Could you guys help me in building a computer please? :x

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Clover

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Zac ( my husband :p ) birthday is coming up, and he is really really into gaming ( i guess i am too..but not anywhere near as fanatical @_@ but thats beside the point :p)
We have a really old computer, about 5 years old ( he deplores the fact it has a pink case on it.. :p ) It was a awesome computer back in the day when it was new, its a ... *looks at the book*

Dell Dimension 8300 series
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.20GHz
3.19GHz,1.00 GB of RAM

Windows XP

189 Gigabyte of space on C: drive
11.7 GB free Space

Video card ATI Radeon HD 2600 series AGP


:eek: I sure hope someone knows what all that means...because i have no idea :D


I've been saving my money, and i have around $3,000 or so to play around with ( managed to keep it hidden from the government so they can't tax it again :p ) I have decent credit, so i can always take out a good loan to make up for 500 or so, and we can always sell this one..It was originaly about 2,500 ( 9,000) if you count the interest :eek:


So, um what would you tech guys recommend i look for? he loves to play everything on the highest settings, and he would want it to be a good investment and play great years down the road.. ( and i wouldn't be apposed to pretty looking things, like my Legionary cohorts marching with 10,000 guys with no lag :p )

I hope thats enough details :eek: and i hope it wasn't as confusing to read as it was for me to write :p



I've been trying my best to understand how all this computer stuff works, ive tried to build a couple to get a price-fix while reserching every item i select :x


It seems to get top notch on everything inportande, its going to be around 3,000- 3,500 range :eek: Is this right? :eek:


>< sorry to join and ask a big question thats been copyed and pasted from other fourmes.. but i really need exspert opinions and anayalisis if im going to invest that kind of money :x



I've put together a idea.. could you guys tell me what you think? :x








CASE: ($20 Mail-in Rebate) Apevia X-SniperG Mid-Tower 420W Case (Black Color)
Neon Light Upgrade: 12in COLD CATHODE NEON LIGHT (BLUE COLOR)
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Extra Case Cooling Fan (3 x Fans)
POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 680 Watts Power Supplies (Hush Power Supply SLI/CrossFire Ready)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-965 Extreme Edition 3.2 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
COOLING FAN : Vigor Monsoon III LT Dual CPU Cooling Fan System (Extreme Silent Operation at only 20dBA)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) EVGA X58 3X SLI Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA, Dual GbLAN, USB2.0, Dual IEEE1394& 7.1Audio
MEMORY: 12GB (2GBx6) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
FREEBIES: None
VIDEO CARD: ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB DDR5 PCI-Express Dual DVI-I & TVO (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
VIDEO CARD 3: NONE
MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
LCD Monitor: NONE
2nd Monitor: NONE
HARD DRIVE: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 4 Identical Hard Drives (2TB (500GBx4) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: NONE
USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: NONE
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro 24-BIT PCI Sound Card
SPEAKERS: Logitech (BLACK) G51 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
NETWORK: ($100 off Mail-in Rebate) Killer M1 10/100/1000 Gigabit High Speed Online Gaming PCI Network Interface Card
MODEM: Creative Labs PCI 56K v.92 FAX Modem
KEYBOARD: Logitech Deluxe 104 PS/2 Keyboard (Black Color)
MOUSE: Microsoft® Optical Wheel Mouse (BLACK COLOR)
Extra Thermal Display : NONE
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
Cable Wiring: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU
Rounded Cable: None
VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
PRINTER: None
PRINTER CABLE: None
IEEE CARD: NONE
USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
FLOPPY: NONE
OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Basic w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
FREEBIES: FREE! (Microsoft® Flight Simulator X Deluxe) Game
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS


This thingy? :eek: Its $3,380










But i also found another...i would get 1,200 off the price ( probaly because it's not selling :p ) but today is the last day of the sale!

From what i've learned Intel i7 is vastly supeoire to AMD- but this computer normaly sells for 4,600 and i would get it at 3,400 :eek: (rounding of course :p)
( of course im a total noob...i probaly know less than what i've tricked myself into beliving i've learned :p)


SPECIAL PROMOTION 1 $150 Instant Rebate
SPECIAL PROMOTION 2 $50 Instant Rebate
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION PROMOTION Customer Appreciation Promotion $1000 Instant Rebate (Offer Extended to Monday, February 23, 2009)
PROCESSOR AMD Athlon 64 X2 FX-74/Opteron 2222 Dual Processors at 3.0GHz, 2000MHz FSB, 1MB X 2 Cache
RIG Thermaltake Armor VA8004BWS AMD Quad 4X4 Chassis
RIG COLOR Black
RIG STYLE Side Window panel with dual channel air guide designed specifically for AMD Quad FX 4X4
RIG COOLING Vigor TornadoTM Air Vent with Triple 120MM Case Fan
RIG POWER Cooler Master Real Power Pro nVidia-SLI Certified 1000Watt Power Supply
RIG DIMENSIONS 8.66" Width X 22.05" Depth X 20.87" Height.
MB CORE LOGIC Asus L1N64-SLI WS nVidia nForce 680a SLI X 16 X 4 w/2000MHz FSB
MEMORY 4GB Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5D X 2 DDR2 1066MHz Memory (4 X 1024MB)
OPERATING HARD DRIVE 1 1TB (1000GB) SATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive
OPERATING HARD DRIVE 2 1TB (1000GB) SATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive
RAID SETTING RAID 0 Performance - Striped Drives (2 or More Identical Hard Drives Only)
DATA HARD DRIVE None.
HARD DRIVE COOLER None.
VIDEO CARD SLI SLOT 1 nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB DDR3 @738MHz, DVI and TV Out
VIDEO CARD SLI SLOT 2 nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB DDR3 @738MHz, DVI and TV Out
OPTICAL DRIVE 1 LG Internal GGC-H20LK SATA Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVDR DVDRW + CDRW Rewritable Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE 2 None.
RECORDING SOFTWARE Bundled DVD/CDRW Software
SOUND Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Retail Edition
NETWORK PORT Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000Mbps) PCI Network Card
WIRELESS NETWORK PORT None.
I/O PORTS 1 Parallel, 1 Game/Midi, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire and 6 to 10 USB ports (Varies by Motherboards)
MONITOR None.
SPEAKERS None.
KEYBOARD Standard Black Internet Multimedia Keyboard
MOUSE Standard Black Optical Wheel Mouse
FLOPPY DRIVE 3.5" All-in-1 Card Reader Drive
OPERATING SYSTEM Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit w/Original DVD
SERVICE Standard 3 Year Limited Parts and Life-Time Labor Warranty
STORAGE MEDIA None.
SOFTWARE BUNDLE None.
ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE None.
Price: $3414.00




I know this is probably a lot to ask.. :eek: but out of the three, whats better and why? :x I've tried to do research on everything selected so i would have a idea of what I'm doing..but noob are subject to false hope :p Thats why natural selection roots many of us out before we have a chance to reproduce our kind and pass on our genetic deficiencies :p













oh God I'm sleepy... @_@ and stuffed my head with a whole bunch of techno #%+$ >_>

the things ya do for love :D *shoots herself*



X_X


What do you guys think? :x any recomendations, or parts that should be replaced to make it better? :x
 
:eek: I sure hope someone knows what all that means...because i have no idea :D

Are you able to build a computer? Maybe not, judging by that comment. It would be a lot cheaper to by the pc parts seperatly and then building it all together. This is a good place to buy the hardware: newegg.com

The Intel i7 Nehalem route would be your best bet. And if you want top notch stuff it will only cost you $1500 - $1800 maybe, depending if you need a monitor and any other extras. Is your husband good with computers? Maybe you can buy all the parts for him and have him assemble it? ;)
 
meh, with that kind of budget i dont think the extra cost will make a diff.

@OP: and one other thing, do you have a monitor?
 
Please dont buy those systems you linked, they are way overpriced. A site to look into if you or your husband can't build the computer is iBUYPOWER: High Performance Custom Gaming Computers and Notebooks They have decent price for a pre-built. I'll try building a system there and see what it would come out to.

Edit:
Case ( iBUYPOWER Vantage Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply w/ Halo 2 Side Window )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 650 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-650TX Power Supply SLI Ready )
Processor ( [New !!] Intel Core i7 Processor 920 (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game - [FARCRY 2] must purchase with Intel Core i7 system )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Triple-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way SLI PCI-E MB 3-Way SLI )
Memory ( 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1333 Triple Memory Module Corsair Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1GB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Video Card Brand ( === High Performance === eVGA Brand Video Card Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( Sony Dual Format/Double Layer 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard with 18 Internet Hot /Multimedia Keys Black )
Mouse ( iBUYPOWER 1600 dpi High Sensitivity Internet Mouse Black )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )
Operation System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) 64-Bit )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $1,409.00
 
:p thanks guys for taking time out to help me :D


Oh..it can't be that hard to build a computer right? :eek: Like..connect a few wires together, and press on right? is it harder than installing a new video card? because Ive done that in less than a hour all by myself ^_^


:eek: 2,200 is a lot less expensive :eek:..i know i must be getting laughed at for my noobness But do higher numbers mean better performance? :eek: Because i noticed that on some things like on memory i picked 12 gigs, but you say something with only 6?

Doesn't more memory mean it can run more things at once?


Oh, and the Intel core i7, the reviews said that the 965 extreme editing was better than the 920- but you guys say the 920 is the way to go :eek: is the 965's aditonal features not so great for playing games?

Like it says the 920 is 2.66GHz while the 965 is 3.20 Ghz ( please remember I'm a nooblet..i have little idea of what I'm saying :p)


Oh, the last thing the video cards :p This review i looked at said the ATI 4780x2 was the best video card, but you guys say i should get two ... *looks the weird looking name up again* Geforce GTX285

:eek: i was watching another review that said the ATI was 22% faster..but another said video cards have different strengths and weaknesses...like some are good for video editing, and others are better for gaming :eek:





Oh wait..i lied, one more thing...

What about sound cards, modem, Killer M1 10/100/1000 Gigabit High Speed Online Gaming PCI Network Interface Card ( omg long name ) and something called "RAID" My friend told me to make sure it had RAID in it, because its like a backup thingy.. he should know better then to trust me to remember what he said it was :p


Oh, the monitor- is that important? We already have one, we got it at a junk shop for 20$- its a ViewSonic 17PS- normally plays on a 1200x1000 setting.. give or take a few numbers :eek: i cant remember the settings word for word ><




Hehee thanks for your time guys, it means a lot to me - especially since i just joined, and i know you must get headaches talking to people who have no clue what the they are doing :D



awww omg! I had to take a lot of smilies away from the post.. it said a max of 10... ( sad face..because I'm at the limit)
 
You really do like smilies huh. I'm going to sound pretty harsh here but - unless you can get someone with some solid building experience to do it for you, I think that a prebuilt might be a better choice, a brand new $1500+ PC is probably not the best place to have your first go. Not that there's anything hard about building PCs and if you've installed a graphics card then you are about 1/5 the way there.
The Killer NIC is a massive waste of money.
RAID is not the same as backup. A proper backup routine is as important as ever.
The monitor is vital as it is the interface to the PC. Imagine trying to look at brilliant scenery through a dirty, misty window and you will soon realise the importance of having a nice window. The same goes for the keyboard and mouse. Your resolution BTW is most likely 1280 x 1024 - a standard square 17 - 19".
The 965 is faster than the 920 but the price difference is phenomenal.
You can run more on 12GB than you can on 6 but the question is will you need to and the answer is almost certainly no. Software should be designed so that it can run 90% effectively on 90% of hardware or better and currently the average RAM in a PC is probably 2-4GB. 6GB in tri-channel is what you should be looking for if you want excellent performance.
Multiple CPUs don't really work out well in a gaming machines and if I had to choose between the two you posted earlier I would definitely go with the first (but I wouldn't go with that one either).

EDIT: having looked at the prices on newegg those i7 prebuilts are actually very expensive (why is there a 4850 in a $1,500 gaming machine?).
 
if you have installed a video card before
you are good to go!

plug in the connectors, screw in some stuff. that's it :p
just make sure to take your time and make sure you plug them in securely

965 is not worth the price for the performance gained over the 920

6 gigs is plenty

currently the GTX 295 is the best "single" card, overall
some games performs better with ATI graphics card, some better with Nvidia


Killer M1 10/100/1000 Gigabit High Speed Online Gaming PCI Network Interface Card
a long name and a big waste of your money


RAID... I don't even know where to look ;)

monitor, its what you look at!
it's like.. your eyes
a computer is *almost* worthless if you don't have a display

you should grab a nice 22" or 24" LCD with the money you saved
 
if you have installed a video card before
you are good to go!

plug in the connectors, screw in some stuff. that's it :p
just make sure to take your time and make sure you plug them in securely

965 is not worth the price for the performance gained over the 920

6 gigs is plenty

currently the GTX 295 is the best "single" card, overall
some games performs better with ATI graphics card, some better with Nvidia


Killer M1 10/100/1000 Gigabit High Speed Online Gaming PCI Network Interface Card
a long name and a big waste of your money


RAID... I don't even know where to look ;)

monitor, its what you look at!
it's like.. your eyes
a computer is *almost* worthless if you don't have a display

you should grab a nice 22" or 24" LCD with the money you saved

A nice 1080p monitor would complement a GTX 295 really well too
 
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