Favorite Computer Build

[saadhamza]

I was hoping for a pre-built >.<

Yeah, i know. Picky-Picky. And yea, pre-built computers are pretty bad and expensive in general, but my dad will not let me get a custom build.

But thanks for the build. I think i may have based one of my original builds on the other build you posted.

[Robin]

@Zonova:

> I was hoping for a pre-built >.<

Then give up on the idea of getting a mid-high end rig for a decent price.

[saadhamza]

*I begin to sob and smash my hand on the table* No… i cant handle it...all my dreams...poofed..

Ok, dramatic emo time over. I'll try to get my dad to go custom, though i'm not sure how far i'll get.

[JSchilli1]

[http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114085](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114085)

I realize eMachines is crap, but it seems like good specs for a price such as that.

-JS1

[Robin]

@Zonova:

> *I begin to sob and smash my hand on the table* No… I cant handle it...all my dreams...poofed..
>
> Ok, dramatic emo time over. I'll try to get my dad to go custom, though I'm not sure how far I'll get.

Building your own machine is fool-proof, as long as you make sure the parts are all compatible. It's a 1 or 2 hour job at most.

I did my first build when I was 15 without any knowledge at all about building them. Worked fine the first time I booted it up. Never bought a pre-built monstrosity since.

If all else fails, point out that building your own is going to save him waay more money in the future.

I'm not saying all pre-builts are terrible, but they've got to make money from it, and chances are they'll advertise the big components yet skimp on other parts, effectively bottlenecking the entire system.

@JS1:

> [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114085](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114085)
>
> I realize eMachines is crap, but it seems like good specs for a price such as that.
>
> -JS1

It's not purely about specs. Also, that machine only has an integrated board. You'll need to fork out for a graphics card.

[JSchilli1]

@Robin:

> It's not purely about specs. Also, that machine only has an integrated board. You'll need to fork out for a graphics card.

Ah, yes. Very true. I doubt that small casing could even fit any decent card!

-JS1

[Robin]

Well it has a spare PCI-e x16 slot, so you should at least be able to get a low-profile card in there.

The main problem is the 220w PSU.

[JSchilli1]

[http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883241034](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883241034)

Also, better. Better PSU, (lower RAM, but expandable) better CPU, you're easily able to add a better graphics card, and it only costs a little more. Never heard of the brand, though.

-JS1

[Robin]

That price is stupid for such a build. Especially considering you can easily add another $150 for a decent graphics card.

DDR2 800? This is 2010\. My build is pretty darn modest for a gaming rig.

[saadhamza]

Hmm, not bad, the first one. Though, replacing the graphics card would probably be a pain in the ass, since i would have to buy it separately… obviously.

How does this look?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883147254

I liked the graphics card. But isn't 32 MBs of Cache normal nowadays?

[Robin]

You don't replace the video card. Builds come with motherboards with integrated chipsets. It's not a separate graphics card. Simply plugging one into your PCI-e x16 slot will override the integrated one.

It's really easy. You simply plug it in.

Honestly though, the main problem I have with this site is paying £25 for a 1-year warranty. If you're doing your own build, each part will come with it's own manufacturer's warranty. If my graphics card breaks, I can easily get it replaced.

It's completely up to you. Your best bet is finding someone local to do it for you. I'm assuming here that the reason you need a pre-built is because your Dad is the one paying.

If you've got a mate in the business, you can simply give him a list of parts and he'll do it for you. As long as he's not ripping you off, the build cost should only be about £50.

I've done this for plenty of people in the past. I get a decent chunk of pocket money for a few hours work and they get a custom machine that's not getting bottlenecked by a substandard part.

[Homicidal Monkey]

lol I'll prebuild a comp for you for <$500

[saadhamza]

Wow, really? I thought it was a bit more complicated then that.

Here's the place that i'll be buying either my computer, or the parts for it.
Computersplus.com

Don't be silly, of course i have to pay for it. But my dad controls everything i buy.

Ok, i'm going to make another build, and then i would appreciate all of your feedback on it.

[symphonia117]

meh.
my system:

monitor: asus 23" 1080p 1:20000 contrast
GFX: gigabyte gtx 460 1gb memory, 715mhz, OCed to 915
memory: 2x2GB g.skill eco 1600mhz 7-8-7-24 latency ddr3
cpu: intel i7 875k unlocked edition, 2.93ghz stock, OCed to 4.2ghz
cooling: corsair a70 duel fan and copper pipe heatsink
case: cooler master haf 922, comes with 2 200mm and 1 120mm fan
additional cooling: another 200mm on the side and another 120mm on the bottom, red led
psu: 650 watt corsair tx
optical drives: LITE-ON dvd burner and lite-on blu ray reader
hdd: samsung 1tb 7200rpm
mobo: had a ga-p55a-ud4p from gigabyte but it kept blowing capacitors so i got a asus maximus iii formula instead
os: windows 7 ultimate 64bit
total cost: approx $1500

plan on getting another gfx card and running sli,  also ganna get an 850 psu so it'll be able to handle it.
liquid cooling maybe one day…

[Robin]

That seems completely over the top for a 1080p monitor.

[Murdoc]

my current system:

pentium 4 2.8ghz
2gigs ddr2-667 ram
40gig 7200rpm hdd
nvidia geforce 210 512m vid card

i like it because the original system before upgrades was as cheap as hell. i have this system pretty much maxed out for what it can handle, and i can run all the games i like quite well. :)

[Robin]

A P4? Really?

You're limiting yourself by running such an old slot type mobo.

[Homicidal Monkey]

@symphonia117:

> meh.
> my system:
>
> monitor: asus 23" 1080p 1:20000 contrast
> GFX: gigabyte gtx 460 1gb memory, 715mhz, OCed to 915
> memory: 2x2GB g.skill eco 1600mhz 7-8-7-24 latency ddr3
> cpu: intel i7 875k unlocked edition, 2.93ghz stock, OCed to 4.2ghz
> cooling: corsair a70 duel fan and copper pipe heatsink
> case: cooler master haf 922, comes with 2 200mm and 1 120mm fan
> additional cooling: another 200mm on the side and another 120mm on the bottom, red led
> psu: 650 watt corsair tx
> optical drives: LITE-ON dvd burner and lite-on blu ray reader
> hdd: samsung 1tb 7200rpm
> mobo: had a ga-p55a-ud4p from gigabyte but it kept blowing capacitors so I got a asus maximus iii formula instead
> os: windows 7 ultimate 64bit
> total cost: approx $1500
>
> plan on getting another gfx card and running sli,  also ganna get an 850 psu so it'll be able to handle it.
> liquid cooling maybe one day…

congrats. I just ordered a similar computer, except it has 8gb ram and a sexcore clocked at 3.2ghz. Cost me $600

[saadhamza]

Ok, I need everyones' opinion on my choices.

Video Card:
Radeon HD 5750 (150$),
HIS Radeon HD 4850(95$),
or eVGA GeForce GTS 450(110$).

Hard drive: Western Digital 500gb (I might do a RAID 0, but then I'd need two)

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (70$)
(I'm not so sure about this one, since it is mATX, so if you have any suggestion for a good budget motherboard, that would be great. I might just go with the one that Robin mentioned)

Processor:
AMD Athlon II X4 630 Processor 2.8ghz (85$),
Athlon II X3 440 3.0 ghz(75$),
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz Dual Core Processor (88$)
or Intel Core i3-530 Dual Core Processor 2.93ghz (140$)

Memory: 4gb OCZ DDR3
I do not know what is the difference between the different companies, so I would happily take any suggestions on this one.

I'll Buy Any CD/DVD drive, but if you know of any , tell me. I had heard that the Asus DRW Superdrive was nice, but I can't find it on google for sale.

500w power supply

Any case that looks nice, with the money I have left. I will likely use a case that comes with a power supply.

No idea about the Fan, as of yet.

Yeah, I think that's it. Any good suggestions?

[Robin]

Don't skimp on the PSU. You need a good quality make.

If it's a gaming rig, the most expensive parts should generally be the motherboard, CPU and graphics card.

Speaking of graphics card, go for the HD 5770\. I've yet to come across a game it can't run at full settings at a playable FPS.

For the RAM, I've been using Kingston for years now and I've always been pleased with the results.

The main problem I see is that the motherboard you've listed there doesn't support DDR3 memory.

That AMD Athlon II X4 630 looks pretty darn sexy. Scores just over double the score of my modest e4700 and costs around the same as I got it for last year.

[saadhamza]

Ok, i'll find a good PSU.

Could you provide a link to a Kingston RAM card? I can only find the ValueRAM.

Hmm, that's not good. I'll find a different motherboard.

So, i should go for more cores over higher Ghz?

[Murdoc]

@Robin:

> A P4? Really?
>
> You're limiting yourself by running such an old slot type mobo.

haha, yea.. the comp i had before was worse.. and the p4 was just a replacement cheap buy, and good enough for what i do with it. but youre absolutely right, its a very limited mobo. it can take up to 4 gigs, but not with a video card installed lol. so i have it at max of 2gigs with a card installed. i got the ram upgrade, vid card and computer for about 200 canadian dollars. :-)

[Robin]

Well your motherboard can handle 1200+ _with a compatible CPU_. Obviously you won't be reaching that without some hardcore overclocking, but still.

These look good for what you want: [http://www.trustedreviews.com/cpu-memory/review/2007/11/09/Kingston-HyperX-KHX9600D2K2-2G-DDR2-2GB-Memory-Kit/p1](http://www.trustedreviews.com/cpu-memory/review/2007/11/09/Kingston-HyperX-KHX9600D2K2-2G-DDR2-2GB-Memory-Kit/p1)

Similar to mine but more suited for your motherboard. When I bought mine, it was _very_ budget. I bought the best I could in the price range, but it limited my RAM clock, meaning I could go for the cheaper version.

As for your CPU, generally more cores means better performance, _as long as the program is threaded properly._

If you've got something like Origins which can only take advantage of one core, pure speed is better. Most pre-2006 games aren't threaded, for example. (inb4 someone posts a pre-2006 game which is properly threaded)

[Homicidal Monkey]

@Robin:

> (inb4 someone posts a pre-2006 game which is properly threaded)

Doom (1993): Server process calculates maths/physics. Client process draws/takes input. Basically the game runs in 2 processes (or on some builds 2 threads)

[Robin]

@Zetta:

> Doom (1993): Server process calculates maths/physics. Client process draws/takes input. Basically the game runs in 2 processes (or on some builds 2 threads)