Building my first computer - tight budget. General advice needed.

[Deleted]

Hai there.

As I've grown tired of sitting at a constant 10 FPS in a 10m raiding environment on lowest settings, I've decided to buy a new computer -- I figured building one wouldn't be too complicated with all the guides out there, so I'm planning to go that road. The only problems would be my budget (700-ish euro) and my limited knowledge of computers.

Would I be able to get a decent build for 700 euro? Decent being i5-2500k, 4 GB ram, and so on (just to give you an idea of my definition of 'decent').
I have an oooold monitor (an IBM thinkvision, I can't seem to find out which model it is, though...), which I'm not sure's good enough... I'll also need a keyboard (just a cheap one), and an OS.

I also have a really old PC; http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...IGR-58498.html -- I guess it wouldn't be possible to salvage any of the parts due to their age?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Yup, found my old monitor on teh intarwebz: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...IGR-50441.html

[Deleted]

Do you plan on re-using your case or is it preferable/allowed to pick a new one? If so; any general pointers on exterior desires?

[Deleted]

Do you plan on re-using your case or is it preferable/allowed to pick a new one? If so; any general pointers on exterior desires?

I don't really care what it looks like to be honest, so I don't mind re-using my old case. As long as the ventilation is fine I guess...? No clue on such stuff.

[Deleted]

For 700 euro's you can get a pretty good system without monitor. If you also need a monitor it will become little bit more budgetty.

[Deleted]

700 euro, thats around £500 right?

Should be able to get a decent build for that price depending on where you get your parts from, usually get mine from , dabs . com, ebuyer and similar sites.

Looking at the upgrade you are doing I don't think any of the parts will be salvageable, so be careful with what parts you buy, make sure the motherboard is compatible etc etc, don't have to time to do a full search atm.

An i5 will be more than you need so stick with that and 4gb is a good number to aim for RAM, maybe try 6gb (can't help to be prepared for the future) important other part is graphics, just google the part before you buy and check the performance specs. I'd also suggest buying your own power supply for the case, quality really is important for PSUs.

---------- Post added 2011-03-29 at 03:17 PM ----------

-P.s. just saw other comment, Monitor might push you over the budget a bit, but is worth the extra cost, WoW in 1920x1200 is fantastic.

[Deleted]

For 700 euro's you can get a pretty good system without monitor. If you also need a monitor it will become little bit more budgetty.

Yup, seems like I'll need a monitor as well; my current is apparently 1280x1040 @ 17 inches. Not sure if I could live with it.
Also, I live in Denmark so stuff might be a bit pricier than usual.

[Deleted]

I don't really care what it looks like, to be honest. As long as the ventilation is fine I guess...?

Haha, just asking. Some people (including myself) care a lot about the looks too. I'll try and come up with a few options then after dinner.

Yup, seems like I'll need a monitor as well; my current is apparently 1280x1040 @ 17 inches. Not sure if I could live with it.
Also, I live in Denmark so stuff might be a bit pricier than usual.

Any specific wishes for the Monitor? I.E. is 17 inches fine but want a higher resolution?

[Deleted]

P.p.s The more fans the better! If your current case is fine then stick with it, otherwise might be worth getting a case with some extra fan ports, keeping a cool system is more important than ever (and helps if you overclock in the future )

[Deleted]

700 euro, thats around £500 right?

Should be able to get a decent build for that price depending on where you get your parts from, usually get mine from , dabs . com, ebuyer and similar sites.

Looking at the upgrade you are doing I don't think any of the parts will be salvageable, so be careful with what parts you buy, make sure the motherboard is compatible etc etc, don't have to time to do a full search atm.

An i5 will be more than you need so stick with that and 4gb is a good number to aim for RAM, maybe try 6gb (can't help to be prepared for the future) important other part is graphics, just google the part before you buy and check the performance specs. I'd also suggest buying your own power supply for the case, quality really is important for PSUs.

---------- Post added 2011-03-29 at 03:17 PM ----------

-P.s. just saw other comment, Monitor might push you over the budget a bit, but is worth the extra cost, WoW in 1920x1200 is fantastic.

Yes, around 500 pounds.
Also, would I be able to play @ 1920x1200 w/ ultra graphics (talking WoW, since I don't play much else) (shadows on medium or sumthn) and keep like 30 FPS in 10mans? Thanks.

[Deleted]

My comp is around 3 years old now, I spent around £450 on it at the time and I play High with med shadows and water. Should be able to crank it all up to ultra depending on the parts, but on your budget then yes i'd think so

[Deleted]

P.p.s The more fans the better! If your current case is fine then stick with it, otherwise might be worth getting a case with some extra fan ports, keeping a cool system is more important than ever (and helps if you overclock in the future )

I see. Well, my current case isn't full of fan ports... actually, quite the opposite. Completely closed, except for a few holes at its back. I'm no expert, but I guess that wouldn't quite cut it, especially not if I ever overclock...?

[Deleted]

I see. Well, my current case isn't full of fan ports... actually, quite the opposite. Completely closed, except for a few holes at its back. I'm no expert, but I guess that wouldn't quite cut it, especially not if I ever overclock...?

And it only offer space for mu-ATX, which generally means more expensive to get to a same degree of specifications as a ATX setup.

[Deleted]

Haha, just asking. Some people (including myself) care a lot about the looks too. I'll try and come up with a few options then after dinner.



Any specific wishes for the Monitor? I.E. is 17 inches fine but want a higher resolution?

I'd prefer 1600x1200 (or whatever it is, can't remember the exacts) -- I'm playing on a 15.4 (?) laptop now, with 1280x1240 resolution, and it seems fine. I'd imagine a 17 inch 1280x1040 wouldn't excactly be smooth, right? (Size & reso of my old monitor).

[Deleted]

Well mine personally has a 30cm on the side, one in the front and one in the back aswell as the normal CPU fans etc, very nice case but can't find it atm...

ebuyer dot com /product/239058

Thats a quick find (damn nooby account cant post links...

[Deleted]

I'd prefer 1600x1200 (or whatever it is, can't remember the exacts) -- I'm playing on a 15.4 (?) laptop now, with 1280x1240 resolution, and it seems fine. I'd imagine a 17 inch 1280x1040 wouldn't excactly be smooth, right? (Size & reso of my old monitor).

Alright, I'll go and look for a setup along those lines :-)

[Deleted]

And it only offer space for mu-ATX, which generally means more expensive to get to a same degree of specifications as a ATX setup.

Aaaaand I'm lost. Dx
But yeah, seems the case nor monitor will cut it.
Any lists of recommended parts, btw? I'd imagine I'd have to get a P67 mobo (not sure, it's just what I've heard) to support the i5-2500k. But what about PSU? other stuff?
And how about cases/monitors? Any cheap favourites?
Aaaaand (yes, another and!) I guess Windows 7 is the way to go, right?

EDIT: Damn you guys are quick o_o can't keep up :3 (not complainin!)

[chemicader]

Hmm, Think I should do the same also... How much overclocking affects and how do I know if my cooling can handle it?

[Bolson13]

I think with the specs you want you are around €700,- but the monitor will put it over.

[Marine1]

P.p.s The more fans the better! If your current case is fine then stick with it, otherwise might be worth getting a case with some extra fan ports, keeping a cool system is more important than ever (and helps if you overclock in the future )

True, but depending on the size of the fans, your pc might sound like a jet engine while it's running. But you can always dish out a little more $$$ to get fans with reduced noise.

[Deleted]

I think with the specs you want you are around €700,- but the monitor will put it over.

Is that including OS, keyboard and case?

Also, what graphics card should I get? What about PSU?

---------- Post added 2011-03-29 at 02:38 PM ----------

True, but depending on the size of the fans, your pc might sound like a jet engine while it's running. But you can always dish out a little more $$$ to get fans with reduced noise.

I don't really mind the noise; listening to music all the time anyway. :3