Off Topic: The Flood
This topic has moved here: Subject: Want to build a PC? PC Building Guide and FAQ of The Flood
  • Subject: Want to build a PC? PC Building Guide and FAQ of The Flood
Subject: Want to build a PC? PC Building Guide and FAQ of The Flood


Posted by: AaronG67

Posted by: masterowner45
I would like to run Battlefield 3 on medium to high settings so let me know what you guys think of this setup.
A CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA250 AMD FX-4100:
AMD FX Series Quad Core FX 4100 Processor 3.6GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
A 500 watt power supply
ASUS ENGTX550 Ti/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI.

If you need more details let me know, I dont wanna go and spend the money if it is gonna disappoint.
Looks like it could run BF3 on High/Ultra.

Looks good.

I would say high with HBAO at 45FPS 2xx AA and 16AF with around 45FPS on average.

I would really recommend 650 WATT PSU. You can run it safely on a 500, but 650 for future proof.

[Edited on 06.17.2012 1:08 PM PDT]

  • 06.17.2012 1:07 PM PDT

Posted by: BoyceKRP
duckingd
drink
seriously
me bell sean ressea ellio tand i
-blam!-img party. totallt waasted . ph my god.
i called ashy;n, i dnno if that was a good ideo. i'ma sleep with her or sometning, fujuuuck

So I made a thread about building a PC last night but I was directed here, so here we go.


I know nothing about building PC's... At all.

I need to know everything I need to run a game like Skyrim on at least pretty good settings. Max is obviously desired, but I only want to spend about $800 - $1000 on the tower, so if that will be difficult with that budget, it's alright.

I also need to know if I should take it to a custom PC shop, as I will have no idea what I am doing. The money spent at the shop will not count towards my actual budget for building the PC, so you don't need to factor that in.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me, thanks in advance.

  • 06.17.2012 1:28 PM PDT

Steam ID: Tundruh
BattleTag: Fluttershy#1115 Skullcrusher-Ally - Arthas-Horde

y u do dis


Posted by: spirit of sand
So I made a thread about building a PC last night but I was directed here, so here we go.


I know nothing about building PC's... At all.

I need to know everything I need to run a game like Skyrim on at least pretty good settings. Max is obviously desired, but I only want to spend about $800 - $1000 on the tower, so if that will be difficult with that budget, it's alright.

I also need to know if I should take it to a custom PC shop, as I will have no idea what I am doing. The money spent at the shop will not count towards my actual budget for building the PC, so you don't need to factor that in.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me, thanks in advance.


If you're not comfortable with building yourself, buy from sites like iBuyPower, CyberPower PC, etc.

Here's one you should check out.

  • 06.17.2012 1:45 PM PDT


Posted by: kikashi hatake

Posted by: AaronG67

Posted by: masterowner45
I would like to run Battlefield 3 on medium to high settings so let me know what you guys think of this setup.
A CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA250 AMD FX-4100:
AMD FX Series Quad Core FX 4100 Processor 3.6GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
A 500 watt power supply
ASUS ENGTX550 Ti/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI.

If you need more details let me know, I dont wanna go and spend the money if it is gonna disappoint.
Looks like it could run BF3 on High/Ultra.

Looks good.

I would say high with HBAO at 45FPS 2xx AA and 16AF with around 45FPS on average.

I would really recommend 650 WATT PSU. You can run it safely on a 500, but 650 for future proof.
I'm sorry but I am new to this and have no idea what it means haha. Please elaborate what HBAO is and all of the other things.

  • 06.17.2012 1:46 PM PDT

Steam ID: Tundruh
BattleTag: Fluttershy#1115 Skullcrusher-Ally - Arthas-Horde

y u do dis


Posted by: masterowner45

Posted by: kikashi hatake

Posted by: AaronG67

Posted by: masterowner45
I would like to run Battlefield 3 on medium to high settings so let me know what you guys think of this setup.
A CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA250 AMD FX-4100:
AMD FX Series Quad Core FX 4100 Processor 3.6GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
A 500 watt power supply
ASUS ENGTX550 Ti/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI.

If you need more details let me know, I dont wanna go and spend the money if it is gonna disappoint.
Looks like it could run BF3 on High/Ultra.

Looks good.

I would say high with HBAO at 45FPS 2xx AA and 16AF with around 45FPS on average.

I would really recommend 650 WATT PSU. You can run it safely on a 500, but 650 for future proof.
I'm sorry but I am new to this and have no idea what it means haha. Please elaborate what HBAO is and all of the other things.


AA= Anti Aliasing
AF= Anisotropic Filtering
HBAO= Horizon Based Ambient Occlusion

  • 06.17.2012 1:52 PM PDT

I r guy who gun to teach u lesson

Can someone make me a build with a price of around 1,200 dollars (with an intel CPU and built in wireless)?

[Edited on 06.17.2012 1:56 PM PDT]

  • 06.17.2012 1:55 PM PDT


Posted by: Tundruh

Posted by: masterowner45

Posted by: kikashi hatake

Posted by: AaronG67

Posted by: masterowner45
I would like to run Battlefield 3 on medium to high settings so let me know what you guys think of this setup.
A CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA250 AMD FX-4100:
AMD FX Series Quad Core FX 4100 Processor 3.6GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
A 500 watt power supply
ASUS ENGTX550 Ti/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI.

If you need more details let me know, I dont wanna go and spend the money if it is gonna disappoint.
Looks like it could run BF3 on High/Ultra.

Looks good.

I would say high with HBAO at 45FPS 2xx AA and 16AF with around 45FPS on average.

I would really recommend 650 WATT PSU. You can run it safely on a 500, but 650 for future proof.
I'm sorry but I am new to this and have no idea what it means haha. Please elaborate what HBAO is and all of the other things.


AA= Anti Aliasing
AF= Anisotropic Filtering
HBAO= Horizon Based Ambient Occlusion
Okay and I am guessing this all pretty decent settings? Sorry if I seem stupid this is all new to me.

  • 06.17.2012 1:58 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN


Posted by: Statefarm98
Can someone make me a build with a price of around 1,200 dollars (with an intel CPU and built in wireless)?

Sure....give me a bit of time. Also....why do you need a new build? I thought that you already had a gaming desktop?

  • 06.17.2012 2:10 PM PDT

Posted by: BoyceKRP
duckingd
drink
seriously
me bell sean ressea ellio tand i
-blam!-img party. totallt waasted . ph my god.
i called ashy;n, i dnno if that was a good ideo. i'ma sleep with her or sometning, fujuuuck


Posted by: Tundruh

Posted by: spirit of sand
So I made a thread about building a PC last night but I was directed here, so here we go.


I know nothing about building PC's... At all.

I need to know everything I need to run a game like Skyrim on at least pretty good settings. Max is obviously desired, but I only want to spend about $800 - $1000 on the tower, so if that will be difficult with that budget, it's alright.

I also need to know if I should take it to a custom PC shop, as I will have no idea what I am doing. The money spent at the shop will not count towards my actual budget for building the PC, so you don't need to factor that in.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me, thanks in advance.


If you're not comfortable with building yourself, buy from sites like iBuyPower, CyberPower PC, etc.

Here's one you should check out.
Isn't is usually preferred to customize it yourself, or does it really matter?

I'll really only use it for games, internet browsing obviously, and music. Very few other things if any.

  • 06.17.2012 2:12 PM PDT

Posted by: spirit of sand
So I made a thread about building a PC last night but I was directed here, so here we go.


I know nothing about building PC's... At all.

I need to know everything I need to run a game like Skyrim on at least pretty good settings. Max is obviously desired, but I only want to spend about $800 - $1000 on the tower, so if that will be difficult with that budget, it's alright.

I also need to know if I should take it to a custom PC shop, as I will have no idea what I am doing. The money spent at the shop will not count towards my actual budget for building the PC, so you don't need to factor that in.

I appreciate any help you guys can give me, thanks in advance.

Well, for graphics cards (which will be your primary concern for gaming), I'd suggest referring to this page as they have nicely laid out the GPUs and what you can expect from them. If you're going to keep to your budget, the ATI/AMD cards will get you the most bang for your buck.

For a CPU, again AMD will be getting you the most performance for your money. I'd suggest referring to this page to get a good overview of the CPUs on the market and their current standings (with their average price). Most CPUs should come with their own heatsink so unless you plan to overclock or push your computer hard, you don't need to worry about an after market heatsink.

For RAM, you'll most likely want to look into DDR3 RAM and 4 GB should do you just fine with DDR3 1600 being about the fastest you would need (there is faster though, but require overclocking).

For the PSU (power supply unit), anything around 600 Watts should probably be good for your budget so that you have plenty of room for power usage.

The motherboard is a little bit more complicated in that you need to find one that will work with your CPU choice. The CPU should say what kind of socket it requires and you need to find a motherboard that has that socket. You also don't want to go too cheap on the motherboard as it's the hub for all your parts. Also note what its form factor is as you'll need this for the case (ATX is one for example).

Moving onto the case as I mentioned above, note what motherboard form factor it supports. You'll probably be looking for what is known as a mid-tower case, but the important thing to note is the form factor. Also make sure the case has the proper ventilation you will require (which mostly boils down to there being a fan on the back, the side, and maybe in other places too). Another thing to note is how well your parts will fit in general from the cables to the hard drives.

On the note of hard drives, there are a couple kinds, but for your budget, a traditional HDD should do just fine. 500 GB - 1 TB should be a good amount of space unless you plan to store very large files. Also, the thing to note in the price differences you'll see is the cache size (affects performance), RPM (affects performance), and the transfer rate (affects performance). However, these performance differences probably wouldn't be noticed while gaming so don't worry too much and find a good deal. I however, do recommend going for a 7200 RPM HDD if you can.

Continuing with hard drives, there are solid state drives (SSDs) which are generally smaller in capacity, but far faster. For your budget, I wouldn't really consider this option too heavily. There are also hybrid hard drives that are a mixture of the two, but the traditional HDD should do you fine. Do note that a "bare" drive does not come with any cables, but your motherboard should have the needed cables anyways.

Moving onto disc drives, you'll probably want one to install/read stuff. If you can, I would recommend a Blu-ray drive, but if you can't make it fit your budget, a regular CD drive should do just fine.

Now you might want to consider additional parts such as a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. If you already have these parts from an old computer, you can use them on your new computer too. However, you might also want to consider how you plan to connect to the internet. If you do so wirelessly, you'll need an adapter of sorts (the most simplest of which is one that plugs into the USB port). Though if you plan to connect through Ethernet, the motherboard should have an input for that.

______________

For the actual building, if you're not confident in your ability to build the actual tower, you should probably consult someone who does. The worst thing to happen is for you to break something. That being said, putting a computer together can be simple as long as you don't rush yourself, and take your time (and without question, reading the manuals/researching). Installing the CPU and heatsink on the motherboard is probably the most difficult part. However, if you stick to the stock heatsink that came with the CPU (if one does), it should already be ready to be attached.

In any case, I highly recommend watching Newegg's tutorials:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Edit: Whoops, completely forgot about the operating system. In your case, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit edition should be good.

[Edited on 06.17.2012 2:19 PM PDT]

  • 06.17.2012 2:12 PM PDT

Steam ID: Tundruh
BattleTag: Fluttershy#1115 Skullcrusher-Ally - Arthas-Horde

y u do dis


Posted by: spirit of sand
Isn't is usually preferred to customize it yourself, or does it really matter?

I'll really only use it for games, internet browsing obviously, and music. Very few other things if any.


I suggested those sites because you said you had no knowledge of building. If you're willing to learn, or planning on having someone else do it for you, then just buy the parts.

[Edited on 06.17.2012 2:20 PM PDT]

  • 06.17.2012 2:19 PM PDT

Steam ID: Tundruh
BattleTag: Fluttershy#1115 Skullcrusher-Ally - Arthas-Horde

y u do dis


Posted by: Statefarm98
Can someone make me a build with a price of around 1,200 dollars (with an intel CPU and built in wireless)?


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ajNT

  • 06.17.2012 2:24 PM PDT

Posted by: BoyceKRP
duckingd
drink
seriously
me bell sean ressea ellio tand i
-blam!-img party. totallt waasted . ph my god.
i called ashy;n, i dnno if that was a good ideo. i'ma sleep with her or sometning, fujuuuck

Thank you very much, that definitely helps a lot. So am I just gunna have to read up on different parts to decide if they are worth buying? I'm pretty used to that, so it won't be a problem, but I am just making sure there's no easier way to find the best for my budget.

Again, thanks, I feel a fair bit more knowledgeable about it now.

  • 06.17.2012 2:26 PM PDT

Posted by: BoyceKRP
duckingd
drink
seriously
me bell sean ressea ellio tand i
-blam!-img party. totallt waasted . ph my god.
i called ashy;n, i dnno if that was a good ideo. i'ma sleep with her or sometning, fujuuuck


Posted by: Tundruh

Posted by: spirit of sand
Isn't is usually preferred to customize it yourself, or does it really matter?

I'll really only use it for games, internet browsing obviously, and music. Very few other things if any.


I suggested those sites because you said you had no knowledge of building. If you're willing to learn, or planning on having someone else do it for you, then just buy the parts.
I'm definitely willing to learn or have someone else do it for me, it's not a big deal to me. Just a little more time. Could be fun, though.

  • 06.17.2012 2:27 PM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN

Posted by: Statefarm98

Here's that computer build:

Case
CPU
Motherboard
Hard drive
RAM
Optical drive
GPU
Power supply
Wireless card

BUILD TOTAL: $1132 (WITH shipping)

I'm glad that I could help.
:)

  • 06.17.2012 2:29 PM PDT


Posted by: Tundruh

Posted by: Statefarm98
Can someone make me a build with a price of around 1,200 dollars (with an intel CPU and built in wireless)?


http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ajNT

Looks good, but I'd suggest getting on of these too. Install your OS and drivers onto it.

  • 06.17.2012 2:31 PM PDT

Master it's amazing settings. The eye candy will beat out whatever the next gen consoles has to store.

  • 06.17.2012 3:28 PM PDT

Nice thread. I've been thinking about building a PC for awhile. This will be very helpful if I decide to.

  • 06.17.2012 4:15 PM PDT


Posted by: kikashi hatake
Master it's amazing settings. The eye candy will beat out whatever the next gen consoles has to store.
Really? That is surprising. The total I have added up to is around $800. My friend spent $1600 for his and apparently from what I have researched my setup will do just as good as his. I am excited, thanks for the help guys! Oh and if anyone can please send me a link to a good cheap computer monitor. My max amount of spending on that is $150 and I would like at least a 20 in. screen. Thanks!

  • 06.17.2012 4:56 PM PDT


Posted by: masterowner45

Posted by: kikashi hatake
Master it's amazing settings. The eye candy will beat out whatever the next gen consoles has to store.
Really? That is surprising. The total I have added up to is around $800. My friend spent $1600 for his and apparently from what I have researched my setup will do just as good as his. I am excited, thanks for the help guys! Oh and if anyone can please send me a link to a good cheap computer monitor. My max amount of spending on that is $150 and I would like at least a 20 in. screen. Thanks!


There you go.

That's the best gaming monitor on the market as far as I know.


[Edited on 06.17.2012 5:00 PM PDT]

  • 06.17.2012 4:58 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

"This bandicoot will be my general, he will lead my Cortex Commandos to world domination...

This time, I shall reign TRIUMPHANT!"

-Dr. Cortex


Posted by: CostlyAxis
Posted by: halo3genius
I tried putting in the 4-pin connectors from my chassis fans into the motherboard. Apparently, I didn't need to do that because they were already getting power from the PSU, so I didn't need to plug them in again. I'm guessing those ports are for extra fans.

I also did a bunch of incorrect wire connecting. I'm so glad I decided to just start over with plugging a lot of things in, because I probably would've killed my system, even though just the case fans didn't work...

Anyway, my computer has been built. If you want pics, just ask of what, but I believe I have somewhat of a better understanding of computers now that I'm able to help people.

I thought that the fans on the case also had controllers as well that could be delegated to the motherboard? Are you routing control to the case instead (if it has that feature)?


Yeah. There's a fan speed controller on the front of the case, along with a dual display of the temperatures of my hard drive and CPU.

It was such a -blam!- to put one of the sensors in the "fins" of the CPU cooler in addition to putting tape on it.

  • 06.17.2012 5:01 PM PDT


Posted by: masterowner45

Posted by: kikashi hatake
Master it's amazing settings. The eye candy will beat out whatever the next gen consoles has to store.
Really? That is surprising. The total I have added up to is around $800. My friend spent $1600 for his and apparently from what I have researched my setup will do just as good as his. I am excited, thanks for the help guys! Oh and if anyone can please send me a link to a good cheap computer monitor. My max amount of spending on that is $150 and I would like at least a 20 in. screen. Thanks!

Most people go extreme overkill for a 1920x1080 resolution. They are just more future proof than you are. I don't believe in a "future" proof GPU as new ones will come out that are less loud, more efficent, and faster wanting you to buy it.


Also for $150 get that asus that guy pointed out it's a good monitor. But the best monitor with out a doubt is a $250 Samsung 23 in LED

Edit- I'd also recommend you to get a gtx 460 if they still sell those as it beats out the gtx 550ti. Hell the 6850 like Halo3 is got is the best option out of them all for the price.

[Edited on 06.17.2012 5:08 PM PDT]

  • 06.17.2012 5:04 PM PDT


Posted by: kikashi hatake

Posted by: masterowner45

Posted by: kikashi hatake
Master it's amazing settings. The eye candy will beat out whatever the next gen consoles has to store.
Really? That is surprising. The total I have added up to is around $800. My friend spent $1600 for his and apparently from what I have researched my setup will do just as good as his. I am excited, thanks for the help guys! Oh and if anyone can please send me a link to a good cheap computer monitor. My max amount of spending on that is $150 and I would like at least a 20 in. screen. Thanks!

Most people go extreme overkill for a 1920x1080 resolution. They are just more future proof than you are. I don't believe in a "future" proof GPU as new ones will come out that are less loud, more efficent, and faster wanting you to buy it.


Also for $150 get that asus that guy pointed out it's a good monitor. But the best monitor with out a doubt is a $250 Samsung 23 in LED

Edit- I'd also recommend you to get a gtx 460 if they still sell those as it beats out the gtx 550ti. Hell the 6850 like Halo3 is got is the best option out of them all for the price.
Cool I will look into it, but I am starting to cut it close with money. If I am to keep the GTX 550ti will I need to replace the power supply because I know those two go together. The PSU has 500 watts.

  • 06.17.2012 5:34 PM PDT

If the gtx 550ti is a cheap bundle with the PSU than go with that. If it's not a bundle deal you can still use that PSU with a 6850 and you will actually save wattage probably.

  • 06.17.2012 7:01 PM PDT

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Save wattage? You'd use around the same amount of power no matter what wattage the power supply has.

[Edited on 06.18.2012 4:18 AM PDT]

  • 06.18.2012 4:17 AM PDT