# Building a new PC



## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

My old computer died, and I've decided that it would be a good time to upgrade, rather than continue to try and salvage it. I don't know a great deal about computers. I have replaced and added some parts before, but never built a whole new computer. I'd love to hear any advice and recommendations that people have.

As per the sticky:
Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?
I don't have an exact budget in mind, but I would like to keep the price around or under $600.

Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?
I don't have a brand preference.

Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?
I will be using the computer for gaming, internet browsing, playing DVDs, streaming video (Netflix, HBO, etc), downloading and playing games, music, and movies.

Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?
Some games that I would like to play on fairly high settings: The Witcher 2, Rome TW II, Company of Heroes 2, Skyrim.

Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?
No

Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?
No

Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?
I have a 2TB HD. I'm satisfied with that amount.

Operating System: Do you want Windows 7 or 8.1, or Linux compatibility?
Windows 7

Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?
No

Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?
No

Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?
I have one already.

Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?
I prefer Amazon, but I don't mind buying from Newegg and others.

Location: What country do you live in?
United States.

When I was picking parts for a new computer, I found myself following the TSF $600 AMD build pretty closely.

What I have so far: AMD FX-6300, Sapphire Radeon R7 260X - System Build - PCPartPicker

I don't understand PSUs very well. Should I just go ahead and buy the recommended PSU? It seems a bit pricey, and like it would have far more wattage than I need.

I haven't chosen a case yet. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all of the choices. I don't want to spend much money on one, but I want it to allow me to keep my system cool. Any recommendations?

The motherboard that I picked out was the Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard. The recommended motherboard was the Asus M5A97 LE R2.0. Is there a notable difference that makes one seem superior?

As far as the gaming requirements are concerned, I do not need this computer to be "futureproof". I don't do enough gaming to warrant a really expensive system.

The desktop will be located in a small room that can get hot in the Summer. Is there more than I should get to cool the computer?

I already own the 2gb Seagate HD and the Windows 7 OS.

My old computer has:
2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300
8GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 220
750GB 7,200 rpm HD

I was pretty happy with that until it died, so I'm not picky about having the latest and greatest hardware.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Either motherboard should work out well for you both are high quality. If you believe your room temps will be warm I would invest in a coolermaster hyper 212 evo it's a great air cooler. For power supply anything seasonic will do well they are very high quality power supplies, and for an r7 260-265 card a 550-620w psu unit will do well.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Everything looks good to me! 

Stick with the recommend psu as 550W is needed for the GPU.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

I'm beginning to question if I really need 8GB of RAM, especially considering the 2GB with the GPU. Will current gen games on high settings make use of it, or should I consider downgrading to 4GB of RAM?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Are you worried about the price?

8GB would be beneficial to you in the long run.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Are you worried about the price?
> 
> 8GB would be beneficial to you in the long run.


Yes, the concern was that I would be spending more money without any noticeable benefit.

I picked the RAM that I did based off of the TSF recommended builds. Is there really much difference between various brands of DDR3 1600 RAM?


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

Another PSU question:

Newegg has this PSU for half the cost of the recommended one. Do you still suggest that I stick with the recommended one?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Ertch said:


> Yes, the concern was that I would be spending more money without any noticeable benefit.
> 
> I picked the RAM that I did based off of the TSF recommended builds. Is there really much difference between various brands of DDR3 1600 RAM?


You can save a few dollars by changing the memory to this one:

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory - Newegg.com

The games you listed are demanding games, so I would advise staying with 8GB.

You could switch to DDR3 1333Mhz RAM but I doubt you'll save much.



Ertch said:


> Another PSU question:
> 
> Newegg has this PSU for half the cost of the recommended one. Do you still suggest that I stick with the recommended one?


Do not use Thermaltake PSUs. Stick with the high quality Seasonic or XFX branded units.

Here is a Seasonic PSU for less money and enough power for your system:

SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The PSU's you linked to........The XFX PSU is top quality but the ThermalTake is not, hence the lower price.
Best all around bang for buck is the SeaSonic Masterchiefxx17 linked to.

4GB of RAM is plenty for normal use.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

I purchased the XFX PSU.

This is the build I wound up with: AMD FX-6300, Sapphire Radeon R7 260X, Antec Three Hundred Two - System Build - PCPartPicker
I also bought two more fans for the case.

After I purchased the FX6300 CPU, I realized that the FX 6350 is only a tiny bit more in price, and provides an additional .4 GHz.

I can still return my 6300 and get the 6350 for around $20 more. Would this be worth it?

I really appreciate all of the help.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Nah, you can't notice that difference.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

I finally got my computer assembled. Unfortunately, it isn't working. When I press the power button, the power supply is clearly powering at least some of the parts. 
The LED light on the front lights up. The preinstalled fan on the top of the case starts spinning. The preinstalled fan in the back does not start spinning, but a tap of the blades or adjusting the speed using a switch on the case gets it moving. The two fans that I added to the front of the case (via molex connections from the PSU) both work. The fan on the CPU works. The hard drive _sounds_ like it is running. The optical drive opens and closes when the button is pressed (it does not stay open, even with one button press).
Nothing is displayed on my screen. I tried connecting via HDMI and a VGA cord with DVI adapter. These have to be connected through the GPU, since the motherboard has no onboard graphics. When I looked at the GPU fan while the computer was powered on, it was spinning, but then slowed down or stopped, and then started spinning again. This cycle repeated. I assumed that the issue had to be related to the GPU. My PSU has two 6pin connecters, and I tried both for powering the card. I swapped the Radeon r7 260x with my old Nvidia GT 220 to see if that would work. The GT 220 does not require a connection directly from the PSU. The GT 220 fan seemed to run at full speed, but no video was displayed. Both cards were plugged into the motherboard's PCIEX16 slot.
There is no beeping sound when the computer is powered on.

This is my first time building a computer, and I thought it was going very well up until this happened.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

One thing I can see is that your RAM sticks are in different colored slots (they should be in the same colored slots, either the grea or the black but not one gray and one black).

Another thing is that there are a lot of power connectors lying around where they have a chance of shorting out on something. I put a small piece of tape over the end of unused power connectors to make sure they don't do this. 

Does the video card you have installed require a supplementary power connector? I don't see one connected.



> There is no beeping sound when the computer is powered on.


Did you bench test the components before assembling them into the case? If not, I'd remove the motherboard from the case and do so. This will help determine if there is a component grounding out on the case due to a long solder tail, misplaced screw or too many/too few standoffs, etc.

Also, make sure the Motherboard's 24-pin and CPU power connectors are fully seated -- they often require a bit of force to "snap" them into place.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

Thank you for the response. I did not bench test the computer prior to assembling. I will do that. I realize now that I misread the section of the manual about RAM installation. Thanks for catching that. The GPU shown in the pictures is the GT 220. It does not require a supplementary power connector. The card that will be in the final build does.

I have never bench tested before. Should I just removed everything from the case the way it is, and then power it on?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Ertch said:


> I have never bench tested before. Should I just removed everything from the case the way it is, and then power it on?


http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/how-to-bench-test-troubleshoot-your-system-171424.html


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Bench Test.

Remove EVERYTHING from the case.
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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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

Tyree said:


> 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.


I ordered all my parts online and don't have spare parts lying around. If it comes to this, do I just send my PSU back to the distributor or manufacturer on the assumption that it is faulty?

From the bench test link:


> You should have 9 (usually brass) case stand-offs under the motherboard for a full sized ATX board, make sure there is a mounting screw in each stand-off. If you make the mistake of installing a stand-off where its not suppose to be, the bottom of your board will be shorted!
> 
> Its very important that none of the metal surfaces on the bottom of the motherboard touch the case surface or you will create a nasty motherboard short!


Does this refer to only if the computer was powered on? It would not surprise me if metal from the case or risers touched the bottom of my motherboard while I was assembling it.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

No it really concerns if the system is turned on but the standoffs have to be where called for before it is turned on anyway so the question I actually find puzzling.

Is there a way you can find or borrow some other ram? Are you certain the ram sticks are fully in to each slot. Personally I gave up on Corsair memory as I find the quality really hit or miss and was returning half of what I bought. Have you tried it with 1 ram stick alone?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Good quality RAM and Mobo's rarely have compatibility issues. Have you tested on the bench? It should always be done prior to installing in the case and helps avoid issues like you are experiencing.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Wow I have to agree to disagree but Asus boards and Corsair ram amaze me they stay in business, I keep thinking there have to be other things they do to make money, especially the ram for my experience anyway. If Corsair were the only ram in the world available, I have to start building abbacus (whatever the plural is of that). Definitely you need to go back to the beginning with a bench test because that eliminates a lot of things either way.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Rich-M said:


> Definitely you need to go back to the beginning with a bench test because that eliminates a lot of things either way.


Ditto ^
Your components are top quality and should not cause any issues if none are defective.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Someone reading this thread asked me a question I cannot answer. This looks like it was built on a carpet, is that right? Please to do a bench test do not lay the board on a carpet but rather on the motherboard box or a neutral piece of cardboard to avoid more grounding issues.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

To answer a few of the questions:
I tried to boot with one stick of RAM.
There were 9 standoffs aligned and screwed in.
It was not built on a carpet.

I will do the bench test today.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

It looks like one is missing a screw on the right side middle of the way down the picturs you posted though.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

I just did the bench test. No luck. Had the same issue with the graphics card fan starting and stopping. The CPU fan is very quiet. I'm doubtful that I can find someone I know with a modern desktop that I can use to test parts. Should I send the PSU back and get a new one?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

It is either the psu or the motherboard so why not start with psu.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

I went to look at old computers in my father's basement, and found one with a 650w PowerKing PSU. It was barely used, but it is many years old. Would it be safe to test my computer with this?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

It may not have the 24 pin plug if its old and you really don't know if it even works, but it can't hurt anything to try it. If it has olnly the 10 pin power plug it will fit in the 24 only one way so don't worry about that.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

Rich-M said:


> It is either the psu or the motherboard so why not start with psu.


Is there also a possibility that is the CPU?

I tried the old psu. It didn't have an 8pin power connector for the CPU power.

Edit: The XFX PSU fans don't blow much air when on.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Try not to worry about your new PSU not blowing enough air. Find out if any other PSU.... your older one, or another one, will get that system up and running. Use 1 stick of memory in the 1st grey slot only. Lets see how it goes from there. Looking at your pictures it looks like Rich is correct you might be missing a standoff. Also be sure to check your SATA orientations for your boot drive.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Ertch said:


> The XFX PSU fans don't blow much air when on.


Fan speed usually is determined by how hot the PSU is. More efficient PSU's that are working well within their capacity may have a fan that either turns slowly or not at all. My AX850's fan almost never even turns unless I'm playing a game.

From Seasonic:



> The electrical AC/DC conversion efficiency of the new Seasonic models... means the Seasonic has to deal with... less heat while delivering the same power. This has an effect on longevity as well as noise because fan speed is directly tied to internal PSU temperature: All of these PSUs use a thermistor to monitor the heat and speed the fan up as temp rises. With the Seasonics, the fan speed increases more gradually because it produces much less heat at every power level...


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

If you are talking about the 12V rail, and not the video card you can use the 4pin plug on the old one, it will only fit into the 8 port plug the right way so you won't hurt anything.


Ertch said:


> Is there also a possibility that is the CPU?
> 
> I tried the old psu. It didn't have an 8pin power connector for the CPU power.
> 
> Edit: The XFX PSU fans don't blow much air when on.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

I tried the 650w PowerKing PSU, and the CPU fan would only twitch when turned on.

The good news is that one of my old computers is capable of reaching the Bios screen. I tried my 550w XFX PSU (the one that should be in my new computer), and it powered on and went to the Bios screen. That computer was previously powered by an old cheap Chinese 300w PSU, so it requires much less power than my new one.

Should I assume that the XFX PSU isn't the problem, and exchange the motherboard instead?


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Yes that sounds like the answer.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Ertch said:


> Should I assume that the XFX PSU isn't the problem, and exchange the motherboard instead?


Yes

Have you bench tested as suggested?
With no RAM, short the power pins to power the Mobo and listed for beeps from the Mobo speaker. No RAM and no beeps indicate a Mobo problem.
NOTE: A Mobo speaker is required.


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## Ertch (Jun 5, 2014)

Tyree said:


> Yes
> 
> Have you bench tested as suggested?
> With no RAM, short the power pins to power the Mobo and listed for beeps from the Mobo speaker. No RAM and no beeps indicate a Mobo problem.
> NOTE: A Mobo speaker is required.


I bench tested with no success.
I pulled the RAM. Still no beeps. I tested the Mobo speaker on another computer to make sure it works.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Ertch said:


> I bench tested with no success.
> I pulled the RAM. Still no beeps. I tested the Mobo speaker on another computer to make sure it works.


That is a good indication the Mobo is a problem.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

I concur.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

Any update on this situation OP? It's been a while.


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