Buying a new Computer (finally)

[linemanstud]

During my college years I was kinda stuck with laptops since they are easy to move around and I can play games in class...err study...but now that I have moved on, I am ready to buy a good desktop so I can play BF3. The only 2 problems right now are that I have no idea what is good in a computer (AMD or intel, which NVIDIA card is good, I'm really at a loss with this stuff), and that I dont have unlimited funds (as it is I am basically turning my new gun fund into my computer fund).

Basically I would like something that will run BF3 comfortably for around $800 without a monitor if possible. So first I would appreciate suggestions from you guys about what components would be must-haves for something like this, and second I guess if you guys know about any really great computer deals, I am all ears.

[Qicmee]

$800 is a tight budget. That can get you a good PC, but BF3 is pushing the envelope. Can you skip buying ammo for a couple months?

Other folks will have some excellent advice for you, but here's my comments for an inexpensive build.
- good hard drive, SSDs are fast but not cheap
- good CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (K = overclockable)
- I bought most of my pieces on Amazon. They had the best or same prices, and their return policy is very nice.

[Donziboy2]

If you go intel get a 2500k, but its $200 so its a large part of your budget. You can get decent mb for around $100-130. DDR3 is cheap right now, a good set of 4gbx2 1600cas 8 will cost like $70. An os is $100. 40-50 for a case, 30 for a cpu cooler, 50-60 for a medium hard drive, 20 for dvd drive, 70-80 for a decent psu and 170-250$ for a good GPU.


200
130
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70
50
30
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20
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250

$910
You can probably build AMD for cheaper, but i have not looked at AMD in years so I cant say. Performance wise AMD is slower than intel.
If you skimp to far on the cpu or gpu you will be needing an upgrade sooner rather than later, it is however easier to change a GPU then it is a CPU. Im throwing a quick build on newegg together. Ill post it later on.

CHeck this quick build.
I didnt have time to realy go throu the build but this is a rough build, its over your budget, but its a base idea. Also take a look at These toms hardware builds.

Take your time and do your research.

[linemanstud]

Spending a grand would be pushing my budget, but I could probably pull it off if I dip into my credit card for some. So would building piece by piece be cheap enough to do that rather than building one through dell, HP, gateway, etc.?

[Duke{CLR}]

Spending a grand would be pushing my budget, but I could probably pull it off if I dip into my credit card for some. So would building piece by piece be cheap enough to do that rather than building one through dell, HP, gateway, etc.?

Absolutely!

If you can try getting a card where you can get %0.0 interest for a period. If you did this you could spend the grand then throw your $800 at it and just pay off the %200 over 12 months and you're golden.

[WalkinTarget]

Parts list:

CPU - Intel i5 2500k - $215
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=I5-2500KBX

Board - Asrock Z68 1155 board - $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157271

Vid card - MSI 560ti Twin Frozr - $225
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

PSU - OCZ 750w PSU - $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341049

RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws 4gb DDR3 - $32
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

HSF - CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ - $26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065

Case - CoolerMaster HAF 912 - $60
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-.../dp/B003ZM7YTA

That's $782 for the above gear, so add 18 for a DVD burner and I am right on the nose at $800. I think you can probably find a better deal on the PSU and video card and can drop the case down to a cheaper brand (but I really do like that 912 for the $$ - I bought 2 of them for $45 AR each WITH a 500w PSU !!). Deals are out there. I picked up an Antec 750w PSU for $55 AR.

Edit: OOPS, I forgot the HDD !!! Add another $55 for a Seagate or Samsung 1tb. Bad time to be buying a hard drive after the flooding over in Thailand !

[Qicmee]

So would building piece by piece be cheap enough to do that rather than building one through dell, HP, gateway, etc.?

Cost can similar, but quality is very different. Wherever possible, Dell & HP use stripped down, lowest cost components. If you buy highly rated components (see the suggested lists), you'll have a solid system.

Newegg's feedback ratings system is great for avoiding crap; use it. Sometimes an extra $30 avoids a hassle.

What's your experience & enthusiasm level? If you've never built a system before, it will be interesting for you. If you've got an experienced friend, he could help you build it much faster (offer him something worthwhile). When building, some of the tedious details can be ignored, but new builders don't know that.

[Donziboy2]

Your missing an OS walkin.

I think the HD I picked is a little on the expensive side, but I dont realy have the time to research the 1tb 7200 drives, ive seen a few cheaper then the 1 I have in the newegg list, but I cant find any reviews anywhere on them.

That HAF case is the same price at newegg.

[juneau]

Don't have time to put up a full spec at the moment. But i just want to point out that you don't have to buy a 2500K. With the things you read these days you'd have to think it was the only chip available.

If it fits into a budget, get it. If you need to squeeze the spec to fit a budget, the CPU is one area to do this. Get a 2500 or maybe a 2400/2300. Even the i3 chips have shown to run BF3 very well at 1080p and they're dual core.

I'll probably get bashed for this post.

[Qicmee]

juneau,

Stop the sanity!

There are a lot of good options. For myself, I wanted a chip that overclocks easily.

from tomshardware.com

From the standpoint of raw compute power, Core i5-2500K offers very little over the cheaper Core i5-2400. It does hold three distinctions, however: it's clocked a few hundred MHz higher, it comes with Intel HD Graphics 3000, and it has an unlocked CPU multiplier.

The 200 MHz (300 MHz with Turbo Boost) advantage is almost insignificant over the Core i5-2400, and gamers with discrete graphics cards will care little about the integrated graphics engine. But the unlocked CPU multiplier is a must for overclockers using any Sandy Bridge-based CPU. The Core i5-2500K is the obvious choice for gamers looking for the best combination of overclock-ability and gaming potential.

[Quamin]

If you want performance from AMD, my brother states that with his AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo chip (yes TURBO BABY!) and AMD HD 6970, the game runs on Ultra brilliantly.

And for $190, it's cheaper than the intel i5 plus 2 more cores

AMD

AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo $189

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz $169

[juneau]

juneau,

Stop the sanity!

I can't help it! My sanity is driving me ka-razeh!

[WalkinTarget]

Your missing an OS walkin.

Ya, I left that out simply because I was going off an old list of mine that I already had an OS for. When you can pick up a legit Win7 license for $30 via a student .EDU account, that is the way to go.
I picked up a Win7 license at an MS Win7 rollout event 2 years ago, so short of gas $$ to get to the event, it cost me nothing.

The best way to buy parts for a PC is when each component goes on sale. I'll list the best prices over the past 4 months on the components that could have been used for lineman's build:

CoolerMaster HAF 912 (with 500w PSU) - $45 AR
CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ - $15
Antec 750w High Current PSU - $55 AR
Galaxy 560ti 1gb PCIe vid card - $172
Intel i5 2500k - $150 ($80 off when purchased with a Z68 board)

Those parts are significantly less $$ than the ones I linked, but none are currently available. Its all about hopping on a hot deal, sometimes in less than 2-3 hours, as these deals sell out fast.

[Nauticas]

Make sure you get a quad core processor. I have a dual core processor and it is a bit of a bottleneck for my machine.

A note on graphic cards. I have a PNY Geforce 560Ti and it runs BF3 in 1080 resolution on all high settings and I sustain 30+ fps, except for the Forest control point on Caspian. Dips to about 25 there.

I got my card for $190 with mail-in rebate on Newegg about 3 weeks ago.

[Skud]

If you want performance from AMD, my brother states that with his AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo chip (yes TURBO BABY!) and AMD HD 6970, the game runs on Ultra brilliantly.

And for $190, it's cheaper than the intel i5 plus 2 more cores

AMD

AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo $189

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz $169

I've got the 1090T and it rocks as well.