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Hey TL! Im interested in building/ buying a new computer. Ive heard building one and buying one already built will cost about the same, however building one will allow me to know exactly what im running with. Also it will help me learn more of the technical aspects of how acomputer works which im mildly interested in. Im not sure where to begin and im not sure if i should build my own or purchase one and just learn all of the other stuff seperately. I dont know too many people who would have the time/energy to hlep me build one and answer all of my questions, so would it be worth it to build? or should i say screw it and just buy one and finance it.
That being said, IF its better (in my situation) to buy, where should i go to get a decent price for a good gaming computer. What im looking for is the ability to play most games on this machine, such as running sc2 VERY smoothly and possibly Battlefield bad company 3 and possibly elder scrolls:skyrim. What specs do i need, what kind of video card will i need (and what do the specs on the vide card and processor mean).
Thanks in advance for your help and i look forward to reading your replies!
Edit: I forgot to add i'd like for it to be a desktop ^_^
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A) Building one will be far cheaper than buying one pre-built
B) Go to the computer build resource thread, and read the OP, it's chock full of good information, but is a bit (read:barely) outdated in terms of parts and such, but the websites, and general knowledge provided in it are great. You might also find a build that someone suggested for someone else that fits you in there
C) From what I gathered in your post, including a monitor, you could get a system for around $800 or so to satiate your needs, but, you could create a computer fully capable of running sc2 on ultra for as low as $550
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what CharlieBrownsc said is technically correct. you can get one for that low, but it wont really be all that great. if your going to build a gaming computer you might as well make it amazing. to run SC2 and the other games you listed, you are going to want at least an i3 but most likely an i5 or even i7. depending on what OS you will be running you will need anywhere from 4-6GB RAM as well as a graphics card that run those games as well as be compatible with the rest of your system. here is a list and approx pricing:
Processor Intel i3/i5/i7: $150/$300/$300
RAM 4-6GB: $50-100
motherboard(make sure compatible with processor and RAM): $60-150
misc (including hard drive, monitor, case, keyboard&mouse) about $200-310
in total this comes out to about $560-900
PM me if you have any other questions, ill make sure to keep checking the post 
EDIT: Forgot graphics card.. best choice is from Nvidia those run about $150-300
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So this is all what i have picked out for what i want. Is all of this compatible? Would this be a good gaming computer? Is there anything i am missing? I went on newegg.com so all of the item numbers are from there.
Case : Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Gaming Chassis Mid Tower Steel Computer Case Fully Black Powdered Interior VM30001W2Z
Item #: N82E16811133179
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers
Item #: N82E16824236100
Memory : Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G
Item #: N82E16820104221
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148701
Cd drive: Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118039
Video card: XFX HD-695X-CDFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150549
Power supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...
Item #: N82E16817139021
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Item #: N82E16819115072
Motherboard: MSI P67A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813130582
Network Card: ASUS PCE-N13 PCI Express 150/300Mbps Transfer/Receive Rate Wireless Adapter
Item #: N82E16833320048
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that looks pretty good. i dont have all products memorized so here's what you need to do.
make sure that since the graphics card is a PCI express 2.1 that your MB is compatible with that and also the same with your RAM, sometime the board will have PCI 2 but not DDR3 or the other way around. so just make sure everything works together before buying
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2.1 and 2.0 and 1.1 and 1.0 are all backwards and forward compatible so bandnerd21's point is moot.
All modern consumer desktop motherboards for current processors area DDR3 so again his other point is moot.
Unless you plan on doing CrossfireX, a 750w power supply is a a huge waste of money. The 6950 uses roughly 170w under load while a 2500k uses around 60w under load. A ~500w power supply is more than adequate for the configuration and for future upgrades.
You want an aftermarket heatsink such as the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ or Xigmatek Gaia for overclocking the 2500k.
The 6950 2GB variant will only be useful if you are playing texture heavy games with AA/AF maxed out or at Eyefinity resolutions. Besides that, the 1GB and 2GB variants are nearly identical in performance.
The MSI P67 G45 board is an okay board I guess if you want to do SLI or CrossfireX in the future. The Asrock P67 Pro3 is a more feature rich board at a lower price.
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On August 26 2011 13:29 bandnerd21 wrote: what CharlieBrownsc said is technically correct. you can get one for that low, but it wont really be all that great. if your going to build a gaming computer you might as well make it amazing. to run SC2 and the other games you listed, you are going to want at least an i3 but most likely an i5 or even i7. depending on what OS you will be running you will need anywhere from 4-6GB RAM as well as a graphics card that run those games as well as be compatible with the rest of your system. here is a list and approx pricing: Processor Intel i3/i5/i7: $150/$300/$300 RAM 4-6GB: $50-100 motherboard(make sure compatible with processor and RAM): $60-150 misc (including hard drive, monitor, case, keyboard&mouse) about $200-310 in total this comes out to about $560-900 PM me if you have any other questions, ill make sure to keep checking the post EDIT: Forgot graphics card.. best choice is from Nvidia those run about $150-300
A) The only benefist to an i5 over an i3 is that you can overclock them, slightly larger L3 caches, and that they have 4 physical cores, but most games (SC2, DOTA2, etc etc) only run on two threads. Some games run on 4 threads, although they are typicaly very imbalanced in terms of workload/thread, very few take good advantage of quad-core technology
B) There are no games that use an i7 properly
C) an i3-2100 is $120, and i5-2500k is $220
D) 4GB RAM can be had for <$30
E) Nvidia is not always the best choice, and they aren't always from $150-300, Radeon has many cards at various pricepoints that are better than Nvidia, don't be a fanboy
F) You also forgot a power supply + CD drive
i3-2100 - $120 (CPU)
4GB RAM - $30
H61 Motherboard - $50 (Biostar or something like that)
Case - $45 (antec 100)
PSU - $40 (earthwatts 380)
GTS450 - $80 (GPU)
HDD - $35 (7200RPM 500GB)
21" 1080p monitor - $120
CD Drive - $20
Grand total - $540
That is a system capable of running sc2 on ultra at 1920X1080
Although I'd spend 200-300 more and get a pimped out 2500k system
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Are you talking about BF3 because BC3 hasn't been announced afaik... You probably want a quad (core i5 2400, core i5 2500k) for this game as its based off the same engine as BC2 and quads showed massive gains over a dual in this engine.
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I agree about the i5. The i3 is good - I have one myself - but from the looks of the build the OP suggested, he's got the budget for an i5 whether it be a 2500k or 2400. The i5 will last you a lot longer as games start to take advantage of more cores. skyR's recommendations sound spot-on to me.
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Ok so heres an updated list. I included a heatsink and changed one or two of the items. All of these are compatible correct? I looked it all up on newegg.com so thats what all the numbers are.
Case: Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Gaming Chassis Mid Tower Steel Computer Case Fully Black Powdered Interior VM30001W2Z
Model #:VM30001W2Z
Item #:N82E16811133179
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers
Model #:VE228H
Item #:N82E16824236100
Motherboard: MSI P67A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Model # 67A-G45 (B3)
Item #:N82E16813130582
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Model #:BX80623I52500K
Item #:N82E16819115072
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100338L Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Model #:100338L
Item #:N82E16814102941
Power supply: Thermaltake TR2 W0388RU 600W ATX 12V v2.2 Power Supply
Model #:W0388RU
Item #:N82E16817153114
HD: Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:ST3500413AS
Item #:N82E16822148701
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX
Model #:KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX
Item #:N82E16820104173
CD drive: Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
Model #:AD-7260S-0B
Item #:N82E16827118039
Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Model #:RR-B10-212P-G1
Item #:N82E16835103065
Netowkr card: ASUS PCE-N13 PCI Express 150/300Mbps Transfer/Receive Rate Wireless Adapter
Model #CE-N13
Item #:N82E16833320048
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Looking over you stuff, it seems all pretty decent. You definitely won't have troubles playing SC2 (maybe in Desert Strike, but that's to be expected). One thing though, if you're going to make this custom rig, I would suggest a better case than the one you have posted. I've dealt with that exact case before, and although it's nice for the price, having a nice case is priceless.
That line of Thermaltake makes it hard to fit fans on top and back, having virtually no room between the motherboard and top section. So, if you decide to start experimenting with overclocking, it will be tough to get adequate air cooling (even some water cooling). Also, having a nice case means you can have plenty of options available when you just want to update say motherboard and cpu in the future. Your hardware inside might not last for too long (in terms of technology) but having a nice case means you can keep it for at least a few builds.
If you're looking at newegg, they have the CM storm scout for $40 more (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196) which is actually a pretty decent case. It will also match your cooler master heat sink =P
Anyway, just a thought.
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this is why you fill out the questionnaire in the Computer Build Resource Thread. By specifiying a purpose and give a rough budget, you can get builds that will more perfectly suit your needs. It makes a lot of decisions easier to know what games you play, if you do other stuff on the computer, whether your budget makes the luxury of an SSD nice or a huge waste...
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edit: slow, just read above
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You didn't mention what kind of settings (medium, high, ultra?) you want to play those games. A 6770 will run sc2 fine @ ultra graphics but probably not many other games, maybe medium/high. You should check benchmarks, but for playing at 1080p a HD 6950 or GTX 560ti would be better choices if you want to play at higher settings. In many games, a 6770 would bottleneck a 2500k pretty badly.
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EPT
