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Building a new computer, $980 budget

EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
in Hardware

Hey guys, so I'm building a new computer, I'm 15 and I don't know much about this sort of stuff, I'm replacing my 6 year comp finally, I have a Zotac GTX560 1GB 256BIT DDR5 video card already, but that's about all I want to keep from my current PC. So I have $980 total to cover all of the parts, tax, shipping (I'm in Canada) and I was wondering if you guys could help me out, I don't want 1 part way better than the other, I'd like to have something that's about equal power with everything. Please help me out guys! Thanks! - Mix

 

P.S. I have a monitor, keyboard (kinda crappy keyboard) a good mouse, and speakers. So I just need parts. I'll be building this PC with my brother.

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Comments

  • OnomasOnomas Member UncommonPosts: 1,147

    Newegg.com

    tigerdirect.com

     

    So you can browse, soon someone will post what they think is best setup. But always best for you to go look and do some research when making that kind of investment.

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251

    Thanks man, I know. Kinda scared to spend that much money haha, but it's needed cuz I love video games.

     

    Oh, and Quizzical is really helpful here, if he posts what parts to get I'm gonna listen to him I think lol.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,351

    Processor:  $210

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=70541&vpn=BX80637I53570K&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1033

    Motherboard:  $155 before a $30 rebate

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=69234&vpn=Z77A%2DGD65&manufacture=MSI%2FMicroStar&promoid=1033

    Power supply:  $80 before a $15 rebate

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59617&vpn=P1750SNLB9&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1033

    Memory:  $60 before a $10 rebate

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=76335&vpn=CMX16GX3M2A1600C11&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1033

    CPU heatsink:  $19

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&vpn=RR%2DB10%2D212P%2DG1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER&promoid=1033

    Case:  $80

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=65171&vpn=ELEVEN%20HUNDRED&manufacture=Others&promoid=1033

    Optical drive:  $15

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=76258&vpn=SH%2D224BB%2FBEBE&manufacture=Samsung&promoid=1033

    SSD:  $150

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=71916&vpn=AGT4%2D25SAT3%2D256G&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1033

    Hard drive:  $60

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58746&vpn=ST31000524AS&manufacture=Seagate&promoid=1033

    Operating system:  $85

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=77180&vpn=WN7%2D00404&manufacture=Microsoft&promoid=1033

    Total:  $914 before $55 in rebates.

    I'm not sure how much NCIX will charge for shipping, but those prices are all in Canadian dollars, and they're based in Canada.  If you need to cut back a bit to fit a strict $980 budget (and I'm guessing it's a strict budget, or else you'd have said $1000), a cheaper motherboard is probably the best place to cut back.  Depending on how much capacity you need, with a 240 GB SSD, you might be able to skip the hard drive entirely.

    If you get this, then you plan on upgrading the video card in the future whenever you decide that it isn't good enough anymore.  That might take you a few years, but the rest of the system should still be decent then.

    I'm also assuming that you already have a surge protector, since you have the rest of the normal peripherals.  If you don't, then you'll need one.

    Also, if you dislike your keyboard, it's cheap to get a different one.  You probably don't need anything fancy, and most desktop keyboards will work fine.  Laptop keyboards are dicier, but that's due to the form factor.

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    Wow thanks a lot, again Quiz. I have a 750g harddrive that came with my Emachine that I kept, could I just use that and skip by the harddrive entirely by using the one I already have?
  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251

    Oh, and I have Windows 8 already, so -$85 and keeping the Harddrive, that should be enough to cover $980 right?

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    Ok, I added it all up with shipping and stuff, it comes to $892 which will leave me room to get a surge protector power supply and keyboard. :) Thanks so much man!
  • SouldrainerSouldrainer Member Posts: 1,857
    Originally posted by EvilMix

    Wow thanks a lot, again Quiz. I have a 750g harddrive that came with my Emachine that I kept, could I just use that and skip by the harddrive entirely by using the one I already have?

     

    How many RPMs is it? You might be able to skip the HDD if the old one meets specs, be definitely go for an SSD, preferably one with high IOPS (120,000 if possible).

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  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    I don't know any of that haha, I'll just order what he said minus the OS. So excited to get it & build it :P
  • SouldrainerSouldrainer Member Posts: 1,857
    Originally posted by EvilMix

    Oh, and I have Windows 8 already, so -$85 and keeping the Harddrive, that should be enough to cover $980 right?

     

    I'd advise you to dump Win 8. While it is technically sound, a lot of game devs refuse to support it.

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  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    Are there any in particular? I'll mainly be playing WoW, and GW2, and the other mainsteam-ish games. I'd like to just install the W8 I have already so I can buy a surge protector and maybe a new keyboard.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,351
    Originally posted by Souldrainer
    Originally posted by EvilMix
    Wow thanks a lot, again Quiz. I have a 750g harddrive that came with my Emachine that I kept, could I just use that and skip by the harddrive entirely by using the one I already have?

     

    How many RPMs is it? You might be able to skip the HDD if the old one meets specs, be definitely go for an SSD, preferably one with high IOPS (120,000 if possible).

    If you're just going to use it for bulk data while putting everything that is performance-sensitive on the SSD, then it doesn't really matter how slow the hard drive is.  I don't think there are any recent models that are especially failure-prone, so reusing the hard drive should be fine if it's fairly recent.  If it's five years old already, then it should probably be replaced.

    As for SSD IOPS numbers, once you're into the tens of thousands, adding more doesn't matter for consumer use.

    -----

    As for Windows 8, if you already have a legal Windows 8 license that hasn't previously been used in some other computer, then sure, use that.  But you can't just take a Windows 8 license from an old computer and use it in a new one.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,351
    Originally posted by Souldrainer
    Originally posted by EvilMix

    Oh, and I have Windows 8 already, so -$85 and keeping the Harddrive, that should be enough to cover $980 right?

     

    I'd advise you to dump Win 8. While it is technically sound, a lot of game devs refuse to support it.

    If a game runs on Windows 7, then it should run on Windows 8.  Most game developers probably aren't going to use Metro, and online game developers will never or essentially never use Metro, but you can still run games just fine without it, and without developers doing anything special to support it.

  • moondragomoondrago Member UncommonPosts: 47
    i bought my computer from tiger direct - ibuypower .. name of the computer  prebuild it cost me around 850 plus tax and shipping but was  still 1/2 the price of anything in my home city .. runs everything on high settings .. never had a problem with it yet - been about  1 year  old .. here are the  spec .. amd phenom IIx6 1055T processor 2.80 GHz  , 4 GB ram , 64 bit OS, ati radeon  HD 5700   1 tb of hard disk ..windows 7 ... really tiger direct has all kinds of  prebuild computer  . im hoping to get a  new one at  income tax time  and keep this one for movies and  stuff .. i us it for gaming ...playing eve online now .. gave up on these games  but they all run  good  .. tribes ascend , gw2 .. elder scrolls  looks  really good  on this ... tsw , swtor ..  ps2  .. lonly game i play now is eve online  .. i drop into tribes once a month  or  gw2  ... just got  bored of the tread mill on those games  but  this computer   has no problems .. i use it  mostly for  netflix now and  eve online

    its a GoOd dAy to diE !!

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    Crap, looks like the ram has been sold out, I'll be ordering it all tomorrow but idk which ram to get.
  • ZagatoMKRZagatoMKR Member UncommonPosts: 263

    As you're new to computer building, I would suggest to first familiarize yourself with technology each part represents. If you're not reading any computer related magazines, just go to review/comparison pages for the parts that you're interested in buying (google 'em sites), read it all and if you don't understand what something means, try looking for wikipedia articles.

    For example many novice people would just go for the best and priciest parts without knowing how much performance boost they'll really receive while using the applications (programs/games) they usually do. Imo getting a 2% performance boost while paying an extra $100 isn't very smart.

    And always remember, as soon as you unwrap those parts, their resell value plummets, so invest with care.

    Cheers.

    We are going to have to act, if we want to live in a different world.

  • KabaalKabaal Member UncommonPosts: 3,042
    Originally posted by Quizzical

    As for Windows 8, if you already have a legal Windows 8 license that hasn't previously been used in some other computer, then sure, use that.  But you can't just take a Windows 8 license from an old computer and use it in a new one.

    They changed the terms for windows 8 to not be as restrictive as 7 and the previous OS's were. They let you move the license over to a new computer now, just don't let you run it on multiples.

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    No one?
  • InfinityDInfinityD Member Posts: 33

    http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-2x8GB-Desktop-Memory-CMX16GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B0085IZVKI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1356810689&sr=1-3

     

    If you're just going for cheap ram, then yeah, corsair XMS or equivalent is fine.

     

    Like many others in this threat, I suggest you do some of your own research before jumping to buy some things someone else has linked for you. You should know more about how a computer works and what the specs of the items you are buying affect it before blowing all your cash.

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383

    Originally posted by Kabaal
    Originally posted by Quizzical As for Windows 8, if you already have a legal Windows 8 license that hasn't previously been used in some other computer, then sure, use that.  But you can't just take a Windows 8 license from an old computer and use it in a new one.
    They changed the terms for windows 8 to not be as restrictive as 7 and the previous OS's were. They let you move the license over to a new computer now, just don't let you run it on multiples.

    It is less restrictive, but most of the same rules apply:

    * A Retail copy can be moved or virtualized, Vista can only be transfered once, all other OSes can be transfered multiple times

    * An OEM copy cannot be moved and must run as the host OS

    * An Upgrade license has the same rules from whichever of the two editions the upgraded OS was

    No consumer licenses can be run on multiple computers (only enterprise licenses, which would be like a large school or company)

    Most copies are OEM copies or Upgrade copies which are ultimately based on OEM licenses - if it came pre-installed on a computer (like an eMachines), it's almost certainly an OEM copy. Retail copies are very expensive, and most people don't buy them, and they almost never come pre-installed on machines. Most people building their own computer tend to get an OEM license (even though it technically doesn't cover). Most people upgrading from one OS to the next will get the Upgrade license, because it's usually about $100 cheaper, and the Upgrade license then is based on whatever root OS you upgraded from (Retail or OEM).

    Windows 8 does add a new System Builder license, which let's you virtualize (OEM does not), but still locks you to a single computer (like the OEM does now). Rumor has it that MS may drop the Retail edition of Windows 8 in favor of System Builder editions, which have just recently become available; the System Builder license is cheaper than Retail, but it would legally prevent you from transferring the license to a new computer.

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383

    Originally posted by EvilMix
    Crap, looks like the ram has been sold out, I'll be ordering it all tomorrow but idk which ram to get.

    Almost all RAM is made in one of just a handful of foundries, so it's all really just about the same.

    All your really paying for are the packaging (the pretty colors on the heat spreaders, the box it comes in), and most importantly, for the warranty & support.

    RAM is the single most likely component to be shipped faulty, because it's very static sensitive and has a lot of exposed connection points. Aside from making sure that you have a good return policy with the company you buy it from, and at least enough warranty support to get you out to 90 days, RAM is pretty much all the same.

    Make sure it's compatible with your motherboard (DDR3), that the stock voltage is low (1.5V or less), the timings are tight (9-9-9, CAS latency of 9 or lower). The clock largely doesn't matter (or at least not nearly as much as the other numbers do), anything at or over 1333 (10666) is fine, but they tend to charge a lot more as they crank the clock up, and this only really matters if your using integrated video (and you are not).

    I trust Kingston for most of my personal computers. I've used Mushkin, Corsair, Crucial, and G.Skill before without issue as well. No brand is impervious to being DOA, but with these brands, it's relatively painless to get a replacement.

  • Dantae87Dantae87 Member Posts: 166

    thats more than i had, i had under 400 to work with and i think my computer kicks BUTT!

    Asus Maximus IV mobo

    8G DDR3 8000mhz 

    Geforce GTX 560 2G DDR5 (overclocked)

    I5-3570K (overclocked)

    Corsair CPU watercooling

    NZXT case with 5 fans

    128G Kingston SSD

    550W Ultra Powersupply

    got all that for under 400 shipped to my door! Pays to buy at the right time and place, i found newegg to be a lil pricey so i bought all my stuff from directcanada. (im canadian)

     

    ALSO i HIGHLY recommend using http://pcpartpicker.com BEST site that collects all the prices on the net for what your looking for and shows them to u at once.

    I have yet to find a game i cant run. I even can run Crysis 3 on max settings.(i got n beta) and BF3 on ultra with over 30 FPS. Kinda pissed off my friend cuz his 560 TI is running at the same specs as my 560 but he paid 120 more lolz

    image

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    Originally posted by Ridelynn

     

    Originally posted by EvilMix
    Crap, looks like the ram has been sold out, I'll be ordering it all tomorrow but idk which ram to get.

     

    Almost all RAM is made in one of just a handful of foundries, so it's all really just about the same.

    All your really paying for are the packaging (the pretty colors on the heat spreaders, the box it comes in), and most importantly, for the warranty & support.

    RAM is the single most likely component to be shipped faulty, because it's very static sensitive and has a lot of exposed connection points. Aside from making sure that you have a good return policy with the company you buy it from, and at least enough warranty support to get you out to 90 days, RAM is pretty much all the same.

    Make sure it's compatible with your motherboard (DDR3), that the stock voltage is low (1.5V or less), the timings are tight (9-9-9, CAS latency of 9 or lower). The clock largely doesn't matter (or at least not nearly as much as the other numbers do), anything at or over 1333 (10666) is fine, but they tend to charge a lot more as they crank the clock up, and this only really matters if your using integrated video (and you are not).

    I trust Kingston for most of my personal computers. I've used Mushkin, Corsair, Crucial, and G.Skill before without issue as well. No brand is impervious to being DOA, but with these brands, it's relatively painless to get a replacement.

    Ok thanks man, do you know any that's decent that would work with the other parts that Quizzical picked? It looks like I need 16gb of ram.

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383

    Originally posted by EvilMix
    Originally posted by Ridelynn  
    Originally posted by EvilMix Crap, looks like the ram has been sold out, I'll be ordering it all tomorrow but idk which ram to get.
      Almost all RAM is made in one of just a handful of foundries, so it's all really just about the same. All your really paying for are the packaging (the pretty colors on the heat spreaders, the box it comes in), and most importantly, for the warranty & support. RAM is the single most likely component to be shipped faulty, because it's very static sensitive and has a lot of exposed connection points. Aside from making sure that you have a good return policy with the company you buy it from, and at least enough warranty support to get you out to 90 days, RAM is pretty much all the same. Make sure it's compatible with your motherboard (DDR3), that the stock voltage is low (1.5V or less), the timings are tight (9-9-9, CAS latency of 9 or lower). The clock largely doesn't matter (or at least not nearly as much as the other numbers do), anything at or over 1333 (10666) is fine, but they tend to charge a lot more as they crank the clock up, and this only really matters if your using integrated video (and you are not). I trust Kingston for most of my personal computers. I've used Mushkin, Corsair, Crucial, and G.Skill before without issue as well. No brand is impervious to being DOA, but with these brands, it's relatively painless to get a replacement.
    Ok thanks man, do you know any that's decent that would work with the other parts that Quizzical picked? It looks like I need 16gb of ram.

    16G kit (2x8G) - best I could find from ncix without going pretty high on the price.

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=76779&vpn=PV316G160C0K&manufacture=Patriot&promoid=1033
    Timing is a bit high (10-10-10), but won't make a huge difference. It's on stock and on sale:
    $68.99 CAD Savings Code 76779-1033. Special price ends 01/02/2013. (Not sure what shipping price is here)

    Similar RAM, with 9-9-9 timings and 1333 clock from Newegg.ca
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220619
    $62.99 CAD, $9.99 shipping
    Newegg.ca has a lot better selection on RAM, NCIX is a bit limited, but shipping may play a factor here.

    That being said - are you sure you need 16G? Most people can't use over 4G, and 8G is plenty for most people an will save you a bit on your budget - 8G kit (2x4G):

    http://ncix.com/products/?sku=55544&vpn=996770&manufacture=Mushkin Enhanced&promoid=1360
    $37.99 CAD Savings Code 55544-1360. Special price ends 12/31/2012. (Not sure what shipping price is here)

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226095
    $32.99 CAD, $9.99 shipping
    Same thing from Newegg.ca

  • EvilMixEvilMix Member Posts: 251
    Well I don't know what to do. Now everything I need went from $892 to $982 and two of the parts are out of stock. I need the parts here by next Friday. :$
  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383

    Originally posted by EvilMix
    Well I don't know what to do. Now everything I need went from $892 to $982 and two of the parts are out of stock. I need the parts here by next Friday. :$

    Well, it may not be all the same as Quiz's build, but I just did one up on Newegg.CA (which has excellent parts availability, even though shipping may be a bit more):

    Intel Core i5 3570: $214.99
    COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2: $30.99
    SAMSUNG 840 Series 2.5" 250GB SATA III (SSD): $189.99
    SILVERSTONE Strider Essential 600W Power Supply: $60.49
    Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case: $39.99
    Mushkin 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 SDRAM Model 996770: $32.99
    ASUS P8Z77-V LK Intel Motherboard: $129.99
    Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner: $17.99

    Grand Total:* $717.42 (without shipping)
    $10.00 USD Mail-in Rebate
    $15.00 Mail-in Rebate Card


    Not so hard... everything you need except a video card, and second storage hard drive

    I went cheap on the case, dropped to 8G of RAM to keep the price low - that's a good deal on a 250G SSD, so I picked it up, you could drop to 120G and save some cash there. The motherboard and CPU are "entry level" - if you want to overclock you'd need something a bit heartier on the motherboard, and bump to the K edition CPU. I put a basic aftermarket heat sink on there, but running stock you could do without.

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