Sick of Dell. Need a new Desktop and Netbook. Help me out?

CASE: Generally your choice for aesthetics, however it must have room for all of your parts, and a case with good airflow & cooling is necessary to keep your parts from overheating.

PSU: The Power Supply Unit is powering your entire rig. You don't want to skimp on this part, as a faulty PSU can damage other parts of your computer, and if this dies, your computer won't do anything. There are calculators available to calculate how many Watts your computer will need at full load.

CPU: The brains of your computer. Get a smart computer.

MOBO: The motherboard is the main part you need to check compatibility with other parts. Almost every process runs through the motherboard, almost every part must be connected to the motherboard, everything must be compatible.

GPU: Also known as your videocard, this will control what framerates you get while gaming. The VRAM of the card will affect what resolutions your card will be able to run without 'borrowing' memory from your RAM. 512MB is fine for most resolutions, at 1920x1080+ you might want to consider a 1GB+ card.

MEMORY (RAM): This will be affected most by how many programs you intend to have open at one time, as well as how memory-intensive each of those programs are. For Gaming, as well as having an internet or music up at the same time, (assuming running Vista or Win7) 4GB or 6GB+ is recommended. For photo/video editing, 6GB+ is recommended. Be sure to get compatible RAM. DDR3 RAM is faster than DDR2 RAM (obviously), Triple-Channel is faster than Dual-Channel, but Triple-Channel is only supported by the Core i7 CPU.

HARD DRIVE: How much space do you need? If you need faster read/write speeds; consider buying 2 equally sized hard drives and set them up in a RAID 0 array. Make sure your MOBO supports RAID arrays so you do not need a RAID controller.

DISC DRIVE: Just make sure its a reliable brand, and plays/burns whatever you need (DVDs, Blu-ray, whatever).




That CPU isn't in stock. I recommend a Phenom II X4 955 for $45 more.

Phenom II X4 955 BLACK EDITION for $190 (vs $145) its core clock is 3.2GHz (vs 2.6GHz on the P2 810 you linked) stock and it overclocks a lot better.

2GB RAM isn't going to cut it either, I'd definitely recommend 4GB RAM. Get DDR2 though, much cheaper than DDR3, and still great.

I recommend this PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W It's only $50 after rebate, and its 600W & reliable, just as good as the $70 version whyfly posted.

That's a good motherboard, but for the Hard Drive I recommend a 32MB Cache instead of 16MB Cache, hard drives are cheap and its a lot faster, drop down to 500GB if you need to.

Did he want a blu-ray player? That thing is like $120 you can get just a CD/DVD Combo for like $30.


Yeah he wanted Blu-Ray so I had to cut down on the rest of the stuff.
 
Hmm, how much would I have to spend if I wanted to instead go for 6 GBs DDR3 Ram, and a slot load BD drive, and a motherboard with an HDMI port? I also don't want the Blu ray disc to force me to cut down on the other products, and I want the computer to have an SD memory card slot (one that can handle higher capacity cards like 32 GB). If i go a bit higher on the budget, how much would I have to spend? Also, I recently purchased a 1.5 TB HDD, so if it makes a significant difference in the price, I can go lower on the HDD memory. Also, since I'm making my own computer, I can update it over time instead of constantly buying a new one right? Like, the shell has enough slots so that I can add additional ram chips, right?
 
Hmm, how much would I have to spend if I wanted to instead go for 6 GBs DDR3 Ram, and a slot load BD drive, and a motherboard with an HDMI port? I also don't want the Blu ray disc to force me to cut down on the other products, and I want the computer to have an SD memory card slot. If i go a bit higher on the budget, how much would I have to spend?

6GB is awkward for a AMD build; since it uses dual channel... There's no 2 x 3GB sticks (at least not available on newegg) with Dual Channel...

Besides, why would you need 6GB RAM? I recommend getting 4GB (2x 2GB) and then in the future if you need more (which you won't for awhile) get another set of 4GB (2x 2GB) for 8GB RAM total.

You can get an excellent build for ~$750-800, extend that to $850-900 to add blu-ray reader.

I think I spent $1500 on my build after Tax, S&H, and including monitor & accessories.


Why do you need an HDMI port on your MOBO? The GPU we recommended has an HDMI port...
If you need another HDMI port, this MOBO has one. It's the MOBO I use.

Gimme 5 minutes and I'll get you a good build w/ blu-ray reader without skimping any parts & give you the cost.

CASE: Antec 900
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
CPU: Phenom II X4 955 BLACK EDITION @ 3.2GHz (stock)
MOBO: 790X (or 790GX w/ HDMI port (add $30 ($15 after rebate))
GPU: Radeon HD 4870
MEMORY: 4GB (2 x 2GB) G.SKILL DDR2 800 SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: WD 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache HD
DISC DRIVE: DVD/CD/Blu-ray Reader

Total: $871.93 ($851.93 after rebates)

Hmm, how much would I have to spend if I wanted to instead go for 6 GBs DDR3 Ram, and a slot load BD drive, and a motherboard with an HDMI port? I also don't want the Blu ray disc to force me to cut down on the other products, and I want the computer to have an SD memory card slot (one that can handle higher capacity cards like 32 GB). If i go a bit higher on the budget, how much would I have to spend? Also, I recently purchased a 1.5 TB HDD, so if it makes a significant difference in the price, I can go lower on the HDD memory. Also, since I'm making my own computer, I can update it over time instead of constantly buying a new one right? Like, the shell has enough slots so that I can add additional ram chips, right?

Yes, you can upgrade each part, add more hard drives, more RAM, etc. the Antec 900 case has enough room... if you feel you'll need even more room you can spend a bit more to get the Antec 1200, its huge.

The card readers are cheap. Something like this?
 
6GB is awkward for a AMD build; since it uses dual channel... There's no 2 x 3GB sticks (at least not available on newegg) with Dual Channel...

Besides, why would you need 6GB RAM? I recommend getting 4GB (2x 2GB) and then in the future if you need more (which you won't for awhile) get another set of 4GB (2x 2GB) for 8GB RAM total.

You can get an excellent build for ~$750-800, extend that to $850-900 to add blu-ray reader.

I think I spent $1500 on my build after Tax, S&H, and including monitor & accessories.


Why do you need an HDMI port on your MOBO? The GPU we recommended has an HDMI port...
If you need another HDMI port, this MOBO has one. It's the MOBO I use.

Gimme 5 minutes and I'll get you a good build w/ blu-ray reader without skimping any parts & give you the cost.

CASE: Antec 900
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W
CPU: Phenom II X4 955 BLACK EDITION @ 3.2GHz (stock)
MOBO: 790X (or 790GX w/ HDMI port (add $30 ($15 after rebate))
GPU: Radeon HD 4870
MEMORY: 4GB (2 x 2GB) G.SKILL DDR2 800 SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: WD 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache HD
DISC DRIVE: DVD/CD/Blu-ray Reader

Total: $871.93 ($851.93 after rebates)



Yes, you can upgrade each part, add more hard drives, more RAM, etc. the Antec 900 case has enough room... if you feel you'll need even more room you can spend a bit more to get the Antec 1200, its huge.

The card readers are cheap. Something like this?

Sorry, I'm still learning. The reason I want the Blu ray drive is because it's the top technology right now... but I'm thinking since games and programs don't come on it yet, and because it's still a developing technology, I might as well get a cheap DVD/CD RW drive and wait for the prices to go down.

Is DDR3 the best? Should I start out with DDR3 since thats what I'm going to upgrade to in the future anyway? Hows this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
Is DDR4 coming out soon?

Yeah, the card reader you listed is what I wanted, thank you.

As for the HDMI port, I didn't realise an HDMI port would come on the GPU, I thought it could only come on the mother board. Like I said, I'm still learning, lol. My main reason for wanting an HDMI port, is so that I could just hook it up to my TV, and save money on a monitor.

Also, outside of other things like Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, is there anything else I need? Is a power supply included in there?

Also, will all of my parts be guaranteed to work with Windows 7?

Also, thank you all so much for your help. I can't wait to get this computer assembled.
 
Sorry, I'm still learning. The reason I want the Blu ray drive is because it's the top technology right now... but I'm thinking since games and programs don't come on it yet, and because it's still a developing technology, I might as well get a cheap DVD/CD RW drive and wait for the prices to go down.

Only reason to have a blu-ray player atm is for... um... okay no reason to have a blu-ray player atm.

Is DDR3 the best? Should I start out with DDR3 since thats what I'm going to upgrade to in the future anyway? Hows this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
Is DDR4 coming out soon?

DDR3 is the best currently. Whether or not DDR4 is coming soon is unknown to me, but most programs/games these days aren't even maxing out DDR2; so no need to worry.

Go with: this DDR3 RAM. Cheaper for same speed.

Yeah, the card reader you listed is what I wanted, thank you.

Np.

As for the HDMI port, I didn't realise an HDMI port would come on the GPU, I thought it could only come on the mother board. Like I said, I'm still learning, lol. My main reason for wanting an HDMI port, is so that I could just hook it up to my TV, and save money on a monitor.

You should be sure to connect your Monitor/TV to your GPU, not your MOBO. :) The GPU has to be the one sending the signal to the Monitor/TV.

Also, outside of other things like Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, is there anything else I need? Is a power supply included in there?

The PSU should come with a power cord... If you plan to overclock you might want to look into an aftermarket CPU heatsink/fan... If you need super-high-quality sound you could add a sound card... Overall, though, no, that's all you need. Swap the blu-ray drive with a CD/DVD Combo drive in the build I recommended you and you'll be right at $750. Then upgrade a few pieces as you see fit (DDR3 1600 SDRAM, hard drive maybe?, etc.)

Also, will all of my parts be guaranteed to work with Windows 7?

Yes.

Also, thank you all so much for your help. I can't wait to get this computer assembled.

Glad to help.
 
Could you recommend a good DVD drive that would be compatible with all this? Sorry, I'd pick one myself, but I don't quite understand compatibility.
 
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