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

^^civ 4 requirements is actually pretty lax, it can be played on the cheap cards with no issues. Even my old old celeron e2200 with an old 8600gt plays it just fine.
 
4thHorseman - Looking at the specs of that PC, it looks like your video card options are going to be extremely limited. The only expansion slots you have available are 2-PCI and 1 PCI-e x1 and most video cards out there now are going to need a PCI-e x16 slot. There are some PCI and PCI-e x1 cards available on Newegg, but I don't know if they would be enough of an improvement over the onboard graphics to be worth the cost. It might be better to just save any money you would use for a video card and put it towards a newer computer.
 
yeah I agree, the best card you can get on an x1 is going to be a gt 520 for $60 or a 5450 for $100, you can get a $25 x16 slot card that will beat either of those easily.
 
Are there any good sites for buying a custom built PC? I've looked at ibuypower.com and cyberpowerpc.com but they seem sketchy...

Any help would be appreciated.
 
[quote name='FQRizzo']Are there any good sites for buying a custom built PC? I've looked at ibuypower.com and cyberpowerpc.com but they seem sketchy...

Any help would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

ibuypower and the other are fine. I know a lot of people that went through them and got decent rigs.
 
So, having received Skyrim this holiday, I feel like I should be updating my rig to get another year or so from it. Unfortunately, it's a laptop. Fortunately, it's Alienware and so relatively easy to upgrade. I already meet the minimum requirements for Skyrim but it would be nice not to have to worry about these things, you know?

I'm running an Alienware M15x with GeForce GT 240m, Intel Core i7 1.60GHz, and 4GB RAM. I've ordered new RAM, upgrading to 8GB and I also have my eye on the ATI AMD 5850M GPU that promises to be compatible with my laptop. But my concern is: am I going to run into a heat issue?

What else can I do to improve my gaming experience without frying the already-hot insides?
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']Can you elaborate please?[/QUOTE]

Theoretically you should be fine but in the real world different memory in the same system always comes with weird and sometimes machine fatal errors.

You talking to a guy that builds machines with zero budget and purely on donations for non-profit programs for the last 15+ years.
 
[quote name='Megazell']Theoretically you should be fine but in the real world different memory in the same system always comes with weird and sometimes machine fatal errors[/QUOTE]

truth.
 
As long as the new modules are compatible with the motherboard, in theory, it should... but like what the others have said, slight chance it won't. Like 5% chance it won't work.
 
If you're going to use 64-bit Windows (which I would recommend), you'll want 8GB of RAM instead of 4GB.

The Motherboard has HDMI which I find to be kind of pointless since your graphics card will at least have mini-HDMI. You can save some money and get one without it.

Since you're going to be using it more for everyday as opposed to gaming, you can go with the i5-2500k instead of i7-2600k and save $80 there.

For graphics cards, here are some links to check
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

I got the Radeon HD 6850 which is $150 on Amazon ($135 with a rebate). On the first link, it's rated high on performance and one of the more reasonably priced. The Radeon 6870 is only $15 more on Amazon. That might be worth it since you wouldn't have to upgrade as soon.
 
The wishlist link isn't working.

The mobo and video card combo deal isn't that good since it just saves you $9. I wouldn't get it unless those are the exact ones you want.
 
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[quote name='reddjoey']I 'm pretty sure you don't need a 750w PSU.


Here's a good thread from Reddit on picking a good PSU and how much you need.[/QUOTE]
Nice link. This list on Newegg I also found to be handy. It's worthwhile to invest in a quality power supply.

Just to report back, went ahead and grabbed the 8GB of memory and so far so good. I installed it earlier, and after a momentary panic when things wouldn't go past POST, I went into BIOS and remembered the settings I'd used before (instead of Auto, I used XMP which properly set timings/voltages/etc.) Booted fine afterwards with no problems.

Absolutely the best money I've spent in a while, going from 4GB to 12GB. Firefox is much, much snappier and I'll be able to multitask with RAM-hungry programs now without it slowing to a crawl.
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']Not sure why my wishlist is not in the public one since the checkmark thing is under shared... Anyway, here's the list

Antec 900 case
Intel i5 2500
G.skill 8gb ram
Antec 750w power supply

and that combo for the mobo and vid card.

That combo isn't the must haves in my build, so i guess I can find others

--edit--

here's a build I found from looking at combos, comes out to under $790

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=25667188[/QUOTE]
If you want to save some money, you can probably go with a cheaper case. But I do recommend getting one you want if price isn't an option. For me, I always want one that doesn't have the front USB ports on the bottom or a power button in a bad spot.

If you have a Microcenter near you, they often have deals when you buy a i5 or i7 CPU and compatible mobo.
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']Nice link. This list on Newegg I also found to be handy. It's worthwhile to invest in a quality power supply.

Just to report back, went ahead and grabbed the 8GB of memory and so far so good. I installed it earlier, and after a momentary panic when things wouldn't go past POST, I went into BIOS and remembered the settings I'd used before (instead of Auto, I used XMP which properly set timings/voltages/etc.) Booted fine afterwards with no problems.

Absolutely the best money I've spent in a while, going from 4GB to 12GB. Firefox is much, much snappier and I'll be able to multitask with RAM-hungry programs now without it slowing to a crawl.[/QUOTE]

Reddit has a good building community (r/buildapc) but they tend to stick to recommending the same parts repeatedly and create a good deal of duplicate builds. They have some good discussions and pics every so often and is worth a look if you want some ideas.

Glad to read the RAM is working. I stick 8GB in all my machines, but have been tempted to go for 16. I have absolutely no use for that much RAM other than "UNLIMITED TABS!" and things of that nature.
 
[quote name='reddjoey']Reddit has a good building community (r/buildapc) but they tend to stick to recommending the same parts repeatedly and create a good deal of duplicate builds. They have some good discussions and pics every so often and is worth a look if you want some ideas.

Glad to read the RAM is working. I stick 8GB in all my machines, but have been tempted to go for 16. I have absolutely no use for that much RAM other than "UNLIMITED TABS!" and things of that nature.[/QUOTE]
As a fellow tab lover, I know what you mean. I've been trying to pare down, but I end up keeping so many around for getting back to later. I'm a bit ADD when it comes to browsing, admittedly. But Firefox shamefully leaked itself to absurd levels of RAM usage, and the minutes I had to wait while my computer tried to obey my commands to shut the process down was quite an incentive for investing in more RAM.

Where before my hard drive seemed to be accessed constantly, it's been mercilessly quiet since the RAM went in.
 
[quote name='reddjoey']I 'm pretty sure you don't need a 750w PSU.


Here's a good thread from Reddit on picking a good PSU and how much you need.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Yea, the 750w was a bit to much.

After a bit more looking around and and trying to find something cheaper, I sort of decided to go with an AMD cpu instead

Here's my new build:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=25738948

After all the rebates shipping, and such. It comes out to $631.86.

Thoughts...
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']Thanks. Yea, the 750w was a bit to much.

After a bit more looking around and and trying to find something cheaper, I sort of decided to go with an AMD cpu instead

Here's my new build:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=25738948

After all the rebates shipping, and such. It comes out to $631.86.

Thoughts...[/QUOTE]
If I was building, I'd get an AM3+ mobo, as your upgrade options down the road are a lot better with the newer socket.
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']If I was building, I'd get an AM3+ mobo, as your upgrade options down the road are a lot better with the newer socket.[/QUOTE]

Isn't the AM3+ the bulldozer design or something from amd?
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']Isn't the AM3+ the bulldozer design or something from amd?[/QUOTE]
Yes, for the processors anyway. An AM3 CPU will work in an AM3+ motherboard, so it will give you more options to upgrade your CPU down the road.

(They do not work the other way, however. The AM3+ processors will not work in an AM3 motherboard.)
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']Yes, for the processors anyway. An AM3 CPU will work in an AM3+ motherboard, so it will give you more options to upgrade your CPU down the road.

(They do not work the other way, however. The AM3+ processors will not work in an AM3 motherboard.)[/QUOTE]

I read somewhere that the bulldozer design was not that great or something similar to that. It mentioned something about how it was suppose to have 2 billion transistors, but they were off 800 million.

I went with that mobo because it was part of a combo off newegg.
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']I read somewhere that the bulldozer design was not that great or something similar to that. It mentioned something about how it was suppose to have 2 billion transistors, but they were off 800 million.

I went with that mobo because it was part of a combo off newegg.[/QUOTE]
The bulldozer chips are ok for their price range. But AMD may come out with better AM3+ CPUs in the future. You're locked into old tech with that motherboard.
 
So the internet has a wealth of information concerning the backwards compatibility of PCI express, but is it forwards compatible? If I have a PCI express 2.0 card will it work in a 2.1 or 3.0 slot?
 
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[quote name='Kaltic']So the internet has a wealth of information concerning the backwards compatibility of PCI express, but is it forwards compatible. If I have a PCI express 2.0 card will it work in a 2.1 or 3.0 slot?[/QUOTE]

I would think that it wouldn't be an issue.
 
[quote name='Kaltic']So the internet has a wealth of information concerning the backwards compatibility of PCI express, but is it forwards compatible? If I have a PCI express 2.0 card will it work in a 2.1 or 3.0 slot?[/QUOTE]
Isn't that the definition of backwards compatibility? And old card working in a new slot?
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']Isn't that the definition of backwards compatibility? And old card working in a new slot?[/QUOTE]

Yeah I know it is weird and everywhere on the internet I have looked they use the term backwards compatible for the ability of a 2.1 card to work in a 2.0 slot (which is the wrong term and I know I used the wrong term too).

So in reality everywhere on the internet I have looked they have said PCI-e is forwards compatible (with using the wrong term), but I want to know if it is also backwards compatible. Essentially can my old card work in a new slot. It is amazing on hard it is to find this information. Apparently nobody cares whether or not a 2.0 card can work in a 2.1 slot, but everyone cares whether or not a 2.1 card can work in a 2.0 slot.
 
[quote name='Lawyers Guns N Money']Isn't that the definition of backwards compatibility? And old card working in a new slot?[/QUOTE]

thats how i see it. 2.0 should work in a 2.1 slot.
 
I keep hoping a round of price drops will hit for the 560 Ti series of cards. The microstuttering/judder I'm getting on my single Radeon 5770 is driving me crazy. It only seems to go away if I run in windowed mode. Between that and rather shit drivers, I want to jump ship to nVidia, but $250 seems high for that card.
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']I keep hoping a round of price drops will hit for the 560 Ti series of cards. The microstuttering/judder I'm getting on my single Radeon 5770 is driving me crazy. It only seems to go away if I run in windowed mode. Between that and rather shit drivers, I want to jump ship to nVidia, but $250 seems high for that card.[/QUOTE]

There are a few deals under $250 for 560 ti's. The prices may reflect rebates, but I saw one on Amazon for $209.99.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Hey guys what would you guys recommend as a cheap set of 2.1 speakers (the $20-$30 range). I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a pair due to the fact that they will only get very limited use (I use headphones most of the time but sometimes I would like speakers when watching a movie or something).

I have no clue what brands are good for speakers and my budget is really in the $20-$30 range, I really don't want to go any higher. [/QUOTE]

Try Logitech. I have a couple sets of 2.1 from them as well as a 5.1 setup and have been more than pleased.

Here is 1 that meets your price needs. Bit cheaper at Amazon.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121019

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-LS21...f=sr_1_17?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327512535&sr=1-17

Read the reviews, see what other people say. Best Buy or even Walmart usually has some Logitech sets around $30. (Personally, I like to buy speakers from brick and mortar so I can take them back if I don't like them.)

Links to the product selection pages:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...80&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_s...tech+2.1&ie=UTF8&qid=1327512457&rnid=15784691
 
Thoughts?

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($198.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB Video Card ($324.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($110.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1294.29
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-01-27 00:09 EST-0500)

I know the PSU is a little much, but there's a good deal on it right now. Also, I don't currently use more than 50gb, so the 128gb SSD should suffice, but I do plan on adding a 1TB+ WD in the future.
 
If you are a student, check to see if you can pick up Win7 for cheap. Some colleges have it for ~$15.

I think you could do a little cheaper on the SSD. I was looking at this one: OCZ Agility 3 Series 120 GB - $160 w/ $30MIR.

You can probably pickup some lower priced RAM, but not by more than a few bucks. The G. Skill Snipers are $3 cheaper and come with a free 4GB MicroSD card. LOL
 
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[quote name='btw1217']Thoughts?
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant
[/QUOTE]

That is a great price on the i5! I paid $209 just a few weeks ago for mine.

I have the Seasonic X-650 PSU and it's amazing. Super quiet. That's a good price on the 750 so great to have the cushion.

I would be leery about the OCZ SSDs. The Agility 2 models have a high failure rate. Supposedly, the Agility 3's are okay. Personally, I wouldn't want to risk it. I bought a Crucial M4 even thought it was a bit pricier. Don't know anything about the Samsung 830.

Only place I see to save a few bucks is the case, but obviously that's a personal preference and that case does look slick.

Looks good though. Happy building!
 
Looking at building a new computer. I use it for a little gaming here and there. Playing SWTOR right now and Diablo 3 in the future. Would this be a good build for me? Or is it to much for what I do? Cost is an issue. I'm looking for the best bang for the buck. I'll be using parts from my old computer (HDD, Disc drive, etc)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4994

Or should I just get a 6780 card and more ram for my current PC? AMD Athlon Dual core 1.9gig?

Thanks for the help!
 
Thanks for the input guys, I went ahead and added a second hard drive and pulled the trigger. Here's the final build. My wallet is going to regret this very much, but it's something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time now.

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US [Pricematch Pending])
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($121.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB Video Card ($324.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($110.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1396.65
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-01-28 18:45 EST-0500)
 
[quote name='btw1217']Thanks for the input guys, I went ahead and added a second hard drive and pulled the trigger. Here's the final build. My wallet is going to regret this very much, but it's something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time now.

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US [Pricematch Pending])
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($121.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6970 2GB Video Card ($324.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black/Orange) ATX Full Tower Case ($110.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1396.65
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-01-28 18:45 EST-0500)[/QUOTE]


That is one beast of a machine. Please name it something fierce, menacing, or demonic.
 
[quote name='reddjoey']Congrats, let us know how that SSD turns out, since I didn't find many reviews on it.[/QUOTE]
I've heard nothing but positive things said about it. Some claiming it to be THE SSD to get. TomsHardware ranks the 830 series among the Top Tier of SSD's out right now, so I'm expecting a lot out of it.

[quote name='j-cart']That is one beast of a machine. Please name it something fierce, menacing, or demonic.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I guess I better get to work on some names. :)
 
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Does anyone here know a lot about liquid cooling? I am thinking about getting the Thermaltake Level 10 GT case with liquid cooling, but can I add an extra water block for my ceton infinitv (its the size of a smaller graphics card)?
 
Being the CAG that I am, I wanna build a new machine on the cheap. Here is a link to my newegg wishlist. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=16270111

After rebates, I should be spending around $415. I already have a case and a 550W PSU at home.

I really wanna make sure that everything will work together and that I'm not buying any junk. Also, if there is any cheap upgrade I can make let me know!

Thanks!
 
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[quote name='Pyloric']Being the CAG that I am, I wanna build a new machine on the cheap. Here is a link to my newegg wishlist. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=16270111

After rebates, I should be spending around $415. I already have a case and a 550W PSU at home.

I really wanna make sure that everything will work together and that I'm not buying any junk. Also, if there is any cheap upgrade I can make let me know!

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Hey! Build looks pretty good. Your link doesn't work, but I was able to figure it out. Here's the one you should post: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=16270111

I'm not very familiar with AMD processors and MoBos, so I can't really advise on that.

I would upgrade the RAM to 1600, instead of 1333. The price is the same, but you'll get better performance.

All the brands are good brands, so don't worry about buying junk.
 
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