Need Advice on buying or building!

[thahustla89]

Well, it seems my Toshiba Qosmio has run it's course and its time for a new gaming pc, a desktop finally thank god. And here is where the problems and frustration begin. Basically I have three options, buy one of the two choices OR build the better choice (as I have heard building is cheaper than buying). So here's what we are looking at currently.
Will be playing on a 23" monitor at 1920 by 1080 settings

Option 1:
From Ibuypower. com $1249+tax and yadda yadda
Chimera 4-E2
1 x Case ( Chimera Inferno 4 Gaming Case - Flame )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7-2700K Processor (4x 3.50GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
1 x iBUYPOWER PowerDrive ( PowerDrive Level 1 - Up to 10% Overclocking )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan )
1 x Memory ( 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - G.Skill Ripjaws X )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 1GB - EVGA Superclocked - Core: 900MHz - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Motherboard ( ASUS P8Z68-V LX -- Lucid Virtu Technology )
0 x Intel Smart Response Technology ( None )
1 x Power Supply ( 700 Watt - Standard )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
0 x Data Hard Drive ( None )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
0 x 2nd Optical Drive ( None )
0 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( None )
0 x Meter Display ( None )
0 x USB Expansion ( None )
1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
1 x Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
1 x Operating System ( Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit )

Option 2:

From Bestbuy. com $1050+tax and yadda yadda
iBuyPower - Gamer Extreme Desktop - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive

Processor: Intel® 2nd Generation Core™ i5
Processor Speed: 3.3GHz (3.7GHz with Turbo Boost)
Cache Memory: 6MB on die Level 3
System Memory: (RAM) 8GB
System Memory: (RAM) Expandable To 32GB
Type of Memory: (RAM) DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive Type: SATA III (7200 rpm)
Hard Drive Size: 1TB
Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 560
Video Memory: 2GB (dedicated)
Audio: 7.1-channel high-definition support
Speakers: None
Network Card: Built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Wireless Networking: None
Recordable DVD Drive: Yes, DVD±RW/CD-RW
Direct-Disc Labeling: No
Digital Media Reader or Slots: Yes, digital media card reader
Available Expansion Slots: 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16, 2 PCI Express 2.0 x1, 2 DIMM
USB 2.0 Ports 2 USB 3.0 (rear); 8 USB 2.0 (2 front, 6 rear)
Keyboard Description: USB multimedia
Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.): USB mouse
Operating System Platform: Windows
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium
System Version: 64-bit

Option 3: Building with a mix and match of options 1+2. Price: ??

This is where I need the most help. Would it be more financially savvy to just "build" the PC listed in option 1? Would it actually be cheap enough to justify spending the time and effort on my FIRST full build? Or would it be a cautious endeavor?
On those same lines, is the option 1 that much more of a better build to justify the $200+ difference? Will it be noticeable enough?

I will be using this rig for, you guessed it, gaming. Heavy on WoW, Skyrim, CoD3, BF3. I definately want the best value, but want enough difference from my current Toshiba to justify buying OR building. Basically if WoW will run on the highest settings, i will be content.

[yupholladay]

Don't buy from Ibuypower or cyberpowerpc. Terrible support. Terrible computers. yeah.

Buy from a smaller company that actually cares about their customers.
www.elifepc.com seems to be a good place.
www.digitalstomr.com
originpc.com
maingear.com

epxect to spend about 125-300 dollars extra if you are not building it yourself. Which is another option you should consider. Good luck

[thahustla89]

in response to yupholladay, this would be my first build. Is it "that difficult", perhaps something I could do properly without formal training? I've replaced the power supply and gpu's in a few pc's before, but nothing on this level.

[flam]

Its not hard no. The hardest thing will probably connecting pins to the motherboard (power switch, reset, hdlite etc, but the mobo manual will help)
Everything pretty much goes in 1 slot... like... you cant confuse sticking the ram into a pci slot for example... shit just wont fit.

End of the day, if you are doing a build, the most time consuming thing is picking the parts you want, researching, comparing, reading reviews, making sure all equipment is compatible.

[thahustla89]

Well as yupholladay pointed out, cyberpower and ibuypower are less than admirable companies. In terms of building a pc, is there any flaws I should look out for? In terms of parts companies to avoid, common noob building mistakes, parts needed that are often overlooked?

[flam]

My advice... newegg.com read the reviews from customers that have already bought the product(s) you are interested in.
Parts need for a new build:
Case(assuming you dont want to use an old one)
MOBO, CPU, PSU, RAM, GPU
OPTIONAL: (you still need them, but you may not have to buy new if you are going to use old ones)
CD-DVD drive
Hard Drive

The biggest thing I've seen (and did myself on my first ever build) is not plugging in the 4pin power connector to power the CPU... ya i felt abit retarded after an hour of trouble shooting :P

[thahustla89]

What about cooling? fans, heatsinks, liquid cooling. what is the best route to go?

[yupholladay]

What about cooling? fans, heatsinks, liquid cooling. what is the best route to go?

just grab an old school hyper 212 and call it a day. If you want to spend a few extra bucks grab a corsair h60/h90/h100 depending on your budget. None of them are mindblowing amazing, but they are low noise and reliable closed loop liquid cooling solutions that require no maintenance.

For your budget the standard intel i5-2500k cpu is probably in order. That being said its an easy overclocked and wonders can be done performance wise with very little heatsink investment. Heat shouldn't be that much of a problem and you will hit unnecessary performance gains before you encounter that issue.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Cooling is dependent on how you want to go.

Do you want to try OC? After market CPU HS is a good idea. No OC? Stock fan is fine.

What kind of case would you want? Max airflow or max silence? A combination of both?

These are all things to consider, but I would point out Marest's Sample Builds thread. This is a good starting reference on what parts to get in your price range.

[thahustla89]

Well I was looking at the i5-2500k and the OC opportunities, more performance for less money amirite? And for the case, i would think max airflow would be better, as i'm worried about overheating for some reason I don't know lol. I have also been using Marest's sample builds as a base, and they seem to help so far. I didn't realize though, how many different variations of the same GPU card there were lol. When searching for a GPU, what are the things i should most pay attention to when searching for the best price/performance combo? Core clock? Shader clock? Stream processors?

[LuckyBucky]

I actually had a great experience with Cyberpowerpc. When my build was almost done they called me and told me the 750W coolermaster silent pro gold I had ordered was back ordered, and that they would put a 1000W coolermaster silent pro gold in for free if I didn't want to wait for the 750 to come in. I put my GPU card in myself as the biggest complaint from computer companies like this is dead GPU cards after shipping.
Don't spend money for them to overclock you either. The sandy bridge processors are some of the easiest to overclock ever. A lot of I2500k are achieving 4.5ghz stable on stock cooling and there's hundreds of websites that show you step by step how to do this.
I ended up putting in A GTX570 once I got my PC and I also had ordered it with an SSD to put the operating system on as well as a 1TB hard drive. At the end of it when I bought and put my own GPU in it I paid about 1300. 50bucks more then your first build with a better GPU and an SSD. So play around on their website cause different models built the same way can end up with different prices. It's been almost a year now and my computer still runs great. I would actually recommend CyberPower to friends.

[thahustla89]

Well it looks like I am going to take the plunge and give building a shot. I used Marest's sample builds as a template and deviated a bit, but think I have a decent system build. Should I post the specs here to make sure everything would be compatible or just make a new thread, as I am torn between two gpu's?

[Woa]

Research what graphics card and processor you want then go here: pcpartpicker.com. That site is fantastic for mocking up your PC and getting the best prices.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Post your build in this thread since you already have it open, and we will be able to make critiques to it! Building your own is pretty easy, and it saves quite a bit of money usually.

Oh, also, sorry its taken me a bit to get back to your thread.

[thahustla89]

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $199.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $29.99
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $121.99
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $46.99
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card $359.99
Case: XClio WTBK ATX Full Tower Case $79.99
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $69.99
Optical Drive: LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer $17.99

Total: $1067.55

my only other question is about the OS, are there any alternatives to buying the $199 windows 7?

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

You can get the Windows 7 OEM (1 install) for $99.

Aside from that, I have never heard of the case you have selected there, so I would go with something different, like the Fractal Design Arc Midi. It is a bit more expensive, but is a wonderful case. I am sure others will chime in on that also!

You could go with a different CPUHS, as the Hyper 212 seems to be somewhat difficult to install. This CPUHS might be a better option at the same price.


Edit: I should say the rest of the build looks good though!

[thahustla89]

are there any downsides when using the Windows 7 OEM?

As for the case, just something i came across on new egg, but i do like the one you linked a lot, so I think i'll take your advice.
As for the CPUHS, will the one you linked be enough to keep it cool? lol, sounds like a terribly noobish question i know.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

There arent really any downsides to using Win 7 OEM. The real thing to remember is that it is a 1 use deal. Though, this can even be surpassed sometimes if you call customer care.

The CPUHS I linked is relatively similar in quality to the Hyper 212. It was just an option because I believe it is easier to install, though I am not 100% sure on that, maybe someone else could chime in? As a comment to expand upon this idea: The factory fan is enough to keep the 2500k cool with a mild OC. Many aftermarket pieces, even cheaper ones, are quite capable of maintaining a 4.5Ghz OC at very reasonable temps. That being said, there are better air coolers out there, but they of course are more expensive.

Also, it is better to ask questions now before you get the build and regret not asking.

[thahustla89]

In your opinion will I be able to run wow *On the highest settings with this set up? I wil also be BF3 MW3 *and skyrim. *I just want to make sure that I will be getting the best performance for the amount of money I am spending *And to make sure its worth investing 1200 dollars

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

You should be able to run WoW on ultra with this setup. I cannot say 100% for the others, but I am sure it should be easy to get high settings on BF3 and MW3, maybe ultra on Skyrim.

One thing, that again I am sure someone else can touch on/elaborate on this point, you could wait a bit, and see what the new Nvidia cards are benched at and also for the new intel processors that are coming soon...