Help me with a build!! Please :)

[Vandeal]

So Im looking at a budget of around 800-1000 (less is fine lol). I would like to use the PC for gaming mostly, but obviously internet access, and for a few classes I have to be able to type up a few things. So those are basically the min requirements im looking at. I know a small amount about building, but I do understand the components and what they do, I just dont know what would go together the best. Any starter info or help that would send me on my way to a good first build?

PS. I actually have a cousin who builds his own and is willing to help me put it together, but he wanted me to figure out what I wanted to put together first. Since I told him i would potentially like to be able to upgrade or do other builds, he wanted me to do the research on the different components through forums and what have you so I can learn, rather than him just getting what would work and putting it together. That being said, I wont have trouble putting it all together lol because he will show me.

Thank you for looking at this thread, hope to hear from you all!!
Van

 

[Darknecron]

What games do you play?

Do you already have a monitor? If so, what is it's native resolution?

Do you like to run games at max graphics settings, or would you rather have stable framerate (or both)?

 

[Knufire]

Hey, welcome to OCF!

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.

• What is your budget?
  
  1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
  2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
• Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
  
  1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
  2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?
  
  1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
  2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
  3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
  4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
  5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF!

 

[Vandeal]

@Darknecron
Yes I already have a monitor. Its actually my LED TV that I would like to use, so Im assuming I would have to run off of HDMI since it doesnt have the the VGA ports.
Im not too sure how to check the native resolution, how would I do that?
The games I have mostly been playing are Diablo III and Warframe, but i have limited myself due to my current computer (laptop) capabilities, so I guess I would like to be able to do more.
Right now I have mine running at low or off settings for best performance for my computer, the games dont have to be at THE best setting possible, but if I could eventually work up to that point it would be great!

@Knufire
I plan on mostly gaming with the computer, however I would use it for basic level class/office stuff (aka Word, PP, etc).
My budget is about 800 or less. I know it may be low, but I also want a build that I could continuously work on and upgrade. However, I do not have an available copy of any OS and dont know what would work best for what I'm looking for.
It also does not include a keyboard, because I have been using a laptop, but i do have a mouse I could use for the new set up.
I do live in the US, Texas to be exact, and I believe I have been told there are MCs in Dallas but I am not aware of where they are if we have any at all.
I dont know much about overclocking, but know enough to be interested in learning the skill and how to make it work for the build I am doing.
Size is not really a concern to me. I have looked at full towers just because, in my mind, it makes sense with space for future upgrades.
Being quiet would be nice, however, not a necessity to me at the moment. It might be something I would work towards but not something I desperately need.
And I believe I would like to utilize any type of technology that would allow me to optimize not only the performance but the graphics level available. I would like to be able to work towards a set up that will run what I like, but still be able to be upgraded throughout time. Its a skill I have always been interested in but havent had the chance to get my foot in the door due to no direction.

I appreciate the step forward and providing questions to help me get to the next point
Thank you

Van

 

[Knufire]

Microcenter in Dallas:
Dallas Metroplex/Richardson
13929 N. Central Expressway
Keystone Plaza
Dallas, TX 75243
(972) 664-8500

 

[Theocnoob]

Vandeal- Just to clarify Knufire's excellent post ^, the first box is stuff from www.newegg.com, the second box is stuff you'd pick up at Microcenter.
Since CPUs and motherboards are cheaper at Microcenter, Knufire usually suggests people go there for those two items. But get the rest from Newegg.com. They're very reliable you don't have to worry and their customer service is excellent. You can take Knufire's builds to the bank they're the best on this site and I'd happily build one.

 

[Vandeal]

Thank you Knufire!! I will take a look at that stuff. I guess a pending question in my mind is, if I wanted to upgrade in the future, how capable is the build you set up for me of that? Is it something where I could upgrade a couple components here and there, or would it be a entire new build all together? I know that might be a really broad question lol and i apologize for that. But again thank you for the help!!
And thank you for the confirmation Theocnoob!

 

[Knufire]

Pretty upgrade friendly. You could add a CPU cooler to overclock the FX-6350, a SSD to make the machine seem faster. The PSU should be enough to support nearly any single GPU setup if you decide to upgrade that. The board should also support 8-core FX CPUs, but I'm not sure if the board or PSU would like a heavily overclocked FX-8320/FX-8350 and an overclocked high end single GPU.

For $10 more you could grab this PSU instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[Vandeal]

Also, so I can learn and not just take what you have given me, if you dont mind, could you possibly explain why I would choose each component over others? Like i had stated, I would love to get into the craft of building a complete system, and learn what it is I am looking for in the future. Unfortunately, Im not one to just take info and not learn more about what ive been told :/ I hope you dont get offended by that, because I trust your word, I just would like to know as to why you chose what you did thats all. And would a cooler be necessary if I dont overclock to start? or even be a good idea to get if I plan to in the future, or should i wait until i actually start trying it to take a look at coolers?

 

[Knufire]

Oh, I don't mind at all. The whole point of this is to teach anyway .

Basically, with gaming builds, the way to get the best performance is to try to fit the best GPU in there as possible. Gaming relies way more on the GPU than anything else.

Knowing the budget, I assumed you would pretty much never go with multiple GPUs. That allows you go to with a relatively small PSU and be fine, as well as a cheaper motherboard that doesn't support multiple cards. The FX-6350 isn't quite as powerful as say, an Intel i5 or a FX-8xxx CPU, but it's good enough for gaming (see this article: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6985/choosing-a-gaming-cpu-at-1440p-adding-in-haswell). Plus, at Microcenter, the CPUs are priced cheaper than everywhere else and you get $40 off, so it's a no brainer.

Case/RAM/HDD are mostly picked for the combo deals and discounts, as they're not as critical of parts.

PSU is quality: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=266