Hi! My nephew wants to build a gaming PC, so that's what we're doing for Christmas (all the relatives are chipping in and paying for different parts from the pick list). I've never built a PC from scratch, but have been poking around inside them since the days of 5.25" floppies, so only know just how much I don't really know about the subtle interactions of parts these days. I asked a friend who's built his own gaming PC for pointers, and he sent me directly to an article on this site - what a godsend!
I think I have a system spec'd out, but have a few questions about what I've come up with. Here is the background:
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the week (as soon as I have a stable pick list)
Budget Range: $500-600 (After Rebates and Shipping)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, doing middle school homework, surfing the internet
Are you buying a monitor: Purchased separately (not in this budget)
Parts to Upgrade: Building from scratch (although I'm sure we can scrounge up a mouse and keyboard to start)
Do you need to buy OS: Yes - planning to buy Windows 8 (nephew has only used Mac products before)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: no real preference, although my nephew loves newegg.com from hearing about it on the web.
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Parts Preferences: no real preference, although I want an Intel CPU based on what I've read
Overclocking: No (and not likely to be done in the foreseeable future)
Your Monitor Resolution: that's a good question - i need to ask my sister if they already have one.
Additional Comments: My nephew's room is small (apartment in Manhattan) so quiet and cool would be appreciated. Also compact, although on the floor I guess a full tower vs. mid tower doesn't matter much. I know he wants to play Kings Fortress 2, not sure what else.
Right now I'm a little over-budget, but not sure where best to trim it. I also don't know if I need a CPU Cooler (seems like no, since no plans to overclock), and if there is a better motherboard option.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rrEv
CPU Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core $89.99
Motherboard ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 $87.55
Memory G.Skill Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $17.99
G.Skill Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $17.99
Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM $58.99
Video Card XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB $179.99
Case Rosewill REDBONE U3 ATX Mid Tower $44.99
Power Supply Corsair 430W ATX12V $24.99
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $16.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) $87.99
Total: $627.46
Suggestions?
Thanks!!
julie
I think I have a system spec'd out, but have a few questions about what I've come up with. Here is the background:
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the week (as soon as I have a stable pick list)
Budget Range: $500-600 (After Rebates and Shipping)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, doing middle school homework, surfing the internet
Are you buying a monitor: Purchased separately (not in this budget)
Parts to Upgrade: Building from scratch (although I'm sure we can scrounge up a mouse and keyboard to start)
Do you need to buy OS: Yes - planning to buy Windows 8 (nephew has only used Mac products before)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: no real preference, although my nephew loves newegg.com from hearing about it on the web.
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Parts Preferences: no real preference, although I want an Intel CPU based on what I've read
Overclocking: No (and not likely to be done in the foreseeable future)
Your Monitor Resolution: that's a good question - i need to ask my sister if they already have one.
Additional Comments: My nephew's room is small (apartment in Manhattan) so quiet and cool would be appreciated. Also compact, although on the floor I guess a full tower vs. mid tower doesn't matter much. I know he wants to play Kings Fortress 2, not sure what else.
Right now I'm a little over-budget, but not sure where best to trim it. I also don't know if I need a CPU Cooler (seems like no, since no plans to overclock), and if there is a better motherboard option.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rrEv
CPU Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core $89.99
Motherboard ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 $87.55
Memory G.Skill Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $17.99
G.Skill Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $17.99
Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM $58.99
Video Card XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB $179.99
Case Rosewill REDBONE U3 ATX Mid Tower $44.99
Power Supply Corsair 430W ATX12V $24.99
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $16.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) $87.99
Total: $627.46
Suggestions?
Thanks!!
julie
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