Need help on building high-end gaming computer.

Well, i have began to be interested in building a gaming computer for myself. I hear it is really easy, and can save you a ton of money instead of buying off of sites. Most of the sites i have been have alot of bad reviews and i just don't wanna risk wasting money on something i can do cheaper and easier. So if anyone has major knowledge about building computers, or if anyone can recommend any computer building guides it would be awesome!

Thanks for your time.

My Hair Is Telling Me :
erm i was watching the gadget show on channel 5 once and it said something about going to your local computer shop that isn\'t like a megastore and you can build it cheap but otherwis ei dn\'t really know . hope this helps

( Edited 04.08.2008 14:18 by Aza.M )

The only things you should be trying to future proof is your monitor, case and power supply. Everything else is going to be obsolete by the next time you need to upgrade so don't bother trying. How much are you willing to spend? What do you want to do with it?

Unless you want to spend a lot on a ridiculously high end system i would go with the 8800 GT. It's ridiculously cheap for its performance.

The 9600's are supposed to be very good bang for buck too I think.

You can future proof your mobo a bit at least. They don't go out of date so quickly.

High end means high end, around �3500 these days. Unless your super rich 15 year old I doubt you will be able to afford a \"high end\" system

It\'s piss easy to build a PC, this will help when making all your choices-

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesTitle/Building-a-PC-For-Dummies-5th-Edition.productCd-0471767727.html

Get a copy from the Library, any edition will do.

Getting a good 9 series card is the only way to go. This is high end and what I will be getting next myself-

9800GX2 (2 GPUs on one card)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PNY-GeForce-9800-DDR3-Express/dp/B001646YPE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217862333&sr=1-4

Alternatively you could get the standard GTX version with just one for around �150- �250oc

http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Geforce-9800GTX-512MB-Graphics/dp/B0016OK86A

Otherwise get a 8800GT 1024mb will help if you want to run Vista.

I have this on my second PC-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gainward-8800GT-Golden-Sample-47184620/dp/B001196O72/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217865953&sr=1-3

The most important thing to consider is the Motherboard (Future proofing starts here), I have a 780i xfx-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-nForce-780i-Motherboard-Definition/dp/B0011UPBCK/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217861932&sr=1-15

When I make the upgrade to a GX2 this is what I will get- They have these in Alienware as standard now-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Nforce-Socket-1600FSB-Motherboard/dp/B001664EBS/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217861932&sr=1-20

Go lower in the range to suit what you can afford, read reviews.

Get the best Dual Core or Quad you can afford and OC it, but take adequate cooling measures. Get a pro to OC it via Motherboard.

Get a 1000w PSU, it will be ample for two cards and make upgrading easier, you dont want to be short of power.

A good HDD is very important, Raptor make ones designed for gaming. Seagate are quality also and offer value for size.

I would say 3 Gig RAM is essential for a good gaming PC, but two will do if the quality and cooling is there. Buy the fastest and best quality you can afford with cooling cases if possible. 800mhz is important, anything lower will bottle neck your high end system.

Get any large case that is well designed with easy access and excellent integrated cooling (reviews). Also consider added water cooling, case fans (cheap). Get a quality CPU heatsink-cooler fan, it\'s essential for a overclocked CPU. Read a few reviews.

Get the best DVDR drive you can afford, stay away from Blu Ray and HDDVD for now.

A Razer Mouse (anyone you prefer) A good Mousepad is important (Razer Destructor is awesome). A new revised Logitech G15 Keyboard, or a Razer Tarantula.

( Edited 04.08.2008 17:22 by Linkyshinks )

Ok, here are the parts i am thinking about buying to build it:

Case: Apevia X-Jupiter G Type ATX Full-Tower Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3424759&CatId=1510

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042

Motherboard: Asus Striker II Formula Motherboard - NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3568921&csid=ITD&body=MAIN

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

Video Card: EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Video Card - Dual Slot Edition, 1GB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3830971&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs

Lcd Monitor: Just any random one i pick out. lol

Hard Drive: Maxtor DiamondMax 21 500GB Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3323621&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs

Optical Drive: Liteon PLDS 52x Black CD-ROM OEM Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3424846&CatId=86

Sound: Comes with Mobo.

Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling / Silencer / 750-Watt / Quad PCI-Express / SATA-Ready / Red Power Supply
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3247721&Sku=P227-1003

Cooling Fan: Thermaltake / V1 / Multi-Socket 775/AM2/939/754 / Copper / CPU Cooler
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3071635&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs

Network: Can i make my desktop connect to the network in my home wirelessly and how?

Wireless 802.11b/G Network Card: What is this?

Keyboard: logitech g11 keyboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=2479498&sku=L23-7236&srkey=logitech%20g11

mouse: G5 laser mouse from logitech
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-NEW-G5-Laser-Mouse/dp/B000ODN7VM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=pc&qid=1213996981&sr=1-1

Speakers: logitech X-530 70Watts 5.1 Configuration Speaker System
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121126

Windows Vista Home Premium w/ Service pack 1- 64 bit

Extra case fans? do i need some?
----------------------------------
The total i came up with was around $1800

Do you think this would be a good build and be able to run games at max? Maybe Crysis on medium.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Get a different graphics card, all the rest is fine if that\'s what your budget demands. I would say get the Gainward Bliss \"Golden Sample\", it\'s also 1Gig but it has better OC ability and it\'s a lot quieter and far cooler in temp.

http://www.mvktech.net/content/view/3916/39/

Skip to the final thoughts

It has the lowest noise in the GT range. Expert Tool means you can OC with sliders on the Core clock, Memory clock, and the Shader clock with ease.

The more fans the better. Case fans are very cheap

You should be able to run Crysis in medium fine if you OC the CPU to at least 2.75. That\'s a good CPU cooler for that case, I would have recommended a flower type but there is no side cooling fans on that case by the looks of things.

If your a fan of FPS than there is no better mouse than the Razer DeathAdder.

http://www.amazon.com/Razer-DeathAdder-Infrared-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B000MF67VO/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217883654&sr=8-1

Check out some reviews to see what I mean.

Go for it.

( Edited 04.08.2008 22:17 by Linkyshinks )

All I can say is take LS's advice, I wish I could afford to buy my own P.C let alone a proper Gaming one, I have to use our crappy family one which was out of date 4 months after we go it.

So is their a huge difference between the video cards or not?

I was wondering how you use the overclock options, because i have no idea and have never try to OC anything. lol

Is their a certain amount of case fans i could fit in the case or not?

do you think i need a better power supply with all this stuff?

what would i use that could go into the Mobo or any other part of the computer that could pick up my house's wireless network?

and sorry for all the questions, im a computer noob.

Diraku28 said:
So is their a huge difference between the video cards or not?

I was wondering how you use the overclock options, because i have no idea and have never try to OC anything. lol

Is their a certain amount of case fans i could fit in the case or not?

do you think i need a better power supply with all this stuff?

what would i use that could go into the Mobo or any other part of the computer that could pick up my house\'s wireless network?

and sorry for all the questions, im a computer noob.

There is definitely difference between all the 8800GT\'s, they all try to out do each other by trying new things as far as cooling and composition even if the GPU stays the same.. (how they are wired on the board) EVGA cards are known to run a a worryingly high temp even when not playing games. Also their fans are a lot louder and annoying. You cannot do better than the Bliss in the GT range.

OCing the card like I say is easy using the sliders on Expert Tool software that comes with the card.

Get someone who knows what they are doing with the OC on the CPU. That is a specialist job.

No, you can add many, it depends on the space and positioning of the housings on the case. It also depends on your mobo and power supply, 750w will be fine for at least 4 looking at the above. They take very little energy (standard fans).

You can either use a USB device to connect to your network, or you can use a wireless card. Belkin are good and easy to use. USB is better as it will not take up a card slot that you could use for a another device one day, like a dedicated sound card. Getting a dedicated card will make your games run better because the CPU is not doing the work.

No probs.

( Edited 05.08.2008 00:00 by Linkyshinks )

Ok, so im definitely gonna go with the Bliss video card, and i already have a belkin wireless thingy.

But where could i go to get the OC done? would someone at best buy be able to such as geek squad?

and i will get a sound card if it is better on the computer.

Thanks for all the great info too. star to you my friend.

A few pieces of advice to note down while I knock you up something that you\'re looking for:

1) Get rid of that motherboard, very overpriced.

2)you\'ve picked a slightly odd CPU for a gaming computer. In an ideal world, you\'d get yourself a Q6600 quad, and overclock it, but you\'re a long way off overclocking. So i\'d get a higher speed dual core like the E6850.

3) Don\'t just get any random LCD monitor, it\'s one of the most vital parts of any system, especially considering the amount you seem willing to spend, needs some consideration. I\'m guessing you\'re not giving it too much time as you don\'t know much about monitors either?

4) I\'m not an expert, but i\'m telling you what I know, and I will tell you what I don\'t know. Linkyshinks is anything but an expert either.

Edit: What made you choose Vista 64bit?

( Edited 05.08.2008 00:35 by Slydevil )

1) Any suggestions for a better one?

2)Well would a Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 3.16GHz be better for gaming than the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 2.66GHz?

3)I am gonna get a good monitor, just don't know which one yet.

and i heard it was better than the 32bit. How big of a difference is it?

1) I\'ll look, I haven\'t kept up to date with mobo\'s.

2) It would right now, yes, games are useless right now at utilising cores. Although the quad would be better at most other things. Also, if it was a toss up between the E6850, and the dual core you suggested, go for my suggestion despite the .16 speed increase, as it works on the 45nm architecture (I believe) rather than the 65nm architecture. (There are quite a lot of places comparing them, google for a bit, i\'m not 100% positive).

However, just don\'t get the Q9450, it still looks to be overpriced. If you\'d be satisfied with that, you\'d be satisfied with the Q6600, and you\'d save a good $145, going by that TigerDirect site. That money could be put aside to upgrade anything later, or you could use it to splash out on a very high end video card, which would make far more of a difference on games than a higher clocked processor ever would, or you could put the money towards a good monitor. Not forgetting if you did ever have the inclination to get an expert to overclock your comp, you\'d be laughing and pointing at the Q9450\'s inflated price tag.

Suggested graphics card upgrades would be Nvidia GTX 260/ GTX 280/ Radeon HD 4870

3) I believe the 64bit operating system does perform better, but i\'m not sure it\'s great for inexperienced users. That\'s something else to look up on for yourself.

( Edited 05.08.2008 02:15 by Slydevil )

1) ok thanks

2)well where are the links to each,

tell me which one would be better for gaming in general:

E6850: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028

E8500: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

3)i think i might get the GeForce 9800 GX2, call me crazy.

4) i have had vista for over a year now, and i love it. so getting the 64bit will go smooth.

5) also, what is all this about updating drivers and such???

2) E6850, in my opinion.

3) Go for the GTX 280 instead of the 9800 GX2, i've decided it's better, as well as cheaper. Keep in mind going for the ultra high-end instead of value (but decent performance) always leads to a bit of a bite in the arse, a slightly more powerful card will most likely be released in the few months after you've bought it, and prices tumble.

5) Drivers are how one component communicates with everything else. Companies are always tweaking, adding new features with pretty constant new driver releases. They may boost perfomance very slightly, solve errors etc.

2) ok, i picked that one.

3) i also picked that. lol

5) how would i update these?

6) don't the CPU Manufacturing Tech and the mobo Manufacturing Tech have to match? because the CPU one is 65nm, and the mobo is 45nm.

5) Download'em, then install'em

6) Yaha

lol. what exactly is your budget??, because you moved from getting a 8800 GT (which you suggested) to a top 9 series card. That\'s quite a difference in cost :/

2) It would right now, yes, games are useless right now at utilising cores. Although the quad would be better at most other things. Also, if it was a toss up between the E6850, and the dual core you suggested, go for my suggestion despite the .16 speed increase, as it works on the 45nm architecture (I believe) rather than the 65nm architecture. (There are quite a lot of places comparing them, google for a bit, i\'m not 100% positive).

Useless?, Far Cry2 uses 4 CPU cores the game comes out next month!. Next year will see many more. The advantage in games will be clearly evident in comparison videos when they start popping up. 4 cores will be baseline for the next generation of games which will utilize it thoroughly, just wait and see. All Cryteks new projects will be doing the same because CryEngine2 demands it.

3) Go for the GTX 280 instead of the 9800 GX2, i\'ve decided it\'s better, as well as cheaper. Keep in mind going for the ultra high-end instead of value (but decent performance) always leads to a bit of a bite in the arse, a slightly more powerful card will most likely be released in the few months after you\'ve bought it, and prices tumble.

Slydevil, the exact same applies to the GTX 280, when the 300 comes out.

The 9800 GX2 can play Crysis in max settings with amazing FPS performance, the same cannot be said of the GTX280 which has lower performance but value for money. It has the same eye candy but where are the same FPS.

The GX2 is incredible in SLi, that\'s why I have opted for it. I have a Dual Socket Extreme mobo in mind, for work purposes primarily.

I will be getting this performance very soon, it will be ample on the evidence of this lol.

When I buy a graphics card I don\'t look at how much money I will save in energy costs, I don\'t care, raw power is my only concern. Besides, when I get mine the new mobo I will be using with it has on board graphics meaning I can switch off my cards totally with a simple click.

Daikru, if you are going to go for the cheaper option in the GTX 280 at least get a 1024mb model, if you can find one. It will give you better future proofing over the standard 512mb model with some tweaking.

EDIT:

I would go for the E8500, I mean it\'s not like you are going to OC in any hurry. 3.10ghz+ in Crysis works brilliantly.

( Edited 05.08.2008 13:07 by Linkyshinks )

Linkyshinks said:
te] Useless?, Far Cry2 uses 4 CPU cores the game comes out next month!. Next year will see many more. The advantage in games will be clearly evident in comparison videos when they start popping up. 4 cores will be baseline for the next generation of games which will utilize it thoroughly, just wait and see. All Cryteks new projects will be doing the same because CryEngine2 demands it.

I was about to post more about this. But right now, what I said is absolutely the truth. And if it were me buying personally, i'd still probably opt for the dual core, but it would seem that i'd be working to a much tighter budget than this dude.

Slydevil, the exact same applies to the GTX 280, when the 300 comes out.

I was referring to both cards. They're both ultra high-end.

The 9800 GX2 can play Crysis in max settings with amazing FPS performance, the same cannot be said of the GTX280 which has lower performance but value for money. It has the same eye candy but where are the same FPS.

The GX2 is incredible in SLi, that's why I have opted for it. I have a Dual Socket Extreme mobo in mind, for work purposes primarily.

I will be getting this performance very soon, it will be ample on the evidence of this lol.

When I buy a graphics card I don't look at how much money I will save in energy costs, I don't care, raw power is my only concern. Besides, when I get mine the new mobo I will be using with it has on board graphics meaning I can switch off my cards totally with a simple click.

Daikru, if you are going to go for the cheaper option in the GTX 280 at least get a 1024mb model, if you can find one. It will give you better future proofing over the standard 512mb model with some tweaking.

That video isn't really relavent, since he's using 2, 9800 GX2's. You'll find conflicting reports, but I do believe the GTX 280 performs better on its own than the 9800 GX2 on its own.

Ok, here's what I think you should get:

It's actually more similar to your original choices, but i've conserved money for you. The processor is the same clock speed as the Q9450, but it's an older edition, so it doesn't run quite as efficiently. The motherboard should be a cheaper choice than your other one, but it's still futureproofed (and still fairly expensive). I've put my preferred case, which I definitely think you should use.

Then there's things like the HDD, DVD drive, RAM, keyboard that all have good brands behind them, that'll do just fine. There not the type of things in my opinion, that anyone needs to spend too much money on in a new comp as long as they're good quality (and the RAM is at least DDR2 800MHz), unless you're a bit barmy. I've kept your choices of speakers and mouse. That power supply will do just fine as well.

It's a difficult period to choose a CPU, because of the fuss about quad cores and duals. But basically, higher clocked quads are still very expensive, but due to quads being better at everything else bar gaming, and possibly games will start really making use of them in the near future, I think you'd regret getting a dual core.

Otherwise it's up to you whether you go for the 8800GT or the GTX 260/280.
Just to give you an idea, with the 8800GT you'd be playing almost all games out right now at max, except for the odd few (where'd you'd probably just play at a slightly lower resolution), the main one being Crysis. You'd probably be playing that on high settings. If you wen't for the 280, you'd obliterate everything, except Crysis, which you'd probably manage to play on Very High.

Phew.

I have thought over what you both have said, and this list is most likely the final parts i will buy.

And i picked the GTX 280 because of YouTube videos comparing it with the 9800 GX2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GHyE9xJZJE&feature=user

Discuss.

Yup, the computer should do you brilliantly, it's just expensive. You'll have fun.

Make sure you follow online guides to PC building strictly, expecially since it's your first time, there's loads of good guides.

For monitors, look out for Samsung Pebble monitors, they're super yummy. Pick whatever size you want, make sure the resolution is 1650x1050 or over, the response time is 2ms-6ms and it has a good contrast ratio. It'll all be in the specifications. And check the reviews are good.

HOLD YOUR HORSES!!

For a start you\'ve completely the wrong route, FORGET nVidia, their motherboards and graphic cards are over-priced, over noisey and under powered. Also you should never listen to a person who advises you to put 3gig of RAM in a dual-banking motherboard, that quite clearly points to a lack of understanding on PC building and just going for hype.

----

The specs you\'ve put in are unbalanced and a waste of money. You are pairing a GeForce280 with DDR2 memory and an outdated, and not so great chipset. Thats going to bottleneck your system and waste your money. An AMD 4870 barely loses out to a nVidia 280 when both are using DDR3 and the AMD is half the price so you can have DDR3 and the AMD4870.

The Creative audigy\'s have had a terrible record, you actually need to buy the drivers to get it to work properly with Vista and the onboard sound for PCs is really good anyway, takes up less room and gives better airflow so you are better off without it.

---

Here\'s the PC I built, I haven\'t bothered with case, keyboard, etc as they are more aesthetic and personal preference.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6660 - Brilliant overclocker with the bundled fan - $194.99

Motherboard - DFI LAN Party UT X48 - One of the best gaming board makers using one of the best chipsets, the 790i is a little better but a lot more expensive - $319.99

Memory - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model - This is the reference kit for most professional review sites and with good reason, stable and fast -$197.00

Graphics - 2x ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card Retail - In crossfire these kick the arse of the GeForce280. I went for the most expensive but you can get a lot cheaper - $569.98

PSU - Antec Signature SG850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - A very strong and quiet PSU which are the twomain things to look, its expensive but this is powering your system and most systems will downclock if there\'s not enough juice - $299

Total- $1581.95

Yours came in at $1354.95 for the similar parts so I best state that some of the parts are the best on the market so you can cut back on the PSU to a slightly cheaper one or go with cheaper 4870s. Also I only checked newegg (its 1.00am and I have work in the morning) so if you look around you can get cheaper.

But there\'s two things to bare in mind though, AMD is releasing the 4870 X2 soon which will perform better than two 4870s in crossfire due to a better dedicated memory controller (the problem with all other dual GPU setups) and most importantly Nelehem.

Nelehem is Intel\'s next CPU and is already benchmarking higher than Intel\'s flagship processors (the 3Ghz+ Penryns) by between 20%-50% depending on application and they will be out in Q4 (October to December) so you might be better off waiting a few months.

( Edited 06.08.2008 01:14 by MGE )

For a start you've completely the wrong route, FORGET nVidia, their motherboards and graphic cards are over-priced, over noisey and under powered.

Overpriced, noisy, but not underpowered. :/