Gaming, media, multitasker monster

[csillver]

Greetings,
I hope this is the right place to as for help on having a new pc built. Any suggestions on custom build companies would be greatly appreciated. Already googled around, just want to get "best bests". I understand it's "easy to do" but I need to have that warranty and support thing going.

Approximate purchase date: around Jan 31 BUDGET RANGE: Around $2,000


SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:

The primary purposes of this thing is for MMO gaming, newest and boldest, at higher if not highest settings. And it should be wicked quiet. Current pc is a jet engine.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitors, mouse, keyboards, speaker system

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: not building myself, but have been looking at many of them to have a sense of shop and compare...

PARTS PREFERENCES: which ever is going to work best for our needs....

OVERCLOCKING:Is it possible to have the custom build site do this? Or I can do it myself, (did it once ages ago) so yes. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Mabe? Our current system uses SLI, and really, we have run into more games that dont support it (older of course). As well from the readings it sounds like having the extra gpu isnt necessary for the kind of gaming we do? Or I am suffering from analyis paralysis and just confusing myself?

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: It should be able to multitask. Currently we run video out to the home theater in kids room while gaming and doing other tasks (downloading, burning audio/ video, using seperate or built in music player, and "oh for got to reschedule virus/malware scan"). We usually run only one other task. Generally not a problem for f2p games and old games like EQ, WoW, COH etc. For newer games its, CO, STO, etc; its a drudge...and forget the higher settings.

We are also looking for longevity; current pc has can't go any further and is now 6 (yea I know) years old. We need to be able to pull parts and replace them after that warranty wears out...

Again, thanks for all the help.

 

[MadAdmiral]

To start, MMOs are not very stressing games. I'd be willing to bet you could get almost any prebuilt for $400 and be able to play them.

Here's what I would build (not buy):

CPU: i7-920 $289

Mobo: Asus P6X58D Premium $310. This has USB 3.0/SATA 6 GBps support, so it's more future proof.

RAM: G.Skill PI Series 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $165. Can save $15 by getting 1333 mhz sticks.

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB $55 (or 1 TB for $85)

Case: HAF 922 $80 after rebate

PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 700W $50 after rebate

Optical: Cheapest SATA DVD burner $25

GPU: HD 5850 $305

Total: $1,279. Does everything you need. You could spend another $300 and stick in a 64 GB SSD for the OS/apps, but I think it's unnecessary.

All of this is still overkill for MMOs and for only having approx. 2 programs running at once, but it will certainly last.

I'm an advocate of building it yourself. If you try to buy it from a custom builder, it will cost you at least the $2,000 you planned. If you try to get it from somewhere like Dell, you will spend more than that. So is it really worth the $700ish to have someone else build it?

 

[restatement3dofted]

I've got to second MadAdmiral's suggestion that you stick with building it yourself. I spent a lot of time looking at places like CyberPowerPC and IBuyPower, and decided to go ahead and build my system myself. The warranty is nice, but you'll get manufacturers' warranties on all of the parts that you buy, and you'll save yourself some money on the build that you can re-invest into better parts or upgrades (specifically, if you go with a custom builder, you are likely to get jacked on the price of your GPU).

 

[huron]

Another +1 to building. It's not that difficult to build - the parts choice is a large part of what makes it tough. Plus, building is fun.

As stated, the parts you buy from good companies carry warranties too, so you should be covered. I guess it's your money, but the build listed above is right on par with what I would build today if I was up for a new rig.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Another note on building: it's very hard to build it wrong. Nothing will fit anywhere but where it belongs. A good rule is that you need to use some force, you're putting in the wrong spot (with the exception of latching the heatsink to the CPU). In addition, you've already found a great site for information and asking questions before, during, and after the building process.

If you're still interested, take a look at the "Step-By-Step Guide to Building a PC". It's a very good guide, and gives a great picture of what you'll go through.

 

[xhellionx]

+1 for MadAdmiral, he's a beast!

that build he put together looks titties.

 

[csillver]

Best answer selected by csillver.

 

[csillver]

All parts are in!
Wish me luck!

 

[restatement3dofted]

All parts are in!
Wish me luck!

Congrats! My last part arrives tomorrow, so I'll be putting my rig together tomorrow night!

Enjoy watching your research and hard work pay off!