Need to learn

[ShreksSwamp]

So what should I look for in compatibility when I'm looking at a GPU and a CPU?

 

[milkdud657]

I am a little confused as to what you mean by compatibility?

 

[Snipeye]

It's the motherboard you need to concern yourself with. You have Intel or AMD-socket motherboards, which defines what kind of CPU it can accept. HOWEVER: Not all Intel motherboards or all AMD motherboards are the same. There are multiple different sockets for Intel/AMD so you need to figure out what kind of CPU you want to purchase, what socket it is, and purchase a matching motherboard.

For the GPU, I think you're asking how to tell what's the right balance between a GPU vs CPU. You don't want to get an insanely powerful CPU and match it with a dinky piece of crap GPU. The opposite is true; you don't want to have the most powerful GPU without matching it a comparable processor.

 

[_Sushi]

Don't buy an AGP GPU

 

[ShreksSwamp]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116901

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130921

SLI the 770

 

[ShreksSwamp]

So I want to go with the Nvidia 770 gtx superclocked SLI (EVGA). Would there be no issues between a CPU and GPU when I put them both in the same machine(how they correspond)? Or is that a MB thing?

 

[Snipeye]

We need to know what the CPU and motherboard is. Again, there is no issues with putting a CPU with a GPU. It's required for a gaming PC. The issue is whether or not they're going to match well so you're not wasting money for performance you won't get, and if it is compatible or not with the motherboard. Since the standard these days is PCI-E2 for the GPU socket, it's pretty universal to be fine with any motherboard, unless it's about 8-12 years old, and still uses the old AGP standard.

The CPU and GPU that you picked would match up fine; the next part is to find a good motherboard, and decide on how much RAM to get. I'd suggest either 8 or 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

 

[ShreksSwamp]

"MB is the hardest. Must be compatible with your choice for CPU, GPU, RAM, and support the features you want, like SLI, SATA III, etc., fit you case, match your PSU, and generally not suck (reviews). Best to check forums for people that are using the same CPU/GPU setup as you and see what they are using. The MB choice is why I usually do vetted builds like the ones listed by sites like Tom's."
This is what my uncle said. So the first thing I want to figure out is if my CPU works with it?

 

[ShreksSwamp]

So what do I need to look for when picking my MB. What I'm looking for is the voltage wattage and whether or not pins mach? SATA III or II? Just stuff like that. I know how to look at the specs of all the hardware on Newegg. I just don't know what i'm looking at and how to check the compatibility with all that stuff.

 

[ShreksSwamp]

Hey guys so I just want to do 2 way SLI. I'm trying to figure out what boxes to check on the ASUS website
4-Way SLI
4-Way CFX
3-Way SLI
3-Way CFX
Quad-GPU SLI
Quad-GPU CFX
???

 

[pillar]

Im really confused. Are you looking to buy the parts & then build a gaming machine?

If so, then the cpu you posted earlier will need to be loaded into an LGA 1150 motherboard, which is strictly an Intel-based motherboard. If you're really insistent on going with ASUS, then I would suggest this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131979

However, theres an ASRock motherboard that had what you're looking for pci-e slot wise thats within the same price range & you dont have to pay for shipping. Also, ive heard a lot of good things about ASRock motherboards as of lately, so something to look into.

When it comes to SLI vs CFX, allow me to clarify. SLI is nVidia's brand of gpu & CFX is just an abbreviation for Crossfire, which is AMD's brand of gpu. Whenever you see 2-way, 3-way, 4-way (same as saying Quad-way), that refers to how many video cards you can chain together on a motherboard. The most common way to chain together video cards is by doin a 2-way SLI or Crossfire (CFX).

I hope this information has helped you out. If you need any advice on building a gaming machine, please be sure to say that specifically. To be honest, you're title thread and the original post that you created definitely threw us off a bit.

 

[ShreksSwamp]

Sorry about that I am trying to build a computer for the first time ever. I just got a job and I'm making about $800 a month and I stoked because that means that means I can build a GAMING PC with the money. So money does not really matter. I'm going to start saving and set a build date, but in order to do so I have to figure out all the hardware I need. So far I have run into things that I don't understand.
So to clarify I am here for advice (learning) on how to build a gaming PC, help to understand things that I don't, and to make sure I don't make any mistakes In picking hardware. By the way I have been doing google searches, and I'm talking to my uncle who knows alot about PCs. If I need to clarify anything else please tell me.

 

[Snipeye]

Parts you need to buy
1. CPU
2. Motherboard
3. RAM
4. Graphics Card
5. Power Supply
6. Case
7. Hard Drives/Solid State Drives
8. DVD or Blu Ray Drives (optional)
9. Keyboard
10. Mouse
11. Monitor
12. Speakers
13. Operating System

First things first. Figure out a budget for the build. There's a big difference in picking parts when the budget is $1200 verus $2500. Second, understand that any pieces pick now may not be the same price or available when you do save enough money to spend on a build.

Read tomshardware.com, anandtech.com, and I'd even say MaximumPC and PC Gamer; the latter two magazines may have info about how to build a PC.

Compatibility is the biggest thing; the only way you will understand and learn it is to just read the websites and magazines about how to build, and about the parts. So before you get ahead of yourself, pause a moment, think about how much you realistically want or can spend, and just start reading articles about computer parts and how to build PCs. Once you got that done, you would hopefully start having an idea what kind of computer you want, how fast you'd like it to be, etc., and we can give you advice from there.

 

[ShreksSwamp]

Alright sounds like a plan

 

[pillar]

What I would suggest is going to your local computer store. If you have a Walmart in your area, its a good decent place to go check out the specs on desktops (even if you don't understand all the info). Also talking with your uncle about this doesn't hurt @ all.

What I'm gonna list is a decent mid-range gaming desktop:
Quad-core cpu
8gb ddr3 memory
A motherboard that can easily handle everything (mine is an atx because I like enough space for plenty of air to flow thru (which is very important)
500gb - 1tb (terabyte) hard drive space
120-256gb solid state drive space (optional)
Cd/dvd burner
Blu-Ray drive (optional)
A case that will hold everything inside (the case mainly depends upon the size of the motherboard)
Power supply (recommended is between 600-750)
Sound card (optional since all motherboards come w/ onboard sound)
Operating system (I use Windows 7 & most people typically use it for majority of games)

Most gaming mice are laser/optical based
Different gamers have their opinions about keyboards. We don't mind giving you advice on any keyboard.
Monitor should be a minimum of 19" (recommended is 20-22"); you will be surprised how much of a difference the different sizes in monitors make.

I hope this helps.

 

[I'm your huckleberry]

Quad-GPU SLI is what you want.

Socket 1150

Probably Z87 chipset

I assume ATX sized (unless you are looking at a smaller case)

And then probably at least usb 3.0 and sata 6gb/s

 

[YaakaKhiladi]

It was quite nice to view thi9s whole thread...
Just wondering through the forum and find this good one so wanted to like the discussion.
Keep it up......

 

[Wizekraker]

Quad-GPU SLI is what you want.

Socket 1150

Probably Z87 chipset

I assume ATX sized (unless you are looking at a smaller case)

And then probably at least usb 3.0 and sata 6gb/s

Quad SLI is overkill, not many games are optimized for SLI more than two.