Ok so I posted here a couple of weeks ago asking for advice on a gaming pc for myself, but since then my specs, needs, and budget has changed. I have no experience building pcs, but I have very knowledgeable friends who will be on speed dial, and I should be able to catch on quickly between instructions and the internet. Originally my budget for myself was around 750, but my dad offered to help me out if I was willing to build my sister a new pc and upgrade my current one to give to my brother. So now, the budget for mine is around 1000 and my brother's upgrade doesn't have a defined budget but nothing outrageous. I'll put my sister's stuff in another thread so this one isn't huge.
Approximate Purchase Date: Next Couple of Days
Budget Range: Around $950 - 1000 before rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the internet, watching some tv programs
Parts Not Required: Mouse, Monitor, Keyboard
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or Amazon
Country of Origin: US
Parts Preferences: None really, just reliability
Overclocking: Not planning on it, but am open to the idea
SLI or Crossfire: Wasn't planning on it, but might be open
Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Additional Comments:
I want something that will game well and perform general word processing/heavy internet surfing well. I want to be able to play Star Wars The Old Republic and the new Elder Scrolls Skyrim on really high settings with no problem. I won't play crysis 2 or Battlefield 3, so no worries there. I have a 23" LG monitor with max resolution of 1920 x 1080 @60 Hz. I'm fine buying from newegg or amazon.
This is what I have picked out so far:
Case: NZXT H2 $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146072
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115072
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813157229
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231428
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
DVD Burner : Lite-On 24x $23.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827106335
Video Card: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1567-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 $239.99 (plus $20 mail-in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814130651
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Modular $64.99 (plus $15.99 mail-in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817371016
Logitech Illuminated Keyboard $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043
NETGEAR RangeMax WNDA3100 Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter $39.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001498LIO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Other Misc: Existing Hauppage PCI Express x1 TV Tuner, and a Sony Memory Card Reader $14.99
Total:$1023.89 before rebates
On processors I am so lost on whether to go with an i5 or wait for bulldozer and go AMD. I would really appreciate it if anybody could tell me whether or not I would notice any real difference between them. I also didn't know whether or not I needed an aftermarket heatsink. I want the best bang for my buck on video cards, and I'm not partial to AMD or NVidia, but I want a reliable manufacturer. I'm pretty flexible on the rest of my components. I went modular on the power supply, because I thought it would be easier for me to deal with fewer cables and also it would improve air flow.
For my brother's upgrade, he'll be getting my HP M9340f tower. Here are the specs:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01465973&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&os=2100&product=3740326&softwareitem=pv-65606-1
It will have windows 7 on it. I'm taking the tv tuner out and putting into my new pc. He needs a new video card which will perform well on SWTOR, and will therefore probably need a larger power supply. Looking to spend no more than $150-175 on his video card. The case is kind of tight, so space and heat are big concerns here. my plan was to use the same modular power supply I'm putting in my new rig to free up some space and improve airflow.
Here is the video card I picked out, but I am definitely open to suggestions here: PowerColor AX6850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814131374
Approximate Purchase Date: Next Couple of Days
Budget Range: Around $950 - 1000 before rebates
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the internet, watching some tv programs
Parts Not Required: Mouse, Monitor, Keyboard
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or Amazon
Country of Origin: US
Parts Preferences: None really, just reliability
Overclocking: Not planning on it, but am open to the idea
SLI or Crossfire: Wasn't planning on it, but might be open
Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Additional Comments:
I want something that will game well and perform general word processing/heavy internet surfing well. I want to be able to play Star Wars The Old Republic and the new Elder Scrolls Skyrim on really high settings with no problem. I won't play crysis 2 or Battlefield 3, so no worries there. I have a 23" LG monitor with max resolution of 1920 x 1080 @60 Hz. I'm fine buying from newegg or amazon.
This is what I have picked out so far:
Case: NZXT H2 $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146072
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115072
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813157229
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231428
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
DVD Burner : Lite-On 24x $23.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827106335
Video Card: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1567-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 $239.99 (plus $20 mail-in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814130651
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Modular $64.99 (plus $15.99 mail-in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817371016
Logitech Illuminated Keyboard $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043
NETGEAR RangeMax WNDA3100 Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter $39.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001498LIO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Other Misc: Existing Hauppage PCI Express x1 TV Tuner, and a Sony Memory Card Reader $14.99
Total:$1023.89 before rebates
On processors I am so lost on whether to go with an i5 or wait for bulldozer and go AMD. I would really appreciate it if anybody could tell me whether or not I would notice any real difference between them. I also didn't know whether or not I needed an aftermarket heatsink. I want the best bang for my buck on video cards, and I'm not partial to AMD or NVidia, but I want a reliable manufacturer. I'm pretty flexible on the rest of my components. I went modular on the power supply, because I thought it would be easier for me to deal with fewer cables and also it would improve air flow.
For my brother's upgrade, he'll be getting my HP M9340f tower. Here are the specs:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01465973&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&lc=en&os=2100&product=3740326&softwareitem=pv-65606-1
It will have windows 7 on it. I'm taking the tv tuner out and putting into my new pc. He needs a new video card which will perform well on SWTOR, and will therefore probably need a larger power supply. Looking to spend no more than $150-175 on his video card. The case is kind of tight, so space and heat are big concerns here. my plan was to use the same modular power supply I'm putting in my new rig to free up some space and improve airflow.
Here is the video card I picked out, but I am definitely open to suggestions here: PowerColor AX6850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814131374