Build me a computer

[Shyla]

I've retired my old pc and am thinking of building a new one. Just buying a set unit would be convenient but I'd really like a custom built one. So I'm thinking of a gaming pc (extreme performance etc.) that would last for quite a while before I upgrade again (maybe 2-4 years).

 

Let's say my budget is $1k-1.2k, give me your specs?

[das1330]

what country do you live in? Your location can change things quite a bit, since in some places parts are MUCH more expensive then in others.

[slayershunt]

(would lol if those were zimbabwain dollers and not american)

[Shyla]

what country do you live in? Your location can change things quite a bit, since in some places parts are MUCH more expensive then in others.

 

I'm going to California next month so I'm thinking of buying the parts there.

[halo2_rocks7]

When do you plan on actually buying the parts though? 'Cause if you want, you could wait a few months when Nehalem will be out, and buy the Penryns when the cost-cut comes into effect. :D

 

 

 

If not, then I'd suggest:

 

 

 

Intel e8400 (CPU)

 

ATI 4870 or 4850 video card(depends on whether you want the best gaming performance or the best price/performance ratio)

 

Do you plan on using DDR2 or DDR3 RAM? (If DDR2, then..) some good PC-6400 RAM (Do you plan on OC'ing? If yes, then some PC-8500 RAM)

 

Corsair TX750W 750 watt power supply (future proof, you know :P)

 

Seagate 7500.11 500Gb HDD

 

Samsung SH-S203 DVD Burner

 

An Intel P45 Mobo (I personally have a P5Q-e, works good)

 

If OC'ing, then a good HSF ('course that depends on the size of your case). I have a OCZ Vendetta 2, and it keeps my CPU at 30C idle 42C load.

 

Now the case is totally up to you. I have an Antec P182 and I love it (I like big cases).

 

 

 

Yes, there are other parts, but tbh I can't think of any.

 

 

 

Hope this helps. :

[Sinkhan]

Can ATI even hold a candle against nVidia, halo2?

 

 

 

Even now, the second edition of the nVidia 8800GT, 512mb is definitely one of the best valued cards out there and is more than capable of running Crysis on Vista. It costs less than $200 everywhere I check, even the crazy OCed versions.

 

 

 

I'd suggest another card, but I've been out of the video card loop lately and the second version of nVidia's 8 series is about the latest I know. Apparently nVidia churned out the 200 series recently and they're supposed to be beasts.

 

 

 

Sure, 750 W seems like a lot, but halo2, NOTHING in the computer world is "future proof". It may stand up for a little longer, but not for very long.

 

 

 

Depending on what you want twiley, a 500GB drive might not suffice. 750GB and up. SSDs (basically huge SD cards) are starting to become fashionable ^_^

 

 

 

For a cooling system, just pick any decent HSF that's compatible, maybe even the one that halo2 suggested. Liquid would be quieter, and the Thermaltake V1 would be super-coolio awesome, but take up a lot of space :roll:

[halo2_rocks7]

Can ATI even hold a candle against nVidia, halo2?

 

 

 

Even now, the second edition of the nVidia 8800GT, 512mb is definitely one of the best valued cards out there and is more than capable of running Crysis on Vista. It costs less than $200 everywhere I check, even the crazy OCed versions.

 

 

 

I'd suggest another card, but I've been out of the video card loop lately and the second version of nVidia's 8 series is about the latest I know. Apparently nVidia churned out the 200 series recently and they're supposed to be beasts.

 

 

 

Sure, 750 W seems like a lot, but halo2, NOTHING in the computer world is "future proof". It may stand up for a little longer, but not for very long.

 

 

 

Depending on what you want twiley, a 500GB drive might not suffice. 750GB and up. SSDs (basically huge SD cards) are starting to become fashionable ^_^

 

 

 

For a cooling system, just pick any decent HSF that's compatible, maybe even the one that halo2 suggested. Liquid would be quieter, and the Thermaltake V1 would be super-coolio awesome, but take up a lot of space :roll:

 

 

 

ATI has been dominating the graphics market with their new video cards. The 4850 is your best price/performance card you can buy, but if someone's running low on cash, they can always use a 8800gt.

 

 

 

750W is perfectly fine for the next few years, which is how long enthusiasts usually have their computers for anyways. And btw, most cases don't even need 750W. If you don't overclock and don't use a power-gulping video card, your computer will use about 3-400 Watts. And yes, I know nothing is future-proof, but when I said future proof, I meant like the coming 4-5 years; not more.

 

 

 

Most people don't need more than 500GB...I download a lot of stuff, and my 200GB is fine (laptop...) However, if you have a lot of HD movies, or you deal a lot in video editing and such, you'll find even a 1TB HDD going by fast...Also, don't go SSD...what's the point? Spend hundreds of dollars for 32 or 64GB? And what do you get? A faster loading time? Are you really that impatient to load up Windows? How often do you load up your computer? All I'm saying is that at this stage in the SSD life, they really aren't worth it unless you are EXTREMELY impatient and/or have tons of cash to spend. And yes, I know that prices of SSDs will go down in price if you wait, but everything (electronic wise) goes down if you wait, and by then, something even better will come (can't see how for the storage industry though :-s)

 

 

 

The Thermaltake V1 is quite big, but not the biggest (Tuniq Tower anyone? :lol: ). The one I mentioned is awesome, at an o.k. price.

[Sinkhan]

Like I said, SSDs are beginning to come . They're the absolute best when you want to quickly load a game. They've already gone down immensely in price (A saw 64GB one for $1000 about 6 months ago, now it's less than $300) and they're going to plummet more. In 5 years, they'll probably be standardized.