I wanna build a new 'puter. Wanna help? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Warlock! · 10-17-2006, 09:09 AM

It's aboot time I retire my 5 y.o. gaming box. It's been good to me, but the last couple o' years I've just had to sit by the wayside as new games came out, knowing my computer wouldn't be able to do 'em justice. Since I'd never been a member of a forum with a computer section, I figger i could maybe take advantage of you people who, in all likelyhood, know a helluva lot more than I do about computers. I also thought a few of you would get a kick out of telling someone else how to spend their money.

I'm basically looking at buying components on a budget. I have a bud who can put the thing together for me, but he doesn't always stay on the cutting edge of what's out there so he doesn't wanna pick the stuff out for me. Again, I'm lookin' for just the box... no peripherals. I'm also not looking to get the best money can buy... just a good bang for the buck. It would mainly be used for gaming and a small bit o' web surfing (still on dialup here in very rural Ohio

). I'd like WinXP Pro. The games I deal with are racing games and shooters, if that makes a difference. The sound card also doesn't have to be baddest available, as I'm just gonna hook it up to my old Logitech Z680 5.1 speaker system.

The budget is $1200. What should I buy?

MexicanOnABike · 10-17-2006, 10:24 AM

well check if theres components from your previous computer that you could still use like your cdrom/dvdrom/burners. the case/power suply might still be good. a 400W min for todays computers. apart from that, with that amount, you can get yourself a pretty sweet deal! cant be of much more help. go AMD.

Aro23 · 10-17-2006, 10:51 AM

nice budget, focus on getting a good videocard, cpu, memory. as stated by mexicanonabike you might be able to use other parts from your old comp. are you going to buy a monitor too?

Halx · 10-17-2006, 10:59 AM

This is what I am getting...

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103754

MOBO: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131013

RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034

Video: eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR Geforce 7950GT 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130061

That should JUST fit your budget, assuming you're keeping a lot of components

shakran · 10-17-2006, 06:22 PM

Case: Raidmax Astro. $35. It's cheap, but it works, has decent cooling, and it even has a side window

Your choice of colors (black, green, blue, and they might still have it in beige if you're boring

)

Power supply: Sparkle, 400W minimum. Sparkle makes incredible PSU's. They last forever.

Mobo/CPU: Go with Halx's choice. DO NOT let your friend use Arctic Silver on the chip - it will cool the chip better, but it also voids your warranty for no good reason.

RAM: Either Corsair or Crucial, whichever is cheaper.

Soundcard: Whatever you have in your old computer, OR a Soundblaster Live!, which shouldn't run you more than $15 or 20.

Videocard - - the biggest and baddest you can afford.

Hard drive - -if you buy RIGHT NOW, Fry's is having a sale on a 400GB SATA drive for $99. you must buy tonight (10/17) if you want it.

Optical drive: Samsung DVD + / - RW with Lightscribe - - $30 shipped from newegg.com

That case supports a 120mm front fan, 2 rear 80mm fans, and comes with 2 side fans. Do yourself a favor and install all the fans the case will support. Overheating is just plain annoying, and modern systems are very good at it unless you manage the cooling well. This will be noisy, but your only other option is water cooling and if your friend isn't keeping current, he may not know how to do that.

Dilbert1234567 · 10-17-2006, 07:12 PM

AMD and thermal Grease:

Use of ANY thermal grease besides G749 voids the warranty; G749 is only to be used short term, for testing only. The only other approved method is Phase Change Material, PCM this is the pad that comes with the stock heat sink. Nothing else... however, OEM chips come with no warranty from AMD, so the only warranty you have is a 30 day replacement warranty from newegg. Personally I void a lot of warranties, but if you are concerned about it, run it with the stock cooling for a few days, put it through its paces, and if it passes, upgrade the heat sink and thermal grease so it stays nice and cool. I’ve used artic silver for years and never had trouble, just remember that it is conductive, so don’t get it near the wires use a very thin coat on the chip only, less is more.

As for a case, if you get a cheep case, it will be noisy; you want to spend at least $50 to $75 for a nice roomy aluminum case. I just built a system in a Cooler Master Mystique 631 for a client, its nice, roomy and quiet, 2 large 120 mm fans and a side vent.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119107

shakran · 10-17-2006, 08:07 PM

Yeah, I know there's no problem with arctic silver as far as it working - - but since I always get the retail box chip (you get your warranty for only $10 more usually) I have to worry about voiding it.

And you're correct in that a cheap case will be (usually) noisier than a more expensive case, but I'd rather put the money into making the computer more powerful. One thing I did with one of my cases is to line the sidewalls with Dynamat. Quieted that sucker down like you wouldn't believe

Dilbert1234567 · 10-17-2006, 08:44 PM

$3 of acetone will remove all traces of artic silver, as long as you are thorough and careful, you can send it back and they will be nun the wiser.

I used to think power was everything, I’d rather spend an extra $100 on a case and cooling to have it be silent than an extra 200 MHz. When done properly, a system can be both silent and powerful. I’m running an amd64 3500+ with NVIDIA dual 6800 ultras, its silent when it’s idle and barely audible when i crank the fans to high when i game. as soon as you get a silent system you'll thank your self, loud humming is not worth an extra 5 fps.

The case I suggested is nearly silent, and if you put a rheostat in, and reduce the voltage on the fans a bit, it’s silent but still cool.

And insolating the sound will also insolate the heat.

Warlock! · 10-18-2006, 03:50 AM

Sorry... I guess I didn't state that I wasn't trashing my old 'puter. I thought I could network it with the new one for racing with the boy or with buds while we toss back beer (when the wives allow

).

Thanks for all the leads. I'll start poking around to see how close I'm getting to my $$$ limit.

Thanks!

Martel · 10-18-2006, 07:01 PM

The new Core 2s totally outperform the high-end AMD chips that are currently out there and are generally cheaper... ESPECIALLY if you're into overclocking at all.

Unfortunately you just missed the boat on DDR2 ram, prices have gone up $50-$100 across the board in the last few weeks.

Arctic Cooling Freezers make for really nice CPU coolers and are only $30 currently.

If you do go with a Core 2 processor, make sure you research the motherboard you end up with to ensure that it will be compatible, same goes for compatibility between ram and mobo. I've had a lot of people putting their own together and wondering why they won't post when it turns out there's an incompatibility between mobo and proc or ram.

Just a few tidbits from a guy who works at a computer shop...

10-17-2006, 09:09 AM	#1 (permalink)
Warlock! Upright Location: Ohio	I wanna build a new 'puter. Wanna help? It's aboot time I retire my 5 y.o. gaming box. It's been good to me, but the last couple o' years I've just had to sit by the wayside as new games came out, knowing my computer wouldn't be able to do 'em justice. Since I'd never been a member of a forum with a computer section, I figger i could maybe take advantage of you people who, in all likelyhood, know a helluva lot more than I do about computers. I also thought a few of you would get a kick out of telling someone else how to spend their money. I'm basically looking at buying components on a budget. I have a bud who can put the thing together for me, but he doesn't always stay on the cutting edge of what's out there so he doesn't wanna pick the stuff out for me. Again, I'm lookin' for just the box... no peripherals. I'm also not looking to get the best money can buy... just a good bang for the buck. It would mainly be used for gaming and a small bit o' web surfing (still on dialup here in very rural Ohio ). I'd like WinXP Pro. The games I deal with are racing games and shooters, if that makes a difference. The sound card also doesn't have to be baddest available, as I'm just gonna hook it up to my old Logitech Z680 5.1 speaker system. The budget is $1200. What should I buy?

10-17-2006, 10:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
MexicanOnABike Location: up north	well check if theres components from your previous computer that you could still use like your cdrom/dvdrom/burners. the case/power suply might still be good. a 400W min for todays computers. apart from that, with that amount, you can get yourself a pretty sweet deal! cant be of much more help. go AMD. __________________ - Movie Reviews - Ratings-

10-17-2006, 10:59 AM	#4 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	This is what I am getting... CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103754 MOBO: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131013 RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034 Video: eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR Geforce 7950GT 512MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130061 That should JUST fit your budget, assuming you're keeping a lot of components __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

10-17-2006, 07:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	AMD and thermal Grease: Use of ANY thermal grease besides G749 voids the warranty; G749 is only to be used short term, for testing only. The only other approved method is Phase Change Material, PCM this is the pad that comes with the stock heat sink. Nothing else... however, OEM chips come with no warranty from AMD, so the only warranty you have is a 30 day replacement warranty from newegg. Personally I void a lot of warranties, but if you are concerned about it, run it with the stock cooling for a few days, put it through its paces, and if it passes, upgrade the heat sink and thermal grease so it stays nice and cool. I’ve used artic silver for years and never had trouble, just remember that it is conductive, so don’t get it near the wires use a very thin coat on the chip only, less is more. As for a case, if you get a cheep case, it will be noisy; you want to spend at least $50 to $75 for a nice roomy aluminum case. I just built a system in a Cooler Master Mystique 631 for a client, its nice, roomy and quiet, 2 large 120 mm fans and a side vent. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119107 __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

10-17-2006, 08:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	$3 of acetone will remove all traces of artic silver, as long as you are thorough and careful, you can send it back and they will be nun the wiser. I used to think power was everything, I’d rather spend an extra $100 on a case and cooling to have it be silent than an extra 200 MHz. When done properly, a system can be both silent and powerful. I’m running an amd64 3500+ with NVIDIA dual 6800 ultras, its silent when it’s idle and barely audible when i crank the fans to high when i game. as soon as you get a silent system you'll thank your self, loud humming is not worth an extra 5 fps. The case I suggested is nearly silent, and if you put a rheostat in, and reduce the voltage on the fans a bit, it’s silent but still cool. And insolating the sound will also insolate the heat. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

10-17-2006, 10:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
Aro23 Crazy	nice budget, focus on getting a good videocard, cpu, memory. as stated by mexicanonabike you might be able to use other parts from your old comp. are you going to buy a monitor too?

10-17-2006, 06:22 PM	#5 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	Case: Raidmax Astro. $35. It's cheap, but it works, has decent cooling, and it even has a side window Your choice of colors (black, green, blue, and they might still have it in beige if you're boring ) Power supply: Sparkle, 400W minimum. Sparkle makes incredible PSU's. They last forever. Mobo/CPU: Go with Halx's choice. DO NOT let your friend use Arctic Silver on the chip - it will cool the chip better, but it also voids your warranty for no good reason. RAM: Either Corsair or Crucial, whichever is cheaper. Soundcard: Whatever you have in your old computer, OR a Soundblaster Live!, which shouldn't run you more than $15 or 20. Videocard - - the biggest and baddest you can afford. Hard drive - -if you buy RIGHT NOW, Fry's is having a sale on a 400GB SATA drive for $99. you must buy tonight (10/17) if you want it. Optical drive: Samsung DVD + / - RW with Lightscribe - - $30 shipped from newegg.com That case supports a 120mm front fan, 2 rear 80mm fans, and comes with 2 side fans. Do yourself a favor and install all the fans the case will support. Overheating is just plain annoying, and modern systems are very good at it unless you manage the cooling well. This will be noisy, but your only other option is water cooling and if your friend isn't keeping current, he may not know how to do that.

10-17-2006, 08:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	Yeah, I know there's no problem with arctic silver as far as it working - - but since I always get the retail box chip (you get your warranty for only $10 more usually) I have to worry about voiding it. And you're correct in that a cheap case will be (usually) noisier than a more expensive case, but I'd rather put the money into making the computer more powerful. One thing I did with one of my cases is to line the sidewalls with Dynamat. Quieted that sucker down like you wouldn't believe

10-18-2006, 03:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
Warlock! Upright Location: Ohio	Sorry... I guess I didn't state that I wasn't trashing my old 'puter. I thought I could network it with the new one for racing with the boy or with buds while we toss back beer (when the wives allow ). Thanks for all the leads. I'll start poking around to see how close I'm getting to my $$$ limit. Thanks!

10-18-2006, 07:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
Martel Insane Location: Sage's bed	The new Core 2s totally outperform the high-end AMD chips that are currently out there and are generally cheaper... ESPECIALLY if you're into overclocking at all. Unfortunately you just missed the boat on DDR2 ram, prices have gone up $50-$100 across the board in the last few weeks. Arctic Cooling Freezers make for really nice CPU coolers and are only $30 currently. If you do go with a Core 2 processor, make sure you research the motherboard you end up with to ensure that it will be compatible, same goes for compatibility between ram and mobo. I've had a lot of people putting their own together and wondering why they won't post when it turns out there's an incompatibility between mobo and proc or ram. Just a few tidbits from a guy who works at a computer shop... __________________ Anamnesis