Building my own computer(budget=$800-$1000)

[couldusesomehelp]

Hello people, this is my 1st time attempting to build my own computer,so obviously its quite a difficult thing for me, so i'll need lots of help

i'm trying to build a computer for gaming.i don't need some top-notch kind of thing, but still something thats quite good(eg. maybe run Crysis on high?),so do any of you have any components to recommend? like CPU,motherboard,graphics card,hard drive etc.

P.S Please do be clear on your answers cause i'm very,very new to this kind of stuffs, so there probably will be lots of terms i might not understand...so yeah.

 

[eloric]

Welcome Newcomer,

There are so many questions to ask, theAnimal has created a questionairre, of sorts.

Take a look at this link, and hurry back with the answers so we can get you started:

How to ask for Build Advice

 

[couldusesomehelp]

alright then so here it is:

Budget Range: 800-1000
System Usage: Gaming,watching movies
Parts not required: Mouse,Speakers
Preferred websites: newegg.com, amazon.com, ebay.com or any other sites the
community recommends
Parts preferences: NVIDIA,Intel,Asus

i didn't answer all the questions though,mainly cause:

1. I couldn't understand the question
or
2.I'm undecided on my answer

mostly,its just option 1

 

[eloric]

Hello Couldusesomehlep,

I can tell you right off the bat you are going to get a very nice computer that will outperform almost any laptop. $800 to $1000 is a very nice price range to purchase.

All the questions have a purpose and will affect the recommendations that you receive, I promise. No worries, I will walk you through any information that you have not provided and try to explain the questions you have not answered.

When you plan to purchase is really important. If you are buying tonight, then there might be a deal that only lasts to midnight (or 3:00 AM, depending on the time zone). If you are buying 2 months away, then we will tell you to buy a completely different machine.

So, do you need to include a monitor in the budget? If the monitor has to be included then that will affect the other choices. Don't fear, you will still have a perfectly functional PC, but it might be have an AMD chip instead of the new Sandybridge.

It seems pretty obvious that you purchasing in the US, but never hurts to ask,

Some people like to speed up their machines by overclocking them - like me! I will spend a little more for certain parts because they tend to rev up higher. Since this is your first build, you may want to wait until you are comfortable with your machine first - there is no need to overclock as part of assembling the initial componnets. So if you are interested, then just say so.

SLI or Crossfire - now that one sure is confusing on the surface, but is actually pretty simple. These are terms that refer to multiple graphics cards. With your budget, I am going to say that you are only going to have a single card, so the answer is no. The answer may also gives a preference to the buyer's preference for a video card maker - SLI for NVIDIA, and Crossfire for AMD Radeon. I know that is probalby too much information, so I will just stop here.

If you already have a monitor, then knowing the resolution will help balance the video capabilities of the PC with the display. If you do not know the resolution, then just provide the diagonal size like 17 inch or 21 inch, etc.

Additional comments - you already answered those in your original post!

That is about it. Did I make it any clearer?

 

[couldusesomehelp]

haha you sure helped me a great deal.

so here's the remaining answers:

Approximate Purchase Date:Aiming to buy within the next 50 days
Buying a Monitor?:Yes
Overclocking:Maybe
SLI:No

Regarding the question whether i'm getting everything from the US or not,answer is No. I might be getting some parts online(which in turn might actually be shipped from the US), but there are other parts where i might be getting from shops in my country(in this case,Singapore).

If i could hit below my budget, of course i would love that,but i wont be able to spend beyond it though.

 

[eloric]

You have fantastic (yet they will probalby take advantage of you) computer stores over there. jrunes once scanned the different flyers at what he called the hardware mega shopping centre. You might want to pm him and see if he has any advice. Tell him I sent you.

The best way to get a good deal is to learn as much as you can about the components you are seeking. Keep an open mind and have several alternatives that are acceptable when you go shopping. You also need to know which products to stay away from.

Next 50 days is a long time, especially considering the instability the Japanese earthquake is introducing to markets. I will just provide general suggestions:

CPU: i5 2500k for $220. This is the standard for high end gaming, and is the current latest Sandybridge offering by Intel. You can save some money by purchasing a less powerful CPU in this series, but won't be able to overclock if you do.

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67-M (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 for $110. You do not need a mATX board - I just selected this one because it is available. There are very few 1155 motherboards because there was a recall - prices are inflated and there are no discounts. Supply and selection should be increasing dramatically in the next couple of weeks. I am also expecting the price to drop. Things to look for are LGA 1155, P67 chipset (so you can overclock) and you only need one PCIe slot, so you should be able to get it for around $100.

RAM: Patriot G Series ‘Sector 5’ Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) for $35. You could also go with 8GB of RAM. Speed does not matter significantly 1333 or 1600 is just fine. You need to make sure you get dual channel memory, and it comes in even sets.

Video Card: MSI N460GTX -M2D1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB for $160. Make sure you get a 1GB version of this board that is not an "SE" model. If you do not need an OS, then put your extra money here to get a 560Ti. I did not consider any AMD products here, but their GPU's are also very competitive.

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB for $65. Make sure it is a Spinpoint F3, and do not settle for any other Samsung product. You can save some money if you get a 500 GB version. Another choice, but probalby more expensive, is Western Digital, Caviar Black.

DVD: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW for $18. This part is as close to acommodity as any component. Buy the cheapest.

Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K56W Black for $70. You can spend a lot less on cases, but the better the case the easier to build, and the longer it will last. Lian Li cases are almost always loved by their owners. Other good choices are Cooler Master and Antec. Rosewill is a Newegg brand that is good too.

Power Supply: General Newegg serch for around $43. Do not be talked into any other brands, unless you can find some research on them first - chances are they are not quality products and may fry your other components when they go bad.

Heat Sink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus for $30. This is cheap, and effective, and should be available in your area.

Monitor: Acer G215HAbd-1 Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor for $135. find something with 1920 X 1080 resolution. 23 inch for about the same price would be even better.

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for $100. Make sure you get the 64 bit version to accomodate more thatn 4GB of RAM.

The total here is $986. Wow, I spent your whole budget. remember - the parts you actually purchase, if you shop judiciously, should cost a little bit less. These are just suggestions.

 

[couldusesomehelp]

thanks for your suggestions
thats a really detailed shopping list!

i believe i know the location you're telling me about.
i'll consider the items you suggested,but i doubt i'll be buying them any time soon since there has been a slight change in my plans. thanks though!

 

[eloric]

Too bad about your plans. Maybe when you are ready you could scan some of the sale sheets that the stores have so the folks here can see the selections and prices of the Singapore market.

 

[couldusesomehelp]

Best answer selected by couldusesomehelp.

 

[YouKnowDuno]

You have fantastic (yet they will probalby take advantage of you) computer stores over there. jrunes once scanned the different flyers at what he called the hardware mega shopping centre. You might want to pm him and see if he has any advice. Tell him I sent you.

The best way to get a good deal is to learn as much as you can about the components you are seeking. Keep an open mind and have several alternatives that are acceptable when you go shopping. You also need to know which products to stay away from.

Next 50 days is a long time, especially considering the instability the Japanese earthquake is introducing to markets. I will just provide general suggestions:

CPU: i5 2500k for $220. This is the standard for high end gaming, and is the current latest Sandybridge offering by Intel. You can save some money by purchasing a less powerful CPU in this series, but won't be able to overclock if you do.

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67-M (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 for $110. You do not need a mATX board - I just selected this one because it is available. There are very few 1155 motherboards because there was a recall - prices are inflated and there are no discounts. Supply and selection should be increasing dramatically in the next couple of weeks. I am also expecting the price to drop. Things to look for are LGA 1155, P67 chipset (so you can overclock) and you only need one PCIe slot, so you should be able to get it for around $100.

RAM: Patriot G Series ‘Sector 5’ Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) for $35. You could also go with 8GB of RAM. Speed does not matter significantly 1333 or 1600 is just fine. You need to make sure you get dual channel memory, and it comes in even sets.

Video Card: MSI N460GTX -M2D1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB for $160. Make sure you get a 1GB version of this board that is not an "SE" model. If you do not need an OS, then put your extra money here to get a 560Ti. I did not consider any AMD products here, but their GPU's are also very competitive.

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB for $65. Make sure it is a Spinpoint F3, and do not settle for any other Samsung product. You can save some money if you get a 500 GB version. Another choice, but probalby more expensive, is Western Digital, Caviar Black.

DVD: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW for $18. This part is as close to acommodity as any component. Buy the cheapest.

Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K56W Black for $70. You can spend a lot less on cases, but the better the case the easier to build, and the longer it will last. Lian Li cases are almost always loved by their owners. Other good choices are Cooler Master and Antec. Rosewill is a Newegg brand that is good too.

Power Supply: General Newegg serch for around $43. Do not be talked into any other brands, unless you can find some research on them first - chances are they are not quality products and may fry your other components when they go bad.

Heat Sink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus for $30. This is cheap, and effective, and should be available in your area.

Monitor: Acer G215HAbd-1 Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor for $135. find something with 1920 X 1080 resolution. 23 inch for about the same price would be even better.

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for $100. Make sure you get the 64 bit version to accomodate more thatn 4GB of RAM.

The total here is $986. Wow, I spent your whole budget. remember - the parts you actually purchase, if you shop judiciously, should cost a little bit less. These are just suggestions.

HEY, IVE CLICKED ON SOME OF THE LINKS YOU HAVE PROVIDED, WHEN I GET TO THE PAGE IT SAYS "ITEM DISCONTINUED". IS IT POSSIBLE YOU CAN JUST POST THE SAME LIST BUT WITH UPDATES? I WOULD DO IT MYSELF BUT IM NOT SURE IF CERTAIN ITEMS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH OTHERS.. ID APPRECIATE IT A TON!!