diesel_3 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Hey Gaming Forumers, So, I have decided that it's time to finally custom build a PC after only ever owning pre-builts. Back in 2009 I bought the computer I am using now just for a lower level gaming computer and it's a Gateway FX-6800-01e Specs: Intel i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67ghz 12 GB RAM Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 Although the CPU/RAM is decent, I definitely need to upgrade my video card and I can get an i5 CPU that has a faster processor. (Not sure if that lingo makes sense, been doing research to figure all this out haha) My big hang up is trying to find parts that are compatible (Mobo, CPU, vid card, etc) I popped the panel off of my current computer and it looks like I COULD salvage the PSU because it's 750W and the HD/Optical Drive, but I figured it would probably just be easier to keep this one in tact and then piece out a brand new rig hopefully for around 800-1000 dollars. Anyways, I've been looking at newegg, tigerdirect and NCIX for pricing, but i'm mostly looking for help from the tech savvy computer guys in here to help me get the best bang for the buck build. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhinogator Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 i5 with 8-12 gb ram and a gtx 660 should be good enough on 1080p resolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel_3 Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 i5 with 8-12 gb ram and a gtx 660 should be good enough on 1080p resolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhinogator Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 i have that cpu in my 2nd, older rig and its a pain in the ass. It overheats easily, and has very underwhelming performance. Not to mention the stockcooler is very inefficient. From my personal experience at least. The newer generation AMD processors (am3+) are pretty good though, if you are tighter on budge. However when it comes to gaming, amd processors will sometimes bottleneck you if you have a good graphics card. If your budge is 800 (for a new rig) you could easily get and i5 for sure, after tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultraman7k Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 As it stands, I would try and stay away from AMD processors as much as you can. I used to be an AMD die hard (at least when I had a PC) and switched to intel part way through the Phenom II series because the difference was just that substantial. Sure the AMD ran pretty cool, but it seriously bottlenecked my gaming. Looking at your system, you had a pretty decent run with it i7 + 285GTX was no slouch back in the day. That being said, it was a lower end i7, but that's irrelevant. For gaming, you still don't need anything more than an i5, unless you plan to do a lot of video encoding and such...that's where the i7 really shines. I dare say you won't even be able to notice the differences in gaming i5 vs i7. Of course, if you wanted to keep most of your rig, I suppose the only thing you would have to change would be Motherboard/CPU/GPU. Then again, it is a Gateway, so I'd be very, very leary about keeping that power supply, especially if you are putting in new components. Most big box pre-built computers (a la Gateway etc) tend to skimp out on the power supply and motherboard. Here's what I found: Nice Mobo/CPU combo: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=72062&vpn=3570K%20%26%20P8Z77%2DV%20LK&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals GPU: That is a great deal on a new 670GTX...if I had a PC that's the card I would shoot for. http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=72414&vpn=VCGGTX670XPB&manufacture=PNY%20Technologies%20Inc&promoid=1270 if you are unsure of PNY...you can go ASUS, but that leaves you with less money left over. http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=71705&vpn=GTX670%2DDC2%2D2GD5&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1270 Or, if you prefer AMD graphics (I usually have in the past) this one has great bang for your buck: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=69828&vpn=FX787ACNFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1270 If you went AMD graphics plus the i5 combo...you'd be looking at around just around or under $700 after taxes. If you wanted to spend up to $1000 you could easily have a more or less new computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFastOne21 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 AMD is notoriously hot. So if you go that route be aware that you will need a solid heat sink to disperse it. IMO, you can go with previous generation parts and still have a solid machine for years to come. You can look into something like the Intel I5-2500K which if you can find is cheaper and has more OC capability than the current gen. Otherwise a current gen I3 is a solid performer. I would suggest an I5 if you can though. AsRock makes good budget friendly mobo's. Be careful what you buy here as the mobo is the most important aspect of your PC. ASUS are good but their support is rough around the edges. MSI are also good. Graphics are a subject of debate. To me it is true that you get what you pay for. A cheap graphics card may have the same specs as an expensive one. The difference will be in the construction. The more you pay, the longer it will last as temps will not get excessive. I would suggest EVGA if your going Nvidia route (suggested). Look at the 560ti or the 650 if you want current and budget friendly (109 on newegg). Otherwise a Radeon 7 series is good for the money. I would suggest a minimal 4gb of memory. This is open to whatever brand, price tickles your fancy but make sure to do some research on them. Read reviews and such. Corsair offers lifetime warranty on theirs. Check their Vengeance and XMS line for deals. If you can go with 8gb or more than you will be happy you did in the long run. PSU go with whatever you need to run the machine but get it from a reputable manufacturer. The last thing you want is the PSU going out in the middle of a fight and your PC being down and out. The PSU can affect everything if it dies, including frying other components. Also, consider future upgrades into how much power you need. If you want to be the first into battle then splurge on a solid state. Enough space to run the OS and 1-2 of your favorite games. Then get another hard drive for everything else. If a solid state is out of the question then get a hard drive with a 7200rpm rate and SATA 6.0 if the mobo can support it (it should if it is new). You can get 1TB for under $80USD nowadays. If you have questions or have no idea what im talking about let me know. I will try to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtis Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Get the 660 Ti 2gb. Best bang for your buck. I just got the OC version. Amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jai604 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I'd just rebuild from scratch, honestly. Most of the parts that you'd be keeping are extremely cheap to buy, so there's no real point in keeping them. GTX 670 i5 2500k (unlocked, clockable) gigabyte or asus mobo (Ivy bridge) PSU with a minimum of 750W (the GTX 670 doesn't use much power) good after-market cooler (watercooling would be great, like a Corsair H80) Grab a cheap, good case like an Antec One cheap internal hard drive like a Western Digital Caviar Green (1TB is cheap) Any optical drive will do If you can afford it, I would grab an SSD as well. Crucial, Intel, OCZ all good brands. (I prefer Crucial and Intel, but Intel is expensive) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel_3 Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 Some very good points were brought up, Once I move and the financial situation changes a little bit, I am looking forward to building a new computer. I'm glad I don't 'need' an i7 because some of the intel stuff is so pricey, I was having people constantly recommending AMD because it was cheaper for the build but I don't think i'll change from intel. Jai, i'll probably hit you up on steam when I finally go to order all the components to make sure they are all compatible with each other haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChenWei91 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I suggest a relatively big case. Not only will that allow your hardware more airflow, it'll also give you more room to upgrade your parts when need be. I made the mistake of buying a small case, just because it was super cheap, but now if I want to upgrade my processor or anything; I have to buy a new case, and stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel_3 Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 I suggest a relatively big case. Not only will that allow your hardware more airflow, it'll also give you more room to upgrade your parts when need be. I made the mistake of buying a small case, just because it was super cheap, but now if I want to upgrade my processor or anything; I have to buy a new case, and stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jai604 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Every brand has different sizes for cases, so it really comes down to picking the model and brand that you like, and has good airflow. Personally, I like Antec cases, and have had a few over the years. I had the Antec 900 for my previous gaming rig (which is still in working condition) and currently use an Antec One. The Antec 900 is big, and the Antec One isn't very big, but both have good airflow. All in all, it comes down to the aesthetics, the build quality and materials used, and the airflow. Corsair, Coolermaster, Antec, Zalman, BitFenix, Fractal Design, Thermaltake etc. all make good cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00bxQb Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 The Antec 900 was garbage. Terrible design (like, seriously, cable management is probably the worst I've ever seen), way too loud, complete dust magnet, poor quality materials. Lian Li, Corsair, and Silverstone are generally solid cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultraman7k Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I'll also put in my 2 cents about the Antec 900 from when i had one in 2009-2011 Terrible cable management, Mismatched interior paint (inside is grey, outside casing is black...WTH) this is visible when you peek inside the side window Wretched hard drive cage Collects an insane amount of dust It is also quite difficult to work in, and requires some serious modding to make it better. To be fair, this is an older case, and it has under gone revisions and has been reborn as the 902. That being said I still wouldn't buy it. just 3 cases off the top of my head. The advantages to having a bigger case is it makes working in it easier. Generally speaking, bigger cases have more features that help with dust management/cooling. Bigger cases can help in upgrading, especially if they have a good sized CPU cutout, but if you are only upgrading your CPU and CPU cooler every few years, chances are you'll be taking out the motherboard anyways. Coolermaster HAF X - my friend has this case and it is an absolute beast. Plenty of fans, plenty of space. It has a very rugged, industrial look to it. Thermaltake Chaser MK-I - Either love the look or hate it, but this case is absolutely feature packed. I had this case and have no complaints about it whatsoever.Elevated chasis for power supply intake, easily removable dust filters wherever there is an intake, terrific cable management, the list goes on. Corsair 650D - a good sized case with simple lines and good cable management.You can always depend on Corsair for quality. IMO if the Chaser looked a little cleaner, and less radical I think it would have sold in droves since it has pretty much everything you'll ever need in a case. There are of course, other companies that offer great cases. These are just a couple that i thought of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChenWei91 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I have the Antec One. It's way to small. Have you thought of what peripherals you're gonna get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jai604 Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Yeah, I suppose I should have mentioned that I wasn't recommending the Antec 900. It's an extremely old case now anyway, but even back then, yes was not good for cable management and having to clean the dust out of it all the time was a huge pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel_3 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 This is probably a total noob question, but would you guys get both an HDD AND SDD or just one or the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blame Obama Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 amd is cheap but its power hungry, if you dont mind paying lil more on electricity bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultraman7k Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 It is probably good practice to get an HDD + SSD in order to store all your media. Keep in mind the bigger the SSD the faster it goes, though speeds from a 128gb are still nothing to sneeze at when compared to standard HDD drives. Unless you like playing the install/uninstall game with your games (thereby adding additional usage on your SSD) get an SSD for your core programs (OS/browser/word etc) and a few games, and store the rest of the games you don't play as often on your HDD. Also keeping your music/movies/documents etc on the HDD is good practice. Also keep in mind when you get an SSD, you'll want to keep, at the very least 10% free at all times to ensure the SSD can run prime your cells to keep your flash chips in optimal condition. Failure to do so can result in early death of your SSD. And whatever you do, do not defrag your SSD. by all means defrag your HDD, but please not your SSD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blame Obama Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 And whatever you do, do not defrag your SSD. by all means defrag your HDD, but please not your SSD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.