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

[quote name='paz9x']the code knocks off the last $10 and gives it free shipping i think.
honestly I dont know much about how the 4670 compares to other cards.
i found this article from anandtech it should help gauge where youll be with the 4670.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2616/10[/QUOTE]

Oh my bad. Thanks for the link though. Does the difference in memory size factor into the equation at all? Would I still be better off with the 4850 even though it's only 512?
 
[quote name='rockstarnati']Oh my bad. Thanks for the link though. Does the difference in memory size factor into the equation at all? Would I still be better off with the 4850 even though it's only 512?[/QUOTE]

AFAIK the memory is not going to play a huge factor in it. its not like youll get a card thats twice as good because it has twice the memory.
 
Booted up the desktop and here are the specs


E-Machines T3522
Intel Celeron 3.33 ghz
1.5 GB of ram
Nvidia Geforce4 Mx4000 128MB

So what do I need to change out out to play the new Star Wars MMO?

IIRC it's a 775 socket. I could be wrong how ever.
 
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Was looking at the APB system requirements on there message board. Looks freaking insane and I'd be spending a good amount of money updating the desktop. What is everybody elses take on upgrading the desktop?
 
[quote name='Vulcan2422']Booted up the desktop and here are the specs


E-Machines T3522
Intel Celeron 3.33 ghz
1.5 GB of ram
Nvidia Geforce4 Mx4000 128MB

So what do I need to change out out to play the new Star Wars MMO?

IIRC it's a 775 socket. I could be wrong how ever.[/QUOTE]

Honestly, good or bad, take it for what you will. From weakest link to strongest:
Memory: 2 GB min if you are on XP, Vista or Win7 4GB, more is always better (4gb is max Xp can use really) Its the singel most important part that seems to be skimped on.

CPU: Celerons are not very good for modern gameing. IF its a 775 socket (sorry I have not had a celerons since the 300's could OC to 450 and almost stand toe to toe with a p450, i am not sure on sockets for them nowdays) upgrade to a E5400 (about $50ish) or if you can afford it a E8400 (about $140ish). To be honest I havent looked at celeron specs at all so sombody else may be able to chime in better on this.

Video: Again, a geforce 4 is OLD, several generations old. I would guess any $50 card would beat it. I would suggest some of the Sub $100 cards by nvdia and ATI. Right now I think ATI has the best deals (bang for buck) but I dont think either brand is bad.

I hate to say it but "play" and "play well" are two different things. Bre bones I think it required 2 gb ram, and Im going to guess your video card wont do it. So more ram and better video card should make it "play" at lowest settings I would think, playable, that would be up to you.

Right now a "ok" game machine isnt to horrible to build, but when you can buy a complete desktop for $299 (not good for gameing) it may seem expensive.

Oh last thing, Im guessing all that upgradeing (video, cpu etc) would require a different PSU.

I think you would be better off finding a freind who knows PC and have him scour the Forums of some tech sites (anandtech possibly) for some good used pieces. I have built at least 20 machines for friends and family out of new and used parts for several hundred less then full price. I would say you could build a pretty good machine for:

MB $100
memory $75
Video $100
CPU $140
PSU $100
use the old HD and optical drive. Used will lower the prices on several of the times by 20-50%. Gameing can be expensive, not only do games cost $60 nowdays, the machines to run um cost alot too.
 
[quote name='Vulcan2422']Booted up the desktop and here are the specs


E-Machines T3522
Intel Celeron 3.33 ghz
1.5 GB of ram
Nvidia Geforce4 Mx4000 128MB

So what do I need to change out out to play the new Star Wars MMO?

IIRC it's a 775 socket. I could be wrong how ever.[/QUOTE]

You're hitting a road block on upgrading. Your motherboard, while it's a LGA775 socket, cannot support any of the recent CPUs beyond Pentium 4 and Celeron D. So you cannot upgrade the CPU any further. Spending money on 'trying' to upgrade this system would be a waste of money because the results will be not much better than what you already got. If you're going to do a half-assed upgrade by getting a low-end video card like nVidia GT 240 or ATI 4670, you might as well just not do it.

I would scratch the upgrade path and start saving money on a more modern system, whether you're building or buying.
 
Once the car sells I'll be buying a set up Ram made for me. That way I can hopefully play some APB and the new Star Wars MMO and some newer games coming out. :D

If I went with a Normal case instead of a micro, would it be cheaper you think?
 
There are cheap ATX cases and there are cheap micro ATX cases. I dont think one is particularly cheaper than the other. I probably would just go with the normal sized ATX case because of roominess.
 
There's a very nice video on how to build a $1500 computer (or basically any computer) posted over at Tested.com. It's 40 minutes long but for anyone that has doubts about computer or just wanna watch how the computer is built, it should be a good watch.

Linkified!
 
and from left field, memory is too expensive. ive been waiting for a couple months to buy some more and instead of falling it went up $10.
 
yeah it sucks. i was considering another cheap pc because of the great deals ive been seeing on mobo/cpu bundles and cases but the ram just kills it.
 
Well, i took apart one computer to find out it has a 450w power supply in it. Now, With that I have a Case, Power supply, RAM, and HDD. I'm thinking I only need these things to make it complete. Am I correct?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116091
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102867

The thing is though, will a microatx board fit fine in this case?

http://www.insigniaproducts.com/products/computers/D300a.html


I would much rather prefer a AM3 board though. Maybe somebody could suggest me one. Also with that card reader in the front, will I be able to use it with a new motherboard or should I just forget about it completely?
 
Looks fine except for the case. That case can only hold a micro ATX motherboard and the one you have picked is standard ATX, so its too big. Also I really would NOT trust a power supply that comes with a $25 case. If there's one thing you don't want to cheap out on its the power supply. When a bad one dies it can take out other parts with it.

I'd suggest maybe looking at these instead for your case and power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233062
 
bulid looks good, except for the case/mobo. im pretty sure you wanted microatx to begin with, you should be able to find a comparable mobo thats microatx. as for the PSU, most people in this thread will tell you to buy a seperate PSU. im not one of them, ive never had a problem with included PSUs, im probably just lucky. you could always buy the case and if the PSU craps out on you buy a new one in a few months like Mid Boss posted above.
 
The PSU dying is a small part of why I recommend getting something better. A shitty PSU doesn't always just die, I've seen cases where a bad PSU dies and takes the motherboard with it.
 
Damn, I thought I had the right Mobo for that case. I found a case on Amazon for 65.

This one here.

http://www.amazon.com/Sentey-RJA-24...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1272913120&sr=8-2

Could somebody post up a Microatx board for me? I'm looking around the same price range and it can be Amazon as well. Thanks for all the help guys. It's really appreciated.

One last thing. It needs to have at least Fiber Optics. I guess not so much HDMI since I'll be using the Video card for HDMI. Now does the Video card support audio and video through the vid card?
 
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Well, here's a MicroATX board for you with optical out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157177

And you might want to look at a different case still. Both the ones you've been looking at are slim cases that are going to limit what you can do to upgrade. The video card you have picked out will fit fine with it as its a low profile card, but you are going to be fairly limited in what you can upgrade with. It also comes with a different form factor PSU that's going to be harder to replace if it ever dies.
 
The only thing is that I have very limited space to work with, that's why I'm going with a MicroATX Case But I'm trying to keep the build UNDER 400. At around 350 honestly. Thus I'm using my old HDD with windows XP. I'm trying to fit it in my entertainment center and I have yet to find a case that has a big PSU and cheap price.
 
[quote name='Mid Boss']Would this one be small enough?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119205

It actually takes standard ATX PSUs and can take normal sized expansion cards so you aren't limited to low-profile. I'm not exactly thrilled by the included PSU, but at least it can be replaced more easily.[/QUOTE]

actually yeah, Cause My issue is really how high it is. but looks like i can lay that down. I like. thanks for the recommendation!!
 
See, good thing you guys are here to help me out! :D

Now, with my HDD it has XP. Is that going to be a problem with some of the newer games? Is there a cheap way to upgrade XP to Vista or what?
 
You're not going to be able to just pull that drive and have everything work. You're going to have to reinstall XP. However, I don't know if that is going to be possible or not in your situation. If you have a separate Windows XP disc that came with your old desktop, you should be able to install XP without too much trouble (maybe have to make a call to MS to let you reactivate Windows on another computer). If you just have a recovery disc or no recovery discs and just a partition on the hard drive, then I don't think you're going to be able to reinstall XP.

If that's the case you're probably best off just buying a copy of Windows 7. You can get it from Newegg here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Or if you're a college student you can check your bookstore if they're selling it, you usually can get it cheap there. Or you can get it for $65 if you have a .edu email address here: http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx
 
so I dont know that this is the right thread, but i like and trust those who post here so im gonna give it a shot.
I want a new monitor, i have an older 22" that isnt very good. backlight is terrible, its difficult to make adjustments and its been bothering my eyes as ive been spending a lot more time in front of it. the blacks are also, absolutely terrible and it kills me.

so id like to stick close to $200 and 22"-24"

i bought a samsung b2330 and im not sold on it. the adjustments are kinda odd and im not able to dial in as id like. its either too bright or washed out. also a lot of the settings disable other settings.

anyway , I picked it up for $200, it doesnt have hdmi or pass audio through, both id like to have but arent necessary. No need for super accurate colors as im not that into photo editing but all things equal more accuracy is better of course.

any advice?
 
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[quote name='paz9x']so I dont know that this is the right thread, but i like and trust those who post here so im gonna give it a shot.
I want a new monitor, i have an older 22" that isnt very good. backlight is terrible, its difficult to make adjustments and its been bothering my eyes as ive been spending a lot more time in front of it. the blacks are also, absolutely terrible and it kills me.

so id like to stick close to $200 and 22"-24"

i bought a samsung b2330 and im not sold on it. the adjustments are kinda odd and im not able to dial in as id like. its either too bright or washed out. also a lot of the settings disable other settings.

anyway , I picked it up for $200, it doesnt have hdmi or pass audio through, both id like to have but arent necessary. No need for super accurate colors as im not that into photo editing but all things equal more accuracy is better of course.

any advice?[/QUOTE]

I have been eying this one for myself:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051
It is 21.5"
 
thanks guys. theres a 24" dell for $189 after coupon right now very tempting, theres a version best buy carries so im gonna go check it out, im pretty sure i saw it earlier and it didnt look as good as the samsung.

hows the brightness on those two?

i want a display that doesnt torch my eyes out but maintains good colors and detail. it seems like everything is just so bright.
 
Hey, MidBoss. Have you checked out my wish list? Is that a good setup? I'm saving up around $600 on those PC components for my new future gaming PC. Reply whenever you're online please. BTW, where can I find a cheaper heatsink and thermal paste to make the processor more cooler?
 
Ok, took a look at your wish list Sonic, and have a couple suggestions:

1) The motherboard you picked out uses DDR3 and the memory you have that you want to use is DDR2 so it isn't going to be compatible. I know memory prices suck right now, but you can at least get a 2gb set of DDR3 for ~50 or so. Which is around what you'd save if you follow suggestion 2...

2) I think you're probably spending a bit much on the case. If you're on a budget, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend more on the case than any other component in your system. I'd maybe look at something like this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

3) For a cooler, you could opt for the Cooler Master 212 here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
It's not terribly expensive and all the reviews I've seen have been fairly positive. As for thermal paste, I've only used Arctic Silver 5.

Otherwise it looks fine. I sort of prefer AMD right now, especially since you're going to have a few more upgrade options with their AM3 socket down the line. But I didn't want to completely redo your entire wish list.
 
[quote name='Mid Boss']Ok, took a look at your wish list Sonic, and have a couple suggestions:

1) The motherboard you picked out uses DDR3 and the memory you have that you want to use is DDR2 so it isn't going to be compatible. I know memory prices suck right now, but you can at least get a 2gb set of DDR3 for ~50 or so. Which is around what you'd save if you follow suggestion 2...

2) I think you're probably spending a bit much on the case. If you're on a budget, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend more on the case than any other component in your system. I'd maybe look at something like this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

3) For a cooler, you could opt for the Cooler Master 212 here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
It's not terribly expensive and all the reviews I've seen have been fairly positive. As for thermal paste, I've only used Arctic Silver 5.

Otherwise it looks fine. I sort of prefer AMD right now, especially since you're going to have a few more upgrade options with their AM3 socket down the line. But I didn't want to completely redo your entire wish list.[/QUOTE]

I made some changes to the list a bit. Though, I can't add a DDR3 2GB RAM 2-pack because it would exceed my target price limit.
 
[quote name='Mid Boss']That's really not something you can just drop, if you want to have a working computer. If you have to keep the costs down, then drop the CPU cooler for now and get the memory. Here's a 2GB set that isn't too expensive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148194[/QUOTE]

Ok, I got rid of the CPU cooler like you asked me to, and added the memory. It's $589.91 in total with the other components now.
 
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BTW, Mid Boss. Where can I find a cheaper copy of Windows 7 Home Premium after I buy all of the components? I want to save some extra cash on it afterwards a little later. I have $605 saved for my first Gaming PC Build.
 
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[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']It's a stickied thread :roll:[/QUOTE]

Well, I had to do it. This is thread is a ghost town because no one is responding....
 
Oh, okay. I guess I'll just leave this thread alone for a while. I'm gonna go search for deals on Windows 7. Maybe I can find one at under $99 or even 50 bucks if I'm lucky.
 
sonic check slickdeals.net ... if ur a student or know someone with a .edu address u can get for less then $40 if i remember correctly. would post link but responding from my phone.
 
[quote name='SonicChrono']Nevermind. I already found Windows 7 Ultimate 32/64-bit for $69 on eBay.[/QUOTE]

I used my alumni email address for my old college and got a copy of Windows 7 for under that. I won't be using it personally but I had a family member that needed it. I am currently enrolled in some engineer seminars but those are free and fit the criteria of the test for the deal.

http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/software/windows-7.aspx
 
[quote name='kube00']Im in the market for a new pc, who wants to update the builds?[/QUOTE]

whats your budget and your usage?
 
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