Right. Building a PC thread.

[Westaway]

Hey guys. I doubt I need to explain my situation to you, you poor bastards get this kind of thread once a week. I'm 16, and I know fuck all about computers. I decided I should stop being such a computer dumb ass, so this summer I want to build my own PC from scratch.

What purpose would it serve? Well, I have my Xbox 360 for pretty much all of my AAA games. I will, how ever, use this PC to play some games. Games like TF2, Minecraft, and such on full capacity. If I would play any AAA games, it would only be on minimal settings. Besides that, I'd also use it for browsing the internet and such. I'll probably use Windows 7 or 8 depending on how long it takes me to make the damn thing.

I have done a bit of research before making this thread, but I'll admit I'm a bit over whelmed. Making the PC itself looks pretty simple, but I'v had pretty much no luck choosing my internals. So I have a couple questions.

1) How much money am I looking at here? I'm hoping to keep this under $1500. Is that naive? Am I asking it to do too much for that low a price?

2) How powerful a CPU and how much RAM will I need?

Any advice about anything would be awesome. PLEASE reccomend me different internals, PLEASE give me tips on how to build the thing once I've chosen.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any help is appreciated.

TLR- Making PC that can run semi power hungry games (TF2 on highest quality, some AAA games on lowest) Give me any tips on any aspects o building a PC

MEGA EDIT

Well, not quite mega, but what ever. First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their advice and what not. I wasn't expecting this thread to half as successful as it is. Now I have a couple things to get off my chest.
First, I'm not in Edmonton right now. Sorry Edmonton bros, but for the summer I'm in Ronto. Actually, most of the year I'm in Toronto. I forgot to change my bio; I moved here last summer. I do come back a lot, though, to visit my dad. He lives in a new condo complex in the new Windemere Estates place in the far south. Yes, I know, it sucks.

Secondly is my price range. I feel kinda bad doing this, seeing how much people did for me in completely designing a rig. However, after reading some posts and researching a bit on the web, I do feel like I could lower my budget down to around $1000. I obviously feel like a jerk for doin' this because it obviously almost makes what people like Mat did for me useless. I'm hoping that that isn't the case and there are some obvious things I could cut back on. If not, feel free to call me a douche bag for wasting your time.

 

[Hazy992]

$1500? I don't know all that much about PCs but you could build a damn good PC for far less than that.

 

[Wolfram23]

$1500 for the PC with mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers is a decent budget.

PM/email me if you need help, I build PCs in my spare time

Well, I'm happy to help here as well but I'd respond to emails much faster.

Alternatively you can head here for a ton of builds people are doing, as well as getting help from some very experienced people
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31.html

 

[Westaway]

$1500? I don't know all that much about PCs but you could build a damn good PC for far less than that.

Cool, glad to hear it. I was worried I'd need a lot more than that.

$1500 is plenty, I'll see if I can get a rough build sorted out and people will probably put forward their suggestions too.

That would be really cool, man. Thanks.

$1500 for the PC with mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers is a decent budget.

PM/email me if you need help, I build PCs in my spare time

Well, I'm happy to help here as well but I'd respond to emails much faster.

Alternatively you can head here for a ton of builds people are doing, as well as getting help from some very experienced people
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31.html

And thanks again, that website is pretty useful.

 

[Wolfram23]

$1500 for the PC with mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers is a decent budget.

You are sure he needs a monitor? I can't see it but if he does I'll have to edit my build.

I'll admit it's overkill for his needs but it's within budget.

No idea! But if he's got some old POS, with this budget, time to bring him into the 24" 1920x1080 world =P

The easiest change to make would be drop the SSD and swap the 670 for a 7870. Maybe swap the Noctua for a Hyper 212 Evo as well. I'd probably think about putting a slightly better PSU in there too. Corsair is good and all but the Builder series is a bit meh.

Otherwise pretty solid build.

Also, pretty easy to find price-match deals for extra savings (or to afford that SSD after all).

 

[Westaway]

$1500 for the PC with mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers is a decent budget.

You are sure he needs a monitor? I can't see it but if he does I'll have to edit my build.

I'll admit it's overkill for his needs but it's within budget.

No idea! But if he's got some old POS, with this budget, time to bring him into the 24" 1920x1080 world =P

The easiest change to make would be drop the SSD and swap the 670 for a 7870. Maybe swap the Noctua for a Hyper 212 Evo as well. I'd probably think about putting a slightly better PSU in there too. Corsair is good and all but the Builder series is a bit meh.

Otherwise pretty solid build.

Also, pretty easy to find price-match deals for extra savings (or to afford that SSD after all).

I'll have to leave the price matching to people like you I'm afraid, I'm more knowledgeable when it comes to UK websites. All I know in Canada is newegg and NCIX.

I agree about the monitor, I'll add one in and do the other things too. Got a PSU in mind?

With such a budget this is pretty fun.

Uh, right. I feel like an idiot for not incorporating this into the OP.

I obviously already have a PC running right now with a monitor, keyboard and mouse, but none of them are any good. At the end of the day I wouldn't know how important those are for gaming considering I'v been a console kiddy my whole life. Do you think getting them would be worth the price? Or would I be okay recycling my old stuff? Do I need a nice monitor for games? My one right now is ViewSonic, I have no idea what model or type or whatever. The only info on the damn thing is the words "ViewSonic" at the bottom...

 

[Triforceformer]

In regards to Monitors, mice, and keyboards: I've been using the mouse that came with my old computer for over a year and it's been fine. Just pick up a $99 Acer monitor or something, not that vital. As for keyboards, all that matters is that you find it comfortable and that it's responsive/has enough buttons.

 

[Wolfram23]

$1500 for the PC with mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers is a decent budget.

You are sure he needs a monitor? I can't see it but if he does I'll have to edit my build.

I'll admit it's overkill for his needs but it's within budget.

No idea! But if he's got some old POS, with this budget, time to bring him into the 24" 1920x1080 world =P

The easiest change to make would be drop the SSD and swap the 670 for a 7870. Maybe swap the Noctua for a Hyper 212 Evo as well. I'd probably think about putting a slightly better PSU in there too. Corsair is good and all but the Builder series is a bit meh.

Otherwise pretty solid build.

Also, pretty easy to find price-match deals for extra savings (or to afford that SSD after all).

I'll have to leave the price matching to people like you I'm afraid, I'm more knowledgeable when it comes to UK websites. All I know in Canada is newegg and NCIX.

I agree about the monitor, I'll add one in and do the other things too. Got a PSU in mind?

With such a budget this is pretty fun.

Uh, right. I feel like an idiot for not incorporating this into the OP.

I obviously already have a PC running right now with a monitor, keyboard and mouse, but none of them are any good. At the end of the day I wouldn't know how important those are for gaming considering I'v been a console kiddy my whole life. Do you think getting them would be worth the price? Or would I be okay recycling my old stuff? Do I need a nice monitor for games? My one right now is ViewSonic, I have no idea what model or type or whatever. The only info on the damn thing is the words "ViewSonic" at the bottom...

A good monitor is important. You want to have very good contrast so you can see all the shades of black and white - playing games like Amnesia, this is really important since everything is always dark.

You should be able to get your model number, usually it's on the face of the monitor but if not at least on the back somewhere, like VG2732 or something.

As far as mouse and keyboard, well, user preference. I think a decent keyboard is definitely important, you want one with keys that are easy to press, but not too easy. Basically if you find you like the feel of your old one, no problem. As for a mouse, similar thing. Though if you aren't using a laser mouse I'd definitely make the upgrade. I got a Microsoft Sidewinder X6 keyboard and a CoolerMaster Sentinel Z3ROG mouse for like $100 and they are definitely worth it - and on the cheap side too. The Sentinel II just came out I think, might be a good option.

 

[Westaway]

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Dude, that's fuckin' awesome that you did that. It all looks great and fits PERFECTLY within the budget.
Thank you very much.

 

[Westaway]

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Dude, that's fuckin' awesome that you did that. It all looks great and fits PERFECTLY within the budget.
Thank you very much.

No problem, I am happy to help.

You might want to wait for more input or take wolfram up on his offer of making a build for you. That being said, I do stand by my build. This one will run games very well for you and should last years.

The 7850 can pretty much max out most games in the market, it will have trouble with a few games like Crysis 2 on ultra at 1080P but even then (if you don't overclock) you should get playable framerates (around the 30-40s, I reckon), if you do it will run near 50-60 FPS.

The i5 overclocks very well and the cooler will keep the heat under control. It is VERY easy to OC the i5. You only have to change 2 values in your BIOS, maybe even just 1.

So to summarise: What you are getting above is very good but you may want other input, I don't pretend to know everything.

I'll may change a couple things depending on other's advice and what not, but right now yours will be my base. I'll admit I never would have thought I could get such a powerful PC for so cheap (relatively speaking, of course)

 

[octafish]

snip

Right build no.2 with some escapist input We have added a monitor to this one.

i5 2500K $224.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Windows 7 $109.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Sapphire 7850 $259.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102986

SILVERSTONE 600W PSU $72. 99 (with $10 rebate making it $62.99)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256071&Tpk=silverstone%20600w

Z77 Motherboard $129.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128543

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Now: $109.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

DVD Burner $20.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

2TB HDD Now: $119.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $34.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

8GB 1600Mhz RAM $42.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226217

Viewsonic VP2365LED 1080P 23" E-IPS Monitor $329.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=66781&vpn=VP2365-LED&manufacture=ViewSonic


$1446.89 after rebate, $1456.89 before it

snip

I'm going with a 7850, I just don't think the boost in performance to the 7870 is worth it. A 23" is the best I could do, I think the 24" Dell was a bit too much and it went over budget and I had to get an IPS so the Viewsonic is what I chose.

I'm not too sure on the PSU but the extra wattage should give it more headroom. Saying that it may not be needed due to the efficiency of the 7850.

Left the mouse and keyboard out for now though we still have $50 there to work with and I'm sure we could edit the other parts if we are going to add one in.

Good build. The IPS is well worth it (I have a really nice TN screen but even a crappy IPS looks better). There are still small savings to be made by not getting a K chip and ditching the aftermarket cooling, as well as getting 1333 RAM instead of 1600. Maybe even go for an older chipset on the motherboard as well say z68. You don't need to overclock to play games, but it is nice.
Me, I'd be scrimping and saving where possible to get that gtx670. Either way though, leave aside some money to buy the ARMA II Combined Operations pack or depending in when you get it built a copy of ARMA III. You are going to need it. Oh Yes.

 

[PsykoDragon]

Use this guide: Falcon Guide [http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/The_FalconO6/CurrentLogicalPCBuyingGuide/Guide.png].

 

[Wolfram23]

Holy fucking shitballs OP is in Edmonton.

Mind = blown.

What part of town are you in?

Anyway about the build...

IPS is crazy nice to look at, so that's good. I'd probably keep it but just to play devil's advocate, a TN screen would save a good $100 and have a faster response time. "Pro" or "1337" gamers prefer the low response time but, again, I'd take this one because frankly it will probably be sick.

That said, for the price of this monitor you could go 3D.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX29697

Or a 27" Samsung for $310 with 2ms response for $310
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38429

Anyway, ViewSonic for $305.12
http://www.hookbag.ca/product/H3C06MSIG/

We can get the 2500k for $209
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/232639/Intel/BX80623I52500K/
Memory Express will price match and beat it, so it will actually come out cheaper.

Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium for $88.98
http://tsonlinesoftware.3dcartstores.com/Microsoft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-SP1-OEM-64-bit-Branded_p_95.html

Just with those savings we can get an EVGA GTX 670 for $399
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/243159/eVGA/02G_P4_2670_KR/

Again, all of these products are at Memory Express so they will beat the sale amount by 25%

Oh and we can improve the PSU to an 80 Plus Bronze certified, PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKIII 600W for $76.94
http://www.hookbag.ca/product/H3C06MQS4/

 

[targren]

You can build a face-melting gaming rig for 2/3 of that.

I'd suggest you take part of the difference and give it to someone to put the pieces together for you. I'm not trolling you, but there's a lot of little things that can go wrong, and you said yourself you don't know anything about it, and most of those little things will void your warranty/return policies.

Better to have it done right and pay an extra $200.

 

[Wolfram23]

You can build a face-melting gaming rig for 2/3 of that.

I'd suggest you take part of the difference and give it to someone to put the pieces together for you. I'm not trolling you, but there's a lot of little things that can go wrong, and you said yourself you don't know anything about it, and most of those little things will void your warranty/return policies.

Better to have it done right and pay an extra $200.

Yeah, but it won't have a GTX 670 or an IPS panel monitor... I mean, a decent PC for gaming, with monitor, can be built for 800-1000, but this one? This one is a beast. A 670, at 1080p, will max out any game out right now at ultra DX11 4xAA goodness, and probably for a while to come.

 

[targren]

Yeah, but it won't have a GTX 670 or an IPS panel monitor... I mean, a decent PC for gaming, with monitor, can be built for 800-1000, but this one? This one is a beast. A 670, at 1080p, will max out any game out right now at ultra DX11 4xAA goodness, and probably for a while to come.

If he static-shocks the mainboard or mis-seats the CPU and breaks the pins, it won't be doing much of anything. That was my point. I think he should trade in some of that overpower for a little bit of expertise.

 

[Wolfram23]

Yeah, but it won't have a GTX 670 or an IPS panel monitor... I mean, a decent PC for gaming, with monitor, can be built for 800-1000, but this one? This one is a beast. A 670, at 1080p, will max out any game out right now at ultra DX11 4xAA goodness, and probably for a while to come.

If he static-shocks the mainboard or mis-seats the CPU and breaks the pins, it won't be doing much of anything. That was my point. I think he should trade in some of that overpower for a little bit of expertise.

Well I live in the same city as him and have built several PCs for people (from my Kijiji ads). However, Memory Express, where I suggested he buy the parts, attach the CPU to the mobo and mount the cooler for free. They charge another $75 for a full build. I charge $150, but I also do a lot more than just build it like installing software and updating and all that good stuff - not to mention picking parts lol. Though this time Matthew94 did most of the work in that regards.

That said, yeah, it's not good to go in completely blind, but it is fairly easy to build a PC.

 

[octafish]

Yeah, but it won't have a GTX 670 or an IPS panel monitor... I mean, a decent PC for gaming, with monitor, can be built for 800-1000, but this one? This one is a beast. A 670, at 1080p, will max out any game out right now at ultra DX11 4xAA goodness, and probably for a while to come.

If he static-shocks the mainboard or mis-seats the CPU and breaks the pins, it won't be doing much of anything. That was my point. I think he should trade in some of that overpower for a little bit of expertise.

Yes, but there is no satisfaction in buying a system.

OP. Get grounded. Use a PROPER grounding strap, not one of those strapless ones. This is very much a do as I say don't do as I do thing as I don't bother with straps BUT I have killed a BIOS chip on a mother board. Luckily for me it was an older board from a time when they allowed you to replace the chips. Don't worry too much about the CPU pins, you have to be supremely cack-handed to bend a pin. Take static discharge prevention measures and you should be trouble free.

What you need to do is read up on thermal paste and proper application methods, I hate the stuff. In fact I'd recommend using thermal tape, you won't get as good a result as using paste but it is a lot easier to use.

snip
Well I live in the same city as him and have built several PCs for people (from my Kijiji ads). However, Memory Express, where I suggested he buy the parts, attache the CPU to the mobo and mount the cooler for free. snip

That is an awesome service. Is that just the CPU cooler or aftermarket as well? Well worth it if you can avoid messing with paste. Have I mentioned how much I hate thermal paste?

You have to get your hands dirty sooner or later. I say jump in with both feet.

 

[Doom-Slayer]

Yes, but there is no satisfaction in buying a system.

Ironically there totally is I actually got my system prebuilt for cheaper than it would of been to buy the individual components. I originally wanted to build mine myself with the help of a friend, but saving a few hundred bucks sounded a loooot better.

 

[omicron1]

Huh. It's like watching an inverse shark feeding frenzy. Just be aware; you don't need to spend that much money.

For TF2 (And most AAA games on low settings) you needn't go beyond 2007 parts. $500 will get you a system that'll play most everything through, probably, the start of the next console generation.


$1500? It'll get you a system that'll play everything on high for at least three years, and with minor upgrades (graphics card), for the entire next console generation, most like.

I'm not really sure which option is best for your state, although most in the thread seem to be set on the $1500 version. Choose well, but anything you choose will serve.

Captcha: "Hobson's Choice." Not quite topical, but still... dang. It's like it reads the thread or something.