Custom Gaming Rig Build

[Gizmo]

So, I'm not really a newb when it comes to building gaming rigs, but the issue I have right now is I'm not studied up on all the new/cost effective products on the market.

Long story short, the last rig I built was about 2 years ago and consisted of an AMD 965 Phenom, 5850 HD Radeon, 12gigs RAM, etc etc.

My question is now, what sort of processors and cards on the market now are pretty cost efficient yet would be a decent upgrade to the above?

I checked my newegg history and the card at the time cost like 340 bucks since it was new, so I'd prefer to spend something a bit less now on a card, processor wise I'm pretty firm on AMD since they are somewhat cheaper but I'm still open to options.

I'm going to be looking into building a new rig here for about 700-1000 from the ground up, including a g500 again, 23" Monitor, keyboard but those I'm not worried about since they are pretty easy to do.

My biggest concern is finding a good motherboard/cpu/vid card that is an upgrade above from what I used to roll with, but still pretty inexpensive.

So, any help would be awesome

[Sam]

Go to Best Buy.

[Gizmo]

Go to Best Buy.

I knew someone would make that comment. Who was it, Back that did that? heh

PS: I also love Newegg since they have a warehouse in jersey, so alot of times shit I order, comes like next day...love it

[Sam]

I hate Newegg because I can easily view a summary of all the money I've given them in the last 6 years.

[Buckwheet]

After you get your computer from Best Lie make sure you pay them to upgrade your PSU and video card.

Also ask them to cut some holes in the side panel for extra fans. This way you don't have to take the side off.

[Gizmo]

After you get your computer from Best Lie make sure you pay them to upgrade your PSU and video card.

Also ask them to cut some holes in the side panel for extra fans. This way you don't have to take the side off.

I have a drill. If I put the PC together, then lay it on it's side, while rubbing it vigorously over fluffy carpet and drilling it, will I run the risk of ruining anything?

I also intend on buying pin stripes from Pep Boys also and putting them on my PC case to help reduce air drag over the case.

Side note: You bitches aren't helping me at all, bastards!

[Buckwheet]

Get one of the new Ivy Bridge processors and the Z77 or whatever the boards are. Get one with the better options for you.

Then toss in a GTX 570 if you want one generation old and can't pay for a GTX 670. Or if you want to spend like $400ish you can find a good deal on HD 7970s. Which is a pretty hot buy.

[Gizmo]

Get one of the new Ivy Bridge processors and the Z77 or whatever the boards are. Get one with the better options for you.

Then toss in a GTX 570 if you want one generation old and can't pay for a GTX 670. Or if you want to spend like $400ish you can find a good deal on HD 7970s. Which is a pretty hot buy.

I'll look into that too. I could build a pretty similar build like last time, but I'm not sure how I'd fair with most newest games on Max settings, so I wouldn't mind a slighter upgrade.

[Androidpk]

Should have bought my pimped out GTX 580 for $300 when I was selling it!

[g++]

No racing stripes?

In all seriousness just go to new egg and shop, it sounds like you know what you are doing so find a motherboard/cpu package that fits your budget and performance needs. You are probably the best qualified person here to determine those.

[Back]

Curious to see what you end up with so keep this updated.

You obviously know your stuff. If you have not looked into it yet go with an SSD for speed.

[Gizmo]

No racing stripes?

In all seriousness just go to new egg and shop, it sounds like you know what you are doing so find a motherboard/cpu package that fits your budget and performance needs. You are probably the best qualified person here to determine those.

More than likely, I just want to make sure what I do pick out, is something up to par to today's higher end/max performance items.

What I'll likely do, is make a Public Wish List, and post it here for people to gander at and give me any input they may have on what I ended up picking for now, then eventually purchasing it all.

My concern is just buying something that outdates X by Y and not getting Y that outperforms X at Z the cost.

Should I also buy Windows ME?

[Sylvan Dreams]

ibuypower.com has some pretty nice, but affordable systems. It's worth going over your budget and not having to do any of the work.

[Gizmo]

Ok, total came to 1196 and some change, minus about 65 bucks in Mail-In Rebates.

For some reason I can't find the Wish list after making it public, that or I have to wait a few.

But it consists of the basics...

AMD FX 8120 Eight Core
8gbs gskill ddr 1600
XFX HD 7770 Vid Card
CM HAF Case
MSI Motherboard
HT 7.1 Sound Card
Logitech G500 Mouse
Acer 23" HD 1080p HDMI/DVI/Backlit etc wtfpwnt Monitor
Cheapo Logitech Keyboard
WD 7200 RPM 500GB Hard drive
Modular 750w Power Supply
DVD/CD Burner

I'll post a link eventually once it's up publically since I can't find it for some ghey reason, but the above is the jist of it all.

The CPU is 125w though, so I am assuming a 750w PS is enough to power it all.

[Sam]

I could never get that wish list shit to work right on Newegg the last time I built something.

[Gizmo]

I could never get that wish list shit to work right on Newegg the last time I built something.

I know you can email people the list, but fuck that. It's supposed to be made "Public" and you can link the public list then

[Bobmuhthol]

That hard drive is a mistake. You're not doing anything intensive enough to utilize 8 GB of RAM, but you definitely do things that go slower when you use a 7200 RPM HDD.

[Gizmo]

That hard drive is a mistake. You're not doing anything intensive enough to utilize 8 GB of RAM, but you definitely do things that go slower when you use a 7200 RPM HDD.

So you suggest a higher RPM HD?

[Bobmuhthol]

Yes, 10000 RPM or if you care about actually having a good PC by modern standards go SSD. At a minimum, get a smallish SSD for things that need speed and a standard drive for storage.

[Bhaalizmo]

Yes, 10000 RPM or if you care about actually having a good PC by modern standards go SSD. At a minimum, get a smallish SSD for things that need speed and a standard drive for storage.

Good advice on the SSD. It's faster and you will likely have reduced the overall noise level of the PC by a good 25 to 50%. Also, a 10,000 rpm drive is usually louder and hotter than a 7200 rpm drive. Just things to keep in mind if you have any interest in keeping sound and heat levels to a minimum.

[fallenSaint]

Yes, 10000 RPM or if you care about actually having a good PC by modern standards go SSD. At a minimum, get a smallish SSD for things that need speed and a standard drive for storage.

This. SSD is a must IMO, grab a 120gig on Sale and then just pick up standard large capacity drive to handle any media storage you might need. http://www.techbargains.com/ They keep a good list of what tech sites are running sales on a daily basis good place to find something like an SSD.

Also a good comparison list for video card choices: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

[Archigeek]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11761473&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|1482&N=4000486&Mo=67&No=12&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=1482&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

This one's got more than a few advantages that I can see. Add the SSD as mentioned above and presto chango, you're set?

[Bhaalizmo]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11761473&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|1482&N=4000486&Mo=67&No=12&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=1482&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

This one's got more than a few advantages that I can see. Add the SSD as mentioned above and presto chango, you're set?

Nice specs on that. At first glance it looks better than the OPs specs. I'm Intel over AMD personally and this one linked has an I7 so... win. 16 gigs of ram in this box compared to 8 in the other. The only real drawback I see is an ATI graphics card instead of my preferred Nvidia. Nice starter box tho.

[fallenSaint]

Nice specs on that. At first glance it looks better than the OPs specs. I'm Intel over AMD personally and this one linked has an I7 so... win. 16 gigs of ram in this box compared to 8 in the other. The only real drawback I see is an ATI graphics card instead of my preferred Nvidia. Nice starter box tho.

I used to prefer nVidia but with my last build where I was aiming for quiet I found the ATI had an offering with the same performance and it ran so much cooler than its nVidia counterpart the fan noise was reduced greatly.

[g++]

Agree with Bob, except having fucked around with RAM on a lot of windows 7 computers lately, I will chime in and say if you give windows 7 64 bit 8 gigs of ram it will in fact utilize it correctly and give you a performance boost. Not nearly as much as an SSD will but I would still put 8gigs of ram in a new computer if it was for me personally. Plus with RAM being fairly cheap its not a big money saver to skimp on it.

[Buckwheet]

I think you may have made a big mistake on the video card as well. The HD 7770 is not getting great performance reviews.

[Rinualdo]

120GB SSD OS/app drive, 2TB data drive.
Z77 motherboard, i5 Ivy Bridge CPU.
Unless you consider yourself an audiophile, you don't need a dedicated sound card- onboard audio will work just fine.

Unless you're planning to use a *nix build, you'll also have to add Win 7 unless I missed it somewhere else.

[Androidpk]

Platter HD, ATI, AMD... Fail!

[Back]

This crowd is pretty rough when it comes to talking about building rigs.

For the SSD you'll notice there are different price levels for the same capacities. What you are looking for if you are Windows 7 is one that is TRIM support for better performance. Here is a link to the one I use. Its $40 less than when I bought it in March.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236

I have not had any issues, the machine starts up in 30 seconds or less, my games load like nothing, and all I hear are fans. And the hamster wheel. Well, ok, the little steam powered Fortran card reader makes a little noise but otherwise its pretty quiet.

[AnticorRifling]

Honest != pretty rough. You're just butt hurt that you asked for advice, ignored it, fucked up and bought a pre built turd and had to gut it to make it like what we said from square one.

[Back]

Honest != pretty rough. You're just butt hurt that you asked for advice, ignored it, fucked up and bought a pre built turd and had to gut it to make it like what we said from square one.

Not really. And actually the way the story is being exaggerated, like you just did, is pretty funny. Honest is one thing. Rough is another. And you know that despite having a canned ham for a head.

[AnticorRifling]

Not really. And actually the way the story is being exaggerated, like you just did, is pretty funny. Honest is one thing. Rough is another. And you know that despite having a canned ham for a head.

Back: Hey guys I want to get a new rig, suggestions?

PC: Suggestions, suggestions, suggestions.

Back: LOL I READ THOSE BUT WENT TO BEST BUY AND BOUGHT A TURD FOR 2X MONIES

PC: Dude you're retarded.

Back: Am not! Oh hey I had to change this, remove the sides, drill some holes, add this, also adding to the cost.

Back: Here is some advice based on my knowledge and experience of the above.

PC: You're retarded.

Back: WHY YOU NO AGREE WITH ME IR EXPERT NOW.

[Back]

Hey Moderator can you quit butthurting all over Gizmo's thread? Jesus!

Oh, well, fuck, sorry Mr. Administrator sir!

[AnticorRifling]

You're the only one butthurting. The thread is advice and making fun of some douche that asked advice in the past and made some stupid mistakes but know has "knowledge" to share. Oh....that was you...no wonder you said the crowd is rough.

Sorry to have called you on that.

[Gizmo]

I think you may have made a big mistake on the video card as well. The HD 7770 is not getting great performance reviews.

Yeah that was my skepticism too.

Also, I've never had an SSD drive before since I stopped building roughly when they were being introduced.

As for Onboard...I do not use it, I also play CSS very competively usually and the difference between onboard and an actual 7.1 card etc, is immense for games like that where sound is pretty crucial.

If I was just playing Diablo 3 and shit, then yeah I wouldn't care. But in a game where I need to hear things, it's a must.

I never had any issues with ati, amd etc so I typically stick with all of them. The build of course isn't solid since it was kinda tossed together without using Tom's Hardware and stuff. Before I eventually do check out with newegg, I typically 1) Compare some items and 2) Keep scouring for Combo deals on first items I initially put in my basket, promo codes etc to save some more money.

Overall I'm not too worried about building a Best Buy PC. Just that some components/cpu bridges etc are new to me now, but I'm still trying to keep the build around 1 grand for everything.

[Kranar]

I have a dual SSD in a RAID 0 config.

It really doesn't make THAAT much of a difference over a normal hard drive. Yes it is strictly speaking much faster when loading things, but it's not going to boost your overall experience by that much. Unless you're doing stuff that constantly involves I/O operations on your hard drive, I'd say spend the cash on something else.

[Warriorbird]

The only real bonus I notice with SSD is quiet/coolness.

[subzero]

Agree with Bob, except having fucked around with RAM on a lot of windows 7 computers lately, I will chime in and say if you give windows 7 64 bit 8 gigs of ram it will in fact utilize it correctly and give you a performance boost. Not nearly as much as an SSD will but I would still put 8gigs of ram in a new computer if it was for me personally. Plus with RAM being fairly cheap its not a big money saver to skimp on it.

Exactly. For roughly 50 bucks for 8 gigs of RAM, it's foolish not to have a 64 bit OS and run with 8 gigs.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

http://www.hardware-revolution.com/computer-systems/

Great website, does a lot of the work for you.

[Gizmo]

Ok, bought a new rig at Best Buy. The salesman was great in telling me how building your own is very dangerous due to many different reasons, plus talked me into a nice 2 year warranty in case ANYTHING in my PC breaks I get a brand new one.

Joking Aside....Ordering my baby tonight...Specs are below, Fuck you Newegg Wish Lists.

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118067

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x ...
Item #: N82E16811119160

Rosewill RDRD-11004 2.5" SSD / HDD Mounting Kit for 3.5" Drive Bay
Item #: N82E16817997037

SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (OC Edition)
Item #: N82E16814102987

HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
Item #: N82E16829271001

Rosewill HIVE Series HIVE-550 550W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified, Modular Design, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31/EPS12V ...
Item #: N82E16817182131

Microsoft JWD-00046 Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard
Item #: N82E16823109207

Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse
Item #: N82E16826104318

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9B
Item #: N82E16820233170

Logitech C910 USB 2.0 1080p HD Pro Webcam
Item #: N82E16826104385

BIOSTAR TZ77B LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #: N82E16813138352

Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637I53550
Item #: N82E16819116505

SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820171567

steelseries 4H 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Headset
Item #: N82E16826249018

ASUS VH236H Black 23" Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Speakers
Item #: N82E16824236059

Grand Total: $1,458.87

Tack on $199 for a Blackmagic Intensity Pro Capture Device and the grand grand total is 1657 and some change, give or take

[jpatter123]

The only real bonus I notice with SSD is quiet/coolness.

no shit and with the price down on those things it's a no brainer. The platter is on its way out.