Soon I will be given $500 towards a new computer, and I can add to that as I please. So my price range is 500 through possibly 1000, but I doubt I'll add another of my own 500 hard-earned dollars. 700-800 is more realistic, though I could maybe push it to 900-1000 depending on how much of a deal I can get.
The machine will be a desktop, and I am going to use it mostly for gaming. (Also for college, but that doesn't require a great computer like gaming does.)
So if it's going to be gaming than I figure that I need to prioritize 3 big things (correct me if I'm wrong anywhere along here): RAM, graphics card, processor.
I don't mean to be totally useless and just ask for someone to do it for me (but it'd be nice!), so even just advice on where to start would be great.
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Does that budget need to include a monitor (roughly $150 give or take) and an operating system? or do you have those already?
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Sadly not, so I'll have to buy those as well. (Unless I can maybe pirate an OS.)
Are you a student? You may be able to get Windows free or discounted if so.
Majivo wrote:
Are you a student? You may be able to get Windows free or discounted if so.
Ah, true, I'd almost forgotten about that. I'm attending in the fall. I will look into it.
After consulting with a friend of mine, this is the list I have. (I'm also decently drunk, but I think this post will come out fine.)
Graphics Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130652
RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996&Tpk=fx%204100
Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128510
CPU Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118035
Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009256
DVD Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106378
PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067
1034 + mouse and keyboard\
EDIT: Also, what the hell? I've looked around the Windows site for the student discount program, and it's full of a bunch of ******** and whatnot. Can anyone give me clear details as to how to get the student discount?
Edited, Mar 21st 2012 1:47am by CestinShaman
Graphics Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130652
RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996&Tpk=fx%204100
Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128510
CPU Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118035
Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009256
DVD Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106378
PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067
1034 + mouse and keyboard\
EDIT: Also, what the hell? I've looked around the Windows site for the student discount program, and it's full of a bunch of ******** and whatnot. Can anyone give me clear details as to how to get the student discount?
Edited, Mar 21st 2012 1:47am by CestinShaman
The windows student site basically works by you putting in your .edu e-mail address, they approave it and send you a "buy stuff here" link, you put in money, they send you windows.
Components look good overall, I wouldn't go with a rosewill power supply ever personally, but the price is right. The case also is decent, but the main problem is if you have it under a desk in a cramped environment, those two primary intake fans are going to be right up against your desk most likely. I'd go with a cooler master CM690 at the same price point over that one personally. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216
If you can find a 560 GT video card on sale, it might be worth spending the extra $30 to get the extra 1GB video ram over the 550 GT, but they are both good cards.
Components look good overall, I wouldn't go with a rosewill power supply ever personally, but the price is right. The case also is decent, but the main problem is if you have it under a desk in a cramped environment, those two primary intake fans are going to be right up against your desk most likely. I'd go with a cooler master CM690 at the same price point over that one personally. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216
If you can find a 560 GT video card on sale, it might be worth spending the extra $30 to get the extra 1GB video ram over the 550 GT, but they are both good cards.
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I think the desks are set up so that I will have the case above the desk, on top of the surface of table, so I don't think that will be a problem. (I got priority housing application, I got into the freshman apartments!)
As for the video card, I agree completely. I'll watch the sales. If I can get another Gigabyte in the video card (up to 3 from 2) I'd easily pay 30 dollars for that. Seems like a good deal to me.
(All I care about is gaming really, do both of those cards function well enough? I don't care about ultra graphics, but nice would be nice. I can even go down to medium for the REALLY NEW SUPER HIGH POWERED graphics.)
EDIT: And as for the power supply, it was what was recommended to me by my techie-professional friend, so I took his word for it. Is there something inherently wrong with Rosewill power supplies?
Edited, Mar 21st 2012 2:57am by CestinShaman
As for the video card, I agree completely. I'll watch the sales. If I can get another Gigabyte in the video card (up to 3 from 2) I'd easily pay 30 dollars for that. Seems like a good deal to me.
(All I care about is gaming really, do both of those cards function well enough? I don't care about ultra graphics, but nice would be nice. I can even go down to medium for the REALLY NEW SUPER HIGH POWERED graphics.)
EDIT: And as for the power supply, it was what was recommended to me by my techie-professional friend, so I took his word for it. Is there something inherently wrong with Rosewill power supplies?
Edited, Mar 21st 2012 2:57am by CestinShaman
The 550 and 560 GTX cards are both really nice. They are really much closer to the 580 GTX in terms of performance than you would think from the price. the main difference between the 560GGTX and the 580 is that the 580 uses faster ram and has slightly better processor with more processing bandwidth. The 560GTX is definitly the more cost effective way to go, and two 560 GTX's in SLI mode would outperform most single 580 GTX's except for the 3GB ram variant.
As for rosewill, they do not enjoy a good reputation. They make cheap stuff, cheaply. The price is right, but the quality is lacking. I would perconally put them near the bottom of any list of power supply manufacturers. That list, in order from best (and most expensive) to good, would be Enermax, Cooler Master, Corsair, Thermaltake, Antec. Never buy OCZ anything. Also try to avoid the no name power supplies, or at least assume they are under watted by abut 200 watts on average.
As for rosewill, they do not enjoy a good reputation. They make cheap stuff, cheaply. The price is right, but the quality is lacking. I would perconally put them near the bottom of any list of power supply manufacturers. That list, in order from best (and most expensive) to good, would be Enermax, Cooler Master, Corsair, Thermaltake, Antec. Never buy OCZ anything. Also try to avoid the no name power supplies, or at least assume they are under watted by abut 200 watts on average.
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I originally bought a Rosewill after Kao warned me from it. It arrived DOA and had to be mailed back. Of course now I'm using an OCZ supply so I've disappointed him twice.
Belkira wrote:
Wow. Regular ol' Joph fan club in here.
I decided to just go ahead and order the Rosewill, using my friend's original decision to get one. He says that he hasn't ever had a problem with them. It doesn't matter much in the end, it'll probably work.
As for the student Windows discount, I'm super pissed about it. I wont be issued my .edu email address until after class registration, which is in the summer. So I just got Windows 7 64 bit for $99.99.
I also picked up S.TA.L.K.E.R., Metro 2033 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. All on discs too. I hate hate hate downloading games. (I think on Amazon you have to use Steam to get them, ugh. **** that.)
As for the student Windows discount, I'm super pissed about it. I wont be issued my .edu email address until after class registration, which is in the summer. So I just got Windows 7 64 bit for $99.99.
I also picked up S.TA.L.K.E.R., Metro 2033 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. All on discs too. I hate hate hate downloading games. (I think on Amazon you have to use Steam to get them, ugh. **** that.)
Amazon has you download a small executable which acts as the downloader and installer for that game. Then you just delete that file. If a game requires Steam then of course you need Steam but that holds true for physical media as well.
Check out the Complete 2009 mod for Stalker. I thought it made the game much better.
Check out the Complete 2009 mod for Stalker. I thought it made the game much better.
Belkira wrote:
Wow. Regular ol' Joph fan club in here.
CestinShaman wrote:
I decided to just go ahead and order the Rosewill, using my friend's original decision to get one. He says that he hasn't ever had a problem with them. It doesn't matter much in the end, it'll probably work.
Eh, it's your computer, put whatever you want in it. That being said, I have a really nice "I told you so" animated gif all ready to go for when the inevitible happens!
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Jophiel wrote:
Amazon has you download a small executable which acts as the downloader and installer for that game. Then you just delete that file. If a game requires Steam then of course you need Steam but that holds true for physical media as well.
Check out the Complete 2009 mod for Stalker. I thought it made the game much better.
Check out the Complete 2009 mod for Stalker. I thought it made the game much better.
Ah. Well I know that there at least some on Amazon where you use Steam. I hate downloading big games and I don't like/want to use Steam.
As for the mod, thanks. Probably will mod after I play vanilla for awhile.
If it's a game on Amazon where you use Steam, it's a Steamworks game and you would need to use Steam for it no matter what (legitimate) means you use for getting it. For example, Amazon sells the retail box key for Shogun 2 but you still need to use Steam with it, just as you would if you bought the same box at Walmart. In that case, Steam is just the DRM & updating method the publisher chose to use.
Amazon and Steam are competitors. The only time Amazon will point you towards Steam is when the game requires it.
Amazon and Steam are competitors. The only time Amazon will point you towards Steam is when the game requires it.
Belkira wrote:
Wow. Regular ol' Joph fan club in here.
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