Questions on building a new CPU

[edward_elric]

1) I have a bit of experience with hardware, although not comparable you gods out there; I'm intending to build a new CPU because my old CPU has been giving me problems.

It will work fine for a few hours before it suddenly makes a loud noise that keeps going (i think it's one of the fans, but i'm not sure if it's the PSU or the one on top of the processor). It becomes louder and louder and freaks me out haha. Sounds like something rotating, that's why i suspect the fans.

Anyone knows what this might possibly be?

2) My CPU is about 5 or 6 years old already so I'm thinking of building a new one. GTX460 died after about 3 years of heavy usage so I think that's alright?

My motherboard is a basic one which I just replaced about 4 to 5 months back. Is it possible to trade-in old parts or anything? And can my RAM sticks be reused?

3) The only thing i hope to keep is my 1TB hard disk: Hitachi HDS721010DLE630 ATA Device (says this on device manager). I haven't been researching lately so I hope you kind souls can throw me some recommendations for parts. I bought my old GTX460 cos of hwz ppl who kept pushing it to me!

My budget is about $900 to $1100. Building for gaming for dota 2 and latest FPS games at mid-range to high quality graphics. I do a fair bit of image and video processing too, so I need good processor speed and RAM.

Is it wise to get Windows 7 now? Heard it's the latest and most stable version out of the new microsoft OSes.

I'm quite desperate to build a comp so quick replies will be appreciated! Just throw me some recommendations!

 

[hellspawn_one]

refer to here for what u need...
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/h...get-entry-level-systems-part-2-a-3396832.html

and yes, Win7 is ok now...

 

[edward_elric]

oh yes i was going to ask as well; how much does PCThemes charge for building a new comp, roughly?

i assume they are quite trustworthy given the number of people who talk about them in HWZ....right? haha *nervous laughter*

i've started to research but i'm having a lot of difficulty with the motherboard jargon. would it be easier if i decide on the other parts i need and ask PCThemes for a suitable motherboard?

 

[nippp0n]

What is your current specs? I assume you need an OS?

 

[8800123]

oh yes i was going to ask as well; how much does PCThemes charge for building a new comp, roughly?

Around 20 i think. Might be able to bargain down but i generally just pay them since they are doing the work for me lol.

Intel Core i5 3470 & Asrock B75 PRO3 M ~ $345
G.Skill DDR3-1600MHz 8GB (2X4GB) ~ $77
Palit GTX 650Ti 1GB ~ $195 or Sapphire HD 7790 ~ $
Samsung SATA 24X DVD Rewriter ~ $24
FSP Raider 550W ~ $89
Ikonik EN2 ~ $55
Window 7 OS ~ $120

I stole this recommendation from the thread that hellspawn linked but took out the HDD since you already have it. Im assuming that you have no intention of overclocking so a b75 motherboard will be more than good enough for you.

I think that with your budget, you can probably swap the GPU to a GTX660Ti or a 7850 or maybe even a 7950 if you want. DIY comps are quite flexible so if say you want a better CPU, you can get for a i7.

And yes PC Themes is quite a trustworthy shop. If you arent 100% sure what you want or just want some extra advices while buying, they are the best around.

 

[edward_elric]

alright this is what i have so far, with reference to your replies!

1) GFX:

A) GTX660: MSI GTX 660 Twin Frozr 2 --> $338
B) PALIT GTX650 TI Boost 2GB OC --> $259
C) LEADTEK GTX650 TI Boost 2GB --> $259

2) Intel Core i5 3470 & Asrock B75 PRO3 M --> $345
3) OS: Windows 7 home premium 32/64 bit: $120
4) PSU: FSP Raider 550W: $89~
5) SSD: Samsung 840 120GB = $165
6) Casing: Iknonik EN2 - $55 (budget for $90)

This adds up to a total of $1147. Which is above my budget, though not super uncomfortably.
[With the leadtek it will be $1033]

Some more questions:
- Are they all compatible with the motherboard? I budgeted a bit more for the casing cos i'm not sure if everything will fit.

- I'm currently placing GTX660 there (instead of the 650 Ti boost) because I'm not sure about this: I've read some reviews about how the twin frozr 2 is a good card cos of the cooling, but it's pricey for me. My 2 other choices are there, and I assume all of them will give me decent performance on most games now, right?

Will overheating of the GFX card significantly affect the performance or lifespan? If not, I'll probably go with the Leadtek one because I don't intend to OC, and I assume the GTX660 won't make too much of a difference to me on the games I play (dota 2, BF4 when it comes out, arkham, bioshock etc)

- Do I need a 120GB SSD? I only want a fast boot speed cos my brothers always complain about that, and maybe for microsoft office. I'm fine waiting for games haha. I'm hoping to save on SSD so if remotely possible I would want to.

Again, thanks for the quick replies! Gonna zoom down to PCThemes to ask them tomorrow liao

 

[nippp0n]

alright this is what i have so far, with reference to your replies!

1) GFX:

A) GTX660: MSI GTX 660 Twin Frozr 2 --> $338
B) PALIT GTX650 TI Boost 2GB OC --> $259
C) LEADTEK GTX650 TI Boost 2GB --> $259

2) Intel Core i5 3470 & Asrock B75 PRO3 M --> $345
3) OS: Windows 7 home premium 32/64 bit: $120
4) PSU: FSP Raider 550W: $89~
5) SSD: Samsung 840 120GB = $165
6) Casing: Iknonik EN2 - $55 (budget for $90)

This adds up to a total of $1147. Which is above my budget, though not super uncomfortably.
[With the leadtek it will be $1033]

Some more questions:
- Are they all compatible with the motherboard? I budgeted a bit more for the casing cos i'm not sure if everything will fit.
Yes they are compatible.

- I'm currently placing GTX660 there (instead of the 650 Ti boost) because I'm not sure about this: I've read some reviews about how the twin frozr 2 is a good card cos of the cooling, but it's pricey for me. My 2 other choices are there, and I assume all of them will give me decent performance on most games now, right?
Shouldn't have any problem handling mid-high settings for your games with GTX 650 Ti Boost.

Will overheating of the GFX card significantly affect the performance or lifespan? If not, I'll probably go with the Leadtek one because I don't intend to OC, and I assume the GTX660 won't make too much of a difference to me on the games I play (dota 2, BF4 when it comes out, arkham, bioshock etc)

- Do I need a 120GB SSD? I only want a fast boot speed cos my brothers always complain about that, and maybe for microsoft office. I'm fine waiting for games haha. I'm hoping to save on SSD so if remotely possible I would want to.

Again, thanks for the quick replies! Gonna zoom down to PCThemes to ask them tomorrow liao

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $324
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $72
Unless your ram is DDR3, you will need to get a new one.
ODD: Liteon DVD RW @ $25
SSD: Plextor M5S 128GB @ $139
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 650 Ti Boost @ $279
PSU: Seasonic S12 520W @ $89
Case: Sharkoon T5 @ $65
OS: Windows 7 Home 64bit OEM @ $120
Assembly fee: $10

Total: $1123
Buy and build at PC Themes.

 

[Athrun88]

Well for the fan noise...
Detach the connector for the fans on top from the motherboard. If still got loud noise=>psu. Vice versa applies.