The Ultimate 'Build-A-PC' Thread. Complete With Pricings & Recommendations (06/06/10)

[quote name='ZForce915']What does everyone think of this case? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216

As mentioned previously I was thinking of getting started building my own PC, although the project is still probably 2 months away. This case seems pricey, but does come with 3 fans so that is nice.

Is it wise to purchase parts separately or should you figure out what you want and order it all at once?[/QUOTE]

Take a look at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

It's about half the price, has three fans and the blue light in the front. I just built a PC and am currently using this tower, works like a charm. Only thing is, the HDD goes in backwards for some reason. Still works fine though.
 
[quote name='Game_Dude_3']Take a look at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

It's about half the price, has three fans and the blue light in the front. I just built a PC and am currently using this tower, works like a charm. Only thing is, the HDD goes in backwards for some reason. Still works fine though.[/QUOTE]



Just built my first computer last month with this case and had no problems. Only issue is cable management but that may be from my lack of experience.
 
Newegg f**ked up one of my orders.. So now I have to wait until Monday to get my money off hold with my bank in order to buy RAM and a harddrive. -.-
 
[quote name='Game_Dude_3']Take a look at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

It's about half the price, has three fans and the blue light in the front. I just built a PC and am currently using this tower, works like a charm. Only thing is, the HDD goes in backwards for some reason. Still works fine though.[/QUOTE]

That is strange, is the room for the cable on the far side of the drive bay? The price is tempting, I like the other case better but I can't say that I like the other case twice as much.

Did you notice an issue with cable management?
 
[quote name='ZForce915']That is strange, is the room for the cable on the far side of the drive bay? The price is tempting, I like the other case better but I can't say that I like the other case twice as much.

Did you notice an issue with cable management?[/QUOTE]

I personally didn't have a problem. There was enough space for everything. It's just a little awkward that the HDD faces the opposite direction, but once its plugged in, you're golden.

Yes, the cable goes around to the other side of the tower, but I had no problem covering it up with the side panel.

I'd also like to mention again that the three fans work amazingly well. The computer has been on for up to 3-4 hours at a time once, and the case is almost freezing!
 
[quote name='Game_Dude_3']I personally didn't have a problem. There was enough space for everything. It's just a little awkward that the HDD faces the opposite direction, but once its plugged in, you're golden.

Yes, the cable goes around to the other side of the tower, but I had no problem covering it up with the side panel.

I'd also like to mention again that the three fans work amazingly well. The computer has been on for up to 3-4 hours at a time once, and the case is almost freezing![/QUOTE]

What are your computer's specs? I ordered this case today and I am expecting it to be here by Wednesday or Thursday. I am happy to hear everything works out good though. This will be my first time building a PC.
 
[quote name='Alex2290']What are your computer's specs? I ordered this case today and I am expecting it to be here by Wednesday or Thursday. I am happy to hear everything works out good though. This will be my first time building a PC.[/QUOTE]

Intel I5
Gigabyte Motherboard(USB 3.0 ftw)
OCZ 550w power supply
GSkill 4 gig ram
WD 1 TB HDD 7200 rpm

Think I got everything. LG CD/DVD drive and a buddy of mine let me take an SD card drive.
 
I've actually had this problem since I build my PC a month ago but with life happening i'm just now getting a chance to tackle the problem.

Whenever I turn on my pc for the first time I get constant BSOD and error messages like "instruction at 0x77adXXXX reference memory at 0x000020. The memory could not be written." Both yesterday and today once the BSOD occur I ran Memtest and got 100+ errors before the first pass was half way done.. I then tested each stick independently, and received no errors. I then tested the sticks again together (same slots as the first test) and now receive no errors. Just like yesterday once I was done running memtest the computer booted up no problem and works fine. I'm assuming the memory is faulty refresh issue, but I just want to make sure that I"m not overlooking something. Also I've checked the timing and its at 9-9-9-24 which is correct.


specs:

MSI 870a-G54 Mobo
AMD Phenom II x4 955
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDRR3 1600
Samsung F3 500GB 7200RPM HDD
Saphire Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770 GPU
 
[quote name='homeland']I then tested the sticks again together (same slots as the first test) and now receive no errors.[/QUOTE]

Could be faulty memory, could just be you set it in improperly to begin with and resetting it helped you set it properly.
 
[quote name='homeland']I've actually had this problem since I build my PC a month ago but with life happening i'm just now getting a chance to tackle the problem.

Whenever I turn on my pc for the first time I get constant BSOD and error messages like "instruction at 0x77adXXXX reference memory at 0x000020. The memory could not be written." Both yesterday and today once the BSOD occur I ran Memtest and got 100+ errors before the first pass was half way done.. I then tested each stick independently, and received no errors. I then tested the sticks again together (same slots as the first test) and now receive no errors. Just like yesterday once I was done running memtest the computer booted up no problem and works fine. I'm assuming the memory is faulty refresh issue, but I just want to make sure that I"m not overlooking something. Also I've checked the timing and its at 9-9-9-24 which is correct.


specs:

MSI 870a-G54 Mobo
AMD Phenom II x4 955
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDRR3 1600
Samsung F3 500GB 7200RPM HDD
Saphire Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770 GPU[/QUOTE]


All I can suggest is that you do NOT turn off your PC ;)
 
[quote name='homeland']I've actually had this problem since I build my PC a month ago but with life happening i'm just now getting a chance to tackle the problem.

Whenever I turn on my pc for the first time I get constant BSOD and error messages like "instruction at 0x77adXXXX reference memory at 0x000020. The memory could not be written." Both yesterday and today once the BSOD occur I ran Memtest and got 100+ errors before the first pass was half way done.. I then tested each stick independently, and received no errors. I then tested the sticks again together (same slots as the first test) and now receive no errors. Just like yesterday once I was done running memtest the computer booted up no problem and works fine. I'm assuming the memory is faulty refresh issue, but I just want to make sure that I"m not overlooking something. Also I've checked the timing and its at 9-9-9-24 which is correct.


specs:

MSI 870a-G54 Mobo
AMD Phenom II x4 955
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDRR3 1600
Samsung F3 500GB 7200RPM HDD
Saphire Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770 GPU[/QUOTE]
whats your voltage at? and what are the sticks rated at?
 
I have a problem...I recently built a computer and have it connected to a TV through DVI-to-HDMI. I'm using an Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT graphics card.

Unfortunately, I get no sound. I'm running off the sound driver on my motherboard. The drivers are updated. Headphones and mic work, but I plugged in audio cables(red/white) to the front speakers connector on the PC and it still doesn't get sound through the TV. Anyone have any ideas?
 
[quote name='Game_Dude_3']I have a problem...I recently built a computer and have it connected to a TV through DVI-to-HDMI. I'm using an Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT graphics card.

Unfortunately, I get no sound. I'm running off the sound driver on my motherboard. The drivers are updated. Headphones and mic work, but I plugged in audio cables(red/white) to the front speakers connector on the PC and it still doesn't get sound through the TV. Anyone have any ideas?[/QUOTE]

I remember when I had my 9500GT it had this weird cable think that had the said "SPDIF" and "GND" I those had to do with audio or something. Do you remember getting those cables when you got your 9800GT ?
 
[quote name='homeland']are u sure the front red and white plugs are audio out and not audio in?[/QUOTE]
it would sure make sense if they were audio inputs. isnt he saying he connected them to an output source from his pc?
 
[quote name='paz9x']it would sure make sense if they were audio inputs. isnt he saying he connected them to an output source from his pc?[/QUOTE]

Yessir, and no, my 9800 GT didn't have cables.
 
Hey again CAGs! This is the week of the i7 950 price cut, and now have my dream 1200 dollar build.

Qtys| Remove Selected..
11-119-194-16.jpg

COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$139.99 select item 2 quantity of item 2


22-136-533-02.jpg

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822136533Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$89.99 select item 3 quantity of item 3


14-121-367-03.jpg

ASUS EAH5830 DIRECTCU/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ...



-$5.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card14-121-367 $214.99


17-139-005-12.jpg

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... Item #: N82E16817139005Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card17-139-005 $119.99$89.99 select item 5 quantity of item 5
20-145-224-06.jpg

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card20-145-224 $214.99$194.99

13-128-423-02.jpg
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


$209.99


19-115-211-02.jpg

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950


$599.99

Subtotal: $1,539.93

Note that my subtotal is 300 dollars more because newegg hasn't dropped their price on the 950 yet.

Just looking for any last minute tips. I already have my case from amazon for cheaper, and also got my harddrive cheaper. Any more input would be sweet.
 
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[quote name='Game_Dude_3']I7 is going to be $209??? DAMMIT![/QUOTE]

No, that's his choice mobo. The i7-950 will be ~300 down from ~600
 
Question for you guys. I currently use a Wireless Logitech Keyboard which works good (don't know the model but it came in a mouse keyboard combo pack I bought years ago, and the mouse has already been replaced). Now I been recently been eying some gaming keyboards for a down the road purchase.

My first question is will I see any noticeable performance from going from wired to hard wired? I am really curious because well I am fine using my logitech keyboard although I would like some macro keys and stuff. If there is some noticeable improvement on response times for gaming I will save up for one because I have a keyboard on another computer in the house that could use a replacement.

My second question is to anyone who owns a G15, is the added screen worth the money? I do play WoW but other than that it's mostly shooters so would there be any use or advantage to get the screen.

My other choice for gaming keyboards would be a Microsoft Sidewinder X4, and I would probably buy that unless there is a big usefulness on that G15's screen.

Thanks
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']My first question is will I see any noticeable performance from going from wired to hard wired? I am really curious because well I am fine using my logitech keyboard although I would like some macro keys and stuff. If there is some noticeable improvement on response times for gaming I will save up for one because I have a keyboard on another computer in the house that could use a replacement.[/QUOTE]

I can't answer anything about the G15

Noticeable difference? Maybe, if you're ultra competitive and you know every input millisecond counts, you'll know right away. For the average type away on forum posts and press buttons in games, you'll be fine with wireless.

It's just that there will be (often) times you'll be in game and all of a sudden, half your inputs stop working and you know it's your batteries and you change them in the middle of a game. That gets old really quickly.
 
[quote name='kilm']No, that's his choice mobo. The i7-950 will be ~300 down from ~600[/QUOTE]

Oh, phew. Still...amazing deal.
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Question for you guys. I currently use a Wireless Logitech Keyboard which works good (don't know the model but it came in a mouse keyboard combo pack I bought years ago, and the mouse has already been replaced). Now I been recently been eying some gaming keyboards for a down the road purchase.

My first question is will I see any noticeable performance from going from wired to hard wired? I am really curious because well I am fine using my logitech keyboard although I would like some macro keys and stuff. If there is some noticeable improvement on response times for gaming I will save up for one because I have a keyboard on another computer in the house that could use a replacement.

My second question is to anyone who owns a G15, is the added screen worth the money? I do play WoW but other than that it's mostly shooters so would there be any use or advantage to get the screen.

My other choice for gaming keyboards would be a Microsoft Sidewinder X4, and I would probably buy that unless there is a big usefulness on that G15's screen.

Thanks[/QUOTE]

About the G15, it could depending on what you put on it, but the extra macro keys are definitely worth it (I have the first generation so it has more keys)
 
[quote name='MiNuN']About the G15, it could depending on what you put on it, but the extra macro keys are definitely worth it (I have the first generation so it has more keys)[/QUOTE]

Yeah the sidwinder x4 has macro keys as well, the only real difference is the price and screen on the G15. I mean I only play WoW and shooters really unless the screen can do some awesome stuff, I think I will just get the Sidwinder x4.
 
So I just noticed my mobo will support
Memory StandardDDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 while i bought Corsiar Dominators that are rated at 1600...

I'm assuming I need to buy ram matching one of those ratings don't I? Or will it just work at the next slowest rate?

fuck.
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']So I just noticed my mobo will support
Memory StandardDDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 while i bought Corsiar Dominators that are rated at 1600...

I'm assuming I need to buy ram matching one of those ratings don't I? Or will it just work at the next slowest rate?

fuck.[/QUOTE]

i believe it will just default to 1333
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']Hey again CAGs! This is the week of the i7 950 price cut, and now have my dream 1200 dollar build.

Qtys| Remove Selected..
11-119-194-16.jpg

COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$139.99 select item 2 quantity of item 2


22-136-533-02.jpg

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822136533Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$89.99 select item 3 quantity of item 3


14-121-367-03.jpg

ASUS EAH5830 DIRECTCU/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ...



-$5.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card14-121-367 $214.99


17-139-005-12.jpg

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... Item #: N82E16817139005Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card17-139-005 $119.99$89.99 select item 5 quantity of item 5
20-145-224-06.jpg

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card20-145-224 $214.99$194.99

13-128-423-02.jpg
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


$209.99


19-115-211-02.jpg

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950


$599.99

Subtotal: $1,539.93

Note that my subtotal is 300 dollars more because newegg hasn't dropped their price on the 950 yet.

Just looking for any last minute tips. I already have my case from amazon for cheaper, and also got my harddrive cheaper. Any more input would be sweet.[/QUOTE]


I would look into getting an SSD for your OS, then your OS doesn't have to search through that monster 1TB drive, you should see a nice increase in speed with a SSD.

It's small and affordable and should be plenty of space for you OS.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167025
 
[quote name='combatrhombus']I would look into getting an SSD for your OS, then your OS doesn't have to search through that monster 1TB drive, you should see a nice increase in speed with a SSD.

It's small and affordable and should be plenty of space for you OS.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167025[/QUOTE]

Well, my cpu arrives today and then I have all of my parts. Say I partition my HDD(If i even finish putting my computer together this weekend)...will it be easy installing the OS on a SSD and keeping all my other files and removing my OG OS install from my partition?
 
/ \ I think it would be time consuming. I'm NOT 100% sure but you should be able to boot from disk and install it on the new drive on the SSD then back up files from the old OS and either keep the old partition for a back up or reformat it and have a 1TB storage drive. Here might answer some questions. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/254675-32-hard-boot-drive

I have yet to do this myself so its hard to say, if you can hold off it should save a lot of time. I have read and seen some sub 25 seconds boot up times with an SSD ran with Windows 7. I have an old AMD phenom quad-core with 3GB of RAM booting Windows 7 on 500GB hard drive and it takes 4 minutes to boot. Wow...I'm glad I keep in sleep mode and don't turn it off all the time.

The 40GB is kinda small if you plan on installing a bunch of games though, so you could stay with your current build and wait a little while and watch SSD price's fall and size of drives increase. With your build an SSD is where you'll see your biggest boost in performance.
 
[quote name='combatrhombus']/ \ I think it would be time consuming. I'm NOT 100% sure but you should be able to boot from disk and install it on the new drive on the SSD then back up files from the old OS and either keep the old partition for a back up or reformat it and have a 1TB storage drive. Here might answer some questions. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/254675-32-hard-boot-drive

I have yet to do this myself so its hard to say, if you can hold off it should save a lot of time. I have read and seen some sub 25 seconds boot up times with an SSD ran with Windows 7. I have an old AMD phenom quad-core with 3GB of RAM booting Windows 7 on 500GB hard drive and it takes 4 minutes to boot. Wow...I'm glad I keep in sleep mode and don't turn it off all the time.

The 40GB is kinda small if you plan on installing a bunch of games though, so you could stay with your current build and wait a little while and watch SSD price's fall and size of drives increase. With your build an SSD is where you'll see your biggest boost in performance.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that link. My case came damaged from amazon, so they are sending me another this week. That gives me time to get that 40gb ssd. I'm not willing to wait for ssd to drop anymore. Even if it did drop I couldnt see it being enough for me to add a ton more games considering I need it for OS boot.

That kinda sucks that if you redo your OS you can't load the programs tied to your previous OS from your storage drive. So once SSD is much more affordable it'll be a big hassle to upgrade.
 
There is also Windows 7 easy transfer which you can use to transfer files from XP to 7; or Windows 7 to 7. I never had much luck with XP to 7, and always told me I had to reformat my drive and do a clean install. But that's an option, that I forgot about.
 
[quote name='kilm']the camo design, OCZ DDR3 ram has a very bad reputation[/QUOTE]

while the camo is IMO terrible, its the consisant problems with nearly every model of ddr3 ram ocz sells that really scare me.
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']So, i put my computer together, then realized i only had 2 pcie outputs on my psu.

So I can power my video card or cpu...

fuck.[/QUOTE]

what do you mean PCIe output from the PSU ?
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']So, i put my computer together, then realized i only had 2 pcie outputs on my psu.

So I can power my video card or cpu...

fuck.[/QUOTE]

what do you mean? there's usually a separate 4 pin or whatever that connects specifically to the cpu. PCI-e 6 pins or 8 pins are specifically for video cards and stuff. usually not interchangable
 
[quote name='BackInBlack']So, i put my computer together, then realized i only had 2 pcie outputs on my psu.

So I can power my video card or cpu...

fuck.[/QUOTE]

The PCI-e connectors on your psu shouldn't be used for the CPU power at all. There should be either a pair of 4 pin connectors or a single 8-pin connector or both that is for your cpu power.
 
[quote name='paz9x']the timings and voltages are different.[/QUOTE]

Ah so the second set uses a bit more juice but has less latency...ok. I was thinking more in the lines of pairing with a motherboard (is there a voltage limit?) but thanks for pointing that out.

Update: So if the board is rated for 1.5v the 2nd choice might not run right considering it's 1.55-1.75v?
 
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I've just finished a custom build and I'm having some problems that I can't easily diagnose. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be extremely grateful.

Basically, after replacing a bad set of RAM that caused a whole slew of weird problems, I now have random reboots. I can't seem to tie it to anything specific, except perhaps time, but it can do it after five hours or five minutes. It even rebooted once while inside BIOS. Another problem that occurred only after the bad RAM was removed, but has not happened again, was the system failing to turn on at all. The fans would twitch but fail to to spin when nothing else powered on, and then nothing happened with subsequent presses. It didn't fix itself until I moved the power plug from the wall outlet to the power strip plugged into a different outlet in the same outlet group.

It's been utterly perplexing because of the sheer randomness making it hard to diagnose. Running some stress tests to force a higher energy draw through the PSU didn't show any problems, and no reboots occurred in the 30-60 minutes I was able to use my buddy's PSU to power it, but as it can go longer than that between reboots, it's inconclusive.

I'm starting to reach wit's end here, as it's been over a week of nothing but problems, and nothing seems to help. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. So far the candidates seem to be either the PSU or mobo, but again, I can't think of a way to find out for sure that's feasible at the moment. And to make matters worse, the window for RMAs closes in a week or two, so I have to act fast.

Specs:
Intel Core i7 870
Asus P7P55D-E Motherboard
Corsair XMS3 4GB @ 1600 (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9)
XFX Radeon HD 5770
WD 1TB Caviar Black SATA 3 (running @ SATA 2 for now)
LITEON DVD Writer
SeaSonic 12SII 520w PSU
 
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[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']I'm starting to reach wit's end here, as it's been over a week of nothing but problems, and nothing seems to help. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. So far the candidates seem to be either the PSU or mobo, but again, I can't think of a way to find out for sure that's feasible at the moment. And to make matters worse, the window for RMAs closes in a week or two, so I have to act fast.[/QUOTE]

It's really hard to say if you can't isolate your parts. ESD, maybe? You're going to have to find some extra computer parts to make sure everything works as it should, or just take everything apart, and put it all back together again and hope it works.
 
Ok, so playing FFXIV has me wanting to upgrade my computer. I'm running a little laggy and asking around it doesn't seem like its everyone. Just my computer.

Ran a test on Can you run it(I'm not too smart on computer specs but I trust the site) and it says i should upgrade my Processor and Graphics card.

Now is it easy to install these and get the right compatible models or take it to someone and pay em to install it?

I've been looking at tutorials and they look really easy.
 
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