The Ultimate 'Build-A-PC' Thread. Complete With Pricings & Recommendations (06/06/10)

If anyone wants to take the time to add this, here's a site that does some decent complete builds (from web browsing PC to high end gaming rigs) every month or two.
 
[quote name='ROB64']If anyone wants to take the time to add this, here's a site that does some decent complete builds (from web browsing PC to high end gaming rigs) every month or two.[/QUOTE]
forgot your link bro
 
[quote name='elaine_of_shalott']I did browse around. There seemed to be plenty of people running 5670s in Insperion 580MTs which was the model that seems to be the 620MT's immediate predecessor. Most of the sites threads I saw seemed to think that in most builds this card was ok with a 300w power supply. Do you have a specific reason to dispute that?[/QUOTE]
http://techreport.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=33
 
[quote name='v1et r1ce']Should I go for X4 965 + mobo combo now for about $190? Or wait till bulldozer comes out and see what it does to the market?[/QUOTE]
I hearD X4 processors are goIng tO become like ulTra rare and in high demand and their value will skyrocket. I'd buy two RIGHT NOW just to be safe.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']I hearD X4 processors are goIng tO become like ulTra rare and in high demand and their value will skyrocket. I'd buy two RIGHT NOW just to be safe.[/QUOTE]

Thanks I just bought 20!
 
[quote name='v1et r1ce']Should I go for X4 965 + mobo combo now for about $190? Or wait till bulldozer comes out and see what it does to the market?[/QUOTE]
I'd wait, but it depends on how urgently you need new hardware.

[quote name='crystalklear64']save 1 for me plz[/QUOTE]
[quote name='v1et r1ce']Thanks I just bought 20![/QUOTE]
Double posting to somehow defy time?
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Newegg is having their annual summer sale
http://promotions.newegg.com/neemai...-IGNEFL062811-_-EMC-062811-Index-_-E0-_-Enter

Any really good deals for someone in the market to build a completely new PC/Is that $700ish I7 bundle a decent deal?[/QUOTE]
That i7 bundle is not that great. First off, $35 bucks goes to an antivirus, that you can easily get for free... and secondly, they throw in a 5900 RPM "green" drive, that's not performance oriented. You'd probably be better off picking and choosing your own parts.
 
Deals that jumped out at me (prices after promo code obv):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220557
65$ memory 2x4gb 50$ after mir.
50$ with free shipping for 8gb is nice. real nice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073
i5 finally gets a price cut. 195$ isn't bad. might drop more sooner but good if you're buying now. note that this is NOT the 2500k.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681111919
Good case for 80$. Free shipping.


Theres also this... thing...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121068
a 1k watt modular psu for 134$ sounds really sketchy but maybe its good? you'd have to deal with all the fucking rice though.

edit: actually just looked up a review for this at johnnyguru, got a decent score, its a psu worth using anyway. the only thing it was bad at was the value (this is when it cost 200+$) so at 134$ this is a very attractive buy if you can handle the lights and shit.
 
[quote name='Firvagor']I'd wait, but it depends on how urgently you need new hardware.



Double posting to somehow defy time?[/QUOTE]

Haha I saw it when I posted it and I have no clue how that happened...

Also to add to the post above me, this psu + drive combo seems like a great deal too.
 
Finally got my new pc built on Saturday, so far so good. I do know one thing I am not regretting this SSD! Man these things are amazingly fast! Now I'm just trying to get my cooling as good as possible so I can feel better about adding a 2nd GPU.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']Deals that jumped out at me (prices after promo code obv):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220557
65$ memory 2x4gb 50$ after mir.
50$ with free shipping for 8gb is nice. real nice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073
i5 finally gets a price cut. 195$ isn't bad. might drop more sooner but good if you're buying now. note that this is NOT the 2500k.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681111919
Good case for 80$. Free shipping.


Theres also this... thing...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121068
a 1k watt modular psu for 134$ sounds really sketchy but maybe its good? you'd have to deal with all the fucking rice though.

edit: actually just looked up a review for this at johnnyguru, got a decent score, its a psu worth using anyway. the only thing it was bad at was the value (this is when it cost 200+$) so at 134$ this is a very attractive buy if you can handle the lights and shit.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for taking a look over it. I may grab some of this may not...as I have for the last 6 months I am still trying to hold off on building as long as possible. Its getting hard not to ;)
 
First I have to say: I appreciate all the info you guys constantly update.


But I am angsty and itching for a new PC. I'm trying soooo hard to do the build it yourself route, but because of living situations and other random issues, it's a lot harder to order/get all the pieces I need all at once without having a good couple weeks to plan things out and buy pieces when the time is right.

I'm gunna try to piece some info together and get something going, but I have $6-700 budget, and my PC is crap. I need to just buy one. :(
 
Ok guys, after troubleshooting the problem with my computer, I found out that the video card has gone bad....again. (It already went back for warranty work once.)

So, I'm looking for a good replacement for a Radeon 4830, and one that isn't that long (like about 8" or so). I think part of the problem was that I was stretching the limit of what would fit in the case. (The 4830 was 9.5" long.)

The computer isn't all that powerful (Intel Core Duo 6600), so it doesn't need some uber card in there to make me happy. Personally, the 4830 was doing OK for most gaming needs, so a modest upgrade would be fine.

Some of the cards I'm looking at:

XFX Radeon HD 5570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150546&cm_re=5570-_-14-150-546-_-Product

Gigabyte Radeon HD 5670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5360&cm_re=5670_radeon-_-14-125-360-_-Product

EVGA GeForce GT 430
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130579&cm_sp=Cat_Video_Cards_%26%2338%3b_Video_Devices-_-Weekly_Deals-_-14-130-579

Opinions welcome. I would like to replace the GeForce 7900 that is working as a stopgap at my earliest convenience.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']How do I check to make sure all my graphics, windows and other drives are up to date?[/QUOTE]
Go into Device manager and look at all your devices.
 
[quote name='ExplodingRat']First I have to say: I appreciate all the info you guys constantly update.


But I am angsty and itching for a new PC. I'm trying soooo hard to do the build it yourself route, but because of living situations and other random issues, it's a lot harder to order/get all the pieces I need all at once without having a good couple weeks to plan things out and buy pieces when the time is right.

I'm gunna try to piece some info together and get something going, but I have $6-700 budget, and my PC is crap. I need to just buy one. :([/QUOTE]
Try looking at this article and decide on what you think:

http://techreport.com/articles.x/21164
 
Hey guys, would appreciate some help here. I know jack about building pcs, and what is compatible. I am also starting from scratch, need to buy windows/monitor ... the whole thing.

I did a little looking around on another site I frequent and managed to come up with a build, but I don't know if it is any good. http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/npi/

Is that all compatible? I saw this RAM on sale http://www.buy.com/prod/kingston-hy...0-pin-desktop-memory/q/loc/101/214321687.html at buy, would that be a better purchase than the ram I currently have.

I also need a monitor, does this one look good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099

Cd/DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135224&cm_re=Sata_cd%2from_drive-_-27-135-224-_-Product

What else will I need to buy to get it up and running? What kinds of cables for inside and how many?

Any suggestions to make this easier for the first time?


What else would I have to buy (internal cables? Which and how many?)

Any tweaks would be appreciated (my budget isnt set, but if I could get more performance for a little more/cheaper or not hurt my performance much and get a discount I would be open to it.



Edit: Also, could I just plug in a pair of Turtle Beaches to this and skip buying speakers alltogether. http://www.amazon.com/Force-Amplifi...HHKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310422937&sr=8-1
 
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So, today I finally went in after a few days of deliberation. I ended up picking up an EVGA GTX 460 Superclocked EE.

This one, to be exact.

I've been looking in the $140 to $160 range, and I have some extra cash to throw around right now. Before now, all I've had is an HD4200 chipset on my mobo, so I'm sure I'll make quite a jump in the graphics department. Given the price, would you guys say I made a decent enough decision?
 
[quote name='Kaoz']Also, could I just plug in a pair of Turtle Beaches to this and skip buying speakers alltogether. http://www.amazon.com/Force-Amplifi...HHKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310422937&sr=8-1[/QUOTE]

Skip the turtle beach and buy something that is actually worth it.

If you are on a budget, get this http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-G...ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1310450400&sr=1-8

If you got some money left over either get an Audio Technica AD700 or Sennheiser HD 555. I got myself the AD700 and it was the best money I have every spent for sound. Either add in a desktop mic or a Zalman mic and you'll be set.
 
[quote name='Kaoz']Hey guys, would appreciate some help here. I know jack about building pcs, and what is compatible. I am also starting from scratch, need to buy windows/monitor ... the whole thing.

I did a little looking around on another site I frequent and managed to come up with a build, but I don't know if it is any good. http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/npi/

Is that all compatible? I saw this RAM on sale http://www.buy.com/prod/kingston-hy...0-pin-desktop-memory/q/loc/101/214321687.html at buy, would that be a better purchase than the ram I currently have.

I also need a monitor, does this one look good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236099

Cd/DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135224&cm_re=Sata_cd%2from_drive-_-27-135-224-_-Product

What else will I need to buy to get it up and running? What kinds of cables for inside and how many?

Any suggestions to make this easier for the first time?


What else would I have to buy (internal cables? Which and how many?)

Any tweaks would be appreciated (my budget isnt set, but if I could get more performance for a little more/cheaper or not hurt my performance much and get a discount I would be open to it.



Edit: Also, could I just plug in a pair of Turtle Beaches to this and skip buying speakers alltogether. http://www.amazon.com/Force-Amplifi...HHKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310422937&sr=8-1[/QUOTE]

Someone double check me here

but LGA 1155 recommends to have 1.5V RAM.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145339

Are you getting the 2500K so you can overclock it? If yes, you can hit 4.0Ghz on a stock HSF, but you may want to consider and aftermarket cooler so you can go beyond that.

If you aren't looking to overclock, perhaps drop down to the 2500 and get a different motherboard (the P67 are for overclocking)
 
[quote name='reddjoey']Someone double check me here

but LGA 1155 recommends to have 1.5V RAM.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145339

Are you getting the 2500K so you can overclock it? If yes, you can hit 4.0Ghz on a stock HSF, but you may want to consider and aftermarket cooler so you can go beyond that.

If you aren't looking to overclock, perhaps drop down to the 2500 and get a different motherboard (the P67 are for overclocking)[/QUOTE]
Did some digging last night before I went to bed and found that RAM issue also. So I swapped it out for some that was 1.5v. ($60 for 8 gigs, not bad. G.skill ripsaw ddr3 1600)

I didn't have plans to overclock it, unless games started needing me too, same with SLI, wasn't planning on it until it was needed as an upgrade. (Would I be better served by getting a cheaper set that can't do that, and not having the option in the future? And instead just completely upgrading those parts)
 
[quote name='reddjoey']Someone double check me here

but LGA 1155 recommends to have 1.5V RAM.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145339

Are you getting the 2500K so you can overclock it? If yes, you can hit 4.0Ghz on a stock HSF, but you may want to consider and aftermarket cooler so you can go beyond that.

If you aren't looking to overclock, perhaps drop down to the 2500 and get a different motherboard (the P67 are for overclocking)[/QUOTE]
Did some digging last night before I went to bed and found that RAM issue also. So I swapped it out for some that was 1.5v. ($60 for 8 gigs, not bad. G.skill ripsaw ddr3 1600)

I didn't have plans to overclock it, unless games started needing me too, same with SLI, wasn't planning on it until it was needed as an upgrade. (Would I be better served by getting a cheaper set that can't do that, and not having the option in the future? And instead just completely upgrading those parts)

I was thinking of switching out the motherboard for a GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 for the same price. But now I am wondering if I should opt for something cheaper and lose the potential overclocking/SLI options in the future. Not really sure if they are worth the extra $ to have the options.
 
Hello all, This is my first post here and I am thinking of building a pc. I have been out of the loop for a while and I don't know what the best parts are for pc's anymore. I looked at newegg but I didn't really have time to research like I should so i figured I'd ask people more in the loop. Anyway to the details, I have about $1200 I want to spend on a fairly highend system. I don't game and I don't oc just a lot of video encoding and other cpu intensive things. Plus I want a really good monitor. Was looking for recommendations of a decent system build in this budget. Since I am not overclocking i won't need an aftermarket cooling solution. Thanks in advance. ps..why isn't this thing keeping my formatting?
 
[quote name='pbnate88']Looking at building a PC but where do you guys get a decent price copy of windows? with the costs adds another $150 or so to the build[/QUOTE]

Newegg sells OEM copies for 99.99
 
[quote name='pbnate88']Looking at building a PC but where do you guys get a decent price copy of windows? with the costs adds another $150 or so to the build[/QUOTE]

Try your local Computer show. They usually sell them for under $50.

Student copies for $29.99
 
So I got my 2nd GTX 460 in the mail yesterday and got the SLI setup up and running. I also oc'd my CPU from the stock 3.3Ghz to 4.0Ghz. I tried out Bad Company 2 maxed, averaged around 95 FPS so that was very good. Then today I tried Metro 2033 maxed........and HOLY SHIT is that game a TANK!!!! Maxed I could at best average 25 FPS!!! I wonder if Battlefield 3 will seriously run better than Metro does, that game is the biggest system hog I have ever seen.
 
[quote name='cap504']Hello all, This is my first post here and I am thinking of building a pc. I have been out of the loop for a while and I don't know what the best parts are for pc's anymore. I looked at newegg but I didn't really have time to research like I should so i figured I'd ask people more in the loop. Anyway to the details, I have about $1200 I want to spend on a fairly highend system. I don't game and I don't oc just a lot of video encoding and other cpu intensive things. Plus I want a really good monitor. Was looking for recommendations of a decent system build in this budget. Since I am not overclocking i won't need an aftermarket cooling solution. Thanks in advance. ps..why isn't this thing keeping my formatting?[/QUOTE]

I wish I knew more about that type of build, but maybe this will help

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262795-28-computer-build-video-editing-premiere

and there is a nice table with a part breakdown and recommendation here:

http://www.videoguys.com/Guide/E/Vi...iting/0x4aebb06ba071d2b6a2cd784ce243a6c6.aspx
 
I'm looking at 3 boards to combo with this processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131706

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

I'm leaning towards the 2nd board for the extra 6GB SATA slot and the $15 rebate makes it only $10 more than the first board.

Figured I'd ask for a pro-tip since I can't really see any significant difference other than that between the three.

Also looking for RAM and video cards but I'll get to that after I figure out how much the board/processor will cost.

EDIT:

Here's 2 RAM sets that look physically slightly different but offer otherwise same stats for the same price. I'm guessing the 2nd set is just supposed to look better right? Or does the shape of the RAM effect it's cooling? If the 2nd one will run cooler obviously that's the one to get.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233198

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145347
 
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I just finished my build 2 days ago, and have begun playing games, no problem maxing out the settings on anything I have and such. But I am encountering a graphical glitch in numerous games (bad company 2, stalker, and a few others)
It only happens during cutscenes, never gameplay, but in some cases (stalker) it makes it really hard to tell what is going on.
There is a rippling effect, to varying degrees and frequencies in battlefield, which is annoying and for a brand new pc I would like to fix it. In stalker, every flash of light in the opening cutscene causes .. I am not even sure how to describe it honestly, but it flashes randomly and things just aren't right.
I have no clue where to even begin addressing these issues.
This is the build http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/nYU/ and this is the monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...236099&cm_re=asus_l228-_-24-236-099-_-Product


youtube video, not the best quality but you should be able to see what I am talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GqVrlxNVjc
 
I can't really tell from the video, but I am assuming that you are having screen tearing problems. It is normal to have if you got the v-sync and other graphical enhancers on. Having two video cards eludes this problem (depending on your wallet size), but it is normal for it to occur.

I finally got some money laying around, anyone got any experience with any of these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102021

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102033

I really like the first one, because it has a front unit. Wondering if maybe I could just get that, sell the card and hook up to another card or something.
 
[quote name='j-cart']I can't really tell from the video, but I am assuming that you are having screen tearing problems. It is normal to have if you got the v-sync and other graphical enhancers on. Having two video cards eludes this problem (depending on your wallet size), but it is normal for it to occur.
[/QUOTE]


Yeah, it gets more obvious as the video goes. You did give me some key words to google with, and do a bit of digging. Turns out Stalker has an issue with not activating V-sync when you tell it to. I went into my video cards drivers and forced V-sync on and it runs perfectly now. Thanks for the help
 
[quote name='Buuhan1']I've been looking to get (or if required, build) a budget PC for years now, and I came across a very cheap and supposed "powerful" build.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/pc-builds/46-pcbuildupg/566-budget-gaming-pc-july-11

Is it all it's cracked up to be?[/QUOTE]

I dig the graphics card, but everything else is a no from me.

Understand that by spending $200 more you can turn your budget PC into lower echelon of the super computers. Buying a $500 PC will prevent you from future proofing, while spending that $700 now will extend the life of your PC by that much more. Just keep researching (tom's hardware) and start saving up.

And yes, PC gaming is what it is all cracked up to be. There are too many games on the PC that you won't know what to do with your time. Plus I use my PC as my media hub aswell. Thank you gfx card with 3 video outs :)
 
How often does Tom's Hardware do the "Build a PC off of $XXX" thing?

I'm probably going to just use that as a guide next time they do one, so I can get one that's (And I'm going to use 2 sets of quotations here for exaggeration) " " current " ".

I think I'll have $500, maybe $600 to build a PC and I don't want to bother anyone to build one for me, piece wise. I can get it together once I have everything, it's just the shopping part that kills me. =\
 
I like that read, I appreciate that.

I REALLY appreciate the "buffet style" method he has the parts broken down to, being compatible with each other.

A lot of those parts have dropped in price too, since he's done that write up. Now I just need to have the willpower to not order this all tonight.
 
[quote name='ROB64']Try this:
http://www.hardware-revolution.com/budget-gaming-pc-july-2011/

The Tier 1 would fit your price range, and I can personally vouch for the case and CPU. The case is sturdy, and you can turn the CPU into a Phenom II X4 if the motherboard you choose has core unlocking.[/QUOTE]

Couldn't it be argued that those cores were locked for a reason and you are rolling the dice in hopes it was just done to push out more of the lesser chip?
 
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