Noob PC guy, planning a first build

[mrfran]

Hi, I need help/opinion/recommendation, im planning to build my gaming/multipurpose pc and i only have a budget of $1000-$2000 max,

i was looking around at cyberpowerpc (my first option was to buy one, but i checked reviews and just found out they have a bad service)

they pc im planning to get cost $1600++ on the said site and it's composed of this parts:
__________________________________________________ _______________
CASE: Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. 420 Watts Case (G Type Metallic Gray Color with Side-Window)

CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache 64-bit

MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard

MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader)

VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 1GB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)

VIDEO CARD 2: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 1GB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)

HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)

Data Hard Drive: 80GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive

Optical Drive: 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)

SOUND: Creative Labs SB Audigy SE

__________________________________________________ _______________

so i was wondering if u guys can suggest some better parts for it or any suggestions or changes that i can do before trying to buy the parts?

basically i just need a new desktop that wont suffer on low framerates when playing games...

with that mobile intel graphic card on my laptop im getting a painful 10-26 fps at the most (on lowest quality setting) while playing WoW... makes me cry

my very last option is to buy a slightly tweaked area-51 7500 from alienware....

thanks in advance!!:D

[shyster]

Well I guess the first question is, will it only be used for gaming or is there any chance you will do any photo editing, video processing etc. on it?

The reason for this question is really to determine whether you need a duo or quad core. If you will only be playing games a duo core has a better cost performance ratio.

Secondly do you have to have an SLI system? From all I hear they are not reliable and cannot even compare to a single higher level card.

With those things in mind I will just give you a basic setup which is pretty much the same as mine.

Case: It is really a personal choice, but the antec 900 is great for cooling and has a look that I just love.

PSU: The cosair 520HX is the PSU of choice around here. Very efficient power rating and enough to power pretty much any system out there right now. If you really need more I believe they have a 620HX as well.

CPU: The E8400 is the way to go for a gaming only computer.

Motherboard: The general consensus is that DDR3 is still too expensive for the slight increase, so DDR2 boards are my recommendations here. Abit IP35 PRO or the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L are very good boards. They are both strongly recommended and good for "beginners" in that they do not arrive DOA or require a ton of tinkering to get them working unlike some... Asus...

RAM: The choice you make here will determine what OS you will need to get. If you already have an OS that you will just load on, then that will also probably determine what you will get. I went with 2x2gb corsair XMS2 ram. For that you need a 64 bit system or it will go to waste and acutally slow the computer down. You could instead go with 2x1gb for a 32 bit OS system. G-skill is another highly recommended RAM choice around here, especially for the Abit which Ricky says is very supportive of it.

Video Card: As I said SLI is bad, so here it is just one video card. 8800 GTS the prices on video cards have dropped enough recently that this is probably the card to go with. One thing to keep in mind however, this card runs hot, even with riva tuner, which you will need to run to keep this card from overheating. So if you live in an extremely hot area, arizona, southern california, etc., then the 8800GT might be a better choice just because it is slightly cooler and more stable.

HDD: They are cheap, and there is really no reason to get a drive smaller than 600gb unless you are going to run two drives with a raptor as your system drive, and the second for storage and running games from. Even then I would still recommend a drive above 600 they are not that much more, and once you have space you will find yourself using more of it.

Optical Drive: They are pretty cheap usually around $20-30 even for a good dvd rw. I bought a samsung I believe but just take a look around newegg and you will see many of them.

Sound Card: You will probably not need one, unless you are running a 7.1 surround system since the onboard sound, at least for the Abit, is very good.

All of this should definately not run more than 1500, if you look around for sales and cheaper prices.

You did not mention if you needed a monitor, and keyboard, mouse set or not, so I left them out but they would probably range $300-500 depending on what you wanted.

[RickyTick]

Welcome mrfran.

If you're really ready to build this pc yourself, you'll find plenty of help here to get you on your way. Its really not that difficult. If you have any mechanical or electrical aptitude at all, you can do this. It can be lots of fun, and save you some money at the same time.

I've also read horror stories about Cyberpowerpc and Ibuypower. I have read mostly good things about VelocityMicro. If at some point you decide you don't want to tackle building it yourself, I'd recommend the new Dell XPS630. It doesn't use the typical proprietary parts like most Dells, so its very upgradeable and user friendly.

With your budget, you can build a killer gaming pc. Here's what I'd recommend with a couple of different options

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133132

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001

Motheroard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131182

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115043

Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130325
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

Optical Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151153

Operating System
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116204

Of course you'll need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to complete the build.

I linked everything to Newegg only because its easier. I would encourage you to shop around for the best deals. There's no reason to buy it all from the same place. Check out zipzoomfly.com, mwave.com, or tigerdirect.com.

I gave more than one option on most pieces just so you could compare them and make your own choice. Hope that helps get you started. Ask plenty of questions.

[RickyTick]

Looks like me and Shyster are thinking alike.

You might also find this helpful
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=1551

[shyster]

Ahh Ricky you showed me up again... :p

Do you just have lots of time on your hands that you can find all those links or do you have them remotely stored somewhere for easy access?

By the way what have you heard about the 9800 GTX? I am just wondering if it would be worth upgrading to from the 8800GTS that I have? Do you know if it has better cooling or other important features? Do you know if it has been added to rivatuners usable list yet?

[RickyTick]

Do you just have lots of time on your hands that you can find all those links or do you have them remotely stored somewhere for easy access?

By the way what have you heard about the 9800 GTX? I am just wondering if it would be worth upgrading to from the 8800GTS that I have? Do you know if it has better cooling or other important features? Do you know if it has been added to rivatuners usable list yet?

Its a little slow here at work today, so I had a little extra time. No I don't store the links in Notepad but maybe I should. :)

I still think the 8800GTS 512 is the best bang for the buck. Don't you? I just tossed that 9800GTX in there to give the OP something else to consider. Nvidia is in the process of changing some of their numbering schemes.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/nvidia-to-simplify-product-range
Its all too confusing for me. I think there are 8 versions of the 8800 card. :eek: I'm not upgrading my card for at least a year.

[The Wise Monkey]

The 9800GTX doesn't perform as well as the 8800GTS 512, which is kind of strange. Makes me wonder what nVidia are doing. :/

EDIT: I was getting the numbering system mixed up and looking at the wrong card... The 9800GTX is in fact a step above the 8800GTX, which is a step above the 8800GTS 512. So if you have the option to use EVGAs step-up program, then you might as well. :D

[shyster]

Well I was asking since I think I could still use the step up program, and since when I got my card it was like $280 I was wondering if it was worth steping up to it.

Ahh yeah slow days, I understand how those are, I have them sometimes also.

[RickyTick]

I could be wrong, but I think in order to use the Step-up, you must have registered your card within the first 30 days of ownership. And of course you only have 90 days to use the Step-up.

[mrfran]

thanks alot, never thought i can find a very friendly forum like this.. anyway i'll try to check ur recommendations and try to keep you updated on the parts and decisions im making

i really learned alot even with this tidbits of informations and explanations so yeah thanks alot im going to check them now

and yeah i play games at the most so my basic concern will be an improved framerate and less lag from slow processing