Building new and looking for tips.

grash9 · Sep 17, 2013

Hello everyone. After about 5 years, I'm about to plunge into a new personal build. I used to build computers for myself as well as family/friends, but my house flooded a couple years ago, and more or less I've been out of the loop for way too long.
I had always built on a low (under $800.00) budget, but now I'm a bit older, work 3 jobs and am ready to treat myself. The problem is, it's been so long, and as any builder knows, everything changes on what seems like a daily basis. lol I would just like someone to point me in the right direction. What's been working well? What are the tried-and-true pieces? etc. etc.
I use my computer for World of Warcraft mostly. While running the game, I like to watch movies on Netflix and such, or listen to music. That of course is a must. My 9 year old also uses it for her internet games (fantage.com, pixiehollow.com, etc.), games like The Sims and Minecraft, and her school work. We definitely use it to keep up on our sports (fantasy football, game clips, etc.). It will be a family computer, but first and foremost, it will be a gaming computer.
I would like to keep it around the $2k range not including mouse/keyboard. I would like that to include the Windows cost, but mouse/keyboard/speakers/etc. can be seperate.
Personal preference makes AMD processors an absolute must, and I way prefer NVIDIA gpu's, though a bit of research has led me to believe that this is no longer a good combination... --Confusion--
Again, I'm just looking for friendly tips. I'm a working mom and am starting to get overwhelmed by everything that's out there. I would rather spend my rare days off playing computer rather than researching a new one until my eyes bleed.

Thanks to anyone who takes this as a plea for help rather than laziness!

Kurifox · Sep 17, 2013

Well the scene as changed a lot, let me tell you. I still remember when the 8800 ultra was the top of the line card (and it still holds firm today).
I can make you a pc for that range and utility.
There is no problem when combining AMD and nvidia, CPU/GPU.

I'll start working on something.

Wisecracker · Sep 17, 2013

AMD CPUs work great with nVidia GPUs -- not sure who fudged you on that.

You can build a nice rig for around $1,000, complete with SSD and conventional HDD for storage.

FX6300, Asus M5A97, GTX760 (or HD7970/50) ...

There are new AMD video cards coming to market over the next 30-60 days which will likely cause quite a rumble on current video card pricing (just a 'heads-up') ...

Kurifox · Sep 17, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($397.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.78 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1324.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-17 11:31 EDT-0400)

Just becouse you have 2k does not mean it needs to be spent,
1300 right here, and im sure it will fulfil all your needs.
You can however.
-Find a better looking case (more expensive to

)
-Get a a better PSU
-SLI that 770 right now.

edit: you may also want a larget HDD (2,3tb)
And also, have fun, you deserve it

grash9 · Sep 17, 2013

Wow! One load of laundry and maybe 10 minutes of vacuuming, and already great feedback!

Wisecracker: Thanks for that tip! I guess I've waited this long to build a new one, maybe I can hold out a bit longer... Problem is, the computer I'm using now was damaged while chaos-moving right before the flood. It didn't really matter while we lived 2 years in a FEMA trailer because we could only get satalite internet out there, but now that I'm moved home with kick-butt internet compared to sat, it's an issue. On top of that, I think I partially fried my mobo (couldn't turn the dang thing on for almost 2 weeks) and though it's been working decently for the past 2 months, I get driver errors from my graphics card when I'm gaming which give me a flashing blue screen and black me out while it resets. Since I've decided to build new, I won't invest in fixing this one... Just use it as an internet computer... We'll see if I can hold out.

lol Kuri, I remember about 11 years ago when I built my very first PC that the geforce 4500 (or something ancient like that) was top of the line.

I should actually be running out the door for work right now, so just a few quick questions. Are 2x8gb (16gb) still good? Do I not want to shoot for more on a gaming computer? I think the one I have now has 2x4gb, but when I built it (I believe 5 years ago), 2x8gb was great, just pretty expensive yet. Have you used the GeForce GTX770? Is it amazing? lol I've been reading up on them, and I know the Titan is way out of budget, and the 780 is flipping expensive, too, but if prices come down due to the new AMD card, would it be wise to go with the 780? Also, what the heck is liquid cooling?

Do I need that?

I'm sure I'll have more questions after I've been able to click on each of the items, but I have to run. Thank you so so much for doing that for me!

Kurifox · Sep 17, 2013

grash9 :

16gb of ram is already overkill for gaming, i only gave you that becouse you can confortably aford it, and its good for multitasking. (all ram is ddr3 ofcourse)
The Nvidia 7xxx cards are one of the best for value at the moment, the 770 is a high end card that does not fall much behind a titan.
If you are looking for evne more performance (for around the same money) you can get a better PSU (like i said before) and get 2x GTX760 (250$ each, grants a total of 500$) and get a BETTER performance than a GTX Titan.
You do not need liquid cooling but you can get a really good one for 100$ (i would probably recommend this if you plan to oc and get 2x 760).

Since you have been out of the scene for a while, i would recommend passing more time on the forum the "best card for the money" post is probably a good read.

Wisecracker · Sep 18, 2013

Sign up for the New Egg E-Blast emails for deals on components. Keep an eye out for items of interest on sale, and jump when you feel froggy. Free shipping is always a great bonus.

Keep an eye out for combo deals and rebates on your favorite components to save even more cash.

2x4GB is plenty of RAMs (unless you are planning a RAM-Drive). Your selection of motherboard should drive your memory selection - choose a brand on the motherboard QVL list, and that entitles you to a lifetime guarantee (for the most part) to complain if issues ever develop.

Unless your are doing 3D-modeling or substantial video encoding, an 8-core CPU is not really required for gaming and multi-tasking. Fast RAMs and disk I/O is what you are looking for ...

A single video card is always preferable to a 2-card solution, and this drives your motherboard selection. A 95w FX6300 and Asus M5A97 AM3+ motherboard (not LE) has more than enough jam to drive your gaming and multi-tasking, and costs around $200.

If you wish to keep the option of a dual video card solution open, the best current bang-fer-yer-bucks is the FX6300 combo deal with the Asus M5A99FX PRO AM3+ that currently works out to $220 after combo-dealin', rebates & promo code.

What are you looking for in a case? Standard issue, clear side panel or something a little snazzy like the SilverStone Redline series RL04W ??

As far as your graphics, waiting out the AMD Volcanic Islands is a good thing as it will certainly drive nVidia and AMD video card prices down over the next 30 days.

The GTX770 is simply a 'refreshed' and over-clocked GTX680 - you could easily save $50-$60 by going with the older model here BUT to save big money, the best play would be going with an HD 7970 as the prices continue to tumble (they are hitting $280 as of now - and will clearly go lower).

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Building new and looking for tips.

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