Planning on building my own gaming pc any suggestions?

DreamingReality · August 30th, 2009

Well, I plan on building my own gaming pc instead of paying out $2000 - $4000 for one. The problem is that I don't know what stuff to get. Well, I know I need a graphics card, a multi-core processor, plenty of RAM, a large hard drive since the 139GB one I have just isn't enough space, a good psu that won't die on me fast, a new case to store everything in and a new mobo since the cpu socket on this one is for am2 processors only.

So any suggestions you guys?

Note: please keep in mind that i'm on a $600 - $700 budget. So, I can't spend $300 on a graphics card.

Lord Zedeck · August 30th, 2009

Okay, answer us a few questions. $600-$700 is definitely possible, but some routes will be easier than others, and it will take some smarts.

Do you prefer Intel, AMD, or either?

Do you care if it's dual core or quad core?

Do you want to overclock? Need an aftermarket heatsink or is stock fine (if not overclocking, stock will be fine)?

When you say "alot of RAM", does that mean as much as you can get, or just a good amount that won't be too little a year from now? The standard right now, at least if you were buying right now, would be to get at least 4GB. With DDR2 prices going back up slowly, it may be a good idea to grab 8GB now if you really do mean you want alot, but this will cost ~$100 on it's own, cutting into other parts cost. Getting 4GB certainly won't be too little. I just want to gauge what you mean by "plenty".

Do you care if the GPU is ATi or nVidia?

Do you have a preference for motherboard brand or no?

Will you want to reuse any of your existing parts? I assume you'll just be needing the PC itself, and that the monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and OS are all accounted for. I am referring to any PC parts you already have.

Lastly, and most importantly, what is the use of this PC? How often will you use it for what, and how long will you want it to last before you need standard upgrades/before you can put more into it, if ever?

__________________

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"Judge people not of their mistakes, but on how they handle those mistakes."

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Hatorijr · August 31st, 2009

i know what others will say but i will give you the answer i give my friends who claim to want to build a gaming pc for a cheap price, not possible.

building a gaming pc implys you plan to put a decent amount of money into it, 600-700 is very little for a gaming pc, even a half decent system, for the parts you'd need, its just not enough and still be able to classify it as a "gaming" system.

when it comes to pc parts, you really do get what you paid for, you pay a little and thats just what you get, pay a lot and you will not be sorry. buy a cheap part and do not be surprised if it does not perform well or dies quickly, especially if you overclock that part(in regards to say the cpu).

Lord Zedeck · August 31st, 2009

It's called a budget level PC, but it can be a gaming PC. The idea is that you sacrifice a bit (like a top end PSU for future upgrades, maybe less and/or slower RAM, less and/or smaller hard drives, a lesser GPU that be upgraded easily, etc.), but you can still put something together for that kind of money that will game and do it well. It just won't win any awards, but who cares.

__________________

"Without forgiveness, life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation."
"Judge people not of their mistakes, but on how they handle those mistakes."

Core 2 Duo E8600 @4.0GHz- ASUS Maximus Formula (Rampage Formula BIOS 0701) - 8GB (4x 2GB) Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800
MSI nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB - 4x Western Digital Caviar 6400AAKS (2,560GB total) - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610
IBM P275 21" CRT (1600x1200 @100Hz) - Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Sound System - Windows 7 64-bit & Windows XP SP3

bkwegoharder · August 31st, 2009

600-700 can easily get you a very good pc that can play every game out now on very high settings.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

Hell, I've even seen 400 dollar builds that can play all games out on high settings with great resolutions.

Last edited by bkwegoharder; August 31st, 2009 at 02:49.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

**SCHUMI_4EVER** · September 1st, 2009

Are you sure about the 4870 fitting into that tiny case on the first option?

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masta.g.86 · September 1st, 2009

The Cooler Master case in the first option is similar to mine. There's tons of room for a 4870.

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LoneWolf · September 1st, 2009

that case can fit even a GTX295.

**SCHUMI_4EVER** · September 1st, 2009

I find it hard to believe that a mini-tower can fit the big GTXs when looking at the GTX260 sitting in my mid-tower, the ATi cards perhaps as they are shorter than the GTXs, but not the GTXs.

__________________

Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) | ASUS P5Q | 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 | ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M | Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1

The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!!

No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0

Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!!

!!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

gamefreak94 · September 1st, 2009

This case by Cooler Master is good, also keeping in mind that it fits your budget:
http://www.coolermaster.com/product....roduct_id=2908

Can house up to 7x 120mm fans, is SLI capable (not that most people need that), and has 31cm of clearance between the back-end and the drive-bays: should suffice well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatorijr

building a gaming pc implys you plan to put a decent amount of money into it, 600-700 is very little for a gaming pc, even a half decent system, for the parts you'd need, its just not enough and still be able to classify it as a "gaming" system.

How come? He can easily pick up an AthlonII X2 + HD4870/GTX260 for that much, and that's enough to fly through even most modern games at high settings.

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Last edited by gamefreak94; September 1st, 2009 at 12:19..

jembut · September 1st, 2009

if its for pc gaming i believe quad core better
just wait athlon II X4 n get the best GPU out there + best PSU (for GPU power requirement)

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Hatorijr · September 2nd, 2009

from the sound of the original post he seems to be planning on building a whole new pc, and with what everyone is suggesting, i do not see it happening with 600-700, not with all he would need for a good gaming system.

jembut · September 2nd, 2009

no its can if he decide building regular PC, not "super cooling sub zero overclocking" PC

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Fadingz · September 6th, 2009

Save some money on PSU if I were you, then expand from you if you are limited on bidget.
Yo don't the PSU to fail on you.
Spend around $90 on the PSU.

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LoneWolf · September 7th, 2009

A corsair 450VX is the best PSU you can get for that budget. can handle an overclock quad and a HD 4890.

Last edited by LoneWolf; September 7th, 2009 at 11:53..

gamefreak94 · September 7th, 2009

Or Antec. Their PSUs care pretty good too. Though basically any PSU with 35-40A on the +12V rail will be pretty overkill and sufficiently future-proof provided you don't have something monstrous in store for it.

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**Cid Highwind** · September 7th, 2009

Antec's PSUs are dodgy, it's a bit of a lottery with them. Most would advise Corsair because there's less risk involved. Anyway, I think Zedeck asked the right questions first, also we need to know what stuff he already has:
- Keyboard/mouse?
- DVD burner?
- Wireless card?
- Powersupply perhaps?

__________________

PC Specs:
CPU: Intel Q8200 @ 2.8GHz

GPU: Sapphire ATi HD4870 / 1024MB / Core: 801 / Mem: 1000

Mobo: Gigabyte EP35-DS3 (rev 2.1)
SPU: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music
RAM: 2GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066 @ 4-4-4-12 ~ 800MHz
HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint, 32MB
PSU: Hiper Type-R 580W
Monitor: Iiyama B2403WS / 1920*1200

Geometry Wars: 198.400
Lumines: 999.999

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bkwegoharder · September 7th, 2009

Antecs psus are dodgy? Really? From what I heard they are really stable. Even though Corsairs seem better, PC power and cooling seems like one of the top makers, and Corsairs power supplies are usually around the same price so it would be better to get a pc power and cooling one since those are better.

**Cid Highwind** · September 7th, 2009

It might be something of the past, I don't know exactly, Squall probably knows more about it. I was quite surprised by it as well as it always seemed a reputable brand to me. While they certainly aren't bad, when you're in that price class there's plenty of better alternatives, so no need to go for the risk.

__________________

PC Specs:
CPU: Intel Q8200 @ 2.8GHz

GPU: Sapphire ATi HD4870 / 1024MB / Core: 801 / Mem: 1000

Mobo: Gigabyte EP35-DS3 (rev 2.1)
SPU: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music
RAM: 2GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066 @ 4-4-4-12 ~ 800MHz
HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint, 32MB
PSU: Hiper Type-R 580W
Monitor: Iiyama B2403WS / 1920*1200

Geometry Wars: 198.400
Lumines: 999.999

Join the NGEmu Folding @ Home community NOW!

bkwegoharder · September 7th, 2009

I hear people say that Antec psus are really really top of the line, I'm real surprised to hear this. The only bad thing is that they have lots of 12v rails instead of a single rail.

August 30th, 2009	#1 (permalink)
DreamingReality Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: United States Posts: 2	Planning on building my own gaming pc any suggestions? Well, I plan on building my own gaming pc instead of paying out $2000 - $4000 for one. The problem is that I don't know what stuff to get. Well, I know I need a graphics card, a multi-core processor, plenty of RAM, a large hard drive since the 139GB one I have just isn't enough space, a good psu that won't die on me fast, a new case to store everything in and a new mobo since the cpu socket on this one is for am2 processors only. So any suggestions you guys? Note: please keep in mind that i'm on a $600 - $700 budget. So, I can't spend $300 on a graphics card.

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August 30th, 2009	#2 (permalink)
Lord Zedeck Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,806	Okay, answer us a few questions. $600-$700 is definitely possible, but some routes will be easier than others, and it will take some smarts. Do you prefer Intel, AMD, or either? Do you care if it's dual core or quad core? Do you want to overclock? Need an aftermarket heatsink or is stock fine (if not overclocking, stock will be fine)? When you say "alot of RAM", does that mean as much as you can get, or just a good amount that won't be too little a year from now? The standard right now, at least if you were buying right now, would be to get at least 4GB. With DDR2 prices going back up slowly, it may be a good idea to grab 8GB now if you really do mean you want alot, but this will cost ~$100 on it's own, cutting into other parts cost. Getting 4GB certainly won't be too little. I just want to gauge what you mean by "plenty". Do you care if the GPU is ATi or nVidia? Do you have a preference for motherboard brand or no? Will you want to reuse any of your existing parts? I assume you'll just be needing the PC itself, and that the monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and OS are all accounted for. I am referring to any PC parts you already have. Lastly, and most importantly, what is the use of this PC? How often will you use it for what, and how long will you want it to last before you need standard upgrades/before you can put more into it, if ever? __________________ "Without forgiveness, life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation." "Judge people not of their mistakes, but on how they handle those mistakes." Core 2 Duo E8600 @4.0GHz- ASUS Maximus Formula (Rampage Formula BIOS 0701) - 8GB (4x 2GB) Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 MSI nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB - 4x Western Digital Caviar 6400AAKS (2,560GB total) - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 IBM P275 21" CRT (1600x1200 @100Hz) - Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Sound System - Windows 7 64-bit & Windows XP SP3

August 31st, 2009	#3 (permalink)
Hatorijr Emu Author Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: North Carolina Posts: 374	i know what others will say but i will give you the answer i give my friends who claim to want to build a gaming pc for a cheap price, not possible. building a gaming pc implys you plan to put a decent amount of money into it, 600-700 is very little for a gaming pc, even a half decent system, for the parts you'd need, its just not enough and still be able to classify it as a "gaming" system. when it comes to pc parts, you really do get what you paid for, you pay a little and thats just what you get, pay a lot and you will not be sorry. buy a cheap part and do not be surprised if it does not perform well or dies quickly, especially if you overclock that part(in regards to say the cpu).

August 31st, 2009	#4 (permalink)
Lord Zedeck Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,806	It's called a budget level PC, but it can be a gaming PC. The idea is that you sacrifice a bit (like a top end PSU for future upgrades, maybe less and/or slower RAM, less and/or smaller hard drives, a lesser GPU that be upgraded easily, etc.), but you can still put something together for that kind of money that will game and do it well. It just won't win any awards, but who cares. __________________ "Without forgiveness, life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation." "Judge people not of their mistakes, but on how they handle those mistakes." Core 2 Duo E8600 @4.0GHz- ASUS Maximus Formula (Rampage Formula BIOS 0701) - 8GB (4x 2GB) Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 MSI nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB - 4x Western Digital Caviar 6400AAKS (2,560GB total) - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 IBM P275 21" CRT (1600x1200 @100Hz) - Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Sound System - Windows 7 64-bit & Windows XP SP3

August 31st, 2009	#5 (permalink)
bkwegoharder Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 311	600-700 can easily get you a very good pc that can play every game out now on very high settings. Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg Hell, I've even seen 400 dollar builds that can play all games out on high settings with great resolutions. Last edited by bkwegoharder; August 31st, 2009 at 02:49.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

September 1st, 2009	#6 (permalink)
SCHUMI_4EVER Hackin 'n Slashin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Corrupt Rapist run South Africa Posts: 11,338	Are you sure about the 4870 fitting into that tiny case on the first option? __________________ Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) \| ASUS P5Q \| 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 \| ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M \| Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!! No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0 Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!! !!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

September 1st, 2009	#8 (permalink)
LoneWolf she's my cherry pie Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Why do you want to know ? Posts: 1,255	that case can fit even a GTX295.

September 1st, 2009	#9 (permalink)
SCHUMI_4EVER Hackin 'n Slashin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Corrupt Rapist run South Africa Posts: 11,338	I find it hard to believe that a mini-tower can fit the big GTXs when looking at the GTX260 sitting in my mid-tower, the ATi cards perhaps as they are shorter than the GTXs, but not the GTXs. __________________ Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) \| ASUS P5Q \| 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 \| ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M \| Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!! No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0 Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!! !!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

September 1st, 2009	#11 (permalink)
jembut Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: from hell Posts: 115	if its for pc gaming i believe quad core better just wait athlon II X4 n get the best GPU out there + best PSU (for GPU power requirement) __________________ ░█▀▀ ░█▀█ ░█ ░█▀▀ ░░█▀▀ ░█▀█ ░█ ░█ ░░░ ░█▀▀ ░█▀▀ ░█ ░█ ░░░░█▀▀ ░█▀█ ░█ ░█ ░░░ ░▀▀▀ ░▀ ░░░▀ ░▀▀▀ ░░▀ ░░░▀░▀ ░▀ ░▀▀▀ ░

September 2nd, 2009	#12 (permalink)
Hatorijr Emu Author Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: North Carolina Posts: 374	from the sound of the original post he seems to be planning on building a whole new pc, and with what everyone is suggesting, i do not see it happening with 600-700, not with all he would need for a good gaming system.

September 2nd, 2009	#13 (permalink)
jembut Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: from hell Posts: 115	no its can if he decide building regular PC, not "super cooling sub zero overclocking" PC __________________ ░█▀▀ ░█▀█ ░█ ░█▀▀ ░░█▀▀ ░█▀█ ░█ ░█ ░░░ ░█▀▀ ░█▀▀ ░█ ░█ ░░░░█▀▀ ░█▀█ ░█ ░█ ░░░ ░▀▀▀ ░▀ ░░░▀ ░▀▀▀ ░░▀ ░░░▀░▀ ░▀ ░▀▀▀ ░

September 7th, 2009	#15 (permalink)
LoneWolf she's my cherry pie Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Why do you want to know ? Posts: 1,255	A corsair 450VX is the best PSU you can get for that budget. can handle an overclock quad and a HD 4890. Last edited by LoneWolf; September 7th, 2009 at 11:53..

September 7th, 2009	#16 (permalink)
gamefreak94 Die anime!! Die!! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: پاكستان <--- Urdu Posts: 6,271	Or Antec. Their PSUs care pretty good too. Though basically any PSU with 35-40A on the +12V rail will be pretty overkill and sufficiently future-proof provided you don't have something monstrous in store for it. __________________ How to configure uTorrent for maximum upload and download speed?

September 7th, 2009	#17 (permalink)
Cid Highwind Human Metal Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Holland / Hungary Posts: 13,541	Antec's PSUs are dodgy, it's a bit of a lottery with them. Most would advise Corsair because there's less risk involved. Anyway, I think Zedeck asked the right questions first, also we need to know what stuff he already has: - Keyboard/mouse? - DVD burner? - Wireless card? - Powersupply perhaps? __________________ PC Specs: CPU: Intel Q8200 @ 2.8GHz GPU: Sapphire ATi HD4870 / 1024MB / Core: 801 / Mem: 1000 Mobo: Gigabyte EP35-DS3 (rev 2.1) SPU: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music RAM: 2GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066 @ 4-4-4-12 ~ 800MHz HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint, 32MB PSU: Hiper Type-R 580W Monitor: Iiyama B2403WS / 19201200 Geometry Wars: 198.400 Lumines: 999.999 Join the NGEmu Folding @ Home community NOW!*

September 7th, 2009	#18 (permalink)
bkwegoharder Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 311	Antecs psus are dodgy? Really? From what I heard they are really stable. Even though Corsairs seem better, PC power and cooling seems like one of the top makers, and Corsairs power supplies are usually around the same price so it would be better to get a pc power and cooling one since those are better.

September 7th, 2009	#19 (permalink)
Cid Highwind Human Metal Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Holland / Hungary Posts: 13,541	It might be something of the past, I don't know exactly, Squall probably knows more about it. I was quite surprised by it as well as it always seemed a reputable brand to me. While they certainly aren't bad, when you're in that price class there's plenty of better alternatives, so no need to go for the risk. __________________ PC Specs: CPU: Intel Q8200 @ 2.8GHz GPU: Sapphire ATi HD4870 / 1024MB / Core: 801 / Mem: 1000 Mobo: Gigabyte EP35-DS3 (rev 2.1) SPU: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music RAM: 2GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066 @ 4-4-4-12 ~ 800MHz HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint, 32MB PSU: Hiper Type-R 580W Monitor: Iiyama B2403WS / 19201200 Geometry Wars: 198.400 Lumines: 999.999 Join the NGEmu Folding @ Home community NOW!*

September 7th, 2009	#20 (permalink)
bkwegoharder Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 311	I hear people say that Antec psus are really really top of the line, I'm real surprised to hear this. The only bad thing is that they have lots of 12v rails instead of a single rail.