A total noob looking for guidance to build a new gaming pc

M

maledragger

New Member
Hi, first of all, I should inform you guys I am a total noob who has no idea about computers, or how the different components work together in a computer. I have a sony laptop from 2007 and a piece of junk 2004 hp desktop computer, which just does not satisfy my gaming needs. Just recently, I have gotten really heavy into pc gaming, especially starcraft 2, and the occasional shooter games. I started looking online for some prebuilt pc such as the ones on http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/LandingPages/megaspecial/EarlyThanksgiving/
which I found pretty nice, because they did the little fps test on starcraft 2, and according to them, their computers can run it on ultra with no problem.
Now this is where I really thought to myself, will it be cheaper if I built my own computer, or just buy a premade one. This is where I need your advice, my budget is anywhere around 800-1.2k(1.3k being absolute max), I would really like my pc to be able to run starcraft 2 on ultra settings without any problem and at least high on games like black ops. Some of my friends told me to get intel over amd for cpu, and nvidia over ati for gpu, but I really want your opinions on it also.
I am also a visual guy, so maybe giving me advices on how to choose a appropriate case, or recommend me some links to places where they sell cool cases would be nice. I need tips on how to install, and also I am very confused on the concept of fans and the power supply for the pc and the mhz(or something along the lines) rate for the ram?
im looking for a pc which would at least last for 3 years or so, and one that's relatively quiet
btw I do not need an operating system (already got windows 7 ultimate)
Thanks a lot
 
Yes, it'll be cheaper than Cyberpower if you build one. You can also pick your own components, from a wider selection. We'll help with that.

Intel/Nvidia over AMD/ATI makes no sense...that's just brand loyalty. You can build a good system with either. And really, AMD's upgrade path makes them a better choice right now IMO, unless you need something more powerful than a 1090T...which you don't, for gaming.

For the RAM speed, DDR3 1600 is the sweet spot for price/performance right now...get that.

Newegg.com should have everything you need. Most of us don't really shop anywhere else unless another place has a significantly better price on something, which is fairly rare. Their customer service is amazing.


If you want a really good system, I'd go with this general setup for now. I'd post a more detailed build if I wasn't falling asleep while sitting here.

AMD Phenom II 1090T
AMD Radeon HD6870 (ATI is now AMD Radeon)
Asus or Gigabyte 890GX or, ideally, 890FX motherboard
4/8GB DDR3 1600 RAM, at least 8-8-8 timings...better if you can (4gb is plenty, but prices on 2x4GB kits have come down dramatically)
650W or better PSU from a good manufacturer
Good case of your choice (we'll help you pick)
1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 or Western Digital Caviar Black hard drive
Cheapest non-crappy SATA DVD burner you can find...there aren't really any "bad" ones
Decent aftermarket CPU cooler...we can help pick this too

That should give you a solid rig with a good upgrade plan. Would go something like this:

upgrade 1- Add second 6870 in crossfire
Upgrade 2- Change motherboard to 9xx series AM3+ board(not released yet)
Upgrade 3- Upgrade CPU to next gen model (also not released yet)


You could also wait until the Radeon 69xx cards are released, which will be next month.
 
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Thanks for the advice, I dont really understand the concept of the 8-8-8 timing on ram, and also is it really necessary to buy a 1 TB harddrive, because I use primarily my external harddrive anyways or will it slow down my performance if I dont buy a large enough harddrive? Also is it really worth it building my own computer, because would the money saved really worth it, because I am on a tight budget, so I cannot afford any screwups on installation. I also fear the complexity of putting together a computer, because it is my first time haha.
 
im not 100% sure what the ram timing is but i think the lower the better. 1TB hard drives are cheep, no u dont need 1TB but last i checked u can get a 1TB for like $75 and 500MB for $65 so ya. as far as hard drive speeds u just need a 7200 rpm drive, as good as your going to get with a hard drive. if you want something faster you can get a SSD which will make games load a ton faster but the cost is about 10 time more then a normal hard drive.

it is sooooo worth building your own PC.IMO 1.2k isnt a tight budget, you will have a sick pc that will last you a few years and i think you will be very happy. and it isnt hard building your own computer, the bigest thing IMO is geting all the drivers on it. and if you have problems you can call customer support of any of the part you got or post on this form and im sure people would help you.

also are u set on intel cpu and nvidia gpu? after you reply ill link a build with those parts....one more thing, the only think you have is the OS? no monitor, cd drive, mouse, keyboard???
 
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The price difference between 1TB and 500GB is minimal...you can get the Spinpoint F3 drives on ewiz.com for $55(1TB) and $45(500GB).

Over $1k for a computer is not exactly a limited budget...$700 including Windows would be a budget rig, IMO.

As for building your own, it's usually worth it if you're willing. You can pick every part, have exactly the right parts for what you need, and don't have to worry about limited selection or low quality parts that are often found in prebuilt systems. With Cyberpower/ibuypower, it's usually an off-brand PSU unless you specify a name-brand one, which gets expensive through them.

It's really easy to put one together. This is a good visual demo of it:
[yt]5ETu53QfDwk[/yt]
 
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Drenlin said:
With Cyberpower/ibuypower, it's usually an off-brand PSU
Click to expand...
AND, the psu is a very important part of the machince. It's the heart that pumps the blood. It it fails, other parts would probly go with it.

It will be worth it. It will be custom to your needs/likings in every way, and cost you less. Not to mention the pride and satisfaction that comes with it. No need to be intimidated by the building process. It's really not that difficult. There is a lot of excellent experience here to assist and guide.

If you wish, here's a couple things to interest you in the mean time..

http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html

As mentioned, a lot of us mostly only shop Newegg because we know they will have the best price and the customer service is outstanding. You can of course purchase where you want. If you want to look at some cases it will help get an idea of what you like so we can help you get what you want.
A couple of general things about good cases: good ventilation - the power supply unit (psu) mount is at the bottom - has good cable management(places to route the cables and wiring thats out of the way, and perhaps mostly hidden).

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=7&name=Computer-Cases
 
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....

maledragger said:
Thanks for the advice, I dont really understand the concept of the 8-8-8 timing on ram, and also is it really necessary to buy a 1 TB harddrive, because I use primarily my external harddrive anyways or will it slow down my performance if I dont buy a large enough harddrive?
Click to expand...
Thants ok, you don't have to understand the concept of everything about the parts to build it yourself.
You'll still be able to use the external hdd, but not to start or hold the programs the pc will use. The pc's hdd's will be faster than the external for a couple reasons. And the external can be used to save data for safekeeping or to take with you. Like if you have movies or photos or something that you want to take to friends etc. The hdd size won't affect your performance. The 1tb hdd has 2x the storage for data that a 500gb does, and both sizes would be the same speed.
With you're budget you're pc will have windows and your programs that you want to start when you turn the pc on, up and running within about 30 seconds from the time you turn it on.
 
I prefer nvidia over amd, because I had bad experiences with a previous ATI graphics card I own. As for the os, I dont really care, as long as it is good enough to run starcraft 2 on ultra
 
maledragger said:
I prefer nvidia over amd, because I had bad experiences with a previous ATI graphics card I own. As for the os, I dont really care, as long as it is good enough to run starcraft 2 on ultra
Click to expand...

Do what now? You know ATI and Nvidia don't actually make the cards, right? Reliability is up to the manufacturer, not the chipset maker. If you want Nvidia, though, you probably want an Intel build as well, since Nvidia won't "officially" let their cards run in SLI on an AMD chipset. It's stupid, because they're entirely capable of it...Nvidia just won't let it happen.

As for the OS, didn't you say you have Windows 7 ultimate? As long as you have a 64 bit disk, you're good. That'll do nicely, though I don't see a reason to have bought ultimate over home premium for gaming...:confused:

edit: To explain the RAM timings, those numbers are referring to types of latency. The first one, the CAS latency, is the most important. It's the number of clock cycles it takes for the RAM to return data after it's been requested. Low CAS means more efficient performance. For example, a set or 1333MHz RAM with CAS 7 is actually faster than a set of 1600MHz RAM with CAS 9.

Would you like me to throw a build or two together to give you an idea of what to buy? Intel or AMD?
 
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yea for sure man, can you give me a complete intel and an amd build with every component, and state which one would be better graphic wise as in running perhaps black ops on max settings, or which one is better process speed wise
and also recommend me on some good monitors suiting for the systems I am getting, because my current monitor is getting outdated
the price range is 1 k or less
Thanks a ton bro, appreciate it
 
Almost forgot, before I throw them together, when do you plan on buying it? If it's still a ways off, I can't guarantee that the prices will be the same, and I can't use any combos, rebates, or promos since they'll all be over by then....so all I can give you is a basic build outline.
 
My friend gave me a build that in my opinion is quite good, but feel free to express your opinions on it

CPU: intel 875k (gonna get from local store for cheap)
Mobo: ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Ram: just 4 gb of ddr3 ram (decent brand)
PSU: 750 watt corsair
GPU: msi gtx460 (nvidia)
harddrive:1tb wd 7200rpm
Dvd/cd drive: one that works
Case: antec twelve hundred full tower

this build according to my friend is easy to overclock, and should handle games quite good on high settings
 
That looks good. Are you buying any of it online? You could probably get a better case for the price. I'd also look into Gigabyte's GTX 460 SOC...it's a monster compared to most 460's, including the MSI Hawk. Pretty much on par with a 470.

I would really suggest 8Gb of RAM though, if you're going to be working with high-res files. Editing software really eats it up, and 2x4GB kits are fairly cheap right now.
 
At least one review had it at 950MHz stable, though they recommended 900 as a permanent overclock just to be safe. So yeah, you can. :)

That puts it well above the performance of a standard GTX 470, which is typicaly $250+. It's within a few fps in games anyway, without OCing it further.
 
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Actually the gigabyte is ever-so-slightly faster, and runs cooler. Gigabyte cherry picks those chips. The Hawk TA is also a very good card, though, and would be just fine. (Be aware, there's a difference between the hawk and the hawk talon attack.)
 
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