Building a computer(first time)

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Killerzen75

Member
A few days ago I posted a thread on the forums to find the best specs for a new desktop I planned on customizing and ordering online. I was convinced by the users of this forum to build my own! I have decided to take their advice and take on this new challenge. I've watched videos on what parts you need to get and the construction of the computer.

However, I don't exactly know where to start! I'm completely new to building a computer and how do I choose my first parts!? Do I just go to a store and look for a video card, processor, motherboard, etc.? How will I know if I'm getting a good deal for the part?

My price range is about $1000. I plan on using it for gaming (Starcraft 2, Skyrim, etc.) I don't really know what to start with. For example if I was choosing my video card I would be clueless which one was better! I would just look at the price tag and assume the more expensive one is better without knowing why.

I guess I'm asking for anyone to help me choose components. Give me some names of them and hopefully explain why it would be good for my use compared to other parts.

Sorry about the long explanation :/
Just trying to explain everything about the situation.
 
To save money, your better off getting parts from places like Newegg and Tigerdirect(Compusa).

Basically, you tell us what you'll be doing with this system and we can recommend parts for you. If you'll be gaming, then you'll need to tell us what games you'll be playing.
 
I'll be using it completely for gaming. They types of games include Skyrim, Starcraft 2, Minecraft, League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, Call of Duty, Diablo 3, Battlefield, and other games similar to these that are released in the future.

So is it better to order each individual part rather than going to stores?
 
Hey killer, I'm a novice also in the process of building a tower. These other guys are flat wore out helping guys that are starting out. Let me tell you a few pointers and maybe they (guys who know) will jump in and straighten us out. If your starting from scratch find a motherboard you like (a combo mobo and CPU from "Outlet PC") and GO. A combo just makes it assured they match (I found that a must lol), then order a case to match. Cases are microATX, miniATX, expandedATX and so on. If you get this far you are on your way. Good luck. Short - combo CPU and motherboard then case to match..:)
 
aintgotno said:
Hey killer, I'm a novice also in the process of building a tower. These other guys are flat wore out helping guys that are starting out. Let me tell you a few pointers and maybe they (guys who know) will jump in and straighten us out. If your starting from scratch find a motherboard you like (a combo mobo and CPU from "Outlet PC") and GO. A combo just makes it assured they match (I found that a must lol), then order a case to match. Cases are microATX, miniATX, expandedATX and so on. If you get this far you are on your way. Good luck. Short - combo CPU and motherboard then case to match..:)
Click to expand...

Some combo's have crappy motherboards, so basically its not recommended unless you run it by someone with experience. I'll see if I can get a build setup in a bit.
 
Do you have any preference to certain brands or anything? A good idea is to do research into the parts just to check, and run it by here (I joined this forum for that purpose recently also) I've found just a bit of research can save you money as well in that you don't accidentally buy the wrong a part that is wrong for rest of build.
 
Im new to the entire process. I came here for as much help anyone is willing to give me. I have no specific brands in mind for the parts. I am looking for the best deals for quality products and I don't know how to choose the best parts.
 
Ok, do you have any thing already such as a monitor, key board etc, or are you starting from scratch?
 
aintgotno said:
A combo just makes it assured they match (I found that a must lol
Click to expand...

No offence but matching a Mobo to a CPU is pretty easy. Just make sure that they both have the same socket. Eg: Get a socket 1155 Motherboard with a socket 1155 CPU :).

Anyhow, some advice.

Get Power Supplies from good companies, Seasonic and Corsair are the best. 650W should be enough.

For Motherboards buy from either MSI, Asus, Gigabyte or ASRock. I'd get Gigabyte because they're the most reliable and have good customer support.

For the SSD I think 120GB should be enough. You could get a SanDisk Extreme, it's a really fast SSD :).

Buy your HDD from trusted brands such as Western Digital or Seagate. Try to stay away from Hitachi drives.
 
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You want good RAM too, G.Skill, Corsair, Kingston and Patriot are usually the brands I recommend.

I'll get you a complete build up here soon. :)
 
For 1000 bucks exactly (incl. W7 Home)

i5 3570K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
CM Hyper 212+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
GA-Z77X-UD3H http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544
8GB RipJaws-X 1600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Corsair Carbide 300R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
Corsair CX 600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
DVD-RW http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151244

Radeon HD 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171567

OS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

If you already have an OS it may be a good idea to get an additional hard drive to store files and stuff on. This would be a good choice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Would be a very sweet gaming rig. :)
 
Killerzen75 said:
is it better to get a good video card rather than a processor or the other way around?
Click to expand...
Yeah you wanna spend as much on the graphics card as possible, but you need a good processor too. The 3570K which I have chosen for you is one of the best gaming processors out there as of now and the 6870 is also a very good graphics card. Maybe if you didn't need Windows you could get a more powerful graphics card, such as a 6950 or a 7850/7870 maybe? Do you need Windows or do you already have a copy of it?

Killerzen75 said:
is it better to get an intel processor over an amd processor?
Click to expand...
Usually the Intel processors outperform the AMD ones yes.
 
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