Help a girl gamer build a computer?

[maggie03]

I was pointed to these forums as a good source for building computers, so! I'm a girl gamer...and this is the first time I've ever built my own computer.

My old 4 (nearly 5) year old dell computer just kicked the bucket, so I'm looking to build a good gaming machine. I enjoy tinkering and I learn quickly, but to be honest I'm fairly clueless as to what specs would be needed for a good gaming computer, or how to properly set it up.

I'm willing to shell out $1500-$1900 for this computer. Any advice, or instructions anyone can offer? I'd appreciate it!

 

[robisbell]

welcome to the forum.

do you have anything in particular you would like to be able to do with it, besides playing the current games out or coming out.

 

[seemingly random]

Click here, copy and paste the form in the first post to a new reply in this thread and fill it out. You might also want to review other threads in that topic to get some ideas. It can be intimidating but it's satisfying to have a pc exactly as you want it.

 

[maggie03]

Thanks for the quick response! Let me better outline what I'm looking for:

PLEASE when POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Recreational mostly, particularly gaming, Photoshop art, After Effects editing.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1500-1900

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

U.S (I think?)

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.

No brand preference, though I'm certainly open to hear everyone's points on where the good, reliable, customer-satisfied brands are.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Nope! It's embarrassingly outdated.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

I have, though I'm afraid I need to enroll in Computer Building 101 to fully digest the information I've read.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I'll...get back to you on this. I don't quite understand what this means, so I can't say for certain.


Thanks!

 

[robisbell]

"7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds."
"I'll...get back to you on this. I don't quite understand what this means, so I can't say for certain."

I doubt you will, it's for people that think a few percetages on refresh rates and clock rates are worth burning out perfectly good hardware.

well, as for prefrences.

1. Intel Processor dual core
2. 600 - 700 watt PSU
3. ATI HD series cards
4. 4 GB ram minimum
5. 64bit version of XP Professional
6. dual 22-24" LCD monitors.

as for motherboards, and exact model of memory, processor, video card, and ram depends on you, I could give you multiples of each and you can pick and choose excet for ram and motheboard, I always make sure they are 100% compatible.
Hard Drives, since you do graphic work, I'd recommend a minimum of 3 drives, 2 of them in raid to save all your graphics work on.
I'd go 600GB each. that way the gaming side is not hindered by the raid.

 

[seemingly random]

I would assume that gaming is going to be the biggest stressor. Although I won't be able to help in this area, it might help others if you mention some of the games in order to determine how powerful of a gpu you'll need. Will the budget include a new monitor? What pixel size monitor? The more pixels, the more gpu power needed.

Parts list:
$xxx cpu
$xxx cpu hsf?
$xxx mb
$xxx ram
$xxx gpu
$xxx hd
$xxx dvd
$xxx case
$xxx case fans?
$xxx os
$xxx monitor
$xxx speakers?
$xxx kb/mouse?
------
$xxx total

 

[boomerang]

There are some recent guides at the parent site AnandTech.com

I always reference these when they are current and this one is.

Midrange Buyer's Guide

Here's a guide for building a computer by one of the Members/Moderators here, mechBgon.

http://www.mechBgon.com/build/index.html

 

[seemingly random]

Parts list:
$200 cpu - Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz
$100 mb - abit ip35-e
$100 ram - 2gb 800 ddr2
$300 gpu - nvidia 8800gt
$110 hd - 500gb
$040 dvd - any sata model
$150 case - antec p182
$110 psu - Corsair 520hx
$115 os - vista32
------
$1225 subtotal

$xxx monitor
$xxx speakers
$xxx kb/mouse
$xxx cpu hsf
$xxx case fans

Prices are conservative.

cpu - might be faster than you might think you need now but won't be in five years; the included hsf can be used for a while and exchanged later for another if needed (thermal right or scythe: $30-60).

mb - one of several x35 based mb's - I wouldn't go bleeding edge; bios maturity is more important

ram - 2gb will last a while; can always upgrade later

gpu - may or may not be more than needed; this model might be in short supply for a while; the new ati x3000's look interesting.

hd - cables will come with mb; I would go with WesternDigital or Samsung.

case - will get many opinions here; the p182 includes three fans and convenient cable mgmt.

psu - 500w will be more than plenty; this pc will draw ~150 at idle and ~275 at load; the corsair runs cool and quiet and modular cables are nice.

os - vista will eventually be as stable as xp; there's a way to order 64bit for a shipping charge.

newegg.com is handy to browse
buy.com has a few better deals; psu,

As far as the actual build, I always test with the mb outside of the case before the final install.

 

[Tpain]

What do you need to test the MB befor installing?

 

[seemingly random]

To be more precise about testing the mb outside of the case: I place the mb on the cardboard box it came in (non-glossy part is better). I populate the mb with the cpu, hsf, ram and gpu (if the mb doesn't have an igp). I then plug in the kb, monitor and necessary psu cables. Then plug the psu cable in a wall socket and flip the switch. A screwdriver is used to short the two appropriate pins briefly on the mb front panel connector to start it up. I then check that I can enter the bios by pressing and holding down the <del> key. I might update the bios at this point. I may or may not then attach the hd, dvd and mouse and install an os.

This isn't always necessary but consider the alternative - spend an hour or more installing everything in the case, flip the switch and it doesn't work. Having everything outside of the case makes it easier to troubleshoot and eliminates a few variables.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: maggie03
Thanks for the quick response! Let me better outline what I'm looking for:

PLEASE when POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Recreational mostly, particularly gaming, Photoshop art, After Effects editing.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1500-1900

Get almost any consumer Intel PC from any major local (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) vendor. Plug it in, try it out. If you aren't happy with its' graphics performance in games, grab an nVidia 8600GTS or 8600GT (Microcenter $99 for former, Fry's $99 for the latter; former's faster...black friday deals; normal pricing somewhat higher) and you should be all set.

Your total outlay should be under $900. For what it looks like you're looking for, I wouldn't dream of spending over $1000.

A few PCs:
http://frysforum.com/discussio...iday-2007-ad-released/
$599 for Gateway plus 22" LCD screen <<< I'd start here....

http://www.officedepot.com/ddS...4959334&Ne=5&An=browse
Gateway quad-core for $799 - no monitor

Gateway dual-core with 19" LCD $779
http://www.officedepot.com/ddS...4959334&Ne=5&An=browse

There's always Dell.com, where good, fast computers can be had for $400 and thereabouts.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

$60 Abit IP35-E motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...16813127031&Tpk=ip35-e
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2063989&enterthread=y

$60 E2140 CPU or any E21x0 (overclocked to 3.2GHz if you have an okay chip)
http://microcenter.com/single_...tml?product_id=0266759

$42 Kingston N5 1.8V DDR2 667 RAM (overclocked to at least 400MHz with 2.0-2.1V)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134046

FREE Gemini II CPU cooler plus $10 fans
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...s&Item=N82E16835103026
http://www.svc.com/r4-s2s-124k-gp.html

$50 Maxtor/Seagate 320GB SATA hard drive
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2121568&enterthread=y

FREE after rebate CoolerMaster 600 PSU (sale starts Friday at 12am)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...ml=112007&email=112007

$50 Antec SLK3000B or Antec Solo Case. Zipzoomfly also has a cheap/free case this Friday at 12am

You can re-use the optical drive. Spend the rest on GPU and monitor.

 

[dclive]

Dell mini-tower with 19" monitor : $349

http://www.dell.com/content/to...F&cid=25952&lid=594502

Upgrade to dual core and DVD burner for $450 total. Legal OS. Hard to justify building (I don't see an OS listed here in some of the specs posted...) when Dell is this cheap.

Add an nVidia 8600GT/GTS for $100-ish if you want more graphics horsepower.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Only problem is one cannot overclock a DELL. At that speed, the CPU will be the bottleneck for a serious gamer. I would never touch a cheap DELL if I was going to work with GPU-intensive applications. The garbage case cannot provide adequate ventilation for a modern overclocked CPU and GPU.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Only problem is one cannot overclock a DELL. At that speed, the CPU will be the bottleneck for a serious gamer. I would never touch a cheap DELL if I was going to work with GPU-intensive applications. The garbage case cannot provide adequate ventilation for a modern overclocked CPU and GPU.

In addition, the stock PSU in entry level Dells or other off-the-shelf PCs is inadequate for many add on video cards (see below).

Originally posted by: dclive

Add an nVidia 8600GT/GTS for $100-ish if you want more graphics horsepower.

Sorry, but it's hard to recommend this when a Radeon HD 3850 is only $80 more, and will beat the pants off the 8600 series.

There are many threads in General Hardware about gaming PCs on a $600-800 budget. The cost of an OEM Windows license will only add $100 or so to that cost.

 

[daveybrat]

Definitely look for an Nvidia 8800GT or ATI 3850 or 3870 video card. They will give you great graphics performance for a good price. (unless price gouging still exists on the 8800GT card).

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Only problem is one cannot overclock a DELL. At that speed, the CPU will be the bottleneck for a serious gamer. I would never touch a cheap DELL if I was going to work with GPU-intensive applications. The garbage case cannot provide adequate ventilation for a modern overclocked CPU and GPU.

The OP is not familiar with OC'ing, so almost by definition this can't-overclock bit is not a problem.

The OP has had the same system for four-five years, so almost by definition the latest-gen CPU is not a factor.

I've never seen any problems with Dell cases. In fact, I've found most of them to have fantastic ventilation. The SC series, in particular, is grand.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Only problem is one cannot overclock a DELL. At that speed, the CPU will be the bottleneck for a serious gamer. I would never touch a cheap DELL if I was going to work with GPU-intensive applications. The garbage case cannot provide adequate ventilation for a modern overclocked CPU and GPU.

In addition, the stock PSU in entry level Dells or other off-the-shelf PCs is inadequate for many add on video cards (see below).

I haven't found that to be the case. If you look at AT's reviews, their GTX systems require under 250W, by and large, and the 8800GTS/GT and the 8600s will require quite a bit less power. I had an 8800GTS/320 in my Acer (300W PSU) for a while - no issues at all, even with 4 HDDs, 4 RAM sticks, 2 tuners, etc., in it too. I think this entire PSU thing is wayyyy overrated.

Originally posted by: dclive

Add an nVidia 8600GT/GTS for $100-ish if you want more graphics horsepower.

Sorry, but it's hard to recommend this when a Radeon HD 3850 is only $80 more, and will beat the pants off the 8600 series.

There are many threads in General Hardware about gaming PCs on a $600-800 budget. The cost of an OEM Windows license will only add $100 or so to that cost.

[/quote]

(re: the card) Erm...that's TWICE as much... sure it's faster!

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Originally posted by: dclive

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Only problem is one cannot overclock a DELL. At that speed, the CPU will be the bottleneck for a serious gamer. I would never touch a cheap DELL if I was going to work with GPU-intensive applications. The garbage case cannot provide adequate ventilation for a modern overclocked CPU and GPU.

The OP is not familiar with OC'ing, so almost by definition this can't-overclock bit is not a problem.

The OP has had the same system for four-five years, so almost by definition the latest-gen CPU is not a factor.

I've never seen any problems with Dell cases. In fact, I've found most of them to have fantastic ventilation. The SC series, in particular, is grand.

A blind squirrel can overclock the IP35-E.

My TC tells me that those dirt cheap DELLs cannot handle the extra heat from an overclocked CPU and high-end GPU. Case temp went up 12C above ambient under load.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: dclive
The OP has had the same system for four-five years, so almost by definition the latest-gen CPU is not a factor.

On the contrary, if this new pc is expected to last that long again, it's precisely why a close to high-end cpu would be called for now.

But all of this could be for naught considering the lack of attention.

 

[practor]

Bump. I' m a hardcore gamer. Use this V OHH yeah about $1800.00 AUS

 

[Roguestar]

^^ Recommending the OP to use RAID-0 when she admitted naivete in building PCs is a pretty bad call, especially when it provides little to no real-world performance gains.

 

[practor]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
^^ Recommending the OP to use RAID-0 when she admitted naivete in building PCs is a pretty bad call, especially when it provides little to no real-world performance gains.

Soz m8 it does add performance as the os is shared between two.

 

[dclive]

The benchmarks I've seen on AT all say near-zero performance gain for single users. It's also tremendously dangerous - lose 1 drive, lose the entire volume. Bad idea, unless you've got something like Windows Home Server backing up your data all the time.

I still think the Dell deal with the monitor at $450, or the Gateway with 22" monitor for $550, is the best deal for the vast majority of people. Add a good graphics card and you're in business. Not fast enough in 3-4 years? Buy a new one, and pocket the $500-1000 you're saving from buying an expensive box now.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: dclive
I still think the Dell deal with the monitor at $450, or the Gateway with 22" monitor for $550, is the best deal for the vast majority of people. Add a good graphics card and you're in business. Not fast enough in 3-4 years? Buy a new one, and pocket the $500-1000 you're saving from buying an expensive box now.

Certainly a reasonable alternative. Some like the challenge of building their own - even if it does sometimes end up more expensive.