1. #1
    The Patient Aviney's Avatar
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    Thinking about building a computer

    Okay, so I'm looking into building my first computer. I know the benefits to building my own computer versus buying a pre-build computer, I've just never done it before. My budget looks to be somewhere around $700. I know that with a budget like that, I'm not going to have the top of the line graphics card, I just want something that will handle WoW, Battlefield 3, Planetside 2, and stuff like that. I don't need a monitor, but I will need Windows. I'm not against using 8, but I'd gladly use 7 if it's cheaper. Thankfully I have a friend that's a IT guy that's more than willing to help me build it, but I'm not sure what the best setup would be. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    I guess the first thing is... Can you use your old OS, and hard drive from your current/old system?

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
    Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($30.95 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Total: $705.43
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-14 15:04 EST-0500)

    A few things to consider.

    $10-$20 more on a Z77 motherboard will allow you to get a overclocking processor down the road. The 3470 is perfectly capable of running pretty much any game at Ultra though, with a good video card.

    If you can transfer the OS license and HD, that money can be freed up to increase the video card or cpu or both.
    Last edited by chazus; 2013-01-14 at 08:06 PM.

  3. #3
    The Patient Aviney's Avatar
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    Unfortunately, I can't use the old OS or the HD...I'd be starting completely fresh.

  4. #4
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    Then that build there is pretty much on the money, then.

  5. #5
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    If that build is to much, i think you can swop to a 6300 + 970 mobo. Which will free up around 50 dollars.

  6. #6
    Also, there are a few video's I'd recommend checking out ahead of time.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok


    As a recent 1st time builder these helped me tremendously. Add that I made some mistakes beforehand too:
    Thus my simple tips for the newb:

    1) motherboard mounting screws - basically those little screw plates that go between the motherboard and the case to create separation. If you don't use them, you will fry your motherboard
    2) order the right size of motherboard. Know what case you're getting and get the right size. Upon frying my 1st motherboard, I just ordered a 2nd one asap, and ended up ordering a micro-atx when I needed an atx... /sigh... /lol. Yup newbie moves, but that is the trial and error of a 1st time builder.

    Definitely consider buying a thumbdrive 8gb for your windows 7 disk. It'll help it load a lot faster

    Another thought: definitely get an ssd. It'll speed up your system immensely, especially for non-mmo's. It will definitely help with WoW load faster especially if you use add-ons.

  7. #7
    The Patient Aviney's Avatar
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    I've been able to free up a few dollars and I've been looking around, and here's what I've come up with. If there's anything wrong, or any other suggestions, please feel free to help:

    PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xUY5
    Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xUY5/by_merchant/
    Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xUY5/benchmarks/

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
    Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($56.97 @ SuperBiiz)
    Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
    Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.90 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: XFX 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Total: $727.37
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-16 13:35 EST-0500)

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