Building my first PC

[Peacefulwarrior]

After doing lots of research on prices and what i want my PC to be i think i have everything needed to build my PC for Gaming and workstation. (certain parts is all i have and dont have the money to buy new parts)
But i dont know if the power supply is enough
(all bought from newegg and parts i already have)

Here are my items:

Case: Unknown as of yet until i talk to some friends of mine who say they have a case i can use.)

Motherboard:MSI P67A-C43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory

Video card: Nvidia Quadro 600 (Dont have the money to buy a new card and its for 3D applications as i am a 3D animator and Modeler)

Power Supply: Enlight HSN 510 Media Center Computer Power Supply 300W - GPS-300AB-100 V

(The power supply is my main concern because i dont know whether it will power the whole system.)

Give me some tips please.

[JPMiller]

You absolutely do not want that PSU
Enlight as a name brand is generally good, but this is an anemic version.
You should be shooting for a decent 400W by a good brand.
Why did you choose this particular one?

I would also try to find an equivalent Z68 chip motherboard.
That isn't the cheapest board so you should have no trouble finding a similarly priced Z68....
Where are you getting your components and where are you from?
Whats your actual budget?
What cases do you have to choose from?

[ShyguyXPC]

List the Specs for the PSU here (look at the label on it and post the Amp ratings for the 3.3, 5 & +12V rails.


Enlight is usually a cheaper low end brand also. From my experience anyways (usually see them stuffed into low price cheaper cases)




if you could muster $35 or so, you could get something like this that would be fine.

Newegg.com - ENERMAX NAXN ENP350AST 350W ATX12V Power Supply

Assuming the case your friends have will allow a regular ATX PSU to be used in it. Which it should if you have a regular ATX size Motherboard.

[Peacefulwarrior]

First off thanks for replying.

Secondly to answer JPMiller: I didnt choose this PSU. The local computer repair shop known as Beccos was able to make me a quick super low budget rig for some low end 3D modeling. They said it was 400-450 w until i looked at for myself this morning. So most of my parts are in the computer im using.
I am getting my components from Newegg.

My budget was sadly $300 after scavanging some money and not getting much from the holidays.

I tried calling Becco's who also where able to lend me a case but they are still out on vacation so i havent gotten a chance to speak with them but what do you recommend for around $30?
(also note i have already bought these products and the items are already shipped.)

Thirdly to answer ShyguyXpC (lol thats my nickname for my actual name): I will look at the Specs on the PSU, through my research they dont seem great but ill edit and post once i found out. (currently on the computer that has the power supply.)

I believe it should fit in the case that my friends have. Again i will try to get more information on my cases later.

[JPMiller]

OK, so specifically what do you have now, and what are you ordering and what is the budget you have NOW available?

[Peacefulwarrior]

I have the Power Supply. I have the Video card.
I will be having the items that were listed like the i3, RAM, and Motherboard. In about 5 days.

My budget is possibly $50-100, not garunteed as of yet.

Ok well i looked into my storage of my broken PC's and found that their power supply was even less wattage then the one im curently using which is again 300W.

But they may serve as a case for the motherboard.

[JPMiller]

I would buy this first seperately for the $15 newegg gift card to use against another component...
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Technically $15 after all is said and done... ($40 out of pocket)


Newegg.com - Open Box: BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$85 (Open box cuts off almost $30)

Newegg.com - Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
$120

Newegg.com - Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT51264BD1339
$36

EDIT...
I think you should return the Motherboard, and buy the Z68 board instead, and get the new Power supply for sure, and unless you didnt pay much over the $36 I suggested for the regular Corsair memory, I would return that as well...

And where are you generically from?

[Peacefulwarrior]

Oregon is where i am from if thats what you mean

The power supply for that price is absolutley perfect. The processor is exactly what i have bought.
The RAM is really good and much faster then the one you have given just for that basic extra $10.

I do not however want to buy an Open Box Motherboard as its policy for newegg is. MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN ALL ACCESSORIES SUCH AS CD's, CABLES, Ect. That is what worried me when i was about to buy the open boxed version and my father recommended me to pay the extra for non-open box.

[JPMiller]

A. 90% of the time its complete... (I literally buy over 200 open box items from Newegg per year)
B. The "extras" are an outdated driver CD... A SATA cable you should already have, or can acquire for about a dollar, and an IO shield you don't even need.
Do you really think that's worth the $30 extra you'd pay for an untested retail box that you actually have a higher chance of receiving DOA?
And even if you dont trust open box, then at least upgrade to a Z68 chipset so you can add a small SSD down the line to greatly improve hard drive speed...
They are getting cheaper all the time and can even be found used for fairly cheap on Craigslist...
I just dont see the point in investing in older hardware for the same money?

The RAM is really good and much faster then the one you have given just for that basic extra $10.

Do you mean the ram you bought was $10 more than what I linked?
That fine then, but you wont actually see ANY difference between the two at all... in case you think you will...
Your Corsair is going to run at the same 1333 as the ones I linked, even though you paid for the 1600...

[Peacefulwarrior]

I see what you mean with open boxes. Never quite looked at it that way. Thanks for the info. Though the Z68 chipset seems to be the same as my MSI P76A However while looking at the details of your motherboard that you listed. It does not support i3 2nd generation, not sure if its just missing detail or im wrong that thinking an i3 had a second generation or the one im buying is a 2nd generation.

Another difference i only seemed to see (besides the i3 thing) was that mine is built to last longer then your motherboard., of course have you had experience with either of these motherbaords?

[ShyguyXPC]

Speaking of SSD's, Newegg has/had a Patriot Torx series SSD, 32GB capacity for less than $50 today, or yesterday, I remember seeing was on sale for a day or so, looks like its back to $60 now.

Newegg.com - Patriot Torqx 2 PT232GS25SSDR 2.5" 32GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)


Just to show how cheap the smaller SSD's are, for running with Intels Smart Response on those Z68's.

If I remember right that feature only supports use of SSD capacities up to 40 or so GB anyways, or at least I remember reading something like that recently anyways.

[ShyguyXPC]

I see what you mean with open boxes. Never quite looked at it that way. Thanks for the info. Though the Z68 chipset seems to be the same as my MSI P76A However while looking at the details of your motherboard that you listed. It does not support i3 2nd generation, not sure if its just missing detail or im wrong that thinking an i3 had a second generation or the one im buying is a 2nd generation.

Another difference i only seemed to see (besides the i3 thing) was that mine is built to last longer then your motherboard., of course have you had experience with either of these motherbaords?

Z68 supports any and ALL Socket 1155 CPU's. Including 2nd gen Core series i3's.



Open box is usually fine as JP mentioned, most of my GPU's, Mobo's and some Hard drives have always been Open Box or Refurbished/Recertified items from Newegg and a couple other sites, for the past 4 or more years now.

some items I have received were actually NEW in box, and simply was opened, nothing more.

I've gotten recertified Items from EVGA for mobo/GPU and though in a generic white box, their packaged like new, with all accessories as well.


3+ years ago when I built my first i7 quad system, I saved a huge chunk of cash going with mostly open box items. Only big ticket New in box items were the CPU & monitor and Windows 7, the CPU heatsink, and RAM were cheaper but also new.

everything else was swapped over from my last PC, or bought Open box.


The i3 you ordered is a 2nd Gen Intel Core series. Any Socket 1155 or Socket 2011 is 2nd Gen, Sockets 1366 and 1156 are first gen.

JP's link shows it supports core i3 (LGA1155)

CPU Type
Core i7 / i5 / i3 (LGA1155)

as shown on the details tab on newegg, so you must of read that wrong or something.


What do you mean by "Another difference i only seemed to see (besides the i3 thing) was that mine is built to last longer then your motherboard."

If your talking about the warranty, that has nothing really to do with how long their built for, thats just the length of the warranty if something goes bad with it.

I've never seen a specified amount of hours of use for a Motherboard before, like there are for some other hardware.

[ShyguyXPC]

Or are you talking about lasting longer based on something else?

[Peacefulwarrior]

The reason why it lasts longer is because its suppose to be military grade to last me 10 years of use. (Still a nooby with computers and still learning what some of the sockets were). Also with those SSD's i may be planning on getting one but it will be much later when im sure i have the cash.

But should i really just send back the motherboard once i receive it and get the one JP was talking about? Mine fits the bill perfectly an i have done alot of research on it and what i should use to go along with it.

[JPMiller]

Yeah, it cant be warranty, because both have the same warranty...
Mine OC's higher (not that it technically matters)

I HOPE your not referring to the splashy marketing soundbytes...

Military Class II Utilizing military class component including SFC (Super Ferrite Choke) creating 10% higher power efficiency and Solid CAP with 10+ years ultra long lifetime, the MSI Military Class II series products provide the long lifespan, unparalleled quality, extreme performance and ultimate efficiency.

OOPs lol I guess your were...
Listen, it boils down to just about every board manufacturer using solid capacitors.. and they all say theirs are the best...
Its great if the caps actually last ten years, but the rest of the board probably WONT...
(and would you really be using it in ten years most likely?)
If you get a Z68 board you get a huge upgrade possibility later with a small (under 60Gb) SSD used in conjunction with your regular hard drive to boost speeds of the most used files..
All you have to do is pop it in and turn on the feature and sit back and watch it get generically faster as your use it more..

Your also using a newer chipset with a little more longevity.

[Peacefulwarrior]

Like i said i can be a total noob when it comes to computer and apparently shopping for computer parts too... And yes thats what im meaning JP...

EDIT} Ok i see exactly what you mean and im pretty convinced. I'll send back the MSI motherboard and get the Z68.

Now the price between the motherboard im getting and the Z68 leaves me with some slightly left over cash, not much but maybe something to invest in for the future for maybe an SSD. Anything i should probably look into upgrading later once i have the money?

[JPMiller]

Just so were clear, I'm NOT slammi'n ya...
I didn't know this stuff when I ordered my first couple of builds...
Next time use a forum like this BEFORE you start buying...
DON'T read the advertisements,... read reviews...
And I DON'T mean Newegg reviews...
There are plenty of good review sites that tell you why you should look at one chipset over another and why you should care...
Its your money and realistically were not talking about day and night differences...
But if it were me I'd send stuff back, make better, cheaper choices and have a better upgrade path later.

Biggest upgrade would be an SSD in the 30 to 60 Gb range for ISRT on that board...
Make sure you get that power supply so later you can upgrade to a better video card too.
You dont want to skimp on that and have to replace it later.

[Peacefulwarrior]

Alright so ill upgrade later on with the SSD 30 to 60 GB. of course upgrade power supply for better video card later cause thats actually what i plan on doing too in the future.

However this is my last two questions before im prefectly set.

1: Do i have everything needed, if not then what do i need to complete the build. (Except for Hard drive, DVD drive, Case.)

2: Does the power supply i currently have be able to run everything. (I will upgrade in the future)

[ShyguyXPC]

Now the price between the motherboard im getting and the Z68 leaves me with some slightly left over cash, not much but maybe something to invest in for the future for maybe an SSD. Anything i should probably look into upgrading later once i have the money?

If you plan on any Overclocking, a better CPU Heatsink/Fan.

Otherwise, GPU would be my first area to look at, since you did mention gaming.

that Quadro will be using Quadro Drivers, and their not known for being great for gaming. Their ok, but not optimal.

plus the specs of that Quadro 600 are about the same as a $50-60 Geforce GT 430.

depending on the games, settings and resolutions you plan on running, a good $100 range or so card would be recommended at least.


Only other things I can think of, is Hard drives, or some other Input Devices. (Keyboard, mouse, Tablet, or whatever you would need for your 3D modeling and what not)

I picked up one of these a year or so ago, refurbished for cheap, because it worked with some of my software, but was never able to get it to work right due to confusing setup of it.

Amazon.com: 3Dconnexion SpacePilot - 3D motion controller w/ LCD display - optical - 21 but: Electronics

I paid WELL under $100 for it... Actually Geeks.com still has the page for it (where I bought it), 3DConnexion SpacePilot USB Intelligent 3D Motion Controller Mouse (Black/Silver) - Unlock The Power of 3D Applications! 3DConnexion SpacePilot

I just don't currently have any other software right now that uses it, other than google earth, and I'm not into the game Second Life, so its useless for that as well.

I just wish more of my Daz 3D Software was capable of using it.

but its an idea of things to save for with the money left over.


What kind of Monitor or display do you have right now? thats another thing you could do, new Display, or a 2nd Display if your doing the modeling and using more than one program or window in a program.

[ShyguyXPC]

Alright so ill upgrade later on with the SSD 30 to 60 GB. of course upgrade power supply for better video card later cause thats actually what i plan on doing too in the future.

However this is my last two questions before im prefectly set.

1: Do i have everything needed, if not then what do i need to complete the build. (Except for Hard drive, DVD drive, Case.)

2: Does the power supply i currently have be able to run everything. (I will upgrade in the future)

This is what JP is saying, get that Corsair Now, and not use the one you have currently. (At least thats the way I'm reading it)

Contrary to a lot of Noobs (no offense) beliefs, the PSU is actually the heart of the PC, the CPU is the brains, and so on. If the heart dies out or isn't enough to run the whole system, everything else can suffer. Many get some high wattage, cheap price, crap brand unit, and then with in a fairly short time wonder why they're system isn't running stable when throwing in a 200-300W video card (or more than one card), or Overclocking or whatever...

that Corsair is plenty to run the system and run just about any $100-150 Range GPU easily. the 350W Enermax I listed earlier was closer to what you had to spend, and was a decent lower end build PSU, but the Corsair is more what your going to want for future upgrades.