PC gaming build help

[Tylerl]

Well where do I start. I almost don't even feel safe posting because of how much of a retard I might sound but I really want the satisfaction of building my own pc. I'm looking for help in building a good build for $1000-1500. I doubt i'll have trouble building it its just finding what works with what and what is quality products to go inside. I've been looking around for awhile and I don't want to buy the parts and have it not work or fit because I'm clueless lol. I don't plan to build it until I have a little more research time in but if you guys can give me some basic run downs on why something is good or why something works better then something else that'd be great. I'm building this for FF14, internet, and music.


edit-
I can't decide on ram or a GPU. So far this is what I have any suggestions and does everything work well together? (if someone wants to take me under their wing that'd be sweet)

Motherboard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...E16813128423(I assume this works with the cpu and case I picked)
Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021
CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115214
Hard Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...L%201TB%207200
CD/DVD drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151175
PSU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371022

[Tylerl]

Heres a noob question lol how do I get the blue light in the case that I see in 90% of the pictures, is it built in?

[Furtwangler]

Thanks for the detailed description of what you want. Everyone and their mother leaves that out and no one will know what the fuck.

Can you link those that you've picked already so we can see them easier? Thanks.

Do you need an operating system? (I'd go with windows 7 for sure, if you had any doubts)

Also, do you need to buy a keyboard/mouse/monitor? have you looked into two monitors? if you bump your price up a bit you can still get a killer system, and get 2 good monitors. This is a godsend and once you get two you'll never want to go back to one. If you skimp enough you may still be able to get a dual monitor setup with 1500, but I'm a large fan of don't skimp. because you'll regret it later. You could always get one monitor for now and pick up a second one in a few months too.

The few pieces of hardware I'm suggesting to you in this will also future-proof you for a while. You can get by on about 7-800 bucks on an FFIV compatible PC. If you're anything like me though you enjoy the occasional game, and I multi-task like a motherfucker (like 20 tabs on mozilla at any time) and lots of shit open. So going above and beyond to try to hit your limit is acceptable imo.

I'm going to write a small essay just so you can understand whats going on instead of us throwing parts at you. I'm too disoriented atm from having my mouth cut up at the dentist today to start researching every part for you. Other people enjoy doing that more than me anyway.

CPU/Processor:
Anyways, You can get a decent Intel i7 chip, either 1156(860) or 1366(920). This is referring to t he socket, or type of connection the processors use. You will need to get a matching motherboard of the same socket type. I got the 860, because of my budget, it will be cheaper. the 1366 boards are generally more expensive for how many features you get on the board. The only real benefit of getting the 1366 is they support tri channel memory, and apparently run a bit lower on heat, and are easier to overclock. The 1156 cards start at a higher clock to begin with though(2.6 vs 2.8Ghz.) I have mine overclocked at the moment to 3.0Ghz. Although you will need a custom cooler to keep it at a decent temperature, not the one it comes with.

Motherboard:
Once you decide what you want socket wise, your motherboard as I've said will have to follow that specification. Neweggs sorting system works well for this. What you want on your motherboars is up to you.

• Hard drives and CD drives use SATA plugs now, but if you have an older hard drive you want to use you may need one that has IDE in it. Not all do anymore.
• Look at the back plugs and see if it has what you want. Most will have 6 audio channels now, for surround, as well as digital and a microphone.
• Do you want built in firewire?
• 2 ethernet ports?
• an old school PS/2 port for your keyboard and mouse(those green/purple plugs) or just USB?
• How many USB's?
• Do you have external hard drives? some externals use a port called eSata now which is very fast and better than USB.
• Do you want a small case? or a medium or large size tower? All boards that say Mini atx form factor will be capable of being stuck in a smaller case, if you so desire. Getting a mid tower or large is the easiest to deal with, and you will want a normal ATX case to go with it. No use cramping components on the board if you don't have to. I went with a medium sized tower.

All of that stuff you will want to have in mind when you are looking for motherboards. You don't have to answer it all for us here, but browse around.

RAM:
Anything over 4gb of is pretty redundant for what you're doing, so you can bet to spend about 100-130 ish on ram. Make sure that your motherboard and Ram can support the same speed. (this will be labeled on Mhz on both the RAM and the memory section of the hard drive. Having a lower number on either means the lowest number will be used. Don't pay extra for a mobo or a set of ram sticks if the Mhz don't match one.

Video Card:
I personally got an ATI Radeon 5770. It was voted best priced for quality and performance by Toms Hardware a while ago. This will be more than enough for FFXI, and depending on the manufacturer of the card you pick, will run you anywhere from @150-180. The next tier (5830 and higher) start at $220 and up. The 5770 is a nice midpoint for your price. I'd go with XFX. The one I have has a double lifetime warranty as well. I should say I still like NVidia more but pricewise I'm still a fan of the ATI cards atm, as well as their Eyefinity (3+monitors) feature is something I want to upgrade to one day.

CD drives:
Get what you want here. You can't go wrong. I spent 20 bucks on mine. If you want blu-ray you're upping the price by quite a bit and I don't really feel its necessary unless you are using it in a home theater setting, or have issues downloading torrents and feel the need to watch stuff on your comp.

Hard drive(s):
You have quite a few options here. I went with the cheaper one, in hopes of upgrading someday.

1) You can just get one single hard drive (I'd get two, I had one laying around already for backup purposes) and use that. I got a 1TB drive. you'll want a 7200 RPM or faster drive.

2&3)They make 10,000 RPM drives that are a bit more, and now Solid State Drives (SSD's) that are lightning fast. If you get a 10,000 RPM drives(commonly called raptors) or an SSD, you will want a backup drive regardless that is around 1TB for storage, and other programs, possibly an OS backup too. You won't be getting an SSD larger than 60gb without starting to break your budget.

-My windows score right now is all at mid to high 7's, and the hard drive I have is keeping it at 5.9. If you ever plan on playing any kind of decent game (ff14 will most likely count towards this too) the hard drive has to load a lot of files when you zone, and for textures etc, so hard drive speed is starting to be a bottleneck for certain games performing well. I'd have bought a small SSD now looking back, and skimped on buying a second monitor until later.


Power supply/PSU:
If you for whatever reason decided on a microATX size case/build make sure the power supply matches this. Otherwise almost anything you find on newegg will fit what you want. Some power supplys are whats called modular, so the cables that plug into stuff are removable when they aren't being used. If you get a case with a window or are concerned about your management of cables (which can effect your airflow) you may want to find one that is modular. I also got one that is SLI/XFire ready since I know that will have the power I need, I can always upgrade, and the 6pin plug that is needed for each video card you have.

Depending on all of this, you will want to find a power supply. Most components will have a listing of power used. I go to %120 of what the sum of all the parts are. A build with an i7, ati 57770 (1 of them) 2 hard drives, etc I got a 600 watt. You should be able to get buy with a 500 for that or anything less than it. I wouldn't be too excessive but a bit over is good for insurance if you ever are pushing the system.

Case:
Your case is mostly all up to you. There are different flavors for everyone, and depending on how much you pay, the better quality you get. Thermaltake and CoolerMaster are two good brands, that I will stick by even their cheaper models. I got a really cheap case at 40 bucks that was made by CoolerMaster, and it afforded me some more room for other components. Depending on the case, and what fans it comes with, you may want to buy one or two more. Can't know for sure until you pick one. Make sure you pick one that not only has good reviews, but that looks good to you. It also needs to match the form factor you picked (ATX, micro ATX.) Most you pick will be a mid size ATX tower, and that is what I'd recommend. Some also come with power supplies, but they are usually not enough for what I have listed above.


I think that's about it. Most Mice and keyboards, especially if you're getting a wireless combo will use USB. Unless you are re-using ones you have already, don't worry about getting PS/2 ports on your mobo. Monitors are also self explanatory. There are quite a few threads here about monitors, and use reviews on newegg, coupled with the size you are looking for to make your decision on that. Hope that halped.

[Furtwangler]

I'll answer that seperatly instead of editing it lol. They are called LED kits or cold cathode kits.

You can get that look with either custom case fans, or also kits such as shown in here http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCateg...se-Accessories

[gfrommy]

I had a cold cathode kit on my old computer, it looked cool. The only thing was my computer was in my room, and the light the thing would throw off was enough to keep me up at night. I would say about 99.99% of the time I had it turned off. Also note if you are getting a case with a lot windows or vents for air flow and the sort, be ready to deal with all the little LEDs on your motherboard and other things, they throw out a lot of light.

The next desktop I build a lot more care is going to dust management, lighting, and case cooling. If you can find a modular power supply that fits your needs, I would get it. It sucks to try to hide wires your not using. Most of the time if a modular power supply goes out, its a super fast replacement.

[Tylerl]

Thanks for the input guys and thank you for taking the time to post that furtwangler. It's slowly coming along. I still need some help picking some ram and a gpu. I've been looking around and I really like the 2 monitor set-up aswell. Will I need anything special for that?

[Furtwangler]

as I shot in pm, most likely no, depending on the video card. All vid cards over 100 bucks nowdays are going to have two dvi ports for your monitor. Post the stuff you're picking and lets see what you have so far. Don't worry about getting more than 4gb of ram like I said either, that can kill your price quick and it isn't necessary.

[Tylerl]

Motherboard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-423-_-Product (I assume this works with the cpu and case I picked)
Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021
CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202
Hard Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...L%201TB%207200
CD/DVD drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151175
PSU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371022

[Furtwangler]

Your links are broken. Try re-pasting them.

[Tylerl]

alright should be good now

[Furtwangler]

You have an aim/messenger? I'll edit this post in a min when I'm done looking at shiz.
So far looks good. I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185 Hard drive. Has good reviews, can save you 30 bucks.

Love the case (I wanted that but went down a few bucks to save a bit)

Everything looks good. Your Powersupply is a bit overkill but if you plan on getting 2 videocards for SLI/xFire in the future you'll end up needing that anyway. You can go down to 600W and still be safe, and save 20 bucks if you want.

If my math is right you're at 798 right now +tax/shipping.

Look for a nice set of 4gb of ram, If you want to take advantage of the tri-channel, something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225
Otherwise, 4gb is perfectly fine, in dual channel (If you want a more indepth explination of dual/tri channel aim me) something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231193

Video card, look into the Radeon 5770, or a price equivalent NVidia if you're set to go with them. The ATI will give you DX11(bit of a futureproof) while not breaking the bank. I have the XFX one I had recommended further up the thread. You'll be able to stay well under 1100 with that + the ram, giving you some breathing room for the monitor(s). I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150462 and am satisfied, and it will do more than what you want right now.

With the change in HDD and that video card I listed, and the 4gb of ram, you're up to 1058 bucks, or 1108 with the tri channel. You can easily get 2 good monitors around 22-23 inches (or whatever size you want under that) for around 400 bucks, which may put you slightly overbudget, so your call if you want to go straight to two, or not.

Final edit for the night lol, im tired: If I were you, just off of my own regrets, I'd stay with one monitor, and try to scrounge to get a 64gb or so SSD, and use that to install your operating system on, and the 1tb for all your storage. You'll notice a nice speed increase, because as of right now, that's where your bottleneck will be. (something like this would be my choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820139132 )

That brings me to another point. Do you have an OS? You'll want to throw in windows 7 home premium (or professional) if you don't have that yet.

[Tylerl]

You have an aim/messenger? I'll edit this post in a min when I'm done looking at shiz.

well thats another reason i want to build a pc my parents is shit. im on my ps3 atm with no keyboard plus my sister just moved back in and shes sleeping and our pc is in that room so i'll have to msn you tomorrow. if it even works half the time i try to open the messenger and it fails so we'll see how that goes lol

[camdyn]

1366 needs tri-channel ram so get 3 x 2gb sticks. also since your getting the gigabyte MB that supports sata 6.0 you should get 6.0 drives like these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136533

[Furtwangler]

It supports it, unless I'm mis-informed, it isn't a necessity. I'd get it anyways though

[camdyn]

You're right, it does support it although from what I read its not as efficient. If you really want to use dual channel though, you should probably go with socket 1156 instead. It's made for dual channel and the components are cheaper.