Building My First Computer

[cattb]

from a different perspective, I have built and also use both an Intel i7-2600k 3.4 GHz Quad-core PC and an AMD Phenom II X4 Q975 Black Edition Deneb 3.6GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core PC

and playing Aces high, the AMD cpu using just ONE core runs Aces high maxxed out with all settings maxed except shadow textures is set at 4096 instead of 8192, AA at  login video settings screen is on notch 3  screen res is 1920 X 1200 steady at 60 FPS

my Intel i7-2600K runs the game using TWO cores the exact same performance , it is still maxed out at 1920 x 1200 ( and or 1920 x 1080 ).......  only difference between the 2 computers is that the intel has an XFX HD6950 2  GIG VC  and the AMD has an XFX HD6870 1 GIG  VC  ( well their are a few minor other things like different type of Sound Card and the i7 is running a RAID 0 setup using (2) 128GB sata III  SSD's  while the AMD is using just 1 128 GB sata III SSD )

I currently have 3 computers running with AMD phenom II cpus ( 2 quadcores and 1 dual core ), and I hopfully will be updating all of them to the AMD FX  AM3+ series, if I have enough money left over after my oldest Daughter's wedding at end of Dec. ...... I will be looking for the Rev B  version of the FX4100 cpu, though ....... these new FX AM3+ cpu's  run cooler, they are on newer technology and they are les power hungry.......

The only thing that my i7 cpu does better than my AMD Phenom II 975 cpu is Video editing/ripping/coding/burning etc........  my AMD cpu blows my Intel away when I am working with my AutoCad and for gaming it is a wash between the 2 different makes......

now you said you are wanting to build a new Computer and you are going to be playing 3 certian Named mmo games: Crysis, Metro2033 and BF3 ....... 2 of these 3 games as I posted earlier are of the most extreme demanding pc games for cpu's / gpu's / systm ram.......  if you are building your New PC to play those games and you want better than mid level / middle of the road playability, then you will certianly need to step up all components of your PC  meaning PSU, CPU, GPU, HD, Case & Case Cooling, CPU & GPU cooling


if you are only going to be playing Aces High, then as Drano posted.... the i7-2600K & 6950 2 GIG VC  is overkill .........


I recently throwed a system together for a  friend...... it was an old Athlon II 6400 dualcore 3.2GHz AM2 cpu,  ATI HD3870 512 MB GDDR4  VideoCard, 4 gigs of PC6400 DDR2 800 MHZ Ram, 750 watt PC P&C PSU and a 320 GB sata II HD with win7 SP 1 64 bit as the OS......
it ran Aces High with most settings maxxed except shadows turned down to 1024  and AA set at x4 with 512 textures and held a steady 59/60 fps using 1920x1080 screenres....... turning the hi res skins textures on and it still ran a modest 48 to 52 FPS and never below 42 FPS in some of the thickest furballing / smoke / fire etc....

so as mentioned above do your research, and then research some more......... you said you will be doing this in a month or 2, so you have plenty of time to do some solid reviewing and comparing....

as for staying with the same brand or staying with AMD cpu / AMD-ATI GPU vs intel / nvidia  matchup........  most of the Motherboards today will accept both types of Video Cards the intel/nvidia  AMD/ATI  myth is almost completely removed from the equation these days with only a very small few exceptions to where you might run into a problem...... meaning  you can use ATI or nividia  on both  Intel & AMD MB's  and not have a problem...

and remember, each of us posting here are posting a personal opinions..........  although some of the recommendations posted are coming from current or previous experience.....

whether you decide Intel  or AMD for your cpu  or decide  Nvidia or AMD/ATI for your gpu .......... is all up to what you desire ........ you can make any combination work

as for Intel being easier and less problematic to build .........  they both are just 1 part of the whole PC.....  as posted it is as easy as Lego's to build a PC....... the hardest part is researching and deciding on a good matched set of components then loading / installing the OS and setting the BIOS settings ........

Do not Be Affraid to post and Ask questions

Good Luck on your New PC build adventure

edit: I don't pay much attention to most of those benchmarking results articles/reviews ...... I find that I get more from "Real Life / Real World User results/ experience"  than I can get from some lab telling me something is a leser product when my own personal experience using the compnents they are benchmarking is giving me arguably different results than what they claim........  but as always the case  YMMV


TC

I use a AMD 940 BE and 8800 gt to play this game and for my personal PC used, shrugs. Runs mostly 59 framerate. Does what I need for it to do.

I wish I had your computers for real life testing..:     I put the wrong face on lol

The next computer I build will be to replace the Athlon 5600 dual core. Think I'll go with  llano.  Should do all that my wife and daughter do with a computer. Save some electricity in the process. Some anyway.

[TequilaChaser]

You should check the form factor of the Motherboard you are wanting to purchase and make sure your PC Case will ccept it

MB form factors: Pico-ITX, Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, and Extended-ATX

just about every mid size PC case ( Tower ) will acept Micro ATX, ATX and Extended ATX

and I am personally of the opinion that bigger is better when talking about PC Cases...... more room for air to circulate and move around......  although their are some PC Cases that are BIG and take up alot of space.....

as for PSU's ...... your PSU is only going to draw the watts that each component is pulling ( drawing ) power......  just because your PSU might put out 1,000 watts doesn't mean that it will be putting that out 100% of the time, it will fluctuate... at start p it might rise up to close to max output but once the PC is up and running it will fall off to pull just what the PC components are demandingwith a slight overhead............ if you use every single plug your PSU has to offer ( highly doubtful ) ...... then you might come close to maxing out your PSU

also in some instances one might use more power if they set their OS up to where some PC components are not allowed to go idle or into standby mode or hibernation..... with that said, for those using windows 7 OS, itis recommended to not use the hibernation or standby modes or such.......

now you posted that you have a 5570 at 2048 shadows and can run aces high maxed out........ yes that is good.....but the looks of the graphics from a 5570 compared to the looks of the graphics from say a 6950 or a 5870 or even a Nvidia 560  would look far more superior to what you can see with your 5570 .......... due to more shaders , better clock speed, more ram , better ram etc...... ( am not trying to put down your 5570, just trying to let you know their is a big differencein what the graphics look like )

I can shut the heat off in my bedroom and open the window when it is 40 deg F outside and my i7-2600K along with my ASUS 27" monitor will keep me more than satidfied temperature wise........ but my temps are all very low  cpu runs around 37 C, VC runs around 34 C, inside case runs around 31C when loading ( maxing) the PC

yes the higher performance the more power to a point....... if you watch your power bill ( elctric bill ) you can actually tell when an extra pc is added or  an extra TV ........ but then again my background includes energy audits......

I am not partial to buying Intel or AMD....... I like them both........ only thing is AMD is cheaper......    I am partial to using ASUS, Corsair, thermaltake cases/fans/ power supplys.....

if you can afford it, I can highly recommend the Thermaltake Level10 GT Case ....... but it is expensive

anyways, good Luck on your venture, titanic

TC

[Tigger29]

I think I have a couple of friends who might let me borrow their OS install disk so no worries there. And yes, I know about the 32-Bit OS' using only 4GB of RAM.

The problem isn't the 4GB limit it's about having a pirated copy of Windows.  Unless they aren't using it (or unless they have an extra license) it is illegal for you to use their product key to install it.  Also MS does a pretty decent job at making sure each key isn't being used too many times.  You're likely to boot up your computer and be locked out of it due to pirating the operating system.  I would definitely count on budgeting for Windows!  The only other legal option is to use a beta version of Windows 8.  This may give you some more time to save up!

Also, would it matter if the computer case is "too big"? Or would it be a case of "bigger is better"? Because what happens if the motherboard and screws and pins and all that, don't line up with the holes in the case?

Cases will have extra holes to accommodate the different sizes of motherboards.  This won't be a problem.  A bigger case just means more space to provide airflow to.  It's just a matter of an extra fan or three.

One more thing, would my new PC use a lot more electricity? I'm currently using a 220W PSU and it's not so bad with power consumption. Would using a more powerful computer mean a higher electric bill? And how much does your PC use? (Guys with gaming rigs).

My system has a 750watt power supply.  My G/F's system has a 650watt.  I work from home so my computer is on pretty much 14-18 hours a day.  Hers is on probably 2 hours a day or so.  We also have a 47" TV that is on a few hours a day.  Electric water heater.  Natural gas heater and dryer.  1200 sq ft 3 bedroom house plus finished basement.  This summer when it was about 100 all month I kept the thermostat at 72f and our highest electric bill was $175.  Last month with cooler temperatures and almost no A/C usage it was $65.  Trust me your computer isn't a significant factor on your electric bill.  Upgrading may mean a difference of $5-$10 per month.

[Debrody]

now you posted that you have a 5570 at 2048 shadows and can run aces high maxed out........ yes that is good.....but the looks of the graphics from a 5570 compared to the looks of the graphics from say a 6950 or a 5870 or even a Nvidia 560  would look far more superior to what you can see with your 5570 .......... due to more shaders , better clock speed, more ram , better ram etc...... ( am not trying to put down your 5570, just trying to let you know their is a big differencein what the graphics look like )

idk. my previous computer has a HD4670, the current one has an 5830. With the same settings, AH looks exactly the same (at least i cant notice anything), the only difference is between the FPS.
Sure, on my very old radeon 9600, it looked completely different, even with the same settings.

Btw titanic, the i5-2500k vs 6950 sounds very strong if it fits your budget.