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

[quote name='DarkRider23']If you have any old edu email address, you can get a copy of Windows 7 Pro for $65 from the Microsoft Store.[/QUOTE]

Is this the full stand alone edition? Or is it just the upgrade from Vista to 7?

I don't have Vista, still using XP and I wanted to get windows 7 pro to put on my new computer so if I grab the 65$ version from Microsoft can I install it to a brand new hard drive or does it require a vista key and/or previous vista install to work?
 
[quote name='jimbodan']Is this the full stand alone edition? Or is it just the upgrade from Vista to 7?

I don't have Vista, still using XP and I wanted to get windows 7 pro to put on my new computer so if I grab the 65$ version from Microsoft can I install it to a brand new hard drive or does it require a vista key and/or previous vista install to work?[/QUOTE]

Found the answer here: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp

Seems to be doable if not maybe a pain in the ass, but at least doable.
 
[quote name='jimbodan']
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the 950 now, I'd like to save the 100-150$ but really I can afford to spend it and I think the performance increase it probably worth it to just grab the 950.[/quote]

You'd likely get a more noticeable performance increase investing the money you save in an SSD or a better graphics card though.

How about my RAM choice, is what I picked any good or is there a better option in the same price range?
Click to expand...

Your RAM looks fine. Corsair's a good brand and the price is good. You could maybe shave a few dollars off going with a lower clocked set without noticing any real difference in performance, but that's it.
 
[quote name='jimbodan']Found the answer here: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp

Seems to be doable if not maybe a pain in the ass, but at least doable.[/QUOTE]

the upgrade version is easily useable. just install it dont enter a key and reinstall over it, entering your key.
it just wants to see an old version when you input your key.
if you do as another cag suggested and get an ssd, itll take an extra 11 minutes or so.
 
[quote name='Mid Boss']You'd likely get a more noticeable performance increase investing the money you save in an SSD or a better graphics card though.



Your RAM looks fine. Corsair's a good brand and the price is good. You could maybe shave a few dollars off going with a lower clocked set without noticing any real difference in performance, but that's it.[/QUOTE]


I went ahead and put the money toward a SSD only could afford a 60gb model and that was pushing the total price as is but like you said it should be a pretty noticiable performance bump using it as a win 7 boot drive.

I put in most of my order on Amazon last night and I am about go hit up fry's to grab my PSU/MOBO combo that they had on sale as well as possibly some RAM since I figure the RAM is the most likely piece of hardware that I could get that might be DOA so I'd rather have the option to quickly return it locally if it doesn't work instead of waiting a couple weeks for a return.

Anyway baring something crazy at Fry's today this is what I'm going with:

Mushkin Callisto 60gb SSD - $119.99
Intel i7 950 - Combo with MOBO should be $490 after tax.
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R -
XFX Radeon HD 6870 1 GB - 254.99

Either the Corsair 6 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 or whatever I can find at Fry's should be $99-119$
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $65.66
HAF 912 case - $60.99
Antec EarthWatts 750 Watt ATX12v v2.3 - $89.99
Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 Hyper 212 Plus - $25.74

Total - about $1,215.37 after all taxes.

Still need to pick out a CD/DVD drive and buy my OS, but with student discount Win 7 should only be 65$ and the drive shouldn't run more then 20-25$

So all together the grand total should be right about $1,300 which was about 200$ more then I wanted to spend, but I think it will really be worth it especially splurging for the SSD drive to use as a boot drive and there really isn't anything I could do about having to fork over for the OS.
 
I'm thinking of building my first computer but I don't know where to start my budget is $1000. I already have a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor and the OS Win7 pro 64.
 
[quote name='Lazy_Bum']I'm thinking of building my first computer but I don't know where to start my budget is $1000. I already have a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor and the OS Win7 pro 64.[/QUOTE]

For online prices check out Amazon and Newegg. Most people love Newegg but I found their prices to be meh, especially since they charge tax and amazon doesn't, but ymmv.

For brick and mortar store prices check out Fry's and Microcenter.
 
I've had to change my budget from $1000 to $800 so while I was looking around I found this bundle for $701 on newegg:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor (Model: HDZ965FBGMBOX)
ASUS EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard (Model: M4A87TD)
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Model: GV-N460OC-1GI)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (Model: F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM)
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (Model: WD5001AALS)
SAMSUNG 22x DVD+/-R CD/DVD Burner Black SATA (Model: SH-S223C) - OEM
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model: RC-922M-KKN1-GP)
CORSAIR 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (Model: CMPSU-650TX)
I was wondering if you guys could help me out and tell me if this is a good deal or help me find something better.
 
So any chance we could get an upgrade on the sample builds? My laptop's about on its last two legs and Ive wanted a new PC for a while. Figured it would be good to build my own.
 
[quote name='Lazy_Bum']I've had to change my budget from $1000 to $800 so while I was looking around I found this bundle for $701 on newegg:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor (Model: HDZ965FBGMBOX)
ASUS EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard (Model: M4A87TD)
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Model: GV-N460OC-1GI)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (Model: F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM)
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (Model: WD5001AALS)
SAMSUNG 22x DVD+/-R CD/DVD Burner Black SATA (Model: SH-S223C) - OEM
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model: RC-922M-KKN1-GP)
CORSAIR 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (Model: CMPSU-650TX)
I was wondering if you guys could help me out and tell me if this is a good deal or help me find something better.[/QUOTE]

Looks good to me.
 
[quote name='Lazy_Bum']I've had to change my budget from $1000 to $800 so while I was looking around I found this bundle for $701 on newegg:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor (Model: HDZ965FBGMBOX)
ASUS EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard (Model: M4A87TD)
GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Model: GV-N460OC-1GI)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (Model: F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM)
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (Model: WD5001AALS)
SAMSUNG 22x DVD+/-R CD/DVD Burner Black SATA (Model: SH-S223C) - OEM
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (Model: RC-922M-KKN1-GP)
CORSAIR 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply (Model: CMPSU-650TX)
I was wondering if you guys could help me out and tell me if this is a good deal or help me find something better.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='drooli']Looks good to me.[/QUOTE]

me too
 
Anyone have some tips on a 500-600 dollar non gaming build? I know I could go cheaper, but I'm going for longevity. I figure the place to start is with an AMD quad core processor.

Thanks!
 
My friend wants to upgrade his graphics card with a new-cheap one that has a HDMI slot.

I believe his current setup is

AMD 2.3 ghz dual core processor
4 GB of RAM
XFX GeForce 8600GT 512MB

Amybody have any suggestions? I know his processor is a bottleneck but he wants to do some light gaming (Counterstrike, things of that nature) along with Blu-Ray/HD-DVD/1080p video.
 
This thread has been a HUGE help, and I finally put together what I feel is a final build for my fiance:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=21706448

  • Cooler Master Elite 330 ...... $39.99
  • MSI 770-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard ...... $79.99
  • CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V ...... $79.99
  • AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W ...... $62.99
  • G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ...... $59.99
  • Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ...... $119.99
  • OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive ...... $134.99
    =
    $577.93
Some notes:
  • She'll only be using this for WoW and internet browsing. She doesn't really play any other games on the PC.
  • We have a VERY tight budget, and I am cutting as many corners as I can.
  • The exception to this is the SSD. I feel that the price vs. performance upgrade on a SSD is well worth it.
  • The SSD will only hold WoW, Windows 7, and probably web-browsers. I'll be picking up a 500 gb 7200 rpm drive from my work for like 30 bucks (a good one! that's just what they cost for me.)
  • I didn't account in the build for Windows 7 in the price, because we have family that works at microsoft. Also we have a keyboard, mouse, and monitors.
I'm looking for input; Cautionary tales, tips, price-cutting advice, things of that nature. This is the first PC I've ever built, so I'm pretty nervous. Thanks in Advance!!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Seanoumaru']This thread has been a HUGE help, and I finally put together what I feel is a final build for my fiance:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=21706448

  • Cooler Master Elite 330 ...... $39.99
  • MSI 770-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard ...... $79.99
  • CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V ...... $79.99
  • AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W ...... $62.99
  • G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ...... $59.99
  • Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ...... $119.99
  • OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive ...... $134.99
    =
    $577.93
Some notes:
  • She'll only be using this for WoW and internet browsing. She doesn't really play any other games on the PC.
  • We have a VERY tight budget, and I am cutting as many corners as I can.
  • The exception to this is the SSD. I feel that the price vs. performance upgrade on a SSD is well worth it.
  • The SSD will only hold WoW, Windows 7, and probably web-browsers. I'll be picking up a 500 gb 7200 rpm drive from my work for like 30 bucks (a good one! that's just what they cost for me.)
  • I didn't account in the build for Windows 7 in the price, because we have family that works at microsoft. Also we have a keyboard, mouse, and monitors.
I'm looking for input; Cautionary tales, tips, price-cutting advice, things of that nature. This is the first PC I've ever built, so I'm pretty nervous. Thanks in Advance!!![/QUOTE]

Looks like a solid build to me. A few changes you could make to cut costs a bit more:
-Drop down to a little less powerful PSU, 500W would be plenty for what you're doing. Here's a 500W Corsair for $59.99 with a $10 MIR.
-You can get a slightly faster processor for a couple dollars less going with the Athlon II X2 250.
-You can save a few dollars on the memory too. This set is $10 cheaper and has a $10 MIR

Also watch for combo deals on newegg. You can sometimes save a few more dollars that way too.
 
[quote name='Seanoumaru']This thread has been a HUGE help, and I finally put together what I feel is a final build for my fiance:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=21706448

  • Cooler Master Elite 330 ...... $39.99
  • MSI 770-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard ...... $79.99
  • CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V ...... $79.99
  • AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W ...... $62.99
  • G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ...... $59.99
  • Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ...... $119.99
  • OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive ...... $134.99
    =
    $577.93
[/QUOTE]I don't particularly like that case and you can probably get away with a less powerful PSU for WoW and general internet usage, check out this case and PSU combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...129065&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-065-_-Product
(But I do generally prefer modular PSUs)
Some other PSUs of comparable prices since you don't necessarily need 600+ watts
Thermaltake http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153113
Modular OCZ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

These 4g (2gx2) DDR3 1600 Kingstons are pretty cheap http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104223

Although it's not in stock, see if you like this SSD, slightly more capacity, cheaper http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139132 maybe you can find something similar in price and capacity

I'm a big fan of the 5770 so http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873

no optical drive?

And as Mid Boss suggests, for processors and MBs, you might be better off checking out some combo deals that pop up occasionally.
 
For a relatively cheap if you can find it ATI card, I'm a big fan of my 4860. It was meant for European release, but I snagged one off newegg after reading some reviews. In the reviews it has almost the same performance as the 4870 did.
 
I don't particularly like that case and you can probably get away with a less powerful PSU for WoW and general internet usage, check out this case and PSU combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-065-_-Product
Click to expand...

I'm actually going to go with HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower

These 4g (2gx2) DDR3 1600 Kingstons are pretty cheap http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820104223
Click to expand...

While after mail-in rebate these are cheaper, the up-front cost is more of an issue. Plus I generally don't like rebates.

Although it's not in stock, see if you like this SSD...
Click to expand...

Gonna stop you there, just going with the 7200 RPM drive that I will pick up from work. That one IS a good deal though, so I'll have to keep an eye out!

I'm a big fan of the 5770 so http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102873
Click to expand...

TOTALLY gonna snag this while it's on sale. The performance distance and longevity are worth the extra ten bucks.

no optical drive?
Click to expand...

and fixed :lol:

Thanks Mid Boss, Kilm, and dabamus for the replies. System is ordered :cool:
 
Man, I built a system earlier this year and put a Radeon 5850 in it and now they have the 6000 series. The 6870 and 5850 still seem to be going for about the same price now. I was hoping the 5850 price would nosedive so I could crossfire.

From previous experience, how long do you think it'd be before the 5850 price drops enough to make it worth crossfiring?
 
[quote name='Ragnorok64']Man, I built a system earlier this year and put a Radeon 5850 in it and now they have the 6000 series. The 6870 and 5850 still seem to be going for about the same price now. I was hoping the 5850 price would nosedive so I could crossfire.

From previous experience, how long do you think it'd be before the 5850 price drops enough to make it worth crossfiring?[/QUOTE]

maybe next year, fall
 
Anybody have advice for buying a laptop? I had an out of commision macbook that can't detect hard drives (as I've just discovered when I tried to install a brand new HDD) so I can either spend a few hundred on apple's overpriced service care or just get a new net book. Like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-1001PX-E...TF8&coliid=I10T5LI93ORAIA&colid=32FJXHI6H3MZG
Does anyone have shopping advice for laptops? My spending limit is pretty low, because I am not going to be using it for anything beyond documents. Thought it would be nice to at least be able to play something like plants vs. zombies I guess.
 
omg exactly the thread I was looking for. Why I ever tried to browse the internet before checking out CAG is beyond me haha. SO here is the scoop, I want to build a gaming pc to catch up on some missed games so I don't really need anything crazy top of the line and (unfortunately) I am on a tight budget. Some games I plan on playing are: Thief, Deus X, The Elder Scrolls 3, things like that, no I don't really know for sure haha. So any help would be greatly appreciated!


Oh and I know next to nothing about building a pc. :/
 
[quote name='enemyofusall']omg exactly the thread I was looking for. Why I ever tried to browse the internet before checking out CAG is beyond me haha. SO here is the scoop, I want to build a gaming pc to catch up on some missed games so I don't really need anything crazy top of the line and (unfortunately) I am on a tight budget. Some games I plan on playing are: Thief, Deus X, The Elder Scrolls 3, things like that, no I don't really know for sure haha. So any help would be greatly appreciated!


Oh and I know next to nothing about building a pc. :/[/QUOTE]

a budget would help people, help you...
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']Is it ok to use non-angled sata cables for hard drives?[/QUOTE]

I dont see why it would be a problem.
 
[quote name='enemyofusall']^ For us with no knowledge of building a pc can find all the info in one convenient place :)[/QUOTE]


Research

Google made things convenient...
 
[quote name='MiNuN']Research

Google made things convenient...[/QUOTE]

this from the guy who had how many questions in this thread?
 
[quote name='paz9x']this from the guy who had how many questions in this thread?[/QUOTE]

Oooh snap!

Can someone suggest a good motherboard to fit this CPU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103727

Also which of these power supplies do you like better?

Corsair 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005
or
Rosewill 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182067

This is all going into this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147153
Click to expand...

Something like...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402

Corsair for sure.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

The Rosewill case is okay. I like the Destroyer if only for the name
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...147144&cm_re=destroyer-_-11-147-144-_-Product
 
[quote name='kilm']Oooh snap!



Something like...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402

Corsair for sure.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

The Rosewill case is okay. I like the Destroyer if only for the name
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...147144&cm_re=destroyer-_-11-147-144-_-Product[/QUOTE]

Is 650W enough nowadays?

Any thoughts on this MB? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435

I also like the name of that case, they should all have names like that!
 
[quote name='ZForce915']Is 650W enough nowadays?

Any thoughts on this MB? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435

I also like the name of that case, they should all have names like that![/QUOTE]

Yes, 650 is more than enough, unless you have something like 2x 5970s or something.

That motherboard looks decent. Premium motherboard with premium features for a premium price. For me, I don't have any devices that are USB3.0 or any devices that would utilize that Sata 6GB/s port to its potential, so a lot those features would be just wasting money for me.
 
[quote name='kilm']Yes, 650 is more than enough, unless you have something like 2x 5970s or something.

That motherboard looks decent. Premium motherboard with premium features for a premium price. For me, I don't have any devices that are USB3.0 or any devices that would utilize that Sata 6GB/s port to its potential, so a lot those features would be just wasting money for me.[/QUOTE]

I do want to get the most out of my CPU and it seems like it makes more sense to put my money into the motherboard/CPU and be able to upgrade around that for the next 4-5 years. I suppose I could put a SATA 6GB HDD in there, WD has a 1TB drive for $90 with those specs.
 
[quote name='ZForce915']I do want to get the most out of my CPU and it seems like it makes more sense to put my money into the motherboard/CPU and be able to upgrade around that for the next 4-5 years. I suppose I could put a SATA 6GB HDD in there, WD has a 1TB drive for $90 with those specs.[/QUOTE]

If you're looking 4-5 years in the future, probably you'll just rebuild a new computer (or at least I would)

but w/e, my 2c
 
Just wanted to give a big thanks to this thread, as I got my computer up and running. And it turned on! It totally powered up and turned on first time!

Would anyone be interested in pictures of my shiny new PCs innards to add to this thread? P.S. This was my first build ever. I'd love to post pictures with things I experienced building it for those who are also building for the first time... if there is interest :)
 
I grabbed my case today and that 650W power supply because of the sale, coupon and rebate it came to $69. I might wait on most of the innards until another sale.
 
[quote name='Seanoumaru']Just wanted to give a big thanks to this thread, as I got my computer up and running. And it turned on! It totally powered up and turned on first time!

Would anyone be interested in pictures of my shiny new PCs innards to add to this thread? P.S. This was my first build ever. I'd love to post pictures with things I experienced building it for those who are also building for the first time... if there is interest :)[/QUOTE]

go ahead, it could help others for their first time build, just seeing where everything goes and all that good stuff.
 
[quote name='Seanoumaru']Just wanted to give a big thanks to this thread, as I got my computer up and running. And it turned on! It totally powered up and turned on first time!

Would anyone be interested in pictures of my shiny new PCs innards to add to this thread? P.S. This was my first build ever. I'd love to post pictures with things I experienced building it for those who are also building for the first time... if there is interest :)[/QUOTE]

Build threads and pics are always cool to look at, if you ask me. Post away. And congrats, btw. I was very proud of myself when I finished my first home built PC. It lasted me a long time - still have it stashed in a closet, actually. I bet if I changed the CMOS battery, it'd fire right up. heh.

You were building this for your wife, right? I don't know if she's interested, but some of us CAGers are starting a guild. :)

I clicked in here because I'm going to be building a gaming rig, hopefully save the money and finish it by March. I look forward to your pics if you post them.
 
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