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Computer Build Thread: Now sublimating the desire for a 5850 into cheap builds!
lowlylowlycook
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Welcome to The Computer Build Thread
This thread is for discussing the art and science of building your own computer in particular which parts should be bought. A lot of the information we share would also be useful for picking out or customizing a commercially build computers. Obviously a lot of us are interested in gaming PCs but other uses are also discussed.
Feel free to post your build for comment or just your budget and what you need your computer to be capable of. The friendly people of this thread can set you on the right track or give you options to save money or have a better computer or sometimes both at once.
If we know the answer to some of the following questions it will help us to point you to the right computer for you.
If you need help or instructions on how to build your new computer take a look at this guide from techreport.com or this wiki article.
General Overview
This is an amazing time to be building a gaming PC. Competition between ATI and Intel for CPUS and between ATI and NVidia is tight and the result is lower prices. You can build a decent gaming rig for $500 and a very nice one for $700. Some newer tech like i7 processors and solid state drives are more expensive but neither is necessary to play even the most demanding games.
These days most people buy most of their parts from newegg because they have a nice combination of selection, prices, customer ratings of the various parts, customer service and easily searched inventory. If you do buy from newegg keep an eye out for free shipping and nice "combo deals" that could save you a few extra bucks. You can often save $20 each off of a HD/OS combo, Motherboard/CPU combo, Case/Powersupply combo, etc.
For Canada apparently the strategy is to buy from NCIX using their pricematching policy. Read more here.
CPUs and Motherboards
CPU's are the most critical part for most computers although these days gaming computers' performance depends more on the GPU in most cases. For now most games can't use more than 1 or 2 cores with any efficiency so for a gaming rig a 2 or maybe 3 core CPU will provide the most bang for the buck. For more CPU intensive purposes like encoding video or ray tracing a quad core CPU will be faster. Anandtech has a nice database of CPU benchmarks.
Low end $150 for CPU+motherboard.
A step up ($250 for CPU+motherboard)
The new i5 750 and a motherboard will set you back about $300 and up. These are very fast and if you think you want to spend more than that you should think twice. A Phenom III X3 is a cheaper option that provides good performance.
Maximum Power ($500 and up)
i7s are more expensive than i5s and some require more expensive motherboards. Their only advantage is Hyperthreading so make sure your application performs very well in multiple threads before you splurge.
Choosing a motherboard
Once you have a CPU picked out then you have a lot of choices for which motherboard to pair with it. You should want:
Memory
Memory is cheap and the speed doesn't matter nearly as much as the quantity so get 4 gigabytes at least, if you are going with an i7 CPU then get 6. Just make sure your memory is compatible with your motherboard and your memory comes with a good warranty. Also take a glance to see that your memory doesn't require too high a voltage. For DDR2 1.8V or less should be good without any need mess around. For DDR3 1.65V or less would be better.
Storage
Standard Hard Drives up to 1TB in size are priced from $100 on down. Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB for $75 or so might be a good place to start. You could spend more money on a faster and probably smaller drive. Look up velociraptors. 300GB will cost you more than $200 but it will be fast.
Finally solid state drives are finally become viable as a primary drive. Be careful what you buy since most of these drives have pretty poor performance. Also, you'll probably need a normal hard drive to store all your porn since the cost per gigabyte is still pretty high.Intel X-25s are the best and most expensive while OCZ's Vertex line is still fast but quite a bit cheaper.
Almost every computer will need a $25 DVD player/writer but for $75 more you can add the ability to play Blu-Ray movies.
Video Cards
These are critical for PC gaming, obviously. Compared to previous years your dollar will go a long way.
Low end (~$100)
Amazingly video cards at this level are capable of playing all but the most demanding games with good quality settings and at nice resolutions. The ATI cards are the best value in this range.
A step up($140-$200)
Maximum Power ($200+)
Until NVidia's next gen cards come out ATI has the fastest GPUs you can buy
Cases and Power Supplies
You are going to need a case to put all these parts into and your are going to need a power supply to make them work. Cases are a very personal preference type of thing and there are tons of different models for sale. Here is a list of cases recommended by PAers:
You shouldn't cheap out on power supplies and if you do the be very careful. A bad powersupply won't last long and when it goes it may well damage your more expensive parts. The problem is that the company that makes your power supply is likely to be different than the one on the box and it's harder for websites to test a power supply's reliability than it is for them to check how many FPS a video card gets while running Crysis. Be especially wary of power supplies that come bundled with a case.
Another consideration would be a modular power supply. For a bit of extra money these let you remove cables that you don't need, freeing up space and reducing clutter inside your case.
Low end(less than $100 for Case and PS):
Sample Builds:
These are a very obsolete especially the powerhouse and E-PEEN builds. After all the ATI 5xxx cards are actually out I'll redo them.
Still waiting on Athon II X3s and 5850s to be generally available. Come one AMD, get to work!
These are just to serve as a starting point. You may find components at a discount or new, compelling bits of electronics may have shown up since these were created.
Budget build(<$500):
This computer is actually quite capable of playing most games at the highest settings (at reasonable resolutions) but keeps the price low.
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 512MB $95
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 $87
ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX Motherboard $80
OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $46
HITACHI Deskstar 500GB 7200 RPM SATA $55
Antec NSK 4480B II Black and EarthWatts 380W Power Supply
LG DVD Burner Black SATA $26
Total $489 - $25 combo = $464 -$30 MiR = $434
Bang for the buck build:
A bit more money gets an extra core for your CPU, a faster GPU and a bit more HD space.
GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB $170
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 $119
ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $80
Antec Sonata Plus 550 Black/ Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 550W Power Supply $120
LG DVD Burner Black SATA $26
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB HD $70
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $45
Total $630 - $35 combo = $595 -$30 MiR =$565
Powerhouse build(~$1000):
For $1000 you could upgrade to the very fast i7 920 CPU and the best buy of the "high end" video cards. The powerful PSU would let you add another 4890 if you really want to push crazy resolutions or max out Crysis.
HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB $190
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz$280
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Motherboard $200
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB Hard Drive $100
Antec EA750 750W power supply $110
Antec 900 case $100
Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $86
LG DVD Burner Black SATA $26
Total $1092 - $45 combo = $1047 - $35 MiR = $1012
E-Peen Build ($Texas)
I can't recommend buying a faster i7 since the prices are too high but if you want an "ultimate computer" go ahead and buy that second GPU and a super fast SSD.
HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB x 2 $380
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz$280
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Motherboard $200
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB Hard Drive $100
Antec EA750 750W power supply $110
Antec 900 case $100
Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $86
Intel X25-M 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) $314
LITE-ON Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA $80
Total $1650 -$45 combo = $1605 -$35 MiR = $1570
Displays
Like cases, displays are a very personal choice and the cost can vary hugely. Most people use LCD monitors although CRTs have some advantages such as the ability to display multiple resolutions natively and naturally have both good response times and good contrast ratios.
As far as LCDs go the good news is that the natural LCD type for gaming is also the cheapest so you might not go too far wrong by going to a store and picking a model whose look, size and cost seem right to you. If you have more specific requirements you might know what you need or you might find this guide to be of use.
Low End < $200
Final Advice:
Don't be shy. Post what you are thinking of buying and you'll probably get some advice. If you don't have any idea where to start just post your budget and what you want to use your computer for and someone will probably point you in the right direction.
Checklist:
Make sure that:
General PC sites:
These are good places to find either reviews or benchmarking info.
http://techreport.com/ Has a nice build guide.
http://xbitlabs.com/
http://www.tomshardware.com/ Nice monthly guide on what video cards are worth the money.
http://www.anandtech.com/ Also has build guides.
http://hardocp.com/
This thread is for discussing the art and science of building your own computer in particular which parts should be bought. A lot of the information we share would also be useful for picking out or customizing a commercially build computers. Obviously a lot of us are interested in gaming PCs but other uses are also discussed.
Feel free to post your build for comment or just your budget and what you need your computer to be capable of. The friendly people of this thread can set you on the right track or give you options to save money or have a better computer or sometimes both at once.
If we know the answer to some of the following questions it will help us to point you to the right computer for you.
- What is your total budget?
- What has to be included in that budget? Just an upgrade, just the computer itself or a computer with monitor, mouse and keyboard? Do you have parts from your old computer that you can use?
- Is this computer just for gaming and casual computer use or do you have other computationally intensive tasks in mind?
- What resolution to you plan on gaming at?
- Do you feel the need for cutting edge performance in the most demanding games (*cough* Crysis) or is good performance in most games and "good enough" performance in the most demanding games? Any particular games or upcoming games you care about?
- Are you biased towards either ATI/NVidia or Intel/AMD?
- How long do you want this computer to last?
- How important is being able to upgrade your computer at a later time?
If you need help or instructions on how to build your new computer take a look at this guide from techreport.com or this wiki article.
General Overview
This is an amazing time to be building a gaming PC. Competition between ATI and Intel for CPUS and between ATI and NVidia is tight and the result is lower prices. You can build a decent gaming rig for $500 and a very nice one for $700. Some newer tech like i7 processors and solid state drives are more expensive but neither is necessary to play even the most demanding games.
These days most people buy most of their parts from newegg because they have a nice combination of selection, prices, customer ratings of the various parts, customer service and easily searched inventory. If you do buy from newegg keep an eye out for free shipping and nice "combo deals" that could save you a few extra bucks. You can often save $20 each off of a HD/OS combo, Motherboard/CPU combo, Case/Powersupply combo, etc.
Left Wing jAy wrote: »If this is of any help to anyone, I've come across a number of online UK retailers.
Ebuyer.co.uk
Large catalogue of components; essentially a UK 'newegg', I guess
Novatech.co.uk
Also offers alot of components, as well as custom systems. Rated highly on quite a few forums.
For Canada apparently the strategy is to buy from NCIX using their pricematching policy. Read more here.
CPUs and Motherboards
CPU's are the most critical part for most computers although these days gaming computers' performance depends more on the GPU in most cases. For now most games can't use more than 1 or 2 cores with any efficiency so for a gaming rig a 2 or maybe 3 core CPU will provide the most bang for the buck. For more CPU intensive purposes like encoding video or ray tracing a quad core CPU will be faster. Anandtech has a nice database of CPU benchmarks.
Low end $150 for CPU+motherboard.
- Intel Pentium E5200 Cheap and still fairly fast. This dual core CPU is also easy to overclock.
- AMD Athlon II X2 or Phenom II X2s are also nice and cheap while being quite fast.
- AMD Athlon II X3 should give good performance once they show up at reatail.
A step up ($250 for CPU+motherboard)
The new i5 750 and a motherboard will set you back about $300 and up. These are very fast and if you think you want to spend more than that you should think twice. A Phenom III X3 is a cheaper option that provides good performance.
- AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Three cores, good speed and easily overclockable.
- Intel i5 750
Maximum Power ($500 and up)
i7s are more expensive than i5s and some require more expensive motherboards. Their only advantage is Hyperthreading so make sure your application performs very well in multiple threads before you splurge.
- Intel Core i7-920 on 1366 sockets
- Intel COre i7 860 on 1156 sockets
Choosing a motherboard
Once you have a CPU picked out then you have a lot of choices for which motherboard to pair with it. You should want:
- A stable board: make sure feedback on newegg is mostly very positive.
- The features you want: Do you need raid? Xfire? SLI? A large number of SATA ports?
- If you plan to overclock, you'll want a board with a reputation of being good for that.
- A low price. Don't pay a lot for features you don't need. Also some chipsets may have advantages that don't work out in practice.
Memory
Memory is cheap and the speed doesn't matter nearly as much as the quantity so get 4 gigabytes at least, if you are going with an i7 CPU then get 6. Just make sure your memory is compatible with your motherboard and your memory comes with a good warranty. Also take a glance to see that your memory doesn't require too high a voltage. For DDR2 1.8V or less should be good without any need mess around. For DDR3 1.65V or less would be better.
Storage
Standard Hard Drives up to 1TB in size are priced from $100 on down. Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB for $75 or so might be a good place to start. You could spend more money on a faster and probably smaller drive. Look up velociraptors. 300GB will cost you more than $200 but it will be fast.
Finally solid state drives are finally become viable as a primary drive. Be careful what you buy since most of these drives have pretty poor performance. Also, you'll probably need a normal hard drive to store all your porn since the cost per gigabyte is still pretty high.Intel X-25s are the best and most expensive while OCZ's Vertex line is still fast but quite a bit cheaper.
Almost every computer will need a $25 DVD player/writer but for $75 more you can add the ability to play Blu-Ray movies.
Video Cards
These are critical for PC gaming, obviously. Compared to previous years your dollar will go a long way.
Low end (~$100)
Amazingly video cards at this level are capable of playing all but the most demanding games with good quality settings and at nice resolutions. The ATI cards are the best value in this range.
- ATI Radeon 4850 512MB -- Be wary of Sapphire 4850s, several posters here have had problems with these.
- ATI Radeon 4770 512MB Slightly slower than the 4850 but uses less power.
- NVidia GTS 250 A bit more expensive than the ATI cards but some like NVidia's drivers or want PhysX support.
- ATI Radeon 5750 512 MB Not available yet but should be faster than a 4850 at a similar price and lower power usage. The 1GB version is a bit more expensive than the other cards here.
A step up($140-$200)
- ATI Radeon 4870 Seems that the 1 GB version might buy you a few FPS over the 512 MB one.
- NVidia GTX 260 Make sure to get one with 216 stream processors
- ATI Radeon 4890 just a touch more than the other two GPUs in this price range but its very, very fast.
- ATI Radeon 5770 A tad slower than the 4870 but has DX11 support and uses less power.
Maximum Power ($200+)
Until NVidia's next gen cards come out ATI has the fastest GPUs you can buy
- ATI Radeon 5850 have great performance for their ~$260 price
- ATI Radeon 5870 are the fastest single GPU cards yet
Cases and Power Supplies
You are going to need a case to put all these parts into and your are going to need a power supply to make them work. Cases are a very personal preference type of thing and there are tons of different models for sale. Here is a list of cases recommended by PAers:
You shouldn't cheap out on power supplies and if you do the be very careful. A bad powersupply won't last long and when it goes it may well damage your more expensive parts. The problem is that the company that makes your power supply is likely to be different than the one on the box and it's harder for websites to test a power supply's reliability than it is for them to check how many FPS a video card gets while running Crysis. Be especially wary of power supplies that come bundled with a case.
Another consideration would be a modular power supply. For a bit of extra money these let you remove cables that you don't need, freeing up space and reducing clutter inside your case.
A quality power supply is necessary for a stable gaming system. "Total Watts" is heavily advertised, but not very important (or in many cases even very accurate). What is important is the quality of the brand, and the amps on the +12v rail. Get something with at least 28A on the +12v rail(s) for single-card systems. Try to get something 80-plus certified, because this will actually save on your energy bill and is usually a sign of a quality psu. Corsair and Antec generally make the most affordable psu's that meet these criteria (at least in the US).
Low end(less than $100 for Case and PS):
- Antec NSK4480B ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 380W Power Supply $80 Power supply isn't overly powerful but it should work if it's enough.
- Antec Sonata III 500 ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply $110 Should be adequate unless you need 2 video cards
- Antec 300 or other case coupled with BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-550
- LIAN LI PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case or other case coupled with CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
Spoiler:
Sample Builds:
These are a very obsolete especially the powerhouse and E-PEEN builds. After all the ATI 5xxx cards are actually out I'll redo them.
Still waiting on Athon II X3s and 5850s to be generally available. Come one AMD, get to work!
These are just to serve as a starting point. You may find components at a discount or new, compelling bits of electronics may have shown up since these were created.
Budget build(<$500):
This computer is actually quite capable of playing most games at the highest settings (at reasonable resolutions) but keeps the price low.
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 512MB $95
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 $87
ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX Motherboard $80
OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $46
HITACHI Deskstar 500GB 7200 RPM SATA $55
Antec NSK 4480B II Black and EarthWatts 380W Power Supply
LG DVD Burner Black SATA $26
Total $489 - $25 combo = $464 -$30 MiR = $434
Bang for the buck build:
A bit more money gets an extra core for your CPU, a faster GPU and a bit more HD space.
GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB $170
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 $119
ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $80
Antec Sonata Plus 550 Black/ Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 550W Power Supply $120
LG DVD Burner Black SATA $26
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB HD $70
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $45
Total $630 - $35 combo = $595 -$30 MiR =$565
Powerhouse build(~$1000):
For $1000 you could upgrade to the very fast i7 920 CPU and the best buy of the "high end" video cards. The powerful PSU would let you add another 4890 if you really want to push crazy resolutions or max out Crysis.
HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB $190
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz$280
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Motherboard $200
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB Hard Drive $100
Antec EA750 750W power supply $110
Antec 900 case $100
Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $86
LG DVD Burner Black SATA $26
Total $1092 - $45 combo = $1047 - $35 MiR = $1012
E-Peen Build ($Texas)
I can't recommend buying a faster i7 since the prices are too high but if you want an "ultimate computer" go ahead and buy that second GPU and a super fast SSD.
HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB x 2 $380
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz$280
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Motherboard $200
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB Hard Drive $100
Antec EA750 750W power supply $110
Antec 900 case $100
Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $86
Intel X25-M 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) $314
LITE-ON Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA $80
Total $1650 -$45 combo = $1605 -$35 MiR = $1570
Displays
Like cases, displays are a very personal choice and the cost can vary hugely. Most people use LCD monitors although CRTs have some advantages such as the ability to display multiple resolutions natively and naturally have both good response times and good contrast ratios.
As far as LCDs go the good news is that the natural LCD type for gaming is also the cheapest so you might not go too far wrong by going to a store and picking a model whose look, size and cost seem right to you. If you have more specific requirements you might know what you need or you might find this guide to be of use.
Low End < $200
- ASUS VW224U Black 22"
- HP's LP2475w
- 3007WFP-HC
Final Advice:
Don't be shy. Post what you are thinking of buying and you'll probably get some advice. If you don't have any idea where to start just post your budget and what you want to use your computer for and someone will probably point you in the right direction.
Checklist:
Make sure that:
- Your CPU matches your motherboard (What's the slot type)
- Your Motherboard matches your case (ATX or micro ATX)
- Your Memory matches your Motherboard (DDR 2 or DDR3)
- Your Powersupply matches your Video Card (Really you should be making sure that your powersupply has the right connectors and has enough power on its 12V "rails")
General PC sites:
These are good places to find either reviews or benchmarking info.
http://techreport.com/ Has a nice build guide.
http://xbitlabs.com/
http://www.tomshardware.com/ Nice monthly guide on what video cards are worth the money.
http://www.anandtech.com/ Also has build guides.
http://hardocp.com/
lowlylowlycook on
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
After my fiasco with IBP, I've vowed to build my own. Unfortunately, all the wisdom of the world doesn't help me as I just get overwhelmed making sure everything works with everything else, and I end up gravitating towards premade sites somewhere and from there just get sucked into buying top of the line for extravagant prices (>1200+).
Basically, someone with free time and the knowledge to do so .. can you help me put together/note the parts I'd need to build the type of computer I'm shooting for? The price range I'm looking for is 800-1000 or so.. because money is just that fun to spend.
Either of these will work, and I have to give credit to the OP. It's a good list.
I built one similar to the Bang for the buck, and I know for a fact I won't upgrade again until the i7s are cheap. That or the powerhouse will keep you under budget, and be a real nice machine.
What is your total budget?
What has to be included in that budget? Just an upgrade, just the computer itself or a computer with monitor, mouse and keyboard? Do you have parts from your old computer that you can use?
Is this computer just for gaming and casual computer use or do you have other computationally intensive tasks in mind?
Do you feel the need for cutting edge performance in the most demanding games (*cough* Crysis) or is good performance in most games and "good enough" performance in the most demanding games? Any particular games or upcoming games you care about?
Are you biased towards either ATI/NVidia or Intel/AMD?
How long do you want this computer to last?
How important is being able to upgrade your computer at a later time?
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
I am trying to build a computer mainly for gaming. Ability to upgrade is a major concern for me, I want to spend around $1000. Haven't built a computer in a very long time and everything I know I have learned from this thread, or links from this thread, in the last few days.
My main question is the processor, the i7's seems to be getting cheaper and seem to be worth it from what i can tell. I almost want to go with the Phenom II with the AM3, knowing that it will be cheaper now and hopefully they will come out with some really good stuff for the AM3.
Will the i7's continue to be upgradable with the same motherboard or will there be a new socket type or something soon? This is my major concern mostly, as they seem to be getting much cheaper and more worth it.
Question: If I go with the middle of the road case, what kind and how many fans should I use? Are extra fans really necessary?
Extra fans aren't usually necessary unless you're running a high-end rig with tons of stuff that generates heat.
That said, a graphics card that exhausts heat out of the case usually helps with temps.
AFAIK the next class of CPUs from Intel should be i5 which should be fewer cores and cheaper. I also think it uses a different socket.
As for the AM3 socket it probably will support the next gen of AMD procs but that isn't guaranteed by any means and we don't know how worthwhile those will be in any case.
Just keep in mind that i7 motherboards are also pretty expensive. On the other hand if you buy an i7, I'm guessing you won't need to upgrade the processor just for gaming purposes for a long time.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Any thoughts?
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Are two 4770's better than a single GTX 275?
Well here is a comparison vs. the GTX 280.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Looking for a 1 TB hard drive with decent performance. Finding it hard to tell the difference between drives like this and this, besides the price. Those two are just the first two Newegg came up with in a search for internal 1TB hard drives, though.
Furthermore, is there any chance my motherboard wouldn't support SATA 3.0Gb/s vs SATA 1.5Gb/s?
I'm hearing good things about the ATI 4770, so what exactly are the major differences between all the models? I've found Gigabyte ones, Asus, Sapphire...anything to look for? Should I match it up to my Motherboard manufacturer for simplicity?
Main differences might be that some are OCed at the factory and/or come with different (hopefully quieter) coolers. Otherwise look at the price, reviews on newegg, length of the warranty, etc., since they will be basically the same reference design that ATI provided.
And the maker of the motherboard shouldn't matter. Only consideration there is that if you want to reserve the ability to add another GPU later your board should support SLI or Crossfire depending if you are looking at NVidia or ATI. Also you'll want to be able to run both slots at PCI-E 8x or better for that option.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Make take a look at this guide?
Edit: according to that guide 3.0 vs 1.5 Gb/s isn't important for platter drives.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 ATX Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
Mobo: Gigabtye GA-MA790X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 3.0 ghz AM2+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512mb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824
HDs: Western Digital 640gb AAKS model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
PSU: Thermaltake 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052
Also has 4gb ram and 25$ DVD drive. Total cost is ~670$ before shipping/tax.
I'm planning on using 64bit Windows 7 (when I can buy a for-reals version), and will probably spend 100$ down the line to get another 4gb of RAM and probably a second harddrive to run in RAID 0 for more space. Any critiques? Should RAID 0 be scratched and just go and get a 1TB drive?
In terms of gaming the rig will probably run things like Left 4 Dead and probably Starcraft 2 once it comes out (which thus far doesn't profess a need for intense GPU requirements, IIRC), so I think the 4850 should do the trick, if not, *shrugs* GPUs can be upgraded pretty easily now-a-days IMO.
I don't think there is anything wrong with your build but if you only care about gaming performance you should be able to get better performance for the same price by going to a 3 core Phenom II and upgrade to a 4870 or a GTX 260.
Also this thread would probably scare me off the PSU.
I propose:
Phenom II X3 720 with Motherboard
BFG OCed GTX260
4GB RAM
Antec 500W PS
Hard Drive
Case
DVD Drive
Cost: $647-$20MiR -$626
If you aren't attached to that case I think you could save about $20 with a Sonata III and DVD Drive combo.
Oh and yeah, you should probably go with a 1Tb drive instead of mucking around with RAID 0 but I'm too lazy to go back and change it.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Wow, you are divine. For the same price I upgraded HD to 1tb, got a better GPU and a better CPU. Great praise to you, sir.
Monitor $174.99: SAMSUNG 2233SW High Glossy Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001308
PC Parts
Motherboard $101.99: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359
CPU $159.73: Intel Boxed Core 2 Duo Processor E8400, Picked up local, price includes tax
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0281097
Graphics Card $179.49: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4890 1GB
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=AT-4890_1G&c=pg&show=p
Ram $46.79: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
Power supply $96.99: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
Total Price so far minus monitor= $584.99 Shipped
Ok, so I still need a case which I have no idea which one to get. I want to keep this cool and quiet so lots of big fans is nice. Anything else I am forgetting? Am I going overkill on the power supply?
I have an X-FI Xtream Music that I purchased for $100 the day the X-FI was released. After taking my rig for a spin and blowing out an old set of speakers my cousin then purchased an X-FI as well. In Vista & Win7 you need to use a program called Alchemy to replace EAX support for games & other software. The cards are powerful.
Let me say this. When my cousin & I purchased these cards onboard audio was very weak. When we plugged them in we also noticed over all system performance improved. Now with threaded multi-core CPUs & modern 1333+ bus speeds it isn't a noticeable performance boost. The current onboard audio chips are more than enough for the average person. If you're an audiophile with a 5.1+ THX sound system spend the money. If you need audio hardware decoding power then it's worth it to spend the money. When I build my i7 system an X-Fi will be the last component I worry about buying.
I have an Antec 900, and its absolutely fantastic if you don't mind blue LED lights. Two front fans, a top fan, plus one in the back to start. You can add a side fan and more in HD bays, so airflow is terrific IMO. With the heatsink that came with my CPU (E8400 Duel Core) it idles at 31c and I've yet to see it go up above 50.
Linky: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
Also I'm pretty sure you'll run fine with a 500W PSU, unless you plan on doing schenanigans with duel video cards, etc.
Now for the wait... :cry:
Let me be clear and say that flattery will in fact get you somewhere
However if you are buying the CPU I linked to it isn't really better but should still be more than adequate for gaming.
Haha, I was hoping that people would recommend cases that weren't Antecs. It's beginning to look like I'm a shill.
Keep the recommendations coming though.
And Yeah, any advantage for going over 500W would be to allow a future upgrade by doubling up your video card. And that's a nice price for that 4890 otherwise I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
Also, after some consideration I'm thinking of revamping the PSU section. Originally I kept cases and PSU's together because of the few cases that came with a decent power supply and also because case+PSU combo deals are pretty common on newegg.
But that is just crazy talk, PSUs are one of the more confusing areas and it's important to make things as simple as possible.
Now I think we should list recommended PSUs as being in the following categories:
Now I suspect that for the quality of power supply that we are going to be recommending that this will simply be sorting them out by the number of PCI connectors they actually have but maybe that won't be the case.
Anyway, before I go to town with the power search on newegg, does this seem like a reasonable breakdown? And which brands should I keep an eye out for other than Antec BFG Corsair and Fortron? I'll google around for reviews of any specific supplies before adding them to the list I'd just like a place to start.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
I think it's getting closer for me to buy a new pc, when I get a mortgage I'll also be buying a load of new stuff to go into my shiny new apartment. (hopefully in June)
I'm wondering whether to go X25-E or OCZ Vertex. When I also go quad core, lots of RAM etc.
Oh, Corsair have started releasing SSD's based on a Samsung controller.
---
I've got a spare copy of Portal, if anyone wants it message me.
That Corsair might be pretty interesting. It is cheaper and according to throughput numbers slower than the equivalent Vertex. However as Anandtech has taught us it's all about the random access times. And all (well all the good ones) SSDs are super fast compared to regular drives.
Check out this review. Still I'd wait until Anandtech told us if it's a good one to buy.
As for which one to buy, my impression is that the difference between the SSDs is much smaller than the difference between a platter drive and an SSD so I'd be tempted to go with cheaper or more capacity than to go with a faster, more expensive drive.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Personally I'm going with the Intel X25-M, but if I was on a lesser budget I'd get the OCZ Vertex.
Also, speaking of cases, I just picked up an Antec 1200 for my build. The case is freaking huge. Does anyone know if a smaller case like the Antec 902 will still have enough room to SLI a GTX285?
Apparently this dude triple SLI'd GTX285 in an Antec 902, so I think you'll be okay. I can't begin to see why the Antec 1200 was even made, unless they are targetting the demographic of people who want to run 6 HDs, 3 video cards, and still have room for the occasional dead body.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001308
PC Parts
Motherboard $101.99: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359
CPU $159.73: Intel Boxed Core 2 Duo Processor E8400, Picked up local, price includes tax
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0281097
Graphics Card $179.49: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4890 1GB
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=AT-4890_1G&c=pg&show=p
Ram $46.79: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
Power supply $77.49: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
Case $107.24: Antec Nine Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
Total Price so far minus monitor= $672.73 Shipped
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
http://troublethinking.wordpress.com (Updated Wed) http://twitter.com/#!/Durandal4532
There is only one review on newegg and it discusses other non-existent reviews. It's certainly unique though. How do you fit optical drives? I don't quite understand.
I sort of agree that you can find plain black cases and blinged out cases but finding something in between is harder.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231047
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150330
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009157
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Just a rough sketch right now, I am going to look into it later.
GT: Tanky the Tank
Black: 1377 6749 7425
You have the wrong kind of memory, I think. 4 gigs of the stuff you do want should be $50ish. Also what is that fan for if you don't have a case picked out?
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3542&p=5
What are you planning on doing with this computer?
Overall I'd say if you have to ask you probably don't need an i7.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
That article recommends it as it is faster but according to charts I am looking at it isn't that much faster.