[MEGATHREAD] Personal Computer - Updated builds thanks to Logical Increments

[Alyx Vance]

why not just get a VGA / DVI adapter instead of getting an older GPU that supports VGA...

I could just do that I suppose.

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[Racerboy]

Just ordered the parts to this today! Should be here in about a week (?), I'll post pictures of the parts and some assembly.

[Vortex]

Guys, I have my exact range.
$500 or less, no exceptions. I talked to my dad and he said that I should just get 6gb of RAM to save money and such. I still have to have a VGA supporting GPU.
Yes I realize it'll be hard to come up with but I need a $500 gaming computer.

I have a keyboard, mouse, and VGA monitor.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1umz8

Buying 6GB of RAM is stupid, always get 4GB or 8GB sticks of RAM, and so that either leaves you with a choice of 4 or 8, and 8 is a good idea when gaming.

The 7770 performs way better than the 7750 so it's worth it

The 965 is a great CPU and if you ever buy an aftermarket cooler it is perfect to overclock with

500W is plenty of power for this build

The motherboard is minimal, so if you ever upgrade to a crossfire system or above 8 GB of RAM you will need a new one, this is what happens when you spend $500 on a gaming PC, but it does have good bus speeds

The case has great airflow and cable management (i know from experience)

and the optical drive is stuff but what are you gonna do about it, it's the least important and it does what it needs to

If you need Windows you're out of luck, building a rig for $400 isn't even worth it, either run Linux for a while until you have enough to purchase Windows, or if you have the OEM authentication key from a prebuilt you're probably currently using, install that HDD into the new computer and enter your code again and completely reinstall windows (shut up guys I've done this before, it works).  Then just have two HDD's or drop the one I bought and save some $$

Anyways, I did my best but $500 isn't a large budget, if you want any specific adjustments just tell me what you want done and I'll try to do my best to get it done

[Vortex]

Just ordered the parts to this today! Should be here in about a week (?), I'll post pictures of the parts and some assembly.

Not bad, the 6 core processor I mean, it's only $20 more than the quad 965 but those two extra cores aren't really optimized in modern games, but it's not a bad deal so I guess that's good

That motherboard is alright, could've spent a little more for a full ATX board and gotten better bus speeds

Other than that I think you have a good solid build, not sure why you needed the aftermarket cooler, unless you plan on overclocking, but overall nice build !

[Alyx Vance]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1umz8

Buying 6GB of RAM is stupid, always get 4GB or 8GB sticks of RAM, and so that either leaves you with a choice of 4 or 8, and 8 is a good idea when gaming.

The 7770 performs way better than the 7750 so it's worth it

The 965 is a great CPU and if you ever buy an aftermarket cooler it is perfect to overclock with

500W is plenty of power for this build

The motherboard is minimal, so if you ever upgrade to a crossfire system or above 8 GB of RAM you will need a new one, this is what happens when you spend $500 on a gaming PC, but it does have good bus speeds

The case has great airflow and cable management (i know from experience)

and the optical drive is stuff but what are you gonna do about it, it's the least important and it does what it needs to

If you need Windows you're out of luck, building a rig for $400 isn't even worth it, either run Linux for a while until you have enough to purchase Windows, or if you have the OEM authentication key from a prebuilt you're probably currently using, install that HDD into the new computer and enter your code again and completely reinstall windows (shut up guys I've done this before, it works).  Then just have two HDD's or drop the one I bought and save some $$

Anyways, I did my best but $500 isn't a large budget, if you want any specific adjustments just tell me what you want done and I'll try to do my best to get it done

I talked to my dad.
He said the price is still too high and that I should just go with 4gb ram.
When I say that he wants a price he means he wants a certain price.

[Blockzillahead]

I talked to my dad.
He said the price is still too high and that I should just go with 4gb ram.
When I say that he wants a price he means he wants a certain price.

Ok go with 4GB, it's not that much of a difference in gaming.

[Racerboy]

Not bad, the 6 core processor I mean, it's only $20 more than the quad 965 but those two extra cores aren't really optimized in modern games, but it's not a bad deal so I guess that's good Yeah, I was going to get the 4300 but I noticed a combo with the Barracuda so I jumped right on that, ended up being cheaper than a Western Digital + 4300.

That motherboard is alright, could've spent a little more for a full ATX board and gotten better bus speeds I agree, but I was on a tight budget, this is my first build so it's not bad I guess if I leave myself some upgrade ability.

Other than that I think you have a good solid build, not sure why you needed the aftermarket cooler, unless you plan on overclocking, but overall nice build ! 6-cores, didn't want to mess around with the crap stock one, and I'll try overclocking but I'm not sure how to do it, I'll look into that.

[Alyx Vance]

Ok go with 4GB, it's not that much of a difference in gaming.

Going to go with that. I noticed that most games don't require much at all.

[Nal]

Going to go with that. I noticed that most games don't require much at all.

Why do you ask for a computer in this thread every other day.

[Alyx Vance]

Why do you ask for a computer in this thread every other day.

Because, things change. This time the price is actually set.

[Treynolds416]

Why do you ask for a computer in this thread every other day.

Yes. There's something to be said for overthinking a build
Just finalize your damn budget, then have someone other than yourself put it together

[Legodude77]

SO, if you build a new computer, and use an OEM disk to install windows AGAIN (with the same key), it will work right?

BUT, what if I just want to change my CPU, Motherboard, and maybe GPU WITHOUT having to re-install everything (Windows and everything on a hard drive)? Does that not work and I would just have to backup and re-install everything?

[Blockzillahead]

SO, if you build a new computer, and use an OEM disk to install windows AGAIN (with the same key), it will work right?

BUT, what if I just want to change my CPU, Motherboard, and maybe GPU WITHOUT having to re-install everything (Windows and everything on a hard drive)? Does that not work and I would just have to backup and re-install everything?

Yes it will work.

You can try, it really depends, most of the time it doesn't work but sometimes it does. It's safer to just back up and re-format.

[Treynolds416]

You could also try calling microsoft, I've heard they refresh your key for you if you upgrade the motherboard

[Vortex]

I talked to my dad.
He said the price is still too high and that I should just go with 4gb ram.
When I say that he wants a price he means he wants a certain price.

That's under the price you gave me, 4GB isn't going to leave any room for running an intensive game and doing anything else, Windows itself will allocate at least 1GB of that 24/7

But I mean if you have to cut it to make your budget there's not much else you can do

SO, if you build a new computer, and use an OEM disk to install windows AGAIN (with the same key), it will work right?

BUT, what if I just want to change my CPU, Motherboard, and maybe GPU WITHOUT having to re-install everything (Windows and everything on a hard drive)? Does that not work and I would just have to backup and re-install everything?

This depends, if it is the OEM disk that YOU bought from a retailer, just reuse the key and it will work fine

If it is an OEM disk given with a prebuilt, it will most likely work

If by disk you mean an HDD with Windows already on it, and you have the key, you have a small chance that calling Microsoft will get your key refreshed, but only tell them you are swapping out one component otherwise they'll tell you you need a new key

I ran an AMD vishera 8 core with the stock cooler for almost a month overclocking it from 4.0 Ghz to 4.2 Ghz

AMD makes very good stock coolers, obviously they aren't perfect, that's what aftermarket coolers are for, but like I said, when it comes to overclocking it'll help you out