A somewhat computer illiterate needs suggestions on new homemade computer - Hardware & Software

Sup H&S facepunchers. So for Christmas, I received a new Prestigio case [Five 5.25 inch external drive bays, two 3.5 inch external drive bays, three 3.5 inch H.D. internal drive bays, ATM form factor / micro ATX system board (ten by twelve inch maximum size), standard ATX 7 slots, and PCIexpress/AGP/PCI expansion slots] and a GeForce GTS 250. Basically, I want to build a somewhat nice gaming rig without spending a fucking fortune ($500-$700 I suppose, although I can go higher than that if necessary.) So tell me what mobo, psu, sound card, fan, RAM, etc. I need to complete the project. I currently rock a piece-of-horse-fucking-shit prebuild Dell from 2002, so I just need a computer that can play most new games at decent graphics settings, not a top of the line supercomputer.

If you're in the USA you'll first want to look at Newegg. This is generally regarded as the best US site for buying computer parts. If you want to game you'll need at least 2GB of RAM as well as a graphics card to complement it which you already appear to have. A 500W+ PSU should provide enough power for the rig. You might be more comfortable with a ~750W PSU though. Whatever you do don't go for a relatively cheap PSU since it may well cost you more in the long run if you get a surge or fault which results in you spiking your motherboard and rendering the components broken. The best RAM manufacturer is probably Corsair. I believe they also make PSU's so you might want to look into them too. They're renowned for their quality which is obviously important. If you buy the components individually you need to make sure they are compatible with one another. For instance an AMD processor is not compatible with a Intel motherboard. You might also want to look at motherboard bundles. [url]http://www.compusa.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=14&name=Motherboard%20Bundles[/url] Some of the more expensive mobos are actually quite good. But with anything shop around. Fans... Standard 120MM fans should suffice. They're cheap too. You shouldn't need a soundcard unless you're producing music. You can always buy an internal or external one at a later date if you need one. In short, it's not essential.

As the above user said if your in the USA take Newegg If your in the uk I suggest you go with Overclockers.co.uk or Aria.co.uk (or buy from both^^ for the best bargains) Also Corsair (also as the above user said) is one of the best brands for PSUs and ram Oh and you dont REALLY need a sound card as your motherboard comes with a built in one unless you really need too (unless you have amazing speakers). Since you already have a GTX 250 I recommended you buy a SLI board and possibly buy another so you can 2 way sli (or even 3 way if you want) [url]http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/XFX+nForce+790i+Ultra+3-Way+SLI+Motherboard+?productId=38413[/url]

Yea, I was already planning on buying from Newegg (US here). The 750w Corsair PSU is between $110 and $160, while the 500w are between $90 to $100. Two questions: what's the difference between VX, TX, and HX Corsair PSU's, and is the extra 250 watts worth the extra $50? I was looking around at various RAM parts, and the best overall looked to be the G.Skill 2GB (2 x 1GB) sticks. What's the difference between the different 2GB RAM units and what makes them worth the extra cash? I have no fucking clue how to search for mobo/processor bundles. Gonna need some help on this one, I'm pretty clueless. And as to the post above me, you're suggesting that I get the XFX nForce 790i [B]and[/B] another GPU? The fuck? As for the cooling unit, I've seen plenty of tech geeks argue over the best cooling unit before (i.e. various special fans that do amazing cooling shit or something.) Are they worth bothering with or will a simple 120MM fan do the job just fine? Oh, and no sound card. Gotcha. Any other vital computer parts I'm forgetting about, or am I good?

You will need a CPU, Motherboard, PSU, GPU, RAM, case, HDD, Optical Drive, and an OS (if you dont have one) [editline]07:31PM[/editline] You would want 4 GB of ram also

I didn't say you had to get another GPU :P all I'm saying is if you wanted to upgrade to 3 way SLI later XFX nForce 790i is a great choice for this :)

[QUOTE=SKuM;19221249]The 750w Corsair PSU is between $110 and $160, while the 500w are between $90 to $100. Two questions: what's the difference between VX, TX, and HX Corsair PSU's, and is the extra 250 watts worth the extra $50?[/quote] You'll only need 500W or 600W [QUOTE=SKuM;19221249]I was looking around at various RAM parts, and the best overall looked to be the G.Skill 2GB (2 x 1GB) sticks. What's the difference between the different 2GB RAM units and what makes them worth the extra cash?[/quote] Get 4GB. 2x2GB. [QUOTE=SKuM;19221249]As for the cooling unit, I've seen plenty of tech geeks argue over the best cooling unit before (i.e. various special fans that do amazing cooling shit or something.) Are they worth bothering with or will a simple 120MM fan do the job just fine?[/quote] Just use stock Heatsink and the stock fans that are on the case for now. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171038[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177[/url] $594.94 w/out shipping. Upgrade the GTS 250 to a 5770 or 5850 at a later date.

@ Doritos_Man I was looking at a simple 500gb hard drive. What name brand do you suggest and is the difference between the 5400 and the 7200 RPM worth the cost? Also, I just got a new $20 DVD-ROM drive the other day for my current computer. I can just strip that and use it for the new one, right? @ Neddy Oh, lol, ok. Explain SLI to me, that went right over my head.

[QUOTE=SKuM;19221729]I was looking at a simple 500gb hard drive. What name brand do you suggest and is the difference between the 5400 and the 7200 RPM worth the cost?[/quote] Go with the 1TB I posted. [QUOTE=SKuM;19221729]Also, I just got a new $20 DVD-ROM drive the other day for my current computer. I can just strip that and use it for the new one, right?[/quote] Yes. [QUOTE=SKuM;19221729]Oh, lol, ok. Explain SLI to me, that went right over my head.[/QUOTE] SLi and CrossfireX are when you have two video cards of the same model both slotted into the same motherboard. You place a Crossfire/SLi bridge between them and they'll simultaneously use their combined GPU power to process your games.

@ adzicents Ahhh! I fucking love you. How much later of a date will I be replacing the GTS 250? I still have the receipt, so if I'll be upgrading soon enough, then I might as well turn it in and fork out the extra cash now as opposed to buying a whole new GPU later. [editline]05:51PM[/editline] Also, another dumbass question. If I'm only getting one GPU, what's the point of SLi and CrossfireX?

Yeah the 1tb HDD Adzicents is good [editline]07:54PM[/editline] Theres no point in Crossfire/SLi if you are only getting one GPU

Ok. My current graphics card is a ATI Radeon x800 (lol). No point in doing the SLi thing with it, right? [editline]06:00PM[/editline] Wait, the GPUs have to be the same model, nevermind. Dumb question. [editline]06:00PM[/editline] Getting another GTS 250 to do the SLi isn't worth the extra cash, right?

No. How much could you get back for the GTS 250?

$130

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864[/url] Grab that as a replacement.

Worth the extra $25?

Absolutely.

[img]http://media.bestofmicro.com/3/H/226925/original/Crysis%20No%20AA.png[/img]

Alright, good shit. [highlight]MY FINAL LIST:[/highlight] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171038[/url] [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864[/url] That brings me to $719.94. Minus the $130 GPU and I'm at $589.94. Does this list look legit? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Looks good to me