Hi folks! First post here, though I am a frequent visitor of the forums.
I am currently running a Dell XPS 400 that is 8 years old. I would've built a PC myself, but at the time, I wasn't as into hardware configuration as I am now. Nonetheless, it has been my baby through many upgrades and much independent maintenance. However, I am finally getting to the point where it's just no match for some other the higher end games that come out nowadays. I looked into upgrading the processor, but long story short -- to do the upgrades I am looking for, I would need to purchase a new motherboard, case, processor, and PSU. I figure if I'm going to be going through all of that, I might as well just make myself a very basic custom-built gaming PC.
The problem is - motherboards are an area of hardware of which I am not too familiar. I really don't know where to start looking for a motherboard to use...I realize Google is my friend, but I feel like I'm a little bit overwhelmed with the wealth of information as it pertains to the needs of so many gamers online.
I can say that I've seen this motherboard recommended in several posts: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157306
So let me tell you what I'm looking for. I'm trying to keep this build as cheap as possible, but I don't want to skimp on anything. It won't necessarily be my primary PC, but one I use for gaming almost exclusively.
I want to be able to play some of these newer (at least, new in relation to my current setup) games at medium-high graphics settings. (The Witcher 2, Dragon Age 3 - when it's released in the future - Skyrim, etc).
I don't think I'm really looking for something I can overclock to death. I'm not a hardcore gamer anymore (I used to be, but I don't really have the time nowadays). I'm more of a casual gamer who still wants to be able to experience some decent gameplay from time to time. So overclocking isn't a priority of mine.
I haven't made up my mind about the CPU yet, but I figure I'll probably go with a C2D. Maybe a quad core - I'm still mulling it over in my head. I realize that this decision also has implications on what motherboard to choose
I currently have a spare ATI Radeon HD 4670 Graphics Card....I imagine I'll want to update that to one of the newer Radeon HDs. Either way, I'll be working with ATI - not Nvidia.
I have plenty of spare mice and keyboards, as well as an HD tv that I use for my monitor. I also have spare DVD drives, and a spare SSD Hard Drive (7200 RPM, 32MB cache) so I won't need to order any of those components. Pretty much what I'll need to order is:
-Case
-CPU
-PSU
-Motherboard
So my question is two-fold: what kind of price range can I expect to look at for this, but - more importantly - any recommendations on what motherboard to choose? Once again, I would like to be able to run these games at medium-high settings, but I don't need an ultimate high-end gaming machine. Thanks in advance!
I am currently running a Dell XPS 400 that is 8 years old. I would've built a PC myself, but at the time, I wasn't as into hardware configuration as I am now. Nonetheless, it has been my baby through many upgrades and much independent maintenance. However, I am finally getting to the point where it's just no match for some other the higher end games that come out nowadays. I looked into upgrading the processor, but long story short -- to do the upgrades I am looking for, I would need to purchase a new motherboard, case, processor, and PSU. I figure if I'm going to be going through all of that, I might as well just make myself a very basic custom-built gaming PC.
The problem is - motherboards are an area of hardware of which I am not too familiar. I really don't know where to start looking for a motherboard to use...I realize Google is my friend, but I feel like I'm a little bit overwhelmed with the wealth of information as it pertains to the needs of so many gamers online.
I can say that I've seen this motherboard recommended in several posts: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157306
So let me tell you what I'm looking for. I'm trying to keep this build as cheap as possible, but I don't want to skimp on anything. It won't necessarily be my primary PC, but one I use for gaming almost exclusively.
I want to be able to play some of these newer (at least, new in relation to my current setup) games at medium-high graphics settings. (The Witcher 2, Dragon Age 3 - when it's released in the future - Skyrim, etc).
I don't think I'm really looking for something I can overclock to death. I'm not a hardcore gamer anymore (I used to be, but I don't really have the time nowadays). I'm more of a casual gamer who still wants to be able to experience some decent gameplay from time to time. So overclocking isn't a priority of mine.
I haven't made up my mind about the CPU yet, but I figure I'll probably go with a C2D. Maybe a quad core - I'm still mulling it over in my head. I realize that this decision also has implications on what motherboard to choose
I currently have a spare ATI Radeon HD 4670 Graphics Card....I imagine I'll want to update that to one of the newer Radeon HDs. Either way, I'll be working with ATI - not Nvidia.
I have plenty of spare mice and keyboards, as well as an HD tv that I use for my monitor. I also have spare DVD drives, and a spare SSD Hard Drive (7200 RPM, 32MB cache) so I won't need to order any of those components. Pretty much what I'll need to order is:
-Case
-CPU
-PSU
-Motherboard
So my question is two-fold: what kind of price range can I expect to look at for this, but - more importantly - any recommendations on what motherboard to choose? Once again, I would like to be able to run these games at medium-high settings, but I don't need an ultimate high-end gaming machine. Thanks in advance!
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