14 replies to this topic

[Buckle]

Hello, i was wondering if there was anyone that could possibly help me in figuring out what type of desktop to buy. Today i was able to purchase a new Monitor on sale, initially i was going to purchase everything in April but since i have the monitor i feel i might as well figure out what i need. I have absolutely no idea how to choose parts or built a desktop on my own, I have been using a laptop that i had got when i was 15, turning 21 in April so it is DEFINITELY TIME to upgrade. Don't even ask me how this poor thing has lasted this long...

I'm not looking for some type of Terminator machine or anything extreme, pretty much all i need or would like would be something that would allow me to use:

-Guild Wars 2
-League of Legends
-Spotify, Skype, and Google Chrome (With LoL or GW2 at the same time)

^That is all i really plan on using it for. I don't ever plan on doing any video editing, streaming, multiple-monitors, or anything else really.

As far as buying goes, all i have right now is the Monitor (22", 1920x1080). For now i just need to get the basics (Keyboard, Mouse, Desktop, Windows 7). I don't have much of a budget but im not looking to blow more than whats necessary to run what i need. I live in a very small city so it's NECESSARY that i order online, closest large city is Vegas (2hrs). I would like to run GW2 on max or high graphics but it does not have to be exact. All i really am looking for is to run something pretty & sparkly that will make me feel like a 4 year old in a candy shop, Shadows & Reflections running mid-low. I am aware that everyone gets lag spikes in WvW so if it is necessary i will turn down the graphics when in WvW. I don't feel like i would ever do over-clocking either.

I'm kinda scared to build on my own, with my luck i would mess something up and it would explode and leave nothing in the smoke but tears & regret. So...is it a good idea to use a website like IBuyPower & all those other ones? I feel its a safer option to go with since they do all the hard work and add the 3 year warranty along with the purchase.

So with all that added, I really need some great advice with what to purchase & what route to use (Custom site/Build-on-own). Also, if there is any suggestions on a great mouse? (I have large man hands and none of the mice @ OfficeMax fit!!!) Thanks for reading!


~I grew up on Video Games as a kid, started with GoldenEye 007 and went on from there. Had majority of the consoles but no game compares to Guild Wars. This is one of my favorite games and would really like to experience GW2.

[Elder III]

Without having a budget to reference it's hard to recommend something specific; yet with the goal of playing GW2 smoothly @ 1080p on "Best Appearance" you should aim for an Intel i5 2500k or i5 3570K Processor and an AMD HD 6870 or NVIDIIA GTX 560 or better Video Card.  If your budget can afford it, an AMD HD 7850 or GTX 660 offer a nice value for not too much more.

I'll link something more specific if you can throw out a ball park budget figure....

[Quaker]

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883227457

[Buckle]

Elder III, on 19 February 2013 - 05:22 AM, said:

Without having a budget to reference it's hard to recommend something specific; yet with the goal of playing GW2 smoothly @ 1080p on "Best Appearance" you should aim for an Intel i5 2500k or i5 3570K Processor and an AMD HD 6870 or NVIDIIA GTX 560 or better Video Card.  If your budget can afford it, an AMD HD 7850 or GTX 660 offer a nice value for not too much more.

I'll link something more specific if you can throw out a ball park budget figure....

I would like to spend less than 900$ if possible. Between the 2500k & 3570k i assume the 3570k would be better to go with? Maybe grab the gtx 650/660 for now and later in the future just upgrade when needed to a higher gtx6XX? Also, what is the difference from a 650 & a 650ti (if that's correct)? Is there a difference also from the different gtx cards they have available (Example: 2-3GB, EVGA Superclocked)? One more Q, is it better to go with NVIDIA Geforce or the AMD Radeon? Thanks

~Just looking to run GW2 High but nothing too extreme, along with shadows/reflections at mid-low if possible.

[Zerk2012]

Buckle, on 19 February 2013 - 09:10 PM, said:

I would like to spend less than 900$ if possible. Between the 2500k & 3570k i assume the 3570k would be better to go with? Maybe grab the gtx 650/660 for now and later in the future just upgrade when needed to a higher gtx6XX? Also, what is the difference from a 650 & a 650ti (if that's correct)? Is there a difference also from the different gtx cards they have available (Example: 2-3GB, EVGA Superclocked)? One more Q, is it better to go with NVIDIA Geforce or the AMD Radeon? Thanks

~Just looking to run GW2 High but nothing too extreme, along with shadows/reflections at mid-low if possible.

About the best you are going to get in that price range using good parts instead of their prebuilt that has a low quality power supply and old SATA II hard drive. i5 3570 not 3570K good powersupply and a 7850 2GB video card.
http://www.cyberpowe...om/saved/1EWBW7

[Zerk2012]

Or the 3570K with less of a video card.
http://www.cyberpowe...om/saved/1EWBX0

Do not expect much from the mouse, keyboard, and speakers other than they will work.

Edited by Zerk2012, 19 February 2013 - 11:03 PM.

[typographie]

Buckle, on 19 February 2013 - 09:10 PM, said:

I would like to spend less than 900$ if possible. Between the 2500k & 3570k i assume the 3570k would be better to go with? Maybe grab the gtx 650/660 for now and later in the future just upgrade when needed to a higher gtx6XX? Also, what is the difference from a 650 & a 650ti (if that's correct)? Is there a difference also from the different gtx cards they have available (Example: 2-3GB, EVGA Superclocked)? One more Q, is it better to go with NVIDIA Geforce or the AMD Radeon? Thanks

If you end up over budget, you could drop the -3570K to the i5-3450, i5-3470 or i5-3350P if they're offered. You lose the ability to overclock, but you said you weren't going to anyway. If you do that, you could also get an H77 motherboard if it saves you any money over Z77. I don't see any reason to recommend the slightly older -2500K, personally.

The difference between the GTX 650 and 650 Ti is, simply, speed. Confusing nomenclature, I agree, but the 650 Ti is a step between the 650 and 660. You would be best-advised to get a good, mid-range video card now that will handle what you need it to handle without having the pressure to upgrade again soon. Agreed on the HD 7850 or GTX 660, either should reasonably last you a couple of years and perform well at 1080p.

The reason to recommend AMD over Nvidia or vice versa is about who has the best product in your budget. The GTX 660 is a fine card, but its priced kinda too close to the faster HD 7870. So I'd recommend either the 7850 as the cheaper option or 7870 as the faster option.

[Quaker]

I'd have to say that, overall, the AMD cards give you (currently) the best performance-per-price, but other than that, there's no reason to use one over the other, nor are the price differences all that much.
I'd also suggest the HD7850 or HD7870.

Edited by Quaker, 20 February 2013 - 03:08 PM.

[Buckle]

Quaker, on 20 February 2013 - 03:07 PM, said:

I'd have to say that, overall, the AMD cards give you (currently) the best performance-per-price, but other than that, there's no reason to use one over the other, nor are the price differences all that much.
I'd also suggest the HD7850 or HD7870.

So what i have so far:

-AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card
-8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws X
-1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD
- Intel® Core™ i5-3570 3.40 GHz 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155

What would i need for the Motherboard? This item is the hardest one for me to understand. As far as buying this build, what would you suggest? Go with building it myself or ordering it online from CyberPower/IBuyPower? I ask this because i do live in a very small city with absolutely no Computer Part stores, Closest place from me is Vegas (2hrs away) so i don't have much options to go with. Thanks again guys!

[Elder III]

If you aren't going to overclock or add a second video card then an H61 motherboard would be ok, but I'd go for an H77 or B75 if your budget can afford it.  Unless you're overclocking or need lots of extra peripheral features, you don't need to spend too much on a motherboard.  Any $75 motherboard from a name brand is fine... brands such as EVGA, MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, and Asrock are all good.

*buying it pre-built will cost a bit more, but you have peace of mind and a warranty.  Building it yourself is the best bang for your buck, offers the most options, and has warranties on all the parts (from manufacturer) but you don't have any warranty for the labor (obviously).  It really comes down to how much you enjoy learning about and tinkering with electronics and how big your budget is.  Some people love building computers and some people are more nervous at the thought than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs...

Edited by Elder III, 22 February 2013 - 04:23 AM.

[Buckle]

Elder III, on 22 February 2013 - 04:20 AM, said:

If you aren't going to overclock or add a second video card then an H61 motherboard would be ok, but I'd go for an H77 or B75 if your budget can afford it.  Unless you're overclocking or need lots of extra peripheral features, you don't need to spend too much on a motherboard.  Any $75 motherboard from a name brand is fine... brands such as EVGA, MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, and Asrock are all good.

*buying it pre-built will cost a bit more, but you have peace of mind and a warranty.  Building it yourself is the best bang for your buck, offers the most options, and has warranties on all the parts (from manufacturer) but you don't have any warranty for the labor (obviously).  It really comes down to how much you enjoy learning about and tinkering with electronics and how big your budget is.  Some people love building computers and some people are more nervous at the thought than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs...

Last night i was looking through NewEgg & watched one of the "Build-It-Yourself" videos & i am very much interested in trying to build on my own. The only thing that looks the most difficult is connecting all the wires together, other than that it doesn't seem too hard. Also my dad has done a few builds on his own so i will also have the help from him available. Also have to chance to go to LA this Friday so i might actually be able to get a few things from Micro Center & some of the other places around the area. Only thing is if something doesn't work or is dead i can't return it for a replacement so most likely will just stick to NewEgg & get the extended warranty they offer. So far in my list i have:

-i5-3570 Ivy Bridge
-G.Skill Ripjaws 8 (2x4GB)
-Windows 7
-Radeon 7870 2GB
-CD/DVD Drive

Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80 Plus Bronze

Or bump up to a 750W?

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB

Would that be enough?

I have a few cases i like but is there anything specific to look for?

[typographie]

Buckle, on 25 February 2013 - 01:15 AM, said:

Power Supply: Corsair 650W 80 Plus Bronze

Or bump up to a 750W?

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB

Would that be enough?

650 W is already plenty to power that build. Hard drive capacity depends on your usage habits, but 1 TB is plenty for most people.

There's a lot of personal preference that goes into computer cases, but you probably want a good ATX Mid-tower from a reputable company like Corsair, Antec, Coolermaster, NZXT, etc. Just beware of cases that come with bundled power supplies. Unless they give a lot of information about the PSU, its probably garbage.

[Quaker]

Buckle, on 25 February 2013 - 01:15 AM, said:

I have a few cases i like but is there anything specific to look for?

As Typographie said above, the 650watt PSU and 1TB hard drive are more than enough.

For cases, I'd say you should look for a newer case that has removable dust filters and good fan options. That doesn't narrow it down much though.
Cases are very much a personal preference thing. Their design varies from garish to plain.

This page will give you an idea of what's popular at this time:
http://ncix.com/prod...?minorcatid=104

Edited by Quaker, 25 February 2013 - 03:58 PM.

[Elder III]

Other than not having USB 3.0 (just 2.0) on the front panel, this is an absolute steal at $50 after promo codes and rebates.  Top quality and comes with all the fans you need too.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119196

Of course, the aesthetics are 95% subjective, but that's the look that I like.

*another note - you don't even need a 650 watt PSU unless you plan to do a Crossfire setup later on.  A quality 500 watt PSU is enough to power your build comfortably.

[tijo]

I built a system for my brother in law about a year ago using this case: http://www.newegg.co...163186&Tpk=ps07. It is a small case though, so you have to pay attention to the size of the motherboard (mATX), great if you have limited space.

Just make sure the case size and motherboard go well together, the mobo size that the case can take should be listed in the case specs.

Definitely get one with dust filters and speaking of dust, my rig probably needs a good and thorough dusting. Something you'll have to perform once in a while even with dust filters.

Edited by tijo, 25 February 2013 - 06:25 PM.