So I want to get a desktop, thinking about building one. Have some questions

[firesoul453]

Hello, for the most part I'm a console gamer but next gen seems like next gen I'll need a PC too to get the most out of gaming.



So anyway I was thinking about building one, but just for fun I build a custom one on IBuyPower and heres what I came up with
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Mage_D415/w/176747

Grand total $1094

So then I went to newegg and wondered how much lower I could build the same computer for.

But its the same price?

Here is the list:

• Rosewill PATRIOT Gaming ATX Mid Tower -$79.99
• LG 24X DVD Burner - $17.99
• WD 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $94.99
• ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD motherboard - $99.99
• Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB 192-bit GDDR5 - $314.99
• 16 gb ram (2x 8gb) - $269.98
• AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) - $199.99

Grand Total: $1,083.72






So the iBuyPower one comes all put together and comes with a 3 year warrenty. Seems like a better deal, but most people always tell me iBuyPower is overpriced and just to build one. Am I doing something wrong lol?

I am looking to spend around $1100 total. Can spend more if its worth it, would love to spend less though. If I am spending this kind of money I want a computer that will hold up to newer games and be upgradeable. Can anyone recommend a better configuration?

I've also had people tell me they can build next gen gaming pcs for like $700 easy. I've never built a computer, am I missing something (like thermal paste or something)? Is there better valued parts? I herd good things about Microcenter but I don't want to drive all the way to a store and most their stuff on their site requires instore pickup.

Also will the FX-8150 be ok or is it worth getting a 4th gen i7. I figured the the FX-8150 holds its own, is future ready with 8 cores, costs less, and would be more overclockable later on, but most people seem to recommend the i7 over it. I figured I could always upgrade my processor later correct? (Can I mix Nvidia and AMD processor, pretty much every amd board says crossfire ready and doesn't mention nvidia)


Finally I want to say thanks for answering!

 

[dudleycpa]

Here's a quick link to an Egghead deal (with the rebate you're at $1166.00)

Unbeatable AMD Gaming SuperCombo

It has a good power supply, nice case, better motherboard, SSD drive, same video card......

Please keep in mind that the it has this for $82 more than the Newegg shopping list that you put together.

Another Idea would be to use pcpartpicker.com - you can configure it any way you like. It helps you to get the "lowest online price".

You may have a lot of online reading to do, lots of questions to ask, lots of things/ideas to think about.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions and use the forum's search function.

I'm sure that other forum members will be more than willing to help out with their own ideas!

 

[hafa]

#1: Don't skimp on the power supply. Cheap power supply = fried computer. Simple as that. You can't go wrong with Corsair TX series or Seasonic; spend the $85-$108 and don't look back. For your rig, a 600W quality PSU should be more than adequate.

Power supplies that come with a case are generally poor quality; best to get a case without one and purchase your PSU separately.

 

[Knufire]

Uh...$270 for 16GB of RAM? That should be less around $120..they're ripping you off there.

There are also other things (cheaper HDD and case for example) that you can change and save money on without reducing performance.

Other than matching the CPU and motherboard, you don't need to match brands at all. Intel i5 is the way most people go for gaming.

I could give you a more in depth recommendation (specific parts), but the powers out right now so I'm stuck on my phone.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

ibuypower does very competitive in the segment where you are looking right now... Their prices are competitive on a rig like that. It gets pricier if you upgrade thru them - like if you go up a level with SSD/GPU/Motherboard. The ram is the only thing you are really overpaying for there.

I would still build my own, because it feels good, and because then you get over the fear of upgrading it yourself, which will save you money long term by extending the life of the PC... As new games come out, and new graphics cards, you can get more mileage out of what you have by buying a new GPU and selling your old one.

Personally, I don't think that ibuypower rig has a PSU that is any good. If it does, it is likely rated low and would limit future upgrades. The PSU sends power to everything in your PC, a good one sends better quality power and will make EVERYTHING last longer. There are good PSUs for good prices. I wouldn't go with that motherboard, I would go with something of a higher grade. I would also get an SSD instead of a rotational drive, it will make a huge impact on how snappy your rig is... You can buy a rotational drive later to stick to your current budget and just plug it in - easiest upgrade there is.

The combo dudley linked isn't bad, but the video card is not the same - yours is a 660Ti with 3GB of GDDR, in that combo its a 660 with 2GB GDDR. The 660Ti is better, and the additional video ram may be useful, depending on what resolutions you want to game at.

A 990FX motherboard would be better than the 970, its a higher quality platform.

I would stick to 8GB RAM, you won't benefit from more when gaming.

These are some pointers, and I know it doesn't lay everything out for you, but I was hoping to help you consider your options.

Nothing wrong with preferring AMD if that is what you like, but framerates are better on Intel rigs, so many people prefer them. For about the same price, the 3570K beats the FX8350 in most gaming situations.

Ask questions if you got them, we can get more specific. Others will come in here and suggest parts too.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

Mobo and 8GB RAM: ($154) Extreme6 and 8GB Ballistix 1600 RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157295
CPU: ($219) 3570K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
PSU: ($69) Corsair CX600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
GPU: ($259) 660Ti 2GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130809 or ($299) 660Ti 3GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130811
SSD: ($159) Intel 520 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167095
Burner and Case: ($120) whatever you like

This comes to $980 or $1020, depending on what GPU you pick. I would rather build this rig than the FX8350 one, because it should be faster in most things especially gaming.

As for component quality, these are all solid components in contrast to the ibuypower setup which compromised some elements to hit the price point, while screwing you on the RAM. The parts also come with manufacturer warranty, so if something breaks, you still can get it replaced.

 

[firesoul453]

pcpartpicker.com look like an awesome website thanks!

Thanks for the tips! Never thought about needing a high quality psu.
(These are all from newegg, all free 2 day shop runner shipping except for case )

• ASUS GeForce GTX 660 Ti GTX660 TI-DC2OC-3GD5 Video Card - $294.99
• NVIDIA Coupon Metro: Last Light -free !!
• Sentey Burton Series GS-6500R Black / Red Computer Case - $84.99
• CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W Power Supply - $69.99
• SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120KW 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)- $109.99
• Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 - $108.99
• ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX Intel Motherboard and
• Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
• together $424.98

Grand Total: $1,093.93 plus like $33 off in promo codes.

This setup seem like all high quality parts? Power supply should have enough wattage right?


Do I need to buy a fan/heatsink? Do I need to buy thermal paste? Or does a processor come with one?
Do you think 120gb ssd is enough? This thing is for gaming and so I don't want to have to end up installing most my games on a separate hdd (I'll add one later).
This case is $10 more but says full sized, as opposed to mid. I figured it would have more room for upgrades. Worth $10 more?
Anything else I'm forgetting?

Once again thanks for your answers.

 

[dudleycpa]

pcpartpicker.com look like an awesome website thanks!

Thanks for the tips! Never thought about needing a high quality psu.
(These are all from newegg, all free 2 day shop runner shipping except for case )

• ASUS GeForce GTX 660 Ti GTX660 TI-DC2OC-3GD5 Video Card - $294.99
• NVIDIA Coupon Metro: Last Light -free !!
• Sentey Burton Series GS-6500R Black / Red Computer Case - $84.99
• CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W Power Supply - $69.99
• SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120KW 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)- $109.99
• Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 - $108.99
• ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX Intel Motherboard and
• Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz LGA 1150 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
• together $424.98

Grand Total: $1,093.93 plus like $33 off in promo codes.

This setup seem like all high quality parts? Power supply should have enough wattage right?


Do I need to buy a fan/heatsink? Do I need to buy thermal paste? Or does a processor come with one?
Do you think 120gb ssd is enough? This thing is for gaming and so I don't want to have to end up installing most my games on a separate hdd (I'll add one later).
This case is $10 more but says full sized, as opposed to mid. I figured it would have more room for upgrades. Worth $10 more?
Anything else I'm forgetting?

Once again thanks for your answers.

Sorry if I missed it - you do have an operating system in there?

You'll need a good cooler for the 4770K. The 4770K run hot.

If you want to you could look at this "little guide/contest" that they do over at Toms Hardware - It should give you plenty of ideas.

Mind you it's an Mini-ITX guide.

 

[Conumdrum]

Processor comes with a basic decent at stock speeds heatsink with paste.

You'll want a HD to store data soon and games. A 120 will hold 3 modern games office, and other basics well enuff, but mobo files, video drivers, etc etc will fill it fast. 120 GB isn't much these days.

I would learn more about cases. Spend 3-10 hours reading posts in our MANY sub-forums and OUR front page, look upper left and find case reviews. (this is one forum of many here), use Google for case reviews and info here and other places. Some cases are crap and that one doesn't seem to be one we ever talk about. A case is a personal thing, it must have good cooling if you plan a BIG GPU and overclocking a CPU later. It's something you can use a long time like a quality PSU if you do it right.

If you just started your adventure, then you should slow down and learn a bit more. If your this new at it, then a week or 3 should give you time before buying one single part.

 

[dudleycpa]

Processor comes with a basic decent at stock speeds heatsink with paste.

You'll want a HD to store data soon and games. A 120 will hold 3 modern games office, and other basics well enuff, but mobo files, video drivers, etc etc will fill it fast. 120 GB isn't much these days.

I would learn more about cases. Spend 3-10 hours reading posts in our MANY subforums (tis is one of many, use Google tor case reviews and info here and other places. Some cases are crap and that one doen't seem to be one we ever talk about. A case is a personal thing, it must have good cooling if you plan a BIG GPU and overclocking a CPU later. It's something you can use a long time like a quality PSU if you do it right.

If you just started your adventure, then you should slow down and learn a bit more.

+1 on getting a HDD drive. +1 on Cases being a personal thing - very subjective.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

Looks good here. CPU comes with heatsink that has paste applied. It won't give much room for overclocking, but it will be fine to start. I would get a better heatsink, if not now, then later... Then you will need paste.

120GB is enough for os and games. You will want another drive for big files and long term storage, can always do that later. The 840 is a great choice, tho I like the Intel ssds. I don't think 3 games would fill it, but maybe I'm out of touch.

600 is enough wattage for sure. You could go bigger, if you may add a second GPU at some point, otherwise you are fine there.

Not sure you need a full. Good for more hard drives if you want to stuff a lot of storage in there down the road, or if you want to work a full water cooling setup in there later. It gives options, just maybe look at the dimensions and be sure you are cool.

You may want to look at fractal design cases. They have some around the 100 dollar price point that are really slick, and give great features that are sort of above their price range. This is a lot of taste tho, so get what you like.

You can't overspend on a case or a PSU. Well you can, but these are the things that can last you virtually forever... Any future build you can reuse both these parts, everything else would be outdated first.

Pcpartpicker is a really helpful site. One thing I will note, since I am an admin here, if you buy thru links on pcpartpicker, they get part of the profits from the sale. If you buy after clicking links to the products on our site, we get part of the profits from the sale. Neither costs you more, but something people can keep in mind if they want to support a certain site... Whoever's link you click last before making the purchase, that site gets the credit for helping to finalize your purchase decision. No one clicks ad banners anymore, so its a way for helpful sites to support themselves by doing what they do normally.

 

[Conumdrum]

I like this case, and cheaper too. Lots of airflow, add a few fans later.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/BitFenix-Shinobi-Case-Review/1288

Look up more reviews.

 

[Hippogriff]

Get a GTX 760, not a 660 Ti

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHW4HXY

 

[firesoul453]

I did forget about OS, but luckily I can get a copy of windows cheap through my school.
Case look doesn't matter too much to me, performance and price is much more important.

btw, where are those links selling products on this site?

Cant guarantee that I'll end up doing this, but currently plan on it.

I like this case, and cheaper too. Lots of airflow, add a few fans later.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/BitFenix-Shinobi-Case-Review/1288

Look up more reviews.

Hmm thanks I'll look into it.

Get a GTX 760, not a 660 Ti

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHW4HXY

It seemed to me that the performance wasn't really that much more but I'd be giving it up an entire 1gb of gddr5 ram. Would that actually be worth it?

Thanks!

 

[Hippogriff]

It seemed to me that the performance wasn't really that much more but I'd be giving it up an entire 1gb of gddr5 ram. Would that actually be worth it?

Thanks!

The 760 is around 10% faster and, if you're playing at 1080p or less, 2GB should be enough. There're also 4GB versions, but only with stock cooler now.

For around $300/330 you can get a good 7950 (Sapphire Vapor-X or HIS IceQ X2)