Building a PC, need tips and such

[n0cturni]

Or you know, he could look into a card from ATI.

I didn't say ATI because it honestly wasn't in my mind.

However, I don't know which brands are decent; Sapphire and Powercolor seem to be some of the better brands.

[Ad Bot]

[blaman]

Woah. I didn't even see this here...
Oh well. Anyways, I'm also picking out a setup now and would like a bit of help. My budget is $600 max. Kinda low, but it may go up with time/if I get my job in the next month.

[blaman]

Double post/bump.
In my last topic Koolkody pointed me to:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/build_a_500_pc_play_crysis_40fps

I read it then looked it over, then read it again. I noticed I could spend some more money on it, upgrading the graphics card/CPU or something, and I could sacrafice the hard drive and disk drive for less expensive ones. (I don't need much of a hard drive because I have a 1TB NAS downstairs. Only need 150GB or so) And I don't really need a CD drive that much, because I download my games and stuff.

So yeah. I need some help optimizing that build before I actually buy the stuff.
(Should I make a new topic...?)

[Inv3rted]

I wouldn't suggest skimping on the disc drive. It's kind of important for things, namely installing the operating system.

[blaman]

Maybe so. But the one they suggest is more then needed to install an OS. Even if it will take a bit longer to read.

[Kerog]

Reactor hasn't responded. Did it took you this long to wait for his opinion on what your specs Nick?

[Reactor Worker]

I'm a busy guy.

$250 CPU/Motherboard combo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.253957
AMD has a nice lineup of affordable processors for the budget gamer. The motherboard is mini-ATX...something I normally don't recommend but it should work fine for your needs. Nice thing about AMD is that they reuse their CPU sockets a lot so you will likely be able to upgrade to a more powerful CPU in the future without changing out the motherboard.

$70 Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227346
The chosen motherboard happens to use DDR3 memory which is nice. I decided to save you some money by going for the cheaper rating of RAM which won't have any noticeable impact on performance.

$40 Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106
This is the same case I used for my first build. It is quite sturdy and has a reasonable amount of room on the inside. Fairly quiet and at a great price. Quality/price was it is a great choice.

$50 Powersupply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017
With all builds on a budget, at some point you will have to compromise; the power supply is not the place to do so. There are cheaper PSUs out there but few will have the same level of quality as the one I have chosen (for the given price). You risk your components and/or poor performance if you cheap out here.

$45 HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136113
Nothing special happening here. Cheapest option in capacity range, quality brand, good history.

$28 CD/DVD Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187
Same as the hard drive really.

$115 GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337
Great choice for a GPU and fits well within your budget. There are cheaper brands of this particular model but they don't come with the same lifetime warranty for parts and service. You are, of course, welcome to choose a cheaper brand, there is little tangible difference in quality.

Total = $598 (before any applicable taxes and shipping)

I didn't forget the monitor, but decided to separate it from the rest of the budget. If necessary you could buy it later when you have more money.

$170 Monitor  - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236050

[Kerog]

I'm a busy guy.

$250 CPU/Motherboard combo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.253957
AMD has a nice lineup of affordable processors for the budget gamer. The motherboard is mini-ATX...something I normally don't recommend but it should work fine for your needs. Nice thing about AMD is that they reuse their CPU sockets a lot so you will likely be able to upgrade to a more powerful CPU in the future without changing out the motherboard.

$70 Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227346
The chosen motherboard happens to use DDR3 memory which is nice. I decided to save you some money by going for the cheaper rating of RAM which won't have any noticeable impact on performance.

$40 Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106
This is the same case I used for my first build. It is quite sturdy and has a reasonable amount of room on the inside. Fairly quiet and at a great price. Quality/price was it is a great choice.

$50 Powersupply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017
With all builds on a budget, at some point you will have to compromise; the power supply is not the place to do so. There are cheaper PSUs out there but few will have the same level of quality as the one I have chosen (for the given price). You risk your components and/or poor performance if you cheap out here.

$45 HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136113
Nothing special happening here. Cheapest option in capacity range, quality brand, good history.

$28 CD/DVD Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187
Same as the hard drive really.

$115 GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337
Great choice for a GPU and fits well within your budget. There are cheaper brands of this particular model but they don't come with the same lifetime warranty for parts and service. You are, of course, welcome to choose a cheaper brand, there is little tangible difference in quality.

Total = $598 (before any applicable taxes and shipping)

I didn't forget the monitor, but decided to separate it from the rest of the budget. If necessary you could buy it later when you have more money.

$170 Monitor  - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236050

Thanks, I'll check out these prices on Newegg.ca

[Kerog]

Had to bump. I was checking out these items on Newegg.ca. The AMD and Motherboard combo don't exist and the CD/DVD Drive has expired.

Will this CD/DVD Drive still work? http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

[Inv3rted]

Had to bump. I was checking out these items on Newegg.ca. The AMD and Motherboard combo don't exist and the CD/DVD Drive has expired.

Will this CD/DVD Drive still work? http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

That's the one I have. Haven't had any problems.

[Osak]

Is the case/powersupply combo recommended?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147117

[Kerog]

Is the case/powersupply combo recommended?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147117

I think I'll just stick with what Reactor Worker recommended.

[Creola]

Alienware.

[Bisjac]

Alienware.

no. alien ware is the biggest fail there is for high end computer gaming

[Kerog]

Alienware.

I think I'll just stick with building one, I'll learn more that way. I hate Alienware.