Help with building/buying a new computer...

[Yaezakura]

Well, I've recently started saving up for a new computer which I hope to purchase by the end of the end of the year. And since I basically have no clue about computers outside the most basic of basics, I figured I'd seek the advice of some our more tech-savvy members.

I'm basically looking for a system that can handle modern games. The most important aspect is that it comfortably run StarCraft 2 when it's released, which any modern (or even slightly dated) system should do. Aside from gaming, it'll just be used for casual stuff like internet access and word processing.

I'm looking to spend around $1200-1500 USD here. I'm open to either buying a pre-built system or building it myself (though honestly, I've never done the latter, so may need some help if I go that route). Keep in mind I'll also need a monitor and cables, etc. I need to go from nothing to fully functional machine, here.

So uh... any and all help would be greatly appreciated. I know it's still a ways off until I actually buy the thing, but I figure it couldn't hurt to go ahead and get an idea of what I'll be looking for. ^_^

[Rime]

$1200 should comfortably run damn near anything. My wife bought a tower with components for a little over 800 (after taxes). This is what she has in it

Dual Core 2.33GHz
2GB RAM
250GB Hard Drive
Windows XP

Although she has an onboard video card, there's a free PCI-E slot that I could drop something into. This was also last year, so you might be able to throw in a decent vid card for the same price now.

Cheers, Yaezakura.

[m52nickerson]

Look at some E-machines, for ~$600 you can get a good base system and a new monitor. Plus they are upgradeable, so with the extra money you can pick up more ram and a better video card.

[Mantorok]

I reckon you could easily build it yourself, you probably think it's harder than it really is.

Near the end of the year $1500 should be able to build a system with roughly these specs:
Quad-core CPU (3GHz or higher)
6GB of RAM
A graphics card with 1GB onboard video memory
1TB hard drive
24 inch monitor capable of 1920*1200

[Wompatti]

At least in Finland you can get a computer - Acer Predator Defender for example - for 1100 euros ($1474) but I'm guessing it could be cheaper anywhere else, especially if you buy the parts seperately.

[happycheeze]

Building a computer isn't too difficult. You could probably find an online tutorial.

If you build your own, you will save some money, which is always nice

My favorite sites for buying stuff online is newegg.com and tigerdirect.com
(Newegg has better service, but tigerdirect sometimes has better prices)

[Napoleon the Clown]

www.newegg.com


For $1,200 you can put together something that'll run damn near anything. For $1.5k, you'll be able to run fucking Crysis without trouble. Starcraft 2 is gonna be a RTS, so it'll have relatively low requirements. Meaning I'll be able to run it and have my virus scan going at the same time without lagging the game.

[Yaezakura]

I appreciate the ideas so far.

One thing, though, is what when it comes to building my own system... I'm really in the dark, here. I don't know what kind of components go with what, or even what all I actually need. So, if someone's willing, maybe I could get some sample parts lists and such?

[Lazuline]

It's intimidating to build your own for the first time, but it really isn't hard. Just be careful not to damage anything and you should be fine.


It's a bit thrown-together and limited to what Newegg carries, but how's this for a start:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057
$185

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-UD3LR
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128371
$100

Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (at least 1, up to 4)
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148304
$48 each

Video card: EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
$125

Sound card: HT | OMEGA STRIKER 7.1
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001
$90

Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB (at least 1, up to 6)
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
$70 each

DVD drive: PLEXTOR 22X DVD/CD Writer Black IDE
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249052
$54

Power supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
$80

Case: Thermaltake Eureka VC8000BWA
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133011
$110

Monitor: ASUS VW246H Black 24"
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
$220

Speakers: Logitech X-540
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006
$79

Keyboard: Saitek PZ30AU Black USB Standard Eclipse Keyboard
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175103
$50

Mouse: Logitech G5
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076
$50

Total (1 stick of ram, 1 hard drive): $1261

That doesn't include an operating system. No wireless card, either, since I don't know if you need that. Aside from those, it should be everything you need, but I'm sure people will gladly suggest revisions to the list.

[Napoleon the Clown]

That case is crap. Utter, utter, crap. Go with an Antec 900 or (for total overkill) 1200. 200mm exhaust fan, fuck yeah!