The Official: Building Your Own PC/Laptop

[Draz]

I've seen many threads on building computers or laptops here, I thought I'm in the same situation myself. Let this be the official thread for building PC's and laptops, with tips, tricks, suggestions. We have a few people here who are good at this. State what your looking for, your budget, and any more details. Also, tips on monitors. If you know where to purchase custom built PC's, post it here. Any links would be fine to any information that can be used to base building on (graphics card, etc)

Looking for: A good gaming PC
Budget: $500
Monitor: Have one (HP 2010i Monitor)

I tried building my own PC & it came out to almost $900.

[quote]AMD FX 4-Core Configurator
1 x Case ( NZXT Alpha Gaming Case - Black )
0 x Case Lighting ( None )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
1 x Processor ( AMD FX-4100 CPU (4x 3.60GHz/4MB L2 Cache) )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [AMD] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan )
1 x Memory ( 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 2GB - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Free Stuff ( [Free Game Download] - DiRT3 - Free with purchase of AMD FX / A-Series processor )
1 x Motherboard ( ASUS M5A97 -- AMD 970 )
1 x Motherboard USB / SATA Interface ( Motherboard default USB / SATA Interface )
1 x Power Supply ( 650 Watt - Casegears ECO-Element / 80+ )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
0 x Data Hard Drive ( None )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD

[hops and stops]

how do you build a laptop?

[Draz]

how do you build a laptop?

http://www.ibuypower.com/IbpPages/Notebook.aspx

It's very much possible. I believe it's been possible for 5-6 years or more now. I remember if you specifically called Dell up they would of helped with that or any products needed to be customized. Now you can just about customize laptops yourself online. I personally don't know how to work that website in terms of budget because it's really confusing, don't know if anyone here knows a good reliable customized pc site?

[hops and stops]

http://www.ibuypower.com/IbpPages/Notebook.aspx

It's very much possible. I believe it's been possible for 5-6 years or more now. I remember if you specifically called Dell up they would of helped with that or any products needed to be customized. Now you can just about customize laptops yourself online. I personally don't know how to work that website in terms of budget because it's really confusing, don't know if anyone here knows a good reliable customized pc site?

i know you can customize a laptop to purchase, but i don't think you can actually buy parts and assemble a laptop yourself like you can with a desktop

[Draz]

i know you can customize a laptop to purchase, but i don't think you can actually buy parts and assemble a laptop yourself like you can with a desktop

Don't know much about that. I was told you can't upgrade parts.

[bdreason]

Hard drive prices are finally coming down. Another month or so and they should be back to reasonable prices.


I've built two gaming computers in the past 3 months, so feel free to ask any questions. I built one for around $1300 (Intel), and another for around $800 (AMD).

[bdreason]

Also, I learned everything about building a PC from Tom's Hardware website. I would suggest going there and doing your homework before purchasing anything.


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31.html

[DFish]

You can't build a laptop.

[Draz]

Hard drive prices are finally coming down. Another month or so and they should be back to reasonable prices.


I've built two gaming computers in the past 3 months, so feel free to ask any questions. I built one for around $1300 (Intel), and another for around $800 (AMD).

Sounds great. Do you mind offering your suggestions, tips, and advice in this thread to some people who may need help from time to time? Feel free to do so. I'll get back to you in this thread as well sometime.

$800, mhm. I just want to know two things as of now:

1. Is it financially possible to build a computer on a budget of $500-$600?
2. Is it possible to update/upgrade every part in that $500-$600 or "x" amount of money PC?

I want to get a reasonable price out of gaming, not to extreme. I'll be using it for writing, downloading, etc. If I can get all the "important" parts in such as a motherboard, things that I wouldn't be able to put in myself (novice) in opening op PC's & modifying/upgrading. Up-gradable parts like CPU/RAM/Graphics card can be REASONABLE. If I can go in there and do it myself, save cash, etc.

Anyone can also feel free to respond.

[Bucket_Nakedz]

im looking into building my first rig and dipping my toe into the gaming and home theatre pc world.

ill be buying parts here and there for the next month or two but will save the motherboard, graphics card and processor at the very last.

i've settled on the intel i5 2500k and gtx 570, but im favoring gigabyte motherboards so far yet don't know which one.

can some of you geeks suggests some good brands for a power supply, case, cooling fans and hard drives/ssd? my budget is no more than $1200. and wtf is bios, crossfire and all this geek talk? enlighten me, dawg

[magic chiongson]

im looking into building my first rig and dipping my toe into the gaming and home theatre pc world.

ill be buying parts here and there for the next month or two but will save the motherboard, graphics card and processor at the very last.

i've settled on the intel i5 2500k and gtx 570, but im favoring gigabyte motherboards so far yet don't know which one.

can some of you geeks suggests some good brands for a power supply, case, cooling fans and hard drives/ssd? my budget is no more than $1200. and wtf is bios, crossfire and all this geek talk? enlighten me, dawg

my geek mode is on.

if you can buy the old sandy bridge (i5 2500k) for cheap then go get it, otherwise wait a little bit since the new i5 3xxx series just came out and prices should go down soon.

and dont buy the gtx 570 if its over $280, if you wait for a month tops the latest graphics cards should come down in prices, that model is more than a year old.

also, don't buy the i5 2500k if you don't know how to overclock, it'll be a waste (i assumed you dont since you dont know what a bios is). get the i5 2400 instead, same performance if you dont overclock.

i'd go with at least a 500w power supply to go along with that coming from any of these brands: seasonic, corsair, xfx, superflower.

looking at your budget, i'd go with this set-up:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2012/05/18/pc-hardware-buyer-s-guide-may-2012/3

since you don't overclock, i'd replace the processor with a cheaper non 'K' version and the motherboard with a matx H77. you'll be able to save about $150 without losing any performance, you could also use that extra cash to buy a more powerful graphics card (GTX 670 or HD7970).

[Bucket_Nakedz]

my geek mode is on.

if you can buy the old sandy bridge (i5 2500k) for cheap then go get it, otherwise wait a little bit since the new i5 3xxx series just came out and prices should go down soon.

and dont buy the gtx 570 if its over $280, if you wait for a month tops the latest graphics cards should come down in prices, that model is more than a year old.

also, don't buy the i5 2500k if you don't know how to overclock, it'll be a waste (i assumed you dont since you dont know what a bios is). get the i5 2400 instead, same performance if you dont overclock.

i'd go with at least a 500w power supply to go along with that coming from any of these brands: seasonic, corsair, xfx, superflower.

looking at your budget, i'd go with this set-up:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/buyers-guide/2012/05/18/pc-hardware-buyer-s-guide-may-2012/3


since you don't overclock, i'd replace the processor with a cheaper non 'K' version and the motherboard with a matx H77. you'll be able to save about $150 without losing any performance, you could also use that extra cash to buy a more powerful graphics card (GTX 670 or HD7970).

what is the purpose of overclocking? yes, i don't know anything about bios but i know its use to overclock your computer. and what is crossfire/sli?

[magic chiongson]

what is the purpose of overclocking? yes, i don't know anything about bios but i know its use to overclock your computer. and what is crossfire/sli?

overclocking basically means pulling more juice out of your processor. it will run faster, hotter, and consume more electrical power. basically if you buy the 'K' version, you are paying a premium for its ability to be overclocked. if you don't overclock it, it will run just as fast as processors that are about $30 or so cheaper.

well the bios is like the control panel for your PC. even if you dont overclock, you may need to know a little something about it if you are planning on using multiple hard drives, ssd, enable crossfire/sli, other tweaks etc

crossfire/sli means using multiple graphics card on your PC, if you are planning on buying only one graphics card you're better off saving $ on non-crossfire/sli boards

[Bucket_Nakedz]

overclocking basically means pulling more juice out of your processor. it will run faster, hotter, and consume more electrical power. basically if you buy the 'K' version, you are paying a premium for its ability to be overclocked. if you don't overclock it, it will run just as fast as processors that are about $30 or so cheaper.

well the bios is like the control panel for your PC. even if you dont overclock, you may need to know a little something about it if you are planning on using multiple hard drives, ssd, enable crossfire/sli, other tweaks etc

crossfire/sli means using multiple graphics card on your PC, if you are planning on buying only one graphics card you're better off saving $ on non-crossfire/sli boards
then it sounds like i will overclock my processor and have the option to add a second graphics card (for future preference).

if i do add a second gpu down the road, will a mid tower case provide enough room? or will it be safer to get a full tower?

[magic chiongson]

then it sounds like i will overclock my processor and have the option to add a second graphics card (for future preference).

if i do add a second gpu down the road, will a mid tower case provide enough room? or will it be safer to get a full tower?

you should get a z77-based motherboard then, or z67 if you stay with the older 2500k.

most mid towers can usually fit dual graphics cards set-up, full towers are usually for tri/quad setups. personally, i choose the chassis for its looks :D

take note you'll also need a beefier power supply if you plan on going dual graphics in the future..around 700 watts at least with the proper connectors

[Bucket_Nakedz]

you should get a z77-based motherboard then, or z67 if you stay with the older 2500k.

most mid towers can usually fit dual graphics cards set-up, full towers are usually for tri/quad setups. personally, i choose the chassis for its looks :D

take note you'll also need a beefier power supply if you plan on going dual graphics in the future..around 700 watts at least with the proper connectors
Z77 it is. Yeah, i figured 800 watts would be a bit more safer; particularly modular.

[Bladers]

I got my shit from newegg.com

Anyway here's mine:

CASE | Cool Master -$49.99 (I didn't know they gave me a free antec case and that i didn't need to add this. But this case is really cool and has alot of fans.)

Motherboard | ASROCK Z68 EXTREME3 GEN3 - $124.99

Video card | XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity -$329.99

SILVERSTONE Power supply - $69.99

CPU INTEL | CORE I7 2600K 3.4G 8M R - $299.99 (the best available processor in market)

MEMORY CARD| 4Gx4|GSKILL F3-10666CL9Q-16GB RL - $74.99 (need the excess memory for graphics work in after effects)

Hard Drive | SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $149.99

DVD BURNER | ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS% - $19.99

CPU COOLER | Cool Master RR-212E-20PK-R1 R - $34.99 (Didn't need this aswell since the CPU came with a in-built cooler)

The prices have changed by the way. some things are much cheaper.
secondly never buy a AMD processor they are lagging behind in every possible bench mark. (http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/benchmarks,112.html)

[magic chiongson]

Z77 it is. Yeah, i figured 800 watts would be a bit more safer; particularly modular.

yeah, make sure it has at least 4 8-pin pci-e connectors, sometimes 800w psus only have 2 8-pin & 4 6-pin



I got my shit from newegg.com

Anyway here's mine:

CASE | Cool Master -$49.99 (I didn't know they gave me a free antec case and that i didn't need to add this. But this case is really cool and has alot of fans.)

Motherboard | ASROCK Z68 EXTREME3 GEN3 - $124.99

Video card | XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity -$329.99

SILVERSTONE Power supply - $69.99

CPU INTEL | CORE I7 2600K 3.4G 8M R - $299.99 (the best available processor in market)

MEMORY CARD| 4Gx4|GSKILL F3-10666CL9Q-16GB RL - $74.99 (need the excess memory for graphics work in after effects)

Hard Drive | SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $149.99

DVD BURNER | ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS% - $19.99

CPU COOLER | Cool Master RR-212E-20PK-R1 R - $34.99 (Didn't need this aswell since the CPU came with a in-built cooler)

The prices have changed by the way. some things are much cheaper.
secondly never buy a AMD processor they are lagging behind in every possible bench mark. (http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/benchmarks,112.html)

you are good to go, but the ivy bridge processors were released bout a month ago, they should be available in newegg

both of these should be faster (a little) & more energy efficient than the 2600k:
i7 i7-3770K ~ $300-$350
i5 i5-3570K ~ $200-$220

there should also be an asrock z77 extreme for those processors

also, you should be able to buy the GTX 670 and the slower HD 7950 at between $320-$350. both are faster than the 6970

[Bucket_Nakedz]

Bump for magic chiongson.

Bruh, do you have any experience in liquid cooling. Went to a bingo hall last night and got lucky lol ($1200 jackpot).

Damn old folks were hella mad lol. Anyway, gave my girl $400 and deposited the rest into my account. I already ordered my case, psu, ram and mobo today which came out to $660. Im holding out on the cpu and gpu last. Ive already decided on the 1155 ivey bridge socket as i bought the z77 asus sabretooth. I wanna build a beast - get the most bang for my buck. Since i will be overclocking, im interested in the prospect of custom liquid cooling. Looks fukking sick, and i want my baby to be quiet as possible.

I posted a couple of days ago on another thread on how i wanted to build a rig, but because my truck had major issues during the summer, my money went on to fix it. My lucky draw was the boost i needed. Now i can join the pc master race...

[magic chiongson]

Bump for magic chiongson.

Bruh, do you have any experience in liquid cooling. Went to a bingo hall last night and got lucky lol ($1200 jackpot).

Damn old folks were hella mad lol. Anyway, gave my girl $400 and deposited the rest into my account. I already ordered my case, psu, ram and mobo today which came out to $660. Im holding out on the cpu and gpu last. Ive already decided on the 1155 ivey bridge socket as i bought the z77 asus sabretooth. I wanna build a beast - get the most bang for my buck. Since i will be overclocking, im interested in the prospect of custom liquid cooling. Looks fukking sick, and i want my baby to be quiet as possible.

I posted a couple of days ago on another thread on how i wanted to build a rig, but because my truck had major issues during the summer, my money went on to fix it. My lucky draw was the boost i needed. Now i can join the pc master race...

since you already bought a case, your water cooling options would sorely depend on it. what is the model of you chassis? a custom water cooling set-up that makes your CPU temps run at around room temperature would be very expensive, and a pita to set-up. depending on your chassis, you may need to mod/do some drilling/cutting. for starters, there are some pre-built all-water-cooling system that costs less than half a custom one and would trump the best/most expensive air coolers out there:

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-Extreme-Performance-CWCH100/dp/B0051U7HMS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1348418073&sr=8-4&keywords=corsair+hydro

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-Performance-Liquid-CWCH80/dp/B0051U7HMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348418073&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+hydro

there are other brands like the antec and thermaltake, they more or less perform the same. get the one's that is cheapest..you would be looking at a radiator with dimensions of 120mm x 120mm x 35mm at the minimum for best performance/price ratio

[Bucket_Nakedz]

since you already bought a case, your water cooling options would sorely depend on it. what is the model of you chassis? a custom water cooling set-up that makes your CPU temps run at around room temperature would be very expensive, and a pita to set-up. depending on your chassis, you may need to mod/do some drilling/cutting. for starters, there are some pre-built all-water-cooling system that costs less than half a custom one and would trump the best/most expensive air coolers out there:

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-Extreme-Performance-CWCH100/dp/B0051U7HMS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1348418073&sr=8-4&keywords=corsair+hydro

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-Performance-Liquid-CWCH80/dp/B0051U7HMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348418073&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+hydro

there are other brands like the antec and thermaltake, they more or less perform the same. get the one's that is cheapest..you would be looking at a radiator with dimensions of 120mm x 120mm x 35mm at the minimum for best performance/price ratio

here are my specs for my build so far...

case (http://www.amazon.com/SWITCH-810-BLACK-Tower-Chassis/dp/B00752QYLU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348419820&sr=8-2&keywords=nzxt+switch)

power supply (http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-ATX12V-EPS12V-Supply-ST85F-G/dp/B004GGUAT0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348419858&sr=1-2&keywords=silverstone+gold)

mobo (http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-SABERTOOTH-Z77-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B007RIFKUS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348419903&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+sabertooth+z77)

ram (http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-1600MHz-Memory-CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10/dp/B006EWUO22/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348419946&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+vengeance+16gb)

disc drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SIMPXM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00)

im not interested in those closed loop liquid coolers. im going for the real deal, but still don't want to fork over no more than $250. do you think this kit (https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/step_one_raystorm_kit_base_-_dual_bay_d5/) would work well for a dual loop cooling on both cpu and gpu?

i know im going i5 or i7 ivy bridge k for cpu, and most definitely gtx 680 with sli down the road.

[magic chiongson]

here are my specs for my build so far...

case (http://www.amazon.com/SWITCH-810-BLACK-Tower-Chassis/dp/B00752QYLU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348419820&sr=8-2&keywords=nzxt+switch)

power supply (http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-ATX12V-EPS12V-Supply-ST85F-G/dp/B004GGUAT0/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348419858&sr=1-2&keywords=silverstone+gold)

mobo (http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-SABERTOOTH-Z77-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B007RIFKUS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348419903&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+sabertooth+z77)

ram (http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-1600MHz-Memory-CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10/dp/B006EWUO22/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348419946&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+vengeance+16gb)

disc drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SIMPXM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00)

im not interested in those closed loop liquid coolers. im going for the real deal, but still don't want to fork over no more than $250. do you think this kit (https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/step_one_raystorm_kit_base_-_dual_bay_d5/) would work well for a dual loop cooling on both cpu and gpu?

i know im going i5 or i7 ivy bridge k for cpu, and most definitely gtx 680 with sli down the road.

your build looks good, that case should easily fit 240mm radiators.

if you want something more compact at less than $250, how about this one since it has good reviews:

http://www.swiftech.com/H2O-x20-Edge-HD.aspx

also this may not be popular but my friends have it and it has the best value @ $200 (could get to $250 if you add a gpu block)

http://www.larkooler.tw/KU3-241.htm

[Bucket_Nakedz]

your build looks good, that case should easily fit 240mm radiators.

if you want something more compact at less than $250, how about this one since it has good reviews:

http://www.swiftech.com/H2O-x20-Edge-HD.aspx

also this may not be popular but my friends have it and it has the best value @ $200 (could get to $250 if you add a gpu block)

http://www.larkooler.tw/KU3-241.htm
Wow, that larkooler looks intriguing. Idk, i think im gonna just buy quality parts because i want i my cooler to last for a very long time for future builds.

I think i fukked up on my ram. I wanted a 16gb dual channel, but i forgot to check the latency which is at 10. Do you think a 1866mhz w/ latency of 8 would be a significant upgrade to the 1600mhz @ latency of 10?

Anyway, thanks so much for the support. Repped!

[LJJ]

I tried building my own PC & it came out to almost $900.



Source: Www.iBuyPower.Com


Look, when people say build your own PC they are talking about ordering the parts of sites like NewEgg. Maybe bargain hunt a little on ebay and such.

They don't mean letting a site like iBuyPower built a PC for you and charge you a lot extra for the assembly and the parts. That's the opposite of building your own PC.

[magic chiongson]

Wow, that larkooler looks intriguing. Idk, i think im gonna just buy quality parts because i want i my cooler to last for a very long time for future builds.

I think i fukked up on my ram. I wanted a 16gb dual channel, but i forgot to check the latency which is at 10. Do you think a 1866mhz w/ latency of 8 would be a significant upgrade to the 1600mhz @ latency of 10?

Anyway, thanks so much for the support. Repped!

larkooler doesn't have a bad rep in terms of quality but they seem to be new though, but its popular with my guys.

tbh you really won't feel the difference when it comes to gaming, maybe some slight improvement on the benchmarks. back in the old FSB days, those tighter timings would mean better overclocks if you loosen them up a bit, but these days with the 'K' processors being the only ones you can overclock you couldn't really play much with the bus speeds anymore. and right now, there aren't single 8gb sticks with with tighter latency than that being sold and if there were it would be unreasonably way more expensive.

you're welcome :cheers: i went inactive in the xtremesystems forums about a year ago its nice to have conversations like these once in awhile :D

[Bucket_Nakedz]

larkooler doesn't have a bad rep in terms of quality but they seem to be new though, but its popular with my guys.

tbh you really won't feel the difference when it comes to gaming, maybe some slight improvement on the benchmarks. back in the old FSB days, those tighter timings would mean better overclocks if you loosen them up a bit, but these days with the 'K' processors being the only ones you can overclock you couldn't really play much with the bus speeds anymore. and right now, there aren't single 8gb sticks with with tighter latency than that being sold and if there were it would be unreasonably way more expensive.

you're welcome :cheers: i went inactive in the xtremesystems forums about a year ago its nice to have conversations like these once in awhile :D
Yeah, i do research through tomshardware and overclock.net but is just too lazy to sign up and ask for help. Since i love ish, and you being the unofficial guru of pc building. I had to seek your wisdom.

Whats ur current rig specs? U favor intel or amd?

[magic chiongson]

Yeah, i do research through tomshardware and overclock.net but is just too lazy to sign up and ask for help. Since i love ish, and you being the unofficial guru of pc building. I had to seek your wisdom.

Whats ur current rig specs? U favor intel or amd?
haha the resident pc hardware geek :D yeah i do go to tom's hardware for the graphics charts & 'best for the money' articles and also posted in oc.net because there are a lot of folks there who have the same motherboard as i do

it's over a year old, with some part older than that.

i5 2500k @ 4.1ghz stock voltage
biostar tp67xe
g.skill sniper 8gb (2x4gb) 1600 1.25v
inno3d gtx480 w/ arctic accelero extreme cooler
prolimatech megahalems w/ 2x xigmatek dark knight fans
season x-660 (660w)
coolermaster stacker stc-01 (got this in 2006! i have had other cases since then but this one survived them all)
1 x samsung spinpoint f3 1tb, 2 x spinpoint f4 2tb

hrmm did i forget something..anyway i was planning on going SLI since the gtx480's have gone cheap these days but they run very hot and very power hungry..i should prolly just get some newer card. i'm thinking of going mini-itx these days with either of these cases and get an ssd:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345017&Tpk=bitfenix%20prodigy

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163170&Tpk=sg07

[Bucket_Nakedz]

haha the resident pc hardware geek :D yeah i do go to tom's hardware for the graphics charts & 'best for the money' articles and also posted in oc.net because there are a lot of folks there who have the same motherboard as i do

it's over a year old, with some part older than that.

i5 2500k @ 4.1ghz stock voltage
biostar tp67xe
g.skill sniper 8gb (2x4gb) 1600 1.25v
inno3d gtx480 w/ arctic accelero extreme cooler
prolimatech megahalems w/ 2x xigmatek dark knight fans
season x-660 (660w)
coolermaster stacker stc-01 (got this in 2006! i have had other cases since then but this one survived them all)
1 x samsung spinpoint f3 1tb, 2 x spinpoint f4 2tb

hrmm did i forget something..anyway i was planning on going SLI since the gtx480's have gone cheap these days but they run very hot and very power hungry..i should prolly just get some newer card. i'm thinking of going mini-itx these days with either of these cases and get an ssd:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345017&Tpk=bitfenix%20prodigy

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163170&Tpk=sg07
Nice. Id love to build an amd bulldozer next. And i looked up that cooler master case, damn that shiets looks heavy.

I envy yall who live in the lower 48 and taking advantage of newegg. Since u cant have standard shipping on newegg, the shipping prices are too expensive for me to order there.

Thank god for amazon tho. They seem pretty even with most of neweggs pricing. And since i have student prime, im taking advantage of the free shipping lol. I know they mustve been pissed when i ordered my case lol. I got it for $155, but as soon as they shipped it, they were selling it at full retail value to probably make some poor dude make up the difference lol

[magic chiongson]

Nice. Id love to build an amd bulldozer next. And i looked up that cooler master case, damn that shiets looks heavy.

I envy yall who live in the lower 48 and taking advantage of newegg. Since u cant have standard shipping on newegg, the shipping prices are too expensive for me to order there.

Thank god for amazon tho. They seem pretty even with most of neweggs pricing. And since i have student prime, im taking advantage of the free shipping lol. I know they mustve been pissed when i ordered my case lol. I got it for $155, but as soon as they shipped it, they were selling it at full retail value to probably make some poor dude make up the difference lol

i did make an amd-based one (A8 apu) as an htpc for my parent's house, the built-in graphics is good enough for decent graphics settings for some games. you could also overclock all their cpus unlike intel where only the 'K' ones can. amd was the shiet in the socket 939 days, too bad their high-end performance is crap these days. those amd bulldozer chips are prolly no better than the fastest core i3..excluding the built-in graphics performance.

it is heavy..it has wheels lol. and i've had a heavier (but smaller) one with the antec p180..damn thing was too thick the side panels alone weighed around 10lbs each. if i'm gonna buy a new full tower that could support 240mm rads i'd prolly get the cooler master storm stryker..or the corsair 500r with a lesser budget.

i couldnt buy from newegg either..they would only ship to the bill-to location of your credit card and mine is international..i wasnt in american soil when i built the one i mentioned above. so yeah, thank god for amazon lol. dang didn't notice you were in alaska at first. watercooling would really make good sense with the low ambient temperatures :D i want a mini-itx build this time 'cos i'm gonna be moving around for the next year or so.

[Bucket_Nakedz]

got my stuff delivered last night. fukking case is huge! anyway, pc guru. ive been doing more research and seeing as this will be my first build, do you think i should try air cooling before investing in something expensive as water cooling?

idk, i know i want to overclock ivy bridge to at least 4.5 stable. do you think air cooling will suffice? even tho i prefer quietness, ive heard the big fans like the noctua dh-14 do really good and doesn't make too much noise. idk, im going back and forth...

[magic chiongson]

yeah that would make more sense. my 2500k could get to 4.5ghz at minimal voltage increase, it wouldn't go past 70 degrees celcius) on load tests..air cooled with a prolimatech megahalems.

the big ass noctua, thermalright, prolimatech air coolers out there are the best.

if you want a relatively cheap but high performance/low noise temporary air-cooler, i would recommend this one:

http://www.amazon.com/ThermalRight-HR-02-MACHO-Thermalright-Macho/dp/B005ERSN7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348670188&sr=8-1&keywords=thermalright+macho

this is prolly the best noctua out there:

http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-D14-SE2011-Heatpipes-Bearing/dp/B00631QFG8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1348670220&sr=8-4&keywords=noctua+14

personally i'm using this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Prolimatech-Cooler-Deluxe-Socket-Megashadow/dp/B002WB2LWA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348670322&sr=1-1&keywords=prolimatech+megashadow


have you thought of which cpu to buy? i'd recommend the i5 3570k...the i7 i7 3770k which is over $100 more isn't that much faster than this i5

[bluechox2]

op thinks ordering a customized pc already built is the same as "building your own computer"

hence why he think laptops can be built, what he actually meant was getting it ordered with parts to you liking

[IGOTGAME]

op thinks ordering a customized pc already built is the same as "building your own computer"

hence why he think laptops can be built, what he actually meant was getting it ordered with parts to you liking

why not just wait and cop dat 13 inch macbook pro wit retina display.

[Bucket_Nakedz]

guru, what are the main differences between i7 3770k and the i5 3570k. the i5 seems like a better value, but will the i7 be better oc cpu?

[magic chiongson]

guru, what are the main differences between i7 3770k and the i5 3570k. the i5 seems like a better value, but will the i7 be better oc cpu?

i haven't tried both, but it should be the same with the i5 2500k and i7 2600k. the i7 has hyperthreading, a 100mhz bump in speed, and a better built-in graphics (which you wont be using anyway). hyperthreading doesnt really scale well when you already have at least 4 cores, and 100mhz isnt much. overclocking should be more or less the same.

oh and back to watercooling, i almost forgot about these

http://www.amazon.com/Raystorm-RS240-Extreme-Universal-Cooling/dp/B008PA1SA8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348886118&sr=1-1&keywords=xspc+rs240

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Triple-Radiator-Cooling-Updated/dp/B008PA1TPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348885754&sr=8-1&keywords=xspc+rs360

[Bucket_Nakedz]

i haven't tried both, but it should be the same with the i5 2500k and i7 2600k. the i7 has hyperthreading, a 100mhz bump in speed, and a better built-in graphics (which you wont be using anyway). hyperthreading doesnt really scale well when you already have at least 4 cores, and 100mhz isnt much. overclocking should be more or less the same.

oh and back to watercooling, i almost forgot about these

http://www.amazon.com/Raystorm-RS240-Extreme-Universal-Cooling/dp/B008PA1SA8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1348886118&sr=1-1&keywords=xspc+rs240

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Triple-Radiator-Cooling-Updated/dp/B008PA1TPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348885754&sr=8-1&keywords=xspc+rs360
ive seen those kits. they're cool, but i can't use those reservoirs because i need all my bays for my fan controller and led controller.

anyway, speaking of fan controller. im gonna be putting about 14 fans total in this case (10 i have to buy). im going with the 140mm fans, i know im going to need splitters. do you know what kind of splitters would i need?

[magic chiongson]

ive seen those kits. they're cool, but i can't use those reservoirs because i need all my bays for my fan controller and led controller.

anyway, speaking of fan controller. im gonna be putting about 14 fans total in this case (10 i have to buy). im going with the 140mm fans, i know im going to need splitters. do you know what kind of splitters would i need?
you're going to need something like a multiple male 3-pin - single female 3-pin connector (sounds like a gangbang porn scene). it's usually included in most fan controllers..usually you can connect 2-3 fans for every single channel in the fan controller.

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SY-CAB65007-Female-Connectors-Extension/dp/B002G1YNQS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349273552&sr=8-2&keywords=y-splitter+3-pin

that one will only work for 3-pin fans..but i guess thats all that matters you woludnt need to connect a 4-pin pwm fan to a fan controller anyway

[Bucket_Nakedz]

you're going to need something like a multiple male 3-pin - single female 3-pin connector (sounds like a gangbang porn scene). it's usually included in most fan controllers..usually you can connect 2-3 fans for every single channel in the fan controller.

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SY-CAB65007-Female-Connectors-Extension/dp/B002G1YNQS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349273552&sr=8-2&keywords=y-splitter+3-pin

that one will only work for 3-pin fans..but i guess thats all that matters you woludnt need to connect a 4-pin pwm fan to a fan controller anyway

i think im going to be ok, tho. i didn't realize, but my case has like a fan hub adapter on the other side panel, that can connect up to 7 fans which is fukking awesome.

anyway, i ordered all my shiet, and everything came out to almost $2,500 lol. my boy who is a pc gamer, just recently built him a nice rig kept telling me to go big or go home lol.

i will post pics when everything is here, i already have the first shiet that i ordered in my room (case, power supply, motherboard, ram, dvd burner).

got me the i7-3770k for my cpu and the evga superclocked gtx 680+ gpu. i didn't have enough for the watercooling build (which is going to run me about $600), but i got me that cooler master evo fan to carry me over until i get my watercooling shiet which will probably be my christmas present to myself.

[Bucket_Nakedz]

so it begins...

http://www.overclock.net/image/id/3227031

[magic chiongson]

looking good!

i bought some stuff myself..i blame BN for this, wasn't supposed to buy anything new until black friday :(

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/553491_3820465272269_1516979640_n.jpg

going small..living room htpc/mini-gaming pc

[Bucket_Nakedz]

looking good!

i bought some stuff myself..i blame BN for this, wasn't supposed to buy anything new until black friday :(

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/553491_3820465272269_1516979640_n.jpg

going small..living room htpc/mini-gaming pc
haha... good shiet doe. can't wait to see dat beast! anyway, just got done building this fukker last night. took me a total of 10 hours in 5 days, but i took my time. updating my drivers and shiet. gonna give it some time before i prime95. heres some pics...

http://www.overclock.net/image/id/3263163

http://www.overclock.net/image/id/3263141

http://www.overclock.net/image/id/3263147

http://www.overclock.net/image/id/3263150

http://www.overclock.net/image/id/3263145

[magic chiongson]

your pics...are too huge bro :hammerhead:

[Draz]

Bump.

Looking to spend sub $500 on a desktop, I have a screen already I can upgrade later since it's already good.

I need lots of space on the HD. I'm thinking 3TB is the max we can go up too? Something affordable and won't crash or need to be replaced. Had a HD on my laptop that caved in and stopped working, the entire laptop won't work.