Thinking about building a desktop! Need help!

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chili dude96

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Jan 6, 2010
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Hey guys, I'm thinking about building a desktop but I really don't know what I'm doing. I'm thinking of spending around 1000. Can some1 list for me all the stuff I need to buy and maybe recommend what to buy.
I'm thinking of a Antec 900 for the case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
I have my mom's 24" Soyo Topaz S monitor, heres a link to the review they no longer sell it. http://www.thinkcomputers.org/old/index.php?x=reviews&id=733
Is that a good monitor? Do I need a new one? Is it just way too big and I will need super high mouse sensitivity to move my cursor across the screen?

Thats about all I have, I need recommendations from keyboards to processors. Oh and please lets not get a Nvidia, they re brand the same product too much and I just had a 260m croak after a year.
 
the slayer said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119230

i'd say go for that case, i have it and i love it. It is pretty big, make sure u have enough space, and i don't know if it fits in your budget :)
Click to expand...

That's about $40 more than the case he wanted. If he can afford that, he should get this instead:

NZXT Phantom: Black White or Red

The Phantom trades the massive wind tunnel look for a much sleeker design that still has fantastic airflow, wire management, a built in 5-channel fan controller, and is built very very well, and is completely tool-less. My fiance has one for her system, and I must say that I really wish I had one too. I just can't afford it right now. It's an amazing case. I'm not saying the HAF 932 isn't good, just I think the Phantom is designed better.

The Antec 900 was an amazing case... 5 years ago. I still have it as my main computer case, and it works, but the wire management is horrible. Cases that have been made in the last couple years are designed better. Don't get me wrong, I love my 900, but I have to admit that other cases are better.

The CM Storm Scout is a really good case with decent wire managemnt and it looks pretty good too. I would recommend that over the 900.
 
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mad pistol said:
The Antec 900 was an amazing case... 5 years ago. I still have it as my main computer case, and it works, but the wire management is horrible.
Click to expand...

This. For the most part cases are personal preference on looks, however there are some things you want to look for to get more modern cases. Air flow, cable management, and tool-less. I know all Lian-Li cases are tool-less and are fantastic. Right, Phobus?:lol:

Also, if you're on a $1000 budget the $50+ you could save getting a cheaper case can bump you up a tier in GPU or CPU. I would not get the Phantom or HAF 932 simply because of that. Unless of course you really care that much about spending money on a case.


Now for the actual build. Very basic parts for a gaming PC:

1. Motherboard
2. Matching CPU
3. Compatible RAM
4. PSU (wait for Reflex to tell you what's good)
5. GPU
6. Hard drive

When you pick a CPU for your budget (which most likely will be an i5 or comparable AMD) you want to check the socket for your specific chip. If you get an i5 2500k, look at the details and it says socket LGA 1155. Then when you search newegg for a motherboard, only look for LGA 1155. Anything else won't work.

Details on motherboards are mostly about overclocking potential. If you're interested in that you'll want to talk to some of the people who know more about that. Just look for USB 3.0 and SATA 6 for future-proofing. And of course if you need some demonic amount of USB ports, that might influence your decision.

RAM has clock speeds on it just like everything else. The important thing is that the clock speed for the specific RAM you buy must be at least equal to your motherboard's minimum. Anything higher will still work. Oh, and stay away from OCZ RAM.

For power supply, there's a specific list of what brands are good, and even which lines within brands are worthwhile. Reflex knows more about this than me, and will probably give you a full list if you ask. All I know is the Seasonic X line is in the "excellent" category, and that's good enough for me. Either the Seasonic X650W or X750W, depending on if you want to SLI/xfire down the road. More than that is just silly.

You say you don't want nVidia, but really once you get into higher tier performance that's your only option right now. For a $1000 computer, you'll probably be looking at GTX 460/70 or Radeon 6850/70. Somewhere around abouts there. Just keep in mind, nVidia actually improves with drivers so their cards will end up better down the road.

As for the HDD, just get a spinpoint F3 1TB. It's basically at the peak of price/performance. Going cheaper won't save you that much money compared to the amount of space you're losing. If you're interested in blowing major cash to speed up boot times, look into some SSDs. They're horrendously expensive and probably won't fit in your final budget, but by all accounts they're worth it.

I know Phobus has a build thread. If he's still doing that it's worth your while to answer the questions he's got in it.
 
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a pet rock said:
This. For the most part cases are personal preference on looks, however there are some things you want to look for to get more modern cases. Air flow, cable management, and tool-less. I know all Lian-Li cases are tool-less and are fantastic. Right, Phobus?:lol:
Click to expand...

Lol. Don't make me rant about the 900.
Lian Li cases aren't the only toolless cases, but they are probably the highest quality in America.

a pet rock said:
Also, if you're on a $1000 budget the $50+ you could save getting a cheaper case can bump you up a tier in GPU or CPU. I would not get the Phantom or HAF 932 simply because of that. Unless of course you really care that much about spending money on a case.
Click to expand...

This. At the most, 10% of your budget should go into a case. The majority of a gaming PC's budget should go into the GPU.

a pet rock said:
Now for the actual build. Very basic parts for a gaming PC:

1. Motherboard
2. Matching CPU
3. Compatible RAM
4. PSU (wait for Reflex to tell you what's good)
5. GPU
6. Hard drive

When you pick a CPU for your budget (which most likely will be an i5 or comparable AMD) you want to check the socket for your specific chip. If you get an i5 2500k, look at the details and it says socket LGA 1155. Then when you search newegg for a motherboard, only look for LGA 1155. Anything else won't work.

Details on motherboards are mostly about overclocking potential. If you're interested in that you'll want to talk to some of the people who know more about that. Just look for USB 3.0 and SATA 6 for future-proofing. And of course if you need some demonic amount of USB ports, that might influence your decision.

RAM has clock speeds on it just like everything else. The important thing is that the clock speed for the specific RAM you buy must be at least equal to your motherboard's minimum. Anything higher will still work. Oh, and stay away from OCZ RAM.

For power supply, there's a specific list of what brands are good, and even which lines within brands are worthwhile. Reflex knows more about this than me, and will probably give you a full list if you ask. All I know is the Seasonic X line is in the "excellent" category, and that's good enough for me. Either the Seasonic X650W or X750W, depending on if you want to SLI/xfire down the road. More than that is just silly.

You say you don't want nVidia, but really once you get into higher tier performance that's your only option right now. For a $1000 computer, you'll probably be looking at GTX 460/70 or Radeon 6850/70. Somewhere around abouts there. Just keep in mind, nVidia actually improves with drivers so their cards will end up better down the road.

As for the HDD, just get a spinpoint F3 1TB. It's basically at the peak of price/performance. Going cheaper won't save you that much money compared to the amount of space you're losing. If you're interested in blowing major cash to speed up boot times, look into some SSDs. They're horrendously expensive and probably won't fit in your final budget, but by all accounts they're worth it.
Click to expand...

CPU/Mobo: Yep, everything has to match. 1155 is only compatible with 1155. AM3 CPUs will work in most AM2+ boards, but going DDR2 would be more expensive now.
RAM: Yup. OCZ stopped making ram. About time.
PSUs: Reflex definitely is the guru of PSUs around here. I'm learnin, but he knows all. lol. I can personally speak of the X-650's excellence. And unless you're going multi-GPU, the X-560 is all you need, unless you're going to be using some power hungry cards, then the X-650 is better.
GPU: You can maybe get away with a 570, but 460/470 or 6850/70 is more realistic.
HDD/SSD: $1k isn't enough of a budget to have high end parts and a (good) SSD. Get an F3, or an F4. If you need 500-1TB, the F3, if you need 320GB or 2TB, the F4.

a pet rock said:
I know Phobus has a build thread. If he's still doing that it's worth your while to answer the questions he's got in it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been pretty busy with school. I could bump that thread...
 
I think we will do a phantom. I am obsessed with cooling. So is there a particular mobo/cpu/ram configuration you recommend for my budget, by the way I think since I'm getting the phantom my budget is now 1050, :D. So don't worry about dropping a cpu level.
 
chili dude96 said:
I think we will do a phantom. I am obsessed with cooling. So is there a particular mobo/cpu/ram configuration you recommend for my budget, by the way I think since I'm getting the phantom my budget is now 1050, :D. So don't worry about dropping a cpu level.
Click to expand...

I'll do you a build pretty soon here. Let me find my request form...

E/ Here, fill this out.
Code: 
1a. What is your budget?
	1b. What is your postal/zip code? 
	1c. US or CAN?
	1d. If you’re neither, please give a website that I can use.
	1e. When do you plan on purchasing?
	2a. What is the main purpose of this computer?
	2b. If work and gaming, specify which is more important.
	3a. Do you plan on overclocking?
	3b. If yes, what is your goal?
	4a. What do you need in this build?
	4b. How much harddrive space do you need/want?
	4c. If the budget allows, would you prefer more harddrive space or an SSD?
	5a. How long do you plan on keeping this computer?
	5b. If you’re planning to upgrade this computer down the road, let me know.
	6a. In a case, what is more important? Looks, cooling, or sound? I would like if you picked out a case.
	6b. I will strictly not choose keyboards or mice.
	6c. If you need a monitor, list what size and resolution you’d like.

It is a lengthy form, but it will allow me to put some parts together that will perfectly match what you want.
 
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Alright so for graphics a AMD Radeon™ HD 6850 is 182, but a AMD Radeon™ HD 6870 is 238, so is it worth the extra?

For hard drive 320 - 500 is enough space, coul you send me the link to what you think I should get?

Also for the cpu I would like to get a quad core if possible, got any good links for that?
 
1a. What is your budget? 1050. could max out to 1200 if really nessecasary
1b. What is your postal/zip code? 44122
1c. US or CAN? us
1d. If you?re neither, please give a website that I can use.
1e. When do you plan on purchasing? next 2 weeks
2a. What is the main purpose of this computer? gaming
2b. If work and gaming, specify which is more important.
3a. Do you plan on overclocking? not really, dont wanna burn it up, unless your good and u think its nessecary
3b. If yes, what is your goal?
4a. What do you need in this build? everything
4b. How much harddrive space do you need/want? 320gb, if its a few more bucks then get more
4c. If the budget allows, would you prefer more harddrive space or an SSD? if the budget allows more processor
5a. How long do you plan on keeping this computer? 3 years
5b. If you?re planning to upgrade this computer down the road, let me know. kk
6a. In a case, what is more important? Looks, cooling, or sound? I would like if you picked out a case. cooling cooling cooling, if you don't like my case pick out 1, i want tons of fans, aka ill add extra if there is room
6b. I will strictly not choose keyboards or mice. yeah i need to go to a store and feel some
6c. If you need a monitor, list what size and resolution you?d like. unless my monitor i got form my mom is bad, which it isnt it cost a couple hundred
 
A lot of people misinterpret 5b. I want to know if you're wanting to upgrade later on, so I can make this build more upgradeable.
 
Here it is. Since you won't be overclocking, this CPU is good. I am jealous of this rig. It's better than mine. :(

121456-1212011110811pm.png


Here are the links:

CPU + RAM
DVD Burner
Case
HDD
PSU
OS
GPU + Motherboard
 
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2 questions, 1 what vent room are you in because you are online. 2, i said ati not nvidia, but is that nvidia worth it, 3 will u be there to give me tech support when installing the computer?
 
That's 3 questions.

1) I am not in vent.
2) This is an amazing price to performance card. Don't be narrow minded on which brand you like.
3) Sure. I am actually thinking of making a build guide for my website.

E/ Read my posts often, as I generally edit them.
 
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