Someone to guide me would be nice

[xGHOST11x]

I have grown very tired of console shenanigans, and wish to transition to PC gaming entirely. Now my main problem is i have basically no real knowledge on the subject and no one to help me. I have looked through some parts and assumed the most vital parts(mobo, processor, graphics)maybe? But i don't truthfully know and simply would like someone to allow me to bounce questions off of. My first one being, What are the most vital parts that should never be skimped on? What are the parts that are both reliable, and reasonably priced? Intel vs. AMD. Things such as that. I would thoroughly appreciate information on the questions above.

Thanks!

[LITOralis.nMd]

This website is fantastic for this stuff:
Logical Increments - PC Buying Guide

Here is another:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

And another:
For intel builds, find one you like and copy it:
http://www.overclock.net/f/165/intel-build-logs

and AMD builds, find one you like and copy it:
http://www.overclock.net/f/164/amd-build-logs

[LITOralis.nMd]

There is a MIcrocenter.com retail store in Georgia, I think. Cheapest prices and best selection in a retail setting you'll find.

[Pedz]

In terms of assistance in choosing components on an opinionated basis:

I say Intel > AMD in terms of processors, they're faster and perform better in games. However, there's no need to go for an i7, an i5 will do just fine.
Further knowledge Haswell(next gen of intel processors) is set for release June 2nd.

For graphics NVidia > AMD for performance, but price wise AMD normally wins at performance/price, dependant what your price range is really.

Motherboards, around ?150 will do for a good motherboard, just make sure it has the correct processor slot for you, and PCI-E 2 or 3 (depends on your GPU, some will take advantage of pci-e 3, others not).
Another thing to look for on motherboards is the amount of SATA ports, for HDD's and CD drives.

Power supplies, I recommend Corsair.

Memory, well anyone really, so long as it's compatible with your motherboard, you have G-skill (what I have in my machine) corsair, patriot etc...


In terms of things not to skimp on, for gaming, it'd be the graphics card... But generally all components should be roughly of equal quality, especially when it comes to the PSU , don't want your ?400 GPU blowing up because you bought a sub ?100 PSU :P.

[xGHOST11x]

Thank you all so much! This will be extremely helpful throughout the process.

[xGHOST11x]

Pedz, quick question. What are you referring to when you say "correct processor slot for you, and PCI-E 2 or 3 (depends on your GPU, some will take advantage of pci-e 3, others not).
Another thing to look for on motherboards is the amount of SATA ports, for HDD's and CD drives."

That honestly leaves me very confused. I have no idea of what you are referring to.

[LITOralis.nMd]

Let us know what your price range is , and we can get you sorted.

How to Build a Computer for Gaming 2013 Tutorial - Part One - YouTube

A quick and dirty guide to building your first gaming PC | The Official Antec? Blog

You need to put your own time into learning this, and everyone has a trade-off of the value of your time vs the value of your money.

[Pedz]

Originally Posted by xGHOST11x

Pedz, quick question. What are you referring to when you say "correct processor slot for you, and PCI-E 2 or 3 (depends on your GPU, some will take advantage of pci-e 3, others not).
Another thing to look for on motherboards is the amount of SATA ports, for HDD's and CD drives."

That honestly leaves me very confused. I have no idea of what you are referring to.

It is all personal preference/what you want out of your machine.

PCI-E is the long connection that your GPU will slot into on the motherboard. Stands for
"Peripheral Component Interconnect Express"

Some GPU's are starting to reach the bandwidth limit of PCI-E 2.0 (I think only anything above the NVIDIA 680? correct me if I'm wrong..)

So if you're going for the ultra top-end graphics card, or plan to just update the GPU in the future, you'll want PCI-E 3.0 (It'll be in the spec list of the motherboard).


As for SATA ( Serial ATA), SATA is the connection that you connect your HDD to, as well as modern CD drives (none of those big IDE cables, a google search will show you what they look like )

So if you want 6 hard drives, then make sure you have 8 sata ports, for 6 hard drives + 2 CD/DVD drives, again, all personal preference on your build.

HTH, and I'll answer anything else you have to ask when/if I can

[xGHOST11x]

I would like to spend absolutely no more than $800 USD. And 800 is only if i must to meet requirements. I honestly like the build from the video you sent me, but maybe a more subtle case and better graphics card. I think i will stick with Intel for CPU.

Pedz, thank you. That helps a lot. I'm naturally a visual learner but if there're plenty of details I can find my way usually.

Now a question I have after some reading. SSD is much faster than HDD, so would it make sense to get a 500Gb HDD for non-gaming items and say a minimum 64Gb SSD for games and such?

[xGHOST11x]

ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS(newegg)
Would this be decent? If i understood that article correctly, the AM3+ won't work with an intel though. So does that actually strike it off the list already? But something like...Intel BOXDZ77GAL-70K LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard...would work because 1. its an Intel Mobo but more to the point 2. it has the "1155" in it. which i have no clue what that means.