New PC build for modern gaming

So, I'm putting together a new PC build. Since I’m pretty much a total novice when it comes to hardware, I figured I’d come here to pick your brains. I couldn't find a single thread that quite fit my specific situation, so I decided to just start a new one. If this should have gone somewhere else, please forgive me, mods—feel free to move it.

Anyway, let's get into it... I recently snagged a really good deal on a motherboard that people seem to rave about. It's an ASUS Z97. It came bundled with 8GB of RAM and some processor, though honestly, I don't even know which one it is. So, first question: how do I actually figure out what CPU I've got in here? (Here’s a photo of the setup): http://i57.tinypic.com/mjsqo0.jpg

Moving on... I want to grab a decent graphics card and a power supply that can actually handle everything, so I can play the latest games (if that's even possible with this setup). That leads to my second and third questions: which GPU and which PSU should I pick up to make sure everything runs smoothly?

One last thing—is it actually worth ordering parts through eBay? Are the prices significantly better there?

Thanks in advance for the help! 🙂

You could just run Speccy or CPU-Z to check your processor, or honestly, just look under the hardware settings in the Control Panel.

I’m not sure if grabbing parts from eBay is actually worth the hassle.

MSI Radeon R9 270 x gaming, 2GB GDDR5
Thermaltake Contac 30 Fortron CPU cooler
Raider sa pas 550 w PSU, 80+

Total: $2,153.02+$13 including shipping from Nasdaq

Standard stock coolers tend to struggle with AMD chips, so maybe grab this one too; you might want to overclock eventually since your motherboard supports it pretty well.

EDIT: Is that an M720-US3 in the photo, by the way?

And you didn't mention what kind of budget we're working with here? If you've already got something like a Phenom X4 965, there's really no need to swap it out just yet. You could potentially pair that with an MSI Radeon R9 270 x gaming, a standard R9 270, or even an R7 260x—provided you have a decent power supply to back it up... or maybe just hunt down a good deal on the used market.

GTX 760 Honestly, if I hadn't just treated myself to a new card, I would've snatched that one up in a heartbeat. Life happens, I guess...

Let's say the budget for a new GPU is $1,000-$$500. Now, regarding how much I should drop on a power supply—I know I have to buy one, but the dream is obviously to find something high-quality without breaking the bank (ha, because we all know that won't happen, right? 😁).

What processor are we looking at? 😛

You could probably make this GPU work too:
http://www.nasdaq.com/details/product-info-hdmi-dvi.aspx

FORTRON Raider Silver, 550W

It might be wiser to look for something that offers a better balance of price, build quality, and warranty coverage.

Something specifically designed to handle an MSI Radeon R9 270 x gaming or a GTX760.

crimsonstag84 said:EDIT: That's an M720-US3 in the photo, by the way.?

That photo is actually what I have at home (my own picture). To be honest, I'm not even sure which motherboard it is. I just went by what was written on the box, which said 970a-ud3. Since I don't really know my way around this stuff, it's pretty easy for a seller to pull a fast one on me. I'm guessing the one you're talking about might be the lower-end option.😢

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=4396#ov

The model name is actually printed right on the board, probably somewhere near the PCI-e slot. I guess you should tell me what processor you're running so we don't end up suggesting some random GPU that won't work properly 😂

EDIT: You can probably figure it out from the model number on the CPU itself...

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUResult.aspx

Just look at everything ranging from the FX-4 up to the Athlon ii X2.

crimsonstag84 said:What's the CPU? 😛

To be honest, I have no clue what the processor is. It’s all still sitting in the box I picked up, and I just haven't had the time—or really the know-how—to get everything hooked up and check. If it turns out to be necessary, I'll probably ask a buddy of mine who actually knows his way around hardware to take a look. Is there any way to physically "read" what kind of processor it is without plugging it in?

Unless someone went ahead and "polished" it, that's what should be written on the heatspreader.😁

crimsonstag84 said:EDIT: You can actually figure out what you have by looking at the model number on the processor itself...

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUResult.aspx

Just look between the FX-4 and the Athlon ii X2.

Basically, just tell us which one it is and we'll be able to figure it out. 🤣 :fpalm:

Tyler Wood5 said:To be honest, I have absolutely no clue which processor is in there—it's all still sitting in the box I picked up, and I just haven't had the time (or frankly, the technical know-how) to get everything hooked up and tested to see what we're dealing with. If it becomes absolutely necessary, though, I'll probably bug a buddy of mine who actually knows his way around a motherboard. Is there any way I can physically "read" or identify the processor without having to build the whole thing?

You can figure out which processor it is in literally a couple of seconds, and it would really help us out if you could...

Just follow these steps exactly—you won't be able to mess it up:

Hit Start/ Search for programs and files/ type in dxdiag/ run dxdiag.exe/ go to the System tab/ and then tell us exactly what it says next to Processor...

Tyler Wood5 said:...since it’s all still just sitting in the box I got...

Timothy Fisher79 said:You can see which processor it is in literally a few seconds, and it would really help us out...

So just follow these steps, you can't miss it:

Start/ Search programs and files/ type dxdiag/ run dxdiag.exe/ System/ and tell us exactly what it says next to Processor...

There isn't a CPU in the computer yet... we're trying to figure it out from the model number for now 😉

Right now, I can only go by what I can actually see with my own eyes. Hooking up this motherboard to a PC just to check the processor isn't really an option for me at the moment. What I did manage to make out was "A25B-MAC" and "AV-Z7UH40Q001-1313" (that's printed on the fan). Honestly, I have zero clue what any of that means to you guys. 😬sry, I'm pretty clueless about this stuff, so bear with me while I try to figure things out :P

Anyway, if this doesn't help, I'll try to track down that info in a day or two once I can pester one of my friends who actually knows their way around hardware. 😁

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...%C2%B00373.jpg

That's a processor... I guess we don't really care about the fan 😬

HDX840WFK42GM - model

Tyler Wood5 said:The photo shows my current home setup. To be honest, I'm not even entirely sure which motherboard I have; I just went by the 970a-ud3 label on the box. Since I don't know much about these components, there's a real chance the seller pulled a fast one on me, especially if the model you mentioned is actually the inferior version. 😢

Jesus😲
So, what did you end up paying for that motherboard? There is a massive performance gap between those two models.

crimsonstag84 said:EDIT: That's an M720-US3 in the photo, by the way.

Talk about a weak attempt at an excuse. 🤣 I mean, what are the odds—some random single-core Sempron is hiding under that cooler?

Tyler Wood5, just pull that heatsink off and see what else got trashed besides the motherboard. For all we know, there isn't even a processor under there. 😁

At least it wasn't the box for some high-end premium board.

How much did you actually pay for that? There’s a massive difference between what you got and what you were supposed to get, man—you're looking at DDR2 memory here 🤣

Just return it to the guy and make him eat it

Paid $100 for it (including the RAM). What’s this motherboard actually worth, anyway? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't even a processor in there—that's usually how it goes when things go south. I'm not going to mess around with it myself, though. I'll just ask a buddy to take a look whenever he has some free time. I don't really buy stuff blindly like this. Besides, he didn't even swear up and down that the board matched what was on the box (not that I know much about these specific models). He just caught me off guard by talking a big game about quality because he "knows his stuff."

Is this some kind of retail store or just a private seller?

Look, if you're getting a motherboard, a CPU, and 8GB of DDR2 RAM all for $100, he’s not exactly doing you any favors—especially if he didn't claim it came in the original packaging. Those RAM sticks alone are worth at least $400-$200