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

[quote name='MSI Magus'] So my two questions.

1. What do you guys think the odds are that D3 makes its quarter 3/4 targeted release? Usually id bet against it...but Blizzard seems to be getting better at getting their games out in a reasonable time frame.

2. When is the ideal time to upgrade? I know I want to wait till just a few months before the release of D3, but did not know if maybe there is a major graphics card/CPU or something else coming out at a specific time this year that will drive prices down. As I said I want to wait as long as possible, but want to make sure to get it a few months before D3 comes out and if possible at a time where I can get a solid price.[/QUOTE]

1. I don't think anyone can say for sure. Sorry ):
2. Well intel is coming out with its sandy bridge line up Q1, and AMD's bulldozer is....summer-ish? Might be some price drops but I haven't followed the market to know for sure. But both CPU companies are coming out with new stuff this year. I'd say wait til summer and see how AMD fares against intel.
GPU wise ATI released a bunch of their 6xxx cards, and Nvidia came out with their 580 card a month or two ago. Theres been some pretty good deals the last week on cards.

@Viva Las Vegas: if microcenter is anything like Frys, you might want to do research at home rather than asking their employees.

@wuerflein: I was using 2gb of ram with win7 for the longest time, and it wasn't bad. I did upgrade eventually though. DDR3 ram is super cheap nowadays, and if you have DDR2, you might want to buy it now before the prices go any higher. I paid double what I did before ):
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I meant more of once I have a list of what I should get expecting good advice in case I'm forgetting something or general help with alternative ideas. Yeah people's advice here for sure but also wanted to know if places like Microcenter are usually helpful or full of idiots like music shops.[/QUOTE]
You really have to assume anyone working retail doesn't know what they're talking about. You will get the odd few that are on top of stuff, but most retail employees are just there to collect a paycheck.

Pick your parts/do your research first, then go in with a gameplan.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I meant more of once I have a list of what I should get expecting good advice in case I'm forgetting something or general help with alternative ideas. Yeah people's advice here for sure but also wanted to know if places like Microcenter are usually helpful or full of idiots like music shops.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about other places, but the guys at my Microcenter seem to be somewhat knowledgeable about the parts they sell.
 
[quote name='docvinh']I don't know about other places, but the guys at my Microcenter seem to be somewhat knowledgeable about the parts they sell.[/QUOTE]

Viva has a point. You have to also assume that they won't give you the best route to take since they will be pushing their products. So while they may be knowledgeable they will be more inclined to line their pockets then to truly help you out.
 
[quote name='wuerflein']Haven't upgraded in a long time, so I'm a little out of the loop.

Can I get away with 2GB of ram for gaming anymore, or do I need to start out with 4 after the move up to Windows 7?[/QUOTE]

I would NOT recommend running Windows 7 on anything less than 4gb. Memory has gotten really cheap lately you should find 4gb for well under $100.
 
[quote name='Megazell']Viva has a point. You have to also assume that they won't give you the best route to take since they will be pushing their products. So while they may be knowledgeable they will be more inclined to line their pockets then to truly help you out.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I definitely agree, I'm just saying they seem more knowledgeable then the average salesperson at Best Buy.:) The Microcenter here (Denver) is the first place that I've been that seems more likely to just want to help you rather then sell you things you don't really need.
 
OK I'm ready for advice on a game plan. I am a total rookie, added ram once ages ago and that is the extent of my computer build know how. My needs are a computer to do XNA stuff for the 360 and PC. My budget is $500 (a little flexible). In another thread some one recomended the following but asked other CAGs to verify.
INTEL ROUTE ( more expensive / no difference otherwise imo )

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...258&CatId=5205

And here is a graphics card that you said you needed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161334 ( this will do what you need it to do easily :D )

TOTAL :
before rebates 559.98
after rebates 519.98

AMD ROUTE ( cheaper / no difference otherwise imo )

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...8910&CatId=332

And here is a graphics card that you said you needed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161334 ( this will do what you need it to do easily :D )

TOTAL :

Before Rebates : 490.98
After Rebates : 450.98
Click to expand...

Please feel free to chime in with back up parts and if you think I'd assume I need to buy a fan or certain cable - don't. Let me know exactly anything to consider or not to forget. One last question (for now) is the recommended brands in the first post good to go by? I'm gonna take your recommendations and make a list and if Microcenter has it all for roughly the same price as online maybe go there and get it all. MANY thanks in advance for all the help!!!
 
I've been looking around and just wanna toss this out there
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...rive/1600453.p?id=1218272178297&skuId=1600453
Basically if I bought that (or something similar) and put in the Radeon Sapphire 5670 wouldn't I end up with basically the same power as building my own minus the fear of fucking up my build? This considering I'd have to buy Windows 7 on one I would build and the video card with the pre built one. Am I flawed in this? Thanks.

P.S. fixed link
 
Last edited by a moderator:
^ link is broke

and honestly...i built my first computer this weekend with NO (no exaggeration) prior experience. It's not even "building" it. Really all you do is follow the instructions for everything...it's like legos. There is a full guide on Tom's hardware, and honestly it was literally one of the greatest feelings in the world putting everything together and seeing it turn on for the first time.......ahhhhh
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I've been looking around and just wanna toss this out there
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...rive/1600453.p?id=1218272178297&skuId=1600453
Basically if I bought that (or something similar) and put in the Radeon Sapphire 5670 wouldn't I end up with basically the same power as building my own minus the fear of fucking up my build? This considering I'd have to buy Windows 7 on one I would build and the video card with the pre built one. Am I flawed in this? Thanks.

P.S. fixed link[/QUOTE]

Well you need to find how much your power supply can handle. A 5670 is pretty light on power usage so you'll probably be fine. That said that the pc you linked is pretty bad. I wouldn't recommend it.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']Why is it bad?[/QUOTE]

its over priced for old technology. E5500 for the CPU, ddr 2 for the ram, integrated graphics... not to mention the case is kind of girly.

the ddr 2 ram, you could live with that. but the CPU is very old and your system is going to rely on that more than it is an upgraded GPU.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I've been looking around and just wanna toss this out there
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...rive/1600453.p?id=1218272178297&skuId=1600453
Basically if I bought that (or something similar) and put in the Radeon Sapphire 5670 wouldn't I end up with basically the same power as building my own minus the fear of fucking up my build? This considering I'd have to buy Windows 7 on one I would build and the video card with the pre built one. Am I flawed in this? Thanks.

P.S. fixed link[/QUOTE]

ok check it out. had a little time at work...

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19066767

$580 before tax/shipping.

Case
500w PSU
68 in 1 Memory Card Reader
CD/DVD Burner
1TB HDD
4 GB DDR3 RAM (its more than the mobo takes, but that's no problem, the mobo will cap it)
Q8400 2.66 Quad Core CPU (still old, but faster than an E5500)
Radeon HD 5670 GPU
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
ASUS USB Wireless N Adapter


Not a bad build if I do say so myself, even includes the OS!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks Ramstoria. Very much appreciated. I've been spending way too much time today trying to figure out what to do. Since my last suggestion was a bad one I did some more looking and found this:
http://www.jr.com/gateway/pe/GTW_DX484037/
Could I add the Radeon 5670 http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Rade...SDNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294354919&sr=8-1 to this? Only $50 at Amazon. The Gateway's power supply is 300W. The plus for me if this will be good is it has wireless built in, keyboard, & mouse that I'd have to buy if I build. Also the lack of me building it.
Ramstoria glad you showed me the OS and that it was only $99. I kept thinking, shit $199 for the OS, no way I could build one and keep it cheap.
Alright I'll wait for some responses and try not to clutter this thread up anymore. Many thanks again.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']Thanks Ramstoria. Very much appreciated. I've been spending way too much time today trying to figure out what to do. Since my last suggestion was a bad one I did some more looking and found this:
http://www.jr.com/gateway/pe/GTW_DX484037/
Could I add the Radeon 5670 http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Rade...SDNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294354919&sr=8-1 to this? Only $50 at Amazon. The Gateway's power supply is 300W. The plus for me if this will be good is it has wireless built in, keyboard, & mouse that I'd have to buy if I build. Also the lack of me building it.
Ramstoria glad you showed me the OS and that it was only $99. I kept thinking, shit $199 for the OS, no way I could build one and keep it cheap.
Alright I'll wait for some responses and try not to clutter this thread up anymore. Many thanks again.[/QUOTE]

while the i5 is a newer chipset, that's still only a dual-core processor. the one i build is a quad-core.

the 5670 recommends at least a 400w PSU, so you'd have to upgrade that as well.

is there a reason why youre stuck on buying a prebuilt pc? the one i built is the cheaper than this one, only slightly more than the one at best buy and better than both. throw in a wireless n adapter like this and its a $600 system.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']while the i5 is a newer chipset, that's still only a dual-core processor. the one i build is a quad-core.

the 5670 recommends at least a 400w PSU, so you'd have to upgrade that as well.

is there a reason why youre stuck on buying a prebuilt pc? the one i built is the cheaper than this one, only slightly more than the one at best buy and better than both. throw in a wireless n adapter like this and its a $600 system.[/QUOTE]

I'm not so much stuck on a prebuilt as I am afraid of fucking up building one. After I last posted I realized the power supply isn't enough on the prebuilt. I'm very much leaning towards your build. Is there any parts if I wanted to spend a a few more dollars on your build you'd recommend getting instead? I didn't know when you put it together cost was the #1 factor.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I'm not so much stuck on a prebuilt as I am afraid of fucking up building one. After I last posted I realized the power supply isn't enough on the prebuilt. I'm very much leaning towards your build. Is there any parts if I wanted to spend a a few more dollars on your build you'd recommend getting instead? I didn't know when you put it together cost was the #1 factor.[/QUOTE]

its surprisingly easy to put together a PC. i mean, you have to make an effort to fuck it up. more times than not if it doesnt work out, its the hardware, not the user.

as for the build, there's really nothing i would say change. you could look for a mobo that would handle the ddr3 1600, but you're not going to notice a difference in the speed, so you might as well not bother. also, if you notice i added a wireless adapter on the wish list. new price is $605.
 
[quote name='wuerflein']Haven't upgraded in a long time, so I'm a little out of the loop.

Can I get away with 2GB of ram for gaming anymore, or do I need to start out with 4 after the move up to Windows 7?[/QUOTE]

you can run 32 bit windows 7 with 1 - 3gb and 64 bit windows 7 with 4gb and up. most of new computers have 64 bit windows 7.
 
[quote name='bredbu']How does this look guys? does it all look compatible? especially the ssd i dont know how to tell if those are compatible? also will this play current games with this setup? and what else will i need to buy to put it together is there like glue or gel or screws or something? if so where would i buy those?

Oh and do i need extra fans or anything it says this case only has 1 is that enough


SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222L LightScribe Support - OEM
COOLER MASTER RC-P100-RKR1 Red / Black Steel / Plastic / mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with eXtreme Power Plus 550W Power ...
ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)[/QUOTE]


very ugly case
 
Hey guys,

After 8 years I'm finally going to build a PC again (been using laptops from Dell for a long time. But these freaking Steam sales, grr! ;) ).

Anywho, I've got a case, PSU, ram, and optical drive enroute.

Case: Lian Li K-58W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112238)
PSU: 600W Corsair
RAM: G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 PC1333
Optical Drive: Liteon Blu-Ray / DVD-R combo drive

I'm dragging my heels a little bit to see what the prices on the Sandy Bridge stuff is like. If NewEgg / Amazon sells them for close to Intel's MSRP, I think I'll go with the Core i5 2500K and an ASUS P8P67 MB. If everything seems really inflated, I might drop down to a Core i5 760. Not sure yet on that. It would be nice if any place would even have those Sandy Bridge Processors listed to have any idea what they're going to sell for. Intel says the CPU should be $216, but Microcenter with their sale says the normal price is $250. Yuck.

Anyway, really trying to figure out what video card to get. I think the Radeon 5770 would do me well. I'll have this thing hooked up to my 720p TV, so resolutions are not a huge concern. I'm kind of stuck on whether this Video card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2898&cm_re=radeon_5770-_-14-102-898-_-Product ($130 after rebate) is worth the premium of this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1338&cm_re=radeon_5770-_-14-161-338-_-Product ($100 after rebate).

Any thoughts? Thanks!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm building a Sandy Bridge PC soon, just wondering how this build holds up. My main use is just heavy gaming. I want it to be somewhat future proof (3+ years?) I also have to buy a monitor, which I'm not skimping on. I have a budget of about 1500. I don't have any parts to reuse except mouse and keyboard.

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM $19.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive 69.99
SAMSUNG XL2370-1 Charcoal Gray 23" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor Slim Design 289.99
TP-LINK TL-WN781ND PCI Express Wireless Adapter 19.99
SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 299.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified 89.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) 89.99
ASUS P8P67 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $159.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core 224.99
COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 79.99


Some questions. Will the 6950 I chose fit in the cool master case? Should I wait for the 560 GTX and stick with Nvidia? Can I get away with with less W on my PSU? Or do I need more? I don't plan on putting in two cards. Finally, is this RAM decent? Neogaf recommends it frequently. I don't have a account over there though.

Any better parts to save money and not sacrifice much would be helpful also. Thanks!
 
daroga:
I'd also put in a nod for the GTX460 over the 5770, though if you're going with the GTX460, go with a 1GB card, since the 768MB cards are "lesser" cards with slight downgrades to the GPU. It's a little more future-proofing when you replace your 720p TV with a 1080p once, since a GTX460 1GB will work with just about anything at 1920 x 1080, even with the detail cranked down a bit.

If you can spare the money on a Sandy Bridge system, I'd certainly make the jump to one of those over a 1st gen i5 system. The increases are well worth the expense. Again, more future-proofing, though you can't add in a Sandy Bridge CPU to a 1st gen Core i5 motherboard.

Calamityuponthee:
Wait out the GTX560, if nothing else for comparisons to the 6950.

I was very close to getting the 6950 for my SFF PC (need a 9" card or smaller) and had heard about what the GTX560 might do compared to a 6950, so wanted to wait it out for a couple of weeks until the 20th.

If you don't plan to do SLI, you should be more than OK with a 650W PSU, though do you have any reason to think about slimming down to a PSU with less wattage? For SLI / Crossfire, I'd make sure you had an 800W PSU, to make sure you had more then enough overheard for additional drives and the like down the road.
 
Hi, I have a noob question. I just got a new decide that can use the wireless network, thing is there are several things connected to this network so it conflicts with my new device, now I need to set the IP manually, how would I do this without it conflicting with other decides?
 
[quote name='shrike4242']daroga:
I'd also put in a nod for the GTX460 over the 5770, though if you're going with the GTX460, go with a 1GB card, since the 768MB cards are "lesser" cards with slight downgrades to the GPU. It's a little more future-proofing when you replace your 720p TV with a 1080p once, since a GTX460 1GB will work with just about anything at 1920 x 1080, even with the detail cranked down a bit.

If you can spare the money on a Sandy Bridge system, I'd certainly make the jump to one of those over a 1st gen i5 system. The increases are well worth the expense. Again, more future-proofing, though you can't add in a Sandy Bridge CPU to a 1st gen Core i5 motherboard.[/QUOTE]Thanks for the advice! I did end up getting with the 5770. Everything I read about them said that the 460 said that it was totally the way to go for SLI over the 5770's lack-luster Crossfire. But, on its own, the 5770 seemed to be more bang for the buck. And I got a decent deal from NewEgg this weekend on the Gigabyte Super OverClock version.

But, I did go with Sandy Bridge (i5 2500k). I could only afford to future proof one end of the system, and I think it'll be easier to buy a new video card down the line than, as you said, replace the mother board and processor.

Everything should be here on Friday. I'm jazzed! :)
 
Ok a little vid card input from my CAG friends please!!

Here is the card I have
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130080

There are two on sale from newegg I was looking at they are
Nvidia
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14121390-L021A
ATI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14121363-L021B

Which would i really notice a jump. also about the "bit" on a vid card how does that compare? I believe my current is 320 while the newer ones are 192 and 128bit. Thanks
 
[quote name='shrike4242']daroga:
I'd also put in a nod for the GTX460 over the 5770, though if you're going with the GTX460, go with a 1GB card, since the 768MB cards are "lesser" cards with slight downgrades to the GPU. It's a little more future-proofing when you replace your 720p TV with a 1080p once, since a GTX460 1GB will work with just about anything at 1920 x 1080, even with the detail cranked down a bit.

If you can spare the money on a Sandy Bridge system, I'd certainly make the jump to one of those over a 1st gen i5 system. The increases are well worth the expense. Again, more future-proofing, though you can't add in a Sandy Bridge CPU to a 1st gen Core i5 motherboard.

Calamityuponthee:
Wait out the GTX560, if nothing else for comparisons to the 6950.

I was very close to getting the 6950 for my SFF PC (need a 9" card or smaller) and had heard about what the GTX560 might do compared to a 6950, so wanted to wait it out for a couple of weeks until the 20th.

If you don't plan to do SLI, you should be more than OK with a 650W PSU, though do you have any reason to think about slimming down to a PSU with less wattage? For SLI / Crossfire, I'd make sure you had an 800W PSU, to make sure you had more then enough overheard for additional drives and the like down the road.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice, I will wait for the GTX 560.

I don't know much about cases.. will those cards fit in a medium sized tower or do I need a full?
 
[quote name='MiNuN']Hi, I have a noob question. I just got a new decide that can use the wireless network, thing is there are several things connected to this network so it conflicts with my new device, now I need to set the IP manually, how would I do this without it conflicting with other decides?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='MiNuN']Research

Google made things convenient...[/QUOTE]

just to note, this is a "build a PC" thread.
 
[quote name='Stry-ker']Ok a little vid card input from my CAG friends please!!

Here is the card I have
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130080

There are two on sale from newegg I was looking at they are
Nvidia
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14121390-L021A
ATI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14121363-L021B

Which would i really notice a jump. also about the "bit" on a vid card how does that compare? I believe my current is 320 while the newer ones are 192 and 128bit. Thanks[/QUOTE]

As Shrike replied to someone else, the GTX 460 would get my vote for superior card of the two. Though chip in the extra $5 and get the 1gb version

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121413&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-121-413-_-Product

In benchmarks, the 460 seems to be at least a 100% improvement over what you have. But it kinda depends on what you are trying to run, the resolution, and the rest of your system to say what kind of gains you would get out of spending the money.
 
Hi everyone! A friend of mine bought Civ V, and assumed his PC could run it. Unfortunately, that's not the case. His PC is pretty old.

So now he's interested in building a new PC that will run it, but is not looking to build a monster gaming machine. Just something that can handle Civ V.

I offered to help him put something together, but it's been a long time since I've custom built a PC. I also always get confused about which motherboard works with which CPU, how much power the PC needs, and how to connect the CPU to the MOBO, wtc...

I always get great advice here, so.... here I am :)

So if I wanted to build a PC that could run CIV V, but not bust the bank, what would you recommend? Should I stick to recommended requirements, or can I go with minimum? I've listed both below. I like to use newegg.com, so here's what I came up with. I'm sure half of it isn't even compatible. :(

Thanks for any help!!

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138179
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134812
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121360
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119217
Power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171053

What I'm struggling with is figuring out what kind of hard drive and DVD drive is compatible with the motherboard.

System requirements
Requirements:

Minimum:

Windows XP SP3
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.0Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
8 GB free disk space
DVD Drive for disc-based installation
256 MB ATI 2600 XT/nVidia 7900 GS video card, or Core i3 integrated graphics
DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Internet connection for authentication

Recommended:

Windows Vista SP2/Windows 7
1.8 GHz Quad Core Processor
4 GB RAM
8 GB free disk space
DVD Drive
512 MB ATI 4800/nVidia 9800 or better video card
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Trusty Mutsi']Hi everyone! A friend of mine bought Civ V, and assumed his PC could run it. Unfortunately, that's not the case. His PC is pretty old.

So now he's interested in building a new PC that will run it, but is not looking to build a monster gaming machine. Just something that can handle Civ V.

I offered to help him put something together, but it's been a long time since I've custom built a PC. I also always get confused about which motherboard works with which CPU, how much power the PC needs, and how to connect the CPU to the MOBO, wtc...

I always get great advice here, so.... here I am :)

So if I wanted to build a PC that could run CIV V, but not bust the bank, what would you recommend? Should I stick to recommended requirements, or can I go with minimum? I've listed both below. I like to use newegg.com, so here's what I came up with. I'm sure half of it isn't even compatible. :(

Thanks for any help!!

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138179
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134812
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121360
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119217
Power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171053

What I'm struggling with is figuring out what kind of hard drive and DVD drive is compatible with the motherboard.

System requirements
Requirements:

Minimum:

Windows XP SP3
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.0Ghz Processor
2 GB RAM
8 GB free disk space
DVD Drive for disc-based installation
256 MB ATI 2600 XT/nVidia 7900 GS video card, or Core i3 integrated graphics
DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
Internet connection for authentication

Recommended:

Windows Vista SP2/Windows 7
1.8 GHz Quad Core Processor
4 GB RAM
8 GB free disk space
DVD Drive
512 MB ATI 4800/nVidia 9800 or better video card[/QUOTE]

generally speaking you want to be around the recommended requirements, not the minimum.


your build is a little odd. you have a case with a PSU included, but then also add a $100 PSU.

the CPU and mobo will work together.

any hard drive and dvd drive will work with the mobo, its virtually impossible to get one that incompatible.

your GPU, CPU and RAM are all going to work with what you put together, but its some pretty old technology you go there. i would drop the extra PSU, get a slightly cheaper case and upgrade those 3 things. you should be able to do that without significantly increasing your budget (maybe not increasing it at all).
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']generally speaking you want to be around the recommended requirements, not the minimum.


your build is a little odd. you have a case with a PSU included, but then also add a $100 PSU.

the CPU and mobo will work together.

any hard drive and dvd drive will work with the mobo, its virtually impossible to get one that incompatible.

your GPU, CPU and RAM are all going to work with what you put together, but its some pretty old technology you go there. i would drop the extra PSU, get a slightly cheaper case and upgrade those 3 things. you should be able to do that without significantly increasing your budget (maybe not increasing it at all).[/QUOTE]

How's this then?

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811148055
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138179
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231310
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130395
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702
DVD Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136522
 
[quote name='Calamityuponthee']Thanks for the advice, I will wait for the GTX 560.

I don't know much about cases.. will those cards fit in a medium sized tower or do I need a full?[/QUOTE]You're fine with what you have for a case. All of the cards I mentioned won't be an issue for your case.

My case, is a SFF (small form factor) case and it won't take a video card longer than 9". Case in question is here (though I upgraded the PSU on my own with the same PSU is in this case):

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=SG06-450&area=

That's why I'm limited to a 9" long card, which the best options are the GTX460 (and soon to be GTX560, I hope) and Radeon 6950.

There's another case that Silverstone sells, the SG07, which allows for 12" long graphics cards and comes with a 600W PSU.

[quote name='gnargnargnar']As Shrike replied to someone else, the GTX 460 would get my vote for superior card of the two. Though chip in the extra $5 and get the 1gb version

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1413&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-121-413-_-Product

In benchmarks, the 460 seems to be at least a 100% improvement over what you have. But it kinda depends on what you are trying to run, the resolution, and the rest of your system to say what kind of gains you would get out of spending the money.[/QUOTE]Well worth the extra $5 for the 1GB version, yes. No question there.
 
[quote name='gnargnargnar']As Shrike replied to someone else, the GTX 460 would get my vote for superior card of the two. Though chip in the extra $5 and get the 1gb version

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1413&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-121-413-_-Product

In benchmarks, the 460 seems to be at least a 100% improvement over what you have. But it kinda depends on what you are trying to run, the resolution, and the rest of your system to say what kind of gains you would get out of spending the money.[/QUOTE]

I'd be a bit more careful here, though. The 1 GB version you linked to is the SE, which is a more gimped version of the original 460 1GB/768MB versions (288 vs. 336 CUDA cores, different clocks). I don't know of the performance comparisons off-hand, but I just wanted to make things more clear here since the benchmarks between the two 1GB versions are likely not at all the same.
 
Well if I can keep in the range of 150 Ish (rebates a bonus ;). ) just looking to push my pc little longer. Currently I have
4gb ddr2 ram
Phenom ii x4 940 3.0
8800gts 640mb evga
Windows 7
 
[quote name='Stry-ker']Well if I can keep in the range of 150 Ish (rebates a bonus ;). ) just looking to push my pc little longer. Currently I have
4gb ddr2 ram
Phenom ii x4 940 3.0
8800gts 640mb evga
Windows 7[/QUOTE]

really, upping the video card would probably be the easiest/cheapest/most beneficial thing to do.
 
@Calamityuponthee

If you are going with sli in the future with your current mobo Asus P8P67. You will be limited to dual x8. But if you are going with 560 you are fine.

CM 690 2 Advanced will have the room. The case support 11.97", any card over 11 inches will have problems. It depends where the power connection is located. A gtx 580 is 10.63" can't find 560 length.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']really, upping the video card would probably be the easiest/cheapest/most beneficial thing to do.[/QUOTE]

I did just do the CPU. Just looking to get a more current vid without breaking the bank
 
[quote name='gte206w']I'd be a bit more careful here, though. The 1 GB version you linked to is the SE, which is a more gimped version of the original 460 1GB/768MB versions (288 vs. 336 CUDA cores, different clocks). I don't know of the performance comparisons off-hand, but I just wanted to make things more clear here since the benchmarks between the two 1GB versions are likely not at all the same.[/QUOTE]Good catch. This might be a better option, at $160 AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500169

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']really, upping the video card would probably be the easiest/cheapest/most beneficial thing to do.[/QUOTE]No question there, especially with gaming figured into the mix.

[quote name='retro.elite']@Calamityuponthee

If you are going with sli in the future with your current mobo Asus P8P67. You will be limited to dual x8. But if you are going with 560 you are fine.

CM 690 2 Advanced will have the room. The case support 11.97", any card over 11 inches will have problems. It depends where the power connection is located. A gtx 580 is 10.63" can't find 560 length.[/QUOTE]Wait a couple of weeks and the GTX560 should be out, with length on display for all to see. Since it's supposed to be a 460-type card, there should be some 9" models for my needs, and for Calamityuponthee, he won't have any worries with his case.
 
Alright new question, I currently have a 8800gts which Id like to put in girlfriends pc. When I built hers I only put in a 400w supply thinkin its sufficient enough for her gamin needs. Now I went and got her hooked, so i was gonna replace her 8500gt with my 8800 gts. The minimum watts required is 400. Will that work for now or will i have to replace that right away?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171042

I believe that is the PSU

Also the Psu is 16amps. On the low side I know.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top