Some questions about a possible first build

I want to preface this by saying I know next to nothing about PC's, I've never gamed heavily on one and I've certainly never built one. I really want to get into it though. I put together a build on PC Part Picker. I'm not sure if I've put together a decent grouping of components. I'm trying to learn about everything that goes into making the PC run, I'm basically starting from scratch here and if it weren't for the compatibility lists on that site I would be totally lost. Anyway, I was hoping to get some feedback on this.

Also, are there any drawbacks to buying a component at a time as opposed to buying everything all at once? I'm really in no rush to build the PC because my job doesn't allow me much free time until the end of September at the earliest. Thanks in advance duders.

@patoday: Usually the AMD processors are budget parts. The intel processors are far better. You're going to run out of 120gb quickly. Get a hard drive to go with the SSD. You can run the OS and some games on the SSD and everything else on the HDD. You can also save some cash on the SSD and get a different variant of Samsung's.

@sexytoad: Thanks, I was on the fence about the processor, intel are a bit pricier but people seem to favor them. Does it matter if it's an internal HDD or external or is it just a matter of personal preference?

I bought my PC one part every payday, and that made it a lot easier to stomach the cost for me, and even allowed me to get a few of the parts on sale, so I would definitely recommend that.

@patoday: Internal. You don't want to deal with a external hard drive sitting around. It can fall, disconnect while you're gaming or doing whatever. This is a solid choice for a hard drive.

Get rid of the SSD, get a hybrid 2TB harddrive and swap those AMD parts for Intel and Nvidia. Like this. It's a bit more expensive but it will last you a lot longer. There is no drawback to buying the parts one at a time.

If you aren't planning on overclocking then you don't need an aftermarket CPU cooler, the one it comes with will be perfect.

@patoday: I guess before we all continue, what do you want to use this computer for? Gaming? Video editing?

@hunter5024: That's what I was thinking, wait and see what goes on sale and just get things one at a time since I won't be able to do much for a few more months at least. Thanks!

@sexytoad: Awesome, thank you very much! Mostly gaming, possibly some video editing, but that's not a necessity. Also no plans to overclock at all.

Don't get a SSD if you are trying to keep to any sort of budget, it's not that they are expensive, they aren't, but your money will almost always be better spent on upgrading other components (your cpu).

Get windows 8.1, it's better than 7 and it will last longer.

Windows doesn't natively support bluray movie playback, you'll need to acquire software to watch blurays on your pc, If I had known this 2 years ago I would not have bought a bluray drive.

You don't need a cpu cooler, it's the most difficult part of a build and it's really not necessary for regular gaming, I wouldn't bother with it for a first timer, get one on your next build or next upgrade.

I think you could get a less expensive power supply, though there is nothing wrong with the one you've picked, power supplies are the one part I find that you can get good sales on if you look around and bide your time.

I'd wait until you are ready to build and buy everything at once, when you build you don't want a situation where something you bought 4 months ago is the part that came doa and you have to convince some online retailer that you never used it; the only stuff I'd buy in advance would be anything on sale, start looking at power supplies now, between now and September you'll find a great deal.

I spent 10 minutes throwing together a build and ended with this, it's about $100 more expensive but has the Intel and Nvidia equivalent to the AMD parts you had in and a 2TB Hybrid drive. I replaced the Blu Ray drive with a normal DVD one because all you are going to use it for is installing the OS. The processor is unlocked in case you ever decide you want to overclock instead of buying a new processor.

@patoday: I made this build.

• The processor is a i5-4690. It's locked, so cheaper than a unlocked processor that can overclock.
• I downgraded the CPU cooler a tad, you probably could run stock, but having a nice cool CPU is a plus.
• Changed the motherboard to fit the new processor. This motherboard can't overclock or support dual video cards. I assumed you're not interested in either.
• Changed the ram, cheaper brand.
• Added a cheaper SSD and the new HHD.
• Kept your choice of video card, it's your preference. The 280x is solid though.
• Kept the case.
• Kept the power supply, 650 watts is great and the PSU is a good quality choice.
• Kept your choice of Optical Drive.
• Changed to Windows 8.1.

Overall this is a lot more expensive. But feel free to name a budget.

@corruptedevil: Oh, haha. I guess we both worked on a build for him.

If you're buying components one at a time definitely get a ssd on sale, it makes a huge difference to the running of your operating system. I think I picked up a 120gb one for $60 just because it was cheap & am using it in a laptop I picked up recently.

Go for windows 8.1 over 7, it's a lot better for gaming & is so much better than 8 when it was first released.

You can pick up windows on a usb stick now, so I'd consider removing the dvd drive all together, I haven't used one in my last two builds & I don't own any dvds anymore.

@sexytoad: @corruptedevil: You guys are awesome, thanks for all the help.

I really don't know much about the video cards. Is that something where a higher price range might have some longevity and less need to be replaced sooner, or am I paying more for better graphics and performance for the duration until something better comes along? I apologize if these are too many questions. I appreciate the help immensely though, fellas.

@patoday: You will want to upgrade to an 800 series card as soon as they are a reasonable price but due to various delays there's still a year or so before they are out.

The build I linked would last you 2 years or so of running games on ultra to high at 1080p and with an 800 series card another year before you need to upgrade/overclock the processor.

@corruptedevil: That's outstanding, thanks man!

@patoday Sorry to piggyback on the OP's thread, but what is the advantage of going with a hybrid drive over a smaller SSD to boot the OS and large mechanical drive for bulk storage? I did the latter when building my pc a couple years ago.

@hippie_genocide: It's suppose to be the best of both worlds. I haven't personally tried a hybrid. Which is why I stuck with a pure SSD for the OS. It's worth a shot if you don't want to deal with 2 drives.

This and it's cheaper than having both. Pure SSDs are really expensive and aren't that much better than a hybrid.