Just Starting -Price Dependent- "GAMER"

[beginning2build]

Hello Everyone, I'm a Aspiring Computer Aficionado, age 16,(forgive my lack of knowledge) with a desire to build a reasonably priced machine for day to day use....and GAMING. I have a price range of about 850 or less. I believe that is a fair price basis and would like to know any good builds that are compatible with windows 7. As a gamer I would like a "Great" Graphics Card and a "Great" Processor with some significant RAM. By "Great" I mean the best deal for the lowest price. So to begin I have a few questions.

Is the i7 chipset in my price range? (or is it even the best)
If so what is the best Motherboard?
IF the motherboard has SLI capabilities, which is better one graphics card that is great or 2 that are decent?
What type of fans are affective?
What type of power supply should I Buy?
What Type of Case is Needed?
Should I Buy a Sound-card?
What is overclocking and how do i accomplish this?

Any help is greatly appreciated and if it isn't so much trouble? Could you include the price with any parts or items you recommend? Thanks Again, Have a Wonderful Evening!

 

[Trueyears]

whoa dude you are really just starting out =/ Hmmm thats good thought you are 16 and interested in this. We'll get you prepared for the future. To start off

This site has created a good thread about picking parts I suggest you go there http://www.computerforums.org/showthread.php?t=69845

 

[beginning2build]

Thanks for the reply, however, this helped me to choose better parts and to get a feel for the spending, but did not entirely answer the questions I possessed. None the less, thank you very much!

 

[rohan23]

The i7 is perfectly well within your budget of $850. You might have to skimp out on the case and some other cosmetic items. It's very likely you will have to order your build from multiple stores and piece it together over a short period of time.

The term "best" cannot be used generally here. What is best for one may be the worst option for another. It's just too broad of a question.

One graphics card is usually always better. Always better to have one power item than two weaker ones working together. Less distance for information to travel and more room to upgrade in the future.

All fans works. It really breaks down to how much power you need, how much you are willing to spend and what you are cooling.

A standard ATX is what you need. Make sure the internals are made by CWT for reliability and performance.

A mid tower is the most popular choice. Again, it breaks down to your needs.

A sound card is not needed unless you are editing and have the ears of an audiophile.

Overclocking is pretty much feeding more power to your hardware to give it a "boost" over company specifications. I would wait months before you overclock. It can be very dangerous and can cause permanent damage to you and your computer.

Before we help you pick parts, we need to know a few things.

Where do you live in the world?
What size monitor are you using?
$850 is your maximum budget, right?

 

[beginning2build]

Where do you live in the world? California-Shipping and Such will be no problem

What size monitor are you using? I have a 19inch and a 22 inch monitor. DUAL

$850 is your maximum budget, right? I am up to a bit of price stretching, The priorities i Have as far as this machine are RAM, Video Card, Processor! If I'm really feeling lavish I might pick up a creative sound card.

Here's what I think I'm gonna start with.
A i7 920 = 279.99
X85 Motherboard

http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=132-BL-E758-A1

I would like 4gb of Ram (don't know difference between ddr2 and ddr3)

A High End Graphics Card (probably thinking Nvidia) but not sure about ATI and which is better?

Finally a Powersupply that caters to my setup

-Thanks for Your Help

 

[rohan23]

You will have to get DDR3 RAM with an i7 processor. Do you live anywhere near a Microcenter? If so, you can pick up an i7 for $199.99. An i5 would actually suit you better for your build AND cost you less. What resolution is your 22 inch monitor? Would you consider going with an AMD processor for better price to performance in gaming?

 

[beginning2build]

Sadly I do not live that Close to a Microcenter, however I am still in the deciding process of which to go with AMD or Intel... The Question of Life Itself? My 22 inch monitor is a horrible resolution, my NVIDIA 9500 gt is like a prehistoric thing now. I was looking at benchmarks for the i5 in comparison to the i7 and for some reason the i7 seems to work more efficiently. Now back on to the actual computer. Let's not focus on money as far as compatibility and functionability goes, I have a price range but I don't want something I'll have to upgrade in 2 or 3 years, and I certainly don't want something i'll have to replace in 1 year.

I'm sure i'm repeating myself but I just am not really sure how I wanna go about this whole processor issue... the i7 has had rave reviews and has out performed the i5, that being said i'd have to go all intel and all nvidia in that case. I'm really a newb so forgive me, but i don't really know whats the best bang for my buck

THIS FORUM IS A LIFESAVER