Friends computer build

[ShockSlayer]

I'd like to help him out, he has a budget of $1000. This is what he sent me to critique:

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/loadconfig.asp

459675

Any suggestions? He mainly wants a decent gaming PC, for TF2 and Gmod and the thingy that you record gmod stuff with and the whatnot and all the things Twilight_makoWolf321 wants me to do.

SS

 

[Mako321]

Re: Freinds computer build

How about just over 1000?

 

[XCVG]

Re: Freinds computer build

AMD CPUs are generally considered inferior to Intel's, but for the same price point there isn't really that much of a difference. I wouldn't buy from that site- buy the parts at NewEgg or something and build it yourself. That system is overall okay. However, there are problems. Only nVidia chipset motherboards support SLi. Not necessarily a problem, but be aware of that. 500GB hard drive is TINY. Go for at least a terabyte, preferably 1.5 or 2 terabytes. Water cooling and overclocking is unnecessary. Maelstrom case is ugly, but that's just me. And it costs $1500- that's $500 over budget.

I threw together this rig quickly. AMD based- Thuban hexacore, Radeon HD 6870 (on par or slightly better than GTX 460), 890GX motherboard, 8GB RAM and a terabyte drive. Exceeds the system you posted in most ways, comes out under $1000. I could do better if I had more time and knew more about what you wanted. (AMD or Intel? nVidia or AMD? Upgradable?)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129042
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128435
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125347
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817371026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103858
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145324
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136534
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827151176

Mako's system is better in some ways, but missing an optical drive, a bit more expensive and relys on deals. Also, triple channel RAM with LGA1366. ALWAYS. For $1000, I would go with LGA1156 and not LGA1366. *Can'tSayThisOnTV*ing Intel and their two different sockets.

 

[ShockSlayer]

I have been informed that his budget is actually $1450, I thought it was just $1000 but apparently Christmas. Would explain the original build being close to that, lololol.

Also, I don't know what to want because I haven't cared enough to learn the difference, so I can only be general about it(see: first post) and trust that someone knows what I want without me telling them.

 

[Mako321]

I hope the computers I get parts for aren't complete crap. I'll have to have jlee look inspect 'em.

I forgot CPU coolers/cooling on both.
And, you friend's? Replace the GTX 470 with a 580 if your friend has enough money to blow.(Or ya know, use it on games)

 

[bic]

I'd make two changes to both of the sets posted above.

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129042

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139006

 

[XCVG]

The second one you did is pretty weaksauce. Only a dual core, 500W PSU, etc.

I don't have time to configure one right now, but later today I'll put together a $1450 box.

 

[J.D]

The second one you did is pretty weaksauce. Only a dual core

I'm pretty sure you can unlock that specific processor to have 4 cores.

 

[ShockSlayer]

I do want to run Steam and Sony Vegas. The most demanding games I have would be Batman and Star Wars the force unleashed. My resolution goes up to 1280X1024 and I don't feel that it needs to go any higher than that if I was playing Crysis. I would like to have all of the other setting on high though and still have an alright FPS.

 

[Mako321]

The second one you did is pretty weaksauce. Only a dual core, 500W PSU, etc.

I don't have time to configure one right now, but later today I'll put together a $1450 box.

It's a good, cheap alternative.

 

[XCVG]

Does your friend want AMD or Intel? I'm giving this my best shot, but I really need to know more about what your friend wants. Upgradability? Dual videocards (now or later)? AMD/Intel? AMD/nVidia? Blu-ray? Planning on overclocking? Is it safe to take advantages of deals that will only be going on for a limited time? What about open box? Build it yourself or are you really dead set on something prebuilt? I've said it before and I'll say it again- there's a lot more considerations than cost. I can put together a rig that would be the one I would buy for $1500, but it might not be the one you want.

That said, I'm giving this my best shot. Intel LGA1156 based box.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131621
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115213
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820220484
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817256034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827106325
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127513

Comes out to about $1200.

 

[ShockSlayer]

Does your friend want AMD or Intel? Don't Care
Upgradability? Not planning on it next to ever, want to get it right the first time
Dual videocards (now or later)? Why would I need more than one?
AMD/Intel? Don't Care
AMD/nVidia? Don't Care
Blu-ray? Don't need it, a nice DVD burner would be fine
Planning on overclocking? Never
Is it safe to take advantages of deals that will only be going on for a limited time? Would prefer not to.
What about open box? Don't know what that is
Build it yourself or are you really dead set on something prebuilt? Don't Care, as I understand it as long as it's all compatible it's as simple as plugging cables n flax together, right?

As you can see, I know very little about this subject, thus why I came here. lolol And as far as OS, probably gonna be Windows 7.

ALSO WHERE IS JULELLIES

 

[bic]

"Open box" basically means someone bought it, opened it, decided they didn't want it, and shipped it back. They could have returned it for any reason; it didn't fit in their case, they didn't like the color, they just wanted to take it for a 'test drive'... The only thing you're guaranteed is that it will be cheaper than a brand new, factory sealed unit (usually by about 10% plus the restocking fee). I'm not sure if Newegg does this, but some computer OEMs have a separate category for returns they receive that come back with the factory seal intact.

When you run two video cards, they share the load and you get 150% to 175% of the performance of one card. The benefit is, if you buy a good card now and put it in a PC capable of running two, you can get another one in a few years when it' sin the bargain bin and get some more life out of the PC. However, you only see a large benefit from running multiple video cards at very high resolutions, or in games that can use one card as a dedicated physics processor.

 

[ShockSlayer]

Ah. New parts only lolz.

Two video cards would be nice, if it fits the budget then go for it, but it's not a priority.

SS

 

[Mako321]

One that I built with a good GTX 580 would go strong for a few years

 

[XCVG]

Okay. Upgradability and overclocking out the window. Do you need an OS? As for assembling a PC, it is pretty easy. If you can build a portable, you can easily assemble a PC. It's just a matter of putting stuff together in right way.

Anyway, here's my third shot at this. Intel LGA1156, since Intel is better for gaming and the Lynnfield i7s actually beat the Bloomfield ones in some tests. 8GB of RAM- 4GB is enough for now but I thought 2GB would be enough for me and it isn't. 1TB hard drive should do- if you don't think so, bump it up to a 2TB. 850W PSU for plenty of headroom and a lurvly Antec 900 case. GTX 580 which is the fastest videocard available I believe. It might be a bit overkill for this system, though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128412
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115213
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145324
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817256024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827151188
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127542

The point I'm trying to make is that I can make recommendations, but I can't build the ideal system for you or your friend.

 

[bic]

"Overkill"?

There's no such thing as too much power.
_______________________________/

 

[Twilight Wolf]

bic's right, you know.

You really can't have too much power when it comes to building a computer. After all, the more powerful it is, the longer you can use the computer before having to perform upgrades. That doesn't mean you should spend way too much on parts, though. Far from it. My computer, for example, I tried to design as a good compromise between power and price but left plenty of options open for upgrading in the future. It's far more than sufficient as it is and should continue to be so for some years, and at that point I can upgrade parts as needed to keep up if I want to.