I'm gonna build a gaming PC, and would like a good tut. I found this (http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-build-a-pc-computer-a-modern-guide/) but it only tells me that I need to choose my parts, and doesn't really help much with the actual choosing. Something like the graphics card chooser at the nvidia site would be perfect, but probably non existent. To be clear I don't just want a site saying, buy this, that and that, but something with reviews of pretty much everything.
Building a PC
- Thread starter onda
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Your best bet would be to sit down for a day this weekend, make a list of components and then go out on the web and read numerous reviews of each item.
If you want it done right, patience is key. I took three weeks to choose my components and then find them at the right price!
I just found this site, might be worth a read.
http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/index.html
If you want it done right, patience is key. I took three weeks to choose my components and then find them at the right price!
I just found this site, might be worth a read.
http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/index.html
..I could explain just about every aspect of any piece of computer hrdware,what it does, why it's important, and the core differences it makes over the older versions.
...But the post would be -huge- and..I just woke up
Needless to say, look at some hardware, and then look it up, either with google or wikipedia. Or look up some aspect of it (like a video cards fillrate, CPU cache..) and just...learn. That way you'll know for the future!
...But the post would be -huge- and..I just woke up
Needless to say, look at some hardware, and then look it up, either with google or wikipedia. Or look up some aspect of it (like a video cards fillrate, CPU cache..) and just...learn. That way you'll know for the future!
newegg.com is your best friend.
One thing to stress though, Make sure your RAM and CPU are compatible with your motherboard before you buy them. If you get a DDR3 motherboard, make sure your RAM is DDR3 and not DDR2.
Also make sure your motherboard has all the room you will need for what you get.
Edit:
And if you're going to take the time to do it right, overclock.net is good once you get through the technobabble.
One thing to stress though, Make sure your RAM and CPU are compatible with your motherboard before you buy them. If you get a DDR3 motherboard, make sure your RAM is DDR3 and not DDR2.
Also make sure your motherboard has all the room you will need for what you get.
Edit:
And if you're going to take the time to do it right, overclock.net is good once you get through the technobabble.
HEY! I'm building one too :3
Well, I say building, I think ''putting together'' would be a better term. I have a good few friends that have done this sort of thing before, so they pretty much picked good parts for my price range, and also explained why each part was picked (I am putting a fair bit of trust in them here, I realise). I just have to pick a case now.
Well, I say building, I think ''putting together'' would be a better term. I have a good few friends that have done this sort of thing before, so they pretty much picked good parts for my price range, and also explained why each part was picked (I am putting a fair bit of trust in them here, I realise). I just have to pick a case now.
Check out computer build websites. For instance, overclock.net is a great resource-- those people are super-tech oriented, so you won't need the full functionality they use.
Newegg.com for everything. DOn't buy current generation videocards unless you get them on sale, spending 100 to 120 is fine in general. Theres no real reason to drop 500 bucks on a top of the line dual gpu video card unless you are a serious business kind of guy.
also, nvidia + intel.
Newegg.com for everything. DOn't buy current generation videocards unless you get them on sale, spending 100 to 120 is fine in general. Theres no real reason to drop 500 bucks on a top of the line dual gpu video card unless you are a serious business kind of guy.
also, nvidia + intel.
Newegg.com [www.newegg.com]
I'll second that site.
As for making sure hardware is compatible, look into motherboards first, and derive your choices of other components off the specifications that motherboard can support (most importantly the DDR version and CPU socket type - others are less critical).
I'll second that site.
As for making sure hardware is compatible, look into motherboards first, and derive your choices of other components off the specifications that motherboard can support (most importantly the DDR version and CPU socket type - others are less critical).
...Why nvidia+intel?thiosk said:
Nvidia used to have some advantages over ATI (like..PhysX, that no one really uses..) like th eindependent shader clock, but that's about gone now because ATI cards have so many streaming processors and so -much- general power, they can handle anything. Also if you threw a game with really large textures at an Nvidia card it's actually take longer for it to process the whole deal, as the shader clock becomes meaningless. Also with DX11, Nvidias specialness is really gone now.
And intel is functionally worse than AMD. Back in the early 90s yes intel was great, for one they lit on fire a lot less. However, now AMD is better for gaming and general purpose stuff, as AMD uses shorter pipelines. It does a little work -really- fast, and it's cheaper. Intel does a lot of work but slower, as the instructions need to go through the entire pipeline to be used. None of the architectural benefits of intel (like the i7) make any difference what so ever. In fact, intel is mostly just overpriced for branding, and people buy into it.
It's a learning process. Your best bet would be to get a list of things you like the look of, then put it up on here or somewhere and get people to pick it apart and make suggestions. Find the details you missed and explain why you need to keep an eye out for that in future.
For Tom's hardware, there are many articles explaining the elements of the system, and they put together some good comparisons of CPUs and graphics cards that show the best value at various price points:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-overclock,2772.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-radeon-hd-6870-radeon-hd-6850,2782.html
They also have a suggested system article, though I find that to be a bit more opinion and therefore a rough guideline:
http://www.tomshardware.com/system-configuration-recommendation-51.html
Generally find some suggestions by others and do some investigation of the parts they suggest. You will be more satisfied with your final system if you have a decent understanding of the parts you put into it.
The forums on tech sites like overclock.net mentioned above often have many debates over system components, so if you can get some actual model numbers you can find some good information on the pros and cons of individual parts.
Just google the model numbers and there are quite a few enthusiast sites around that will discuss them.
Make sure you don't skimp on the power supply either, and that it has enough juice for the video cards you want. It is a part that is often given the least consideration, but can have a definite effect on the end performance of the system.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-overclock,2772.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-radeon-hd-6870-radeon-hd-6850,2782.html
They also have a suggested system article, though I find that to be a bit more opinion and therefore a rough guideline:
http://www.tomshardware.com/system-configuration-recommendation-51.html
Generally find some suggestions by others and do some investigation of the parts they suggest. You will be more satisfied with your final system if you have a decent understanding of the parts you put into it.
The forums on tech sites like overclock.net mentioned above often have many debates over system components, so if you can get some actual model numbers you can find some good information on the pros and cons of individual parts.
Just google the model numbers and there are quite a few enthusiast sites around that will discuss them.
Make sure you don't skimp on the power supply either, and that it has enough juice for the video cards you want. It is a part that is often given the least consideration, but can have a definite effect on the end performance of the system.
USE SET SCREWS! My first computer I built, I didn't use set screws. It costed me my $559.99 motherboard!
The most important aspects you need to learn and research about building a gaming PC:
- Which components will increase your performance and which will just increase your e-peen and drain your wallet. While you will definitely be "cool" when you tell everyone you spent $1k on your i7 980X Extreme CPU, you're going to feel like a retard when the guy who spent only $200 on an i5 750 is getting close to the same performance out of his machine. CPU's are hardly the bottleneck for most games and never have been.
- Power Supplies. If you try and skrimp here, you're screwed. Just buy a high quality Corsair with enough watts and you should be good here. Buy enough watts to cover your system and future upgrades but don't be retarded and buy 1000 watts to run your mid-range single GPU system.
- CPU's/Motherboards/RAM. These are the three components of you machine that you need to make sure play nice together. Do your research and make sure your motherboard supports your CPU and that your RAM plays nicely with your MB and CPU.
-Graphics Card. Spend the rest of your budget on your GPU. If you go with Nvidia buy EVGA, if you go with AMD/ATI buy XFX; if you buy anything else you bought crap. Always buy the ones with lifetime warranties (check the product codes carefully) and never buy the factory overclocked ones. Don't you dare think about buying a Nvidia 480 GTX or an AMD 5870. You're better off sticking with the midrange ($200-$250) cards and upgrading them every year than spending $500 and finding out 3 months later the new mid-range card makes yours look like an overpriced/under-performing piece of crap.
- Which components will increase your performance and which will just increase your e-peen and drain your wallet. While you will definitely be "cool" when you tell everyone you spent $1k on your i7 980X Extreme CPU, you're going to feel like a retard when the guy who spent only $200 on an i5 750 is getting close to the same performance out of his machine. CPU's are hardly the bottleneck for most games and never have been.
- Power Supplies. If you try and skrimp here, you're screwed. Just buy a high quality Corsair with enough watts and you should be good here. Buy enough watts to cover your system and future upgrades but don't be retarded and buy 1000 watts to run your mid-range single GPU system.
- CPU's/Motherboards/RAM. These are the three components of you machine that you need to make sure play nice together. Do your research and make sure your motherboard supports your CPU and that your RAM plays nicely with your MB and CPU.
-Graphics Card. Spend the rest of your budget on your GPU. If you go with Nvidia buy EVGA, if you go with AMD/ATI buy XFX; if you buy anything else you bought crap. Always buy the ones with lifetime warranties (check the product codes carefully) and never buy the factory overclocked ones. Don't you dare think about buying a Nvidia 480 GTX or an AMD 5870. You're better off sticking with the midrange ($200-$250) cards and upgrading them every year than spending $500 and finding out 3 months later the new mid-range card makes yours look like an overpriced/under-performing piece of crap.
This is how I do it: start with CPU and GPU, then pick a motherboard to suit them. After that, you choose how much of the right kind of RAM you want. The rest of the choices are what fits your wallet, although you might want to consider an SSD instead of a regular HD, if your budget permits it.
At this time, AMD CPUs are much more bang for the buck, but check out comparisons of CPUs in your price range. I've always liked NVidia GPUs but it is fairly uncommon to pair them with AMD CPUs and you will find that there aren't that many motherboards that allow that combo.
However much RAM you want to start with, make sure you leave some slots for future upgrades.
Have fun!
At this time, AMD CPUs are much more bang for the buck, but check out comparisons of CPUs in your price range. I've always liked NVidia GPUs but it is fairly uncommon to pair them with AMD CPUs and you will find that there aren't that many motherboards that allow that combo.
However much RAM you want to start with, make sure you leave some slots for future upgrades.
Have fun!
The motherboard needs to have the socket required by the CPU. When it comes to the GPU, I'll admit I'm not sure why it would be different for different makes. But when you shop for a motherboard you typically say which type of graphics card you want for it. I guess maybe there is some other reason than compatibility in that case.oplinger said:...Motherboards have absolutely nothing to do with the combo. Absolutely nothing. Let's help the guy out
