Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) - Page 2

AquaticPenguin · 2009-04-06, 21:50

All I'd add to monkeysolider's is zalman coolers - they're not especially designed for gaming but they are quiet and good quality.

As for graphics, as the others have said your best bets are probably with slightly more mature cards. I've heard a lot good about the 8800gt (and the identical 9800gt) and also the gtx 260 - I am a bit of an nvidia fan so I don't know as much about the ati cards although I've heard the hd4850 is a good one and the 4870/4890 for the new stuff.

If you want to future-proof yourself, getting a very nice motherboard is important. Just make sure they've got all of the expansion slots you could possibly need in the future - The x58 chipset along with the i7 is quite nice as the boards have got a lot of slots and can take the crazy-fast ddr3 ram.

As a start you probably want to educate yourself in all the options. Reading reviews and computer-building type sites will help a lot ^_^

Edit: As far as I know, the difference between the i7's isn't huge other than clock-speed. So the 920 may well be best, especially with the large price gap for not much performance gain.

~Ed

SocketMan · 2009-04-06, 22:24

For cooling you can get an assembled water cooling kits -cheap,effective and easy to
install.Like Swiftech H2O-120 or Asetek LCLC
The main advantage imo for the i7 (or X58 motherboards) is the ability to run either
SLI or Crossfire.

TofuwRice · 2009-04-07, 00:03

Hey Mcluv since you're Canadian like I am, I suggest an 100% Canadian Store such as NCIX just google it. They have the best customer service + they are very quick in shipping and what not. I highly recommend them rather than newegg.ca. Also, NCIX is usually cheaper than newegg.ca and IF newegg or any other site has cheaper parts you can PRICE MATCH at NCIX online when you are ordering! Just giving a tip to you because I always shop at NCIX and buy all my parts there.

McBumLuv · 2009-04-07, 00:07

Ok, I'll give it a look, and compare prices and such.

I'll have a draft of what I'm looking for atm sometime soon, just to see if I'm on the right track or not

McBumLuv · 2009-04-07, 23:11

Draft of what I'm hoping to eventually get (Prices in CAN$):

ASUS Rampage II GENE LGA 1366 Intel X58 uATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.ca - ASUS Rampage II GENE LGA 1366 Intel X58 uATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
$309.99

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Newegg.ca - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
$207.99

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
Newegg.ca - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
$359.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
$87.49

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.ca - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
$109.99

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
Newegg.ca - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
$237.99

Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 40000:1 (ACM)
Newegg.ca - Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 40000:1 (ACM) - LCD Monitors
$224.99

Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
Newegg.ca - Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
$31.99

Subtotal: ~1500$

I still need to figure out what to look for with power supplies. And with the sound card, what exactly would it do? I've got a USB headset that I've used with my Mac previously for gaming, since bootcamp didn't have any sound drivers or w/e, can't remember exactly.

McBumLuv · 2009-04-09, 00:28

Any thoughts on it so far?

SocketMan · 2009-04-09, 04:25

If you do NCIX - they can price match I think,for hard drives 3x250 in RAID5
instead of a single 640mb or more.

Power supply - look into Gigabyte Odin GT (different watts),comes with a USB connection,4 PCIe cables and the best of all it actually has software (Ptuner)
(Yea the power supply)

McBumLuv · 2009-04-09, 13:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by [R-TEC]SocketMan

If you do NCIX - they can price match I think,for hard drives 3x250 in RAID5
instead of a single 640mb or more.

Power supply - look into Gigabyte Odin GT (different watts),comes with a USB connection,4 PCIe cables and the best of all it actually has software (Ptuner)
(Yea the power supply)

Cool, I was wondering about the harddrive. BTW, good job getting [R-TEC] status,

MonkeySoldier · 2009-04-09, 14:30

Isn't that RAM a bit overpriced? Unless I missed a detail that makes the Corsair better, wouldn't the G. Skill 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM a cheaper option?

And maybe the Gigabyte GA-EX58 mainboard as the mainboard? It saves some $40. But once again, just ignore this post, if the stuff you choose has something the stuff I mentioned don't have.

McBumLuv · 2009-04-09, 20:07

No, you're right. I just didn't see those, that's all. I think the Corsair had a combo deal with the Mainboard, iirc. But I'd save more getting both of these without any combos, anyway. And they both seem to be very similar.

2009-04-06, 21:50	#11
AquaticPenguin Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 841 United Kingdom Location: Cambridge	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) All I'd add to monkeysolider's is zalman coolers - they're not especially designed for gaming but they are quiet and good quality. As for graphics, as the others have said your best bets are probably with slightly more mature cards. I've heard a lot good about the 8800gt (and the identical 9800gt) and also the gtx 260 - I am a bit of an nvidia fan so I don't know as much about the ati cards although I've heard the hd4850 is a good one and the 4870/4890 for the new stuff. If you want to future-proof yourself, getting a very nice motherboard is important. Just make sure they've got all of the expansion slots you could possibly need in the future - The x58 chipset along with the i7 is quite nice as the boards have got a lot of slots and can take the crazy-fast ddr3 ram. As a start you probably want to educate yourself in all the options. Reading reviews and computer-building type sites will help a lot ^_^ Edit: As far as I know, the difference between the i7's isn't huge other than clock-speed. So the 920 may well be best, especially with the large price gap for not much performance gain. ~Ed

2009-04-06, 22:24	#12
SocketMan Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1,677 Canada Location: Vancouver,B.C. \| Golden Camel Land	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) For cooling you can get an assembled water cooling kits -cheap,effective and easy to install.Like Swiftech H2O-120 or Asetek LCLC The main advantage imo for the i7 (or X58 motherboards) is the ability to run either SLI or Crossfire.

2009-04-07, 00:03	#13
TofuwRice Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 165 Canada Location: Vancouver	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) Hey Mcluv since you're Canadian like I am, I suggest an 100% Canadian Store such as NCIX just google it. They have the best customer service + they are very quick in shipping and what not. I highly recommend them rather than newegg.ca. Also, NCIX is usually cheaper than newegg.ca and IF newegg or any other site has cheaper parts you can PRICE MATCH at NCIX online when you are ordering! Just giving a tip to you because I always shop at NCIX and buy all my parts there.

2009-04-07, 00:07	#14
McBumLuv Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 3,506 Canada Location: St. Catharines, ON	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) Ok, I'll give it a look, and compare prices and such. I'll have a draft of what I'm looking for atm sometime soon, just to see if I'm on the right track or not

2009-04-07, 23:11	#15
McBumLuv Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 3,506 Canada Location: St. Catharines, ON	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) Draft of what I'm hoping to eventually get (Prices in CAN$): ASUS Rampage II GENE LGA 1366 Intel X58 uATX Intel Motherboard Newegg.ca - ASUS Rampage II GENE LGA 1366 Intel X58 uATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards $309.99 CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Newegg.ca - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory $207.99 Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Newegg.ca - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops $359.99 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives $87.49 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Newegg.ca - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases $109.99 SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card Newegg.ca - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards $237.99 Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 40000:1 (ACM) Newegg.ca - Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 40000:1 (ACM) - LCD Monitors $224.99 Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Newegg.ca - Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners $31.99 Subtotal: ~1500$ I still need to figure out what to look for with power supplies. And with the sound card, what exactly would it do? I've got a USB headset that I've used with my Mac previously for gaming, since bootcamp didn't have any sound drivers or w/e, can't remember exactly.

2009-04-09, 00:28	#16
McBumLuv Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 3,506 Canada Location: St. Catharines, ON	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) Any thoughts on it so far?

2009-04-09, 04:25	#17
SocketMan Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1,677 Canada Location: Vancouver,B.C. \| Golden Camel Land	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) If you do NCIX - they can price match I think,for hard drives 3x250 in RAID5 instead of a single 640mb or more. Power supply - look into Gigabyte Odin GT (different watts),comes with a USB connection,4 PCIe cables and the best of all it actually has software (Ptuner) (Yea the power supply)

2009-04-09, 14:30	#19
MonkeySoldier Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,195 Netherlands	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) Isn't that RAM a bit overpriced? Unless I missed a detail that makes the Corsair better, wouldn't the G. Skill 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM a cheaper option? And maybe the Gigabyte GA-EX58 mainboard as the mainboard? It saves some $40. But once again, just ignore this post, if the stuff you choose has something the stuff I mentioned don't have.

2009-04-09, 20:07	#20
McBumLuv Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 3,506 Canada Location: St. Catharines, ON	Re: Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together) No, you're right. I just didn't see those, that's all. I think the Corsair had a combo deal with the Mainboard, iirc. But I'd save more getting both of these without any combos, anyway. And they both seem to be very similar.