I am looking to build a computer for the first time. I thought that with enough research, I'd be able to figure it out on my own ... instead I think I've turned my brain to mush. After reading several posts on here and seeing some excellent advice, I thought I'd give it a shot myself and see if typing all this out either helps me clarify my thoughts or get some great advice of my own.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within a month (as soon as I get my build template nailed down)
BUDGET RANGE: ~$750ish (very loose on the budget, more concerned with meeting my priorities but also like good value)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: online gaming (MMO / FPS), videos on the internet, homework (MS Word, PowerPoint, etc)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: case, monitor, mouse, keyboard .... speakers not needed but would appreciate a good set for cheap. Can re-use power and fan, but suspect they will need replacing as well. After upgrading my "box", I would probably end up upgrading my monitor and get a gaming mouse and keyboard within a few months.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: dont care. Microcenter within 1 to 1.5 hour drive (would need a HUGE deal to drive there and back)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: see below
OVERCLOCKING: Never overclocked, but interested in trying it
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Not now, but almost certainly in the future
MONITOR RESOLUTION: current monitor is 1600x1200, would probably upgrade that within the year - I would have a good excuse to get a new display after getting a sweet system =)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: priorities are: 1) running any game currently available at very high settings, and 2) future upgradability. I would like to be able to come back in 1-2 years and bump the performance to make it last another year or two, albeit not as a top-performance machine. I assume that 'bump' would likely come in the form of a second SLI / CrossFireX card and possibly some additional / upgraded memory.
Here's what I'm leaning towards at the moment:
Motherboard: AMD3 socket to 'futureproof' my system and allow for maximum upgrades in a year or two. Also think I need a minimum of 2x PCIe x16 slots to allow the second GPU later? Not sure of any other specific future expansion details I need?
Processor: AMD primarily for the value, since I'm not looking to pay Intel top dollar for top performance. A Core i5 750 is only $4 more than a Phenom II x4 965, but I think the motherboard is where I really get more value from AMD. Leaning towards quad-core because it looks like more and more games will start making use of 4 cores (seems like 2 cores is max efficiency at the moment). So, I think I'm looking for the best performance quad core, AMD3 socket processor that I can get right now ... but not sure what that is? That being said, can anyone explain the difference to me between the Phenom II x4 and the Athlon II x4? According to this page from AMD, the difference is 2.8ghz vs 3.4 ghz, and the TDP (45-95 vs. 65-140w, but not sure how important that is).
Graphics card: My plan is to good an excellent GPU atm with either CrossFireX or SLI and then add another one down the road to bump my performance, especially since multi-GPU scaling should really start taking effect over the next 1-2 years. I think going AMD is forcing me to go for CrossFireX, right? I haven't thought too much about the GPU because I know I need to nail down the mobo and CPU first.
So that's what I think I know so far .... where have I gone wrong and what is the next step?
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within a month (as soon as I get my build template nailed down)
BUDGET RANGE: ~$750ish (very loose on the budget, more concerned with meeting my priorities but also like good value)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: online gaming (MMO / FPS), videos on the internet, homework (MS Word, PowerPoint, etc)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: case, monitor, mouse, keyboard .... speakers not needed but would appreciate a good set for cheap. Can re-use power and fan, but suspect they will need replacing as well. After upgrading my "box", I would probably end up upgrading my monitor and get a gaming mouse and keyboard within a few months.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: dont care. Microcenter within 1 to 1.5 hour drive (would need a HUGE deal to drive there and back)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: see below
OVERCLOCKING: Never overclocked, but interested in trying it
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Not now, but almost certainly in the future
MONITOR RESOLUTION: current monitor is 1600x1200, would probably upgrade that within the year - I would have a good excuse to get a new display after getting a sweet system =)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: priorities are: 1) running any game currently available at very high settings, and 2) future upgradability. I would like to be able to come back in 1-2 years and bump the performance to make it last another year or two, albeit not as a top-performance machine. I assume that 'bump' would likely come in the form of a second SLI / CrossFireX card and possibly some additional / upgraded memory.
Here's what I'm leaning towards at the moment:
Motherboard: AMD3 socket to 'futureproof' my system and allow for maximum upgrades in a year or two. Also think I need a minimum of 2x PCIe x16 slots to allow the second GPU later? Not sure of any other specific future expansion details I need?
Processor: AMD primarily for the value, since I'm not looking to pay Intel top dollar for top performance. A Core i5 750 is only $4 more than a Phenom II x4 965, but I think the motherboard is where I really get more value from AMD. Leaning towards quad-core because it looks like more and more games will start making use of 4 cores (seems like 2 cores is max efficiency at the moment). So, I think I'm looking for the best performance quad core, AMD3 socket processor that I can get right now ... but not sure what that is? That being said, can anyone explain the difference to me between the Phenom II x4 and the Athlon II x4? According to this page from AMD, the difference is 2.8ghz vs 3.4 ghz, and the TDP (45-95 vs. 65-140w, but not sure how important that is).
Graphics card: My plan is to good an excellent GPU atm with either CrossFireX or SLI and then add another one down the road to bump my performance, especially since multi-GPU scaling should really start taking effect over the next 1-2 years. I think going AMD is forcing me to go for CrossFireX, right? I haven't thought too much about the GPU because I know I need to nail down the mobo and CPU first.
So that's what I think I know so far .... where have I gone wrong and what is the next step?