How to find parts for a pc/ find a great Desktop for gaming when under a budget (And General computer tips)

Alright just decided to make this thread to help some people that arn't as tech savvy as some others here.

There will be 4 pc builds listed here, a Pre built, a mid range pc (1,220), a extreme (2,500), and a budget pc ( 960 )

First thing you want to look at is, what is your budget, this will be the main thing holding you back at this price range, you will have to forget all of those fancy six cores and the extreme 3 way card setups some people have, mostly because the price of a 6 core and 3 cards alone is more than 1,500.

Now, next thing to look at what Resolution will you be gaming at. if your gaming under 1920x 1080 any graphics card will do but if your at 1920x 1080 or higher you will need to get a bit more power.

One other thing to look at is, do you have a monitor, speakers, mouse and keyboard already? If you do you can use more of that cash to get better parts instead of fancy keyboards and such.

Now you have to decide "do I want to build one?". Building a Computer is generally more cost effective, you get more bang for you buck, and you learn something along the way, now If you don't want to build one I will have to suggest Digital storm's ODE line of computers they are very well thought out and have great parts in them for just a bit more than what building one would cost you. If you want to build one skip the Digital storm.

- Digital storm ODE 0
Digital Storm ODE 0

Alright so you want to build a computer right! Well most people make horrible choices thinking "oh that costs more that has to be better!" Truth be told its not always like that, many people believe dual Gpu cards are amazing when in truth they suck so bad that a single 580 can beat a 590 in most instances.

I'll be guiding you through how to pick parts.

First if the CPU the BRAIN of your computer if you get a crap cpu and a good GPU your system will fail no matter what. I like the Intel i7 2600k, but for most thats overkill, and i5 2500, or 2500k will be enough for most users. Do not go for the more expensive 900 series or anything lower than that, those are very overpriced/ not as good performers. The I5 2500k is nearly as powerful as a 980 which costs more than twice as much. If under a strict budget a i5 2400 will be great, or a i3 2300.

Next is the Motherboard, This connects all your parts so you have to have a decent one, Asus has done a great job with their boards this platform so I would suggest them, you must also decide "Do I want to have room for upgradability later on?" If you do, Get the Deluxe motherboard its pricey but well worth it when you want to add a second card. Some motherboards are different colors sure one might fit with your build but they may not be as good as others around the same price.

Now For the Ram, think of it as the hands of the computer, the more you have the more it can do, although im not talking about crazy amounts that server users use, such as 12gb-48gb, im talking about 4-8 gb 4 should be enough, but if you want to be one the safe side, get 6. 8 only if you plan on doing other stuff such as casting. Corsair makes good ram, aswell as Mushkin and G skill. Most ram is the same any brand will most likely do, but those three brands have the best warranty and best quality

Your Graphics card, the muscle of the whole computer this will allow you to play games fast and use more than one monitor if you so choose, I love EVGA Cards, Asus is also very good. The 500 Series is the best for now, 400 series has heat and power issues. I would recommend a 560 or a 560 ti
if you have a tighter budget go with a 550ti

The Powersupply Powers EVERYTHING if you have a bad one, well your f'ed. Corsair makes Qaulity Psu's 750 W should be enough for most poeple but if you plan on doing dual cards in the future opt for the 1050W HX series,

Now lets decide on the harddrive, I reccomend going dual harddrive one SSD and one storage, but some poeples budgets wont allow that, so just go with 1 tb Western Digital Caviar Black (most Reliable)

Of course you will need a OS, Get a OEM Windows 7 home premium or Professional, Pro has larger RAM capacity's

And to put that disk in get a DVD Burner, doesnt matter which but dont go for the super cheap ones.

Now you want a case to put this all in right? Well I'll Suggest a few cases, I love the NZXT Phantom, and Corsair case that isnt a 500 series (too small), And CoolerMaster cases such as a HAF X or a Storm Trooper are Amazing. Get one you like. but makes sure it has upgradibility options while also being able to fit ATX motherboards, anything that fits E-ATX, or XL ATX is also very good Anything bigger will be a waste of space.

Alright now you want to decide how you want your CPU cooled, The cpu comes with a stock fan but its HORRIBLE, So you may want a better one the Noctua NH-D14 is great a bit big though so make sure your case and ram wont get in the way, But if you want liquid cooling, Go for the H100 cooler, anything under that gets beat by the Corsair A70 or the Noctua. (make sure your case can fit a H100 it requires two top mount 120mm fans)
There is also custom loops, for liquid cooling, that is much harder, and a bit risky, also being pricey, but the best performance.

you WILL Need thermal paste I like Arctic Silver 5, You will also need a anti static band (or you could ground yourself with a piece of steel every so often) You will also need a few screwdrivers so have those handy,

Mid range pc

- Suggested parts (These by no means are the cheapest, but they are reliable) - Total cost = $1200.88 [ At time of arrangment sales may effect pricing ]

EVGA GTX 560
Corsair 650D
Corsair 750W PSU
1Tb Western Digital Harddrive
Asus LE P8p67 (not Dual card Compatible)
Intel I5 2500k
Corsair A70
Corsair Vengeance 4gb 1600 Ram
LG DVD Burner
Windows 7
Arctic Silver 5


Extreme PC $ 2446.86
Coolermaster storm trooper
corsair 1050W HX psu
asus p8p67 deluxe
intel 2600k 3.4 GHz
Windows 7 pro
Western Digital 1tb 7200rpm
x2 EVGA GTX 570 must get two of these for good performance
Noctua NH-D14
arctic silver 5
LG DVD BURNER
Intel 320, 160gb SSD
corsair Dominator 8GB 1600 ram

Budget pc build $957.88
I5 2400
Corsair 700W GS
Coolermaster Haf 922
Asus P8p67 LE
EVGA GTX 550 ti
Corsair XMS 4gb 1333 ram
Artic Silver 5
LG Dvd Burner
Corsair A70
Western Digital 750gb Green
windows 7

All are great choices, choose the build you like the most that fits in your budget, if you cant work any of those in or want even more performance contact me.

Now lets say you dont have any of this stuff and or are looking for a accessory update. Well here are some parts that are cheap and are VERY reliable!

Logitech Z Series Speakers
Razer Deathadder Mouse
Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard
Asus 20 inch Monitor (TN panel)

If any of you have an even tighter budget feel free to post, or PM me for some help on what parts to get, Same with you guys that have much greater budgets.

Have a nice day!

~Zieno

updated! now has Extreme builds, and a budget build!

Make a budget of 450-500$.

Thats called a Xbox.

No, it's called Tom's computer