# Want to build a new PC **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196 "2012-07-14T13:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/1 "2012-07-14T13:11:53Z")
I want to build a new home PC and am looking for part suggestions. I already have for the new system a Windows 7 Retail Licence (unused) and a 120GB SSD Drive. I will be using it mostly for internet use, editing home videos and home audio recording. I don’t really game and my current rig works for the games I do play. My current rig is MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 Motherboard - NVIDIA® MCP61P/6150SE, Socket AM2+, MicroATX, Audio, Video, PCI Express, 10/100 Ethernet LAN, USB 2.0, RAID DIABLOTEK VTX RADEON HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCIE Two of Crucial CT25664AA800 2GB Desktop Memory Module - PC6400, DDR2, 800MHz, DIMM AMD HD9750WCJ4BGH Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor - 2.40GHz, 2MB L3 Cache, 3600 MT/s FSB, Quad-Core, Socket AM2+, OEM Processor Seagate ST31000520AS Barracuda LP Hard Drive - 1TB, 5900rpm, 32MB, SATA-3G LG GH22NS50B DVD Writer - w/o Software, DVDRW, 22X, SATA, OEM ---
**Author:** ![And\_his\_buzzer\_goes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/and_his_buzzer_goes/32/377_2.png) [@And\_his\_buzzer\_goes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/And_his_buzzer_goes)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/2 "2012-07-14T13:25:02Z")
Is there a specific reason you’re wanting to upgrade ? Your current system seems capable enough and as you state it does run the games when you want them. Why aren’t you using the SSD for that system ? It’ll have an enormous impact on responsiveness. I recently upgraded my oldish system with an SSD, it’s the best upgrade you can have. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/3 "2012-07-14T13:49:12Z")
I’d pop in the SSD and get the memory up to 8gb and call it good for what you’re describing as your computer use. Is it failing to perform in some way? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/4 "2012-07-14T13:57:03Z")
I’m figuring I need to to a fresh install to put Windows on the SSD so if I have to do that I might as well build a new system so I don’t have any junk that I don’t really use installed. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/5 "2012-07-14T16:47:23Z")
A fresh install is a fresh install. Junk you have now won’t be there. I just built a new system and used a SSD. It’s amazing how nice it is. Boot time is just under 15 seconds. Windows 7 recognizes the SSD during install and turns off some HDD features that hurt SSD performance. And Windows 7 installed, start to finish, in about 10 minutes. For what it’s worth, I used an Intel Core i5-3450 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz processor and a ASUS P8H77-V LE LGA 1155 Intel H77 motherboard that has two SATA 3 (6 Gbps) connections. I used one of those for the SSD, but I don’t know if it is any better than a 3 Gbps connection. 8 GB of memory cost under $50. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/6 "2012-07-14T17:41:12Z")
I agree with the others. Add some memory (super cheap and easy, as upgrades go), and do a fresh install on an SSD and you’ll be amazed at the performance difference. A new CPU or GPU will offer negligible gains for the type of things you’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/7 "2012-07-14T18:20:37Z")
The only other thing I’d get would be a USB 3 card. They’re dead cheap. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/8 "2012-07-14T23:46:47Z")
My concern is I know it will take me a few days to do an install and put back all the apps I use. I don’t want to be without a computer during this time so I was going to build the new system as I have time. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/9 "2012-07-14T23:54:25Z")
A fresh Windows install should take an hour or less. Maybe another hour to install the programs you use on a daily basis, e.g. preferred web browser, office and calendar software, whatever games you’re playing right now. At that point, you have your computer back and can install everything else at your leisure. Buying a new computer you don’t need just to avoid a few hours of down time doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/10 "2012-07-15T00:29:26Z")
Advice I always give: if you’re buying from somewhere like Newegg, try to get as many combo deals as you can. You might have to be a little flexible, e.g. brands of RAM. I think I saved like $80 doing that last time I built. USB3: good if you actually have USB3 devices. Lots of new motherboards have it now, so if building from scratch a separate card might not be necessary. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/11 "2012-07-15T00:50:40Z")
Despite what people say, you certainly will feel the difference if you upgrade (although certainly what you have now is serviceable). Assuming you don’t care much about gaming performance a 5770 with these components will run pretty much any game, at lower resolutions like 720p and low/medium details. Your obvious places for upgrade are CPU, and thus by necessity motherboard and RAM. The most bang for buck solutions right now would be something like an I5-3570k and one of the cheaper z77 motherboards, with 8gb of ddr3 1600 (1.5V not 1.65v) RAM. If your existing power supply is 80+, it probably is fine - your current system probably draws more power. If your current supply is not 80+, sell it or throw it out and buy a 4-500w 80+ power supply, it will pretty much pay for itself over the life of the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/12 "2012-07-15T05:38:55Z")
> [@jacobsta811](#): > > Assuming you don’t care much about gaming performance a 5770 with these components will run pretty much any game, at lower resolutions like 720p and low/medium details. > > \ > The most bang for buck solutions right now would be something like an I5-3570k and one of the cheaper z77 motherboards, with 8gb of ddr3 1600 (1.5V not 1.65v) RAM. If the OP isn’t concerned about gaming, he’s probably not worried about overclocking. I’m the same way, which is why I bought the locked chip and the H77 motherboard. That alone saved me about $60. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/13 "2012-07-15T14:51:44Z")
In chips that are worse overclockers, I might agree, but even ivy bridge will get you to 4.2 or 4.3ghz completely stable with a $30 aftermarket cooler like a Xigmatek Gaia or Coolermaster Hyper 212+ or evo, and that is 25+% more performance and worth the extra. Z77 vs H77 isn’t only about overclocking - the z77 boards usually (but not always) have more features too like more USB 3 ports, more SATA ports, and non-obviously usually have better power delivery/construction and can be more stable. If you’re looking for more bang for your buck to spend less than the i5-3570k or i5-2500k, you’re usually better off dropping down to an i3 or Phenom II x4 (amd only if you have a parallel type workload like video editing & transcoding, virtual servers, etc), imo. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/14 "2012-07-15T15:18:00Z")
I’m with the fresh install on the new SSD drive in the old machine camp. Assuming you’ve got an extra drive bay, you can slave the original drive and won’t even have to worry about backing up data. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/15 "2012-07-15T20:12:52Z")
I always do a fresh install on a new drive if building a computer or replacing the core parts. > [@jacobsta811](#): > > Despite what people say, you certainly will feel the difference if you upgrade (although certainly what you have now is serviceable). > Assuming you don’t care much about gaming performance a 5770 with these components will run pretty much any game, at lower resolutions like 720p and low/medium details. > Your obvious places for upgrade are CPU, and thus by necessity motherboard and RAM. > The most bang for buck solutions right now would be something like an I5-3570k and one of the cheaper z77 motherboards, with 8gb of ddr3 1600 (1.5V not 1.65v) RAM. > If your existing power supply is 80+, it probably is fine - your current system probably draws more power. If your current supply is not 80+, sell it or throw it out and buy a 4-500w 80+ power supply, it will pretty much pay for itself over the life of the computer. I probably need to update my knowledge, but can you translate some things? z77 is just a chipset standard, and works with compatible CPUs? Why 1.5v and not 1.65v? What does 80+ mean in reference to a PSU? ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/16 "2012-07-15T22:54:58Z")
z77 is an intel socket 1155 chipset. Z77 is the higher end chipset for socket 1155 and thus allows overclocking, and often is found on more expensive motherboards. h77 does not allow overclocking, even with a “K” series unlocked CPU. People do run 1.65V memory on ivy bridge, but there is or was some concern that it could shorten the life of your CPU, since the memory controller is integrated into the CPU itself. Perhaps more importantly, memory that will run at its rated speed at 1.5V is higher quality/higher bin RAM period. 80+ or “80 plus” is power efficiency certification for Power supplies - at 20-80% load an 80+ power supply will suffer a loss of no more than 20% converting AC-\>DC - thus for example a 400W 80+ power supply at 50% load must supply 200W DC power to the computer and pull no more than 250W AC from the wall. There are also Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum ratings which signify even higher power efficiency. But basically, 80+ means your computer costs you less money in power because less AC is being converted into heat and blown out of the power supply by the fan. ---
**Author:** ![Razrak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/razrak/32/5888_2.png) [@Razrak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razrak)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/17 "2012-07-16T02:37:48Z")
I used the following websites’ spring guide to build my newpc 4 months ago. They’ve updated the components for a summer guide. [http://techreport.com/articles.x/23204](http://techreport.com/articles.x/23204) I’m not affiliated with them in any way. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/18 "2012-07-17T02:58:19Z")
On further examination of my case I don’t have a drive bay that I can fit the SSD into. So I’m going to need a new case. Then I’m going to have the (to me) hassle of moving all the components to a new case … ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/19 "2012-07-17T03:27:30Z")
What do you mean you can’t fit it in? Is it a Mini Tower. In mine I have like 5-6 3.5" bays and 5 or so 5.25" bays. If the problem is that it is 3.5" and you don’t have any spaces left, you can get spacers to convert to 5.25". If the problem isn’t enough cables, there are ways to fix that. But it sound like from your OP you only have one of each bay filled by HD and DVD. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196/20 "2012-07-17T04:02:49Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What do you mean you can’t fit it in? Is it a Mini Tower. In mine I have like 5-6 3.5" bays and 5 or so 5.25" bays. If the problem is that it is 3.5" and you don’t have any spaces left, you can get spacers to convert to 5.25". If the problem isn’t enough cables, there are ways to fix that. But it sound like from your OP you only have one of each bay filled by HD and DVD. I have four hard drives in this computer plus two optical drives. Two hard drives are SATA two IDE and the optical drives are IDE [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-to-build-a-new-pc/628196.md?page=2)