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11-27-2008, 12:46 PM
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#1 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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first time builder, is it cheaper to build?
also Windows 7 is coming out next summer, i was wondering if i should wait till then to build a new pc or if i should build one with vista. I want to build a gaming pc for about $2000, but i have no clue where to start. i know a few things about RAM, hardrives and grpahics cards, but i don't know a thing about motherboards, processors or sound cards. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. and one last thing, would anyone reccomend buying from Dell?
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11-27-2008, 12:59 PM
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#2 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Omaha, NE
Posts: 207
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If your gaming budget is $2000, you can do a lot better building on your own than by purchasing from Dell or any other retailer. There are two good resources to start out with. First of all, check the build your own PC tutorial on this site (from the main page). Next, I learned most of what I needed to start out by reading "Building a PC for Dummies." Then I came here to get some specific and updated information.
I run Vista and like it just fine. Most compatability issues are taken care of and most vendors sell service pack one right out of the box. There's no need to wait until the next version comes out. Heck... it might have lots of problems and people could be joking about going back to Vista. Next up, when researching parts check out Newegg.com as they have one of the best listings. When you think you have an idea of what you want and come up with a basic parts list, post it here. Lots of folks will help out with suggestions on better quality brands, ways to stay in budget, or just general recommendations to help you build the best PC. I started building this past spring and am hooked. If you want to do serious gaming, building your own is the ultimate way to go and will get you a lot more capabiity for the same price.
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Gaming Rig(March 2008 Build): ANTEC 900 Case w/ Stock Cooling, Intel Q9300 2.5GHz Quad, 4GB Corsair DDR2 800MHz, 750w Corsair PSU, WD Caviar 500GB 7200RPM, EVGA nVidia 780i SLI, EVGA GTX-470, Pioneer DVD+/-R w/ Lightscribe HTPC (May 2010 Build): nMEDIAPC 2000B ATX, AMD Athalon II Regor 2.8GHz Dual Core, 2GB Corsair DDR2 800MHz, 400w Corsair PSU, WD Caviar 500GB, MSI 770T-C45 Motherboard, EVGA nVidia GeForce 210 512MB, Lite-On DVD+/-R w/ Lightscribe |
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11-27-2008, 01:59 PM
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#3 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,557
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If I was buying a PC it would be a Dell. I suggest you build your own. You get better equipment w/upgrade ability. Best of all, you get the satisfaction of building your own PC and you will be familiar with the parts that are used and you will NEVER have to call for support.
 Intel or AMD CPU? I use Intel motherboards for my retail builds if there is no overclocking planned and Asus Motherboards for any other builds. |
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11-27-2008, 03:02 PM
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#4 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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is the Intel i7 over the top or will a quad do just fine? also is 512mb of video card memory enough or should i make it dual? keep in mind i want this computer to last a while (meaning i don't want to see it struggling with games a year after i make it) i am worried about the processor and the video card the most right now.
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11-27-2008, 03:08 PM
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#5 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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If building a computer with a $2000 budget, I would definitely take a look at getting a Core i7, the performance is good and the price is comparable to Core 2 Quad. For a video card, take a look at getting either a HD4870 or higher, or a GTX260 or higher; video ram doesn't matter too much when determining what video card you should buy since some manufacturers use a lot of ram on low end video cards, however anything 512MB or over should be fine. What type of monitor are you using? Do you need a part list, if you do, state whether you need peripherals, monitor (what size) and OS.
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Core i7 2600K @ 4.2GHz | Corsair H100 w/ Scythe S-FLEX 120mm Med. Flow & AC MX4 | 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance PC3-12800 | HIS 1GB HD6870/ HIS IceQ X Turbo 1GB CF | Asus P67 Sabertooth | OCZ Vertex 3, WD Velociraptor 150GB & Seagate 1.5TB in Tt iCage | LG 22X DVD+/-RW | D-Link DWA-556 | Corsair TX 750W | Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 | Windows 7 HP 64-Bit | LG Flatron L246WH-BN 3D Mark11: P8491| 3D Mark Vantage: P30840| 3D Mark06: 29912 |
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11-27-2008, 06:38 PM
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#6 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Here is a parts list for a high end $1500 computer (something similar would cost double if bought from a manufacutrer):
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS120-08 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106264 $25.99 NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146047 $109.99 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148274 $99.99 2 X EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130398 $479.98 ($239.99 each) Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371009 $124.99 ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131346 $299.99 Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202 $299.99 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488 $79.99 Subtotal: $1,520.91 |
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11-27-2008, 10:30 PM
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#7 | |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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Quote:
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11-27-2008, 11:04 PM
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#8 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 7
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Yes Masaki is amazing. I'm not sure why he didn't include the RAM actually, he probably just forgot. As for your other questions, of course it will fit. And under specifications you'll find that the cooling system included in the case is more than adequate.
2 x 120mm Blue LED front fans 1 x 120mm rear fan 1 x 120mm Blue LED side fan 2 x 140mmTop fans |
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11-28-2008, 12:00 AM
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#9 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Omaha, NE
Posts: 207
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If you pair up that processor with that graphics card... you'll be smoking any game out there now and for a year or two. I'm running a slower processor w/ 2x 512MB 9600GT cards... and I've got FarCry2 maxed out with no problems at all. Crysis runs at high smoothly.
Here's the thing though... SLI is cool (just in case you don't know, SLI is putting two nVidia graphics cards together... it's called CrossFire w/ ATI), but it doesn't give cosmic boost in performance. I didn't notice a huge difference in Crysis when I added my second graphics card. I'd suggest you save the extra $200 on a graphics card... and only get one in a couple years when you need one. At that point... upgrading your card will be cheaper. The rest of your rig should last you for years if you use that build. Some other thoughts: - The Cooler Master CM 690 is my favorite case after two builds. It's very good for first time builders, but it doesn't have all the LED fans if that's important to you. - Check out prices... but Corsair makes good power supplies also. Each GTX 260 graphics card requires two 6-pin power connecters... so double check specifications and make sure your power supply will have enough. - RAM: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 is a great way to go. The "Dominator" series has a cooling fan included... but that's going to drive your cost up a couple hundred. Drop the second graphics card to get the best RAM and your end price should remain around $1.5k |
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11-28-2008, 12:10 AM
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#10 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Sorry about missing the ram in the list, I had added a ram kit in the list early on, however the ram was taken off newegg while I was compiling the list and didn't realize that the ram had been removed. Here is a good kit of ram to use: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225 (G.SKILL DDR3-1600, CAS 9, $230, free shipping). All the necessary cooling fans is provided with the case, and in the retail CPU box.
The case I have in the parts listed has very good cooling, and is actually large enough to accommodate extended ATX motherboard, more than enough for large graphics cards. |
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11-28-2008, 11:24 AM
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#11 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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so is one of those grpahics cards good for now, i can always buy another later. also is everything listed here all i need to build a computer? what about a sound card?
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11-28-2008, 12:58 PM
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#12 | |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Quote:
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11-28-2008, 03:35 PM
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#13 |
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Wrench Bender
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Plymouth,MN
Posts: 5,961
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As for a sound card, would try the on-board sound first. They can be pretty good with quailty computer speaker systems.
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"When sliding down the banister of life; look out for splinters pointing up."
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11-28-2008, 03:40 PM
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#14 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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I just checked up on the integrated soundcard of the Asus P6T (the one in the parts list), it uses the ADI (Soundmax) codec, so quality is much better than the common realtek soundcard found in most motherboards. For music, I would say that the Soundmax soundcards are about as good as Creative X-Fi if you aren't using advanced postprocessing.
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12-04-2008, 11:52 PM
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#15 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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just curious, what do you guys think of ibuypower.com?
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12-05-2008, 12:11 AM
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#16 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Pretty much all manufacturers of computers either overcharge or cut corners on their systems. If you are worried about building a system, you can always take the parts down to a local computer shop and have them build it. I haven't really come across any reason to buy manufactured system over building my own, their technical support isn't all that good and the warranty isn't any better than the warranty on the parts.
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12-05-2008, 11:08 AM
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#17 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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i replaced the 1tb with this
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #:ST3500320AS Item #:N82E16822148288 Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy In Stock $64.99 is this ok? 500gb should be plenty. also is there a cheaper power supply i can use and maybe even motherboard? just trying to save some money for a new monitor and mouse+keyboard |
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12-05-2008, 11:55 AM
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#18 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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What you can do if you want to save money is:
-Use a 500GB instead of 1TB drive; the one you listed above is good ($35 savings) -Use only a single GTX260 (Core 216) ($240 savings) -Change the motherboard to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128366 ($55 savings) -Change the power supply to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371015 ($65 savings) Total Savings = $395 |
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12-05-2008, 01:19 PM
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#19 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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awesome. but is 650 watts enough? also how is this for a monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254005 Hanns·G HW-191DPB Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Model #:HW-191DPB Item #:N82E16824254005 Return Policy:LCD Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy In Stock $149.99 -$10.00 Instant $139.99 also i think i am set and ready to order |
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12-05-2008, 01:35 PM
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#20 |
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I like me
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Tejas
Posts: 7,332
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Even with that list: first time builder, is it cheaper to build?
The one Masaki posted in post 6, you still have enough money to get a monitor and keyboard. You said your budget was $2000. If you want more for a better monitor, then just drop one video card. Or drop down from the i7.
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It's coming....just you wait. |
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12-05-2008, 01:39 PM
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#21 | |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Quote:
As long as you are not running cards in SLI, 650W is more than enough for your system. |
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12-09-2008, 11:46 PM
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#22 |
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Member (4 bit)
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
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(edit) Nevermind, found what i was looking for
Last edited by blackhawk08; 12-09-2008 at 11:50 PM. |
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12-14-2008, 06:23 PM
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#23 | |
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Moderator
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