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Advice on a new rig ....

madnosmadnos Member Posts: 84
in Hardware

Hi guys, My brother is looking for a gaming rig. He's been looking through Best Buy and some other brick and mortar stores (inc. CyberpowerPc )for a pre-built.

I told him , I would ask here for some advice. I built my rig back in 2007 . Sadly , life got in the way and I have no clue on the new tech since then. I just knew that you got more "bang for the buck " if ya built it yourself .

Is this still the case ? If so , I would appreciate some help. He has a budget of about $8oo - $1ooo USD .

That budget is just for the "tower" and O.S. . Keyboard , mouse ,and monitor not needed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated . I'm sure I forgot something in there . Just let me know . :D

Comments

  • EpicentEpicent Member UncommonPosts: 648
    Try Newegg.    They  have  good parts with pricing. I wouldnt get  anything less than an i5 intel processor. Make sure whatever motherboard  you get has  a PCIe slot for a good graphics card. At least 8 gigs of RAM. Dont go cheap on your power supply either. Worst thing you can do.
  • udinthrikudinthrik Member UncommonPosts: 73

    That budget is probably double what you actually need to build a tower that can run any game on the market. I always build in real-time though, never with future expansion in mind. You don't need to waste your money on an operating system either. Linux is free, among other free options.


    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-6.html

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-8.html

    http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

     

    with general knowledge of computers, you can't go wrong if you combine those three resources.

    The first 2 links have a performance per dollar chart for cpu and graphics cards. It really shows you buying top of the line parts is ALWAYS a waste of money. For example, the gtx 690 costs $1000. The gtx 660 costs $180 after $15 rebate. The 660 performs at 51% of the 690. That being said, the 660 can run damn near every game at max settings at 60fps+. So you have to ask yourself, is that 49% extra performance potential you may not need for 4 years worth the +$820 price tag? I realized long ago, that it's cheaper just to build a new low end pc every couple years. And hey, Pawn shops are stupid and will pay you really well for your retired rigs if you hook it up and show them it's performance on the games you used to play haha.

     

    The 3rd link is a great place to price shop and digitally build your rig without worrying about compatibility issues.

  • udinthrikudinthrik Member UncommonPosts: 73
    Originally posted by Epicent
    Try Newegg.    They  have  good parts with pricing. I wouldnt get  anything less than an i5 intel processor. Make sure whatever motherboard  you get has  a PCIe slot for a good graphics card. At least 8 gigs of RAM. Dont go cheap on your power supply either. Worst thing you can do.

     dual channel is what's most important when it comes to ram (2 sticks of identical ram) Make sure the power supply is certified and has good reviews. You don't have to spend a ton on it, just do some research.

     

    I should also add that things run hotter now, so get at least 3 fans in the tower. I personally don't like liquad cooling.

    Make sure your motherboard can support whatever type fo ram you are putting in it, and the amount. usually the ramslots are color coded also. This is how you know which ramsticks will be dual channeled. usually 1+3 and 2+4. Also don't worry about crossfire or SLI support on a motherboard. Both of these technologies are still not worth investing into.

  • WaterlilyWaterlily Member UncommonPosts: 3,105
    nm, do as below
  • udinthrikudinthrik Member UncommonPosts: 73

    check the completed builds section of the website. you can find one in your range easily and make any changes you need.

     

    it would be nice if pcpartspicker had a benchmark performance per dollar ranking system for completed builds. I really thing that would help a lot of people.

  • BattlerockBattlerock Member CommonPosts: 1,393

    Buy an Asus G75VX - that way you can go to a friends house and play, or chill in the living room, dining room, bedroom, anywhere you can take it with you. 1080p anti glair, gtx670mx and i7 with min of 8gb of ram your good to go for about 5 years before you need to consider new technology for up and coming games that havent even been announced yet.

     

    plus its as quiet as a mouse

    plus its ergonomic design makes for a comfortable 24hour long gaming sessions

    plus you can get one for less than a grand if you keep your eyes open

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,355

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1394305

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1354974

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1385207

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148347

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161404

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416550

    Total:  $957, including shipping and before $25 in rebates

    The SSD is on a shell shocker deal for $90 which will be over soon.  The power supply is a bit light on wattage, but it will be fine at stock speeds, or even with a moderate overclock of the processor.  The memory is also on the cheap side, but it will work fine.

  • madnosmadnos Member Posts: 84

    Hey guys,

    Sorry for the late response .  Just got back from vaca.

    Just want to say , Thanks for  taking the time out of your day to respond . All tips and advice greatly appreciated. :D

     

  • udinthrikudinthrik Member UncommonPosts: 73
    no problem.
  • syntax42syntax42 Member UncommonPosts: 1,378
    Originally posted by udinthrik

    You don't need to waste your money on an operating system either. Linux is free, among other free options.

    That depends on how well-supported the games and drivers are.  I haven't kept up with the Linux gaming scene, so I would like to know if gaming on Linux is feasible without significant effort to make every game work.

     

    Do you game on Linux?

    Do most modern games release with a Linux version?

    Do the Windows emulators for Linux work almost flawlessly for games?

    Do the video card manufacturers release Linux versions of their drivers in a timely manner?

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