Building high end pc?

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stmadeveloper

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Aug 30, 2007
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O.K. I stopped being a "techno" nerd back in the BBS days. Haven't opened a pc case in almost 10 years. The last pc I built wasn't even a Pentium :)

Normally I'd just order a pc from somewhere, clean the crap off it/reformat and be done with it.

But I've got 2 boys and they keep trying to steal my "work" pc for gaming so we can play together. It's not up to snuff though - no high end video and they have lag issues.

So I'm going to cave and get them one their own.

(actually I'm going to build/buy 2 of them at the same time so I can play with them I suppose. Mine at least I want to last for 2 years as it will also be my 'at home' work P.C.)

Shit's really changed since the last time I've done this and I'm a little lost.

So what one do I do:

--- Just order from someplace like alienware. (any recommendations?)

--- Build from scratch (any suggestions on a parts list?) - and If I should build from scratch I should probably not think of liquid cooled, crossfire, etc... I'm afraid I'd kind of be limiting the life of the new pc's this way - don't want to have to upgrade, touch, or replace for at least 2 years. I don't mind learning something new, but I'm pretty sure I'm over my head with all the new stuff. Beyond understanding what it does - I don't have a clue. Might just have one of the local PC places assemble for me after I get the parts myself.
 


There's not that much of a difference in assembling a computer from 10 years ago to now...using sli or crossfire is very simple too...water cooled i'm not too sure...i'm not a gamer so i'm not even going to recommend you specs..i've never build a computer with over a 128mb graphics card.
 
I was just thinking I'd pretty much copy the specs off of one of the higher end gaming pc's. I figure there are guides somewhere on-line for anything I can't figure out -- so outside of trying to go liquid cooled (which probably isn't required - just think it's cool) I can figure it out.
 
If you are looking for a good budget PC. Check out Dealtree's Cowboom store They operate through eBay. It's a Bestbuy subsidiary. What doesn't sell in the store gets shipped to Dealtree and they try to sell it.

I got a nice system for $175, including shipping. But it was auctioned... you may not be able to get something at THAT price but I'm sure pretty darn close if you keep an eye out.

320gb HDD
8200 GeForce Video
3gb DDR2 Ram
AMD Dual Core / 2.20ghz.
- I run WoW and most newer games at medium to high settings and have no issues.

Only problem was I had to install Windows myself... which I would have ended up doing anyway.

CowBoom.com - Computer Parts, PC & Laptops, Video Game Systems, Electronics and more!
Dealtree.com | HOME
 
Yeah buy from newegg good prices and once I completely fucked up an expensive heat sync and sent it back that I didn't want it and they didn't even mention a problem. So I'd recommend them :D
 
TigerDirect

I have ordered a refurbished desktop from them and it came in prestine condition and has ran amazingly well every since then.. they are generally a LOT cheaper too and come with the same high end parts as brand new desktop, they just can't legally sell them as "new" which is a turnoff to a lot of buyers.

You didn't mention your budget, but if you want top of the line:
Asus Essentio CG5270-BP003 Refurbished Desktop PC - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz, 8GB DDR2, 750GB HDD, DVDRW, Vista Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

This one is even better:
Gateway DX4831-05 Desktop PC - Intel Core i5-650 3.2GHz, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, HDMI, eSATA, FireWire, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

both have decent gfx cards in them that are plenty good for the latest games out right now (and to come)
 
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Checked out newegg - some of those DYI kits are nuts ($4800) and you still have stuff to buy to finish it up. Some good starters at the 1k mark though.

Budget wise for myself I'll spend 2k with out thinking about it. For the kids pc probably 800. Theirs won't run 24 hours a day like mine does. I almost always have recording stuff open, dreamweaver, photoshop, and go knows how many windows. I'll splurge on myself since saved seconds matter over the course of a couple years.

I'm thinking i'll try and build mine and buy theirs outright - best of both worlds.

(I've bought from tiger a few times -- no problems. Get on their mailing list and it's like a kid in a candy store when the catalogs come in).
 
Hell why we are on the topic - anyone own one of those touchscreen pc's from Sony? Thinking about it for the wife. They are down to 800 bucks for the 20 inch.
 
stmadeveloper said:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5618187&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs
Click to expand...

WOW. THAT IS SUCH A GOOD DEAL!!!!

I bought this at best buy for 1200 and it has blown my mind. Plugged it into a apple 30 inch cinema display and never looked back. Actually, i just found another 30 inch cinema on craigslist im going to go look at this week :D

anyways - just pick up a couple of these ASUS's for the kids - theyre everything the kids'll need and more.
 
Some really nice "re certified" pc's over at newegg as well.

My wife and girls are in on this now. Dreaming of laptops.... but the re certified computers makes it a little less painful.

As it stands now the boys play on my old PC that usually acts as a bot when they aren't on it. The laptop isn't fast enough for anything anymore so I want my office back.

Step one: They clean the basement.

Step two: They clean the garage.

Step three: I'll buy them the computer :)

The girls I'll just be nice to because they are capable of making me miserable in so many different ways. I'll make them share a single laptop.

Looks like I'll end up with 2 pc's and a laptop for less than I planned on spending for just mine. Makes more sense than paying "premium" prices for high end components now when I can just upgrade if needed later.

Kind of amazing how cheap computers are in general these days and how fast it all changes. I still have a computer I bought 8 years ago sitting next to me that I use every day as a bot. I paid 3500 for it with out a monitor. The one the kids play on is about 3 years old with a couple upgrades and it was like 1800 when I bought it.

The pc in front of me is about 2 years old and I paid like 1200 for it.

The laptop is 4 years old and still running (enough for kids stuff like watching dvds).

Apparently spending more than 800 bucks now is just going to give me a bunch of crap I don't personally need -- so thanks for the advice and pointing out the refurbished - never would have considered it.
 
I would stay away from Alienware. I bought one in 2004, and the HD literally lasted one year and one week, and of course their customer service had no mercy. Video card died, and of course 'it was not supported anymore'. There are no shortage of alienware haters. Just google alienware sucks for some horror stories.
 
sgtryan said:
TigerDirect

I have ordered a refurbished desktop from them and it came in prestine condition and has ran amazingly well every since then.. they are generally a LOT cheaper too and come with the same high end parts as brand new desktop, they just can't legally sell them as "new" which is a turnoff to a lot of buyers.

You didn't mention your budget, but if you want top of the line:
Asus Essentio CG5270-BP003 Refurbished Desktop PC - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz, 8GB DDR2, 750GB HDD, DVDRW, Vista Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

This one is even better:
Gateway DX4831-05 Desktop PC - Intel Core i5-650 3.2GHz, 8GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, HDMI, eSATA, FireWire, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

both have decent gfx cards in them that are plenty good for the latest games out right now (and to come)
Click to expand...

Came here to say this.

I haven't shopped at TD in years, but I've had my eye on these two deals for a week now.
 
50saysHeEatsIt said:
I would stay away from Alienware. I bought one in 2004, and the HD literally lasted one year and one week, and of course their customer service had no mercy. Video card died, and of course 'it was not supported anymore'. There are no shortage of alienware haters. Just google alienware sucks for some horror stories.
Click to expand...

yea alienware pcs, at least in my opinion, are just a bunch of overpriced PC that you can build on your own much cheaper.
 
If you are still considering to build yourself, as far as I remember (I started building about 10 years ago) not much has changed.

The cases have gotten MUCH more user friendly and you don't have to cut your hands on sharp edges anymore to get into a tiny space.

Some slots have changed but like 10 years ago, nearly everything just fits into one place and that is the correct one.

I'd definitely build myself if you are looking for performance. Generally the cheap pc's out there sound like good deals because they have a nice graphic card and CPU but if you then look at power supply, mother board, memory and HD they are all cheap crap.

It's worth spending a little more and getting something you know will last. If you get a cheap ready built one and plan on upgrading it, also plan on replacing the Power supply since the ones built in are barely ever able to handle anything more then the stuff that was in there to begin with.

Shitty motherboards will slow you down due to the slow Ram speed and are generally badly cooled.

Last time I built one it took me around 3h for the building and another hour for installing the OS. Totally worth the time.
 
50saysHeEatsIt said:
I would stay away from Alienware. I bought one in 2004, and the HD literally lasted one year and one week, and of course their customer service had no mercy. Video card died, and of course 'it was not supported anymore'. There are no shortage of alienware haters. Just google alienware sucks for some horror stories.
Click to expand...

My Bro had an Alienware laptop, it was really really nice looking, but didn't last worth a shit. I did get to do a teardown on it and put it back together they are beasts under the hood maybe that's the problem.
 
Agree with all about newegg... got myself DIY i7 kit - saved over 1K. Check out their package deals, really good prices on some. There is not much difference between now and 10 years ago, the idea is still the same, slots are a bit different. :) Just make sure you get the same sockets, etc... That's another reason why newegg is good - they suggest a processor/ram for the motherboard you pick, etc.
 
rig recco's

Intel Core i7 920 (4-core/8-threads) socket 1366 with (3x) 2GB triple channel DDR3-1333. Pretty much any Intel X58 motherboard will suffice, I like the Gigabyte mobo's because the Intel SATA Raid 1 is easy to configure, component quality is good and features are plentiful. Key feature right now is USB3.0 and SATAIII inclusion - USB3.0 in particular, don't buy a motherboard without this. Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R mobo fits the bill for non-overclocking workstation tasks, but I'm not sure it's available just yet.

For hard drive... anything SATA 1.5TB or 2TB in RAID 1 is good, WD or Seagate. No RAID if you want to save $$. 2TB Seagate Barracuda XTs are SATA III and would give the best performance possible right now. I would not recommend SSD, if it dies you loose all info, there's no recovery.
ODD are cheap and all the same... get BlueRay DVD burner in SATA. Doesn't matter who makes it.
PSU - minimum 750W "80+ Rated" at least, Seasonic and PC Power and Cooling are good MFGR.

VGA - ATI is better right now. A pair of ASUS Radeon HD 4770's in crossfire will give you four DVI/VGA outputs for your displays. It's a mainstream card, but fine value for non-intensive-gaming application and can handle 24" resolution/HDCP. I haven't played with the Radeon HD 5770's but from what I've seen they are DVI+DVI+HDMI+DisplayPort, so you may be able to run three monitors off just one card... check ATI website for that detail - either 5770 or 4770 (in pair) will work for three-display set up.

Core i7 920 - $315 (canada comp)
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R - est $300 (not sure where avail yet tho)
PSU min 750W - est $150-200
(x2) ASUS Radeon HD 4770 PCI Express x16 - $120-135 each.
HDD - min 2TB SATA, preferably RAID 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda XTs - $350 ea. or WD Caviar Black 2TB (64MB cache, 7200RPM) ($350)


Option two - mainstream biz friendly:
Intel Core i5 750 (socket 1156, 4-core/4-thread, 2.66Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm) ($234) and Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P motherboard ($194) and (2x) 2GB DDR3-1333 at least. Dito from above for VGA, PSU, ODD, HDD, etc.

For OS, run Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (64-bit if you want to track down 64-bit applications and drivers (still somewhat spotty).

The Virtual Machine app inside Win 7 will allow you to run Win Vista, Win XP, etc. for any software that has a problem with Win 7.
 
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