DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

First build ever !! :-)

33 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/first-build-ever.134313/

G
G-Force Original post #1
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:17 AM
Hey guys,
I am a complete newbie to this forum. I've been reading through the posts of the members here and i have to accept it feels really nice how helpful and knowledgeable they are :doublethumb:!

Anyway, the point of this thread is that I am planning to build a new PC :cool:and since it is the first time i am doing so, I'll need your help guys. I just want everything to go right and don't want to mess things up:Fingerx:. I basically need this PC for watching movies, playing games, programming, editing movies and photos. I generally play games such as COD, DoTA, FIFA 2010, Assassins creed, NFS shift etc. I make use of Photoshop a lot too. So a PC which runs all the above mentioned programs smoothly is what I really want.

This is the configuration that I am going for::
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Processor: Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz

Motherboard: ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (Cost: Approx. Rs. 6500 /-)

Hard disk: 80 GB SATA (for OS)
Seagate® Barracuda 7200 RPM (1 TB ) (for storing data like movies, pics)

RAM: 2x(2 GB DDR3 1333) Kingston

Graphics Card: ASUS ATI Radeon 5770 (1 GB)

Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 (with a side window and blue LED fans)

Optical Drive: LG or Samsung DVD-RW

PSU: Cooler Master 500 W

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is what I have finalized so far. I have researched a lot everything seems to be compatible and available locally :bananana:.

If you guys think i should make any changes please go ahead and tell me. Also, do you think a 500 W PSU would be enough for this build? I plan to do some minor S/W overclocking using the ASUS utilities. Nothing serious though.

Thanks in advance !! Cheers !:doublethumb:
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:26 AM
what ur budget?? ur processor is good enough.. :)
modification can be made in GPU,mobo,n PSU?? accordin to ur budget only
G
G-Force #3
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:33 AM
My budget is around 30-35k. What would you suggest?

Thanks for your quick reply BTW. :)
ithehappy
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:49 AM
What is that 80GB separate HDD for OS? You gettin' some SSD or what? Not clear!
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:51 AM
yeah r u tryin to use 2 HDD or wht/?

well config cud be
i5 760 - 9.8k
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 - 6.4k
Sapphire HD6850 - 11.2k (very powerful GPU btw)
RAM 2x2GB 1333Mhz - 3.6k
DVD writer -1k (max)
CM Elite 430 - 2.7k
PSU - Corsair VX450W - 3.7k

personally: for ur 30-35k budget u shud go for i3 processor
G
G-Force #6
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:54 AM
What is that 80GB separate HDD for OS? You gettin' some SSD or what? Not clear!
No its not an SSD just a normal SATA HDD. The reason for the seperate HDD is because I had a few problems with my current system and had to format and reinstall Windows. During this process I lost huge amounts of data. So a separate HDD for the OS sounded much better option.
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:56 AM
no need of dat imo.. go for single HDD only.. and if u r afraid of same prob in future too den go for 500GB hdd and purchase 1 external storage drive.. where u will have all ur backup data
ithehappy
Nov 24, 2010 at 12:57 AM
Oh well..there are a lot of software's to recover your lost data btw.
G
G-Force #9
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:00 AM
Oh well..there are a lot of software's to recover your lost data btw.
Actually, i tried recovering but most of the data was overwritten and nothing I could do ! :(

Thank you for the suggestion pulkitpopli2004 :).

I'll check that mobo and see if is easily available here in Pune. Is there a problem with the ASUS p7h55d? Because my friend has it and the OC'ing utilities are SWEET. It allows for dynamic overclocking and also has support for USB 3.0. Personally I think a 5770 would be more than enough. A 6850 is a beast but it's an overkill for my requirements.

Thanks again for the reply. :)
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:07 AM
which s/w u used for recoverin?
G
G-Force #11
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:11 AM
I used 'Recover My Files'. It's a pretty decent s/w. It recovered almost all of my photos.
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:14 AM
imo Gigabyte mobo are better than Asus..
bt d mobo i have suggested doesnt support USB3.0...
which ports u basically require from a mobo? is USB3.0 imp?
G
G-Force #13
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:19 AM
imo Gigabyte mobo are better than Asus..
bt d mobo i have suggested doesnt support USB3.0...
which ports u basically require from a mobo? is USB3.0 imp?
I need a lot of USB ports. Basically for ext. HDD, connecting phone, webcam etc. To make the build future proof I am opting for USB 3.0. I don't plan to use dual GPU's so 1 pci 2.0 is enough for me. I feel that most of the new USB products will have USB 3.0 so that would be very helpful.
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:41 AM
Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3L @ 7.4k
Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 @ 8.4k
dese 2 mobo can fulfill ur req for USB3.0 within ur budget,, and go with HD5770 only.. it wud b fine.. oderwise 2 need to increase ur budget
skeletor
skeletor #15
Nov 24, 2010 at 1:58 AM
Cooler Master PSUs to be avoided because they suck.
ssb1551
ssb1551 #17
Nov 24, 2010 at 11:31 AM
@ G-Force - like ico I'll suggest you to avoid CM PSU atleast the extreme series!!
Faun
Faun #18
Nov 24, 2010 at 3:31 PM
PSU - Corsair vx450
A bad PSU will damage your PC over long term due to bad ripple and voltage regulation. Efficiency of over 80% will save you on electricity bills.
mukherjee
mukherjee #19
Nov 24, 2010 at 7:37 PM
Gigabyte GA-P55-US3L @ 7.4k
Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 @ 8.4k
dese 2 mobo can fulfill ur req for USB3.0 within ur budget,, and go with HD5770 only.. it wud b fine.. oderwise 2 need to increase ur budget

Well, I dont think the P55-US3L supports USB 3.0 .....
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 24, 2010 at 9:22 PM
yeah i edited nw.. it was P55-USB3L
Ishu Gupta
Nov 24, 2010 at 11:31 PM
The reason for the seperate HDD is because I had a few problems with my current system and had to format and reinstall Windows. During this process I lost huge amounts of data. So a separate HDD for the OS sounded much better option.

That can easily solved by partitioning. Then you only need to format one partition and no data is lost.
G
G-Force #22
Nov 24, 2010 at 11:36 PM
Cooler Master PSUs to be avoided because they suck.
I had no idea about that ! I thought Cooler Master produced world class PSUs. Thanks a lot for the head's up will keep that in mind.
Ishu Gupta
Nov 24, 2010 at 11:43 PM
AMD Phenom II X6 1075T - 9.7k Six core. Future proof.
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H - 5.5k <-Both USB3 and SATA3
GSkill 2x2GB DDr3 1600MHz - 4k 1600MHz for OCing
HD5770 - 8k
Seagate 1TB - 2.7k
FSP SAGA II 500W - 2.3k
DVD - .9k
CM Elite 430 - 2.7k

TOTAL 35.8k
G
G-Force #24
Nov 24, 2010 at 11:46 PM
PSU - Corsair vx450
A bad PSU will damage your PC over long term due to bad ripple and voltage regulation. Efficiency of over 80% will save you on electricity bills.
Do you think 450 W would be enough, considering the fact that I will be OCing my cpu?

AMD Phenom II X6 1075T - 9.7k Six core. Future proof.
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H - 5.5k <-Both USB3 and SATA3
GSkill 2x2GB DDr3 1600MHz - 4k 1600MHz for OCing
HD5770 - 8k
Seagate 1TB - 2.7k
FSP SAGA II 500W - 2.3k
DVD - .9k
CM Elite 430 - 2.7k

TOTAL 35.8k
Thanks for the suggestion Ishu.

I'll have to confess that I am not a very big fan of AMD cpus. I am sure they must be very economical and powerful. But I've heard very bad stories about AMD cpus overheating and literally burning due to bad cooling(don't know if those stories are all true). And since I am a beginner I didn't want to take any risks. If you can understand what I mean.

All other things that you've suggested sound perfect.

I have also noticed that there is a significant amount of difference in the prices in Delhi and here in Pune.

e.g.:
I enquired about the HD 5770 and most of the dealers offered prices like 8.5k.
Same in case of the Elite 430, I am being told that it is for 3.5k !!
Seagate 1 TB : 3.4k !
So practically the build costs me nearly 3-4k more.

Either I am being fooled or you guys are very lucky.
ssb1551
ssb1551 #25
Nov 25, 2010 at 12:04 AM
Dude check out sigs of some of the members.I'm sure after that you'll change your views about AMD procc & also forget about age old stories a.k.a "overheating" n "bad cooling"(it used to be there like 8-10 years back).
BTW who told you about all this?Let me guess...some shop guy,right?
Faun
Faun #26
Nov 25, 2010 at 12:11 AM
Do you think 450 W would be enough, considering the fact that I will be OCing my cpu?
Yup. Try this page to calculate.
Welcome to Corsair :: Power Supplies

Also this one too:
Antec Power Supply Calculator
pulkitpopli2004
Nov 25, 2010 at 12:14 AM
yup its always shopkeepers... scared of AMD rigs... :eek:
Faun
Faun #28
Nov 25, 2010 at 12:20 AM
I have also noticed that there is a significant amount of difference in the prices in Delhi and here in Pune.

e.g.:
I enquired about the HD 5770 and most of the dealers offered prices like 8.5k.
Same in case of the Elite 430, I am being told that it is for 3.5k !!
Seagate 1 TB : 3.4k !
So practically the build costs me nearly 3-4k more.

Either I am being fooled or you guys are very lucky.
Go to STech computers and tell the guy that price is too high (tell him some online prices) in case he blurt out the obvious. Everyone is an opportunist and you gotta play your cards too. While I cannot guarantee but give it a try. Btw he has good knowledge of what he sells.

And tell him that you got recommendation over internet forum from a guy who recently bought VX550 and APC 1.1KvA (or you can skip this as I myself don't know the consequences of this...lol).

FYI:
I got WD 1TB green at Rs. 2.9k and same price for Seagate 1TB.
Corsair VX 550 cost me 4850, initially he quoted 5400 and then I told him that its lower than 5k (told him 4850 exactly).
APC 1KvA UPS for 4.9k, his initial quote was 5.5k. I retorted back that it's damn too high.

Beware, do not purchase anything other than you have finally settled on. As these guys usually fool you into buying other things which are in stock and have more profit margin.
G
G-Force #29
Nov 25, 2010 at 12:34 AM
Go to STech computers and tell the guy that price is too high (tell him some online prices) in case he blurt out the obvious. Everyone is an opportunist and you gotta play your cards too. While I cannot guarantee but give it a try. Btw he has good knowledge of what he sells.

And tell him that you got recommendation over internet forum from a guy who recently bought VX550 and APC 1.1KvA (or you can skip this as I myself don't know the consequences of this...lol).

FYI:
I got WD 1TB green at Rs. 2.9k and same price for Seagate 1TB.
Corsair VX 550 cost me 4850, initially he quoted 5400 and then I told him that its lower than 5k (told him 4850 exactly).
APC 1KvA UPS for 4.9k, his initial quote was 5.5k. I retorted back that it's damn too high.

Beware, do not purchase anything other than you have finally settled on. As these guys usually fool you into buying other things which are in stock and have more profit margin.
I will certainly consider going to Stech comp.
I mainly asked in Camp (MG road) and everyone said stuff like "MRP se kam nahi lenge, agar apko sasta mil raha hain to udhar se lelo!". Finally I ran out of shops :-D !

Again thanks for the guidance, it helps a lot !
skeletor
skeletor #30
Nov 25, 2010 at 12:40 AM
AMD Phenom II X6 1075T - 9.7k Six core. Future proof.
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H - 5.5k <-Both USB3 and SATA3
GSkill 2x2GB DDr3 1600MHz - 4k 1600MHz for OCing
HD5770 - 8k
Seagate 1TB - 2.7k
FSP SAGA II 500W - 2.3k
DVD - .9k
CM Elite 430 - 2.7k

TOTAL 35.8k

Best config possible in your budget with a future proof motherboard.

I'll have to confess that I am not a very big fan of AMD cpus. I am sure they must be very economical and powerful. But I've heard very bad stories about AMD cpus overheating and literally burning due to bad cooling(don't know if those stories are all true). And since I am a beginner I didn't want to take any risks. If you can understand what I mean.
FUD by Indian babujis. Please read this: *harsh.vardhan.net/?p=20

Also, the graphic card you are getting is also AMD HD 5770. :)
Faun
Faun #31
Nov 25, 2010 at 7:52 AM
Also, the graphic card you are getting is also AMD HD 5770. :)

lol...

@G-Force
I assume that you went to Baba computers and Zen computers too. :grin:

My graphics card's fan stopped working and Zen computer's guy told me that it cannot be replace or repaired as fan is not under warranty :x I never bought anything from him thereafter.
K
Nov 27, 2010 at 3:53 PM
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H - 5.5k <-Both USB3 and SATA3


hi ishu, by the way where to get this mobo. i couldnt find a retailer on net for this mobo. can you tell any online seller. i m from chennai.
skeletor
skeletor #33
Nov 27, 2010 at 3:58 PM
hi ishu, by the way where to get this mobo. i couldnt find a retailer on net for this mobo. can you tell any online seller. i m from chennai.
You could have a look at MSI 880GMA-E45. Equally good motherboard. :)

MSI 880GMA-E45