My frist gaming PC $1000-$1200 Budget

[Fak99]

So Ive finally built up the budget to get my myself a gaming PC. However, since I know little-to-nothing about building computers I really need help. I wanna make sure I'm getting my moneys worth. I've been looking at some computers on cyberpowerpc.com, but people say its cheaper to get the pieces separately and build it yourself. I am willing to buy Pre-built though.

For my computer I'll need everything except a mouse and keyboard. For a monitor, whatever is the cheapest. I want something that will last and can run most games on high (Doesn't everyone.) Ill be playing stuff like F2P games, TF2, and some high end games like BF3 and Arma 2. Whatever can run those games on the highest possible settings around my budget.

I greatly appreciate any help guys. Thanks a lot!

[HolyCrapAWalrus]

[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/31.PNG[/img]
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/32.PNG[/img]
This will run any game out now on high, most on very high. The grand total with shipping comes out to $1299, but you also have $95 in rebates that'll bring it back to your budget.

[The Baconator]

+1 to the build above

[Siemz]

[QUOTE=HolyCrapAWalrus;36815302][img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/31.PNG[/img]
[img]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59389727/32.PNG[/img]
This will run any game out now on high, most on very high. The grand total with shipping comes out to $1299, but you also have $95 in rebates that'll bring it back to your budget.[/QUOTE]

Now that is one great build
[sp] in budget [/sp]

[Phrozen99]

I feel like we should just create a megathread with various budget combinations or something. Because all these threads have pretty much the same builds.

[[EG] Pepper]

A bit overkill on the PSU, 600 watts would be fine but other than that, i can't fault the build.

[HolyCrapAWalrus]

[QUOTE='[EG] Pepper;36817318']A bit overkill on the PSU, 600 watts would be fine but other than that, i can't fault the build.[/QUOTE]

Only reasoning behind that was the 650W version was the same price after rebate as the 750W after rebate. Plus, I like to recommend PSUs with 4 PCI-e connectors for potential to crossfire/SLI.

[Fak99]

Wow, thank you very much walrus. My only question is if you can give me the site where you found all that? Again, thank you VERY much.

[Starsmine]

[QUOTE=Fak99;36820452]Wow, thank you very much walrus. My only question is if you can give me the site where you found all that? Again, thank you VERY much.[/QUOTE]
Newegg!

[Fak99]

[QUOTE=Starsmine;36820709]Newegg![/QUOTE]

Thanks!

Damn, I was scared of this. Since I live in Hawaii they charge an additional $145.14 to ship it all. I guess I should have mentioned that in my op. Oh well, still buying it. Thanks again.

[HolyCrapAWalrus]

In that case if you'd want to save a tiny bit more money, [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345015&Tpk=bitfenix%20beta[/url] and [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075[/url] are both great budget cases.

[Taipan]

[QUOTE=QuikKill;36817297]I feel like we should just create a megathread with various budget combinations or something. Because all these threads have pretty much the same builds.[/QUOTE]

I did that in 2009,

[url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=854936&highlight=[/url]

It didnt really take off.

[antid2]

minor adjustment to that build i would go with this
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824160067[/url]
for a monitor, only 3 inch difference, and you save 80$, this is the one i always buy and it's lasted me quite some time with no problems

[Fak99]

I have a small update. I haven't bought the parts yet because my father is the biggest skeptic you'll ever met. He suggested that I visit a computer repair shop he goes to whenever our computers need fixing. I showed the computer guy the build that was posted on here and he told me that it's a pretty decent build for my budget.

However, this is what else he told me...

1. For the hard drive, he wouldn't go with Seagate brand. He suggested a "WD rated drive", whatever that means.

2. For the video card, he doesn't recommended AMD/Radeon brand. He told me that 80% of his business is repairs and 70% of the repairs are overheated AMD/Radeon video cards. If that's the case, I do not want that brand.

3. For the ram, he suggested Kingston or Samsung. Not a "generic brand".

4. For the motherboard, He said to get an Intel motherboard. Not a motherboard with an Intel chip set, but an Intel motherboard.

Now, I'm a little lost on what I should get. He told me that I might have to "spend a little more money, buts its worth it". Also, the fact that I have no idea on how to build a computer makes me lean toward buying a pre-built.

I tried to pick new parts myself around the same prices as the previous ones. I sure something in there is wrong, but im hoping you guys can help me again with getting new parts based on what the computer guy said.

[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/capturemrl.png/"][IMG]http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8757/capturemrl.png[/IMG][/URL]
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/capture2mm.png/"][IMG]http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/5018/capture2mm.png[/IMG][/URL]

[deaded38]

[QUOTE=Fak99;36836427]I have a small update. I haven't bought the parts yet because my father is the biggest skeptic you'll ever met. He suggested that I visit the computer repair shop he goes to whenever our computers need fixing. I showed the computer guy the build that was posted on here and he told me that it's a pretty decent build for my budget.

However, this is what else he told me...

1. For the hard drive, he wouldn't go with Seagate brand. He suggested a "WD rated drive", whatever that means.

2. For the video card, he doesn't recommended AMD/Radeon brand. He told me that 80% of his business is repairs and 70% of the repairs are overheated AMD/Radeon video cards. If that's the case, I do not want that brand.

3. For the ram, he suggested Kingston or Samsung. Not a "generic brand".

4. For the motherboard, He said to get an Intel motherboard. Not a motherboard with an Intel chip set, but an Intel motherboard.

Now, I'm a little lost on what I should get. He told me that I might have to "spend a little more money, buts its worth it". Also, the fact that I have no idea on how to build a computer makes me lean toward buying a pre-built.

I tried to pick new parts myself around the same prices as the previous ones. I sure something in there is wrong, but im hoping you can can help me again with getting new parts based on what the computer guys said.

[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/585/capturemrl.png/"][IMG]http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/8757/capturemrl.png[/IMG][/URL]
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/capture2mm.png/"][IMG]http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/5018/capture2mm.png[/IMG][/URL][/QUOTE]

1. I've read reviews on Seagate HDDs, and from what I've read, a lot more people have problems with them than Western Digital. I guess I would suggest Western Digital just because of the reviews, but that's up to you. I personally have never had a Seagate drive, so I don't really speak from experience.

2. I've heard the same about Radeon GPUs. But I have a Radeon 4300/4500 series (that's what it says in dxdiag, I don't get it either) that works fine on my shared computer. I have a GTX 550 Ti in my main gaming PC, and it works fine as well. Personally, I would go with Nvidia just because I hear better things about them. But again, I really can't speak from experience.

3. I don't understand. Most "generic" brands are just as good as the "ungeneric" ones. Just get a common brand such as G.Skill, Kingston, Corsair, etc. I've also heard good things about Mushkin regarding their warranty policy.

4. An Intel motherboard should be fine, but I know there are better manufacturers out there. Again, I would go with the more common brands such as ASRock, ASUS, MSI, etc. I can't really speak from experience on this one, but I'm sure going with any one of those will be just about as good as the other.

[ChaosUnleash]

[QUOTE=Fak99;36836427]
2. For the video card, he doesn't recommended AMD/Radeon brand. He told me that 80% of his business is repairs and 70% of the repairs are overheated AMD/Radeon video cards. If that's the case, I do not want that brand.
[/QUOTE]
I've never had any problems with my 5870, my friend has had no problems with his 5850, my dad has had no problems with his 4670, the list could go on. Even after two years of pretty solid use and no dusting/cleaning my card has never gone above 60 degrees. Unlike my friend's GTX560 which runs hot as hell even when idling.

[Taipan]

1.Western digital, is about the same quality as Seagate. It really doesnt matter.

2.Well Nvidia cards usually get to higher temperatures then AMD cards. That being said, neither should overheat if you just keep the dust out. I have been in this section for a while and have almost never seen a GPU break from overheating (as in permenently break). And that failure also doesnt seem to be reserved for just AMD or NVIDIA.

3. Brands have never made alot of difference with RAM, just go for the cheapest one with good specs.

4. Intel is a good Mobo brand, but certainly not the best. I also dont like their limited bios options.
Oh and note that the h77 mobo you picked out there does not support overclocking. You need a z77 chipset for that.

I reccomend the AsRock z77 Extreme 4

[deaded38]

[QUOTE=ChaosUnleash;36836949]I've never had any problems with my 5870, my friend has had no problems with his 5850, my dad has had no problems with his 4670, the list could go on. Even after two years of pretty solid use and no dusting/cleaning my card has never gone above 60 degrees. Unlike my friend's GTX560 which runs hot as hell even when idling.[/QUOTE]

True, but with a good cooling solution it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Right now, my GTX 550 Ti runs hot. But that's because I have a shitty case that only supports 80mm fans.

[HolyCrapAWalrus]

For $300, the only thing in Nvidia at that price is the GTX 570, which is on Fermi, and was notorious for needing good cooling or that thing would get HOT. Plus, the 7xxx Radeon series runs on much less power and is cooler. He probably just does more work on older machines, which neither side really had an upperhand.

[editline]19th July 2012[/editline]

Oh and there's not really much of a difference in the hard drives so that's okay. Patriot is a fairly large brand for RAM, but if he's still adamant then not much you can do there I suppose.

[ChaosUnleash]

[QUOTE=deaded38;36837055]True, but with a good cooling solution it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Right now, my GTX 550 Ti runs hot. But that's because I have a shitty case that only supports 80mm fans.[/QUOTE]

I'm not trying to be a Radeon fanboy or anything, it just annoyed me that the guy said Radeon cards overheat. With good cooling and a good dust pretty much any card should have no problems as you said.

[deaded38]

[QUOTE=ChaosUnleash;36837247]I'm not trying to be a Radeon fanboy or anything, it just annoyed me that the guy said Radeon cards overheat. With good cooling and a good dust pretty much any card should have no problems as you said.[/QUOTE]

Nah, it's all good. I understand AMD makes good GPUs, but so does Nvidia. I just like Nvidia because, in my opinion, they make higher quality cards (though a lot more expensive).

At least you don't think AMD still makes the highest quality CPUs lol. I've seen quite a few people that think that and it just suprises the shit out of me.

[mblunk]

[QUOTE=Fak99;36836427]I have a small update. I haven't bought the parts yet because my father is the biggest skeptic you'll ever met. He suggested that I visit a computer repair shop he goes to whenever our computers need fixing. I showed the computer guy the build that was posted on here and he told me that it's a pretty decent build for my budget.

However, this is what else he told me...

1. For the hard drive, he wouldn't go with Seagate brand. He suggested a "WD rated drive", whatever that means.

2. For the video card, he doesn't recommended AMD/Radeon brand. He told me that 80% of his business is repairs and 70% of the repairs are overheated AMD/Radeon video cards. If that's the case, I do not want that brand.

3. For the ram, he suggested Kingston or Samsung. Not a "generic brand".

4. For the motherboard, He said to get an Intel motherboard. Not a motherboard with an Intel chip set, but an Intel motherboard.

Now, I'm a little lost on what I should get. He told me that I might have to "spend a little more money, buts its worth it". Also, the fact that I have no idea on how to build a computer makes me lean toward buying a pre-built.

I tried to pick new parts myself around the same prices as the previous ones. I sure something in there is wrong, but im hoping you guys can help me again with getting new parts based on what the computer guy said.
[/QUOTE]

That guy is a fucking dumbass. WD and Seagate both make fine drives. They've also both made their own duds, and both of their super-high-capacity drives (2TB+) tend to be less reliable than more modestly sized ones just due to the smaller magnetic domains and tighter tolerances required. Neither is "better" than the other.

He's also apparently an NVIDIA fanboy. Both companies have had their own efficient and inefficient architectures. Comparing the latest top-end single-gpu models, the 7970 does run hotter than the GTX 680 at almost identical performance, but a while back NVIDIA's GTX 480 was literally a running joke due to its toaster nature. They go back and fourth. Just look at the latest GPU reviews on techpowerup for a really great aggregate performance overview of the cards over ~15 of the latest games. They also do price/performance figures based on those numbers and street prices.

RAM brand makes no difference. Just look at the ratings distributions. If 15-20%+ of the reviews are 1-star, don't get it. Otherwise you're fine. If you really wanted to figure out the "quality" of a RAM kit, look up who makes the actual DRAM chips that go into it. It'll probably be Elpida (now owned by Micron), Samsung, Hynix, or one of a few other guys. I forgot which is "best" although I'm sure they all have their own high-end and dud products. Just look at the review distribution and you'll know all you need to know.

Intel makes some of the shittiest Intel motherboards out there, just look at how the ratings are spread out on their products. I don't know what they're doing, but pretty much all of the other manufacturers that are actually intensely competing with each other (Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI, etc) seem to make much more reliable products. Not to mention the Intel boards tend to have the bare minimum feature set, while the other makers include as many as possible to try to lure in professionals. The other brands also tend to include better VRM circuitry, better cooling, more copper in the traces, etc.

And of course he wants you to spend a bit more, he's expecting you might buy from him.

Please don't get a prebuilt. They are the result of hyper-optimized big businesses using maximally-cheap collections of components tossed together. It probably wouldn't last anywhere near as long as if you built it yourself using some basic judgment skills and only picking out parts that got better amounts of 4-5 star reviews.

As for feedback on your build, that PSU is overpriced. Look for something in the $60-$100 range that gets great ratings. 650W would be plenty. While Kingston is a good brand, so is Corsair, Mushkin, G.Skill, and pretty much every other brand on the site so long as you don't pick one of their high-failure-rate kits as evidenced by excess 1-star reviews. Just pick the cheapest one that doesn't seem to be defective based on the feedback. As above, intel makes pretty weak mobos (not to mention the one you picked is mini-itx, which means you'll never be able to upgrade your system with more RAM, dual-GPUs, etc), I'd go with this one instead: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130645[/url]

And the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is a newer version of the 212+ that cools a bit better. I'd also suggest getting a ~1TB drive, and a GTX 670 if possible with the savings you'd get from the above feedback.

[fixture]

definitely don't listen to what that guy was telling you. it's a load of rubbish

[Fak99]

Alright, after some thinking, I'm just gonna with the build Walrus came up for me. I like it and it's around my budget. This is my first PC after all so it's gonna be a trial and error scenario for me anyway. If something breaks/overheats super bad, I'll deal with. It gonna be a big learning experience for me. I want my new computer already! lol

I greatly appreciate the feedback everyone!

[antid2]

you said you were new to building computers, newegg makes tutorial videos, figured this might help you.

[video=youtube;d_56kyib-Ls]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls[/video]

[HolyCrapAWalrus]

[QUOTE=Fak99;36842186]Alright, after some thinking, I'm just gonna with the build Walrus came up for me. I like it and it's around my budget. This is my first PC after all so it's gonna be a trial and error scenario for me anyway. If something breaks/overheats super bad, I'll deal with. It gonna be a big learning experience for me. I want my new computer already! lol

I greatly appreciate the feedback everyone![/QUOTE]

If you need help during any of it just add me on steam or something.