# PC gamers help me out?



## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Im getting a new tower soon, and I need help understanding what I should look for. Im very new to the component aspects of PC gaming. I don't have much money and I am planning to spend only a little over 1000 dollars. Maybe at the max 1500. So what should I look for? I know it's a vague question but I really am lost.. I know that I don't want integrated video card, etc. But can anyone here give me some more ideas or help? Its really overwhelming..


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## gypsity (May 19, 2010)

my computer was built on cyberpower PC. I paid around 1200. Here are my specs, and I love the gaming I am able to do on this guy.

Azza Solano Full size tower
Gigabyte P55 chipset w/ onboard sound card
Intel i5 2.67 GH
4 gig ram
1 TB hard drive 
ATI Radeon 4890 graphics card
5 fans & a liquid cooling system for my processor

I enjoy upwards of 90 fps on most of my mmo's (unless heavy raiding) and my system tested @ 60 fps for first person shooter type games


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Read a lot of reviews online. For games, the graphics card is key, processor and memory is important as is keeping it cool. I like the i5 or i7 with the new ram that you buy in 3s. I'm reading that the bigger than 1 TB hard drives aren't as reliable as the 1TB and under, but they are more space for the dollar. I'm thinking 2 750GB or 1TB SATA drives would be nice (so you can backup essentials automatically). You need a DVD read/write/burner and they are very cheap. Blueray burners are coming down, readers aren't that bad, some games may need them soon, but you can prob. save that for upgrade. "80+" is good on a power supply because efficient = cooler. Fans are good, you want a box full of holes and fans. Make a list of what you need to connect and factor in the cost replacing old peripherals like ps/2 mice and parallel printers if the new system doesn't have the right ports or win 7 doesn't have drivers. Remember to price in the OS unless you a lucky enough to be in a cheap software for students program. Get a geek involved. My sister reads tech review for fun, find a buddy who shops for computers for fun. Listen, but verify. Don't get a mac. They play games well, but they don't last and you can't afford to fix them. Don't buy a system for 'bundled software" its all short-term trials and crap you have to uninstall. Take your time, don't fall for "special one-day only sale" the price trend is downward until the next jump in performance. 

Today I overheated my old graphics card with Torchlight, guess I'll start shopping, meanwhile "netbook mode". I've been thinking about dropping a grand on a computer for a while, but i've been patching up the POSs instead. Prices are dropping as you watch.


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## Blue Cray (Oct 19, 2007)

You should put off buying it until winter, its summer get outside and pick up a skateboard or something.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Blue Cray said:


> You should put off buying it until winter, its summer get outside and pick up a skateboard or something.


3 words, "after Christmas sale". Around the end of the year, upgrade stuff, software peripherals, etc. go up, but whole pre-built "x-mas present" systems go down as the new stuff goes out. 

No time to skateboard, have to earn enough for the $3k gaming system.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Blue Cray said:


> You should put off buying it until winter, its summer get outside and pick up a skateboard or something.


Im not even going to be able to buy this comp for another 10 months.. I am just considering my options, especially because I know the tech that I want will be a bit aged in 1 year, so it will come down in price. I do skateboard a lot.. In fact im having knee problems in my left knee because of it, and my doc has told me to stay off but im not listening.. :chair:


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Quad Core Processor  Graphic cards become obselite so quickly, buddy bought a GeForce 1gb card last year for $260 and now it's going for $50 lol. Gigabyte is brand for serious gaming  their motherboards are insane! Ram, some companies if your buying a premade one, will rip you off just for the upgraded ram when it only costs $20 a stick! so id buy min ram and just add it yourself. HD too, is another area they hit you with, so easy to just add more. Number of premade's also have integrated video cards, like express, not true graphic cards.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Since you have months before you buy one research the motherboard and processor combo you want and build it around those. I just ordered components for a new system, spent around $700, and will get almost $100 back from mail-in rebates. I went with a triple core AMD processor. Less expensive than the quad cores, the currently available games are based on dual-core so it's actually faster, and in a couple years I'll upgrade to a 6-core.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Newegg.com, Baby! 
Building your own machine is the way to go. You'll get a better system for less money. Buying prebuilts is always a ripoff.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If you are too chicken to build your own, find a geek. My sister's BF is a EE and he will build a system as a entertainment like other do a jigsaw puzzle. Making your own is a bit of a pain, but you learn enough to be able to swap out pieces when they fail (and they do, no matter where the system comes from). Make a spreadsheet that lists the components you need and start watching prices.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

if your more into graphic gaming i suggest the following setup and strapped for cash

M2N68-AM with AM2+ socket - 50bucks
ATI's 4970 GPU- ask around. i found mine for 70bucks
AMD Phenom X4 processor- this is where it get a lil expensive: 300bucks
4 GB Ram. DDR2 800 Mhz ram sticks will work well.
DVD Combo drive. i already had this laying around from an older comp.
1 TB External, 160 SATA internal

thats my config. i run it of a 30 inch screen with graphics in full blast with absolutely no problems.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

I would like to try out a AMD 6 core  *drools*


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

i tested it out last night. its AMAZING! the speed, the quality everything. it beats the i6 handsdown when it comes to gaming.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I went with 2 640 GB hd's instead of a single 1 TB. One will be used for the os (Win 7) and the other one for files, games, etc.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Im working with the people at my local ham radio club, lol they are all a bunch of gamers who build satellites and missiles for NASA at Northrop Grumman, which no kidding I live right next to. And MetalHead I like your build. I am going to talk with my buddies about it and see what we can come up with


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

Hey Dan

if you are willing to spend a lil more money you could get ur self the heavier AM3 socket motherboard that run in the M4N series. they support up to 8gb ram and will derive better clock speeds with the Phenom II processor. The M2N series does support the Phenom II well but its always recommended to use the M4N series. however since your gaming, the M2N series motherboard will suffice and when i say suffice i mean its MORE than enough.

what OS are you considering?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Win 7 is about the only choice, right? The good games don't come for linux and XP doesn't get the best out of the multi-cores. You only need to pick 32 or 64 bit, home or pro. Don't even think about Vista, unless you get a system that comes with a free upgrade to 7.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Dell XPS Studio 16 Laptop:
- 500 GB HDD
- HD+ LED Screen
- Back-lit keys
- 5 Hrs Battery
- Intel Core i7 Turbo
- 4 Gigs RAM DDR3
- ATI Radeon HD 5730
- Windoes 7 Ultimate
- All Aluminum case 
Total cost = 1100.00 - those are the basics. There are also advanced things I didn't include such as gaming mouse, 8 MP webcam, facial recognition, etc..

That is what I run for Gaming, works for now on Ultra-high on all my games, zero lag, Epic for multitasking. I would recommend for sure a quad core, and a beast video card of some sort.

Like OldSalt said, Newegg is great for customs, and good on service and price.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Yeah, just think..50 years from now my grandchildren will have core 6 processors on their phones, and that will be slow haha


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Um I guess I have to get win 7 but I dont like it because I have heard most games run very poorly on it or crash often, fallout 3 hint. So I will either stick to XP, which I will get from a bud. Or I dunno.. I hate vista with a fiery passion tho.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

with my config am actully running XP Pro with SP3 (custom). 

all my games are running full tilt at ultrahigh settings. i tried 7 but i prefer XP. 

personally, i really dont see the need for 7 as of yet. we may need that once COD's Black OP is released. that game needs a heck of a requirement.

stay as far away from Vista as you can. the only addon Vista has over XP is Direct X 10. which is just one small patch up from Direct X 9c. no big loss there.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I put a new motherboard in a XP machine and was able to activate XP from the code on the box. If you XP in hand, go with it. Its getting kinda hard to buy. I was leaning toward a 64 bit OS for the next machine, but there are supposedly a lot of peripherals and 32 bit programs that don't play nice with 64 bit Win 7.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

you make a very valid point. however, you do get a 32bit version of 7 that is pretty much compactible with older proggies made for the 32bit processors.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

So, I installed the processor/heat sink and RAM, hooked up the psu, keyboard, and monitor, jumped the power contacts and got nothing. The fans on the psu and heat sink run, the keyboard apprently has power, (num/caps lock leds lights up) but not even a beep out of the buzzer. I tried swapping the RAM around among different slots, resetting the CMOS, and even tried a different mobo with the cpu, etc hooked up the same way with the same result... nothing on the monitor. 
Would that point to the RAM or the cpu being bad? All brand new parts...


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

are you usin a GPU?


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

What's a GPU?


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

its a graphics processing unit which I believe boosts the performance of a 3d video card.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

Dan got it right.

incase you are using a GPU have u tried swapping ports or swapping cables irrespective of using a GPU or not?


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

No GPU, just a new system with minimal hookups that doesn't work. I wanted to check it out before I put it all into the case just because of this possibility. I tried 2 different mobo's with the same cpu, RAM, and spu with the same result: no bootup, and the monitor is in standby mode.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

try with a diff cable. could also be a problem with your SPU (SMPS) unit. infact am leaning heavily towards that.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Incompatible RAM. The first stick I tried with my new motherboard wouldn't even let it try to boot. Don't remember if its too slow or too fast. I believe the bios update allows more choices, but I couldn't update the bios until I got it to boot. 

Try booting with only one stick at a time in case its a case of one DOA stick, then try other speeds of RAM and double check the specs.

And even if you plug in speakers, you might not get any beeps, the new MBs don't have any noisemakers, so not all bioses have an audible POST any more..


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Cam said:


> Dell XPS Studio 16 Laptop:
> - 500 GB HDD
> - HD+ LED Screen
> - Back-lit keys
> ...



They had these all throughout Stargate series, great looking hardware! Price always scared me but always envied them!


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I tried a single stick of RAM in all 4 slots, doesn't seem likely 2 new sticks would both be DOA. No speakers, just a little 2-wire buzzer that came along with the mobo. Even w/out any RAM it should still beep, according to the manual. 


> try with a diff cable. could also be a problem with your SPU (SMPS) unit. infact am leaning heavily towards that.


The only cables I've had connected are the 20 and 4 from the psu. I don't have another psu on hand to try out, but the fans on the heat sink and the video card ran just fine, so it is getting power somewhere. Could it be a bad wire somewhere in the psu? I don't have a meter to check each one individually.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

Hey Todd

when i say cable i mean the one running from your VGA output from the motherboard to the VGA input of your screen. have this looked at and also have your SMPS (PSU = Power Supply Unit). this is likely to solve your problem. it happened to me as well when i was muckin around the hardware.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

The cable works fine on my old comp; the monitor screen goes blank when I move it to the new mobo, then says it's on powersave mode if I try to adjust the brightness. When I move it back over to the old comp it comes right back up. I'll take the psu to the repair shop tomorrow and have it checked. If it's good I'll have to conclude the problem is the RAM?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Its not impossible to have 2 dead stick, or possible just the wrong speed or not installed right. Check all the connections to the board (esp. the power). I agree 1 dead PS is more likely.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I should probably just take the whole mess to the shop and let them sort it out. I've tried everything I could think of using what I have on hand.


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## MetalHead (Aug 18, 2010)

thats an SMPS problem for sure. did you pull this out from an older unit? your 2 possibilities are: 

1: an old under powered PSU
2: a defect PSU.

either way am pretty sure its the PSU.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

I dont know if my comment will still be relevant because I did not read the entire thread.

I work in a computer shop and I can tell you that the local shops will be having their sales during the summer At least in northern states it is this way. In southern states, I would assume the opposite. The reason being, is that people tend to go outside and ignore their computer more when they have the chance. Computer sales and repairs go way down in the summer. The stores need a way to get people to come in during the summer, and so they put the sales on during the summer. In the winter, sales and repairs both go way up. Like I said before, I would assume the southern states have the opposite, where their sales go up in summer and go down in winter.

Oh and also, save up for the computer then in 10 months when you have the money, then look for the computer. Right now there is kind of a processor race between AMD and Intel. You can expect there to be different computers in 10 months from now.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

What do you mean processor race? I knew intel and AMD were always at odds, but how bad is it (or good depending on how you look at it)?


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Ok guys this is the rig I have built. I was wondering if you all could just look it over and tell me if you see any problems or have any suggestions for it. I made it on a site called acnt.com which is near me. My biggest concern is the geforce 9800 I heard they are unreliable and all around bad.. My other concern is the power supply. The case I chose does not come with one so i had to choose myself and I have no idea how much power a tower like this actually requires to function. And in terms of gaming How nice is this? I will want to play heavy games like fallout new vegas, while I use mods on it. And games like cod. Thanks





AMD Value Gamer

Customize Your Own Dual Core AMD Athlon II AM3 Value Gaming Machine
$743.80
8/22/2010 3:31:23 PM 
Motherboard	GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM3 2600MHz 16GB DDR2 ATX Motherboard (MBAM2AM3119)
Processor	AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition AM3 3.3GHz 4000MHz 2x1MB CPU - Retail (CPA8PHX2555)
Memory 1	Major Brand 2GB 800MHz DDR2 Memory (MMG2D2PC6400)
Memory 2 (select identical to Memory 1)	Major Brand 2GB 800MHz DDR2 Memory (MMG2D2PC6400)
Video Card	XFX HD-575X-ZNFC ATI Radeon HD 5750 700MHz 1GB HDMI/2xDVI PCIe Graphics Card (VCPXXHD5750)
Hard Drive	Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive (HD1TBW503)
Optical Drive	SAMSUNG SH-S223F/BEBE Black SATA 22x double layer DVD+-rw drive (DVDRWSS100B)
Case (Please select a power supply if not included)	AZZA Orion 202 Black/Black Steel ATX Computer Case (no power supply) (CSXAZ202)
Power Supply	AZZA Dynamo 500W ATX CrossFire/SLI Ready Power Supply (CSP4AZZ500)
Card Reader 
Keyboard	No Keyboard
Mouse	No Mouse
Speakers	No Speakers
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit GFC-00564 (SWOSWIN7HP32)
Office Suite	No Office Suite
Anti-Virus Software	No Anti-Virus Software
LCD Monitor	No LCD Monitor
Ups


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I might go up to a "black" WD HD. The green do use less power, but they read slower. Its fine for data, but for games you might want the faster speed, also the greens seem to have a higher failure and DOA rate. The rest I need to look up.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

Forgive my ignorance, but if you are talking about the disc drive, then i fully intend to replace it in due time.


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## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

dan3345 said:


> Ok guys this is the rig I have built. I was wondering if you all could just look it over and tell me if you see any problems or have any suggestions for it. I made it on a site called acnt.com which is near me. My biggest concern is the geforce 9800 I heard they are unreliable and all around bad.. My other concern is the power supply. The case I chose does not come with one so i had to choose myself and I have no idea how much power a tower like this actually requires to function. And in terms of gaming How nice is this? I will want to play heavy games like fallout new vegas, while I use mods on it. And games like cod. Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I went with 2 640GB hdd's instead of a single 1TB, a triple core AMD 3Ghz cpu, and the 64 bit windows 7. Also added another DVD/rw since they're only $20. Unfortunately, the cpu was DOA, so I have to return it and wait for a replacement to arrive before I can get back to building my new toy.
My video card is a GeForce GTS 250 with 512MB. I don't see much point in paying more for a card with more memory since it's probably going to be upgraded in a couple years. I'd rather put the $$ into more RAM when necessary.
With 4GB of Kingston RAM, a new case, 500w psu, a box of 4 12v cooling fans and a few cables my total from newegg was about the same as yours. After I do the mail-in rebates I'll get almost $100 back, so the total price will be under $650.


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