Been a few years since I've visited these forums, but when I discovered I needed to build a new system this is the first place I came to start getting up to date. I'll definitely be doing some research on my own, but I'm looking to get some guidance to get me started.
My budget is flexible, which I think is important because if it's set in stone I could end up making bad decisions for the long-term viability of my new rig. Since it's still helpful to have a starting point, I'm hoping to stay around $800 for the tower. As far as what the system will be used for, gaming. That's it. I play old games like WoW and TF2, new games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and hope to play games that are coming out in the future including but not limited to ES:Skyrim.
Intel vs. AMD - If the performance is fairly comparable, I'll probably be leaning towards AMD for cost reasons.
Motherboard - Obviously, the recommendation will depend on the CPU chosen. I tend to opt for the cheapest motherboard from a decent manufacturer for my chipset.
ATi vs. nVidia - Seems like nVidia is pulling ahead, but I have no allegiances. For GPU I'm looking to find the price performance sweet spot. This is the most important component of my system by far considering what I do.
RAM - This is generally an area I'm willing to compromise a bit on, the important decision will be amount. I'm thinking 4-8GB, looking for input.
HDD - Definitely an area I'll be saving money on, not doing the SSD thing, will just pick up a decent 7200 for a good price.
Case - Recommendations based on personal experience are welcome. I built my last system in an Antec 300 which still seems to be one of the cheapest options on NewEgg, so I might get another one.
Heatsink - I have a huge cooler on my current CPU, and frankly I think I'd like something a little more modest since the weight of it has always bothered me.
Peripherals - I will be needing a Monitor and Keyboard/Mouse as well, but I didn't want to include them in the budget since they are such a personal preference decision. Of course, personal experience with anything in particular is more than welcome and will be read!
Well, I think that's everything. I look forward to seeing some input, good to be back in the hardware game!
My budget is flexible, which I think is important because if it's set in stone I could end up making bad decisions for the long-term viability of my new rig. Since it's still helpful to have a starting point, I'm hoping to stay around $800 for the tower. As far as what the system will be used for, gaming. That's it. I play old games like WoW and TF2, new games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and hope to play games that are coming out in the future including but not limited to ES:Skyrim.
Intel vs. AMD - If the performance is fairly comparable, I'll probably be leaning towards AMD for cost reasons.
Motherboard - Obviously, the recommendation will depend on the CPU chosen. I tend to opt for the cheapest motherboard from a decent manufacturer for my chipset.
ATi vs. nVidia - Seems like nVidia is pulling ahead, but I have no allegiances. For GPU I'm looking to find the price performance sweet spot. This is the most important component of my system by far considering what I do.
RAM - This is generally an area I'm willing to compromise a bit on, the important decision will be amount. I'm thinking 4-8GB, looking for input.
HDD - Definitely an area I'll be saving money on, not doing the SSD thing, will just pick up a decent 7200 for a good price.
Case - Recommendations based on personal experience are welcome. I built my last system in an Antec 300 which still seems to be one of the cheapest options on NewEgg, so I might get another one.
Heatsink - I have a huge cooler on my current CPU, and frankly I think I'd like something a little more modest since the weight of it has always bothered me.
Peripherals - I will be needing a Monitor and Keyboard/Mouse as well, but I didn't want to include them in the budget since they are such a personal preference decision. Of course, personal experience with anything in particular is more than welcome and will be read!
Well, I think that's everything. I look forward to seeing some input, good to be back in the hardware game!