1. #1
    Field Marshal Jahosaphat's Avatar
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    Need help with first higher-end system

    Let me start off by just saying this - I've never built my own computer before.

    I'm looking to potentially attempt to build my first with around a $600-800 budget, if that's possible. The only thing I'll really be playing is WoW, so I'd like to play on the highest possible settings.

    How difficult is building your own computer? I've read a ton of posts on here about how people built their own for much cheaper than it is to buy a pre-built one from a store/online.

    Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!

  2. #2

  3. #3
    The Lightbringer Uggorthaholy's Avatar
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    Also, for a starting reference point, there's a sticky list on the forum, one of which has Marest's sample builds included in it. It gives a great idea of starting points for specific budgets.

  4. #4
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    Fairly cheap build that will play WoW near highest settings just fine, add ~$100 for Windows 7 if you need that as well.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($117.26 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: MSI H77MA-G43 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.98 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
    Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($174.98 @ NCIX US)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.00 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.64 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $587.83
    (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-29 17:14 EDT-0400)

    Second build will cost you around your max budget but has a little more future potential, you can drop the CPU heat sink if you don't intend to overclock right away (can be added later if you want).

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
    Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($249.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.00 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.64 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $805.56
    (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-29 17:18 EDT-0400)

    Again add $100 for Windows 7 if you need it or you could use Windows 8 or any other option you may have.

  5. #5
    Field Marshal Jahosaphat's Avatar
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    How difficult is it to build a PC from scratch? Like I said, I've never done it before and would hate to buy everything and mess it up or not be able to do it.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Jahosaphat View Post
    How difficult is it to build a PC from scratch?
    Watch the movies linked in the very first reply of this thread. Especially 2nd and 3rd.

    It's not difficult at all, just a 10 piece lego set with really expensive pieces.
    Never going to log into this garbage forum again as long as calling obvious troll obvious troll is the easiest way to get banned.
    Trolling should be.

  7. #7
    If your not comfortable then I suggest you pay someone else to build it for you or buy it prebuilt.

    The best way to learn about PC hardware is to do small upgrades to your PC yourself over time. For example, add some memory when its required, upgrade a graphics card, install a new harddrive, reformat it and make a new boot drive. Change the CPU cooler etc etc.

    Once you are comfortable with the smaller tasks then you can tackle the hardest part, which is putting it all together safely without damaging the components.

  8. #8
    Deleted
    It's pretty easy theres plenty of guides, it only gets hard if you want to do liquid cooling or something fancy.

  9. #9
    Field Marshal Jahosaphat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Notarget View Post
    Fairly cheap build that will play WoW near highest settings just fine, add ~$100 for Windows 7 if you need that as well.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($117.26 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: MSI H77MA-G43 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($44.98 @ NCIX US)
    Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
    Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($174.98 @ NCIX US)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.00 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.64 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $587.83
    (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-29 17:14 EDT-0400)

    Second build will cost you around your max budget but has a little more future potential, you can drop the CPU heat sink if you don't intend to overclock right away (can be added later if you want).

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
    Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($249.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.00 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.64 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $805.56
    (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-29 17:18 EDT-0400)

    Again add $100 for Windows 7 if you need it or you could use Windows 8 or any other option you may have.
    What video card would be a suitable replacement for the one you included in the second build? I'm buying everything from Newegg, so it's a little more expensive but they have financing available. They don't have that video card in stock so I was hoping you could help me find one that's close to it.

  10. #10

  11. #11
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Jahosaphat View Post
    How difficult is it to build a PC from scratch? Like I said, I've never done it before and would hate to buy everything and mess it up or not be able to do it.
    It's fairly easy. However, be ready to look up a LOT off stuff if you don't have any idea of the thins at all. And look it up carefully. If you are insecure in the slightest about something specific: look up the shit out of it until you're 110% sure you know what to do. That can be a bit overwhelming for a complete beginner as there are relatively many components where you have to keep a close eye one and be very detailed.

  12. #12
    Field Marshal Jahosaphat's Avatar
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    Well guys, as of about 3 hours ago, my new computer is up and running . I'm still in the process of updating drivers and installing programs but it's fully functional and it's beautiful. Thank you guys for all the help, I couldn't have done it without you. If I get a chance I'll put up some pics tomorrow after work.

  13. #13
    Deleted
    Congrats! Looking forward to pictures and seeing final spec

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