Building a computer

[hitchens.scott@gmail.com 0]

Hey all,

At the end of this year I want to build my first computer, something i have always dreamed about doing ( Nerd Life). Anyway i would love some suggestions on set up's. I am looking into building a good gaming computer which is around $1000. Love to know what Video cards would work best for games like DayZ. Hope i can get some good feedback!

[Etmer 24]

An ATI 6800 to 6900 could do the trick I guess. I never built a computer myself though.

I heard that those cards are cheaper now ever since the 7 series was released.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Without boring you with the details, just try to build the most balanced machine you can with the money you have. You can have the best GFX card in the world but if your processor creates a bottleneck then it's pointless. Also, I've found that some of the mid range price cards will keep you gaming at the top end for a couple of years or so if they're complemented by a good processor (quad-core ideally) and decent RAM (4 GIGS will do you proud) Don't be tempted to splash it all on the card.

Also, Hold some money back for a decent sound and monitor set-up. It's no good having a bad-ass machine if your watching it on an 18 inch monitor with standard desktop speakers. A good surround sound set-up is pratty cheap nowadays (£100 or less at the lower end)

I've built a pretty good machine for around £800 (including speakers/monitor and so on). I just shopped around and found some great deals (second hand monitor and so on). It's a year and a half old now and runs everything on max (apart from crappy ports like LA Noire).

Edited July 28, 2012 by Fraggle

[The_Man 393]

Make sure to balance it out. Don't invest too much in a video card and then lack in the CPU, Memory or Harddrive department. ARMA doesn't really require an amazing card to get the highest settings. Like the guy said about a 6800 or a GTX 560 would do the trick.

[Jackftw 310]

Motherboard

ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Motherboard ($110)

CPU

Intel Core i5-2500K ($220)

RAM

Patriot G2 Series 8GB DDR3 (1600 Mhz) ($45)

Video Card

EVGA GTX 560 Ti 1GB ($225)

Sound Card

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 7.1 ($30)

Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 1TB ($90)

Optical Drive

Lite-On Internal DVD Writer ($18)

Case

Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid-Tower ($60)

Power Supply

Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply ($55)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit ($140)

This is the build I currently have.

[aussiestig 681]

Guy above me really says it all. Not much you can do to better that build for the money

[MisterNine 7]

Geforce 500/600 series gpu

Intel Core i5/i7 3+ ghz

8gb RAM

Gigabyte or Intel motherboard

128gb SSD for OS and Games

1tb HDD for storage

Windows 7 64bit

Edited July 28, 2012 by MisterNine

[The_Man 393]

You can spent about 30-40 bucks less on a GTX560 (instead of the TI) and get the same results in a game like ARMA II. It is a much better value. If you want even better value then go for the ATI 6850 or something.

[hitchens.scott@gmail.com 0]

Wow thanks so much for all the help. Its hard to not get overwhelmed with all the possibilities! Just can't wait to get started! Been saving up for a while and going to start slowly buying everything now.

[sudZ! 115]

For $1000ish you can build a rig that will last you for years. Here's how I've built my 3 gaming rigs, all around $1000 at the time I built them:

There is very little point in coveting specific hardware if you won't be building for a few months. The best thing to do right now is read. Go onto tech review sites and gather as much info as you can. Know when new products are coming out so that you can capitalize on companies selling off their old, outdated stock. Put it into a word doc and keep your eyes open as you get closer to when you want it built. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

So my last desktop was built in January 2008 and it has just, in the last 6 months, become less than desirable when playing new releases. Here's how I did it.

1. Motherboard: Quality really is important here. For some reason people seem to skimp on mobos... if you want a gaming rig to last you awhile you need to have a decent mobo. Want to overclock your processor or add on a new SSD? Better not have a $60 budget board or it's not going to do shit! Look for something in the $150 range that is on a good discount from around $200.

Furthermore, get one that has either crossfire or SLI compatible (look these up for more info if required... essentially they let you have two of the same graphics card installed on one system.)

2. Video Card(s): I bought the best "bang for your buck" card at the time. a geforce 8800gt. On your budget you should be doing the same thing. There will always be a card around 200-250 that is damned good for its price. find it. It doesn't need to be a BRAND NEW release... just make sure it's not outdated. Once you start to feel it slowing down in games, go get another one and make use of your decision to get an SLI or crossfire compatible mobo. You'll be pretty happy with the increase in frames for a card that costs 50% of what the original cost you.

3. Processor: Much like vid cards, there will be a workhorse processor that will be a "bang for buck" specialty. the i7 2500k was one of these recently. just read read read. Specs are fine, they get you in the ballpark... but they can be deceiving. Don't cut corners and you'll be fine.

4. Power Supply: One of the things that people do to cut costs is buy a shitty PS. Stupid. Just stupid. It's like buying a BMW M5 and then deciding to not have airbags or power steering. A nice machine is only as good as its un-fried components! Furthermore, this will give you the ability to power that 2nd vid card, an extra hard drive, or usb 3 devices without having to worry about power consumption. Again, just do your research and you'll find a good one.

5. Ram, HDD, DVD Drive, Case: This is where the deals/cost cuts are. Ram is hilariously cheap... do a bit of research on what is good and make sure you get more than 4gb. Shouldn't run you more than $60 at very most. HDD is similar. You can get a good 1tb drive for $50 if you keep your eyes open for deals.... Or if you're feeling a bit more spendy than you've indicated, get a 128gb SSD and a cheap $40 750gb 5400rpm drive for your storage. It's all about how much you want to spend. DVD drives and cases are other components that can be bought for peanuts. Just make sure your case has ventilation (fans are always good if you can get them) and you'll be just fine.

MY BIGGEST TIP: PRICE MATCH!- Most online stores do this. Find the one with the cheapest:most reliable shipping and then scour the webz for the best deals. Pricematch them into your shipper and there you go. You've just built yourself a badass computer rig that is both sustainable, and economical... and the best part is... you now know how to build computers!

Good luck and have fun!

Edited July 28, 2012 by sudZ!

[Madrocker 17]

Motherboard

ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Motherboard ($110)

CPU

Intel Core i5-2500K ($220)

RAM

Patriot G2 Series 8GB DDR3 (1600 Mhz) ($45)

Video Card

EVGA GTX 560 Ti 1GB ($225)

Sound Card

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 7.1 ($30)

Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 1TB ($90)

Optical Drive

Lite-On Internal DVD Writer ($18)

Case

Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid-Tower ($60)

Power Supply

Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply ($55)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit ($140)

This is the build I currently have.

Couldnt of put it better myself. the only change I would make is to swap out that cheap ass PSU for a decent corsair one like the TX650

[fish911503 136]

Wow thanks so much for all the help. Its hard to not get overwhelmed with all the possibilities! Just can't wait to get started! Been saving up for a while and going to start slowly buying everything now.

You might want to wait and buy it all at once....prices can drop significantly in 5 months.

Also I saved myself a couple hundred bucks buying my monitors at the Goodwill thrift store. 20 inch flat screens for $30

Edited July 28, 2012 by playZ

[sudZ! 115]

Motherboard

ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Motherboard ($110)

CPU

Intel Core i5-2500K ($220)

RAM

Patriot G2 Series 8GB DDR3 (1600 Mhz) ($45)

Video Card

EVGA GTX 560 Ti 1GB ($225)

Sound Card

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 7.1 ($30)

Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 1TB ($90)

Optical Drive

Lite-On Internal DVD Writer ($18)

Case

Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid-Tower ($60)

Power Supply

Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply ($55)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit ($140)

This is the build I currently have.

Agreed upping the PS. And I'm not sure a sound card is necessary unless you're looking for HQ 7.1... One benefit from buying a mobo in a higher range is that many of them come with higher-end onboard audio processors.

[TheAltGuardian 5]

I'll drop in my 2 cents...

1. Buy all parts at the same time, there are benefits of pricing and also return policy for faulty parts

2. SHOP AROUND. Choose a part, look at reviews, compare it to other parts in the same price range.

3. Make sure all parts are compatible. Most should be, but choosing a motherboard that has the right socket for your chosen cpu is key, amongst other things.

4. Experience helps dramatically, and you should watch youtube videos of people building their own computers as you can learn how they assemble the parts and in what order.

A good place to start for these videos are Newegg's how to build a PC series.

Part 1: Choosing the parts

you can get to part 2 and 3 after that video.

Another good source for PC building information is www.tomshardware.com

Every quarter they see how good a computer they can build for the money, one of these is a $1000 machine; albeit without moniter/keyboard etc. This is called their system builder marathon.