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Thread: Building a computer rig

  1. #1
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    Building a computer rig

    I need some thoughts here. I'm getting my refund back and it's enough for me to invest in a new computer. However, I'm going the New Egg route and building my own. I'm looking for a high performance gaming rig. What kind of computer parts would you suggest? I'm looking at Intel processors but I'm open to AMD. What type of power supply should I get? What is your all suggestions for video cards? I'm all ears!

    Also, my budget is around $1000 though I'm willing to spend slightly higher if the part justifies the cost (IE better video card, etc)


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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Wow kinda hard to say.

    I'd be sure to go with at least a 2nd gen i5, it's pretty affordable now. Sometimes Newegg has i7s on sale too. I haven't used an AMD processor in quite some time so I'm not sure what you'd want there.

    For a graphics card it really depends on what kinda gaming you want. At the bare minimum you'll prolly want a 6700-ish card. Something like a 6850-6870 would be really nice. From there on up they just get more expensive, but in most cases you're getting what you pay for. I'd be sure to do some research here so you're sure to make the right purchase. Like with AMD processors, I haven't had an Nvidia card in a long time so I dunno.

    Power supply really depends on what kinda gpu you get, and what your system needs. If you get a big card you're gonna need a bigger psu. Also, if you invest in a good card you may wanna look into some cooling for it since some tend to run hot.

    Another way to spend your money well is to get an SSD, not totally necessary and 7200 rpm hdds are still fine, but you really notice the difference in an ssd.

    For memory a lotta people really overdo it, unless you're gonna power the entire internet you really only need 8gb.

    If you're just going this route to save money you might wanna keep your eyes peeled for different computer makers having systems on sale. If you're doing this because you just wanna build a PC for yourself, good luck and I hope you get all the stuff you need.

  4. #3
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Quote Originally Posted by Stray View Post
    Wow kinda hard to say.

    I'd be sure to go with at least a 2nd gen i5, it's pretty affordable now. Sometimes Newegg has i7s on sale too. I haven't used an AMD processor in quite some time so I'm not sure what you'd want there.

    For a graphics card it really depends on what kinda gaming you want. At the bare minimum you'll prolly want a 6700-ish card. From there on up they just get more expensive, but in most cases you're getting what you pay for. I'd be sure to do some research here so you're sure to make the right purchase. Like with AMD processors, I haven't had an nvidia card in a long time so I dunno.

    Power supply really depends on what kinda gpu you get, and what your system needs. If you get a big card you're gonna need a bigger psu. Also, if you invest in a good card you may wanna look into some cooling for it since some tend to run hot.

    Another way to spend your money well is to get an SSD, not totally necessary and 7200 rpm hdds are still fine, but you really notice the difference in an ssd.

    For memory a lotta people really overdo it, unless you're gonna power the entire internet you really only need 8gb.

    If you're just going this route to save money you might wanna keep your eyes peeled for different computer makers having systems on sale. If you're doing this because you just wanna build a PC for yourself, good luck and I hope you get all the stuff you need.

    Good info. I partly want to do this to say that I built my own computer. It feels more like an accomplishment rather than having someone else build it. I've also not been happy with some of the stuff I have seen out there in retail. Looking at the specs, they have things that I like but other things that I would either upgrade or not need.

  5. #4
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    If you are not too far from Brentwood:

    http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/brentwood.html

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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Awesome man. I've never built one from scratch or a barebones kit or anything, but the only probs I've ever heard people having is getting hardware that doesn't really go well together. I'd just be sure to get a motherboard/cpu combo that's natural...I don't really know a lot about that though.

    For gaming most are more gpu reliant than cpu, if you got a higher level i5 or any i7 you'd be set I'm sure. For graphic cards I'd just google ones you're looking at and check out their benchmarks on games you like to play so you'll have an idea of what kinda fps to expect. I know some of the more hardcore gamers run setups with dual high end cards, but I'd imagine that's for crazy levels of gaming.

  7. #6
    Be the ball Roy Tucker's Avatar
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Be like my son and get the clear colored PC case and neon tubes.

    Useless as teats on a boar but pretty cool.
    She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning

  8. #7
    Nerdvana Annihilation
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    I do a ton of online gaming and I recently built a new computer about 3 months ago. Here is my specs: (Sorry I use NeweggBusiness / it's my work account)

    CPU: i7-2600k Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16819115070

    Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16813131703

    Primary Hard drive: Crucial RealSSD C300 64gig
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16820148357

    Secondary Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16822136533

    RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (bought 2) 16GB
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16820145315

    Graphics Card: ASUS ENGTX570 (HUGE CARD)
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...Tpk=asus%20570

    Sound Card:Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium (I hate onboard sound) (Got it for $99.00)
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16829102021

    CD/DVD Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16827135204

    PowerSupply: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16817152035

    Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16811133094

    I understand I could of went overboard on some of the components but, I do this for a living and it's FUN!. Plus I got some good discounts on a lot of them. Unfortunately hard drives jumped up about 110% in price over the last 2 months.

    I spent around $800.00 (without video card) so about $1100.00 total on everything. I spent $64.00 on my secondary hard drive that is now $239.00 (that shows how the prices have jumped)




    7.6 out of 7.9 I still need to overclock the CPU a bit about the only thing that could make it a bit higher.

    Here is what Battle.net has my system specs as:


    I play games like World of Warcraft, Quake Live, Starcraft 2, Call of Duty MW3, Skyrim (Game looks amazing on full settings), Mass Effect Series, F1 2011, now awaiting Diablo 3 and Counter-Strike GO.

    If you have any questions let me know, I love doing computer builds. This was around my 5th "personal" build.
    Last edited by code; 01-21-2012 at 02:45 AM.

  9. #8
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Quote Originally Posted by code View Post
    I do a ton of online gaming and I recently built a new computer about 3 months ago. Here is my specs: (Sorry I use NeweggBusiness / it's my work account)

    CPU: i7-2600k Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16819115070

    Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16813131703

    Primary Hard drive: Crucial RealSSD C300 64gig
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16820148357

    Secondary Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16822136533

    RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (bought 2) 16GB
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16820145315

    Graphics Card: ASUS ENGTX570 (HUGE CARD)
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...Tpk=asus%20570

    Sound Card:Creative PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium (I hate onboard sound) (Got it for $99.00)
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16829102021

    CD/DVD Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16827135204

    PowerSupply: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16817152035

    Case: Thermaltake V3 Black Edition
    http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produc...82E16811133094

    I understand I could of went overboard on some of the components but, I do this for a living and it's FUN!. Plus I got some good discounts on a lot of them. Unfortunately hard drives jumped up about 110% in price over the last 2 months.

    I spent around $800.00 (without video card) so about $1100.00 total on everything. I spent $64.00 on my secondary hard drive that is now $239.00 (that shows how the prices have jumped)




    7.6 out of 7.9 I still need to overclock the CPU a bit about the only thing that could make it a bit higher.

    Here is what Battle.net has my system specs as:


    I play games like World of Warcraft, Quake Live, Starcraft 2, Call of Duty MW3, Skyrim (Game looks amazing on full settings), Mass Effect Series, F1 2011, now awaiting Diablo 3 and Counter-Strike GO.

    If you have any questions let me know, I love doing computer builds. This was around my 5th "personal" build.
    Nice looking computer! I think where I might go different is on the hard drive. I'm not in the need for two and I think a terrabit of storage space is overboard for what I'm needed it for. I don't store a lot of video on my computer and mostly would be using it for gaming. I am probably going to cheaper on that and maybe use that cost for an epic gaming card.

  10. #9
    Churlish Johnny Footstool's Avatar
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Mike, if you'll notice, the primary hard drive on code's machine is a solid state drive. You load only your OS (Windows) on that drive. If you do that, Windows takes something like *5 seconds* to boot from a cold start. You use the secondary hard drive for data, like games.
    "I prefer books and movies where the conflict isn't of the extreme cannibal apocalypse variety I guess." Redsfaithful

  11. #10
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool View Post
    Mike, if you'll notice, the primary hard drive on code's machine is a solid state drive. You load only your OS (Windows) on that drive. If you do that, Windows takes something like *5 seconds* to boot from a cold start. You use the secondary hard drive for data, like games.
    Is there any difference in performance other than start up and is it so drastic as to justify the price?

  12. #11
    KungFu Fighter AtomicDumpling's Avatar
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    SSD drives are great. If you put your operating system and most-used programs on there it will make your system run faster. An SSD drive is like a giant flash drive and they are noticeably faster than hard disk drives. There are no moving parts. The downside to SSD drives is if they fail you will lose your data permanently. So put your programs on the SSD and your data, photos, music, files and documents on a regular hard drive. If the hard drive fails you can still retrieve the data.

    The best reason to build your own computer is because you will get a better computer. If you buy a computer at the store (even the top brands) you are getting lots of generic parts, outdated parts and junk software that will slow down your computer. If you build your own you can use only premium parts, which means your computer will be faster and more reliable -- and you will still save money because you don't have a manufacturer adding their profit on to the purchase price. Home built computers are simply better than store bought computers.

    I have built quite a few computers. It is actually very easy.

  13. #12
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Yep! Everyone above is correct. SSD are amazing right now. I loaded only my operating system and it takes literally 4-5seconds to boot my computer. I cannot wait until they come down in price so I can put more things on them.

  14. #13
    SERP Emeritus paintmered's Avatar
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    http://www.tomshardware.com

    If you go to only one site, make sure this one is it. One stop shopping to get smart and maximize your value.
    All models are wrong. Some of them are useful.

  15. #14
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Quote Originally Posted by AtomicDumpling View Post
    If you buy a computer at the store (even the top brands) you are getting lots of generic parts, outdated parts and junk software that will slow down your computer.
    The computer that I am currently using is a laptop I got from a friend, who spent a nice chunk of change on it and cracked the screen within two months of having it, but wound up just buying another laptop because he was leaving for Afghanistan a few days later. I just run a wireless keyboard/mouse and an external monitor off of it. The first thing I did once I "restored it to out of the box settings" was uninstall nearly every piece of software that came on it outside of Windows 7 and a few utility tools that are useful. The amount of crap that is put onto a new computer you buy from a store is disgusting.

  16. #15
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    Re: Building a computer rig

    Thank you all for your input. I think I've been convinced to go down the SSD route. Maybe get a 500 GB regular hard drive (to save money) and get a SSD.

    The other thing I'm waffling on is the video card. I'm just not sure what to get. I want a good one but the best ones are way out of my budget. What cards will give you the best bang for the buck?

    This is the one I was kind of keeping my eye on but I'm open to anything:

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...4/mysuperpc-20
    Last edited by MikeThierry; 01-22-2012 at 08:40 PM.


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