# [SOLVED] Check my build before I buy, please?



## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

I've never built a computer before but I decided to do it. Should be fun and educational. I found a really good barebones kit and I'm going to add everything else that I want to it. Not doing it all at once, but will add certain things like the Bluray drive and GPU's later on. 

Barebones kit
Intel Core i7-4770K Processor/Asus Z87-A Motherboard/8GB DDR3 1600 Patriot Xtreme Memory/LG 24X DVDRW/Kingwin Case Fan/Thermaltake 600W PSU/Cougar Solution Steel Black Gamer Case Barebones at TigerDirect.com

HDD
WD Red 2 TB NAS Hard Drive for 1-5 Bay NAS Environments - 24/7 Reliability - 3.5 - Sata 6 Gb/s, Intellipower, 64MB Cache, 3yr Warranty - WD20EFRX at TigerDirect.com

SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD - 2.5 Form Factor, SATA III 6 Gb/s, Up To 540 MB/s Read Speed, Up To 410 MB/s Write Speed, 7mm Thickness, Samsung 3-core MEX Controller - MZ-7TE120BW at TigerDirect.com

Bluray Drive

GPU (probably going to put two of these in it)

I'll be installing Win7 Pro 64 bit, and will be buying more RAM for it too. Should be a pretty damn good PC for gaming and mining non-sha256 cryptocurrencies. For sha-256 I have some USB ASIC's. :grin:


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

I'm interested in liquid cooling too, so if anyone can recommend one I'm all ears.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Stay away from the Kits they always have some decent parts and other low quality parts in them to make a price point, in this one the case and PSU are not as good as you can do for the money.

1 GTX 780 will outperform 2 GTX760's with less heat and configuration hassles. 

The WD Black drive is the better drive and comes with a 5 year warranty over the 3 year on the Red drives> WD Black 2 TB Desktop Hard Drive, Designed for High-Performance - 3.5 - Sata 6 Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, 5yr Warranty - WD2002FAEX at TigerDirect.com


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

As far as CPU water coolers go....Corsair seems to be the fore runner. Just read the reviews for all brands...the most common complaint is most are louder than there air cooled counterpart. Most only go with water cooling for OC'ing the CPU as you can achieve higher over clocks with the water cooling setup.

Wrench97 gives some great sound advice....you'd be better off piecing you system individually then going with bare bones kits.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Liquid cooling offers no advantages over air and the OEM cooler is more than sufficient for normal use.
Adding to Wrench97's advise, stay away from Patriot RAM.

Use our suggested build list as a guide for top quality known compatible components: http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-hardware-teams-recommended-builds-2014-a-668661.html


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

If you want the work for choosing the PC done for you. Pick a build from our build guide that Tyree posted. :thumb:


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Thanks for the replies. I read the reviews on that PSU and it does seem like a risky purchase. You have convinced me on that. One review even said that it blew out his GPU... 

As for the HDD, I'm sticking with the WD red. I have owned nothing but WD for over a decade, and I have never had one fail on me. I still have a 160 GB drive that I bought 12 years ago or so and it still spins up like new (actually, I gave it to my little brother). I use Steve Gibson's Spinrite too, so I'm really not worried about drive failure or warranties. 

That ASUS Sabertooth motherboard looks wicked. 'nuff said.

I'm going with a different case than the one on your recommended build list. 

So with that said, This is my new part list.

Motherboard

Processor

RAM

PSU

HDD

SSD

Optical Drive (Blu-ray/DVD/CD)

GPU

Case

OS = Win7 Pro 64


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Your build is a tad overkill IMO but it sure will do anything you throw at it.

You could save money but that is your choose, since all the parts are high quality its a good to go from me.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Your build is a tad overkill IMO but it sure will do anything you throw at it.
> 
> You could save money but that is your choose, since all the parts are high quality its a good to go from me.


Without the GPU it's only about $1,350, and that's a pretty good deal considering how expensive a lot of similarly built rigs go for. I'm happy with the price. Plus, since it's going to be used for mining cryptocurrencies too, that adds an actual need for higher end stuff. Plus, how much would an Mac with similar specs go for? Twice the price? For no particular reason? LOL


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

If your okay with the price then your good to go.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Personally I like the Cougar case better and Newegg has that same one in the Tiger build for $49.99. Great Psu, overkill on video card imho and if you must go Corsair ram (which I think is as bad or worse than Patriot and I use Crucial for everything I care about) I would stay at 1600 speed to cut down on problems.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Ah, I did not catch that. Change the ram to 1600Mhz as suggested.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

What problems? That specific kit is listed on the Asus QVL.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

That could well be but remember Corsair makes nothing so who knows if what comes out as model # "X" will continue to me made by mfgr "Y" as they change mfgrs with the wind direction change.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

I don't have such "bad" feelings about those mentioned brands of memory. Patriot ram works extremely good on a last few iterations (genre) of MSI boards. I had hardly any bad experiences. I can say the same for Crucial, A-Data, Gskill, etc.. the main brands - regardless of board brand. Most "performance" ram that is popular is usually going to work with most main board brands as the mainboard maker expects many folks to be using most of the popular ram.

I suppose if a builder has bad experiences, especially a few in a row it can taint things for the builder. Rarely do I have any issues though with all those brands mentioned. I can say the same thing for most popular motherboard brands. It can and does sometimes make a difference to pick what would be considered a higher end and more popular brand, and a brand that has a good warranty policy and reachable customer service.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Ah, I did not catch that. Change the ram to 1600Mhz as suggested.


Okay, sounds good. I'll go with a couple of these.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



Rich-M said:


> Personally I like the Cougar case better and Newegg has that same one in the Tiger build for $49.99. Great Psu, overkill on video card imho and if you must go Corsair ram (which I think is as bad or worse than Patriot and I use Crucial for everything I care about) I would stay at 1600 speed to cut down on problems.


The GPU is fine, I might even add a second one later on. It might be overkill for normal use and gaming, but when it comes to mining scrypt cryptocurrencies more GPU's, and more powerful GPU's = more $$$. And the i7 is going to be great for CPU mining. :dance:


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



ChronoGeek said:


> I don't have such "bad" feelings about those mentioned brands of memory. Patriot ram works extremely good on a last few iterations (genre) of MSI boards. I had hardly any bad experiences. I can say the same for Crucial, A-Data, Gskill, etc.. the main brands - regardless of board brand. Most "performance" ram that is popular is usually going to work with most main board brands as the mainboard maker expects many folks to be using most of the popular ram.
> 
> I suppose if a builder has bad experiences, especially a few in a row it can taint things for the builder. Rarely do I have any issues though with all those brands mentioned. I can say the same thing for most popular motherboard brands. It can and does sometimes make a difference to pick what would be considered a higher end and more popular brand, and a brand that has a good warranty policy and reachable customer service.


What about Kingston? Here's a 2x8 Gskill set. Maybe that?


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

That set looks fine.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Your money-your choices but using one of our suggested builds would save you some money without sacrificing any performance.
Pretty much overkill with that Mobo & GPU
Do you have a real use for a B/R burner? Blu-Ray media is very expensive and, in my experience, offers no better quality and DVD.
Go with a matched pair of the G.Skill or Corsair for quality/stability and 1600MHz.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



FxTrader said:


> What about Kingston? Here's a 2x8 Gskill set. Maybe that?


My problem with Kingston is the same as Corsair and Patriot, they don't make anything. GSkill and Crucial use Micron ram and in my eyes, there is none better. I only use and recommend Crucial and GSkill but in all fairness I have no problems with Mushkin or AData either. I think too often those of us who build can't help but echo our experiences. Cooler Master psus and Corsair ram and psus have given me nothing but problems so of course I don't like them. I have never had a bad stick of Crucial ram, so of course I believe in it so it really depends on who you talk to. Like Chrono Geek I use many Msi boards and have had good results from them also and not so for Asus but I know my experiences are against the trend of this forum and freely say so. A forum is for just that to express opinions on circumstances and they are at that at best only opinions.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



Tyree said:


> Your money-your choices but using one of our suggested builds would save you some money without sacrificing any performance.
> Pretty much overkill with that Mobo & GPU
> Do you have a real use for a B/R burner? Blu-Ray media is very expensive and, in my experience, offers no better quality and DVD.
> Go with a matched pair of the G.Skill or Corsair for quality/stability and 1600MHz.


The Mobo is from the suggested build list. 

The blu-ray/dvd/cd reader/writer is a good deal. It reads and writes all three. I won't need another one for 10 or more years. Plus it's not even that expensive. The blu-ray media isn't that expensive if you shop smart. I bought the first three seasons of Game of Thrones, and they were all $29.99 for blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy (all bundled together). That's a pretty solid deal.

I've already explained the need for the GPU, though after looking at this page I am doing more research into which one(s) I should buy. I'm in no hurry to get the GPU so I'm taking my time on this.

I decided to go with the Gskill RAM.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Thank you to everyone who has replied. This has been a very educational process for me to go through, and I haven't even started building yet. LOL


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

My apologies about the Mobo listing but I still feel it, and the GPU, are overkill.
If you want to watch B/R movies then of course you will need a B/R player but don't expect it, or any component to last 10 yrs. :smile:
B/R prerecorded media can be economical.....my reference to being expensive was to blank B/R media.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

The thing with the GPU is that when mining cryptocurrencies, it's all about how many khashes/second, mhashes/second or ghashes/second it can burn through. That is the only measure that means anything.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Fxtrader there is a sticky at the head of this forum and we would love it if you would upload some shots of the build when you are done! This has been an interesting thread to be sure.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



Rich-M said:


> Fxtrader there is a sticky at the head of this forum and we would love it if you would upload some shots of the build when you are done! This has been an interesting thread to be sure.


I will most definitely do that. :smile:


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

That's great thanks...


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

I'm watching this Youtube video which walks you through the process of building a PC before my parts arrive. I'll probably have it playing while I build mine, just as a reference guide. So far the process seems pretty straight forward. 

How to Build a Gaming Computer - *NEW* 2013 Edition! - YouTube


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

Read the Mobo manual thoroughly to familiarize your self with the layout and connections.
Test on the bench before installing any components in the case and you'll be fine.

Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can actually conduct electricity! 
Install the CPU and heat sink. 
Install 1 stick of RAM.
Install the video card and attach the power supply connection(s) to the card if your card needs it.
Connect the monitor to the video card.
Connect the power supply to the motherboard with both the 24pin main ATX Power connection and the separate 4 pin (Dual Core CPU) or 8 pin (Quad Core CPU) power connection.
Connect power to the power supply.
Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard. Consult your motherboard manual to find which two pins connect to your case's power switch. Then touch both pins with a screwdriver to complete the circuit and boot the system.

If all is well, it should power up and you should get a display. Then assemble the parts into the case and try again. If the system now fails to boot, you have a short in the case and need to recheck your motherboard standoffs.

If the system does not boot after this process, then you most likely have a faulty component. You'll need to swap parts, start with the power supply, until you determine what is defective.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*

If you're looking for a great build video I recommend this one, a friend of mine.

How to Build a Gaming PC to Beat the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One - YouTube


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## shewillnotdie (Mar 2, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



ChronoGeek said:


> If you're looking for a great build video I recommend this one, a friend of mine.
> 
> How to Build a Gaming PC to Beat the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One - YouTube


I just finished my build a few weeks ago and read a wiki how to guide for the building process. I really wish I would have watched this instead. It really would have helped a lot. Someone needs to sticky that! :grin:


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Glad you finished the build and hope it's working well for you.
You Tube is flushed with building video tutorials.Reading the Mobo manual, which should always be done first, will give you any/all the info required.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Very nice demo William, my only problem with it is I always bench test the board outside the case with 1 ram stick, cpu, psu and video card if used to make sure there are no problems with any component but most videos I have seen seldom do that. I happen to think it is a time saver.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Ditto ^
Though hindsight for this particular case....... after reading the Mobo manual thoroughly, testing on the bench should always be done prior to assembling in the case. It may take a few minutes longer but if there are problems it can save hours.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Absolutely Tyree and the few times I have found issues this way, saved so much time changing out components until I caught the issue.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



Tyree said:


> Read the Mobo manual thoroughly to familiarize your self with the layout and connections.
> Test on the bench before installing any components in the case and you'll be fine.
> 
> Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can actually conduct electricity!
> ...


Thanks for that walk-through. I'll definitely do that. Do you know of a good book/reference manual for diagnostics? Something along the lines of PC Hardware Diagnostics for Dummies would be great. I'll do some googling, but if you know of anything off the top of your head, please share it. I'm actually thinking of buying a small collection of PC hardware and Windows/software related repair books so I can be 100% self sufficient. I'm a DIY kind of guy whether it's this stuff, car repair, investing and managing my own retirement, or whatever.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Rich-M said:


> Very nice demo William, my only problem with it is I always bench test the board outside the case with 1 ram stick, cpu, psu and video card if used to make sure there are no problems with any component but most videos I have seen seldom do that. I happen to think it is a time saver.


Sometimes I still do that, but I build so much that I very rarely have any issues, and not one I can't fix with the unit inside the case, but in my early days of beginning yes I did that a lot. Actually I have a way of building that I have not seen anyone else do nor a video on it. It's basically a bit like a test bench / building in the case combination. I have a few raised stations and 4 very wide ironing boards (yes I said ironing boards) with no pad just all metal against the wall to prevent them from toppling over. Many times I build 4 systems at a time on them, sometimes with identical motherboards, and I also have 4 raised card stations that I keep on a moving cart. I test the units with the mobo in the case but the PSU/all SATA Drives outside the cases with very long test SATA cables. It works the same as building outside the case but saves me time, and like I said It's very rare I have any issues. I agree with Tyree about reading the manual but in my professional opinion reading a manual and also watching an informed video are good ideas for would be builders. There are lots of subtleties about building that are sometimes not covered in manuals.​


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Check my build before I buy, please?*



FxTrader said:


> Thanks for that walk-through. I'll definitely do that. Do you know of a good book/reference manual for diagnostics? Something along the lines of PC Hardware Diagnostics for Dummies would be great. I'll do some googling, but if you know of anything off the top of your head, please share it. I'm actually thinking of buying a small collection of PC hardware and Windows/software related repair books so I can be 100% self sufficient. I'm a DIY kind of guy whether it's this stuff, car repair, investing and managing my own retirement, or whatever.


The Mobo manual will give you all the info you require to successfully assemble the PC as related to connections/installation. Videos are good for visual aid if you're not familiar with components/connections terminology.
I'm not aware of any manuals for diagnostics but that's probably because I don't need any so I haven't looked.:smile:
Google and this forum would be the best options for accurate info.
Use top quality components, read the Mobo manual thoroughly, bench test, and you will rarely have problem. :smile:


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

> Do you know of a good book/reference manual for diagnostics?


Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts Third Edition - PDF for PC Troubleshooting and Repair


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

gcavan said:


> Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts Third Edition - PDF for PC Troubleshooting and Repair


Cool, thanks! I just purchased a copy. I'm an information addict. :grin:


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

Parts started trickling in this week and last. I have the case, CPU, RAM, optical drive, HDD, SSD, and PSU. This is gonna be fun. 

I decided on a GPU. I'm only going to put one in this build, so I decided to go with an Asus R9 290x. I'm in no hurry to get it, so I'll see if prices settle down over the next month or so before I buy it. GPU's have been through some price gouging lately because of the mining rush. I figure I'll let the herd stampede by while I sit back with a margarita, and then once things settle down and I'm ready to buy the GPU, prices should be fine.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

One GPU is all you need. The R Series are "new" so the prices will be higher. You could go with an older version GPU and probably save some money without sacrificing performance.


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## FxTrader (Mar 19, 2012)

Tyree said:


> One GPU is all you need. The R Series are "new" so the prices will be higher. You could go with an older version GPU and probably save some money without sacrificing performance.


Yeah, in this build one will do. I am going to build an GPU mining computer later this year, and that will probably take 3 or 4 GPU's. With mining it's all about how powerful/efficient the GPU is, _and_ how many you have. 4 GPU's make 4x as much profit as 1 GPU of the same kind. 

This build I'm doing now is geared towards CPU mining and a little gaming (Rome 2 Total War to be precise :grin. And even just having one GPU will still allow me to do some light GPU mining and learn the in's and out's of GPU mining before I go and build another computer with multiple GPU's.


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