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I need help with building a computer.


Abc1230

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I want to build a desktop computer. I'm not really sure where to start. I have about $1,100 I'm willing to put into it, but I'd obviously like to save as much as possible. I'll mostly be using it for gaming and CAD. I haven't done much research. I know a lot of you are very knowledgeable, so if you could help me pick parts, I'd really appreciate it. I have an infopic from /g/ from about 3/4 of a year ago, but as far as I know, that's outdated already. Any and all advice will be very helpful. I have an infopic from /g/ from about 3/4 of a year ago, but as far as I know, that's outdated already.

 

What I do know is I want at least a 1 - 1.5 TB hard drive (that's the thing that does long-term storage, right?) and I'd like some sort of Linux OS. I've used Windows my whole life, but I think this will be a good learning experience for me. I don't really know anything about Linux, so general tips there would be helpful too.

 

Will I be able to transfer the contents of my laptop to my desktop?

 

I'm not knowledgeable about any of this, so any advice/recommendations will be really helpful to me.

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Linux is free to download, so you don't need to worry about buying it anywhere. I'm no expert so I won't say much about picking a distro, perhaps one of the people here more familiar with linux can give you some better ideas. I would recommend dual booting with windows though so you have that option as well.

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"It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti

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I doubt you'd be able to do as much gaming on linux though. I'm also planning to build a computer, and newegg has a three part video that helps a lot. Search newegg how to build a computer on youtube, there's three videos about 2hrs and 30 minutes total. Gives the basics on picking out parts, and putting it together.

2s0cxth.png

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Linux is free to download, so you don't need to worry about buying it anywhere. I'm no expert so I won't say much about picking a distro, perhaps one of the people here more familiar with linux can give you some better ideas. I would recommend dual booting with windows though so you have that option as well.

I'll probably do that then.

 

I doubt you'd be able to do as much gaming on linux though. I'm also planning to build a computer, and newegg has a three part video that helps a lot. Search newegg how to build a computer on youtube, there's three videos about 2hrs and 30 minutes total. Gives the basics on picking out parts, and putting it together.

I thought Linux could do everything Windows could do. If I really can't do as much, I guess I'll stick with Windows.

I'm watching the video and it's very helpful.

 

 

I'm having trouble with what parts to actually pick. There are so many things on Newegg alone and it's kind of overwhelming. As far as I can tell, the only way they're organized is best seller, etc. Is there a flowchart or something similar out there for picking the individual parts?

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Linux can "do everything" windows can, but sometimes it's with different applications. Since most games are written exclusively for Windows, you'll probably only manage to get some games working. Something like WINE (http://www.winehq.org/) is useful for running apps that are built for windows on linux.

 

The best way to start is just go and pick random parts, post them here, and we'll give you feedback. Here's a list of what you'll need to get you started.

 

Motherboard

Case

RAM

Processor

Hard Drive

Power Supply

Video Card

(optional) Disk Drive

(optional) Speakers

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"It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti

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while i highly recommend you build your own pc, i hate doing research on the parts, i kinda cheated when i built mine and "built" my computer on this website:

 

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/intel_pc/

 

and then bought the parts and put them together myself :D

 

that should give you a reasonable idea on prices ( sorta, I figured with my setup i saved about $250 building it myself )

 

i built my desktop in January so all my research is already worthless, my one input would be take a good look at Asus motherboards, VERY NICE stuff.

i don't play psykick anymore... i play 2ed: "pure fett"

 

26081 to get 99 herblore

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e3fpx03.png

 

This is just a very rough idea. I used this. No idea how good these prices are or if the parts are even compatable. Nothing on this list is set in stone. If you know of a better/cheaper alternative, please tell me.

 

 

while i highly recommend you build your own pc, i hate doing research on the parts, i kinda cheated when i built mine and "built" my computer on this website:

 

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/intel_pc/

 

and then bought the parts and put them together myself :D

 

that should give you a reasonable idea on prices ( sorta, I figured with my setup i saved about $250 building it myself )

 

i built my desktop in January so all my research is already worthless, my one input would be take a good look at Asus motherboards, VERY NICE stuff.

Checking that out now

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Why do you have one AMD and one Nvidia gpu?

Get some faster memories, like 1333. Desktop version.

And maybe a drive-bay as well.

Otherwise it looks good.

J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff movies

Je trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vie

Je ne me reconnais plus dans les gens

Je suis juste un cas désespérant

Et comme personne ne viendra me réclamer

Je terminerai comme un objet retrouvé

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You have 2 video cards in there, one Nvidia and one AMD. I doubt they are compatible between each other, and out of those, the GTX 560 Ti is way better than the AMD one (almost twice). The Nvidia one by itself should be able to max most modern games without much problem

 

In this website you can find benchmarks for both Video cards and CPUs:

 

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

 

(If you are not sure what benchmarks are, think of them as powerlevels).

 

Also, you have what I think is laptop RAM? Not sure, but I don't think you would need that for a desktop.

 

The CPU is fine, not sure about the rest.

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Why do you have one AMD and one Nvidia gpu?

I don't know. I just followed the chart. Which one is better?

 

Get some faster memories, like 1333. Desktop version.

What's the full name of the thing. I don't know what you're talking about

 

And maybe a drive-bay as well.

I don't know what that is.

 

 

 

You have 2 video cards in there, one Nvidia and one AMD. I doubt they are compatible between each other, and out of those, the GTX 560 Ti is way better than the AMD one (almost twice). The Nvidia one by itself should be able to max most modern games without much problem

 

In this website you can find benchmarks for both Video cards and CPUs:

 

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

 

(If you are not sure what benchmarks are, think of them as powerlevels).

 

Also, you have what I think is laptop RAM? Not sure, but I don't think you would need that for a desktop.

 

The CPU is fine, not sure about the rest.

 

Okay, take 2

 

cg7264y.png

 

I know I'm missing some stuff. I just want to make sure what I have so far is okay. As you can probably tell, I have absolutely no experience with this kind of stuff.

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Motherboard

Case

RAM

Processor

Hard Drive

SSD

Power Supply

Video Card

 

 

(optional) Disk Drive

 

Total: $1,108.90 Plus shipping.

$60 of Mail in Rebaits aswell.

 

HDD prices are what's bumping up the cost. 500GB HDD and a 64GB SSD should see you over with enough storage untill HDD prices come back down.

You can either connect this new drive to your laptop through an eSATA port if you have one (means buying a SATA to eSATA cable) and transfer files or take the drive out of your laptop and connect it to your PC once you build it.

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Why can't the Big Bang be done by the hand of God?

It could have, but it is next to impossible because it also could have been caused by the flying spaghetti monster, or one of the other infinite number of deity possibilities.

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Combining what Askthedude said and what I already had (for price reasons. If his stuff is better than what I already had, please let me know.), I got this.

 

q72w638.png

 

I'm not really sure how SSD works. I was under the impression that it was just HDD without mechanical parts. How will the 64 GB of SSD affect my performance? Everything on the list is still changeable. If something's wrong, not compatable, or even just not that good, please let me know. I'm not sure about bumping the HDD down to 500 GB. Will it save me money in the long run?

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Combining what Askthedude said and what I already had (for price reasons. If his stuff is better than what I already had, please let me know.), I got this.

 

q72w638.png

 

I'm not really sure how SSD works. I was under the impression that it was just HDD without mechanical parts. How will the 64 GB of SSD affect my performance? Everything on the list is still changeable. If something's wrong, not compatable, or even just not that good, please let me know. I'm not sure about bumping the HDD down to 500 GB. Will it save me money in the long run?

 

You install the OS and a few programs onto the SSD and everything else on the mechanical disk. SSD are basicly flash memory so no moving parts to limit the speed. You should notice and boost in Windows and program load times.

That said, it's a luxury and looking at what you've chosen I'd ditch the SSD and get the 560Ti over the 6850. Here is a comparison of the 2, get the 560Ti and then get a SSD when you have the money.

Rechecking I knew I forgot something but couldn't place it. :wall:

CPU cooler for if you plan to OC the CPU, that said the provided Intel heatsink is good for upto around 4Ghz.

Swap the MB out for the one I linked to save cash, they both provide the same options: XFire/SLI, Lucid Virtu, Smart response, etc...

2d26mw.gif

Why can't the Big Bang be done by the hand of God?

It could have, but it is next to impossible because it also could have been caused by the flying spaghetti monster, or one of the other infinite number of deity possibilities.

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hb13y98.png

 

I'm not worrying too much about the cost at this point. I just want to make sure I have all the parts I would need and I'll look for cheaper alternatives once I have a solid foundation, if that makes any sense. Given what you said, I definitely want the SSD.

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http://yourimg.in/m/bt8pik8.png[/mg]

 

I'm not worrying too much about the cost at this point. I just want to make sure I have all the parts I would need and I'll look for cheaper alternatives once I have a solid foundation, if that makes any sense. Given what you said, I definitely want the SSD. I'm not sure what the MB is, so I didn't do anything with that.

 

MB = Motherboard. :)

2d26mw.gif

Why can't the Big Bang be done by the hand of God?

It could have, but it is next to impossible because it also could have been caused by the flying spaghetti monster, or one of the other infinite number of deity possibilities.

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Derp. Edited my post. Any other suggestions?

 

A copy of W7 unless you're dead set on using Linux. Wine's good but not great, and to fully use what you're buying I'd suggest dual booting.

2d26mw.gif

Why can't the Big Bang be done by the hand of God?

It could have, but it is next to impossible because it also could have been caused by the flying spaghetti monster, or one of the other infinite number of deity possibilities.

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What I was kind of planning on doing was getting Linux initially (no idea how to do that), torrenting Windows, and copying everything from my laptop over to the desktop. Is that an option, or am I going to have to pay money for an OS one way or the other? I'll probably use Windows based on what you guys are saying. Could you link to the thing I need to copy my stuff from my laptop to the desktop (eSATA port?)?

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What I was kind of planning on doing was getting Linux initially (no idea how to do that)

Simple matter of googling Linux distros and choosing the one that takes your fancy. Download it and boot from a CD/DVD/USB.

 

, torrenting Windows. Is that an option, or am I going to have to pay money for an OS one way or the other?

I think it's illegal to download Windows even if you have a valid product key, but if your key is valid there's no way Microsoft can find out.

 

Could you link to the thing I need to copy my stuff from my laptop to the desktop (eSATA port?)?

 

Something like this. Once you've got the OS installed on your new computer, follow the video instructions and connect your Laptop HDD to your PC and copy files.

2d26mw.gif

Why can't the Big Bang be done by the hand of God?

It could have, but it is next to impossible because it also could have been caused by the flying spaghetti monster, or one of the other infinite number of deity possibilities.

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Simple matter of googling Linux distros and choosing the one that takes your fancy. Download it and boot from a CD/DVD/USB.

Oh, awesome :thumbup:

 

Something like this. Once you've got the OS installed on your new computer, follow the video instructions and connect your Laptop HDD to your PC and copy files.

I want to keep my laptop HDD in my laptop and just copy everything to my desktop. From what I got out of the video, the case thing lets me connect my laptop HDD to the desktop like a flash drive. Can I just copy and paste files at that point and put the HDD back in the laptop when I'm done? If so, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

 

I just realized I'll also need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I'm sure I can just get the keyboard and mouse at Best Buy or something (Is it cheaper online?). I'm not sure about the monitor. Any suggestions there?

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