gOOd cOmpUtEr!

[Genocidicbunny]

So someone give me a tldr on this last page so far.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Newegg reviews and noisy hard drives.

 

[Fetus4188]

So someone give me a tldr on this last page so far.

I'm working on putting together a full list of parts that I'd get with $1500, may just want to go from there.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

1500$ is quite a bit. What are you sticking in there? I hope at least a Core i7.

 

[Matthew5117]

Tldr? What does that mean?

I'm looking for more games that I might like to play to give more of an idea of what is needed, Mirror Edge is another possibility.

Edit: Cross-post (SO MANY!) Originally it was $1000, and I'd like to keep it as close as possible to it, but I'm able to whip up $1500 in spare change.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Tldr? What does that mean?

I'm looking for more games that I might like to play to give more of an idea of what is needed, Mirror Edge is another possibility.

Edit: Cross-post (SO MANY!) Originally it was $1000, and I'd like to keep it as close as possible to it, but I'm able to whip up $1500 in spare change.

For a pc that will last 2 years, you can still do plenty with 1000$. No need to go to 1500$.

Also, I guess you're going to need a monitor right? What kind do you want then?
I personally recommend either a 22" 1680x1050, or a 24" 1920x1200 if you have some spare change. For the 22" you're not gonna need much more than a GTX260+, for a 24" you're either going to want two GTX260+'s or a GTX 285.

 

[Matthew5117]

For a pc that will last 2 years, you can still do plenty with 1000$. No need to go to 1500$.

Seems ideal.

I'm still wondering what a tldr is though!

Btw, your 1 post away from 3000!!!!!!

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

TLDR -- Too long, didn't read.

 

[Fetus4188]

TLDR means too long, didn't read.

I'm going to scrap my current plans and design for under $1000 then

 

[Matthew5117]

TLDR -- Too long, didn't read.

Oh, I looked tldr up, and it said just that. I was expecting something more technical.

Here's a TLDR (the attachment): http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7971061&postcount=28

Edit: Argh!

Anyways, if it's not too late, its okay if its $1500. I'd be interested in how much of a difference it makes...

I really appreciate all this interest!

 

[Fetus4188]

I can tell you without looking, based on how hardware prices are right now, $1000 could get you a fantastic computer. I'd take the extra money to get a really nice monitor + speakers instead, which will add more to you gaming experience than a little extra computing power.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

I think that having the actual pc cost 1000 and then putting 500$ towards all the other things is the best idea. That way, you can get a nice monitor which is a long-term investment. Mouse and keyboard are also expensive if you get the higher-end ones, although you dont need that. My dinky Kensington Optical Elite is serving me well. A good keyboard is pretty big though. If you're not going to be doing a lot of gaming, or at least you will be typing more than gaming, then you want to get a keyboard that is good for typing. Mine, a Logitech G11 is nice for gaming, but its not the greatest typing keyboard. You also want a decent set of speakers, which can run anywhere between 50-100 for good ones. Of course, if you've been listening to music on a macbook, great speakers will likely not matter too much.
Those alone can run you 500$. Then you have the accessories, such as better or extra case fans, etc.

Oh yes, hit the big 3000
Its only been 4 years.

 

[Matthew5117]

Sounds ideal. Speakers are for listening to sounds (music I should say) without headphones, correct? If so, I don't need speakers. I will still like accessories though.

Concerning the monitor, I don't want something bigger than 20' but still has a high resolution... the one I provided earlier (or listed here for lazy people: http://www.superwarehouse.com/Views..._Widescreen_19_LCD_Monitor/VX1962wm/p/1529620) was the best one I could find (as least on short notice).

No party? Here I'll do it for you!:

 

[Fetus4188]

Well 20' doesn't narrow it down much

Anyway, why not bigger than 20"? 20-23" is the sweet spot, IMO.

 

[Matthew5117]

Well 20' doesn't narrow it down much

Anyway, why not bigger than 20"? 20-23" is the sweet spot, IMO.

Not much space. Besides, I'm afraid it will hurt my eyes because I don't think I'll be sitting far from it.

Is it really ideal to get a 20-23'' monitor?

 

[Genocidicbunny]

It is. They have the best ratio of resolution to size imho. I personally sit around 3 feet away from my 22" and its perfectly fine. No eye or neck strain.

 

[Fetus4188]

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz $214.99
(Better yet, get this and buy your own cooling solution.) $189.99

GPU: EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB $189.99

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P45 $93.99

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) (performance option) $54.99 ($109.98)
(standard option) $41.99 ($83.98)
double either to go to 8 GB on a 64-bit system

HDD: This is pretty much a personal choice, as for me, I'd get a couple 1 TB Seagates and run them in RAID, but that's probably not something you'd want or need. ~$70-200

optical drives: [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149]LGA 20x DVD burner $21.99
LG Blu-ray reader (no-write) & DVD burner $99.99
I don't really know anything about optical drivers, I just submit myself to the collective wisdom of Newegg's customers. If you don't really want bluray wait another year or so and they'll be as cheap as DVD drives. Get 1-2 optical drives, I like having a second, but it's not exactly necessary. They're cheap.

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V $124.99
I'm a firm believer in getting more than you think you'll need with a power supply, because if it dies it can take everything it's attached to down with it (which is to say, everything). This one isn't modular (can't remove the excess cables) which means you'll have a mess of cables inside your case if you go with it, not for people who like to display their insides

That about covers the "innards." What's left is the case, which is going to be a personal choice, and additional cooling (optional, but recommended). Quick point the case, everything above is of the ATX form-factor, which is the traditional desktop tower, so you want a case of that type. I'm just going to go with the top rated ATX mid-tower: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 $49.99


For cooling there's a couple things to look at, additional case fans and CPU heatsink/fans. Case fans have the purpose of moving fresh air from the environment into the case and pushing the hot air inside out of the case. The CPU fan is tasked specifically with moving air over the CPU's heatsink, which is by far the hottest part of the computer. I'd recommend doing everything else first and seeing what temperature your computer is running at and deciding then if you want more fans.

Last thing is an operating system, and for gaming you only really have one choice, windows. I'm currently married to a 32-bit system so I haven't kept up on the state of 64-bit drivers but I think they're doing fine now, so I'd recommend Vista Home Premium 64-bit, which you can get ~$100 OEM or ~$180 retail.

Altogether this comes out to around $1000, of course it depends which choices you make. Bluray is going to push you up around $1100. IMO this computer would be totally kick butt and a fantastic deal. You could even back off on the CPU and GPU and it will still kick butt.


Sorry it took so long, Newegg is like a toy store

 

[Aramazd]

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz $214.99
(Better yet, get this and buy your own cooling solution.) $189.99

The Q8300 is a better choice, IMHO. Although a drop to the Q8200 would be fine to save a few bucks.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

I think the Q8200 is a better deal. Its 25$ cheaper, but can most likely be overclocked to 2.5ghz with not even a voltage adjustment.

 

[Fetus4188]

The Core 2 Duos can be OCed to 3.0 minimum easily, it's a fantastic chip. Not that I think Matt will be doing OC his first time through.

Q8300 and Q8200 look great, get those over the Q6600, unless I'm missing something.