Computer Build

Hey Guys, I am kinda into making computers at the moment and umm well, I don't know what to do, parts to buy and all that stuff. I am however pretty good with computers and all computer related things. I have been looking around and I kind of want to make a pretty cheap but good all-rounder PC, around $200-$700

-Runs Windows 7 - Professional or Enterprise
-Will play Emergency 4 (I'm pretty sure you know what that is... )
-Pretty big hard-drive (500 GB to maybe 1TB?)
-Around 4GB of ram
-Use the Cooler Master 690 Case, I like it so yea

And thats pretty much it! I hope to hear some good ideas from you guys.

What about CPU and GPU?

Yea, that's what I dont know what to get.

Which one makes your computer go faster?

uhh id go if you just wana play low end games, a dual core, ill try n find a cheap one, and for low end graphics maybe bout a ATI HD 4350. Thats my opinion. Now if you wana play something like, lets say GTA IV, youd wana get a ATI HD 5xxx and a quad core.
And for hannahan, both are required to play games, or have windows aero, or any fancy graphics.

CPU is for processing everything basically, the GPU is graphics.
You're thinking a CPU for faster computer, though GPU is just as important in games, since if you want nice pictures, you need a good GPU

thats what he said^^^

Posts were done at the same time XD Mine is just simpler

yea.

If you wanna save money and don't need to get the absolute top notch parts on the market, go for a Core i5-build, not i7. The motherboards and CPU's for the i5-series are a lot cheaper than the i7 ones, and the performance is almost equal on the kind of tasks that you probably will be using your computer for.

Spend money on RAM and a good GPU card, these make up a lot of the performance you will be utilizing. 4 GB of RAM is a bit on the low side in my opinion, you should aim for 6 GB or more.

Buy a good PSU (power supply) too. Not a cheap one with 400 watts, go for 600 watts or preferably a bit more. No need to go all the way to 1000 watts if you're not going to build a computer with two GPU's, but eletrical power is what makes your computer tick and if you're lacking on power, the computer will suffer from it.

The case that you have selected (Cooler Master 690) is ATX-compatible, so you can use a wide variety of motherboards.

Another thing: what kind of monitor are you planning to use? No point in getting a high-end GPU card if your screen doesn't support large resolutions like 1900 x 1200.

Good luck with your build.

wrong computer stuff for me i'm a software person not hardware

M. Cressler wrote:wrong computer stuff for me i'm a software person not hardware

Well I can't imagine that knowledge is wasted here either!
Maybe you could suggest some software solutions that M.Daniels could benefit from?

I might as well add a bit of personal preference:
When I format and install a computer from scratch, I always make at least two partitions.
One (C:/) is for Windows/Linux and system stuff like drivers, core software like Adobe Reader, Dell Quickset etc. The other ones (D:/, E:/ X:/ etc.) are for storage, usually I like to keep one partition for software like games, utilities etc, and another one for files like movies, music, pictures and what not.

Not only does this help in ways of making the computer easier to organize and keep tidy, it reduces the loss if the system drive (C:/) goes bad and I need to format and reinstall.
That way I can just format C:/ and reinstall the operating system with necessary files there, and the other partitions are still intact with all my files on them!

Ok quick question, I'm still doing this! Can I use an AMD processor and AMD motherboard on the coolermaster 800D?

woah your signature seems to have died

oh i guess not haha that was just my computer not having a good day lol

M.Daniels wrote:Ok quick question, I'm still doing this! Can I use an AMD processor and AMD motherboard on the coolermaster 800D?

You need to link us the specific products you want to use for us to be able to give you any advice.
AMD is a brand just as Intel, Gigabyte, Asus etc. They all produce multiple motherboards, GPU's and so forth, so please show us exactly what products you have in mind.

In any case:
- You need an ATX-standard motherboard for you cabinet.
- The socket type on the motherboard and CPU needs to match, for example i5, i7, socket 775 etc. You can't buy a Core i7-CPU and stick it on a socket 775 motherboard.
- When buying GPU's, make sure your motherboard has the necessary slots, usually PCI-Express x16.

I just want to check with you guys if these are all compatible. I don't want to buy all the stuff and it doesn't work!

Motherboard - Asus M4A89GTD Pro AMD AM3 Motherboard
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
Graphics Card - XFX ATI Radeon HD 5770 XXX
Ram - Corsair XMS3 DHX TW3X4G1333C9DHX 4GB DDR3
Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB
DVD Drive -Samsung SH-S223C SATA DVDRW
PSU - Diablotek PHD Series 850-Watt