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Computer Build Thread: Old Dead Thread, Read New Thread

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  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Hey Minor, does that card allow for swapping between different outputs from within windows, like without having to plug/unplug stuff?

    I like listening to music/watching netflix with speakers, but headphones are good for games and i'd very much like to be able to swap easily between the two.

    Having actual headphone surround would also be nice, but there's a lotta ways to get that.

    Yep! It has optical/coax audio out, 2-channel RCA stereo out, and headphone out. It also has a pass-through to your front panel inputs, of course. You can swap to any of those outputs in the config application without having to unplug the headphones. I've got my speakers plugged into the RCAs and my headphones into the headphone-out. It's working great so far. The headphone surround sound is working wonderfully, too. Very happy with this purchase.

    Hmmm

    guess I'll end up picking one up in the not too distant future then.

    Somehow it makes me feel better about blowing 200 bucks if I know it's caused you to do the same.

    Is this how alcoholics feel?

    Their habit is probably less expensive, monetarily speaking.

    I have conquered SWTOR! No longer shall its claws keep me in its fearsome grip! Except for the times when I'm playing it!

    Heyo build thread, new post on the blog, some other updates there as well. I have all the old build gallery stuff set up and formatted for the new thread (pre-separated into posts that won't go over the limit even!) as well as a new OP.

    Also, I LIVE!!!!!

    Alecthar on
  • cardboard delusionscardboard delusions USAgent PSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
    Welcome back! What's the other side of TOR like?

  • ParielPariel Registered User regular
    emp123 wrote:
    Handgimp wrote:
    emp123 wrote:
    Im not going to lie, Ive been super tempted to try evaporative cooling for a while now. I mean, I know itll make whatever room my computer is in humid and itll probably be loud and its totally overkill, but fuck man, that shit cools nuclear power plants.

    Not really the same thing. The point of cooling a nuclear plant is make make dry saturated steam to push a turbine. :p
    Then whats with the steam here:
    c32aa010_Nuclear-cooling-tower.jpeg

    That's just left over stuff, cooling towers in nuke plants are used to increase the efficiency of the system. The vast majority of the energy (>90%) is used to turn the turbine, although the total energy conversion for nuke plants is generally around 80%, the other parts are lost in energy conversion.

  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    Welcome back to the living alecthar

    Sorry I haven't been on swtor at all to run any hardmodes with ya

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • mojojoeomojojoeo A block off the park, living the dream.Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Sapphire AMD HD OC'd 7950's loook sooooooo goood

    mojojoeo on
    Chief Wiggum: "Ladies, please. All our founding fathers, astronauts, and World Series heroes have been either drunk or on cocaine."
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    Welcome back to the living alecthar

    Sorry I haven't been on swtor at all to run any hardmodes with ya

    You should be sorry.
    Welcome back! What's the other side of TOR like?

    Hilarious sometimes. Awesome other times. I've gone Light side with my Sith Inquisitor and it's pretty fun. You're still basically electrocuting a bunch of stuff and/or people, you're body count's just a bit lower than the Dark side version.

    And yeah, mojojoeo, the 7950s look really good in general.

  • initiatefailureinitiatefailure Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    So if anyone would like to follow the continuing adventures of my computer woes, I've started a thread detailing all the problems and the results of solution attempts. I would appreciate any help people can offer. Or at least someone to tell me what part i probably killed.

    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/155964/computer-wont-boot-after-overclock-failure#Item_1

    initiatefailure on
  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    So boyfriend is getting a new processor and motherboard. I told him he'd do well with an i5-2500k and now he needs a motherboard to go with it. He wants some suggestions for the cheapest decent one he can get closer to 100 than 200. Any thoughts?

    Playstation/Origin/GoG: Span_Wolf Xbox/uPlay/Bnet: SpanWolf Nintendo: Span_Wolf SW-7097-4917-9392 Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Span_Wolf/
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    For overclocking the lowest I'd go on 1155 is the asrock z68 extreme 3 gen 3.

    It's not a bad board, and for the price can't be beat.

    IfHe's interested in more aggressive oc's I'd pick up something else but the low 4ghz range that most air overclocks go for should be just fine

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    For overclocking the lowest I'd go on 1155 is the asrock z68 extreme 3 gen 3.

    It's not a bad board, and for the price can't be beat.

    IfHe's interested in more aggressive oc's I'd pick up something else but the low 4ghz range that most air overclocks go for should be just fine

    He wouldn't know how to overclock if I handed him a wrench and a trout, so that's not important. He's just an average computer user that plays a lot of videogames.

    Playstation/Origin/GoG: Span_Wolf Xbox/uPlay/Bnet: SpanWolf Nintendo: Span_Wolf SW-7097-4917-9392 Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Span_Wolf/
  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    For overclocking the lowest I'd go on 1155 is the asrock z68 extreme 3 gen 3.

    It's not a bad board, and for the price can't be beat.

    IfHe's interested in more aggressive oc's I'd pick up something else but the low 4ghz range that most air overclocks go for should be just fine

    He wouldn't know how to overclock if I handed him a wrench and a trout, so that's not important. He's just an average computer user that plays a lot of videogames.

    He could totally just step down to a H67 board with an i3 2100 or i3 2120. Save himself a big ol chunk of change.

  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    edited February 2012
    emp123 wrote: »
    For overclocking the lowest I'd go on 1155 is the asrock z68 extreme 3 gen 3.

    It's not a bad board, and for the price can't be beat.

    IfHe's interested in more aggressive oc's I'd pick up something else but the low 4ghz range that most air overclocks go for should be just fine

    He wouldn't know how to overclock if I handed him a wrench and a trout, so that's not important. He's just an average computer user that plays a lot of videogames.

    He could totally just step down to a H67 board with an i3 2100 or i3 2120. Save himself a big ol chunk of change.

    More or less this. The performance difference at stock between the i3s and the 2500k is not large. It really only starts to pull away when the clock speed is bumped up.

    edit: to actually make a helpful suggestion, I am known to be a big fan of Asus' products. Their P8H67V board paired with either an i3 or an i5 depending on what you choose to go with will make for a very decent very affordable platform for someone not into overclocking.

    You could also grab something in the micro atx form factor for a bit less.

    Day of the Bear on
    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • GraviijaGraviija Registered User regular
    Hey guys, I know this thread is largely about PC parts and building and whatnot, but I wanted to get your thoughts on this prebuilt XPS from Dell. I know I could probably get better price/performance with a custom rig, but I am surprisingly inept with computer stuff. Also, I've come to trust Dell over the years, and the XPS systems always seems solid, so that's where I am.

    Anyway, the important specs:

    -Intel Core i7-2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)
    -8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 DIMMs
    -1TB HDD - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
    -AMD Radeon HD 6770
    -Dell ST2220L 21.5-inch Full HD Widescreen Monitor

    ...and the various amenities, like Office and standard mouse and keyboard. The price comes in at $1,148.99.

    I know the thing will do perfectly well with writing and web browsing. How does it look for gaming, though? I would say my goal is to be able to play, say, Diablo 3 or Skyrim on decent-to-highish settings with a good framerate at 1280x720 (the monitor can do 1080p, but resolution isn't the biggest deal to me). I've read about the video card and it seems pretty good for the price, but if there's something significantly better I would consider dropping the card to the base option on the Dell site and then ordering a new card seperately.

    Or if the system is complete crap all around, that would be good to know, too.

    Anyway, thanks in advance for the help, guys.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Are you absolutely sure you don't have a buddy that can clip a system together for you? Because that's a weird parts list.

    If that's meant to be a 'gaming' p.c., the 2600 is the wrong processor, the 6770 is the wrong video card, and the monitor is too small.

  • GraviijaGraviija Registered User regular
    Well, I have a friend who put together a computer like...6 years ago or something. He might be able to help.

    As for the parts. The processor is the only option available on the XPS on the Dell site, the graphics card is the "best" option available, and the monitor...well, there are size constraints I'm working under, but that said, having a huge monitor isn't a big deal for me (I currently do my PC gaming on a 15" laptop screen, so).

    I'll see what my friend has to say about it, I suppose, and perhaps go from there.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Yeah, I mean, the thing is, you could probably build a better machine for gaming for under $1000. If it's really not an option, that will play games, but if you have to buy, you'll be better off shopping around some of the internet PC builders that specialize in gaming machines.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • EriktheVikingGamerEriktheVikingGamer Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    And so the plunge is taken! My pieces are on the way!

    The final build:

    CPU/Processor - i5-2500k
    Motherboard - ASUS P8P67 PRO
    Memory - Mushkin Enhanced 2x4GB
    PSU - OCZ ZT Series 750W Fully-Modular
    Graphics - GIGABYTE 560 Ti
    Hard Drive - Seagate 500GB 7200RPM
    Optical Drive - LITE-ON DVD BURNER
    Case - Corsair Carbide 400R

    Everything will be at my home in three days. Can't wait to start building! Future plans are to move up to SLI'ed 560Ti's once I get a couple paychecks in.

    EriktheVikingGamer on
    Steam - DailyFatigueBar
    FFXIV - Milliardo Beoulve/Sargatanas
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Graviija wrote:
    Well, I have a friend who put together a computer like...6 years ago or something. He might be able to help.

    As for the parts. The processor is the only option available on the XPS on the Dell site, the graphics card is the "best" option available, and the monitor...well, there are size constraints I'm working under, but that said, having a huge monitor isn't a big deal for me (I currently do my PC gaming on a 15" laptop screen, so).

    I'll see what my friend has to say about it, I suppose, and perhaps go from there.

    Computers are easier to build today than they were 6 years ago. And we will do our best to help you.

    As for a gaming p.c., you have a huge budget.

    What I would put together with US$1200:

    CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
    PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703036
    MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230
    CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
    CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
    SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148447
    HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
    CD/DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233
    GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383
    OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
    KBAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109232
    Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009245 (a 24 inch 1080p monitor should blow your eyes out compared to a 15 inch laptop screen...)

    I left the GPU until last. Consequently, I have little money left. So here's what's I could find. This system with this card is capable of running any game out today, most recent games on pretty good settings. However, this is definitely the bottleneck. Upgrading this card is the only thing necessary to keep this system playing games on top settings for a long time yet. You can overclock the CPU, and the PSU will run pretty much any video card on the planet.


    Oh fuck a duck, I forgot RAM.
    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148463

    That puts me $38 over budget. Sorry!

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • DoctorArchDoctorArch Curmudgeon Registered User regular
    Any thoughts on this mouse pad: Razer Vespula. I do like both the wrist-rest and the large mouse pad size.

    Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
  • GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    edited February 2012
    DoctorArch wrote:
    Any thoughts on this mouse pad: Razer Vespula. I do like both the wrist-rest and the large mouse pad size.

    I have one, I love it. The Razer symbol on the wrist rest rubs off super easy, but that's my only complaint. It's a nice memory gel wrist rest. It comes out of the package a bit stiff, but you can either work it with your hands like playdough for a little bit to soften it up, or it will naturally soften up through use. The surface itself is great, though I never use the speed side...always the control side. Sort of an odd thing, but I love the gray color of the surface as well. It shows dirt and particles really easy, so if you get some dust or something on your mouse pad that you can "feel" when you're mouse moves around, it should be easy to see (this happens with hair a lot for me, as I have a thick beard and shaggy hair).

    Overall, I love it. I replaced a cheapo RocketFish dual sided surface with it, and would never go back. I also recommend pairing it with a Razer Mouse Bungee if you have mouse cord tug issues.

    e: Also, it's not that large. It's medium sized. It's smaller than the RocketFish I had before, but plenty big enough to not have to do the mouse pick up routine.

    GnomeTank on
    Sagroth wrote: »
    Oh c'mon FyreWulff, no one's gonna pay to visit Uranus.
    Steam: Brainling, XBL / PSN: GnomeTank, NintendoID: Brainling, FF14: Zillius Rosh SFV: Brainling
  • GraviijaGraviija Registered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Graviija wrote:
    Well, I have a friend who put together a computer like...6 years ago or something. He might be able to help.

    As for the parts. The processor is the only option available on the XPS on the Dell site, the graphics card is the "best" option available, and the monitor...well, there are size constraints I'm working under, but that said, having a huge monitor isn't a big deal for me (I currently do my PC gaming on a 15" laptop screen, so).

    I'll see what my friend has to say about it, I suppose, and perhaps go from there.

    Computers are easier to build today than they were 6 years ago. And we will do our best to help you.

    As for a gaming p.c., you have a huge budget.

    What I would put together with US$1200:

    CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
    PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703036
    MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230
    CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
    CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
    SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148447
    HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
    CD/DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233
    GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383
    OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
    KBAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109232
    Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009245 (a 24 inch 1080p monitor should blow your eyes out compared to a 15 inch laptop screen...)

    I left the GPU until last. Consequently, I have little money left. So here's what's I could find. This system with this card is capable of running any game out today, most recent games on pretty good settings. However, this is definitely the bottleneck. Upgrading this card is the only thing necessary to keep this system playing games on top settings for a long time yet. You can overclock the CPU, and the PSU will run pretty much any video card on the planet.


    Oh fuck a duck, I forgot RAM.
    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148463

    That puts me $38 over budget. Sorry!
    Oh, wow. This is great! Thanks for putting that together.

    I guess I should have mentioned my budget is around $1,500 anyway, so what you have wouldn't be over budget at all (and it would actually leave me room to get Microsoft Office, which is absolutely essentially). I'm definitely going to bookmark this and show it to my friend, see what he makes of it all.

    Really, thanks for the info. Glad I asked about the Dell thing, too, since researching it a bit more made me realize it wouldn't really do everything I wanted.

    edit - and actually, I think I could do with a slightly smaller monitor (saw an Acer 22" for $130) and I probably don't need an SSD, as nice as that would be. With those savings I think I could get an even nicer video card which...I would enjoy. So, if you wouldn't mind indulging my amateurish understanding of these things for a little longer, what card could you recommend in this set up for, say, $250?

    Oh, I would need a wireless internet adapter...doohickey.

    Graviija on
  • TheCanManTheCanMan GT: Gasman122009 JerseyRegistered User regular
    Graviija wrote:
    Well, I have a friend who put together a computer like...6 years ago or something. He might be able to help.

    As for the parts. The processor is the only option available on the XPS on the Dell site, the graphics card is the "best" option available, and the monitor...well, there are size constraints I'm working under, but that said, having a huge monitor isn't a big deal for me (I currently do my PC gaming on a 15" laptop screen, so).

    I'll see what my friend has to say about it, I suppose, and perhaps go from there.

    Computers are easier to build today than they were 6 years ago. And we will do our best to help you.

    As for a gaming p.c., you have a huge budget.

    What I would put together with US$1200:

    CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
    PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703036
    MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230
    CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
    CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
    SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148447
    HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
    CD/DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233
    GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383
    OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
    KBAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109232
    Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009245 (a 24 inch 1080p monitor should blow your eyes out compared to a 15 inch laptop screen...)

    I left the GPU until last. Consequently, I have little money left. So here's what's I could find. This system with this card is capable of running any game out today, most recent games on pretty good settings. However, this is definitely the bottleneck. Upgrading this card is the only thing necessary to keep this system playing games on top settings for a long time yet. You can overclock the CPU, and the PSU will run pretty much any video card on the planet.


    Oh fuck a duck, I forgot RAM.
    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148463

    That puts me $38 over budget. Sorry!

    Your HSF link goes to the 1TB Spinpoint. I'm assuming it was probably supposed to be to the CM Hyper 212+?

    This set of Patriot RAM is a couple bucks cheaper and is CAS 9 instead of 10. Probably not even slightly noticeable, but since it's also cheaper, might as well get the theoretically faster memory, right?

    You can save some money by going with an Antec Neo Eco 520W PSU. And while that Corsair Carbide is really nice, there are cheaper options from NZXT like the Source 220, Tempest 410, Tempest 210, or the Source 210 / 210 Elite (the elite version gets you a top-mounted 140mm fan, front-port USB 3.0, and screwless drive mounting).

    There's plenty of savings available there to make up the $38 difference.

  • proyebatproyebat GARY WAS HERE ASH IS A LOSERRegistered User regular
    Graviija wrote:
    Oh, wow. This is great! Thanks for putting that together.

    I guess I should have mentioned my budget is around $1,500 anyway, so what you have wouldn't be over budget at all (and it would actually leave me room to get Microsoft Office, which is absolutely essentially). I'm definitely going to bookmark this and show it to my friend, see what he makes of it all.

    Really, thanks for the info. Glad I asked about the Dell thing, too, since researching it a bit more made me realize it wouldn't really do everything I wanted.

    edit - and actually, I think I could do with a slightly smaller monitor (saw an Acer 22" for $130) and I probably don't need an SSD, as nice as that would be. With those savings I think I could get an even nicer video card which...I would enjoy. So, if you wouldn't mind indulging my amateurish understanding of these things for a little longer, what card could you recommend in this set up for, say, $250?

    Oh, I would need a wireless internet adapter...doohickey.

    $250 can get you either 1GB version of 6950 or 560 ti. If you can put off buying a GPU for another month, the 7850 should be coming out in March for around $250. Sometime in March/April, Nvidia might have their Kepler equivalent.

    455Bo4O.png
  • TheCanManTheCanMan GT: Gasman122009 JerseyRegistered User regular
    proyebat wrote:
    Graviija wrote:
    Oh, wow. This is great! Thanks for putting that together.

    I guess I should have mentioned my budget is around $1,500 anyway, so what you have wouldn't be over budget at all (and it would actually leave me room to get Microsoft Office, which is absolutely essentially). I'm definitely going to bookmark this and show it to my friend, see what he makes of it all.

    Really, thanks for the info. Glad I asked about the Dell thing, too, since researching it a bit more made me realize it wouldn't really do everything I wanted.

    edit - and actually, I think I could do with a slightly smaller monitor (saw an Acer 22" for $130) and I probably don't need an SSD, as nice as that would be. With those savings I think I could get an even nicer video card which...I would enjoy. So, if you wouldn't mind indulging my amateurish understanding of these things for a little longer, what card could you recommend in this set up for, say, $250?

    Oh, I would need a wireless internet adapter...doohickey.

    $250 can get you either 1GB version of 6950 or 560 ti. If you can put off buying a GPU for another month, the 7850 should be coming out in March for around $250. Sometime in March/April, Nvidia might have their Kepler equivalent.

    That's very sound advise. I think the 6950 is typically considered to be slightly better than the 560 Ti, but not by very much. I opted for the 560 Ti because at the time mine came with Batman: AC.

    I'd also advice looking into some of the money saving options I previously posted in order to keep the SSD. I'm running off of an Agility 3 right now and absolutely love it. I'll never buy another computer without one. Coming into work and not having it feels like torture.

  • ParielPariel Registered User regular
    Yeah, I now have an Agility 3 in my laptop, and another in my desktop. They're literally life changing.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2012
    Graviija wrote:
    Graviija wrote:
    Well, I have a friend who put together a computer like...6 years ago or something. He might be able to help.

    As for the parts. The processor is the only option available on the XPS on the Dell site, the graphics card is the "best" option available, and the monitor...well, there are size constraints I'm working under, but that said, having a huge monitor isn't a big deal for me (I currently do my PC gaming on a 15" laptop screen, so).

    I'll see what my friend has to say about it, I suppose, and perhaps go from there.

    Computers are easier to build today than they were 6 years ago. And we will do our best to help you.

    As for a gaming p.c., you have a huge budget.

    What I would put together with US$1200:

    CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
    PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703036
    MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230
    CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
    CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
    SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148447
    HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
    CD/DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233
    GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383
    OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
    KBAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109232
    Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009245 (a 24 inch 1080p monitor should blow your eyes out compared to a 15 inch laptop screen...)

    I left the GPU until last. Consequently, I have little money left. So here's what's I could find. This system with this card is capable of running any game out today, most recent games on pretty good settings. However, this is definitely the bottleneck. Upgrading this card is the only thing necessary to keep this system playing games on top settings for a long time yet. You can overclock the CPU, and the PSU will run pretty much any video card on the planet.


    Oh fuck a duck, I forgot RAM.
    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148463

    That puts me $38 over budget. Sorry!
    Oh, wow. This is great! Thanks for putting that together.

    I guess I should have mentioned my budget is around $1,500 anyway, so what you have wouldn't be over budget at all (and it would actually leave me room to get Microsoft Office, which is absolutely essentially). I'm definitely going to bookmark this and show it to my friend, see what he makes of it all.

    Really, thanks for the info. Glad I asked about the Dell thing, too, since researching it a bit more made me realize it wouldn't really do everything I wanted.

    edit - and actually, I think I could do with a slightly smaller monitor (saw an Acer 22" for $130) and I probably don't need an SSD, as nice as that would be. With those savings I think I could get an even nicer video card which...I would enjoy. So, if you wouldn't mind indulging my amateurish understanding of these things for a little longer, what card could you recommend in this set up for, say, $250?

    Oh, I would need a wireless internet adapter...doohickey.

    Okay, $1500. That makes heaps more room for fun times.

    I changed out the CPU cooler to the correct link! (oops)

    You do need an SSD. It makes the world of difference to the systems responsiveness. You might have the fastest processor and video card out there, but they can only process data as fast as you can feed it to them from the HDD. With a decent SSD? In-game loading screens, pretty much gone. Windows cold boot? 9 seconds, instead of 35. Things like that. So I'm not taking it out.

    Better RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226295
    Office: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116856
    Smaller monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001385
    Speakers: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836183038
    Wireless adapter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127218
    New video card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130686 (it's slightly better than the other one, but not by a significant amount)


    If you really, really don't want the SSD, then there's options like this for the GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162075
    Or an AMD card if you'd prefer: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575

    The PSU is a little pricey, but it's excellent quality, and has enough grunt to run pretty much anything you want to hook up to it. It should last for a long time, and will supply good clean power to all your components, keeping them happy and healthy. You could even run two of the video cards I have linked above, except the motherboard doesn't have enough PCI-E 2.0 slots.
    I picked that tower for the brand quality, the easily removable and cleanable intake fan filters, and the clean and neat function over form styling.
    As for the RAM, I prefer to go with reputable (to me) brands, and I upgraded it as well for the new budget.
    I threw in some speakers to fill your ears with all the gunshots, tyre screeches and other assorted sound effects you'll ever want. They should sound pretty nice, and put out a fair amount of volume.

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    gonna echo everyone else in saying an ssd is a must on a budget like that.

    It's probably the biggest upgrade in terms of user experiance you can make, and I'd gladly cut down on the cpu or gpu in a build if it meant keeping the ssd

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Oh yeah, video cards are too variable at the moment to spend stupid money on. That's why I tried to make every other part of the build really nice, so in 6 months to a year he can spend $300-350 on the hot new shit midrange card, and run everything on ULTRAMAX for a couple of years.

  • GraviijaGraviija Registered User regular
    Mother of god, so much information. All right...all right. I'm going to save/bookmark everything here and run it by my computer-savvy friend (not because I don't trust you all, but because he would inevitably be the one helping put it together). It all looks...glorious. Lemme just let all these recommendations simmer for a little while and we'll see what pans out.

    Either way, thank you all for the input. I would be lost forever in a mire of techno-babble without it.

  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    That's what we're here for!

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Graviija wrote:
    Mother of god, so much information. All right...all right. I'm going to save/bookmark everything here and run it by my computer-savvy friend (not because I don't trust you all, but because he would inevitably be the one helping put it together). It all looks...glorious. Lemme just let all these recommendations simmer for a little while and we'll see what pans out.

    Either way, thank you all for the input. I would be lost forever in a mire of techno-babble without it.

    As for building the p.c., it all just snaps together like one of those no-glue model kits for children. There are literally hundreds of instructional videos on how to build your first p.c. For optimising the SSD, ask in the thread, we can point you to step-by-step guides. Other than that, it's just a matter of installing your OS (click some simple options, wait half an hour), downloading some drivers and updates, then installing your other software. It just takes a couple of hours is all.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    And when it you finally get it all together and you plug it in and press the power button for the first time, it will not boot. Don't worry, it's not just you. It happens to everyone, and you probably just forgot something stupid.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    And when it you finally get it all together and you plug it in and press the power button for the first time, it will not boot. Don't worry, it's not just you. It happens to everyone, and you probably just forgot something stupid.

    I think this has been the case for every single new build I've ever done. Usually it's the switch on the back of the psu being turned off

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • GnomeTankGnomeTank What the what? Portland, OregonRegistered User regular
    And when it you finally get it all together and you plug it in and press the power button for the first time, it will not boot. Don't worry, it's not just you. It happens to everyone, and you probably just forgot something stupid.

    My favorite is that you've put the power switch wire on the motherboard post backwards. On some motherboards, that will cause it to start as soon as the power is plugged in...but on most, it just causes it not to do anything when you press the button.

    Sagroth wrote: »
    Oh c'mon FyreWulff, no one's gonna pay to visit Uranus.
    Steam: Brainling, XBL / PSN: GnomeTank, NintendoID: Brainling, FF14: Zillius Rosh SFV: Brainling
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    I did a new build for a friend a few months back and crossed the reset and power buttons. so it powers on just fine but only when you hit the reset.

    Not a hard fix to make but it always feels a little boneheaded

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • AF-IXAF-IX (LGKAOS) Whiteman AFBRegistered User regular
    Be advised, new drivers for NVIDIA cards have been released.

  • initiatefailureinitiatefailure Registered User regular
    my first build never turned on and I sent back a power supply and ended up breaking and subsequently buying a new cpu trying to get it to work...

    then i found out that my motherboard didn't have spacers between it and the tray.

  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    My builds usually turn on first time through (I cant remember any that didnt, which may or may not be the result of selective memory), but every time Ive put a computer together (shit, sometimes just when I change a part) I bleed.

    Maybe your computers need more blood?

  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    Hmm you might be on to something there. I haven't cut myself on a build in a while

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Blood for the CPU god!

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
This discussion has been closed.