Azami
Member
I have skype.
PC building
- Thread starter Azami
- Start date
I have skype.
ewoksrule
Active Member
Nice with that budget we can get you a sweet rig, I will work on some builds ASAP. Make sure that what ever you decide on it has at least an i5-2500K processor. Silly to have a budget like that and get anything less.
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ewoksrule
Active Member
Oh this begs the question. Are you willing/able to build the thing from parts? Or do you need it prebuilt buy a vendor?
Azami
Member
I would probably prefer it prebuilt since I'm not really knowledgeable enough to be able to build it myself.
Odale
Active Member
It's literally putting together a puzzle. Only one part fits in all of those crazy looking holes. It might look a little confusing, but it really isn't.
LavendrGooms
Member
Exactly like a puzzle. I built my computer and it was my first time. And installing Windows 7 is brainless now... Put the disc in and follow the on screen prompts.
For $1300 you could get a sick computer! You don't have to get these exact parts but I built a computer about 6 months ago for a little over $800.
This configuration can easily do 1920x1080 with 2 monitors. I currently play every game in ultra too.
Intel Core i5 2400 @ $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074
Asrock H61M U3S3 @ $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157236
XFX Radeon HD6850 @ $200 (You can't buy this card anymore, but something similar would work)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150505
GSkill 2x4GB @ $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
Antec Earthwatts 380D @ $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
Coolermaster Elite 330 @ $40 (They don't sell this case anymore, but you can easily find a case for $40)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119115
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 @ $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
DVD Drive @ $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
Harddrive (Just buy whatever size you want. I already had a 1 TB sitting around so I used that for my computer)
As for the mouse and keyboard, buy what you like. I currently use a mechanical keyboard and a DeathAdder mouse and love them both. And for the monitor I just went to Best Buy and bought a 24" monitor for $200.
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Gilga
New Member
I take a contrarian view on these things ... I built a few PCs myself. Yes, putting together the parts is DEFINITELY not hard and is a cool, feel-good-about-yourself kind of project. However
1) If something goes wrong (e.g. the aforementioned mobo / g-card conflict) it can be nightmarish to figure out what the problem is and a huge timesink
2) Building a fast, great-graphics, huge-storage machine within a budget is doable. But having that machine that is also cool and quiet is a different challenge altogether. When you're building your own thing, you'll end up being conservative on power supply and such (since presumably you don't want your rig to catch on fire) ... but then before you know it your rig sounds like a vacuum cleaner when it boots up ... and maybe there's a little rattle because you couldn't get that HD mount seated QUITE right ... or you're a LITTLE worried the CPU fan is going to slip out of place and slice some wires open ... or something
So to me when you buy a pre-made machine, you're buying
a) a proven, integrated machine
b) something where usually you can get some idea of whether make your game room sound like the deck of an aircraft carrier when it's on
c) customer service/support/etc.
I'm personally partial to Dell/Alienware but I realize I'm getting ripped off there. I have not heard good things generally about the glossy-magazine-ad-iBuyPower type places. I have heard that Velocity Micro makes good stuff that's at the sweet spot of build quality, value, and performance, and the Z40 has particular good reviews. For $1338 I think you can get the components Xaveor describes above (i5 2400 + 4GB RAM + HD6850 graphics), plus a 23.6" monitor. I expect tax & shipping would tack on more cost though, so might need to shave a little to get it under $1300. But it's close. And you wouldn't have to mess with anything yourself. http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=193
My personal "incremental dollar" advice ... getting a solid state hard drive is the most impressive gaming performance boost I've had in a machine in over a decade. I am always first in BGs, load screens are most instant, it's truly incredible. Now SSDs do involve some big tradeoffs ... namely $200 extra for 1/10 as much capacity as a typical 7200rpm 1TB HD. But they really are like magic as far as I'm concerned.
1) If something goes wrong (e.g. the aforementioned mobo / g-card conflict) it can be nightmarish to figure out what the problem is and a huge timesink
2) Building a fast, great-graphics, huge-storage machine within a budget is doable. But having that machine that is also cool and quiet is a different challenge altogether. When you're building your own thing, you'll end up being conservative on power supply and such (since presumably you don't want your rig to catch on fire) ... but then before you know it your rig sounds like a vacuum cleaner when it boots up ... and maybe there's a little rattle because you couldn't get that HD mount seated QUITE right ... or you're a LITTLE worried the CPU fan is going to slip out of place and slice some wires open ... or something
So to me when you buy a pre-made machine, you're buying
a) a proven, integrated machine
b) something where usually you can get some idea of whether make your game room sound like the deck of an aircraft carrier when it's on
c) customer service/support/etc.
I'm personally partial to Dell/Alienware but I realize I'm getting ripped off there. I have not heard good things generally about the glossy-magazine-ad-iBuyPower type places. I have heard that Velocity Micro makes good stuff that's at the sweet spot of build quality, value, and performance, and the Z40 has particular good reviews. For $1338 I think you can get the components Xaveor describes above (i5 2400 + 4GB RAM + HD6850 graphics), plus a 23.6" monitor. I expect tax & shipping would tack on more cost though, so might need to shave a little to get it under $1300. But it's close. And you wouldn't have to mess with anything yourself. http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=193
My personal "incremental dollar" advice ... getting a solid state hard drive is the most impressive gaming performance boost I've had in a machine in over a decade. I am always first in BGs, load screens are most instant, it's truly incredible. Now SSDs do involve some big tradeoffs ... namely $200 extra for 1/10 as much capacity as a typical 7200rpm 1TB HD. But they really are like magic as far as I'm concerned.
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Odale
Active Member
I've found that if you buy quality parts (e.g. Gigabyte, Sapphire, Creative) you will significantly reduce the chance of your machine dying.
Case: Antec 300 - $69.99
Processor: AMD FX-6100 - $159.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 - $159.99
Memory: Corsair XMS 4 Gigs - $49.99
Video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 - $179.99
Power supply: OCZ Fatal1ty 550W - $69.99 (You need at least 500W for that graphics card.)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 120 gigs - $189.99
DVD: LITE-ON DVD Burner - $21.99
OS: Windows 7 - $99.99
Total: $1,001.91 + $7.87 (shipping motherboard) = $1,009.78
Monitor: Samsung S23A300B 23" - $189.99
New Total $1,009.78 + $189.99 + $8.99 (shipping monitor) = $1,208.76
AMD processors and motherboards build solid gaming computers - that's all I've ever owned and built. You can downsize a few things, like using a traditional HDD in lieu of the SSD, different lower cost case, etc. to lower the cost. You should know that can build a computer that performs fantastically for less money (like the one Xaveor did above); but if I were to build a new gaming PC for myself, this is what it would be like.
Edit: Most of these things have free shipping and some of these items have rebates as well.
Video card: -$20.00
Power supply: -$20.00
SSD: -$20.00
So the new cost for the computer is: $941.91 + $7.87 (shipping motherboard) = $949.78.
With the monitor: $949.78 + $189.99 + $8.99 (shipping monitor) = $1,148.76*
Way under your budget.
* - check my math.... srsly.
Case: Antec 300 - $69.99
Processor: AMD FX-6100 - $159.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 - $159.99
Memory: Corsair XMS 4 Gigs - $49.99
Video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 - $179.99
Power supply: OCZ Fatal1ty 550W - $69.99 (You need at least 500W for that graphics card.)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 120 gigs - $189.99
DVD: LITE-ON DVD Burner - $21.99
OS: Windows 7 - $99.99
Total: $1,001.91 + $7.87 (shipping motherboard) = $1,009.78
Monitor: Samsung S23A300B 23" - $189.99
New Total $1,009.78 + $189.99 + $8.99 (shipping monitor) = $1,208.76
AMD processors and motherboards build solid gaming computers - that's all I've ever owned and built. You can downsize a few things, like using a traditional HDD in lieu of the SSD, different lower cost case, etc. to lower the cost. You should know that can build a computer that performs fantastically for less money (like the one Xaveor did above); but if I were to build a new gaming PC for myself, this is what it would be like.
Edit: Most of these things have free shipping and some of these items have rebates as well.
Video card: -$20.00
Power supply: -$20.00
SSD: -$20.00
So the new cost for the computer is: $941.91 + $7.87 (shipping motherboard) = $949.78.
With the monitor: $949.78 + $189.99 + $8.99 (shipping monitor) = $1,148.76*
Way under your budget.
* - check my math.... srsly.
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Mordos
New Member
I build all my own PCs, but I was tempted to have someone else build it, this last time...
I built my current desktop on Cyperpower 5 years ago. They have a really wide selection of component parts to fit together at really great prices. They assemble it for you and will even (for a slight extra charge) do things like professional cable wrapping/routing and other things. It's a nice trade off between building it completely yourself (which saves money, is actually about as easy as changing a car tire but runs the risk of hardware/software conflicts which are a headache to trace down) and buying a prebuilt/preconfigured computer (which are expensive for what you get and always short in some important area).
Azami
Member
Configuration
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
HDD: * 60 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 475MB/s Write (Single Drive)
MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Intel Smart Response Tech. & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, mSATA Connector onboard, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+49] (Major Brand Powered by AMD)
MONITOR: 22" Widescreen 1680x1050 Asus VW224U LCD Display (Black Color)
Keyboard: Tt eSports Challenger Gaming Keyboard Black
Mouse: * Coolermaster Storm Spawn 3500 dpi Gaming Mouse (Black/Red)
Cooling Fan: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Power Supply: 600 Watts - XtremeGear Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
This is my initial build so far, any opinions or see anything glaringly wrong would be nice to know.
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K 3.30 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
HDD: * 60 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 475MB/s Write (Single Drive)
MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GigaByte Z68AP-D3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Intel Smart Response Tech. & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, mSATA Connector onboard, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+49] (Major Brand Powered by AMD)
MONITOR: 22" Widescreen 1680x1050 Asus VW224U LCD Display (Black Color)
Keyboard: Tt eSports Challenger Gaming Keyboard Black
Mouse: * Coolermaster Storm Spawn 3500 dpi Gaming Mouse (Black/Red)
Cooling Fan: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Power Supply: 600 Watts - XtremeGear Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
This is my initial build so far, any opinions or see anything glaringly wrong would be nice to know.
Lloren
Christian Gamers Alliance Forums Administrator
Looks like a great system!
Make sure you have another (7200rpm) hard drive to throw in there. 60GB SSD is great for an OS boot, but you won't be able to fit too many games on this and will want to have another drive for storing music/docs/othergames etc.
Make sure you have another (7200rpm) hard drive to throw in there. 60GB SSD is great for an OS boot, but you won't be able to fit too many games on this and will want to have another drive for storing music/docs/othergames etc.
Odale
Active Member
This.
You can sack some of that memory (perhaps down to 8gb) and use that money towards another HD.