new build

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BRAVO51

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im building a new pc for my friend who isn't that tech savy. most intesne game he plays is LoL (he plays 24/7) and he planning on getting batman arkham city. Other than that he dosen't to that much on a pc.
budget $1000-1500, willing to go a little higher than 1500
His preferences
cpu-dosen't matter between intel, AMD
RAM-at least 4GB, he can care less about the speed
psu- modular, non modular i can work with but he wants modular
hardrive-at least 1 SSD for his games
Mid tower case
keyboard
24inch monitor 1080p
 
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Just an observation. If you're going to do water cooling, then that limits your case pick, as more companies are offering their cases created for water cooling. I've seen more full tower cases with that feature, than mid towers so though you think a mid tower may be more practical, a full tower may be better.

With the budget, do we need to include speakers, keyboard, mouse, OS, etc? And is there a preference for CPU or can a build use either Intel or AMD?
 
I assume you are simply talking about a closed loop water cooling for the cpu only like corsair and antec offer, not a full blown custom loop.

2500k $200
z68/p67 mobo $200
crucial m4 128gb $200
6950 2gb $250
SeaSonic M12II 520 PSU $100
8gb 1600 $30
Windows 7 $100
24" monitor $300 (could get a nice dell or hp ips)
 
Snipeye said:
Just an observation. If you're going to do water cooling, then that limits your case pick, as more companies are offering their cases created for water cooling. I've seen more full tower cases with that feature, than mid towers so though you think a mid tower may be more practical, a full tower may be better.

With the budget, do we need to include speakers, keyboard, mouse, OS, etc? And is there a preference for CPU or can a build use either Intel or AMD?
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yea just though about the water cooling thing again and im going to ditch it because im pretty postive he won't maintain it well. Doesn't matter which cpu.
OS, and keyboard included no need for mouse and speakers.
 
Things I learned from building a few computers including my current one from this summer:

1)Read, read, read. I read reviews and specs for almost a year before pulling the trigger.
2)Don't skimp on CPU cooling, get a good cooler.
3)Get a good, well built and well reviewed case. I would even look for an overbuilt case like Lian Li or Corsair.
4)8gb of RAM FTW!! RAM is so friggin cheap, no reason to skimp.
5)Get a strong, and UPGRADEABLE motherboard that will fill needs for at least 5 years (like a second graphics card, more RAM, etc)
6)NEVER skimp on the QUALITY of the power supply. Unless you're running a monster rig, you don't need a massive power supply, but this needs to THE most stable piece in your system. Get a good one.
7)Buy a little up for the graphics card. If you buy the middle, it feels like the middle. BUT sometimes 2 middle graphics cards are better and cheaper then the top of the line.
 
frost889 said:
Things I learned from building a few computers including my current one from this summer:

1)Read, read, read. I read reviews and specs for almost a year before pulling the trigger.
2)Don't skimp on CPU cooling, get a good cooler.
3)Get a good, well built and well reviewed case. I would even look for an overbuilt case like Lian Li or Corsair.
4)8gb of RAM FTW!! RAM is so friggin cheap, no reason to skimp.
5)Get a strong, and UPGRADEABLE motherboard that will fill needs for at least 5 years (like a second graphics card, more RAM, etc)
6)NEVER skimp on the QUALITY of the power supply. Unless you're running a monster rig, you don't need a massive power supply, but this needs to THE most stable piece in your system. Get a good one.
7)Buy a little up for the graphics card. If you buy the middle, it feels like the middle. BUT sometimes 2 middle graphics cards are better and cheaper then the top of the line.
Click to expand...

most of these points are common sense when building a new pc. I've learned most of these when i upgraded my computer and helped another friend build his.
 
BRAVO51 said:
most of these points are common sense when building a new pc. I've learned most of these when i upgraded my computer and helped another friend build his.
Click to expand...

Sorry man, didn't know your experience level.

Just offering advice. I always try to stick to the basics. And for some strange reason, a lot of what I learned isn't common sense for some people, even me as it took trial and error. Mostly error.
 
frost889 said:
Sorry man, didn't know your experience level.

Just offering advice. I always try to stick to the basics. And for some strange reason, a lot of what I learned isn't common sense for some people, even me as it took trial and error. Mostly error.
Click to expand...

it's alright. i know some people who went through trial and error, for example my friends cousin built his computer, but he put a crappy psu u in it and it fried his mobo.
 
iMatthew. You're going to have to change the build recommendation. OS and keyboard need to be included in the price. And you didn't recommend a GPU.

Here's something that I put together. Prices are rounded up.
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K ($220)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P ($175)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaw 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz ($30)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD ($190)
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HDD ($150)
Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ ($30)
GPU: EVGA Geforce GTX 570 (Fermi) ($340)
Case: NZXT Phantom ($125)
PSU: Corsair HX 750 ($140)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit ($100)
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4 ($48)
Shipping and Handling: $10
Total: $1557.85.

Alternatively, you can go with a 560 Ti for $250, saving you $90 to bring it under the $1500 limit. The SSD comes with a 2.5"-to-3.5" converter bay, which will save a few dollars. I got a Solid3 without one, so I had to purchase one for it as well. I prefer the Intel chips since, in my opinion, they are still the better chips to buy for gaming. For $1500, I'd expect more than an FX-4100, which is nowhere near the performance of a 2500K. Even the top of the line FX chip, 8150, struggles to compete against it.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8150-zambezi-bulldozer-990fx,3043-18.html
http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-fx-8150--8120-6100-and-4100-performance-review/6
 
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He actually had a 6950 2gb recommended which I would take over a gtx 570. However, 2500k is definitely the way to go as I stated already. You seem to have forgotten a psu (snipeye) and monitor (both of you). HDD, I would skip that until you can find a deal with prices being what they are. Use an old one or wait till you get a 1tb under $100. I have seen several deals in the last month, so they are bound to come up.

As for closed loop corsair water coolers, they require no maintenance like a custom water loop would need. So they are viable options, but they are expensive for what you get. They can compete with top end air coolers, but a $50 or less air cooler like the Hyper 212+ would be plenty, especially to get a great overclock out of the 2500k. They are nice for keeping your mobo area less cluttered since you do not have a huge tower heatsink, but cooling efficiency is not up to that of a custom water loop.
 
Huckleberry, yes. Forgot to type in the PSU, but I did forget to price a monitor.

Monitor: 24" Asus Widescreen Monitor ($200)

Bravo mentioned he'll recommend the 560Ti to save money, and if we factor in the HDD recommendation, that results in a savings of $240, which allows for the purchase of the monitor to be a few dollars over the $1500 budget. Sorry for my mistake on the monitor.

New Total Estimated Price: $1507.89

There's also an additional $60 in MIR's with my build, so the total price would hypothetically be $1447.89.
 
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