Another PC build help thread
 

Hi, my hd seems like it's gonna fail soon and since I've had my computer for over 5 years, it's time to get a new one. I'm not a total computer noob but I can't say I know exactly what I'm doing. Anyway, I want to use this new pc mostly for school, gaming (not hardcore, I'm not gonna play Crysis, maybe a bit of HoN, SC2), watching videos (downloaded avi files), and surfing the net. Pretty basic stuff.

I'm ok with my computer right now and the specs for it are definitely out of date so I'm not looking for some crazy extreme i7 processors. If you're wondering, these are some of my current specs:
nvidia geforce 8600 gt graphics card
2 gigs of ram
pentium 4 3.0 ghz processor
200 gb hd
asus p5gd1
windows xp

So yeah, pretty old school. For my next one, I'd like to have an ASUS mobo, an Intel processor, and windows 7 64x for sure. I don't need a cd/dvd drive as I already have one. So I'm looking to get a cpu, ram, power supply, hd, case (a basic one) ... and potentially a new graphics card. I say this because I'm thinking of keeping the 8600 gt for now in hopes of getting a really nice one during boxing day. Will the 8600 gt work on, for example an i5?

I want to spend $900.

I did some research but I'm not able to judge which mobo or processor is the best bang for the buck. Also, is it worth it to get a ssd now? Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

$900 will get you a monster that will last you many years. Currently the i5 2500Ks give the best bang for your buck, but given your guidelines I'd say the i3 2100 is suitable.

For this mockup build, I'm assuming you wont be overclocking. If you are, you should go with the now tried and true 2500K with a p67 board. Because SSD's arent really worth it, theres no need to go for a z68 board.

RAM: get a cheap 4GB DDR3 1333mhz kit.

As for the motherboard, choose an h67 from the Asus lineup. Again, if youre going with a 2500k, go for the p67's.

Power supply: Go with a PSU around 550W with 80+ certification. Refer to this list for a rough idea of which brand to go with:

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/1/323050/ShowThread.aspx

About the 8600GT, itll work with the board as the standard connections are all the same. Look for AMD's new 7000 series cards (Southern islands) later this yr for when you're upgrading the GPU. :thumbsup:

If you want a HDD, Samsung Spinpoint F3's are very good drives. I saw one FS in our buy/sell section too.

Case: I havent paid much attention to lower end cases, but the CM HAF 912 is really popular given its airflow, user friendliness...etc etc.

[shamelessplug]Do check out my sig if you are in need of some CPU cooling... ;)[/shamelessplug]

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBu...t=Combo.644168

add an SSD for $100 and use the rest of the budget for a video card or use the one you have.

I'd thank both of you but I can't right now.

So far, I'm thinking of getting:
-i5 2500K as I'd like to overclock after i get my GPU
-HAF 912 for the case

No need for a GPU now as I'm just gonna keep the one i have. Same with a hdd, I'll just grab what's on sale or perhaps the Samsung one.

So I need a power supply, ram, motherboard

I have a few questions:
I'm thinking of getting 8 gigs of ram, does the brand matter? Same goes for the power supply but also, what's a good one that will work together well with an overclocked 2500K? And I'd like to get a SSD in the future so does that factor into the type of motherboard? Thanks again.

The new Sandy Bridges have limited bclk and you are only essentially playing with the multiplier if you overclock, so high speed ram isn't that big of a deal unless you run some really memory hungry apps (in which case you can tinker with the divider)

Mushkin, GSkill, or Corsair are all good. The thing to worry about is, in the event you choose to go with a GIANT air cooler for your CPU (e.g. noctua nh-d14), there may be heatspeader height conflict.

Seeing as an SSD is planned, you could go with a z68 for some extra features like pairing a SSD to a traditional mechanical drive and get the same speed out of it. Also you get to enable the onboard video of the CPU and switch between dedicated and onboard to save energy. Dont spend too much just to get the z68 over the p67 tho.

Ok, so I've decided to get:

i5 2500k cpu
p8p67 deluxe mb
corsair ax750 psu
haf 912 case

The only thing left is the RAM and holy shit, there are so many choices. I'm looking to get 2 x 4GB sticks for a price of around $100 - 120. Any more help? Thank you all again. :)

r u retarded? :)
900$ will be more than enough to build a system with a video card that will suffice your needs.

unless u plan to run SLI and 10 hdds, etc 750 psu is overkill. a 650 or even a 500 might be enough. or opt for the cheaper TX, <--can vouch that its still fucking good.

for ram, as long as its a reliable brand , latency wont matter that much for your needs.

do you really need the deluxe mobo over the pro? or even the LE version (100$ cheaper)?

just trying to save you a couple hundred bucks here and there. :)

but it seems to me that while browsing ncix/me/etc u went from building a basic comp to building a awsome gaming rig :) which is very do-able for 900$.

few month ago, i did a similar build (bought everything required; hdd,cooler,case,cddrive, psu, ram, etc,) with a core i7 + geforce 460gtx and total came out to 1000$. all price-matched and most were weekly sale items.

if ur budget is 900$, u can easily build an awesome gaming rig with the right combination of parts.

Mushkin silverlines will get the job done. They're not expensive either (something crazy like 60 bucks)

Yeah I guess I did get a little carried away lol but I wanna keep this rig for a long time.

I really don't want to purchase a new one or upgrade again in 2 years so I'm thinking maybe I'd just get really solid parts now. Thanks for the advice btw :thumbsup:

I have mushkin siverline. They're good and cheap. But then again these days ram is ram unless you're overclocking or overvolting.