Looking into Gaming Pcs, need some advice from experienced people.

[M@v]

Hey guys, I'm currently in the market for a new desktop, and I'm looking for a gaming PC. My budget is $2000. Here's where I'm at so far:

-I've heard across the board building your own is the best option, but I have never built a PC before. I am a computer major, and have knowledge on how PCs work, but its still not the same as actually building one.


I've looked at several pre-builts too. So far I've looked at Alienware, Dell XPS, and maingear. I know there are others.


Suggestions from people who know what they are doing?

 

[ERayz]

What I would do considering your budget...

Processor:i7 2600K (sandybridge) all the way! The whole sandybridge series is a lot cheaper than the first generation of i3/i5/i7 processors, and IMO, far more performant.

Do not confound with the i7 2600, which is harder to OC. If you don't want to OverClock, take this one instead.

Heatsink: I'd go with a watercooling system, but if you don't plan on OCing, the heatsink that comes with the processor will do the job.

Motherboard: Any high-end Asus or Gigabyte motherboard with LGA1155 socket should do.
Make sure to take one with a P67 Chipset, because the H67 chipset makes it harder to OC.

Note that the P67 does not support the built-in "GPU" that is in the Sandybridge processors, but since you plan on building a gaming machine, you will most likely have a PCI-e 16X card.

I'd take a ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution or something equivalent. Please don't waste your money on MSI or ECS motherboards (not saying they are completely bad, but their components seem to be much more fragile).

Only downside about this motherboard is that it does not support triple channel memory.

I don't know much about Power supplies, but I'd go with one with over 700W and NOT made by OCZ.

Memory: Depends on how much memory you want, but considering the motherboard I suggest has only 4 slots, I'd go with any 1333MHz Corsair/Kingston/Mushkin kits of 2*4GB sticks.

Video card: I'd go with any 2GB DDR5 video card from XFX or Sapphire and if you want, you could try to get two copies of the same Graphics card and use them in SLI or CrossFire to get even more performance.
(note that the motherboard I suggested supports 3-way SLI and Quad CrossFire, so you could go even further but I think it's too expensive for nothing)

HDD: I'd go with a Caviar Black from Western Digital with SATA 6.0GB/s interface here. I don't know how much space you need, so it's up to you to decide how much capacity you want your HDD to have.

Don't forget to get a Blu-ray or DVD reader. I guess any brand will be good enough.

And for the OS, any Windows 7 64Bit as long as it is NOT Starter or Home Basic edition. I don't think it's worth it to get the Pro or Ultimate version of the OS, unless you want the Bitlocker feature (available only on Ultimate).

Note that Home Premium only supports up to 16GB of RAM, I doubt you will get higher than this though

Finally, take time to choose a good computer case with good airflow that supports ATX form factor motherboards.

Well, that's pretty much what I would do if I had such a budget. I didn't calculate how much this setup would cost you, but I have no fear you are still in your budget. Hope I helped you!

 

[Tichinde925]

Follow these 2 Tier List Charts:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...rd-geforce-gtx-590-radeon-hd-6990,2879-7.html


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-recommended-processor,2895-5.html

 

[tera twin]

I think on average building your own PC rather than buying a PC from companies like Dell or Alienware saves you $1,000. I built my own PC and with some good online searching, I got some good deals.

 

[M@v]

The best pre-built option I've found so far is Main Gear. Definitely saves me a few hundred bucks over alien ware, and all the reviews I've seen worship their customer service as the best thing since sliced bread.

One of my friends here at PSU built a PC worth twice as much as my budget, so I'm definitely going to consult him as well.

 

[inferno]

Putting together a PC is pretty easy.

I would read an article or two about building your own computer, for more tips n stuff.

Since you've never done it before, just take your time, don't use excessive force and you'll be fine.

Don't put it together in a room with carpet if you can avoid it. Static discharge can ruin components. Touch the inner frame of your case before handling any components.

Make sure all your parts are compatible. (duh?)

 

[tera twin]

Make sure all your parts are compatible. (duh?)

There's these websites like eCollegePC.com (seems to be down atm) that let you build your own computer online and buy it. The benefit of these types of websites is that they build it for you and test to see if it works. Also, when you're choosing the parts, the parts change accordingly to certain parts so that they can be compatible. for example, you get a certain motherboard, the list of available CPU's change to those that work with that motherboard model.

The downside is that some parts you can get it cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Sraigux]

I agree with pretty much everything Erays sais, but here are some improvements

the heatsink that comes with the processor will do the job.

No! Stock fans are terrible! Go for some sort of aftermarket cooler. They are only ~40$ anyway

Only downside about this motherboard is that it does not support triple channel memory.

Which is important, I would say get a mobo with triple channel

I don't know much about Power supplies, but I'd go with one with over 700W and NOT made by OCZ.

Get one that is 80 plus certified.

Finally, take time to choose a good computer case with good airflow that supports ATX form factor motherboards.

Antec 900
Memory: There really isn't much of a difference in brands of memory, in fact, memory frequency usually don't speed up performance much anyway. Just go for 4gb decently priced RAM

 

[Superstar]

Putting together a PC is pretty easy.

What this man said. Assembling a computer requires practically no skill whatsoever, the only tricky parts are installing the heatsink and the LEDs. The former requires more than a delicate amount of force (don't worry, you won't break it), and the latter if you're slightly clumsy. So long as you follow the manual on your motherboard you're solid.

The trickest part is knowing what parts to get. What do you plan to do with the computer besides game? If you're only going to game you can save money by getting cheaper CPUs and splurging more on the graphics card. $2000 is a lot of money and you can game very well for less than $1000.

 

[vadgama]

Assembling a computer requires practically no skill whatsoever, the only tricky parts are installing the heatsink and the LEDs.

BS. Finding parts that mesh well together is difficult for someone who's never done it before. And if you don't know what you're buying and how it works with the other parts you're going to buy then you're computer is not going to be as good as you wanted/planned it to be.

Make sure you know exactly what you're going to be using it for.

Honestly......

1) Don't do this by yourself. Go to someone (in person) who has built more than one computer before. Preferably a professional. But if you have a relative or a friend who has put together many, go ahead and do that.

2) Tell them what you're going to be using you're new computer for (Games, Game Development, ect..) and you're price range.

3) Listen to what they say to you and then repeat steps 1, 2 and 3.

4) Once you get the parts for you're computer, the rest is pretty easy....put it together. Easier to do with a friend or a professional (as long as they don't charge) if you're inexperienced. That way you can learn how to put it together and get it put together quicker than you would by yourself.

newegg.com is the shiz for buying computer parts.

btw look closely at reviews and ratings for the parts you're looking at.

 

[Praxis]

It's a scary thought, but it's really easy in practice to actually build your computer (the actual assembly is easy, make sure you get the right parts). If you know about the components, and can follow instructions and turn a screwdriver...

If you're really worried, grab a barebones kit off of NewEgg. A barebones kit is usually just like...a cheap case with a power supply and motherboard already mounted (in my experience usually the hardest part) and a CD drive or something.

Then buy a processor, slap it in, mount the heat sink. Buy a hard drive, screw it in place, and plug it in to the motherboard. Buy some RAM, slap it in. Buy a graphics card, slap it in. Ta-daaaaaaaaa, you just saved a ton of money over buying Dell.

 

[SoleSM]

A DIY kit is definitely a good start to learning how to build your own PC. I don't find it difficult at all to build PCs but I remember I was nervous when I was putting my very first one together. Luckily I had my older cousin who has built PCs before assisting me with my first build. If you can, definitely take vadgama's word and have someone help you. I found the experience to be more enjoyable overall having someone coach me on my first attempt.

I forget where I saw it but a website posted a graph of how much money you save approximately based on buying a machine VS building a machine with identical parts. For budget machines, there won't be a huge gap in how much you would spend. So while a DIY kit is amazing for first timers, if you purchase a cheap set then you probably won't save that much money. But the purpose for this is to learn how to build your first machine after all. Also my information could be wrong because the chart I found was old. The basic concept was you saved more money by building a more expensive machine.

 

[Johnny_C13]

newegg.com is the shiz for buying computer parts.

Quoted for truth.