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Building (Me) Computers
zimfan
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The recent Steam thread has brought something to my attention.
My computer fucking sucks.
Ok not really, it's a good computer but it's old. It's a 2004 Dell Inspiron and it's slowly dying (the CD/DVD drive doesn't work anymore). Not to mention that I can't run any game released in this past year!
I know this isn't Game & Technology but I trust you SE++ people, and hey! Now you can have a thread about building computers and hardware!
If I wanted to build my own desktop to run video games how would I go about doing so?
My computer fucking sucks.
Ok not really, it's a good computer but it's old. It's a 2004 Dell Inspiron and it's slowly dying (the CD/DVD drive doesn't work anymore). Not to mention that I can't run any game released in this past year!
I know this isn't Game & Technology but I trust you SE++ people, and hey! Now you can have a thread about building computers and hardware!
If I wanted to build my own desktop to run video games how would I go about doing so?
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PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
How much would this cost me?
Ignoring the hospital bill from the haphazard stacking of equipment
it's cool if you want an se++ spin on things, but if you need a computer specced and built, that's a pretty good place to check out
add some sugar and 3 eggs and bake for forty minutes, leave to cool in the fridge over night and bam
one computer
:<
it's almost a decade old at this point, I think
your phone is better than my computer, at this point
:<
:< x a million
I'm sure I could have saved a few dollars buying it piecemeal, putting it together, and installing windows over the course of hours of pain and heartache, but this took about 20 minutes from getting it home to playing titan quest
just sayin'
exactly why they're sold
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
I know that ordering a comparable computer from Dell would have literally cost twice as much as what mine ended up being (about 700$ including the OS)
Two 500GB HDDs, one 1TB, and a 250GB I had laying around.
If I'm going to do anything anytime soon (the next year or so) it's going to be setting up a media server/storage solution. Thinking about saving up and getting a Drobo FS. And a decent-ish SSD to run my OS on.
Thanks for all the suggestions in here!
I was thinking of going the WaM route, but money is a bit tight
or it would be if I had a desktop
if anybody is planning to put together a low-profile/media PC
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LPUYK2/ref=asc_df_B003LPUYK21333141?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-1585-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B003LPUYK2
do they still do the thing where all their parts are non-standard dimensions and such, so you can't upgrade their boxes with stock parts?
and yes, for the most part
zimfan, get an SSD. You will not regret it.
Just games
I literally can't run games that have come out in the past 2 years because all of them use Shader Model 3.0 or higher and my graphics card only supports Direct X 9.0b (Shader Model 2.0 only)
It used to matter back when video memory was expensive and we thought 32MB was a lot. Now it seems even the cheapest cards can drive a 2560x1600 display.
If I can, I would like to keep the maximum at 800 dollars
but seeing as I also need a monitor, I feel like that's a stretch
Motherboard: ASUS M4A88T-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM[
Video Card: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VX-2L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda LP ST32000542AS 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Case: NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series CS-NT-BETA-EVO Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power: Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
Disc Drive: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
That comes out to $691.92 without shipping.
Motherboard: ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Video Card: EVGA 768-P3-1360-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
With the rest of the stuff (case, power, disc and hard drives) it comes to $737.92
C'mon, guys, talk about computers
this handy little .png updates frequently and has dictated to me several times the kind of computer I say I'm going to buy but never get around to actually buying
You'd want 64bit if you put more RAM in it, so I wouldn't say its a bad thing.
Also, I think it'd be worth considering getting the 1.5 TB at 7200 RPM instead of the 2 TB at 5200 RPM (although newegg indicates its a combo deal, and I didn't look to see what that meant).
Updated 11/8/2010
THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST, NOR IS IT MEANT TO BE.
Everyone's needs in a computer are different. The parts below are a list of the "best values" for the average user who is gaming/doing general desktop work. This list should be a starting point in your research, not a definitive guide to what you should get. Changes, corrections, additions, and comments are always welcome.
Intel CPU
Intel i5 750 The current best price/performance ratio chip available.
AMD CPU
Athlon II X3 445 our current default recommendation for an AMD build
HTPC CPU
Athlon X2 250 A good HTPC performer
Intel i3 530 A dual core i5 with onboard GPU.
Intel Motherboard
Asus P7H55 mATX
MSI H55M-E33 mATX
Asus P7P55 ATX
AMD Motherboard
Asus M4A77TD ATX
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-USB3 ATX
MSI 880GM mATX
MSI 870 G45 ATX
HTPC Motherboard
Note: All listed boards have onboard video that supports HD video decoding
Asus M4A785-M ATI mATX AMD board
MSI 880GM mATX ATI mATX AMD board
ECS H55H Intel mini-ITX board that supports the integrated GPU on the dual core i3/i5 series
Asus P7H55 Intel mATX i3/5 board that supports the integrated GPU on the dual core i3/i5 series
Memory
4 Gigs of DDR3 1333 (with voltage of 1.65v or less)
Graphics
1600x1050 and below:
ATI Radeon 5770 - The cheapest gaming grade card we recommend.
1900x1200
ATI Radeon 6850 - Our default recommendation for this resolution
Nvidia GTX 460 1G - Runs even with the 6850, but only recommended if you can get it at the same price for a Radeon 6850.
Radeon 6870 Borderline overkill at 1900x1200 but a good value for the performance.
Hard Drive
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB
Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB
Solid State Drives
Intel X25M 80GB
Corsair Force 80GB
OCZ Vertex 2 90GB
Optical
DVD Burners
Blu-ray DVD-ROMs
Cases
Budget cases:
Centurion 541 (mATX)
Centurion 534 (ATX)
Elite 341 (mATX)
Gladiator (ATX)
Midrange cases:
P180 Mini (mATX)
Lancool PC-K58 (ATX)
RC-690 (ATX)
High-end cases:
P183 (ATX)
Lancool K7B (ATX)
HTPC Cases
Note: There many variables when picking an HTPC case. This list is in no way close to comprehensive.
Antec Fusion mATX with full-height PCI slots
Antec M Fusion Slimline mATX
APEX MI008 Mini-ITX case
Power Supplies
Integrated graphics (X4500/760G/785G/i3 onboard graphics) and video cards with no pci-e connector (ATI x3xx - x6xx cards)
Antec Earthwatts EA-380D (336W)
Seasonic 300ET (288W)
Cards with a single pci-e power connector (4850/4770/5750, 5770s)
Corsair 400CX (360W)
Corsair 450VX (396W)
Antec Earthwatts EA-500D (444W)
Cards with dual pci-e power connectors (5770s with dual power connectors, 5830, 5850)
Antec Earthwatts EA-500D (444W)
Corsair 550VX (492W)
Corsair 650TX (625W)
Modular (plug in only the cables you need)
Seasonic M12II 520W (480W)
Corsair 650HX (624W)
Corsair 750HX (744W)
Antec Continuous Power CP-850 with P183 only (768W)
Aftermarket Cooling
AM2/AM3:
Xigmatek S1283 make sure to purchase the Backplate as well if you have an Intel chipset
Xigmatek Dark Knight (Come with backplate)
Sunbeam Core Contact
Scythe SCBK1000 for small clearance cases
LGA1156 (i5/i7):
Cooler Master Hyper 212P-GP
TV Tuners
Hauppague HVR-2250 PCIe dual tuner supporting NTSC/ATSC/ClearQAM
Hauppague HVR-950Q USB tuner supporting NTSC/ATSC/ClearQAM
Operating Sytem
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM Edition
Win 7 Student Discount site (US) - only requires a valid .edu address
Win 7 Student Discount site (UK) - only requires a valid .ac.uk address
HTPC Prebuilt
Dell Zino
Acer Revo
Zotac Zbox
LCDs
In general, most LCDs will be fine for the average user, and price is the biggest driver. You can also check the SA Monitor Megathread for thoughts and suggestions.
The current Intel Price/Performance "Sweet Spot":
MSI P55M-GD41
Intel i5 750
G-Skill 2x2GB DDR3-1600 Kit
ATI Radeon 6850
OR
The current AMD Price/Performance "Sweet Spot":
Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P
Athlon II X3 445
G-Skill 2x2GB DDR3-1333 Kit
ATI Radeon 6850
OR
The current "Cheapass/Internet Browsing/HTPC Build":
Athlon X2 250
Gigabyte GA-MA880GMA-UDH2
G-Skill 2x2GB DDR3-1333 Kit
Recommended Vendor List
In the U.S.:
NewEgg
Amazon
Canada:
NCIX
Canada Computers
DirectCanada
Europe:
SCAN Computers
Aria
Japan
Tsukumo
Twotop
Feel free to post about other reputable vendors in your region.
Crackbone fucked around with this message at Nov 14, 2010 around 10:09