Support Building a new computer

Discussion in 'Technology' started by Iskandar, Feb 3, 2015.

  1. Iskandar King of Conquerors

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    I've been planning on getting a new computer for a while now, and now that I've gotten $1200 with my tax return money, I should have enough to build one from scratch, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for. My dad went to a store that sells all the things you need, like processors and video cards, but won't I need to buy wires and stuff to hook everything up? What's some of the major things I'd want to look for, especially since I want the computer to be able to handle a fair amount of processing so I can do things like Photoshop and make videos on Sony Vegas without too much load times for simple changes...depending on how much has changed already, which I know varies a lot.

    It sounds like I can get all the parts I need for around $600, but where can I get a case for all of the supplies, what would I know would make a good case to hold it all, and how much would a monitor be? I thought I could do fine with a 15" like my laptop is, but my dad says I'd probably want something around 20"-25". Depending on the stuff I buy it could be more than $600. I'm basically aiming for a gaming computer that I can use for school as well, but not something that's just barely able to do anything
     
  2. Misty gimme kiss

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    When building a computer, what your build should be is determined entirely by your budget; you can go as low as $400 or as high as several thousand, so it's first pretty important to set a price that you'd like to land around. You'll also need to tell us what peripherals/extras (monitor, keyboard, mouse, operating system, wireless card, etc.) you need and whether you're including that in the budget. After that, I can help you spec out a machine. Photoshop isn't particularly demanding unless you're editing enormous RAW photos, obviously you can build a video editing beast but for casual use you don't need anything particularly special. Any machine that can handle those two programs will easily get on you on the web and allow for some gaming, maybe not with settings maxed but you'll have a good machine for several years that you can upgrade as you see fit.

    Where to get parts is usually determined by convenience and price. If you have a Frys or a Microcenter around you, they have great sales and bundle deals that you'll want to take advantage of; otherwise, Amazon, Newegg, and Tigerdirect are your friends.

    Most parts plug straight into the mobo so you don't really need that many cables; the power supply has cables either attached to it or cables packaged with it if you get a modular one. Hard drives and optical drives will require data cables running to the mobo but they're usually either included with the part of the motherboard; even if not, they're ridiculously cheap and easy to find.

    Cases again can be bought all over the place so you just want to shop around; they're fairly standard sizes so you get to choose based on size and aesthetics. I'm a fan of Bit Fenix and NZXT cases, they're quality, look really nice, and they have budget options available should you need it.

    For monitor size, you'll want to go at least 1080p for the resolution, which completely removes anything smaller than 20" or 21". The size is up to you, but you should expect to pay between $100 and $200 for one (on the lower end for a smaller size, higher end for a larger size).

    Take a look at Logical Increments and see if there's anything that appeals to your budget (again, consider that you probably need peripherals). I can help compare your options and explain what everything means; then we'll pull it into PC Part Picker.
     
  3. libregkd -

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  4. Iskandar King of Conquerors

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  5. libregkd -

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  6. Iskandar King of Conquerors

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  7. libregkd -

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  8. Iskandar King of Conquerors

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    ...
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2015
  9. Darkandroid Gets it Together

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    Depends on the type of i5 or i7 you're looking at. I have an i5 but it's a pretty good one and has good overclocking potential. But I would recommend a good i7 so you can future-proof your PC. Looking back I wish I got an i7.

    I found http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcforme to be a good place to see what build you could get for your price range. That's what I did when I built my PC last year and just used the parts someone else recommended and I can't fault my PC so far.

    For sure I recommend you get an SSD for the OS, thanks to it my PC loads up super fast. But also get a normal 1-2TB hard drive for space as SSD are rather expensive and the space on one of those won't be enough.
     
  10. ♥♦♣♠Luxord♥♦♣♠ Chaser

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    I agree with most of the things here, however future proofing is just downright impossible depending on what you want to do.

    I've seen people dump tons of money in a gaming rig only to play a handful of games that don't even require that much power, and on the opposite end I have also seen people try to play games at certain resolutions, settings, etc, and wonder why they aren't getting the results that they want.

    If you really want to attempt (notice how I said attempt) to future proof your system then save your money until you have a lot more as a more rounded out build will serve you much better. I also recommend not skimping out on the whole keyboard and mouse thing. I can't remember the last time I used a bluetooth mouse or keyboard. That is only the case because once you switch to something that is of a higher quality, you will never ever want to go back. In my eyes saving a while longer to get a mechanical keyboard and higher quality mouse will bring you more joy than spending 300 more dollars for three more frames per second.



    I could go on but instead of mindlessly rambling on without knowing if you give a rat's ashe about my opinion, I will stop for now. If you want me to continue feel free to PM me or reply here. I can give you as much information as I possibly can. I've been building an messing around with computers for ages now. (my build is fugging ridiculous though, so don't listen to my actions, just my words)

    If you are curious however, here is a link to my build list and some pics I posted when I built it.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2015
  11. Darkandroid Gets it Together

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    Good point, future-proofing is very difficult and probably wasn't the best choice of words. Though in the long run a good i7 is probably going to be better than a good i5, especially if games get more CPU intensive. But a it's as you say, depends on what you want to do with the machine.

    And damn, that is a beast of a PC.
     
  12. ♥♦♣♠Luxord♥♦♣♠ Chaser

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    From what I've seen putting more money into your graphics card more so than your cpu tends to be better in terms of price:performance (for gaming). That being said, if whomever is reading this likes to do more cpu demanding things like video editing then a better cpu would be best.

    That being said I do agree that going with an i7 in this particular case would be best.
     
  13. Iskandar King of Conquerors

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    well, given my current money, I don't know much about an i7 at this point in time, much as I know it's better to get. I plan on doing stuff tomorrow and getting everything looked at and bought, and hopefully built. If not tomorrow, it'll be Sunday for sure. A co-worker and I are going to look at a bunch of different things and then head over to microcenter to see what they've got. Ideally I'll have my new computer built by this time next week; realistically though, I have no idea. I need to get a OS too, and I'm not sure I can use the one in our house or not right now. I know the desktop doesn't work anymore, but I don't know if the Windows 7 key is used on it still or I can use it on my new computer.

    Oh and, I have no idea what i'm looking at with your computer :p. This is why I'm getting "professional" help