Need advice for a new desktop

[Loqutus]

My laptop has served me well and I can play alright on most maps, but I'd really love to max out TF2 graphics and never drop below 100fps. I want to destroy this game.

Also keep it relatively future-proof, ready for HL3, etc.

I've never custom-ordered or built a computer before, so I don't really know a good place to start. I'd like to keep the price below $1200 after tax, shipping, everything.

Help

[Eightball]

All this time Loq's been dominating people on a laptop :0. It's like Liquid again.

I'll post some stuff when I get off of work (on a smartphone ATM). And I say this to everyone who is considering home-building, but custom PC sites like ibuypower and cyberpower are pretty cost-effective (and you get a warranty, which is just so nice). Still, you can't beat hpmebuilding for a learning experience. If nothin else, you can use those sites to get ideas about pricing.

[Vlambo]

Dominating as spy can't be that hard on a laptop

[Kirby]

All this time Loq's been dominating people on a laptop :0. It's like Liquid again.

I'll post some stuff when I get off of work (on a smartphone ATM). And I say this to everyone who is considering home-building, but custom PC sites like ibuypower and cyberpower are pretty cost-effective (and you get a warranty, which is just so nice). Still, you can't beat hpmebuilding for a learning experience. If nothin else, you can use those sites to get ideas about pricing.

I'm still using the same case I got when I got my 1st 'real' (read: not box brand) PC like a decade ago.

I got that PC from cyberpowerpc


I'd never knock cyberpower, their prices are awesome.

Although I do take umbrage with the fact they use DHL for shipping. I hate DHL.


When above mentioned PC was shipped to me and arrived, there was no one home, so instead of dropping the package (Read: $1100 PC) on my porch (I live half a mile off the road sequestered in the woods with literally no visibility to my house whatsoever from anyone or anywhere) THEY DELIVERED IT TO MY FUCKING NEIGHBOR INSTEAD.

Thank god said neighbor was my best friend's mom who normally picked us up @ the bus stop on the way home from school.

What kind of a delivery service will do that....

Oh yeah, a shitty one.

Dominating as spy can't be that hard on a laptop

Loq scares me, and that takes a lot.

Merc annoys me, Loq just plain scares me. I can get into any spy's mind and fuck your game up sideways.


But not Loq.

[Vlambo]

He's a robot

[Kirby]

[me=Kirby]gets some Jawas to fuck Loq up[/me]


Wow we derailed this thread.

[Eightball]

So yeah uh here are my recommendations:

Case - This one is entirely your call. Full Tower cases look great, cool nicely, make cabling easy. However, if you plan to move your rig around a lot, then the cons of having a 50-pound computer will start to outweigh the pros, and you should go to Mid Towers instead. I can tell you that I have had good experiences with XCLIO and NZXT cases, and bad experiences with Apevia cases (shiny though they may be). Also factor into account whether or not a window is important to you. Seeing the inside of your computer is really sweet, but maybe not if you have to sleep with it running and have twenty bright LEDs shining through at you.

PSU - Nowadays, I would say modular cabling is almost a must. If you don't know what that is, it means that the PSU comes with plugs and cords that you use or remove as you need, as opposed to having a giant tumorous mass of wires hanging out of it that you can't clear out the way to improve airflow. It's gotten much, much cheaper than when it was first introduced, and if you're self-building then I strongly recommend getting a PSU with modular cabling. I also recommend getting a little more power than you need, so that way you have room to upgrade in the future without replacing the PSU, a task which sounds really arduous and painful once everything else is in there.

Processor - Well, I've only ever used Intel processors, and I have never had even one complaint about them. I do seem to hear more complaints about AMD processors than I do Intel (shit, take a look at what happened to Versus). If you do go with an Intel processor, then with your budget I recommend going for i7. Blues would probably strike me for saying this, but I really like i7 processors. I have the 920, which is no longer for sale on Newegg. Instead, get the 930; it's exactly the same price as the 920 was but with better speed. That'll run you about $290, but if you watch for Newegg combo deals, you can recoup a good amount of the cost.

Motherboard - I've never known what to say about motherboards. Don't bother getting one that has 3 PCI slots, you won't need it and you'll be wasting money and space--sorta. I have an EVGA motherboard, and I've had a Gigabyte one in the past. Both have given me minor problems...but nothing worth condemning either brand. I'd definitely also consider ASUS, and maybe MSI. You shouldn't have to spend too much on your motherboard to have a beast of a computer, but they certainly offer models that will rape your wallet.

Memory - Uh? Get DDR3, probably at least 1333 (I have 1600). Chances are that no one on the entire planet can perceive the difference between them in everyday computing, but I guess if the cost isn't too much, get the faster ones? As for brand, I've always bought Corsair, and I have never ever had problems. GSkill is pretty reasonably priced too. I know Scar has had faulty OCZ chips before, so I'm not too crazy about them.

Hard Drive - I've always used Western Digital for both internal and external hard drives, and have never had problems. I don't know too much in this area though. Just looking at the forums, it seems as if people have more problems with Seagate drives than WD, but I don't know if that's quite right. Oh, and remember that the cost per gigabyte of storage decreases as you look into larger drives. I bought a 640GB, and I honestly wish I had gone for a 1TB drive. Also, consider the possibility of going RAID 0; that'll really cut down on your loading times. Consider it carefully though, as spreading your data across two drives usually means a higher chance of critical failure. Then again, once you commit to one option or the other, it's hard to turn back. You could also just install your OS onto a small SSD and put everything else on a standard HDD, that sounds nice.

Video Card - For your price range, you'll probably want the Radeon HD 5800s or GTX 400s. I myself just bought two 460s, I'll tell you how those go. I know many people on the forums have 5870s, and although they're pricey, everyone seems to like them. Surf Tom's Hardware and Guru3d a bunch to get a better idea.

Drives - Get what you want. Since you play a lot of steam games, I doubt you'll need more than one DVD-drive. Then again, maybe you want Blu-ray as well. Don't get floppy :|

Operating System - Windows 7 durp. See if you have access to student or business discounts so you can get it for cheap. I picked up my copy of Win7 Ultimate for $80, Liquid got his for free somehow.

[CaffeinePowered]

Also, whatever parts you pick, buy everything through NewEgg, they have an amazing return policy which amounts to....

"If you fuck something up, just say it was dead on arrival, and they'll replace it for you"

There is rarely a way to tell between something that is DOA and something you messed up, most other retailers will throw a shit-fit over sending back parts. I had to go through hell and high water once when I got sent a CPU with bent pins, the tech told me, and I shit you not, to use a screwdriver to bend the pins back.

:-X

[K2]

If you want some place to start in terms of parts, here is my build I got a few weeks ago. It was about $1100 with rebates and combos (which have all probably changed by now). If you don't need a monitor or keyboard like I did, you could go for an i7 and/or better graphics.

Definitely get everything through NewEgg. Subscribe to their weekly e-mails. They're constantly having sales and combo deals on everything, so you can get some great savings if you do your research and check up on deals periodically.

[Kirby]

Subscribe to their weekly e-mails.

I start punching myself when an item comes up I really really want but don't have the cash to get, because I would never have known about the ungodly awesome deal had I not subscribed.


But I can't un-subscribe because I MIGHT MISS SOMETHING AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Loqutus]

Excellent feedback. Thanks.

I'm debating on whether to get a 23" monitor or to use my 32" Sharp Aquos LCD as my monitor.

Decisions.

[Chief]

Excellent feedback. Thanks.

I'm debating on whether to get a 23" monitor or to use my 32" Sharp Aquos LCD as my monitor.

Decisions.

depends

do you want to see everyone that can be possibly backstabbed or just a few people that can be possibly backstabbed

[Surf314]

[quote author=K2 link=topic=4849.msg166450#msg166450 date=1280269054]
Subscribe to their weekly e-mails.

I start punching myself when an item comes up I really really want but don't have the cash to get, because I would never have known about the ungodly awesome deal had I not subscribed.


But I can't un-subscribe because I MIGHT MISS SOMETHING AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
[/quote]

Son of a bitch  quoting on phones gahhhhhh
Dammit I meant fermis

Dermis are 10% off I want one or two.

[HeK]

Excellent feedback. Thanks.

I'm debating on whether to get a 23" monitor or to use my 32" Sharp Aquos LCD as my monitor.

Decisions.

Dual 23" Monitors

[Versus]

i'd say go for a monitor, unless that means spending less on your actual computer.

[Didzo]

I have an AMD 965 powering my desktop and a 5850. I've got absolutely no complaints. TF2 runs maxed out at 100-250 fps with background programs and internets running.

An i7 would do the job great as well, but you honestly won't be running anything nearly intense enough to warrant the price premium.

I've only managed to get the CPU usage to ~75%, and that's with TF2, internet, full system scan, and system backup running at once.

[Versus]

what resolution is your monitor didzo? because i am usually under 100 fps in tf2 with my 965 at 1920x1200 and sometimes below 60.

[Didzo]

what resolution is your monitor didzo? because i am usually under 100 fps in tf2 with my 965 at 1920x1200 and sometimes below 60.

1680x1050

[Loqutus]

Here's what I have so far

I subscribed to the newsletter, and that got me the 1600 RAM for a 1333 price, and the 1tb for the 640mb price.

[Versus]

microATX mobo?

also you should probably pick up another 2GB of RAM sometime, but you don't have to do it right now