Wanted-Halp for PC noob.

[28_06_42_12]

Hello, Escapist members.

I've never really had a true gaming PC, but I've been saving up for one for quite a while. Naturally, this means that I shop around and get to see what I can waste my money on as well as what's cheap.

Well, last night I came upon this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259503

While I realize that it's only a CPU, Motherboard and GPU, and that I'd still need a PSU, case, and..

I give up. Help? What else would I need? Is this bundle a good deal?

 

[fender]

You might want to get some thermal paste for your processor (they usually come with pretty crappy thermal stuff on them but if you aren't a very hardcore gamer you should be fine), RAM (how much and what kind depends on which OS you'll be using), a DVD or Blu-ray Drive (possibly 2 or 3), a hard drive (again, you might want more), and you might want a sound card... but only if you listen to tons of music. There's also the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers but those are obvious.

Recap:
Thermal Paste, RAM, DVD/Blu-ray Drive(s), Hard Drive(s), Sound Card, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers.

EDIT:
Almost forgot what above post said: Fans, and good ones.

 

[28_06_42_12]

Is a high-end case with good fans worth the money?

Also, no one has really commented on the CPU, GPU and motherboard in the little package thingy above. I'd like some input on those too, please.

 

[Captain_Caveman]

Is a high-end case with good fans worth the money?

Also, no one has really commented on the CPU, GPU and motherboard in the little package thingy above. I'd like some input on those too, please.

The CPU, mobo & vid card are all good. Though if i were you, i'd wait another month. the ATi 5850 & 5870 are coming out. That will drop the price on the 4850/4870 cards. I would stick AMD & ATi, they have the best bang/buck atm.

Good mobo brands are ASUS, Gigabyte, & MSI.
Good vid card brands are Sapphire, XFX, Gigabyte & HIS.

For a power supply, i would recc Seasonic USA & Enermax (the 2 best). BFG & XFX have been making some good ones which arent that expensive too. Corsair makes some excellent ones but only the ones that use Seasonic USA designs; it varies a lot by the model.
Thermaltake are ok, but they're overrated, same w/ antec.
Check the reviews at http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Review_Cat&recatnum=13
before you make ur purchase.

a case isn't super important. I would recc a full tower, steel case. avoid cases w/ plastic windows if you can, they amplify the sound of your components & serve no purpose. they also conduct heat worse than even steel. a large case is better, even if it's steel. just because there's more space in side the case for air & heat to dissipate.

Shipping on cases can be expensive, so try to find one w/ free shipping.
NZXT has been making some good full tower cases that arent that expensive.
here's a steel one w/ free shipping. it's got plastic windows but it will work
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517004

if u have any questions feel free to message me, ive been building PCs since i was 8.

 

[matrix3509]

The CPU looks fine, don't know too much about motherboards, the GPU looks fine also.

 

[Kron_the_mad wants to be deleted]

wow that shits expensive.
you can get by with a £70 mobo with 2.4GHz processor inclusive
£35 PSU
£30 - £40 case (you can probably re-use your old one though)
£70 - £80 on a graphics card that with run most stuff (geforce 9 series is what im thinking)
about £120 for a half decent monitor
and £59 - £110 for sata 2 HDD
any extra cooling will be for overclocking and its cheap enough to get for about £5 a fan
keyboard + mouse can be as little as £10
you pay more than this then you're spending too much

 

[AWC Viper]

i have this cpu and it's great. other than that seem's like a good deal. but i would rather have a Nvidia GTX250 than that ati card. (but im a fanboy) all in all i spend around $1000AUD on my computers and it's worth it.

Is a high-end case with good fans worth the money?

Also, no one has really commented on the CPU, GPU and motherboard in the little package thingy above. I'd like some input on those too, please.

i have a Xclio A380 case with great fans and it only cost me $200AUD

(also is your name the code for the safe in megaton in fallout 3?)

 

[Sebenko]

Hmm, I have an Antec 900, got it for £70. My old £30 case was ok, but the new one is quiet, keeps things really cool on even medium fan settings (though my system isn't overclocked, yet)

I also think it looks pretty cool, but it seems that no-one can ever agree- like marmite, the looks are a kind of love it or hate it thing (personally, I hate marmite)

I don't know much about AMD processors, since I can't help you there, but I did have a 4870 for a while, It's a good card, but I had problems with it and had to go back to an old one (Investigation leads me to believe that it was because it was part of an early batch of Sapphire ones that all had problems, so yours should be fine)

 

[Captain_Caveman]

i have this cpu and it's great. other than that seem's like a good deal. but i would rather have a Nvidia GTX250 than that ati card. (but im a fanboy) all in all i spend around $1000AUD on my computers and it's worth it.

GTS 250 isn't as powerful as the 4870. It's on par with the 9800 GTX, which makes it a good budget option, but given the choice, the 4870 wins out.

Not really. I've seen 4870s for $100-120 on sale. nV cards are still overpriced for their performance.

 

[28_06_42_12]

wow that shits expensive.
Long reply removed for ease of quoting.

If you could link me to the pages with all of these components that'd be nice.

i have this cpu and it's great. other than that seem's like a good deal. but i would rather have a Nvidia GTX250 than that ati card. (but im a fanboy) all in all i spend around $1000AUD on my computers and it's worth it.

Is a high-end case with good fans worth the money?

Also, no one has really commented on the CPU, GPU and motherboard in the little package thingy above. I'd like some input on those too, please.

i have a Xclio A380 case with great fans and it only cost me $200AUD

(also is your name the code for the safe in megaton in fallout 3?)

Nope, it's from Donnie Darko. Though if it is the code to the safe in Fallout 3 that'd be awesome.

 

[28_06_42_12]

Also,

Thoughts on this case? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

 

[Phoenix Arrow]

Sound card?

(also is your name the code for the safe in megaton in fallout 3?)

"28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. That is when the world will end." - Frank the giant bunny rabbit.
It's from Donnie Darko.

 

[Rigs83]

Help is spelled H E L P. Also just get a back issue of any major pc magazine from the library because they always have a how to section that shows you how to build a rig.

 

[Captain_Caveman]

CASE:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066&cm_re=antech_300-_-11-129-066-_-Product

OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&cm_re=antec_900-_-11-129-021-_-Product
(if you want a window )


Those cases comes decked out with 6 nice led fans, so cooling wise your covered .

PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015&cm_re=antec_psu-_-17-371-015-_-Product

HD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

RAM:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227477

CPU COOLER:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Hope this helps ^_^

everything is good there. But i would avoid OCZ memory & the Antec PSU. Antec PSUs are really overrated now (no pun intended). My last one blew up (literally). OCZ memory has some compatibility issues w/ different mobos too.

for memory Corsair XMS (XMS2 or 3) or Crucial are the safest bet. G.Skill, Patriot & GeIL are the best 'value performance' lines of memory.

for power supply units, i already listed the best brands to look at & a site to look up a unit that may be on sale
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.144836.3263906

edit: also just realized u linked to the xigmatek 1283. while that's a great bang/buck one, it's meant for dual cores. quad cores the 1284 is meant for.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233023

and dont forget a good TIM (thermal interface material). the best imo right now (that cost under $20) are Noctua NT-H1, ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 & OCZ Freeze. Arctic Silver is still good too, but since he's a first time computer builder it might be dangerous since it conducts electricity. applying it correctly takes a lot of attention to detail.

 

[Captain_Caveman]

Sound card?

The mobo in his combo deal has integrated 8channel audio and optical out, which is more than sufficient for anything expect studio work.

[sub] that sounded really angry for some reason . Here's a smiley face to brighten things up[/sub]

!

except it's a VIA ISC. which sucks hard from what i've read. Realtek is what you want for onboard sound. Gigabyte is really the last manufacturer that uses all Realtek. ASUS has some too, but you have to look at the specifications on the mobo to see if it does.

If not realtek, then better to just get a sound blaster x-fi titanium Fatal1ty pro.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A1767954&cs=19&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=39715&lid=1003769
long name, but that's the only dedicated PCI-e card which is actually any good, the earlier ones had issues.