# [SOLVED] Beginner looking to build new PC.



## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

I am new to building pcs, I have never built one before, so I am a beginner at this.
I mostly game on computers. I would like to start livestreaming games onto websites, but my current pc doesn't have the power for it, so I am looking to build a new one!

I am coming here for suggestions on what parts to buy, because to be honest, if I picked them myself I would screw up and pick the wrong ones or just overall buy parts that don't really work for what I need.


*Budget:* How much money are you willing to spend on the new build? 700$
* Brands:* Are there any brands of components you want or don't want? No.
* Multitasking:*Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much? If this means running more than one program at a time, then yes. I am looking to livestream games onto a website (justin tv). Other than that, no. Not really.
*Gaming:* Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games? I will be gaming. I will be playing LoL, Diablo 3, Guild Wars 2, and DoTA 2.
* Calculations:* Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding? No.
*Overclocking:* Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much? No.
*Storage:* How much storage will you need and what will you be storing? Not much. Just all of my games, some movies and music. Not that much.
* Legacy Support:* Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices? No.
* Operating System:* Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility? I would prefer windows 7, but XP would cut it as long as all programs would be compatible with it.
*Case:* Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it? Yes. And size doesn't matter much to me. As long as it isn't a hulking mass.
*Accessories:* Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included? No.
* Recycled Components:* Will you be reusing any components you already have? The only thing I believe I can use is the RAM. I have 2x 2gb sticks, so it's 4gb of ram. I am not sure what brand it is.
* Monitor:* If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen? I do not need a monitor.
* Stores:* Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from? Newegg is what I prefer, but as long as the prices are cheap. :]
* Location:* What country do you live in? I live in WA, USA.


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Here's a good place to start:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

and 

TR's Christmas 2011 system guide - The Tech Report - Page 1

Good solid recommendations so you can at least see what is recommended by the experts. The RAM could be used if you know what kind it is. New systems are going to use DDR3.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Nope, I think it's ddr2.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



JMPC said:


> Here's a good place to start:
> http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html
> 
> and
> ...


 The 600$ build on the christmas link you showed me looks pretty good, my only problem is the hard drive is a little more expensive than I would need. Any suggestions for a cheaper one?


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## Shaynk (Nov 12, 2011)

You wouldn't happen to he able to use the hdd from your current rig would you? Hard drives are priced outrageously high currently due to the Thailand flood. Anyway you could avoid that cost would be great, whether by using an old drive or just going for a low capacity.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Also, awesome shiprunner is doing a 1 year free membership if you go like them right now on facebook, free shipping for a year.  ShopRunner - Today: FREE Membership | Facebook


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



Shaynk said:


> You wouldn't happen to he able to use the hdd from your current rig would you? Hard drives are priced outrageously high currently due to the Thailand flood. Anyway you could avoid that cost would be great, whether by using an old drive or just going for a low capacity.


I have no idea about compatibility. I have a crappy emachines, so I doubt I would be able to use it. I was told I wouldn't be able to use it because of drivers and stuff like that.


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## emosun (Oct 4, 2006)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



origination said:


> The 600$ build on the christmas link you showed me looks pretty good, my only problem is the hard drive is a little more expensive than I would need. Any suggestions for a cheaper one?


Ok that 600$ build is junk. The power supply is a joke compared to the videocard it needs to power , the hard drive is a junk brand , the case looks cheap. Not to mention everyone knows when your building budget you go amd and not intel. skip it....

You would be FAR better off with one of our recommended builds

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...evised-2011-and-updated-regularly-448272.html

Also , if your current hdd is ide or sata it should be fine to recycle into your new build.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

I have to agree with Emosun here. In the Christmas guide, the writers severely undersizes most of the power supplies. An Earthwatts 380 just won't cut it with an HD 6850. The Seasonic M12II line are fine supplies, but the 520 is undersized and the 620 is just borderline for a 560Ti.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Same as emosun & gcavan. Use out suggested build list as a guide. All use top quality known compatible components. If you want to make any substitutions just ask and we will help you out.


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## Shaynk (Nov 12, 2011)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



origination said:


> I have no idea about compatibility. I have a crappy emachines, so I doubt I would be able to use it. I was told I wouldn't be able to use it because of drivers and stuff like that.


Assuming your current pc isn't to old it's likely using a sata hdd which will easily be transferrable to any new machine you'd be looking at.




emosun said:


> Ok that 600$ build is junk. The power supply is a joke compared to the videocard it needs to power , the hard drive is a junk brand , the case looks cheap. Not to mention everyone knows when your building budget you go amd and not intel. skip it....


I agree about the PSU comment, it's certainly under powered. Other then that though, Fractal actually makes very nice cases, aesthetics being a personal choice. The build quality of the case is actually quite high, especially at the price. The comment about everyone knowing to use amd in a budget build is completely off, for gaming the mentioned i3 outperforms every amd in a similar price range. The only benefit to going phenom 2 or bulldozer is if he intended to overclock, which he stated he didn't. Outside of that the i3-2100 offers better performance now, and a better upgrade path in the future.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

This is my current HDD.

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

The reason I skipped over the build you guys are suggesting is because a.) It is a lot cheaper (480$) than I would like. And b.) some of the parts listed are out of stock, including the motherboard and the graphics card. Any suggestions for different motherboard/graphics card/processor for that build? I am sure they could all be upgraded.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

You can reuse your Hdd.
I don't understand this; *The reason I skipped over the build you guys are suggesting is because a.) It is a lot cheaper (480$) than I would like.*
Are you saying you want to spend more?


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



Tyree said:


> You can reuse your Hdd.
> I don't understand this; *The reason I skipped over the build you guys are suggesting is because a.) It is a lot cheaper (480$) than I would like.*
> Are you saying you want to spend more?


Yes. I have 700$. 100$ will be going into win 7, so it's actually 600$ for the hardware. And plus, if I am able to use the hdd I would be able to put more money into other parts, because I don't have to buy a new hdd.

But, someone in another thread said I would not be able to re use the hard drive because of drivers and stuff like that, is this correct?


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## Shaynk (Nov 12, 2011)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Right at your $700 budget you stated in original post

Case:Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -Cases are a real personal decision, feel free to look around and find something you like.

Processor and ram:Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

Motherboard:Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P67A-D3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Hard Drive: Re-use your current HDD

Optical Drive: Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners- Though you could likely also re-use your current optical drive, but they're very cheap anyways.

GPU: Newegg.com - ASUS EAH6850 DC/2DIS/1GD5/V2 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Power Supply: Newegg.com - XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Total Cost: $676.93(and includes $70 in mail-in-rebates, and 3 freebies)

Very powerful system at that price, and offers ability to upgrade to an ivy bridge cpu in the future should you choose. Will handle all games mentioned with ease.

Edit: See that i forgot win7, so i've overshot your budget somewhat.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



Shaynk said:


> Right at your $700 budget you stated in original post
> 
> Case:Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -Cases are a real personal decision, feel free to look around and find something you like.
> 
> ...



I don't have a printer, I can't do mail in rebates. Also, didnt people just say do an amd build, not intel?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



origination said:


> But, someone in another thread said I would not be able to re use the hard drive because of drivers and stuff like that, is this correct?


That information is incorrect. You can reuse your Hdd.

With a $700, including the OS, budget you're pretty much restricted to AMD.


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## Shaynk (Nov 12, 2011)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



Tyree said:


> With a $700, including the OS, budget you're pretty much restricted to AMD.


Not at all. Nothing against AMD, they still make nice products, but they aren't currently able to compete with intel, at any price range really.

Changing case to:Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case

and gpu to:Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100338L Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card brings price to $597.94 if reusing optical drive, and $616.93 if not.

As far as the rebates go, of course you can skip them, but if you have a friend with a printer, or even just go to a store and spend a couple dollars to print them, you can end up getting a pretty fair amount of money back.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Can someone give some output on Shaynk's build? I mean it looks good to me, but I don't really know much about building computers at all.

And about rebates: they're just a big hassle. They want you to do 5000 little things, and if you don't get everything correct they won't give you the rebate. Even if it does work it takes weeks and weeks for them to register it anyways. Sometimes even months. In my case 3 months.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

I personally prefer AMD but it's just that, personal. That said, I see nothing wrong with Shaynk's build.

Re rebates: I never include MIR's in the price of an item, nor do I ever depend on them. All else being equal, I will probably choose the item with the MIR, but I don't let it become a deal breaker.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Okay one more question. With my current hard drive would I be able to just take it out and put it in the new one and use it, or are there certain things I have to do to clear it first?


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

When you install the OS on the new build, Just format the HD when prompted and you will start from scratch


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



origination said:


> Can someone give some output on Shaynk's build? I mean it looks good to me, but I don't really know much about building computers at all.
> 
> And about rebates: they're just a big hassle. They want you to do 5000 little things, and if you don't get everything correct they won't give you the rebate. Even if it does work it takes weeks and weeks for them to register it anyways. Sometimes even months. In my case 3 months.


The revised build would be acceptable and within your budget.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

So what I am currently looking at right now - 

*Dvd drive* - Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners
*GPU* - Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100338L Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
*PSU* - Newegg.com - XFX Core Edition PRO650W (P1-650S-NLB9) 650W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
*Motherboard* - Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P67A-D3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
*CPU + RAM* - Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
*Case* - Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
*Hard Drive* - Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Already own)
*OS* - Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems

Any suggestions? Any parts you guys think might work better? Any parts you guys think are unreliable?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



Shaynk said:


> Not at all. Nothing against AMD, they still make nice products, but they aren't currently able to compete with intel, at any price range really.


I do nothing but Intel builds but your statement about AMD not being capable of competing with Intel at any price range is incorrect. Both platforms are very capable.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Okay, probably going to buy build posted above later today unless someone says otherwise :] Thanks for the help guys.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Oops.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

Are you sure about that graphics card? I am reading lots of reviews that state it fails within a few months of using it?
Same with the PSU, and same with the motherboard. All 3 of them have a lot of reviews that say they die on arrival or die soon after?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

The build looks good to me.
Don't put a lot of stock in reviews and especially from Newegg. 
I have used a lot of Sapphire GPU's and a ton of the XFX 650's without issues.
I primarily use Asus Mobo's but several of the Tech's here use a bunch of Gigabyte Mobo's .


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

At least you are answering questions and giving a little feedback.

lmfao < yeah , you


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

So far so good, for some reason they shipped all the parts other than the case together, so I got everything other than the case today. 

I did a boot test to make sure all the parts work like the video guide told me, and everythings good :]. Now just need to wait till tomorrow for my case..


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## Shaynk (Nov 12, 2011)

Sometimes weird things happen with shipping, certainly seen it before. Good to hear though that it passed the exterior build test. Let us know once you have it all up and running in your case.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*

If you can boot on the bench without the case, there is no reason you cannot go ahead and install the OS and drivers.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

*Re: Beginner looking to build new PC.*



Shaynk said:


> Not at all. Nothing against AMD, they still make nice products, but they aren't currently able to compete with intel, at any price range really.


I game all the time with friends who have i7's, i5's and my Phenom II X4 955 keeps up to them with ease.


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## origination (Jul 30, 2009)

Okay, I got it built, had a little trouble but it's all set now :] Installing drivers and updates ect... thanks a lot guys!


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