PCMech Forums - New to building

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Hey everyone,

I've decided that I need a new computer as I am still using the Macbook Pro 15" i bought at the beginning of college back in 2007. I'm done with Mac for now and a friend of mine suggested I build my own computer so here I go.

I'll try to give you as much detail about what I'm looking to do as possible. I'm still kind of early in the planning but here is what I know so far:

-I've set my budget to $1000. I do have some wiggle room to go over but I would like to keep it as close to that as possible.

-Use is basically going to be what any standard person uses a computer for. I'm not into working with photo or video editing. Would like this to be able to handle any games though since I am going to be getting back into that hobby (Good ole Apple never allowed me to do much gaming)

-The early tips I have received are that I need to use an Asus motherboard (Intel) as well as an i5 or i7 processor...definitely leaning towards the i7. Also Corsair RAM. I'd like to have at least 8 GB RAM but I would be a bit more comfortable going higher than that (even though it can easily be changed). Other things that were suggested were solid state HD as well as dual GFX cards.

Hope this is enough information for you guys to work with. I read the post about being as specific as possible. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks in advance,

-Gootz

Wow this is all great. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer. I'm going to go through it a bit and let you know if I have any questions. Thank you again!

I think I decided to not go solid state and bump up the processor. What do you think?

Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K - Newegg.com

Also I think I can survive with just 500 GB in my cpu because I have a 1 TB external I just remembered about.

Your money would be better spent bumping up the video card, not the processor, if you are building a gaming machine. There is very little real world difference in computing power between the 3350P and 3570K, and the internal graphics is disabled in the 3350P, keeping the price down a bit. HOWEVER: Do you have a Microcenter anywhere near you? If so, you can get an i7-3770K for $230 plus tax, which is $100 less than everywhere else. THAT is a worthwhile upgrade at that price for general computing tasks.

Get the 1TB drive, it's only $10 more than a 500gb.

Right at 1K with the operating system. Mount the extra 200mm fan in the front of the case as input, and move the stock front fan to the top back as output. Good price on the MB and CPU combo. If you play some of the newer games like guild wars 2/planetside 2 a overclocking processor makes a big differance in big battles FPS wise.
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
HIS Radeon HD 7870, Cooler Master HAF 912 - System Build - PCPartPicker
I can redo this if you need mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc (Post 1581096)

Actually there is no Microcenter near me unfortunately.

Hey glc...just curious as to why you put one SSD and one regular hard drive on this list? I don't need both right?

Yes, you probably do. A 120gb SSD isn't large enough to be the only drive in most computers, and larger SSD's are still quite expensive. The SSD is for the OS and software, the HDD is for all your data. Having the OS and software on a SSD is what gives you the speed advantage.