Building a PC, could use some help.

namtrahj

namtrahj

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I've been out of PC gaming for quite a while (years). Part of it was that I'd rather sit on the couch with a nice TV and surround sound, and part was that I couldn't keep up with upgrading tech as often as I had to. But it seems like prices have come down quite a bit, and with HDMI I can actually use my TV. So I'm back, but I need some help!

I'm going to be spending $800 max. If I can go lower that would be good. I need pretty much everything except a monitor. So I have some questions.

1) At this price point am I better off going with Intel for sure? That seems to be what I'm seeing. So I should be looking at an i3? I don't plan on overclocking so I wouldn't need the K series, correct?

2) I'm going to be gaming probably exclusively on my TV (65" DLP). How does this affect things? Is there a point where I won't even be able to see the difference in settings playing in 1080p from several feet away?

3) How should I get the signal from the computer to the TV? I'll have to measure but I think a 25' HDMI cable will reach. Will there be signal degradation over that length? A wireless HDMI transmitter is too expensive. I've seen HDMI extenders using ethernet cable--should I be considering that?

4) I also want to stream video--if possible I'd like to drop cable entirely. How does that affect the GPU I'm looking at? And do the HDMI outputs on GPUs always carry audio?

5) What the hell do I do with the keyboard and mouse when I'm on my couch? Anyone have any good solutions? I've looked around and I haven't really seen as many lap desks as I expected. And any recommendations for good wireless keyboards and mice? I'm gaming but I don't need anything crazy.

6) What about OS? My current machine runs on Vista so I might be able to move that over. Is that OK for gaming or should I be looking into Windows 7? I don't want to go with Linux simply because I know nothing about it and my head is already full of too much new stuff to add anything else.

7) Anything else I should know? I'm not a PC building virgin but it's been years. I've definitely never gamed or sent video to a TV.

I know these are a lot of questions, but any input I could get on any of them would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!
 
i'll say ive gamed on a tv for the past year

here are some things you'll want

A wired xbox 360 controller. lot of games are ports and there is just no need to be playing this crap on a keyboard and mouse :)

A laptop stand or some kind of table that will come across your lap a little while on the sofa.

you may even want to consider a sound card with an optial input/output. for me i do input because my PC speakers are much much better than the stuff my tv has and an can jsut run one line from the tv to the pc and im pretty much set from there.

you may have to do an optical output though because hdmi through the video card doesnt always work(mine never did or sounded good) and many video cards dont even have HDMi anymore, they have DVI and you get one of the m HDMI/DVI cables :)

lastly i have my desktop by my tv but 25 feet, well you'll need a HDMi sig booster i think booster
 
1) Absolutely yes. If you're planning on overclocking, I would recommend the older Sandy Bridge i5-2500k, as it runs cooler and allows for higher overclocks. Otherwise, go with the newer Ivy Bridge i5-3570(k). The "k" is optional. However, it's usually only a few bucks more and almost always worth it, even if you don't think you'll overclock.

2) You may be forced to run your OS and some games at 720, just to be able to read the text, however some games will benefit from 1080. You will notice a difference in settings.

3) 25' won't be long enough to compromise the HDMI signal, so a cable of that length will work.

4) A cheap $25 GPU is more than enough to handle streaming videos. $800 will build you a hell of a gaming computer, especially if you're smart about what components you buy and when you buy them. If you collect all of your parts through sales, that will go a long way. That being said, with a gaming computer, you won't have to even come close to worrying whether your GPU can handle streaming video. GPU HDMI slots do carry audio as well.

5) I'm typing to you right now while sitting on my couch in front of my 55" TV. Logitech makes this which is perfect for a HTPC, however for gaming I use a wireless keyboard and a dedicated mouse, the Logitech Performance MX to be exact. It's not a gaming mouse, per se, but it specializes in working on a variety of surfaces and performs wonderfully using the couch as a giant mousepad. I don't play a lot of hardcore games, such as FPS, though. For almost everything I use a wireless 360 controller. It's native in a lot of games now, and for those that it's not, you can custom create profiles for it using programs such as XPadder.

6) Pickup an OEM copy of Windows 7 from Newegg or Amazon. They frequently go on sale for $80-90. I would recommend this over saving the money and simply using Vista.

7) Check out BuildAPC over at Reddit. A lot of great insight and advice over there.
 
I posted this exact question in r/buildapc but I figured it has less of a chance of being buried here. :)

How do you get your PC to sync with the 360 controller? Is there a PC receiver I can buy?

What's the deal with the Ivy/Sandy Bridge thing? Do I just need to make sure my motherboard is compatible with whatever I get?

Thanks for the help!
 
[quote name='namtrahj']I posted this exact question in r/buildapc but I figured it has less of a chance of being buried here. :)

How do you get your PC to sync with the 360 controller? Is there a PC receiver I can buy?

What's the deal with the Ivy/Sandy Bridge thing? Do I just need to make sure my motherboard is compatible with whatever I get?

Thanks for the help![/QUOTE]

If you already have a 360 controller, you will need to pick up a wireless receiver. They can be found on Amazon or eBay for about $10. 99% of them you will see aren't official Microsoft products, but I have both a counterfeit and an official, and they both work fine.

You will want an Intel 1155 compatible motherboard either way, if you choose to go with those processors, whether it's Sandy or Ivy. I would recommend at least a Z68 model, but a Z77 offers more options for Ivy Bridge. Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge are just the names given to the generations. Sandy Bridge is 2nd Gen, Ivy Bridge is 3rd Gen.
 
[quote name='namtrahj']I've been out of PC gaming for quite a while (years). Part of it was that I'd rather sit on the couch with a nice TV and surround sound, and part was that I couldn't keep up with upgrading tech as often as I had to. But it seems like prices have come down quite a bit, and with HDMI I can actually use my TV. So I'm back, but I need some help!

I'm going to be spending $800 max. If I can go lower that would be good. I need pretty much everything except a monitor. So I have some questions.

1) At this price point am I better off going with Intel for sure? That seems to be what I'm seeing. So I should be looking at an i3? I don't plan on overclocking so I wouldn't need the K series, correct?

Correct though I dont believe there are any i3 k series lol.

2) I'm going to be gaming probably exclusively on my TV (65" DLP). How does this affect things? Is there a point where I won't even be able to see the difference in settings playing in 1080p from several feet away?

I dont know how good your tv is, but graphic settings on a monitor regardless of size are important. If it looks better turned up on a 23" monitor Id think it would be even more apparent on a big screen unless that screen was shit.

3) How should I get the signal from the computer to the TV? I'll have to measure but I think a 25' HDMI cable will reach. Will there be signal degradation over that length? A wireless HDMI transmitter is too expensive. I've seen HDMI extenders using ethernet cable--should I be considering that?

a 25' hdmi should be fine, Ive used a 15' hdmi cord for video watching and that is perfectly fine

4) I also want to stream video--if possible I'd like to drop cable entirely. How does that affect the GPU I'm looking at? And do the HDMI outputs on GPUs always carry audio?

streaming video is pretty easy with any new processor out there any gpu over $100 would handle it with ease. Overall computer speed matters more than gpu here and unless you have an old machine nothing new should struggle with streaming video
5) What the hell do I do with the keyboard and mouse when I'm on my couch? Anyone have any good solutions? I've looked around and I haven't really seen as many lap desks as I expected. And any recommendations for good wireless keyboards and mice? I'm gaming but I don't need anything crazy.

like someone else mentioned a microsoft xbox controller is a solution... its what I use when I hook my pc up to my TV for gaming. Not a solution for all games but for things like skyrim or racing games etc. I wouldn't want to play a RTS on it lol. They do make them specifically for windows but you can use a wired xbox controller or buy an adapter for a wireless xbox 360 controller.

6) What about OS? My current machine runs on Vista so I might be able to move that over. Is that OK for gaming or should I be looking into Windows 7? I don't want to go with Linux simply because I know nothing about it and my head is already full of too much new stuff to add anything else.

If you have a manufacturer built pc you cant just use your current OS... you can however buy an OS for cheap its called oem keep in mind the main difference is that if you buy retail you pay more, but microsoft is more likely to let you use your key on another machine in the future if it breaks where on oem if you put a new mobo in there they will probably not issue you a new key for OEM windows 7.

7) Anything else I should know? I'm not a PC building virgin but it's been years. I've definitely never gamed or sent video to a TV.

When I just built a pc in june I basically went for max power in my cpu and mobo and ram and used my old graphic card to save money, you can always upgrade that later so if you have to throw in a budget card to make it work with the intention of upgrading your gpu later do it. I have an i7-3930k with 16 gigs of ram and a 6850 gpu lol. Im going to upgrade the GPU when the next gen AMD cards come out. Thats the way to do it.

I know these are a lot of questions, but any input I could get on any of them would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys![/QUOTE]

that should help

OH and DO NOT SKIMP ON THE POWER SUPPLY... you can skimp on everything else but if you skimp on the power supply you are asking for trouble and you would deserve whatever happens to your pc because of it.
 
[quote name='btw1217']1) Absolutely yes. If you're planning on overclocking, I would recommend the older Sandy Bridge i5-2500k, ...[/QUOTE]

The only problem with this is that considering how old the processor is, it rarely goes on sale (or at least very uncommon, unless you have a Microcenter nearby). It's still a very good processor, and a very common processor used for most gamers (meaning there should be many tutorials/guide/advices on how to maximize your build around the processor).

I've recently built a computer for about $900ish, and if you want I guess you could follow this as a blue print (I too built my computer around a 2500k).

Fractal case (kinda regretting the case, but overall a good case if you don't like 'flashy' stuff)
Intel I5-2500k (currently running on stock settings, with stock fan)
Azrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
OCZ Modxstream Pro 600w
Corsair Vengeance 1600 8gb
Sapphire Radeon 6950 2gb
Sandisk Extreme SSD 240gb

So far with this build I'm able to run everything I toss at it which includes Battlefield 3 and Alan Wake at 1680x1050 on max settings (usually turn off anti aliasing, but have v-sync on). I think the video card is max I could get out of before bottleneck. The next upgrade I see myself getting is hdd and more ram (ram isn't necessary so far...but want more^^). If I ever find video game performance lacking I probably buy a new fan/cooler for cpu to overclock, and an extra 6950 to try out crossfire (probably need a bigger psu to boot).

*edit* I haven't read the OP thoroughly enough. It seems like you want to build an htpc with gaming functionality? I believe there are custom UI that would help make the overall look more sleek and more manageable for a tv. Refer to this site http://cybernetnews.com/build-xbmc-htpc/.

*edit 2* I need money, I want to try this as well. Refer to this site for additional info http://lifehacker.com/5900626/creat...ay+everything-media-center-the-complete-guide
 
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Thanks for the help everybody. I'll hopefully be doing my build tomorrow. And I'll definitely check out XBMC, that looks awesome.
 
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