Computer Build Questions/Help

Forest Gospel

Forest Gospel

New Member
Hello Everyone!

I've been thinking about building a new computer for a while (this will be my first time). I've been researching and, though I could eventually do it, it gets a bit overwhelming considering all that is out there. I've been searching some forums for some tips and I came across these forums. Everyone seems very nice and helpful. And it seems people on here actually enjoying helping people =P. So I figured maybe you guys could lend a hand.

Now the building part wont be such a problem considering I've taken my current computer apart and upgraded parts, etc etc. It seems that researching the parts and their prices is the hardest.

I would like to spend around $800( of course anything lower would be nice =P), however if going up $100 bucks means a significant increase then I guess I could do it. I plan to use it mostly for gaming and possibly some music production/editing stuff, but my macbook can take care of that. I actually wanted to build a computer simply for my own gratification and to just enjoy the experience of building one and of course I would prefer the end product be a gaming computer.

I'd prefer intel CPU's and Motherboards simply because that is what I am used to. Nonetheless, if you guys think otherwise I am always open to new things. I'd also like to try and avoid those super flashy computer cases. As far as an OS goes, I can get XP for free (from my dad's company) but I am also not afraid of going to vista.

Thanks in advance

(sorry about the long post :o)
 
Sorry if I came off too needy in that first post, didn't mean to. Anyways, here is what I have found that seems pretty good ti me (stole some ideas from ramodkk's post in another thread)

DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106263

Case:
Antec 900 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Hard Drive:
Seagate 500gb 7200rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

Video Card:
HD 4850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747

PSU:
Rosewill 600w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182032

Ram:
(x2) G.Skill 2gb (1gb x 2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
- I figured I should get 4gbs worth if I'll be using Vista and gaming. Good idea?

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138122

Processor:
Intel Core2 Duo 2.53GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

OS:
Vista 64bit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

$848.90 after shipping
$798.90 after rebates

- Does this look good. Any recommendations?
 
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First of all the RAM is a copy of your PSU link. No problem, just saying. Everything looks good, as long as you're okay with only having one video card. Which may be a good idea considering your budget. The only thing that I would look into is either a faster dual core or a quad core. For gaming you want to have a fast processor clock speed, most games can only utilize one core. For multitasking you want to have many cores. My CPU manages fine for me, 2.6GHz dual core. When I play games, one core shoots up to 100%. The other core covers system processes. But when using a computer for multimedia you would want a quad core. Photoshop can run on 2 cores, and if you ever use Adobe Premiere those extra 2 cores will really help when saving a video frame by frame.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

A little bit more money but almost exactly twice the operations/sec rate for your computer.
 
Considering the budget, that processor is perfect for his needs, and going for something better might blow his budget - I would rather go with double the RAM.
 
True the 4GB of RAM is definitely a must. Well if you find $70 lying around go for the quad core. Haha considering the performance increase and the cost I would get it, but then again if you don't have the money what you have is great.
 
Thanks for all the replies. If you guys think quad core would be the best choice in the long run, then I guess I could go with that. But I don't imagine that I'll be using too many programs that would require that...but who knows what I'll be doing in the future.

Can you guys recommend a case that is cheaper maybe? That might help. Also, I just noticed that the motherboard only has one 2.0 x 16 PCI slot...does this mean that I wont be able to upgrade and use two cards?

And I updated that RAM link.
 
Well you most likely won't need the quad core, but it's always a good idea to future proof yourself. More programs may take advantage of using more than one core. Many games already do this, and I've heard rumors about 8-core processors coming out soon. Dual core just sounds obsolete haha. As long as you get a good card, one slot isn't a problem. If you wanted to add another card, remember you're adding maybe another $200 to your budget. Also you may want to replace your RAM with one of these.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16820227269,N82E16820227199,N82E16820220269

Rather than getting 2 of 2x1GB, it's cheaper to get 2x2GB. At also allows for more expandability later on, as most motherboards only have 4 RAM slots. For the RAM you listed, that would be a total of $90, and you would use up all of your slots. What games did you want to play with this?
 
Thanks for pointing those out koo. I don't know why I didn't think of just getting 2gb x2 ram in the first place.

Tham mono and processor looks like a good deal. That processor looks like it is an open box one or something? It just comes in a plastic case. Now is it the mobo or the processor that usually comes with a fan for the processor? And would that processor come with one?
 
All processors come with stock cooling fans. I'm not sure about the thermal paste though, you might want to ask someone about that, but you can buy it cheap at your local office store so you won't have to pay for shipping. I don't believe those are open boxes, that's just the picture. It's a NewEgg blowout sale and they have LIMITED QUANTITIES. It's more money, but basically if you want an SLI mobo with a Q6600 get that one, spend a little more but save $55 on the package. Keep in mind if you get that SLI mobo ur gonna have to change ur video card if you want more than one. I would sugggest SLIing 2 9600GT's. They take very little power in SLI and are cheap for their performance. You can always add the second one later on.
 
AFAIK a 4850 would be a better choice and offers better performance for the price, but thenagain I know very little about the 9600s. Are they really on par with 8800GTs (that's what I've heard somewhere)? If this is the case, 9600GTs are a good choice for medium-weight gaming, and out of the two you posted I'd pick the EVGA one since the price is the same after rebates and I've heard more good things about EVGA. Though I still think you'd be better off with a 4850... they're worth the money.
 
I've been messing around with my first build and I think I would like to stick with the 4850.

I'm just having a hard time choosing a motherboard and processor.
 
I cant decide if I want to go with quad or core2 duo. Quad does seem more 'up-to-date'

And Crossfire is just like Nvidia's SLI thing right?
 
And Crossfire is just like Nvidia's SLI thing right?
Click to expand...
Yep.
I cant decide if I want to go with quad or core2 duo. Quad does seem more 'up-to-date'
Click to expand...
If you can find a quad that doesn't blow it price-wise, go for it. Considering your budget, though, it may be hard finding one that suits your needs... I think the Q6600s are the cheapest Intel quads, see if the price is alright for you.

-EDIT-

I'm just having a hard time choosing a motherboard and processor.
Click to expand...
At motherboards, I suck. But as above, it may be hard finding a quad for you... I would go with the E7200 you listed. It's an excellent performer for the price. I had a look at newegg prices, it seems that the Q6600 is the only quad that you could even think about considering your budget. For the price, Q6600 seems to be a tad better performer, I don't know if the improved architecture and the extra clockspeed are enough to beat the 2 extra cores (and I'm talking about price-to-performance ratio, in terms of potential performance the quad kills)
 
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