Total rookie here - have been on laptops for the past decade or so, and any hardware stuff I've ever done was on a pentium 4, mostly just swapping out failing HDD and CPU to keep the system running.
In the era of the tablet, I think I'm ready to go back to cases, and the bitfenix prodigy is just pretty enough to make me want to roll up my sleeves for this.
1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Moderate gaming on an HDTV. May work in a bit of XBMC/media server useage and possibly even replace my blu-ray player eventually. I'm the sort of person to run my machine into the ground, so I'm hoping this will keep me playing for four or five years with a few upgrades here and there. High settings matter, FPS doesn't.
Bioshock Infinite and maybe Skyrim. Otherwise older stuff like Batman Arkhams, KotoR II, etc. I tend to be a little behind the times in my gaming. Not interested in overclocking.
2. What YOUR budget is.
Approximately $1000 after taxes and shipping - willing to wait for sales, and buy secondhand where appropriate (Keyboard, case, memory, etc. - not mobo or gpu).
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada
4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
Nvidia, Intel.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
My HDTV as the monitor.
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
I have reviewed several builds, and am starting to get the hang of what I'm looking for. I have a list of parts I'm considering.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I have no plans to overclock and likely never will.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
This month. Buying the case today, hoping to get some back-to-school hardware sales.
9. What resolution and settings do you use?
Since this is for use with an HDTV, the resolution will be 1920x1080. I'd prefer to play on High-Max settings, big picture on steam, etc.
10. Are there any specific technologies you want?
SSD
Here are the parts I'm looking at getting:
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy
Case Fan: Heard good things about the Noctua NH D14, but that build order was very particular for this case. Would the stock fans be okay?
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: No idea. Cooling is really something I know nothing about.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX (like the built-in wifi, and don't need to overclock).
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
PSU: Silverstone 550W ST55F-G Gold, Modular (Overkill?)
Storage: I'd like to go for a 256 Gb SSD. Don't download many rips, and could add a 7200 RPM HDD later if need be.
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
Thanks in advance for helping out a newb, and sorry if this type of build has gotten a little repetitive
In the era of the tablet, I think I'm ready to go back to cases, and the bitfenix prodigy is just pretty enough to make me want to roll up my sleeves for this.
1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Moderate gaming on an HDTV. May work in a bit of XBMC/media server useage and possibly even replace my blu-ray player eventually. I'm the sort of person to run my machine into the ground, so I'm hoping this will keep me playing for four or five years with a few upgrades here and there. High settings matter, FPS doesn't.
Bioshock Infinite and maybe Skyrim. Otherwise older stuff like Batman Arkhams, KotoR II, etc. I tend to be a little behind the times in my gaming. Not interested in overclocking.
2. What YOUR budget is.
Approximately $1000 after taxes and shipping - willing to wait for sales, and buy secondhand where appropriate (Keyboard, case, memory, etc. - not mobo or gpu).
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada
4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
Nvidia, Intel.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
My HDTV as the monitor.
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
I have reviewed several builds, and am starting to get the hang of what I'm looking for. I have a list of parts I'm considering.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I have no plans to overclock and likely never will.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
This month. Buying the case today, hoping to get some back-to-school hardware sales.
9. What resolution and settings do you use?
Since this is for use with an HDTV, the resolution will be 1920x1080. I'd prefer to play on High-Max settings, big picture on steam, etc.
10. Are there any specific technologies you want?
SSD
Here are the parts I'm looking at getting:
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy
Case Fan: Heard good things about the Noctua NH D14, but that build order was very particular for this case. Would the stock fans be okay?
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: No idea. Cooling is really something I know nothing about.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX (like the built-in wifi, and don't need to overclock).
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
PSU: Silverstone 550W ST55F-G Gold, Modular (Overkill?)
Storage: I'd like to go for a 256 Gb SSD. Don't download many rips, and could add a 7200 RPM HDD later if need be.
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
Thanks in advance for helping out a newb, and sorry if this type of build has gotten a little repetitive
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