Building a New Computer

[JughedJughedJones]

It's finally time to get rid of my failing rig and build a new one. I'm thinking 1200$ US as a budget and would appreciate some suggestions from you guys.

 

I, of course, would like it to run BOS well. I also play FSX like a maniac and would like it to be ready for Star Citizen and Elite. 

 

Thanks guys!

 

 

[AbortedMan]

This guy runs an MMO blog geared towards Blizzard games, but also features a monthly computer build section that is well informed, vetted, and budget conscious. He provides links and different budget classes (With weird names, puppy, narwhal, unicorn) to accommodate what you're looking to spend. It's also sectioned by peripherals and core components. He's never lead me wrong in 6 years.

 

http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/3838-Blizzcon-2014-Setup-of-the-Month-Dark-Legacy-Comics-431

 

I recommend a narwhal setup, unless you have the cash to drop on the illustrious unicorn build. In any case, I recommend veering away from any SLI/crossfire options...in my experience with dual card setups the money is better spent on one big beefy top end card. SLI/crossfire doesn't seem to always be supported or supported well with the performance you'd expect in today's games. Just food for thought.

Edited May 14, 2014 by AbortedMan

[JughedJughedJones]

Thanks AM! 

 

Very interesting, really interesting options there. Do you have any more lists like this?  Anyone else know of any?

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I've watched a few of this guys youtube videos. Then my wife approved a Falcon NW and I was done.

 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmWNCO9wSjzOz1UV8jCvIHA

[AbortedMan]

Thanks AM! 

 

Very interesting, really interesting options there. Do you have any more lists like this?  Anyone else know of any?

http://www.tomshardware.com/ is pretty much the go-to for anything computer hardware related. A lot of my troubleshooting on hardware issues have been simplified by reading their articles and/or forum posts by the many knowledgeable forum posters there. I'm sure if you give it a minute or two you could find an equally comparable list/guide/article regarding modern computer builds.

 

It's best to get a ballpark list of components you're looking for to make your research exponentially easier. Simply googling "new computer build" won't provide much info that will help in a practical manner, as you may have already seen. Set your eyes on a couple video cards, a couple motherboards, a couple CPU models, etc and google research/review them specifically to get the real practical lowdown on how/what they do best/worst.

 

Also, be very aware of the date of the information you're researching was posted. There's nothing like the disappointment of reading an article that sings a PC component's praises while you've found it at a super discount price, only to get to the end of the article and realize it was written and posted 9 years ago in 2003.

 

Depending on your current setup, it may be worth it to wait a couple more months (on buying a video card) for Nvidia and AMD to release their newer models, I think their usual "new stuff" season is coming up after Summer. Otherwise, you can get an EVGA brand video card that promises an upgrade if a shiny new model video card is released within a certain number of months...I'm sure there are other companies that do the same.

 

If you have any questions regarding a specific component/requirement/performance/compatibility/price/assembly feel free to send me a PM and I'll be glad to help.

Edited May 14, 2014 by AbortedMan

[216th_Jordan]

One thing:

 

Used components are quite a bit cheaper and you will have a faster machine with the same money... I was lucky and got a working gtx 770 for 100€ on ebay and it works fine, so just keep browsing a little

[II/JG17_HerrMurf]

I agree with AM on the Tom's Hardware being a good choice.

 

On the other hand, I do not agree that 2003 was nine years ago

[ShamrockOneFive]

Tom's is great for reviews for sure! That MMO website seems to have a pretty solid set of suggestions and I agree with Aborted Man that the 'Narwhal setup' is probably the right bang for the buck. I might use a different memory (I like Mushkin) and power (Antec has been my go-to) but other than that I think that's a pretty solid setup.

 

Also... the Solid State Drive... glad it's listed. It's the single biggest and best upgrade I've made in a decade. Your system will be so much snappier with one of those than with a conventional hard drive. It really makes a huge difference.

Edited May 15, 2014 by ShamrockOneFive

[AbortedMan]

I agree with AM on the Tom's Hardware being a good choice.

 

On the other hand, I do not agree that 2003 was nine years ago

I can math!

[JughedJughedJones]

Thanks a lot guys.  Keep the suggestions coming!  

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JughedJones/saved/4Gwh

 

 

This is what I've come up with so far, a little bit of a hybrid between the Unicorn and Narwhal from the MMO site. 

 

What do you guys think?  I went a little over budget, but I think the i7 is important as well as cramming a little more memory in there. 

[JughedJughedJones]

Just switched up the case and brought the cost down a little more.  (This is fun!) 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JughedJones/saved/4Gwh

[JughedJughedJones]

The i7 is, in my opinion, a bit overkill for a gaming rig.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a great chip but the main difference between the i7 and an i5 is the Hyperthreading.

 

This isn't really necessary for gaming.

Useful if you do video encoding or other extremely CPU intensive multitasks.

 

If the primary purpose of the rig is gaming, you can save some cash by going for the i5 or plough the money you save into a better GPU or SSD, where you'll notice the benefit.

 

[edit] Looks like you switched the i7 for an i5 already.

 

 

 

Sure did!!  

 

Like I said, this is a lot of fun! Everybody has an opinion and is really willing to help out a noob. I'm getting a lot of great advice.

[Nankeen]

Tom's Hardware is a great site for sure. Have visited there many times.

 

This site is an okay guide for hardware choice, (when it comes to bang for your buck). Check it out: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/