Computer Geeks
 

Hey, who all here knows a lot about computers, building your own, gaming, etc? I've been toying with the idea of building myself a PC lately. I have a Mac laptop that I would still use a fair bit also. I really enjoy gaming, and think this would be a much better idea than buying a xbox 360 or ps3. I know it would cost more, but I could do a hell of a lot more with it and keep upgrading it over time.


Here is the list of what I think I am going to get.


Processor: AMD Phenom 9850 2.5GHz Quad Core.

Motherboard: Gigabyte AMD 770.

Graphics Card: MSI GTX260.

Hard Drive: Hitachi 1 TB Hard Drive

Memory: Kingston DDR2 1066 2x2GB

Monitor: Acer 20" Widescreen monitor. 1680x1050 resolution. Almost High def.

Power Supply: Apevia 680W PS

Case: XCLIO Windtunnel. ATX Full Tower. 2x250mm fans on the side. 1x120 in the back. Like I said, I have my laptop so I wont be moving it much.

Altogether with the mouse and keyboard I want, the total is going to be just over 920 dollars before shipping.

My brother in law likes gaming and did it on his computer. In the last year or so he picked up a Wii and 360 (that was just in the last couple of months). He just said the other day that he is done with gaming on a computer. He was tired of buying $800 video cards every 6 months.

If you get stuck on one game for a long time or don't always jump on the newest game then the video card doesn't become a problem so quick.

What type of games are you into?

James

Nope. Phenom I is ok as a cheapo processor but be a man for crying out loud. Cough up the extra bucks for AMD Phenom II X4 940 (229) and a mobo with a AMD SB750 South Bridge.

(Or grab an Core2Quad q9400 and up and a Gigabyte Ultra Durable p45 chipset series 775 board.)

That graphics card is overkill for a 20 inch monitor at that resolution. (ATI 4850 would be more appropriate.)
However, if you are intent on a high end card, go with a ATI 4870. (Sapphire has one for $180). Save money...same performance.

I'm gonna say stick with Antec power supplies. Their EA series are ok. Pretty quiet too.

As for the case, Antec 300 is a great case at $60.


Basically, go with a nicer CPU (PhenomII 940 or 920 if you want AMD, q9400 and up if you want intel)

AMD chipset should be have the 750south bridge and either am2(ddr2)+ or AM3 (requires DDR3 memory).
Intel - P45

Do your homework on power supplies.

you have a lot of room to play with.

What OS are you tossing on?

I second the nicer CPU idea. Go with one of the new IE's or a QuadCore. And if you're building a gaming rig, get a big monitor, or hook it up to your TV.

Here is one option.....

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$59.95

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$69.99

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
$169.99

SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
$179.99

Antec EA650 650W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$99.99

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5
$59.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
$114.99

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9400
$229.99

Grand Total: $1,015.69 with shipping

You can knock off a couple of bucks with a few changes...
Power Supply +\- $40
Vid Card +\- $40
CPU +\- $50

You can knockl it down to $934 by switching to a ATI4850 and Dual Core E8500.

It may be tempting to skimp on the power supply, but really it's one of the most important components. Spend the extra bucks on the PSU.

The case is another one where you need to research. You don't want a vacuum cleaner or a Sauna. (I highly recomend the antec for bang 4 the buck). Some of the Rosewill (newegg brand) cases are pretty good. read the reviews.

you might want to pick up some low DB case fans as well. (bout $10 a pop)

If you aren't going dual monitor, then consider swapping the graphics card for something that has HDMI out. That way you can connect directly to a widescreen TV, without the need to get a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. Then you're full HD, at 1080p.

What type of games are you into? If you're planning on playing first person shooters at higher resolution, you need to focus on the video card (or cards) and memory and build the rest of the system around that.

Also, I'd try to stick with EVGA components as far as video cards and motherboards because the warranty service is outstanding if you burn something up. (I speak from experience:lol:)

I like first person shooters more than anything. Far Cry 2, Counter Strike: Source, and Left 4 Dead are the three I've been playing the most on friends computers. I originally looked at getting the Intel E8500 and motherboard to go along with it. A few other friends have told me to look at spending more on a power supply, also.

CPU questions.

1) Does anyone have a legitimate debate for AMD v. Intel? Everyone seems to have a preference, but can't explain why one is better than the other.

2) Should I go with a 3.0 GHz dual core or 2.5 GHz quad core? Which will be faster for first person shooter and driving games on max settings.

Oh for operating systems, XP at first. Probably partition the hard drive and put Linux on one part just to play around with. When Windows 7 comes out, I'll probably move up to it.