Marest's 1000/1200 gaming builds

[Crilmon]

I'm looking into buying a new comp, so I was thinking of picking up the 1000 build up as that was approximately my price area. A few questions....

1. Is there a big difference between 1000/1200? if so I may shell out the extra 200 dollars. (yes I know that its already about 120 over that due to OS/next item)

2. Could I get a recommendation on a DVD/CD slot? fairly clueless about a decent, cheap one that is compatible, a link would be nice if possible

3. Is the graphics card capable of running with 2 monitors? I have 2 decent ones already I intend to reuse, along with my peripherals. They are (I think) 22" and 17" if it makes any difference, Dell and Acer.

Link to sample builds thread HERE

The most intensive game I play atm is prob WoW. I also play games like Civ 5, and older games like age of empires 2, Medieval 2: Total War.
I most likely won't need to do any intense graphical acivities, though I don't know what I'll need for school, so the option would be benificial.

[aisatsana]

1. The difference is that the 1200 build has a better graphics card, but for the games you play the 6970 is way more than enough. It also has a slightly higher end motherboard with more features that you may or may not want.

2. Any DVD drive will work, it's just a CD drive. They're so cheap I would get one that can also write. This is fine.

3. Yes they are both able to run 2 monitors they can even run 3.

[Crilmon]

Thanks for the reply! Also, would windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit home premium be better?

[aisatsana]

64-bit would be better

[Deleted]

yea 64 bit, they should cost the same i think but 32bit can only use 2gb or 4gb ram i'm not sure which it is, but 64bit can use well over that, i dunno if there's a special limit but can do 24gb no prob ;D

[Crilmon]

So, i don't think that this is an issue, but my Mom is pestering me to make sure there's an integrated ethernet card, ofc there is in modern systems! (Still please post so I can reassure her though)
Final thing, I promise, is there any particular antivirus software you guys prefer that runs faster/more efficiently? I've always just gone with whatever the prebuilt starts with, but i'd be willing to try just about any. I am willing and expecting to have to pay to get a good quality for it.

[Deleted]

So, i don't think that this is an issue, but my Mom is pestering me to make sure there's an integrated ethernet card, ofc there is in modern systems! (Still please post so I can reassure her though)
Final thing, I promise, is there any particular antivirus software you guys prefer that runs faster/more efficiently? I've always just gone with whatever the prebuilt starts with, but i'd be willing to try just about any. I am willing and expecting to have to pay to get a good quality for it.

Even if it didnt have an integrated network card installing one would just require you to unscrew one screw and fit a 5-euro-card in a little slot.

For antivirus I've been an avid Avast user for years, not that I ever get infected seeing as I dont browse that many strange sites. Avast+Spybot (both free) should be more than enough to keep you covered, paying for antivirus is not really needed for home use.

[aisatsana]

Microsoft Security Essentials is great and it's free.

[DeltrusDisc]

I have no idea why they still make 32 bit Operating Systems. >_<

[Deleted]

Avast is pretty good for a free application, if you're looking to pay and want all in one solution I would recommend BitDefender or KIS (Kaspersky)

You can use this test to guide you, check the link of each to see the results, speed etc.

http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/test...s/julaug-2011/

[mooshi]

for what you want to play, there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting the $1000 build. it'll run everything you want on max setting easily.

as for an antivirus, for free programs, I'd recommend avg or kaspersky. or if you can find one somewhere, a cracked version of nod32 (best imo).

[Crilmon]

Thanks everybody, great response from the forums Will order tomorrow, hopefully have it delivered on monday and ready to go for my raid tuesday.

[Deleted]

for what you want to play, there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting the $1000 build. it'll run everything you want on max setting easily.

as for an antivirus, for free programs, I'd recommend avg or kaspersky. or if you can find one somewhere, a cracked version of nod32 (best imo).

Lol what? Recommending cracked software for security.

[Crilmon]

I'm ordering on newegg, and it seems that the HDD is actually $159.99, not $59.99. Is it still the best for the price, even with a $100 increase over what I expected?

[taekvideo]

I'm ordering on newegg, and it seems that the HDD is actually $159.99, not $59.99. Is it still the best for the price, even with a $100 increase over what I expected?

Flooding in Thailand -> 3-4x increase in prices
You can't get a good deal on an hdd right now... not for another few months.
If you have an old one you can use temporarily I'd highly recommend it... until the prices come back down to pre-flood levels :P

[Deleted]

For that amount (assuming you could even afford to go over budget) you almost might as well add $40 more and get a Crucial M4 128GB SSD and use that until HDD for more storage comes down in price. 128GB will fit Windows, a few games etc. no problem but obviously not a big movie archive or something.

[Trake]

You could also check at your local Best Buy or other retailer, i just bought my HDD for about $50 cheaper than new egg from Best Buy. Same exact one at that.