Building Your Own Pc Tips?

[aronoiiel]

Finally getting money the end of this weekand I plan to build my own.gaming style pc. Right now Im torn between the processor and vid card. What do you recommend? One friend tells me intel and nvidia the other amd and of course radeon so Im stuck on which core components to start with. My main game will be Guild Wars 2 but Im also big on video editing with Sony Vegas and such. Any advice would be so awesome.

[Andy]

I've always been an Intel + NVidia user.

and as long as you get the Nvidia updates they run nice together.

Obviously as much Ram as you can squeeze in Motherboard and OS dependant.

Also if you can go with an SSD and have your OS mounted to that.

Your boot times will be massively reduced.

If you are running Video and Photo Apps Sony vegas, Photoshop, After effects, etc

Then a bunch of mid sized Hard drives to put it all on.

I have a Hot swap dock.

I can have 4 X 3 terabyte Hard drives installed.

 

A decent power supply and cooling

 

Good luck and have fun putting it together.

[Elyse]

Echoing everything Andy said, except I want to add something on about the hard drives.

 

I do not recommend ANY other brands besides Seagate and Western Digital. When I've tried other company's hard drives, they were very unreliable which is not what you want in a drive! With Seagate and Western Digital, I've had them in all of the computers I've built...and 98% of them are still running 10 years later. That's not to say they WON'T fail, you should always make backups of your stuff (I'd recommend an external drive for that..again Seagate or Western Digital).

 

I've always trusted Intel, and either Radeon or nVidea are both solid brands for the video card. If you are doing heavy gaming, however, I would suggest upgrading the CPU heatsink and fan.

 

Make sure you get a case with numerous slots and areas for fans - you're going to need a lot (preferably atleast 2 at the back, atleast 2 at the front, 1 or 2 on the side, and a 'blowhole' at the top)

 

For thermal paste (the stuff you put between the CPU and the heatsink), I do not recommend anything other than ArcticSilver.

 

I wish you luck, and make sure to do lots of research. I was very lucky in that respect - my brother taught me everything.

 

(Oh, and FYI, for the motherboard do NOT use Gigabyte. I've had nothing but trouble with them. I've always liked using Acer for my motherboards.)

Edited January 31, 2013 by SolitaryHowl

[HuskyMom09]

I built my own PC a couple years ago- lesson learned from the experience....get an iMac.  I love my PC and it does everything I would want, but my Mac does it better

[Elyse]

I built my own PC a couple years ago- lesson learned from the experience....get an iMac.  I love my PC and it does everything I would want, but my Mac does it better

 

Macs aren't meant for gaming, unless you get a Mac Pro (which starts at 3 grand). I know you can put Windows on it (I have a Macbook Pro myself, and I LOVE it). You cannot easily upgrade the hardware, if at all, when it goes out of date (again, unless you get the Mac Pro) if you want to play the latest games.

 

But, for video editing...yes: nothing beats a Mac!

[aronoiiel]

Thanks for the awesome detailed responses so my experience with nvidia has been pretty bad teo vid cards died within six months of each other so thats why im leary about nvidia. Is that simy because they were cheap ie under a hundred bucks or maybe my mobo killed them? Im builing it 100% from scratch most likely from new egg so any other options and thoughts would be greatly welcomed.

Lol tnx for the suggestion one of my good friends swears by mack but im a windows girl mac and i just arent compatible

[Dunc]

Total Memory : 4GB DIMM DDR2

 

Processor : Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU    Q8300 
@ 2.50GHz (4C 2.5GHz, 2x 2MB L2)

 

Video Adapter : AMD Radeon HD 6700 Series (800 SM5.0 860MHz,
1GB DDR5 4.8GHz 128-bit, PCIe 2.00 x16)

 

I dont play games ( children do ) although I know it does no probs

 

Above are the specs on mine and its the dogs

[HuskyMom09]

Macs aren't meant for gaming, unless you get a Mac Pro (which starts at 3 grand). I know you can put Windows on it (I have a Macbook Pro myself, and I LOVE it). You cannot easily upgrade the hardware, if at all, when it goes out of date (again, unless you get the Mac Pro) if you want to play the latest games.

 

But, for video editing...yes: nothing beats a Mac!

 

I'm a serious gamer on WoW and loved it way more on my MacBook Pro than on my PC.  The graphics are second to none.  Upgrading the Hard Drive in my MacBook (doubling it) cost a mere $150 with install.  My self built PC, all top the line items (3 years ago) cost over 5grand.  I'd drop 3 grand on a iMac any day over doing the self build PC.

[Elyse]

You'd want a fast harddrive as well (around 7200-7500rpm - not the standard 5400rpm). It will be more expensive, but its faster for both video editing and gaming. I've never had a solid state drive before, so I can't tell you anything about those, but for traditional HDDs you'd want atleast 7200rpm.

 

Newegg is a great choice to get computer parts online- just bought my Seagate 2TB external harddrive from them and also my laptop cooler. Got free shipping on them, and it was rather fast for ground...only took 7 days.

 

You'd also want a good monitor to get the most out of your gaming and video editing. Before I switched to Mac (best monitors, by the way, best colour rendition), I loved ViewSonic...wouldn't use another brand.

[Elyse]

I'm a serious gamer on WoW and loved it way more on my MacBook Pro than on my PC.  The graphics are second to none.  Upgrading the Hard Drive in my MacBook (doubling it) cost a mere $150 with install.  My self built PC, all top the line items (3 years ago) cost over 5grand.  I'd drop 3 grand on a iMac any day over doing the self build PC.

 

Hey - I love Mac too, no need to justify the brand's superiority!

 

I also upgraded my Macbook pro - put in a brand new HDD, new superdrive (old one broke), and more RAM. But that's all you can do with them, basically, because almost everything is integrated (except for the Mac Pro...).

I've had my Macbook pro for 6 years and its only starting to show its age (fans are dying - going to crack 'er open tomorrow and replace them), and I had to replace the battery only once (original one was defective - it was bulging).

Edited January 31, 2013 by SolitaryHowl

[Removed #5]

I'm jealous!  I normally up my computers every 3 - 4 years, but since I've retired I don't have the money (damnit!!).

You might also want to take a look at Directron They're a company out of Houston that has good prices, I've compared them to others on the web and they're normally quite good.  They also are excellent about returns - their written "return policy" seems to be pretty standard, but I've had them overlook it the few times I've gotten something not quite right.  I've used them for years and never had a complaint - and I build all my own systems and do upgrades for friends.

[valkyries]

i just carry on braking them lol costing hubby a fortune 

[Marc]

You want a decent gaming pc? Ok.

 

Processor stay away from amd no matter what you have been told. They are not as high performing as intels its as simple as that.

 

Graphics... Either will do a good job. Nvidia have more updated oriented at gaming

 

Hard disk. Get a solid state. Would recommend going for an ocz... Do not use the recomendation from elyse for the manufacturer.. Not that elyse is wrong, in fact quite the opposite. Its that elyse is looking at spinning disks which seagate and wd are the best at. When looking at ssd drives they are based on memory so go for a memory manufacturer such as ocz or corsair.

 

If you are building it yourself, find link to where you are likely to get the parts, gimme a budget, lemme know what you dont need (may already have case for example) and i will go through the site and recommend what to get.

[aronoiiel]

Hey thanks for the offer Marc I'm on a baby budget as far as a true gaming pc goes lol I'm hoping not to go more than $500 and my friend may have a vid card she can give me that will most likely me nvidia as they don't use anything else. I'm sure making a comp that will play Guild Wars 2 with no lag or freezing is do able on that budget I just want something that will not die in 6 months to a year just because I game or video edit 24/7 (which I don't thanks to that useless job of lol) I'm just tired of lag, failing parts, and random freezing just because I want to use two programs at once. I've always had walmart computers (yeah I know don't laugh) so I really want something special and shiny and new. I worked hard for the money I have and its not much but I'm hoping it's enough. Anyway the only site I know of besides the one Al spoke of is Newegg so if you know of another feel free to link me and I'll happily check it out. The other think is a Windos OS can you still buy those or do they only sell upgrades now?

[Removed #5]

The other place I buy from upon occasion is TigerDirect which sometimes has some good deals but their support, tech and returns, is nowhere near as good as Directron.  TigerDirect is my place to buy when their price is, for some reason, ungodly low or I can't find it <whatever> anywhere else in my price range. Directron has some orientals working for them but tech support is native English speakers - which can help a lot.

[serothis]

Computer Check List:

__ case

__ motherboard

__ processor

__ graphics card

__ RAM

__ memory

__ power supply

__ other

 

Case: I recommend gutting an old computer and taking that case, on a limited budget, it really does help it stretch

MB: My motherboard is an MSI board and it's been fantastic for me. When you do get a MB be very careful know the Socket Number and the RAM speed. I built my computer almost 2 years ago so these number are likely out of date but to give you an idea...

• The socket number number for AMD will likely be AM2, AM2+, etc.
• For intel it'll say socket 1155, 1156, 1366, etc. 
• RAM comes in a couple flavors. Make sure if the ram stick says "DDR3" your motherboard can support DDR3. Older stick come as DDR2. Also make sure your MB can handle the speed. Ram stick will usually be listed as DDR3 1066/1333/1600/ etc.
• Other things to keep in mind is the number of usb2/usb3 slots, the number of pci slots, sata II or sata III slots 

Processor: I would recommend Intel. They have been really on their game lately. This is where the socket number comes into play. Make sure it matches the socket number your MB supports.

Graphics Card: I personally use NVIDIA but AMD is also very good.

RAM: With a limited budget I would recommend getting as much as you need but not over doing it. And if you have the choice between say a 1x 4GB stick or 2x 2GB sticks get the two sticks. It's usually just a little bit cheaper, they'll run just a little bit faster, and if they fail usually only one fails at a time so your computer wont be crippled. Again make sure the motherboard you have selected can support the type (DDR2 or DDR3) and the speed (1033/1333/1600/etc).

Memory: If your budget is limited I would recommend forgoing the SSD. Just get a normal HDD. Make sure your mother board can support the SSD/HDD connection. Meaning if you get an SSD and it has a SATA III connection make sure your MB can support that.

PSU: Unless you're doing something crazy (like me) you most likely won't need more than a 500 watt supply. I have a corsair unit but their are a lot of good manufactures. 

Other: Monitor, I would recommend using something you already have, unless you're really particular (or your old monitor is really old), it'll help your budget go further. Same with the mouse and keyboard. Heat sink, again unless you plan on overclocking you don't really need to buy an aftermarket heat sink, your processor will come with a factory heatsink. 

 

 

Final thoughts. Look through newegg and do your research there. They have a wealth of information and lots and lots of reviews to help you get an idea of what would work best for you. It also makes searching for parts with specific connections/speeds/socket type/etc very easy. I would recommend writing everything down and making sure you can afford it all and it all works together before you purchase anything.

 

Good luck and have fun. One of the reasons i'll never get a mac as my main computer is because I love building computers. If you have any other questions i'd be glad to help.

 

One more thought, you can always build your computer with the intention for expansion. Meaning if you can only afford say 2GB of RAM now but want more, buy a MB that can handle the extra RAM. Buy the 2GB now then the extra RAM when you can afford it. But make sure you have the slots. If you want to add an SSD later make sure your Motherboard has the right connections. If you want to add another graphics card, make sure your MB has enough pci slots. You get the idea.

[aronoiiel]

I knew you all would be the perfect group to help me out thanks for the lengthy and informative posts lots to think about and research before droping any money I see. Thid maybe more challenging then I thought. Im savvy enough to put it together from bare bones up and install windows and what not but there is alot more it seems then know how it all fits together.

[Dunc]

Read all the posts and from what I can see it can't be done for anywhere near the $$$ you got for what you need it to do

[aronoiiel]

Lol aww come on now its not a total loss even if I have to buy a part or two each month I can do that. I dont want nor need a beast gaminv machine I just want something thats not built to die in alf a year. Theres a couple things thats been suggested I never would have considered so ots definitely a win in my book I will make it work out somehow.