Building a Gaming PC

[AuxiliaryPie]

I just wanted to update this thread with the news that I built my pc last night. The link to the parts list is :http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OQe9

I may get to pictures eventually. My cable management is putrid and I'm honestly scared to open it back up and bump something the wrong way now that I finally have it all up and running.

This was a long, grueling process from learning about technology to researching it to looking for deals to strike. I haven't done much so far as I'm mostly installing games and drivers, but the few games I've put on it look gorgeous.

It's really cool that this site supports a community like what we have here. Thank you for all who had tips to add. I read this thread religiously over the last month.

Make sure your computer is OFF before you go fuckin around inside of it. I broke of a fan blade to my GPU by trying to get it to stop making noise while running.. luckily i broke off two more and its balanced again. seems like such common sense but id hate for someone else to go through what i went through.

looking to get this monitor, $120 shipped for everything i want (minus the glossy screen, but ohwells).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009484&ignorebbr=1

edit- got the monitor. fuckin pumped!

 

[TyGuy]

I've been dealing with inner ear issues for about a month now which has caused balance issues for me and dizziness. I have seen people complain about first person shooters making them nauseous, which was never an issue with me. Since i have had the middle ear infection it has been difficult for me to play games for a long period of time. I'm hoping that it gets cleared up soon because there are quite a few games I would like to play. 2015 seems to be the amazing year though. All the games I was looking forward to got pushed to 2015.

Edit: Whoops, I meant to put this in the what are you playing now thread. I guess it fits here though because i only really play pc games.

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Edit: Whoops, I meant to put this in the what are you playing now thread. I guess it fits here though because i only really play pc games.

hope you feel better, i used to be really prone to ear infections..nasty stuff. And yeah I was gonna say we should just post about PC games in here too.

GTA muthafuckin V!! screw getting it on ps4..we have mods!
somebody already made some mods: [video=youtube_share;Fq5XA0lLG98]http://youtu.be/Fq5XA0lLG98[/video]

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Just got a new monitor, my old one was from 2006 lol

1080p IPS FTW, its like a totally different computer now..wish i didnt wait so long to buy one

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Hey dudes. So the only two upgrades left that I need are an SSD and RAM. I have 4GB RAM and a whopping 300GB 7200rpm HDD. Will adding 2GB of RAM have a noticable difference? This 2GB stick is only $23 and Im thinking 6GB total RAM wont be too different from 8GB just for gaming and itll save me almost $20 compared to buying another 4GB.

I think im gonna go ahead and do that now and maybe wait for another paycheck and get a decent sized SDD (maybe 240GB?) so i can game off of it. I get by just fine with 300GB now, just want the speed boost the SSD offers.

What say you guys?


edit-
Ok so the difference between a 2 and 4GB stick is $10, thinking i should just get another 4GB for $37.50 and just chill with that. Is that what you guys think i should do?

edit2- this post ended up being stupid lol just gonna get me some RAM. yay RAM!

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Sammy 840 EVO 250GB SSD for $119 http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAMSUNG-840...Internal_Hard_Disk_Drives&hash=item46227ea9f4

PNY 240GB SSD for $69 after rebate http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8945533&sku=KNY-102368829
so..so tempted

 

[Cassity14]

Sorry man I stopped checking this thread. I really like my Samsung EVO 250gb. Granted I have nothing to compare it to, but it's very fast compared to any hdd I've ever used. I'd recommend it. WoW loading screens are generally 5 seconds or less and I'm usually one of the first 3 people to finish loading a LoL game.

8 gigs of ram is very nice and I usually have lots of headroom no matter what I'm doing. I run 3 games at once quite often just because I can.

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

My 7850 is only $90 after rebate now... I wish PowerColor actually fulfilled their rebates and that i got a MoBo that could crossfire. Oh well

 

[Backstage]

Alright, PC people, I am also super new to rig building. With a few adjustments, this is what the forums at pcpartpicker suggested. I've got roughly $1500 for a budget, but as I'm giving my current tower and peripherals to the gal, I need pretty much everything but sound.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1472.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Suggestions? Comments? Concerns? Disappointments? Going for as high of performance as possible, but I spend enough time working from home and needing to multitask, hence the dual monitors.

 

[Man Called X]

Alright, PC people, I am also super new to rig building. With a few adjustments, this is what the forums at pcpartpicker suggested. I've got roughly $1500 for a budget, but as I'm giving my current tower and peripherals to the gal, I need pretty much everything but sound.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1472.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Suggestions? Comments? Concerns? Disappointments? Going for as high of performance as possible, but I spend enough time working from home and needing to multitask, hence the dual monitors.

Boo to that Radeon card. Look for a comparable EVGA nvidia card.

 

[gourimoko]

Alright, PC people, I am also super new to rig building. With a few adjustments, this is what the forums at pcpartpicker suggested. I've got roughly $1500 for a budget, but as I'm giving my current tower and peripherals to the gal, I need pretty much everything but sound.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1472.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Suggestions? Comments? Concerns? Disappointments? Going for as high of performance as possible, but I spend enough time working from home and needing to multitask, hence the dual monitors.

Change primary storage to a Samsung 840 EVO 256gb
Change secondary storage to a Western Digital Black 2TB, you'll run out of space on a 1tb drive quickly
Change your primary display adapter. Doesn't make sense here. If you eventually want to use 3 monitors, stick with Radeon for Eyefinity, otherwise, as of this moment there is more value in a GeForce based card - look to spend another $90 on your GPU.

Motherboard says it supports SLI? Why if you're buying an AMD GPU? Parts don't match. Go back up and read over my suggestions to Cassity on his build, the same will apply to you, use his build as a reference. With your expanded budget, simply go with SLI and the additional monitor.

If this is for gaming why buy Windows 8.1? Just buy Windows 7 Ultimate for cheap. It's more compatible and less headache prone.

 

[Cassity14]

I did a ton of homework that only began and often circled back to this thread. I probably put at least 50-60 hours into researching parts, so I'll give this a go. If Gouri disagrees with me on anything, believe him...

I got my ASUS GTX 770 factory over clocked for 294.99 because I was patient and watched the reddit for sales like a hawk. I'd take my card over the one you posted 10 times out of 10. The gtx 770 is the consensus card of value/power right now. I love mine. Even without the amazing sale, you can get one for under 350. A 2gb 770 can handle both of your monitors without problem.

That's the ideal intel gaming cpu at the moment from what I've gathered. If you're into gaming that requires strong single thread performance (I went with the 8350 and DO notice lower fps when it comes to playing WoW), that's an awesome cpu. Otherwise, you can save at least 50 bucks to put toward your gpu by rocking an amd like I have. The only time there's a substantial difference is for games like MMOs and Starcraft. Even still, I never dip under 45 fps in demanding environments. If you're an intel guy, that cpu rocks, however, you can save probably 100 bucks if you go with amd cpu and compatible mobo.

Samsung EVO is the consensus top ssd on the market. I got my 250gb model for 129.99. It's on sale at Newegg what feels like weekly.

I highly recommend IPS displays. I got mine retail at BestBuy for 119.99. It's only 21.5", but if you watch sales online, you can easily pay what you are now for an IPS display on sale in your given size range.

That particular line of corsair PSUs isn't believed to be of the best quality. If you're already spending 75 bucks, go up to the 90-100 range and get a tier 1 or tier 2 PSU from Newegg's list.

That's a fantastic case and I didn't believe the price until I noticed the rebate. Even without the 20 bucks off via rebate, it's well worth the price.

I got Windows 8.1 and don't mind it in the least. Granted, I hadn't used Windows for 4 years before building my rig so the fact that it reminds me of my mac a bit was actually a bonus. From what I've read, games run just a bit more efficiently on 8.1 and support for 7 will continue to dwindle as the next OS comes out. At comparable prices (they were 5 bucks different from one another when I built mine 2 months ago), I say go with 8.1

 

[gourimoko]

Windows 8 is simply a rubbish operating system. Driver compatibility is reduced and OpenGL functionality is poor and will remain poor for the foreeable future.

Understand that the kernel's are very similar. Windows 8 drivers can work in Windows 7 but the reverse is not necessarily true, so it is not correct to say that Windows 7 driver support will fall-off; in fact, I would guarantee that Windows 7 will have a longer life-cycle from today, than Windows 8. Consider 8 akin to Vista, and 7 akin to XP; with respect to life-cycle, support, compatibility, etc. The technological difference is not as vast, but the overall level of adoption is.

If you want Windows 8, you should ask yourself why, especially without a touchscreen.

P.S.
Don't ever buy Seagate anything. That's just a fact.

 

[TyGuy]

The trick with Microsoft is every other operating system they make is good. I would expect windows 9 to be good.

The only game I know of that tends to run a little better on windows 8 is battlefield 4.

Windows 7 runs that Game fine though and it is what I use.

 

[Jack Brickman]

P.S.
Don't ever buy Seagate anything. That's just a fact.

Seconded.

The trick with Microsoft is every other operating system they make is good. I would expect windows 9 to be good.

The only game I know of that tends to run a little better on windows 8 is battlefield 4.

Windows 7 runs that Game fine though and it is what I use.

I feel like it's because after a successful operating system, they start trying to get cute with everything rather than just focusing on what works, which is what people who use Windows want. When their new operating system inevitably fails (compared to the previous one that everyone liked...in this case 7), they go back to what worked again with their next version.