PC Build Log: Planning the Build

Besides politics and religion, the world of technology has probably the most opinionated people in the world. From iOS vs. Android, to Windows vs. OSX, to Google vs. Bing, arguments over which is better can unleash the rage of millions of fanboys. However, one of the lesser-known arguments to the general public is over CPUs: Intel vs. AMD.

When I decided to build my own PC, naturally, I told my tech-savvy friends about it and asked for their opinion. That was my first mistake. Don’t get me wrong, getting a second opinion on pretty much anything is always a good thing. But, I had no idea the can of worms that I had just opened.

I asked four of my friends in total, each one designed entirely different machines with prices varying from $800 to $1000. Two of them chose an Intel processor and two chose AMD processors, and of course, each one insisting that their planned machine was better.

With their…..feedback, I started planning.

The Components

CPU

My choice on the processor, which would dictate the course of the rest of the build, came down to either the AMD FX-8350 or the Intel Core i5. I decided that the value and performance of the 8350, especially considering the budget I wanted to stick to, ultimately outweighed the potential advantages of the i5.

CPU Cooler

I also found a lot of differing opinions on whether or not to use the AMD-provided stock cooler or to purchase an aftermarket cooler. The general consensus was: if you intended to use the CPU at base frequency, stick with the stock cooler, if you intend to overclock, buy an aftermarket cooler. Since I wanted the flexibility of being able to upgrade or overclock later on, I decided on an aftermarket cooler.

The most popular and cheapest cooler out there, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, was the one I eventually chose for $39.99.

Motherboard

When it came to the motherboard, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. I just really needed something that has USB 3.0, and could support up to 32GB of RAM if I ever wanted to upgrade.

After looking around, I found the MSI 970 Gaming AM3+ ATX Motherboard, which I chose mainly based on price (at $127.99) and generally favourable reviews.

RAM

RAM was probably the simplest decision to make. Since I only really need 8GB of RAM (with the possibility of adding more later), I decided to go with G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory for $63.99.

Storage

I considered just getting a 1TB hard drive, however, I really wanted to get a solid state drive to act as my boot drive. After thinking about it, I decided to salvage a 750GB Hard Drive from an old computer to use as my mass storage drive and that I would purchase an SSD.

I stumbled on a special one day sale on a Transcend 256GB SSD for $71.99, so I picked it up.

Graphics Card

This was another hotly contested part in the build among my friends. This time it was NVIDIA’s GTX 700 series vs. AMD’s Radeon R9/R7 Series. Since I went with an AMD processor, I decided to pair it with an AMD graphics card.

Originally, I planned on getting the R9 270X 2GB (priced at $229.99), however, AMD just recently launched their new 300 series cards. The R7 370, which I purchased, offered comparable performance, with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, for only $214.99.

Case

The case was a personal choice. I really wanted a case to match my favourite colour (Blue), had front USB 3.0 ports and a side window. I was able to find all of that in the DeepCool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case for just $44.99.

Power Supply

By this point in the planning, I calculated the power consumption of the parts and determined how much I needed from the power supply. I needed at least 330W of power, with at least a 100W buffer to allow for overclocking and upgrading in the future. I was also looking for at least a semi-modular unit to get a handle on cable management. I happened to stumble across a factory-refurbished Corsair CX500M, a 500W semi-modular power supply for only $49.99.

Final Configuration

Be sure to check out Part 3: The Build - Next Wednesday at 12PM