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Building My First Gaming Rig - I need help

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hamtran

hamtran

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Apr 2, 2012
Hi, there's probably been millions of threads like this - sorry.

I know you guys are experts - I've decided that I want to build my first gaming rig, but I have a budget and a limited experience in constructing PC's. I'm hoping some of you can help?

BUDGET -
around $1,000

GOAL -
to build a gaming rig that will require as little post-build maintenance as possible. Simplistic design (meaning no flashy LEDs to manage) & ability to max out BF3 at a high res.

WHAT I NEED -
could some of you suggest builds that fit my budget that maximizes performance? (I would prefer no water-cooling, sleek black tower)


* - Parts I need
* - Parts I have

BUILD (Add suggestions/changes you would make or deals on items if you can, it would be much appreciated!)



And thank you in advance
 
Last edited:
No need to apologize, building rigs is kind of our bread and butter. :)

One thing to consider - could be a tough time to build a rig with Ivy Bridge around the corner. That is probably going to be something you want to see before making your build decision, if you can wait a month. (Ivy Bridge is the successor to Sandy Bridge, and Anandtech tested an early sample to be 5-15% better than sandy bridge)

If you are hard set on AMD, then there isn't much reason to wait though!
 
^^ thank you, fine sir.

I'm most likely going to be building it in 2 months since I need to save up the money. Will I be able to afford Ivy Bridge with my budget?

P.S. - At the moment, I'm using a Dell Inspiron 518 (****ty) with the following specs:
CPU - E7400 C2D @ 2.80GHz
GPU - HD3450
RAM - 4GB DDR2
PSU - sketchy-brand, 500W

Since I won't be able to start the build right away, I'm thinking about upgrading my current setup now (the GPU/PSU), can you recommend a good power supply that would fit well with both my current and future rigs?
 
The Antec Earthwatt's series are worth a look, and the Earthwatts Platinum series are extremely well priced for low-mid range platinum units.

Where gold rated units are concerned the Kingwin Lazer Gold is the best best offering the best value for money.

With lower end PSU's the Corsiar CX or VX series are a good choice as are the Silverstone Strider Essentials.

I.M.O.G. said:
No need to apologize, building rigs is kind of our bread and butter. :)

One thing to consider - could be a tough time to build a rig with Ivy Bridge around the corner. That is probably going to be something you want to see before making your build decision, if you can wait a month. (Ivy Bridge is the successor to Sandy Bridge, and Anandtech tested an early sample to be 5-15% better than sandy bridge)

If you are hard set on AMD, then there isn't much reason to wait though!
Click to expand...

Agreed, Piledriver isn't due until towards the end of the year. Too long to wait if you need something now. Ivy Bridge is only a month away.
 
hamtran said:
I'm most likely going to be building it in 2 months since I need to save up the money. Will I be able to afford Ivy Bridge with my budget?
Click to expand...

The other guys can cover your other questions better. A lot of guys here more up to date on general hardware than I am.

As for budget, Ivy Bridge is going to be around $300... Pretty much equivalent to whatever price you can get the 2600K for currently. Maybe a touch more, but the 2600K will probably go down slightly in price, and the 3770K will take its place. These are just estimates from talk I see around.
 
This is the best I could do within the budget. Note, an extra $100-250 will make this build perform MUCH better.

Screen Shot 2012-04-02 at 11.13.08 PM.png
Screen Shot 2012-04-02 at 11.13.26 PM.png
 
Very nice. You are the master of finding packaged deals on NewEgg Knufure! :thup:
 
Knufire said:
This is the best I could do within the budget. Note, an extra $100-250 will make this build perform MUCH better.
Click to expand...

wow, thank you. Just a couple of things: I already have a copy of Windows 7 Professional, I think I'll invest in an GTX560Ti and maybe an AMD CPU would bring the price down a little?
 
AMD doesn't really have anything that can compete gaming-wise with Intel right now.

So you need everything you listed in your first post except for Windows 7? Or is the $800 only for what's missing in the list.

Or more simply put, what exactly do you need with the $800?
 
Knufire said:
AMD doesn't really have anything that can compete gaming-wise with Intel right now.

So you need everything you listed in your first post except for Windows 7? Or is the $800 only for what's missing in the list.

Or more simply put, what exactly do you need with the $800?
Click to expand...

Windows 7 is the only thing I have that I need in the list. In terms of AMD v Intel, I'm fine with any CPU as long as it runs games like BF3 maxed out, and doesn't break the bank.

Can you help me find these combos on Newegg btw
 
Well, it depends. GPU bound stuff doesn't seem to matter what you run really. Having said that, there's not really any cost savings by going with AMD right now so unless AMD's your preferred brand, I'd go with the Intel recommendation.

Now, your Windows 7 license. Make sure it's not OEM will you as the license actually goes with the hardware. Replace the hardware and you have to repurchase. If its retail on the other hand you can reuse it.
 
mjw21a said:
Well, it depends. GPU bound stuff doesn't seem to matter what you run really. Having said that, there's not really any cost savings by going with AMD right now so unless AMD's your preferred brand, I'd go with the Intel recommendation.

Now, your Windows 7 license. Make sure it's not OEM will you as the license actually goes with the hardware. Replace the hardware and you have to repurchase. If its retail on the other hand you can reuse it.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's retail, I bought it in 2010 with the college student discount - if it's installed on my Dell machine now, could I transport the license to my new rig? Could I get links to the combos Knufire posted in the SS?
 
agree

wingman99 said:
CORSAIR is a good brand you don't need that much power, a CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply is plenty.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
Click to expand...

I have the cosair 750W ... and it is great, especially when you want to crossfire/sli for future builds you have the extra watts. If you go above 700w you should be fine for any future builds. The trick is because most GPU's take 150-200w by themselves. Crossfired is around 350-380w. Cant comment on sli as I am AMD since my last Pentium was a dell in 1998.

Newegg has deals, and i only spent 90 bucks on sale for my 750-- The big thing is who cares about the PSU company, you really only want watts... so if a no name brand is having a deal-- get it as it probably is made on the same line as the bigger brands.
 
^^^ Thats some of the worst advice about PSU's I've heard in a while. Some of those generic PSU's can kill your computer, and for the most part they can't actually do their advertised output wattage. With the brands listed if they say 500W, then its 500W sustainable over with 24/7 operation. With cheap PSU's its typically peak and often they can't even manage that. If that peak wattage is sustained for 15 minutes or longer they will often fail. Stick with reputable brands, its better than frying the rest of your system because you went cheap.

Antec, Seasonic, SuperFlower, Corsair, Silverstone to name just a few.
 
nursingZombie said:
The big thing is who cares about the PSU company, you really only want watts... so if a no name brand is having a deal-- get it as it probably is made on the same line as the bigger brands.
Click to expand...
I hope this is a really poorly done joke. Brand and build quality absolutely matters when it comes to power supplies.

Granted, you are free to use whatever you want in your system. Just don't complain to us when it throws sparks out the back and kills your components. :)
 
Motherboards is a huge grey area for me, I'm looking for a decently-priced MoBo/CPU (quad-core or more) combo if possible - I don't care for brand (AMD/Intel)
 
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