Im trying to guide my brother through his first system build; his current system was already old when he received it as a hand-me-down, and hes ready to make the leap. I told him Id help with the actual assembly when I fly back to visit over the holidays, and were aiming to have all required parts ready by then.
Looking for the four following components:
* Motherboard
* CPU
* RAM
* Video Card (only requirement is 2 monitor support)
And possibly Windows license, depending on answers below.
I thought I was clever by suggesting he outlay more money on the motherboard immediately, possibly at the expense of other components, leaving a relatively cheap upgrade path next year. Feel free to tear that plan apart.
I understand that the allocated budget isn't enough to achieve a 'real' gaming platform, as defined by tech enthusiasts. He wants to get what he can without spending much money; his definition of acceptable performance is very broad.
1. Used For
Primarily [budget] gaming. Hes running an old P4, and can barely run last years games at minimum settings. And by barely, it stutters frequently but is sort of playable. *Anything* will be a massive improvement over that.
Also used for general internet tasks, and some minor photo editing.
2. Price Range
He is aiming at $300 for the remaining components, but can wiggle up to $350 (OS license is a separate concern, see below)
3. Country: USA (NYS, specifically)
4. Brand Preference : None.
5. Current Parts.
He has all the standard peripherals covered (mouse, KB, speakers, etc)
He jumped on a previous Newegg sale to purchase:
* COOLER MASTER RC-P100-RKR1 with 550W power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119217
* SAMSUNG 2 TB SATA drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152245
* DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118039
Hell still need to pick up some SATA cables (expect from Monoprice).
6. Similar Threads
It seems his (and my!) interpretation of 'budget gaming' is a bit different from most peoples'.
7. Overclocking - no. I will not be there to troubleshoot, and he will likely not have any spare parts to swap in/out if there are issues.
8. Gaming Resolution:
His current monitor resolution is 1680x1050, but as said above he can't currently run any of his games at that resolution.
9. When - Christmas 2010
Ill be flying back to visit my family around Christmas time, and was hoping to help him with the build/assembly/testing. Of course, he may use the recommendations from here and bypass me completely
Other:
Windows license. He had planned to use his schools academic program to grab Win 7 Pro x64 for $65 (already budgeted), but the fine print says that its just an upgrade version. He has a valid XP license, but further reading suggest the Win7 upgrade is only applicable to Vista. (Subsequent googling suggests there are ways to fool the installer via registry hacks before activation).
1) Is there a way to use Win 7 Upgrade to make a clean/fresh install, given no OS previously on the drive?
2) Otherwise, is the Newegg system builders $95 license the best alternative?
Thanks in advance.
Looking for the four following components:
* Motherboard
* CPU
* RAM
* Video Card (only requirement is 2 monitor support)
And possibly Windows license, depending on answers below.
I thought I was clever by suggesting he outlay more money on the motherboard immediately, possibly at the expense of other components, leaving a relatively cheap upgrade path next year. Feel free to tear that plan apart.
I understand that the allocated budget isn't enough to achieve a 'real' gaming platform, as defined by tech enthusiasts. He wants to get what he can without spending much money; his definition of acceptable performance is very broad.
1. Used For
Primarily [budget] gaming. Hes running an old P4, and can barely run last years games at minimum settings. And by barely, it stutters frequently but is sort of playable. *Anything* will be a massive improvement over that.
Also used for general internet tasks, and some minor photo editing.
2. Price Range
He is aiming at $300 for the remaining components, but can wiggle up to $350 (OS license is a separate concern, see below)
3. Country: USA (NYS, specifically)
4. Brand Preference : None.
5. Current Parts.
He has all the standard peripherals covered (mouse, KB, speakers, etc)
He jumped on a previous Newegg sale to purchase:
* COOLER MASTER RC-P100-RKR1 with 550W power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119217
* SAMSUNG 2 TB SATA drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152245
* DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118039
Hell still need to pick up some SATA cables (expect from Monoprice).
6. Similar Threads
It seems his (and my!) interpretation of 'budget gaming' is a bit different from most peoples'.
7. Overclocking - no. I will not be there to troubleshoot, and he will likely not have any spare parts to swap in/out if there are issues.
8. Gaming Resolution:
His current monitor resolution is 1680x1050, but as said above he can't currently run any of his games at that resolution.
9. When - Christmas 2010
Ill be flying back to visit my family around Christmas time, and was hoping to help him with the build/assembly/testing. Of course, he may use the recommendations from here and bypass me completely
Other:
Windows license. He had planned to use his schools academic program to grab Win 7 Pro x64 for $65 (already budgeted), but the fine print says that its just an upgrade version. He has a valid XP license, but further reading suggest the Win7 upgrade is only applicable to Vista. (Subsequent googling suggests there are ways to fool the installer via registry hacks before activation).
1) Is there a way to use Win 7 Upgrade to make a clean/fresh install, given no OS previously on the drive?
2) Otherwise, is the Newegg system builders $95 license the best alternative?
Thanks in advance.
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