Lifelong Mac User looking to build first gaming PC

[trilamb]

I've owned Macs since I was 5 years old, almost every model they've ever made I've had sitting on my desk. I started on Macs because my mother was a graphic designer and she always bought apples for their graphic design capabilities, and now I'm an editor and use apple's for that.

I returned from E3 a few weeks ago (I'm an avid gamer) salivating to get a gaming PC. I'm pretty computer savvy (at least with Macs) and am not intimidated in the least by the thought of building my own computer.

I'm looking to spend around 1k-1.5k 'soup to nuts', meaning I'm going to need EVERYTHING including monitor, keyboard, mouse, Windows software, you name it. Once again: I've never owned a PC (but I do know how to use them, at least I'm familiar with Windows and understand how computers work, and can take my macs apart and put them back together blind folded -- as much as that's worth).

I've been checking out newegg but there are just so many options, I need help narrowing them down. I want the best bang for my buck and a computer that will be able to handle the next gen of PC games.

My goal is to play next gen games like Battlefront 2, Age of Empires III, etc. I'd like them to run well, but I don't need to be breaking any speed records obviously. If you guys could recommend a 'soup to nuts' build that would be great.

Also, I've heard it's possible to use Apple monitors with a PC. Considering I own a $2500 dollar 23" Apple cinema display, if I could use that with my PC I wouldn't mind the hassle of unplugging it from my G5 every time I wanted to use my PC if it meant saving some money and being able to use this great monitor.

Anyway, don't hate me for my Mac loyalty...help me make that PC leap.

Thanks in advance!

[Amazin Caucasian]

your 23' Apple Cinema, is that the G5 where the everything is bult into the monitor? Ask for a whole list of specs put together for you because people around here are very good and willing to do that!

[trilamb]

No, the monitor is just a monitor, it's not the new all-in-one G5. It's the same specs as this monitor:

http://www.apple.com/displays/

...but the last gen version (with the plastic sides as opposed to the metal ones, it's about 1 and a 1/2 years old).

And yes, I meant to be asking for a list of specs and parts for what I need to built it myself. By soup to nuts build I didn't mean a comp already put together, I meant all the parts I would need to buy separately to build the rig.

Thanks again!

[Amazin Caucasian]

ok good because the g5 messed me up when you said that. Yes, I knew that I just figured you hsould flat out ask that because they are good.

[Amazin Caucasian]

ok i got one setup, two problems I am sure the boys will change the mobo I think and the vid card is x16 which the mobo lacks a slot for. so someone else suggest a mobo.

case: Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
mobo: ASUS A8V Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice Integrated into Chip FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - OEM
Heatsink: ZALMAN CNPS7000B-ALCU 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan - Retail
vid card: eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 ST3250823AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
PSU: THERMALTAKE Silent Purepower W0014RU ATX 480W Power Supply 100 - 240V - Retail
Floppy: SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model MPF920 Black - OEM
ROM: SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s - OEM
Burner: LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 4X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner - Retail

total: $1,195.01

[Amazin Caucasian]

over time people will change things this is just a start I guess you could say.

[kram 2.0]

For balance sakes, the Intel Pentium 4 550J and the Asus P5GD1 are the Intel equivelants. Intel or AMD, your choice.

The Asus A8N-E Deluxe is the nForce4 version of the Socket 939, which includes PCI-Express.

kram

[Amazin Caucasian]

Thanks for that Kram, I was searching the for the A8N-E but it wasnt coming up for me on newegg for some reason so i figure what the heck just put it there.

[glc]

You aren't leaving very much for Windows, a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and all the software. Better aim lower, and 100 bucks for a case without a power supply just doesn't fall into that budget category. Not everyone wants or needs a highly styled case. I think that budget is going to be more of a 3200+/530J and 6600GT build, and forget the Zalman stuff, use a retail boxed processor. A64's and P4's stay adequately cool with the stock retail heatsink/fan. Function is for people on a budget, bling is for people with extra money to burn.

[Amazin Caucasian]

hes got a monitor, and i figured he could use the stuff he has now for keyboard and mouse. nothin wrong with bling...i figure if you play good you should look good just suggesting what i think looks good

[trilamb]

So the monitor I have WILL work with that PC? I wasn't sure if that was a definite or not.

[Amazin Caucasian]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811154048 maybe this case then
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103535 this processor if you wanna go AMD and use the heatsink given
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814122201 this vid card

this should significantly lower the price i think...

[Amazin Caucasian]

Originally Posted by trilamb So the monitor I have WILL work with that PC? I wasn't sure if that was a definite or not.

I'm not sure, I assume, I dont see why not....I'll check up on it. If i dont get back to you before 530 central time ill have it by 10 central...that is if someone doesnt answer already. what model is it again?

[Amazin Caucasian]

ha, well i called apple and he thought i was crazy cuz i said I had one but he couldnt find the information, but he said that the monitor was designed for apple specifically but that very well may be just said to prevent people from knowing that they can. So, he may be telling the truth but you wont really know unless you try and hook it up to a regular PC. So you may be stuck buying a new monitor.

[fedz]

OK, firstly I'd recommend a Nforce 4 motherboard, maybe even SLi for good upgradeability.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

Secondly I'd recommend a PSU with slightly more juice on the 12V rail. Thermaltakes don't provide much; I personally like the 450W Xclio, it has active PFC and two large 12V'ers, as well as being cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189003

That will raise the price slightly, but that can be countered by ditching the Zalman HSF and using a slightly smaller HDD. The retail HSF is very good as it is and I doubt you'll need more than 160GB any time soon.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144152

Thirdly if you are planning a single video card build on a non-SLi board the X800XL is cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131414

Finally, good software is expensive!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837116194
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837116147

fedz

edit: yes of course the display will work!!! Displays nowadays have a standardised DVI connector, meaning that you can simply switch your apple display onto your PC

[Amazin Caucasian]

there ya go

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by fedz Finally, good software is expensive!!! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837116194 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837116147 fedz

Not when they're OEM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837102151

kram

[fedz]

LOL that's exactly the same price

fedz

[trilamb]

thanks so much guys, I'll put together my final list in the next day or two. What's the final verdict on the case? Does the PSU recommended by Fedz fit inside a case or is it external?

And again, thanks for the help. Very appreciated.

[fedz]

Internal, like all PSU's

fedz

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by fedz LOL that's exactly the same price fedz

No need to purchase a base operating system though - you linked to an upgrade retail version.

kram

[trilamb]

k, here's what I've put together so far from this thread:

mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

vid - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131414

psu - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189003

RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440

Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144152

burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106966

floppy - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821103116

OS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837102151

total so far: $784

Okay, I'm obviously missing two important things: CPU and case. I think only some CPU's work with certain vid cards, so I'm not sure which CPU I should go with here. Is this the CPU I should go with?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103532

And I'm guessing I don't need a case with a built in power source now since I'm buying the PSU above, but what case should I get that will fit everything I've got above (and have a little room for expansion if necessary)?

I'm guessing the CPU and and Case will come to around 200 or 300 bucks, grand totalling me at around a 1000 or 1100, which is right where I'd like to be. I can use my apple mouse, keyboard and monitor so that should do it.

Do I need a separate DVD rom drive or will the DVD burner drive listed above also function as an optical DVD reader?

Other than a CPU, a case and maybe a DVD rom drive (if I need one) am I missing anything else?

Thanks again.

[kram 2.0]

For CPU, purchase the retail version so you have a heat sink fan that is compatible with the processor. Plus, as an added bonus, it's cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103533

And I'm guessing I don't need a case with a built in power source now since I'm buying the PSU above, but what case should I get that will fit everything I've got above (and have a little room for expansion if necessary)?

Any standard ATX case should do. Just browse through Newegg and pick out one that fits your taste.

Do I need a separate DVD rom drive or will the DVD burner drive listed above also function as an optical DVD reader?

That is optional - you can do with one drive, but you might consider an extra DVD-ROM drive in the future to make burning more "efficient".

As well, a general observation. You have the Asus A8N-SLI as your motherboard - waste of money. Go with the Asus A8N-E Deluxe and save money.


Hope that helped.
kram

[Antistupid]

Any CPU will work with any video card. The CPU you listed is fine--just get a retail version because that comes with the HSF unit.

You don't need the A8N-SLi if you are getting the ATi card. An A8N-E is fine. You can only take advantage of SLi with nVidia cards. If you want to do the same thing with ATi cards, you need Crossfire.

I would change the HD to a Seagate one.

Any ATX size case is fine. Just get one that you like.

You don't need a separate DVD ROM--the burner can read (and write).

[trilamb]

any reason I wouldn't want SLi? Also...I have no idea what SLi means...lol. I imagine it has something to do with dual graphic cards, more graphical power, etc. but I'm not sure.

With the graphic card (and the rig as a whole) I have listed above will I be able to run next-gen games at reasonable speeds and not have an outdated system within the next 12 months?

I like the price point I'm at right now, around a grand and wouldn't want to go up much from there, but if the difference between a good system and a GREAT system is just a hundred or two hundred away then I'd make the jump, but I'm guessing this is as good as it gets for this price range, and I hope that it's good enough to handle the next gen games.

Great advice so far guys, thanks again. Very educational.

[Antistupid]

SLi is nVidia technology to use two identical graphics cards to render the same image. That gives you ideally double the graphics power. Yes, it sound good. However, it only really boosts benchmark scores, and to get it to shine, you need two expensive graphics cards (with nVidia GPUs), the SLi motherboard, and a nVidia certified PSU. This will not work for a $1000 budget. ATi's late response to this is Crossfire. Crossfire is different in that you don't need two identical cards. This does the same basic thing as SLi.

The X800XL you picked out uses an ATi GPU, and therefore is incompatible with SLi, so there is no need to pay the extra for the SLi motherboard. The card will still be able to play games in another year.

[12twelve12]

SLI stands for "Scalable Link Interface" and it's a way to hook up two IDENTICAL video cards. They must be cards that use the NVIDIA chip. Nvidia doesn't make cards of their own just the gpu's. I like the MSI & BFG cards.

To use SLI you must purchase a motherboard that is an SLI board, of course, which means it will have 2 PCI-Express x16 slots. The SLI board will also come with a bridge...a clip that connects the two vid cards together. This comes with the mobo rather than the vid cards because the space between the 2 PCI-Express slots vary from board to board.

Some people buy an SLI board and just one video card with the thought they will just get another, identical card when they get more money but I don't believe this is a good idea. I believe that if your going to go SLI it's best to purchase the two cards at the same time.

Most games will benefit from SLI but not all. I believe it's about 3 out of 4 if I remember right.

[12twelve12]

Guess Anti beat me to it...

Here is a decent review where 2 NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT's in SLI are compared with a single 6800GT and other cards. Pretty lenghty review but good.

And here is a story about ATI's answer to to their competitors SLI technology. It's called CrossFire

[Mac Medic]

Originally Posted by trilamb So the monitor I have WILL work with that PC? I wasn't sure if that was a definite or not.

If your 23" is one of the new DVI aluminum jobbies, then yes, it'll work with a DVI videocard, make it a good one though that can drive that resolution. The guys here can recommend a good videocard for you. If it's the older ADC 23" display, well, it can be done but costs a bit for the adaptors. DrBott sells them.

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by trilamb any reason I wouldn't want SLi? Also...I have no idea what SLi means...lol. I imagine it has something to do with dual graphic cards, more graphical power, etc. but I'm not sure. With the graphic card (and the rig as a whole) I have listed above will I be able to run next-gen games at reasonable speeds and not have an outdated system within the next 12 months? I like the price point I'm at right now, around a grand and wouldn't want to go up much from there, but if the difference between a good system and a GREAT system is just a hundred or two hundred away then I'd make the jump, but I'm guessing this is as good as it gets for this price range, and I hope that it's good enough to handle the next gen games. Great advice so far guys, thanks again. Very educational.

Stay with the system you are with right now. No need to jump onto the SLI bandwagon - there are always downsides to SLI. It takes far far more power, it requires an expensive motherboard, requires you to purchase an identical card to utilize the SLI technology as outlined by AntiStupid, and as well, SLI uses very buggy drivers that nVIDIA has made some progress on.

Of course, the tradeoff is a performance boost on games that utilize the SLI power.

kram