Building a new computer

[In need of help]

I'm looking to build a new computer for gaming, I've been running apple product forever so I really don't know a whole lot about PC's. I was wondering if anyone could help me find good parts that are cheap so that I can build a computer that works great for under $600. So far these are the items I'm looking at
Case:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
Hard Drive:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514
Graphics Card:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125359
Motherboard:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506
Processor:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103894
but I'm not sure on the graphics card, I would love for someone to give me some links and a description of what more I will need to complete this computer so that it is a good one. P.S. I don't need any help finding a keyboard/mouse/monitor I will be able to find that on my own. Thank you for your help.

 

[220racer]

I suggest you switch your case, that one doesn't have wire management, and it doesn't have tool-less drives for easy building. I suggest this one:
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Next, I think you should change your video card, no offense.... But it's complete crap and you would be bottlenecking, I suggest this one:
Newegg.com - HIS H467QR1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
WARNING: I just noticed a big flaw in your build, you are trying to use an LGA 1155 socket on an AMD AM3 socket CPU, change your motherboard to this:
Newegg.com - ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Now... You will also need to buy windows 7, RAM, and a power supply.
Here is the windows 7 you should get:
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems
here is some RAM:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9B
and here is a Power supply adequate for your needs:
Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
If the price is too high, I suggest you downgrade your CPU to this:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX

 

[rockyjohn]

The video cards listed above are very basic and won't provide much power for gaming. You really need to allow more of the budget for gaming if that is your objective.

What games do you want to be able to play?
What settings?
What size monitor?

A good place to start a search for good cards is the THG article on the best video cards for the money, updated monthly to reflect new prices and new cards. Note that it includes links a very brief description of the performance level of the card - you can read these to quickly see what range best matches your budget and card performance - plus links to reviews with detailed performance benchmarks, most often with comparisons to other cards:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html

For more general information about how to upgrade video cards, including determining system limits and comparing, selecting and installing video cards, I recommend this site:

http://www.upgradevideocards.com/index.html

Once you have picked the card or budget range, we can better recommend specific cards.

For a power supply, I recommend this model that probably provides more power than you can use but is selling at a significan discount making it cheaper than other cards, such as the 550w one recommended above:


Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $50AR

Newegg.com - Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

 

[220racer]

That PSU isn't modular, so there will be alot of cables he doesn't need dangling inside his case.

 

[In need of help]

Alright here's what it all looks like revised
Case:Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Hard drive:Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Monitor:Newegg.com - ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers
Motherboard:Newegg.com - ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Video card:Newegg.com - HIS H467QR1GH Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Power supply:Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Memory supply:Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL
Processor:Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
OS:Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems
Disk drive:Newegg.com - LG Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model UH12LS28 OEM LightScribe Support - Blu-Ray Drives
Alright so I'd love for you guys to review it again and see if it's all compatible so that I can order it and build it. Thanks for all your help again.

 

[220racer]

Yup, that is all compatible =)

Heres something that may help you with the build: Newegg TV: How To Build a Computer - Part 2 - The Build - YouTube

 

[In need of help]

Thank you so much 220racer you've been of much help to me I couldn't thank you enough. Now I'm sure I'll have many questions upon building the computer so can I private message you on this site to reach you? Also I already have a question upon watching the video you posted and I'm sure I will have more as I get further into the video so I'll number them below so you can answer them with numbers accordingly.
1) Does my processor cooling fan come with thermal paste pre-applied?
2) Will my power supply come with all the power cables I will need to run my computer or do I need to purchase them separately?
3) I'm looking at the video for the case and he explains about extra fan places, should I get more fans or are the ones that come with it sufficient?
4) I'm seeing on the case that there are a lot of more stable things to lock down a hard drive for a 2.5" drive, but mine is a 3.5" drive should I get a 2.5" drive so it is more stable or will a 3.5" drive be stable enough?
5) I saw that on the case if I wanted to upgrade to a better video card and it was over 10" it wouldn't fit so could I upgrade to this case and still have everything compatible and what not? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
6) I was reviewing all the products I bought and the memory supply I wanted to get says it's designed for the Intel P67 motherboard will it still work with mine?

 

[220racer]

1. The one that comes with the CPU I linked you does.
2. Your power supply will come with all the cables you need.
3. There are 2 120mm fans in the front, and in the back. But since your components aren't that huge and hot, I think you will be fine.
4. Not exactly sure what your asking, however your hard drive is a 3.5" drive, so it will fit perfectly.
5. Yea, everything would still be compatible in that case.
6. Yes, that's just what manufacturers say to get more people to buy it (most people use those motherboard with their intel processors)
If you need any more help, feel free to pm me.

 

[In need of help]

Alright fantastic thanks for answering those questions, um just wondering if i were to decide I wanted to build a laptop are those a lot more challenging or are they still manageable? and where do you find parts for those? I just wanted to know because I would really love to have a computer I could bring to a friends house so we could play together there, but if it's to much of a hassle then I don't want to even try.

 

[220racer]

Well, I'm pretty sure that it is a LOT harder than building a desktop, there is mch less space to work with, and there are lots of compatibility issues space-wise, i suggest you just buy the gaming laptops pre-built.