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

no clue if i'm even posting this in the right spot because all of this PC business is completely alien to me, but i was wondering how i should go about getting a gaming computer. would it be better to buy a premade one or assemble it myself? if so where can i learn how to assemble a pc and what would be the most reccomended parts? price is also a huge factor...we're talkin college kid with a minimum wage job and a girlfriend type of budget. any suggestion?
 
[quote name='beachbum662']no clue if i'm even posting this in the right spot because all of this PC business is completely alien to me, but i was wondering how i should go about getting a gaming computer. would it be better to buy a premade one or assemble it myself? if so where can i learn how to assemble a pc and what would be the most reccomended parts? price is also a huge factor...we're talkin college kid with a minimum wage job and a girlfriend type of budget. any suggestion?[/QUOTE]


Building your own PC will ensure the cheapest price. I would encourage you to wait for the summer sales to start rolling out (July/August).

Start researching and read this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601.html

It is not hard to build your own, but it will require you to be a little tech savvy.
 
So far I'm looking at:

Intel Pentium G850 Dual-Core 2.9GHz
BIOSTAR H61MGC Intel H61 LGA1155
G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz
Radeon HD 6850 1GB
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB SATA III
Sony SATA 24X DVD Burner
Antec VP-450 450W
Cooler Master HAF 912 2 x 120mm case fans
Logitech X-140 2.0 5W Speakers

For a monitor I'm looking at the Acer S200HLAbd but I'm not married to that.

This will come to about $620. Not sure if Amazon has tax in my state, but I do have prime so free shipping. Does this seem like a good price? Is there something worth waiting for or do prices go down at certain times? Is there anything else I'm forgetting?
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Yeah double post.
Has anyone had luck on craigslist? I see a few that look reasonable, but don't know how safe it is.
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/3049703313.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/3069822321.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/3063390090.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/3020774841.html

Any advice on any of these?[/QUOTE]

Say no to all of those. For some reason they all have really terrible CPUs and one of them has a pretty good gfx card with crap everything else. Just note that AMD is cheaper than Intel, but it comes at the cost of speed.

If you are looking for an Intel chip, i5 sandy bridge is the best bang. AMD FX series is the new one, but the X2 for its price can still hang for gaming.
 
Good news is that the price of the Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3s has dropped to $79.99 on Newegg.

Bad news... These F3s are now rebranded Seagate drives. I'm not a big fan of Seagate. The original F3s I can definitely vouch for though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...52185&RandomID=284641746614422520120612024655

edit: Also, recently built my "dream" machine. Had enough of AMD/ATI and went Nvidia and Intel.

Intel Core i7 2600k
EVGA Nvidia GTX 670 2048MB
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3 1600
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
ASRock Z77E-ITX Motherboard
LIAN LI PC-TU200B Black Case

First time dealing with a small form factor build, but overall very happy with the outcome. The hard drive is definitely the bottleneck, but I'm not quite sold on SSDs just yet.
 
[quote name='j-cart']Say no to all of those. For some reason they all have really terrible CPUs and one of them has a pretty good gfx card with crap everything else. Just note that AMD is cheaper than Intel, but it comes at the cost of speed.

If you are looking for an Intel chip, i5 sandy bridge is the best bang. AMD FX series is the new one, but the X2 for its price can still hang for gaming.[/QUOTE]

Damn, thanks. I guess my expectations were wrong, but I was really hoping I could put something decent together for $500 but it doesn't seem to be working out that way.
 
[quote name='option.iv']
edit: Also, recently built my "dream" machine. Had enough of AMD/ATI and went Nvidia and Intel.

Intel Core i7 2600k
EVGA Nvidia GTX 670 2048MB
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3 1600
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
ASRock Z77E-ITX Motherboard
LIAN LI PC-TU200B Black Case

First time dealing with a small form factor build, but overall very happy with the outcome. The hard drive is definitely the bottleneck, but I'm not quite sold on SSDs just yet.[/QUOTE]


Just got an SSD, the size isnt big enough to store all of your games, but they certainly are great for running all of your applications. I'm jelly about your PC specs, I'll trade you my 470 for your 670 :)

What is happening to your other PC?
 
[quote name='option.iv']Good news is that the price of the Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3s has dropped to $79.99 on Newegg.

Bad news... These F3s are now rebranded Seagate drives. I'm not a big fan of Seagate. The original F3s I can definitely vouch for though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...52185&RandomID=284641746614422520120612024655

edit: Also, recently built my "dream" machine. Had enough of AMD/ATI and went Nvidia and Intel.

Intel Core i7 2600k
EVGA Nvidia GTX 670 2048MB
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3 1600
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
ASRock Z77E-ITX Motherboard
LIAN LI PC-TU200B Black Case

First time dealing with a small form factor build, but overall very happy with the outcome. The hard drive is definitely the bottleneck, but I'm not quite sold on SSDs just yet.[/QUOTE]
Nice build, I recently got a 670 and it's amazing. If you don't mind, could you post internal pics of your build? Want to get an idea of how much room is in that case with all that in there.
 
[quote name='j-cart']Just got an SSD, the size isnt big enough to store all of your games, but they certainly are great for running all of your applications. I'm jelly about your PC specs, I'll trade you my 470 for your 670 :)

What is happening to your other PC?[/QUOTE]
It's going to stay strictly for media and anything else. My new rig is solely for gaymeng.

[quote name='pizzaflavoredpudding']Nice build, I recently got a 670 and it's amazing. If you don't mind, could you post internal pics of your build? Want to get an idea of how much room is in that case with all that in there.[/QUOTE]
I'll try but honestly there isn't much room, especially with the power supply I chose. If I were to do it again, I would choose a modular psu, because the extra cords get in the way. There is a small area underneath the power supply and to the side of the pci-e card where I can put the unused cords and where air doesn't flow. So far the air flow is fine as there is space between the PSU and the mobo with one big case fan in the front to facilitate. My system definitely runs cooler than my old one (most likely because it isn't pushing as hard). To get a good idea of the size of the case and what I had to work with, it's almost the same exact size as those smaller starter guitar amps. That's the first thing that came to other people's minds when they first saw it.
 
Once again guys, Stay far, far, far, far, far away from anything made by XFX.

Those retards have deleted my XFX online account. I can no longer login. I've changed the password 5 times, and i can not log in now. I angered them, because i wanted them to RMA their broken product. I had used that login for two weeks, and now it's gone.

They delete accounts if you anger them.
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Any input on the build listed here? http://www.gamersnexus.net/pc-builds/46-pcbuildupg/824-budget-gaming-pc-build-apr12

The MB is no longer available, what would be an equivalent?[/QUOTE]

If you want any other suggestions for around that price range:

~$521, $476 after rebates.

Motherboard, Case, GPU, PSU, HDD, DVD Drive
CPU & RAM

[quote name='option.iv']
I'll try but honestly there isn't much room, especially with the power supply I chose. If I were to do it again, I would choose a modular psu, because the extra cords get in the way. There is a small area underneath the power supply and to the side of the pci-e card where I can put the unused cords and where air doesn't flow. So far the air flow is fine as there is space between the PSU and the mobo with one big case fan in the front to facilitate. My system definitely runs cooler than my old one (most likely because it isn't pushing as hard). To get a good idea of the size of the case and what I had to work with, it's almost the same exact size as those smaller starter guitar amps. That's the first thing that came to other people's minds when they first saw it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, was considering the case before and was just curious.
 
[quote name='pizzaflavoredpudding']If you want any other suggestions for around that price range:

~$521, $476 after rebates.
[/QUOTE]

Wow thanks. Would that get me into current games at medium setting?
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Wow thanks. Would that get me into current games at medium setting?[/QUOTE]
Easily, if you want to spend just a tiny bit more on a GPU though, you can look at a 6850/6870/GTX 560. The GTX 460 v2 is a very capable card.

For the CPU, here's some benchmarks. It performs great in games when compared to other CPU's that are around $100 more than it:

Sandy Bridge Benchmarks

The i3-2120 is .2 GHz higher than the i3-2100. It outperforms AMD's 4/6/8 cores in pretty much all games too.
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']I think I may just pick up those parts.

Still need a monitor, should I just expect to pay $100 or are there better options?[/QUOTE]
Depends on the resolution you want to go for. If you want a 1920 x 1080 or greater monitor, expect to pay $100+. There are monitors under the $100 mark, but they'll have a lower resolution and smaller screen size.
 
[quote name='pizzaflavoredpudding']Depends on the resolution you want to go for. If you want a 1920 x 1080 or greater monitor, expect to pay $100+. There are monitors under the $100 mark, but they'll have a lower resolution and smaller screen size.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I guess it would be a waste to get a nice computer and have the games display at a lower res.
 
[quote name='pizzaflavoredpudding']If you want any other suggestions for around that price range:

~$521, $476 after rebates.

Motherboard, Case, GPU, PSU, HDD, DVD Drive
CPU & RAM


Thanks, was considering the case before and was just curious.[/QUOTE]

Thumbs up for this rig. I'm running a 2120 with a GTX 460 and while I haven't pushed it too far (only had the gpu for a week) it's run everything I've thrown at it like a champ ( D3, Portal 2, Metro 2033).
 
I would highly recommend either the Asus VH236H or Asus VH238H. Both are identical and the latter is LED backlit. These monitors are highly touted as perfect for the fighting game community (was once the EVO standard, still is by most). Right now they're $160, but they often drop to the $125-$130 mark. I have two VH236Hs, and one has lasted me for several years. Only con I can think of is that the speakers are ok and no component connection, but otherwise solid and no regrets.

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VH236H-2...F8&qid=1339557023&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+vh236h

http://www.amazon.com/VH238H-23-Inc...F8&qid=1339556943&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+vh238h
 
Does anyone know if it's ok to use the same drivers for the same series of card from the same maker? Installing Asus Nvidia drivers were a pain. :( thanks.
 
[quote name='Nekopanchi2012']Does anyone know if it's ok to use the same drivers for the same series of card from the same maker? Installing Asus Nvidia drivers were a pain. :( thanks.[/QUOTE]

If it's an NVIDIA card or NVIDIA integrated video, then the drivers from nvidia.com would work fine, if I'm understanding your question.
 
I worded it badly. What i mean is i have a GTX560 dc, because Walmart shipped me the wrong card. However i have the GTX560 DCII TOP coming in the mail. I'm wondering if both cards use the same latest 560 drivers. 0.0 I'm just hoping is all, because installing ASUS software was a bit finicky.

EDIT: After installing the TI it was definitely easier than going from an AMD card to an Nvidia one. I didn't have much trouble, but i did end up installing the drivers that came with the Ti.
 
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So I got everything (except GPU) today and started putting it together. The MB fits in the case except one of the 6 mounting screws doesn't line up. Will this be a problem if the other 5 line up fine?

Edit - Also I have this motherboard: http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=590
I assumed it would have some sort of wireless adpator built in but it's not connecting. Do I need to pick something up? I have a PCI Express slot, but I thought that was for the GPU?
 
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[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']So I got everything (except GPU) today and started putting it together. The MB fits in the case except one of the 6 mounting screws doesn't line up. Will this be a problem if the other 5 line up fine?

Edit - Also I have this motherboard: http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=590
I assumed it would have some sort of wireless adpator built in but it's not connecting. Do I need to pick something up? I have a PCI Express slot, but I thought that was for the GPU?[/QUOTE]


Most motherboards don't come with any sort of built in wireless. I didn't see it in the specs for yours either. You actually have 3 PCI Express slots on that one. A x16 one for your GPU and two smaller x1 ones that you could use for a PCI Express x1 Wireless Adapter Card or you could use a USB Wireless Adapter, newegg and amazon have a ton of both types.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Most motherboards don't come with any sort of built in wireless. I didn't see it in the specs for yours either. You actually have 3 PCI Express slots on that one. A x16 one for your GPU and two smaller x1 ones that you could use for a PCI Express x1 Wireless Adapter Card or you could use a USB Wireless Adapter, newegg and amazon have a ton of both types.[/QUOTE]

Ok, that's what I figured. I'll head out to Best Buy this morning. Otherwise the build went well.
 
For anyone building who has a Microcenter within an hour or two, it would be a good idea to look at their MB/CPU combos you can get. I know that I picked up the i5-3570 w/Gigabyte MB (think the U3DH, but it's early) for about $50 less than on Newegg AFTER taxes and my gas cost. Total cost was about $100 less. I know they have some similar deals on AMD MB/CPU combos. Their price on the i5-3570 was about $50 less than Newegg. Definitely worth a look online to see if they have what you want.
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Ok, that's what I figured. I'll head out to Best Buy this morning. Otherwise the build went well.[/QUOTE]

Glad to hear. I should probably upgrade my wireless adapter myself, thing is probably 7 years old now and not picking up the internet as fast as it should.

[quote name='jmbreci']For anyone building who has a Microcenter within an hour or two, it would be a good idea to look at their MB/CPU combos you can get. I know that I picked up the i5-3570 w/Gigabyte MB (think the U3DH, but it's early) for about $50 less than on Newegg AFTER taxes and my gas cost. Total cost was about $100 less. I know they have some similar deals on AMD MB/CPU combos. Their price on the i5-3570 was about $50 less than Newegg. Definitely worth a look online to see if they have what you want.[/QUOTE]


Microcenter has great combo prices, only problem with mine is it never had stock of what I wanted so I just went with new egg on mine.
 
Looking to build a machine. Nothing for gaming yet, just one for basic use(Web Browsing, Itunes, Word Processing etc.). Don't want to overspend by buying something I don't need or that surpasses my requirements. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
[quote name='Kidd Mischief']Looking to build a machine. Nothing for gaming yet, just one for basic use(Web Browsing, Itunes, Word Processing etc.). Don't want to overspend by buying something I don't need or that surpasses my requirements. Any help would be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Do you want to build it with the option of playing games down the line or simply build this strictly for basic use? I ask because you can build a base system for that and use on-board graphics for now, which would probably suffice for now but means you may want to think about a better processor. However you can definitely go cheaper to get by on that "basic use" system for now. Heck, you could spend about $500 and get a basic use system that would have some gaming capabilities. It really depends what you want to spend and if you think you will build a gaming system in the near future.
 
Hi! I don't really know that much about building computers (Anyone I ask usually just says "You just plug the stuff in", lol) and by that I really mean I don't know what a graphics card or things are (I mean, I know what they are, but I don't know brand-names or anything), so I figured I'd just ask my question here. How much would you estimate a PC would cost if I built it ground-up to run the Skyrim High Resolution Texture Pack without any lag? I was going to just add up whatever the stuff cost in the OP but like I said, I have no idea what components are even required for running Skyrim or what they're called. Thanks to anyone who can help out! Rough estimates are fine, I'm just trying to get an idea of how much it would cost.
 
[quote name='Vanillanowah']Hi! I don't really know that much about building computers (Anyone I ask usually just says "You just plug the stuff in", lol) and by that I really mean I don't know what a graphics card or things are (I mean, I know what they are, but I don't know brand-names or anything), so I figured I'd just ask my question here. How much would you estimate a PC would cost if I built it ground-up to run the Skyrim High Resolution Texture Pack without any lag? I was going to just add up whatever the stuff cost in the OP but like I said, I have no idea what components are even required for running Skyrim or what they're called. Thanks to anyone who can help out! Rough estimates are fine, I'm just trying to get an idea of how much it would cost.[/QUOTE]

If you want to head down this road let me give you some advice. Your questions need a bit more info? If someone would have told me that when I was in your shoes awhile back, I could have saved a lot of headache.

Here's a better wording for your question-
I want to run skyrim at 1080p w/ 35-45 fps with the high Res texture pac. I have 500 bucks.

Do you have anything already? Like a monitor at the house? Are you going to use a TV?

Your most expensive pieces are your processor and graphics card. I just bought an i5 ivy bridge for 190ish. And a 6870 double d for 140 after rebate.

Don't forget about little things like wireless cards if you want wireless.

If you are trying to look for good deals on things, you're best bet is to by things here and there when they are on sale.

And the other most important question is.....Do you live close to a micro center?

Hope that helped.
 
Thanks SC, like I said I don't know anything about building PCs so I figured I'd need to give more information. I would probably be hooking it up to my TV, if not the monitor I'm using right now (TV is just more comfortable, but I'd have to find a place for the tower) but either way, yes I do have something to plug it into. And those processor (i5 ivy bridge) and graphics card (6870 double d) are both high-end or low-end as far as prices?

I'll do exactly that, I don't really have the cash in full at the moment so it might be good to just have stuff sitting around.

Nope, no micro center.

It did! Thanks a ton!

I did have another question though, my current PC isn't really a monster or anything but it's good and has been able to run a lot of other stuff (I have an AMD Athlon II X2 215 Processor w/ 3.8 GB usable RAM, and an ATI Radeon HD 4250 video card). Would it be much cheaper to just buy certain components and upgrade the PC I have now? If so, what upgrades do you recommend? Thanks a ton!
 
[quote name='jmbreci']Do you want to build it with the option of playing games down the line or simply build this strictly for basic use? I ask because you can build a base system for that and use on-board graphics for now, which would probably suffice for now but means you may want to think about a better processor. However you can definitely go cheaper to get by on that "basic use" system for now. Heck, you could spend about $500 and get a basic use system that would have some gaming capabilities. It really depends what you want to spend and if you think you will build a gaming system in the near future.[/QUOTE]

This build would be primarily for basic use. Where should I start as far as MB's and CPU's go?
 
[quote name='Vanillanowah']I did have another question though, my current PC isn't really a monster or anything but it's good and has been able to run a lot of other stuff (I have an AMD Athlon II X2 215 Processor w/ 3.8 GB usable RAM, and an ATI Radeon HD 4250 video card). Would it be much cheaper to just buy certain components and upgrade the PC I have now? If so, what upgrades do you recommend? Thanks a ton![/QUOTE]
First it's important to know whether it's a prebuilt computer or not. If it is, say a Dell or something, then it's probably not feasible to upgrade. Prebuilt computer usually have awful cases and power supplies that will either not be large enough to fit newer, larger equipment (good GPUs take up hella space) or have shitty airflow and cooling (good CPUs/GPUs give off hella heat.) Or they're just awful to work in.

From some basic, quick Googling it looks like your processor is coming up to three years old, and was the slowest of the line. That means it's going to be the bottleneck if you replaced your other parts. If you want the latest games at 1080p/30FPS minimum, you'll need something with more juice.

The amount of RAM is ok, but the speed and type are more important. It should be DDR3, ideally 1333 or above. Lastly, your graphics card. This is baffling me, as I see results implying it's a mobile chipset. It could also be an integrated desktop graphics card, meaning it's the motherboard's built-in card. Either way, you'll need something new and modern.

With all of that out of the way, I'd suggest giving a looksie to this thread on NeoGAF. The OP has some good build suggestions. Start there, and keep reading. Take a few weeks to research the parts, see how they'll suit your needs, and go from there.
 
[quote name='Kidd Mischief']This build would be primarily for basic use. Where should I start as far as MB's and CPU's go?[/QUOTE]

Near a MicroCenter or doing this all online? If near a MicroCenter I definitely suggest one of the AMD MB combos. You could get something like the X4 3670 with a MB for about $165+tax and have on-board video to utilize, eventually upgrading to a separate video card later if you want. It is a slight overkill on the processor but it does save on the video card. I will say you can go cheaper but this is one idea I would consider if I was building a basic use PC.

You could also do something like a Pentium G530 or G620 and pickup a cheap 1155 MB for about $100 but you will also need a video card, which you can get fairly cheap. Look for the lowend AMD or nVidia card - like an AMD 6450 or nVidia 520. Again, you can go cheaper than those.

8GB of RAM will set you back about $35-40. Win 7 (or go with a Linux flavor if you want $0 for the OS) will be about $100. Case + Power Supply for about $40-75. I'm not even going there on that - it is a personal preference.

What else am I leaving out on with my sleep deprived mind? Oh, hard drive - you are on your own. Get a SATA drive at a size you prefer, ditto for the DVD drive ($20ish).

I'm ignoring KB, monitor, and mouse since they are all personal prefernces and I'm assuming you have them since you are replying here. :)

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. I can give other recommendations and MicroCenter has some great deals right now but most of the best deals are on a bit higher MB/CPU combos.
 
Thanks for the help, mate! Looking at the thread it's going to cost a lot more than I have, I was hoping for cheaper than what I was reading, but oh well. Guess I'll just stick to Skyrim on PS3, then. :D
 
You could always pickup a $300-400 laptop to serve your needs as well. I just got a 17" HP G6 for my wife for $430ish. Just another option instead of building.
 
Has anyone ever ordered a custom machine from NCIX? I do not currently have the time to teach myself how to build a PC and they seem to have the best price for what I'm looking for. I've looked at ibuypower, cyberpower, and few others but either the reviews were terrible or they didn't offer the components I want.

Currently, I am tempted by this: http://pc.ncix.com/ncixpc/ncixpc.cfm?uuid=DB80C0DC-A0B2-4EDA-B3856952D3914F95-4270267

Is that price about right? It's the GTX 680 card that most other places were missing so I keep coming back to NCIX.
 
[quote name='measureless']Has anyone ever ordered a custom machine from NCIX? I do not currently have the time to teach myself how to build a PC and they seem to have the best price for what I'm looking for. I've looked at ibuypower, cyberpower, and few others but either the reviews were terrible or they didn't offer the components I want.

Currently, I am tempted by this: http://pc.ncix.com/ncixpc/ncixpc.cfm?uuid=DB80C0DC-A0B2-4EDA-B3856952D3914F95-4270267

Is that price about right? It's the GTX 680 card that most other places were missing so I keep coming back to NCIX.[/QUOTE]

What games are you playing and at what resolution that makes you think you need a GTX 680? I mean, for fuck sakes, for about $1000 you can build a screaming machine without the liquid cooling that will give you about 95% of the performance of that machine. Take it to $1200-1300 and you have almost the same system by bumping up the video card.
 
I would suggest taking a look at the video card again as well. I mean the reality is that Video cards can randomly fail. Also a nice 250-$300 card will run mostly everything out at High to ultra settings at very good frame rates. (45 and above) If you're thinking that buying a $500 video card is going to last you more than 5 years without something happening to it "maybe" think again.

That card will only last all the years you would pay for if you use preventive maintenance every few months. If you're not comfortable with touching anything inside the machine i say don't spend that much on the card.
 
Has anyone used ASRock or Biostar motherboards? I've noticed that ASRock has won some customer choice awards on newegg, but I have only had experience with ASUS motherboards.
 
I'm running an ASRock board (ITX) in my rig atm. It's running fine. I assume it'll be fine in the long run since ASRock is just the child company of ASUS. I'll be sure to chime in if I have any problems. Though prior to this I was mainly a GIGABYTE sort of person.
 
I'm frustrated.

So, after I did my new build for my computer, I was planning on using the old parts for my wife's replacement computer. Worked great last time. But, this time I'm having an issue.

The old motherboard is throwing a CMOS checksum error when I try to boot it up. I've tried changing the battery and clearing the CMOS and that did nothing. I've pretty much ruled everything out except for motherboard, processor or memory.

The problem here is I can't see replacing any of that piecemeal. It is a 775 motherboard with DDR2, and there aren't any full sized 775 motherboards anymore. So, it would mean I have to toss all of these parts and spend another couple of hundred bucks to get a low-end AMD Llano processor, motherboard and new memory. Not something I really wanted to do now.

The urgency comes because my wife's current computer is unstable and reboots all the time. That, and I need to get Skype working on it so that she can talk to her sister in Spain.
 
I've made the choice to upgrade/build a new pc....I'm going from a P4 3.2ghz-4GB of ram-ATI X800 PRO to this planned build:


Computer build front runner!

** Motherboard -$ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

$140 -

$http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3r-_-Motherboards+-+Intel-_-ASRock-_-13157293

** Graphic card - $EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

$420 -$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

**memory -$G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

$47

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

**Power supply -$OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

$90-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

**HDD -$Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$120-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...yMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

**SSD -$OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

$90-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...yMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

**CPU -$Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000$

$230-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

** CPU Cooler -$COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

$35-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

** Case -$NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case

$120-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

**DVD Burner -$LITE-ON DVD Burner

$20$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289&Tpk=Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer



I've been out of the hardware side of pc for awhile so I did some research on the web and came up with this....am I on the right track?

I'm looking to play games at max setting as well as getting into app dev.
 
After lots of reading and skimming discussions, I have decided to build my own gaming rig as well. Here is what I have come up with.

Case - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GPU - HIS IceQ X H785QN2G2M Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Processor - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 ...
Motherboard - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
PSU - Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core ...
Disk Drive - LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM

I would like any recommendations or suggestions. Saving a more money would be nice. Keep in mind I'm am a total "noobz"(?) when it comes to computers and their components so be gentle!! Thanks guys.
 
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