Building a gaming PC....how hard is it?

[Griffolion]

seriosuly if I had a list of components and I went and bought them...could I just put the thing together like some IKEA set?

ok..ok I know theres probably more to it than that, like you probably want to know what does what and where it goes

if it is as easy as people say could a tech-dunce like me actually do it? (with some reasearch obviously)

after being frustrated with consoles and at the Idea of spendlng lots of money on somthing thats barefuly functional (my thought about buying laptops) this is actually begining to look like an actual (if not daunting) option

so essentially what I'm asking is

[b/]what else do I need to consider aside from price/getting the right components?

is there anything that could go wrong during the "build" process?


how much should I be willing to spend?[/b]

1: Those two questions are the main ones, others are secondary, such as the look of the PC.

2: Yes, many, many things.

3: Minimum £500 for a "decent" rig. £1000 tends to be optimal if you want something nice. Anything above £1500 and you've got more money than sense.

I've been building gaming PC's for years and am CompTIA A+ qualified technician if you want some trumpet blowing. PM me if you need any advice.

Also, feel free to [a href="http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Andy+Hall/pc-building-the-beginners-guide-209622.phtml"]take a look at the guide I wrote[/a] regarding PC building.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

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just thourght Id ask a couple of people..how does this build look?

http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/itC4

looks like a pretty solid build to me, also good choice of case, looks like you'll be able to build any other PCs you decide to build from here on out in that thing.

the micro atx mobo is a fairly small one, so if you ever decide to upgrade from that later you can always just get a new motherboard later, for now you won't need anything more powerful than what you have, that'll run anything on the market well.

You don't need to buy the cooler though, unless you plan on overclocking, I would suggest saving that money, as you can spend it on a new game instead, to play on this beast when you're done building it.

I'm assuming you have a copy of windows to install on this thing once you get it, if not you'll hafta buy a copy.

Otherwise, I say it's a good system for gaming.

 

[GoaThief]

If you want a sandy bridge CPU, you're shooting into a higher price bracket than any AMD part already anyway. That processor is going to leave any single video card in the dust... which translates to a bottleneck in the video department.

The hell is it. Dual graphic card set ups I really recommend avoiding due to driver and game compatibility issues, not to mention micro-stutter which has plagued every single SLI/Xfire build I've seen.

Besides, that would be breaking one of the first rules of the upgrade path - graphic cards are much easier and logical to replace down the line than CPUs, the latter often need whole motherboard/RAM upgrades to boot.

 

[relyts]

When building a custom gaming PC, there's absolutely no reason to go over $1200, unless you're an extreme enthusiast. I just helped my buddy build a PC under $900 and he runs the latest games on max graphics with little to no issues. When one looks at everything without experience it might look fairly complicated, but it's really not. The main thing is to know what is compatible with each other.

I'll list here a few recommendations for the main slots and what I'd make sure your motherboard supports to keep up to date for a while.

CPU: Intel i5/i7 Processor. (With good cooling you can get an i5 and overclock it to similar speeds of an i7.)

RAM: 8 GB DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) or higher. (RAM is cheap now, and will help games and applications run more fluently.)

Power Supply: 750W+ / 80 Plus Certified (This is where I've seen people get lazy. A good power supply makes a big difference, because after all, it's what powers your components.

Video Card: Any GeForce 600 series w/ 1024+ MB RAM. (GeForce has PhysX unlike Radeon)

Hard Drive: SSD or 10,000+ RPM internal.(SSD drives are a bit expensive and contain less space , but your programs and system will boot like a boss. I've seen FPS gains as well from having a faster hard drive.)

Motherboard: The best you can afford. (I see a lot of people get a low quality motherboard and high quality parts to go into it. Not only is the motherboard the foundation of your pc, but can save you a lot of trouble down the road when you plan to upgrade if you get a good one now.)

Try visiting sites like Newegg and looking for combo deals. Plenty of good online deals around.

 

[loc978]

If you want a sandy bridge CPU, you're shooting into a higher price bracket than any AMD part already anyway. That processor is going to leave any single video card in the dust... which translates to a bottleneck in the video department.

The hell is it. Dual graphic card set ups I really recommend avoiding due to driver and game compatibility issues, not to mention micro-stutter which has plagued every single SLI/Xfire build I've seen.

Besides, that would be breaking one of the first rules of the upgrade path - graphic cards are much easier and logical to replace down the line than CPUs, the latter often need whole motherboard/RAM upgrades to boot.

bwuh? Never seen any SLI/XFire set up be less than perfect... but maybe I've just been lucky. Set up a few from single video card starters that worked flawlessly.

As for the processor, sometimes people can't afford the thing at the time because it's cutting edge with a $400 price jump, then in a couple years it's less than the original CPU and you're feeling the crunch of an old system. It's really not a difficult swap. The case here is that an i7 would be a $140 price jump, and the i5 Vault101 chose is plenty of power for gaming purposes. Doubtful the processor will need replacing or the video will need SLI'ing, but I mentioned it offhand as a possibility just for the sake of completeness.

 

[GeneralBob]

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just thourght Id ask a couple of people..how does this build look?

http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/itC4

Fine processor

The CPU cooler is unnecessary, stock coolers are quite good these days and can idle <30C

That's pretty expensive for a microATX motherboard, you could get something in this price range that will service you just as well http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157329

I'd suggest going with 6, or even 8GB of RAM, it's dirt cheap and not something you want to bump your head against

Good hard drive, although I'd highly recommend getting a solid state drive in addition and installing your operating system + a few choice games on that. It's going to make everything you do smoother and faster.

Nice beefy graphics card

Unless you're making music for a living sound cards are wholly unnecessary, and even then they're not needed. The on board motherboard sound is what everybody uses.

Case is ok, you could get something serviceable for less but those $50 cases often have problems of things barely fitting that you don't want to run into on your first build.

I see a lot of people get an overly large power supply. You can trim it a bit, I'd say 550W is sufficient, 600W would be very safe.

Optical drive...I guess these are still used


Other obvious advice:

-Don't build it on a carpet
-The stock CPU comes with thermal paste pre-applied, don't stick your thumb in it like me.
-If you want to reuse an old hard drive you'll most likely have to wipe it, OS data gets tied to old hardware
-Ensure whatever power supply you get has the right auxiliary connectors for your graphics card
-You may need to refer to the motherboard's manual when you come to the f_panel
-Most motherboards have SATA2 and SATA3 ports, make sure you use the SATA3 ones.
-Many motherboards will also have 4 color coded RAM slots, you usually get the best performance by putting the RAM in the same colored slots, not adjacent slots.
-Make sure all the fans are spinning when you first turn it on, then get a program like speccy to check the temperatures and make sure nothing is overheating.
-Take your time

 

[Scarim Coral]

As long you read or watch some PC assembly tutorial guide and being sensible then you should be fine. They aren't hard to follow as they are simple and clear. Even then some of the componments like the tower unit or the power supplise may come with an quick guide to put it in.

Also make sure you got the right enviroment and tool (the srew driver).

Also don't panic too much when you try to close the heatsink after inseting the chip. Sure it feel like you're putting too much pressure but you have to be forceful with that part.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

*snip*

Lemme just say this, if you already own a desktop with a decent dual (or more) core processor? Just buy a video card for under $100. seriously, that's really all you need to do to have a gaming PC.

Most times, that's all that a PC is missing to make the jump from average PC to gaming PC. Just make sure your power supply is 300W or more.

And if I may recommend this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-102-988&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-102-988&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo]

as a starter card. The GDDR5 version can run Skyrim on Ultra if the processor is up to snuff.

 

[mrdude2010]

Be careful with parts, like making sure they all fit together- some motherboards are incompatible with some components, that sort of thing. I would recommend checking out Tom's Hardware and a few guides on youtube about how to put it together, and I would definitely get someone you know who is really good with computers to help you pick out components. Newegg is also a really useful site for that sort of thing. You can put together a PC that will play basically anything you play on it on decently high settings for well under $1,000

 

[Vault101]

The CPU cooler is unnecessary, stock coolers are quite good these days and can idle <30C

thanks for the info!

Ive ben told a few times I dont need the extra cooler...this may seem like a silly question but it gets really hot over here (In Australia) so I'm wondering could that be a reason to get the cooler?

 

[distortedreality]

Not sure why you need the sound card. If you're doing professional audio work with it, I suppose that would explain things, but the motherboard does have onboard 8-channel HD audio. That tends to be more than enough for most people... and you'd need to disable the onboard sound to avoid conflict with your PCI card. (also, that's $80 you don't need to spend)

Unless you're making music for a living sound cards are wholly unnecessary, and even then they're not needed. The on board motherboard sound is what everybody uses.

Just to clarify, the soundcard being talked about in no way could be used for professional audio work. It's an add-on card for increased quality when gaming and watching movies etc.

As you both stated though, completely un-necessary for the build that is being spoken about.

Not having a go at you guys at all, some form of OCD or something just took over my body lol.

The CPU cooler is unnecessary, stock coolers are quite good these days and can idle <30C

thanks for the info!

Ive ben told a few times I dont need the extra cooler...this may seem like a silly question but it gets really hot over here (In Australia) so I'm wondering could that be a reason to get the cooler?

I live in Sydney, and personally I wouldn't make a serious build without an aftermarket cooler, but depending on your circumstances, it probably wouldn't be necessary for you. Your best bet is to do the build using the stock HSF, and then if you're having cooling issues, but an aftermarket one later down the track.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I'd suggest, maybe if it's your first time, looking into buying a motherboard bundle. This would be the motherboard, CPU, and memory, all fitted and tested.

You then fit it in the case, and add DVD drive, video card, hard drive, etc.

It's not as intimidating as a full build, but it will give you some confidence to start with!

Linking some, just as an example, and cos I've used Novatech and been happy with them

http://www.novatech.co.uk/motherboardbundles/?p=intel

 

[Jimmy T. Malice]

A relatively minor thing that's actually really important for building a computer is some kind of anti-static strap to stop yourself transferring static electricity into the delicate components.