Question:
Trying to build a gaming computer I need help with components.?
jackal101
2010-07-14 22:23:16 UTC
I'm basically trying to build a gaming computer, and I'm comparing the prices on ibuypower.com I doubt I'll buy from them but maybe I will due to circumstances. Anyway, I'm wondering what would be a better build, I'm looking for a very good gaming computer, to play games at a 1920x1080 resolution (not sure about the resolution but it's pretty much that) So I'm wondering if I should get an amd phenom II x6 or stick with the quad core i7 930 (4x2.80 GHz) or is an i5 enough? also for the videocard, I'm not sure with what to go with since radeon hd 5800s are very good and the Geforce gtx are very good too, maybe the radeon hd 5770 is enough for high frame rates on that resolution? and with what I go what is the motherboard that costs the less that goes with these. Another thing is the ram, is 4Gb good, or should I go with 6Gb? keep in mind that I don't want to spend 2000$ on it either. I can't build computers myself, so is it better if I customize it at a website like ibuypower so they will build it for me? I don't want to go over 1300$ if it's built at ibuypower or another website, but if it's easy to build yourself after purchasing the components by following instructions I would do that instead and save a couple 100$. Thanks for every answer, and I hope I was clear with the requierments.
PS: I'm not planning to play crisys so I don't mind low fps on that.
Four answers:
Jim
2010-07-14 22:57:09 UTC
You SHOULD compare prices on Newegg and Tigerdirect. Newegg usually has the best selection and the lowest prices.



If you can get an intel i7 930 customized computer for $1300, that is a very good deal, because I have priced a number of them based on that cpu and they come up around $1500. The AMD Hex Core is unbeatable, and is comparable to a higher Intel i7 CPU than the 930. From what I have read in Maximum PC Magazine, the new AMD hexcore is performing at a level of about intel i7 960. So for $200 for the 1055T, that is a real steal. There is one more, the 1090T which costs about $100 more than the 1055T, both are hex core cpu's. The AMD hexcore processors cannot beat the new Intel 890x however, just be aware of that...but since most outfits want $1200 JUST for the Intel hexcore cpu, $200 - $300 is a steal.



Never EVER short yourself on the motherboard. I consider the motherboard to be the most critical component in the computer, more critical even than the cpu itself. The reason why is because everything is plugged into the motherboard. The chipsets are what determine how good the communications are between RAM and cpu and Videocard and cpu, the other two critical functions.

With motherboards YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR...buy cheap boards, get cheap performance, buy good, get good, buy excellent, well...sometimes you get something better than excellent. I don't care how good all of the rest of the components are, if you cheat yourself on the motherboard, you will have a mediocre to rotten computer.



The fortunate thing about the new AMD hexcore cpu's is that AMD decided to keep the AM3 motherboards rather than create a new socket for them. This means that there are some really excellent motherboards out there that are AM3 that will be entirely compatible with the new hexcore

cpu's. Make sure whatever you pick, the manufacturer tells you - it is AMD hexcore compatible.



Windows 7 64 bit is what I would use, and nothing less - no 32 bit version! Using less than 4 gigs is crazy on a computer like this, for RAM. I think the ideal on a computer like this is 6 - 8 gigs of RAM, dual channeled to get the highest possible speed. The nice thing is that the AM3 motherboards take DDR3, so you already get the advantage of the higher clock speeds. I would stick with 6 Gigs if you are trying to keep the cost under control, and add more later if you want to.



The brand new nVidia GTX card with fermi enabled is able to SLIGHTLY beat AMD's HD 5970 card, but is the extra 50 Watts of actual power consumption worth the little bit of gain? The AMD cards run cooler. Since you don't need to play Crysis on ultra high or high settings, what do you need these expensive cards for? I think your choice of an AMD HD 5770 is a good choice.



THe instructions to build a computer are very straight forward. There are about 10 - 12 steps to do it, no matter what components you are installing except if you decide to install a RAID configuration which will require some additional hardware and know-how. Otherwise, a standard build is simple and efficient. You can BUY a magazine at Barnes and Noble on how to build one for about $15 which shows you all the components and steps you through, step by step. Or, you can watch a number of Youtubes, there are plenty of them that show you how to do it. Or you can get on line and google "How to build a computer."



Here are a couple I got:



http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Computer



http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/



http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=navclient-ff#q=How+to+build+a+computer&hl=en&prmd=v&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&ei=O6A-TPvNLsnpnQepueWTBQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CD0QqwQwAw&fp=d04041bc77eb0df0



Plenty of sites on the net show you how. It is easy.



Get an OEM copy of the operating system. Windows 7 Home Premium OEM is $99 on Newegg.



The important point, if you are going to build it yourself, is to decide on all the components first. Then, study the specifications for those components. So, before you decide on which motherboard, study and compare the specs of several motherboards and find out which has the mostest features for the bucks. Then, when you settle on one or two, download the motherboard manual(s) for them and then read through before you make a purchase - this is the SMART way to do it.



I figure, anyone who buys less than a 1 Teribyte hard disk, has to either have a serious hole in their wallet or a serious hole in their head. Last Friday, I saw a 1 Teribyte new 7200 RPM SATA 3 from Western Digital on sale for $68 from Fry's Electronics (they have a site on line too).



DO NOT cheat yourself on the power supply!Do not buy a cheap one and do not buy a small one. For this computer, at least a 650 Watt PSU, either Corsair or ANTEC. I would feel more comfortable these days with a 750 Watt PSU.
Ben Ma
2010-07-15 05:38:44 UTC
I'm also buying a gaming computer and I just got some help from another guy.

So I can now help you.

As of this moment ATI 5770 and Gtx 260's can already run almost all games decently and it will last you a few years as well.

HD radeon 5770 and Gtx's can be run on any computer thats better then a q6600 or a q8200 (Even those CPU's as well)

(Around 2.5 Ghz) but you need a power supply of at least 500+.

So heres a break down of prices.



(Assuming you already have a computer)

Power supply: 50-80$



Ati 5770: 199.99-249.99$



Gtx 260: Almost the same as the 5770. (Ati is a better Graphics card with 1 Gb's, compared to the Gtx with 8XX Mb's) but Theres proof that the Gtx 260 runs games faster then the 5770 Ati.



Ram: Kingston Hyper X DDR2 2G 1066 Mhz 60$

are really good Rams for games. (If your computer can fit them in)



Motherboards, and Cpu's im not sure about the prices. Sorry.
Joshua
2010-07-15 05:37:14 UTC
Well do not need to know how to build a computer to build one it is just a matter of reading the motherboard and computer case manual and it will tell you where everything goes just built my first with just that and it was fun and easy.

But phenom is better and cheaper but i would go with amd phenom 965 that will give plenty of horsepower for gaming and 5800 is better if you want to run games on max setting but the hd 5770 is good and will still do most games at max setting its what i used and all my games work on max also 6gbs of ram or maybe 8gbs of ram would be better.

P.S. You will save a lot more than a couple hundred and it is very easy



Contact me if you need any help choosing parts if you go with your own build
DriVAnce
2010-07-15 06:14:53 UTC
Just checked some stuff on ibuypower.com and tried to make a computer for around $1200



Processor - Reason, Intel Core i7 is quite expensive and is really meant for high-end computers or work stations or really good gaming machines. nothing bad with AMD. also Reason for AMD Phenom II X4 is due to 6 cores is kinda stupid to have now. since Quad core isn't fully support (around 20-40% games use Quad)

AMD Phenomâ„¢ II X4 955 Black Edition Quad-Core CPU



Motherboard - A good Motherboard with SATA 3 (aka SATA6) and USB 3.0

Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 -- AMD 870 w/ 2x PCI-E 2.0 x16



Memory - Sould be enough with 4GB but if you wish, do get 6 or 8GB to be sure in the future (3+ years)

4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module-Corsair or Major Brand



Video Card - Reason: Nvidia cards are kinda expensive and power hungry. a simple 5850 will handle most games in 1080p

ATI Radeon HD 5850 - 1GB-Single Card



Power Supply - Extra Power is always better and a Corsair Supply is good quality. and having 650 Watt is good if you decided to add something

650 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-650TX Power Supply-SLI Ready



Primary Hard Drive 1TB is quite good to start with. also uses SATA 3

1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive



Operating System - Incase your wondering what Windows 7 to buy. it isnt really the best but it is usefull for gaming only. if you wish to spend more do buy Ultimate!



Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel)-64-Bit



Price It was showing: $1,226.00

Case: I didn't choose one because the choice is really yours.



edit, some stupid mistakes on my bad English





Edit #2



For liquid cooling is great and useful but only if your planning on going for Overclocking. since most Air-based CPU fans are almost good as Liquid(Water-Based)



Also on most liquid cooling systems (lcs) requires weekly/monthly water change depending on how you use it & what for you use it



so don't worry about such. well if you can get a inbuilt lcs such as Corsair H50 or something similar then it's great to have such so you don't have to worry about summer. (some computers do hate summer since they run hot one of those examples is mine since it hates summer)



Edit #3

If your wondering about ibuypower.com then they should come with cables



if your wondering about computer parts, usually you don't need to buy cables if you buy retail parts. (not bulk or OEM)

Usually all the cables that you need to buy are near your local electric store or media store. (there should be at least one near you?) they might not have the computer parts but they usually do have the cables.



List of Cables that comes with what

Motherboards comes with SATA/IDE cables

GPU sometimes comes with a short Bridge (long bridges usually come with motherboards)

CD/DVD-roms usually come with a IDE/SATA cable + a Internal Sound Cable (I aint sure if this is even needed on newer systems.)

Hard drives, Usually no cables. so if your buying more hard drives separately remember to check if you have cables at home or buy new cables

Case, Small Cables for all buttons & LED's

PSU (Power Supply Unit): Power Cord



I believe thats all what you wanted to know no?


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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