Someone to guide me would be nice

[xGHOST11x]

I have grown very tired of console shenanigans, and wish to transition to PC gaming entirely. Now my main problem is i have basically no real knowledge on the subject and no one to help me. I have looked through some parts and assumed the most vital parts(mobo, processor, graphics)maybe? But i don't truthfully know and simply would like someone to allow me to bounce questions off of. My first one being, What are the most vital parts that should never be skimped on? What are the parts that are both reliable, and reasonably priced? Intel vs. AMD. Things such as that. I would thoroughly appreciate information on the questions above.

Thanks!

[LITOralis.nMd]

This website is fantastic for this stuff:
Logical Increments - PC Buying Guide

Here is another:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

And another:
For intel builds, find one you like and copy it:
http://www.overclock.net/f/165/intel-build-logs

and AMD builds, find one you like and copy it:
http://www.overclock.net/f/164/amd-build-logs

[LITOralis.nMd]

There is a MIcrocenter.com retail store in Georgia, I think. Cheapest prices and best selection in a retail setting you'll find.

[Pedz]

In terms of assistance in choosing components on an opinionated basis:

I say Intel > AMD in terms of processors, they're faster and perform better in games. However, there's no need to go for an i7, an i5 will do just fine.
Further knowledge Haswell(next gen of intel processors) is set for release June 2nd.

For graphics NVidia > AMD for performance, but price wise AMD normally wins at performance/price, dependant what your price range is really.

Motherboards, around ?150 will do for a good motherboard, just make sure it has the correct processor slot for you, and PCI-E 2 or 3 (depends on your GPU, some will take advantage of pci-e 3, others not).
Another thing to look for on motherboards is the amount of SATA ports, for HDD's and CD drives.

Power supplies, I recommend Corsair.

Memory, well anyone really, so long as it's compatible with your motherboard, you have G-skill (what I have in my machine) corsair, patriot etc...


In terms of things not to skimp on, for gaming, it'd be the graphics card... But generally all components should be roughly of equal quality, especially when it comes to the PSU , don't want your ?400 GPU blowing up because you bought a sub ?100 PSU .

[xGHOST11x]

Thank you all so much! This will be extremely helpful throughout the process.

[xGHOST11x]

Pedz, quick question. What are you referring to when you say "correct processor slot for you, and PCI-E 2 or 3 (depends on your GPU, some will take advantage of pci-e 3, others not).
Another thing to look for on motherboards is the amount of SATA ports, for HDD's and CD drives."

That honestly leaves me very confused. I have no idea of what you are referring to.

[LITOralis.nMd]

Let us know what your price range is , and we can get you sorted.

How to Build a Computer for Gaming 2013 Tutorial - Part One - YouTube

A quick and dirty guide to building your first gaming PC | The Official Antec? Blog

You need to put your own time into learning this, and everyone has a trade-off of the value of your time vs the value of your money.

[Pedz]

Pedz, quick question. What are you referring to when you say "correct processor slot for you, and PCI-E 2 or 3 (depends on your GPU, some will take advantage of pci-e 3, others not).
Another thing to look for on motherboards is the amount of SATA ports, for HDD's and CD drives."

That honestly leaves me very confused. I have no idea of what you are referring to.

It is all personal preference/what you want out of your machine.

PCI-E is the long connection that your GPU will slot into on the motherboard. Stands for
"Peripheral Component Interconnect Express"

Some GPU's are starting to reach the bandwidth limit of PCI-E 2.0 (I think only anything above the NVIDIA 680? correct me if I'm wrong..)

So if you're going for the ultra top-end graphics card, or plan to just update the GPU in the future, you'll want PCI-E 3.0 (It'll be in the spec list of the motherboard).


As for SATA ( Serial ATA), SATA is the connection that you connect your HDD to, as well as modern CD drives (none of those big IDE cables, a google search will show you what they look like )

So if you want 6 hard drives, then make sure you have 8 sata ports, for 6 hard drives + 2 CD/DVD drives, again, all personal preference on your build.

HTH, and I'll answer anything else you have to ask when/if I can

[xGHOST11x]

I would like to spend absolutely no more than $800 USD. And 800 is only if i must to meet requirements. I honestly like the build from the video you sent me, but maybe a more subtle case and better graphics card. I think i will stick with Intel for CPU.

Pedz, thank you. That helps a lot. I'm naturally a visual learner but if there're plenty of details I can find my way usually.

Now a question I have after some reading. SSD is much faster than HDD, so would it make sense to get a 500Gb HDD for non-gaming items and say a minimum 64Gb SSD for games and such?

[xGHOST11x]

ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS(newegg)
Would this be decent? If i understood that article correctly, the AM3+ won't work with an intel though. So does that actually strike it off the list already? But something like...Intel BOXDZ77GAL-70K LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard...would work because 1. its an Intel Mobo but more to the point 2. it has the "1155" in it. which i have no clue what that means.

[xGHOST11x]

Ok, last question for now. Sorry that im kinda flooding y'all with questions. But what about cases? mid-tower, full-tower. whats the drawbacks, advantages of both other than obvious size.

[LITOralis.nMd]

The 990FX motherboard is specific for AMD brand AM3+ socket CPUs.

Not compatible with Intel CPUs.

------

OK, now that we know your budget, I have to ask some simple questions.

First off, what do you already own that can be reused?

i.e. Do you own these and are they good enough to reuse?

Monitor
keyboard
mouse
(joystick?)
speakers
headset
CD drive or DVD drive
Hard drive(s)
Case

--------------------

At the $800 price point and your lack of knowledge in the subject, I would looking into three options:

1. I suggest buying a refurbished desktop PC direct from the manufacturer, and then upgrading the Graphics Card, and if needed, the Power Supply Unit (PSU).

There are advantages to this, including a manufacturer warranty, some extra bells and whistles, (like media card readers, IR remote controls, bluray drives, half price monitors if purchased at same time as PC, etc.

----------------------

2. Buy a manufacturer refurbished notebook with a GT650M or GT660M GPU, again, you get some good bonuses here, plus the mobility of a notebook.

----------------------

3. Drive to one of the Microcenter stores in Georgia, and buy the FX-6300 CPU and motherboard combo,
Build something like this:
$500 Gaming PC Budget Build, Plays Battlefiled 3 1080p on Ultra - YouTube
Buy the GPU and OS online to save money.

AMD FX 6300 BE 3.5GHz + 970 bundle (ananonymous, Gaia)

AMD FX 6300 Black Edition 3.5GHz Six-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:13:03 AM
$119.99
Add to Cart

MSI 970A-G46 AM3+ ATX AMD Motherboard

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:13:16 AM
$74.99
Add to Cart

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:15:24 AM
$34.99
Add to Cart

Thermaltake TR2 Series 600 Watt ATX Power Supply

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:16:25 AM
$44.99
Add to Cart

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory K...

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:17:16 AM
$53.99
Add to Cart

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive ST35...

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:18:52 AM
$59.99
Add to Cart

Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE SATA DVD-RW Burner

Date added: 3/26/2013 3:21:20 AM
$16.99

Subtotal $360.93 after combo discounts.
Plus Tax.
-$30 in rebates.
+$1 rebate postage

Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($89.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)

Total $572 plus tax on the microcenter purchases.

It also inc. Windows 7 64Bit but not a monitor or keyboard/mouse!

----------------------

For those who are still in University (and some high schools), MIcrosoft's DreamSpark, and ACM, Association for Computing Machinery , have deal where you can get several copies of various MS OS and Server OS for US$42 a year, (prices vary by country) are available worldwide to any university student who takes IT courses.
Membership Dues ? Association for Computing Machinery
Student Membership PLUS Digital Library: $42 (USD)
That'll save you another $48 bucks and you WILL learn a heck of a lot , you get access to hundreds of hours of educational material and a huge online library for aspiring IT pros.
Or you can just save $48 bucks and get several legit OS keys for years to come.

One more thing,
Several large PC manufacturers regularly sell refurbished systems at extreme discounts.

ALWAYS ALWAYS search for discount coupon codes, once those codes go live, they best systems sell out in an hour, so you have to stay vigilant to get the best deals.

There are some big advantages to buying a refurbished Dell, HP, Gateway, etc, and replacing the power supply and GPU.
The biggest being the better CPU. i.e. Dell was selling i7-3770 PCs for $435 shipped last week. (Non-K version, not overclockable, but that i7-3770 will last for at least 4 years.)
The scond big benefit is the included warranties on all parts.
The third benefit is you will get some stuff for free, HP provides a card reader, and a wifi card, Dell provides a card reader, keyboard and remote. most also offer 50% off for monitors if you buy at same time as a refurb system.
The fourth benefit is almost all manufacturer direct refurbs come with legitimate Windows OS licenses.


If you are going very cheap, you can also get small form factor PCs and buy half height graphic cards, like a Radeon HD 7750 or Nvidia GT 640 half height, just make sure the case takes a ATX form factor PSU, so you can upgrade it cheaply.

Dell Home Dell Outlet Home and Home Office | Dell Right now they are cleared out from the sale, but the XPS 8300 and 8500 models are a good base system to expand.
Dell Small business , Dell Outlet Desktops and Workstations | Dell The larger Vostro and Optiplex ones have enough room for full size video cards.

HP Business Outlet: Refurbished business products

Gateway Refurbs. They only sell through third party retailers and etailers. Currently the DX4XXX series can be upgraded easily to a gaming system on the cheap.

Lenovo outlet USA: Lenovo Outlet | Lenovo | (US)
When buying refurbs from Lenovo Outlet, you have to reference the techs specs yourself, as they have different internal SKUs than New retail products, get the info from the PDF reference manuals here: Personal Systems Reference (PSREF) sheets

One important point, buying direct from manufacturer usually provides better specs per dollar, and usually provide a better warranty, sometimes even free return shipping.

Also, unless you live within driving distance to a TigerDirect/CompUSA store, I strongly recommend NOT buying refurbs from TigerDirect.

CheetahDeals.com is a pretty good refurb seller, always worth a look. When he gets i5 and i7 systems they usually sell out in hours though.

[xGHOST11x]

Monitor- yes
keyboard- yes
mouse- yes
(joystick?)- broken
speakers- none
headset- yes
CD drive or DVD drive- yes
Hard drive(s)- most likely, but they need to be erased
Case- no, the case is very compact. I don't think anything could be added into it.

[LITOralis.nMd]

Do you live within driving distance of the two Microcenter stores in Georgia?

Micro Center Greater Atlanta/Duluth
Greater Atlanta/Duluth
2340 Pleasant Hill Road
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 689-2540

or

Micro Center Greater Atlanta/Marietta
Greater Atlanta/Marietta
Powers Ferry Plaza
1275 Powers Ferry Rd. SE, Suite 50
Marietta, GA 30067
(770) 859-1540

-------------------

Also, you got the CompUSA store in Jefferson,

TigerDirect.com Computer & Electronics Store Jefferson, Georgia
Address
235 Hog Mountain Rd
Jefferson, GA 30549
Main Phone: 706-387-5900

You have a simple list of parts:
CPU
MOBO
RAM
POWER SUPPLY
GRAPHICS CARD.
CASE
Windows License Key.
SSD and/or HDD drive.
And some Optional parts depending on what you buy above:
A replacement CPU cooler.
Extra Case fan that is quieter.
Extra Thermal grease.
Media Card Reader.
Windows Remote Control and IR receiver.


Microcenter has these bundles:
http://www.microcenter.com/site/product ... ndles.aspx
Intel Processor Motherboard Bundles | Micro Center

TigerDirect has these Bundles:
AMD Barebone, AMD Barebones, AMD Barebone Computer System Kits at TigerDirect.com
Intel Barebone, Intel Barebones, Intel Barebone Computer System Kits, Intel Barebone Kits at TigerDirect.com

You'll need to get yourself read up on the pros and cons of your options,
I'd base your search on
the Intel i5-3570k and Z77 chipset mobos.
or
the AMD FX-6300 and AM3+ 970 chipset mobos.

[xGHOST11x]

CPU- Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53330
Mobo- ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Case- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
--------------------
That's what I've looked at so far that seem pretty reasonable. Then again, it seems kinda expensive. This mobo does have the Z77 chipset like what you previously said. I think i can salvage the HDD from current PC for now. From there I need a GPU, RAM, PSU, and ?fans?.

Also, I looked at some Combo deals on newegg and saw that the CPU/Mobo combos mentioned something about having HD graphics in there already. Does that mean it won't allow a GPU to be added?

[xGHOST11x]

And yes, i do live near the Pleasant Hill location

[LITOralis.nMd]

Don't pair the Sabertooth motherboard with a i5-3330, the SAbertooth is near top of the line, the i5-3330 is a middle of the pack CPU.

--------------------
Ok, Pleasant Hill Microcenter will be the center of your search.

I buy lots of PC parts from the Microcenter in NJ.

You got options:
1. Buy this PC, add a PSU and GPU. NO worries about building, compatibilty issues, etc.
This one for AMD,
Hewlett-Packard Pavilion p7-1257c Desktop Computer Refurbished QW716AAR#ABA - Micro Center

or this one for INTEL:
Gateway DX4870-UB318 Desktop Computer Refurbished DT.GDDAA.012 - Micro Center
PSU: Corsair CX Series CX600M 600 Watt ATX Modular Power Supply CP-9020060-NA - Micro Center
GPU:
MSI N660 TF 2GD5/OC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Twin Frozr III Overclocked 2048MB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 x16 Video Card N660TF2GD5/OC - Micro Center

And probably buy one good 120mm fan to keep the air moving inside the case.

Will come out to around $760+tax



2. Build your own.

[LITOralis.nMd]

https://www.microcenter.com/InsiderAcct ... HmWdIAOuNX

This would be your price range.
After rebates and combo discounts, including taxes, you are at about $750.

Save another $10 by buying win7 online instead.

I suggest buying a slightly nicer case than in this wishlist, btw.

[xGHOST11x]

Can you explain why pairing the Sabertooth and i5 isn't good? I would agree if one was very low in terms of performance, but you said i5 was middle of the pack. That seems alright to me, but im not basing that off any technical expertise.

[LITOralis.nMd]

The Sabertooth has very high quality components specifically added to the design so PC enthusiasts can overclock the CPU and RAM. However the i5-3330 and i5-3470 are NOT overclockable CPUs. You end up buying extra features on the motherboard you can not utilize. You can buy another motherboard for less, and put the saved money toward other components, like a SSD or slightly better GPU.

It's all about the tradeoffs to stay on budget.

I myself own the Asus Z77 V Pro, which is two model steps below the Sabertooth, but has all the features I need to overclock the i5-3570k.

To keep on the budget I switched to the AMD FX-6300 , which is comparable to the i5-3330.

To stay on $800 budget though, buying the Microcenter combo discount of the i5-3570k and a Z77 motherboard meant for overclocking will push you up to around $950, and you would still have to learn how to overclock.

If you have any techie buddies, now is a good time to call in some favors to see if they'll help you out.

If you aren't a tinkerer by nature, you might do well buying a prebuilt and upgrading the power supply and GPU, to avoid the hours of possible headaches and learning curve involved. The time value of money and money value of your time is up to you to decide upon here.