[xTheTinManx]

I'm compiling a list of components to build a PC for gaming, some picture editing and general surfing..anyone have good knowledge in this area ? Looking to post my wish list for comments and or suggestions...

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[_StephenBB81]

What kind of Budget are you dealing with

I'll admit I am a little out of date, as I have become a laptop junky in the last year, but I used to be a desktop builder always upgrading.

I keep in the loop for the latest techs, and basic principles have not changed much.

EDIT some tips

Multiple Harddrives are Better then 1 Single Large Hard drive
if you play games that have AutoSAVE you'll really really benifit from a SSD HDD for your OS / Program install, and a media standard drive as a secondary drive. if you just do online gaming, the difference will not be as big between a WD Raptor 10,000RPM drive and a SSD HDD.

for pure gaming set ups Intel i5 is a far better investment than Intel i7, i7 is your solution if you are going to overclock and push to the limits, but you can invest the savings of an i5 over i7 into far better hardware improvements.

Powersupplies Matter! never cheap out!

[Scones2]

All I have to say is dont get suckered into buying all the fancy "GAMING" branded products. Just cause something has some cool graphics on it and says "Made for GAMERS" doesnt make it any faster than something plain looking.

[JustPlainJef]

I agree mostly with what was said. There are a few "gaming" products that carry a slight benefit, but they usually aren't worth the investment and only offer marginal speed benefits unless you spend hours tweaking your system. I also prefer a single HDD as it makes failure less likely an option, but make sure you have a good backup in place.

What is your budget, do you have to include speakers / monitor / keyboard / mouse? What games will you be playing? WoW is significantly different than Forged Alliance / Left4Dead2 / CoD:MW2.

And yes, don't skimp on the PSU, but don't just throw wads of cash at it either. Many of the expensive ones are still crap.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[xTheTinManx]

Just woke up... Wil be posting my compenents withon the next hour... Thx for the replies already... Good info...

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[xTheTinManx]

Below is a list of the products im gonna put in.. Antec case is full tower, but like the idea of the big fans and extra room for expansion later...

Ive always had good luck with AMD builds, so will stick with them.. this processor was rated real high, even at gaming..gonna slap an aftermarket cooler on it. I think thethermaltake PSU will be suffecient... I may do a crossfire setup later, so I got a motherboard that would support that.. Someone suggested two harddrives? like a raid setup ?? Never done that before.. but thoughts are welcomed of course... thanks...
.Update11-129-043 Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - RetailModel #:Twelve HundredItem #:N82E16811129043Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return PolicyIn StockMail in Rebate11-129-043
Note (Add11-129-043)


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$199.99 -$40.00 Instant $159.99 . .Update13-131-398 ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - RetailModel #:M4A785TD-V EVOItem #:N82E16813131398Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock Note (Add13-131-398)


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$99.99 $99.99 . .Update14-150-447 XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - RetailModel #:HD-577A-ZNFCItem #:N82E16814150447Return Policy:VGA Standard Return PolicyIn Stock Note (Add14-150-447)


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$179.99 $179.99 . .Update17-153-038 Thermaltake W0116RU 750W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS Certified Modular ... - RetailModel #:W0116RUItem #:N82E16817153038Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock Note (Add17-153-038)


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$119.99 $119.99 . .Update19-103-674 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - RetailModel #:HDZ955FBGIBOXItem #:N82E16819103674Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return PolicyIn Stock Note (Add19-103-674)


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$165.00 $165.00 . .Update20-231-189 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK - RetailModel #:F3-10666CL8D-4GBHKItem #:N82E16820231189Return Policy:Memory Standard Return PolicyIn Stock Note (Add20-231-189)


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$94.99 $94.99 . .Update22-152-181 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare DriveModel #:HD502HJItem #:N82E16822152181Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyOut Of Stock

ETA: 12/29/2009 12:00:00 AM Auto-Notify22-152-181 Note (Add22-152-181)


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$54.99 $54.99 . .Update27-118-030 Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEMModel #:AD-7240S-0BItem #:N82E16827118030Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return PolicyIn Stock Note (Add27-118-030)


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$31.99 $31.99 . .Update35-103-065 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ... - RetailModel #:RR-B10-212P-G1Item #:N82E16835103065Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock

[xTheTinManx]

This lands right at about 1k or so.. give or take a few dollars..

[_StephenBB81]

My 2 Hard Drive suggestion was Not for a Raid Set up,
for RAID you need to identical drives.

What I suggested was 1 single Highspeed Drive as your main drive, and a secondary "Media Drive"
That way you keep the important software installed to your Main drive, and store media like music, movies, and documents on your storage drive. it will keep your games on a faster running drive.
But that isn't feasible with your set up, you went for the Cheapest HDD you could find, so it will eventually be your bottle neck, fortunately that will be a cheaper upgrade in 6 months, when that time comes look for a 32GB SSD, or a WD Raptor as they have been killer hard drives for years.

as for your Build.

I am guessing you are using the CPU/MoBo/Ram combo at those prices

I hate Sony, so I would never recommend their optical drives unless you need blu Ray.
I would go with this LITE-ON burner
LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24x DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

[Duvi]

i7 920 procs are on sale for $199 a piece through microcenter. Of course when getting that proc, you're looking at a $300+ mobo. I'm actually building a PC myself, but only game I play is counter-strike (which doesn't need a beast PC).

If you need some help, let me know, I build & repair for a living.

[JustPlainJef]

OK, I misread that due to the prices being listed with the components below. Anyway, here's my recomendations:

Newegg.com - SeaSonic SS-550HT 80plus 550W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies - SeaSonics are quality power supplies. 550W is MORE than enough for you. $74

DeRusett's drive is fine, this one has free shipping. I agree with avoiding Sony though. Newegg.com - LG Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners $30

I personally prefer the non-flashy cases, and LianLi are some of the best. This one comes with 3 120mm fans and will keep your stuff plenty cool. Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases $99

I'd spend the extra $15 ont his video card Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards because of this article Best PCIe Card: ~$150 To $290 - Review Tom's Hardware : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: December '09.

Here's a good HDD for this system. That 500Gb HDD you had would have slowed down the entire system. Newegg.com - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $199

This still puts you at about $1000, and will be significantly faster. I shared this portion of the wish list. Search CB.com in the public wish lists at NewEgg.

***************************

If you want to do a second drive for storage, I'd recomend a 1Tb drive, and personally, I only go Western Digital. Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

If you want a single drive, I'd go this way - Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $100

[elgraves]

Just stumbled on this: How to Build an Awesome Gaming PC for $647 | Maximum PC - how to build a PC for $647.

[JustPlainJef]

Here's a $700 without OS article.

System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2009: $700 Gaming PC : Vanishing Bargains - Review Tom's Hardware

[xTheTinManx]

Thanks for all the input and suggestions... I ended up switching to two of the following hard drives...
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822136320
You could spend hours upon hours deciding on what kind of parts to put in the rig... Will see how it works out with what Ive selected... Keeping my fingers crossed..

[xTheTinManx]

Quick software question...I want to put win7 on my virgin drive.. I already have a full version of vista on my old comp... Is there a way that I can install vista on the version drive as well, then immeidately put win7 over that w/o any issues? From what im reading Win7 wants to confirm you have a current windows / registered version......Any comments would be appreciated.. thx..

[_StephenBB81]

You WANT windows 7 all the way!

are you a Student?
Microsoft Office Discount for US Students -The Ultimate Steal- Office 2007 Software for $59.95
you can buy Windows 7 for 30 bucks, and Office Ultimate 2007 for 60 bucks
BOTH are well worth the value.


RE: Hard drive choices,

you are missing the mark a little, both Drives would be storage drives, neither drive is a highspeed, I would suggest investing the $140 you planned to spend on the 2 500GB drives and buy a a 150GB VelociRaptor Newegg.com - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
then a single 500GB or 1TB drive later.

[LazyStarGazer]

Good luck with your PC, TinMan.

Btw: "Your killin' me."