

    @killacam: When I built my current system, I went with a couple of 1TB platter drives for media and bulk storage and a fast 120gb SSD for my OS, general programs I use on a regular basis, and any games I'm currently playing. I wish I had gone bigger, I'm constantly managing files on the SSD and moving things around because it gets full so quickly.

    I think that if you go with a 32gb SSD you're going to regret it...hell, I regret not going with 250gb instead of 120gb on mine. Get the fastest, largest one you can afford, you'll be happy you did later!

    Anyone who says that it's not the size of your SSD that counts but how you use it probably has a tiny one.

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    AhmadMetallic

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    #32  Edited By AhmadMetallic

    Everytime a new gaming PC is built, an angel masturbates.

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    geirr

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    #33  Edited By geirr

    Congratulations for doing it and surely with your build you shouldn't be dissatisfied!

    I've been building PCs for myself, my wife and friends for years - I'm no pro but they all still (mostly) work. Only thing I'd consider is changing from an Antec PSU to a modular Corsair one, but this is solely based on my own experiences with the brands. It might just be that I've been extremely unlucky with Antec, but when it comes to the Corsair Gold series they've never broken down on me even under the worst of stress.

    Either way you should be in for one awesome experience, and don't listen to people about the RAM overkill. You never know when you need to run Photoshop, Maya, iTunes and *insert favorite game* at the same time. I do that a lot.

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    GS_Dan

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    #34  Edited By GS_Dan

    @killacam said:

    @AlisterCat said:

    I am looking to get that exact card to replace my GTX460. I'm curious about whether it's worth it.

    Kudos on going to build your first PC. 16GB of RAM is way overkill. I do video production and photoshop, and 8GB is already too much. Most of the time.

    Hmm okay good to know, maybe I'll take it down a notch. From nvidia charts I've seen, the 660 ti seems to be a little bit beneath the 670 in terms of performance, but a much better value for its cost.

    RAM is so cheap at the moment that it doesn't really matter if it's overkill or not, the price difference is so negligible that you might as well do it. At 16GB you'll never have to worry about it unless it breaks.

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    alistercat

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    #35  Edited By alistercat

    @GS_Dan said:

    @killacam said:

    @AlisterCat said:

    I am looking to get that exact card to replace my GTX460. I'm curious about whether it's worth it.

    Kudos on going to build your first PC. 16GB of RAM is way overkill. I do video production and photoshop, and 8GB is already too much. Most of the time.

    Hmm okay good to know, maybe I'll take it down a notch. From nvidia charts I've seen, the 660 ti seems to be a little bit beneath the 670 in terms of performance, but a much better value for its cost.

    RAM is so cheap at the moment that it doesn't really matter if it's overkill or not, the price difference is so negligible that you might as well do it. At 16GB you'll never have to worry about it unless it breaks.

    That too. If the price difference isn't big then do it I guess. Depending on where in the world you live computer components can be very expensive. Like in the UK the 660ti is $410+ or closer to $460 for the more expensive brands. Crazy.

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