Pre built Alienware or building yourself?

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I live in a old Amsterdam building in the third floor and when I came to live here there was already a wireless internet connection, that comes from the 2nd floor that belongs to the neighbor!
According to the internet company there was not possible to install a router in my place ( its a student place and I only pay like 400 euros a month which is not much in Amsterdam so dont judge =P )
I dont wanna make holes and pass ethernet cables from one floor to the other, me and my neighbor share the internet. And the wireless connection is very good! Never had lag problems playing online so its fine. So for me in this case definitely wireless!
So what is the best option? I would rather have a usb device that gives me wireless but does it work good?
 




Oh which motherboard are you referring to in the first sentence? ASRock Z77 or the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ?
I will be honest, if there is no difference and both will work fine with my other parts, Ill take the cheapest which is the ASRock lol
 
the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH. so you need to access your neighbor's wifi.. hmmmm.. you need a better wifi card.. wifi cards in motheboards are just so-so wifi cards. if you can a dedicated card from well-known brands, performance will be better :)
 



Wont the ASRock do the same job? lol because then the total price will be 1049 euros which I think is amazing lol.
Regarding the wireless connection, wont a usb wireless be enough? I now have a hp laptop and the connection through its wifi card is really good. (the router on the secondfloor is situated right under my room where I will have my pc.
I want a good computer, but if I can save money on a different motherboard like the ASRock, and if the compatibility is the same then Ill take the cheaper one :)


 
Yep the USB ones are okay but I have a few issues about them.
1) some models tend to get hot after long periods of use.
2) can be accidentally unmounted
3) can be misplaced


Technically, USB wifi adapters are inferior to internal PCI wifi cards. But there are cases where differences are insignificant.
 




Thanks najirion, Im gonna think abou the wireless then. what about the ASRock?xD is going cheaper bad? lol
 
I think I recommended the Z77 Extreme 4 like a dozen times already to others asking for a build advise X__X
It's the best bang for buck motherboard! Cheap and have the same features like most mid-range priced motherboards from ASUS and gigabyte. Asrock also use a better bios in those boards similar to asus. PCB color is also something I like (being that I am picky in terms of colors to go with my theme).
 
Cool then the ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 it is xD!!!

So final setup, please critic and tell me if I have to change something:


CPU > INTEL Core Ivy Bridge 3570K- 3,4 GHz - Cache L3 6 MB - Socket LGA 1155 200€

Graphics card > Gigabyte Nvidia GeForce GTX660 2GB DDR5 200€

Motherboard > ASRock Z77 Extreme4 123€

SSD > Crucial m4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB 95€

HDD > Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST1000DM003,1TB 70€

Tower > NZXT Crafted Series Phantom 410 115€

Memory > Patriot Viper 3 PV38G160C9K 40€

PSU > Corsair Enthusiast TX750 V2 105€

Optical drive > LG GH24NS90 19€

Windows 8 80€

I think its pretty badass!! xD but please let me know what you think! I will start purchasing parts on January 17 and hopefully will have all the parts on February 17! Maybe by then some parts will be cheaper already!

Thanks a lot for all the info! I can honestly say I have learned more in these two or three days in this forum than I have in the last 6 years as a gamer!

The only thing I am concerned is the wiring! After all the components are in place I need to connect the wires to the right place...that scares me!

So I would like to ask a favor: If someone is willing to exchange skype contacts so I can be helped through the wiring process lol...maybe I am asking too much and if I am its ok, I am already so grateful that you guys helped me out with this, speacially najirion and Airzok
 
Looks great! also about the wiring. There are hundreds of tutorials on how to wire pc's... here watch this video. It's long but it goes through the process very thoroughly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls


Thanks xD
 
You might know http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/382296-33-normal-load-temps-7950# could use a hand over there bro.
 
That build is good :) About the wiring, that's very easy. Motherboard headers are made in a way that you cannot plug them incorrectly. same with fan headers or even the 4-pin molex.
 


do you think it will run crysis 3 at 1080p at least on high settings? :)

 


That kind of thinking kind of ruins the whole idea of tomshardware lol
 
Your "biased" thinking will ruin somebody's build by overshooting his/her budget with high-end hardware that is simply too much for the user's need. Giving that you didn't really have facts to support such claims, such suggestions would mislead newbies. You sounded like "only high-end motherboard like ASUS MAXIMUS V GENE will give you satisfaction". That's how your suggestion sounded like which is wrong. Do you understand my point? People that always suggest high-end stuff without thinking of other options is clearly just concerned about performance and popularity. I don't suggest hardware that way. I do it in a more systematic and scientific approach backed up by facts and legitimate reviews from "experts" I trust.

That is why I dare you to provide the necessary facts to support your claims. I might be wrong and you might be on to something important. Hence, your opinions remained to be just that... personal opinions.. :)
Getting the best hardware requires a lot of factors to be taken under consideration.
1) Price/Budget (unless your wallet has an unlimited supply of cash)
2) Performance (which is obviously what you are focusing)
3) Reviews (sorry but I only trust those from experts not from shoppers because they are too many unknowns when it comes to what end-users have to say which is like 50:50 most of the time for "unpopular" hardware models which is just biased)
4) Source (where it would be bought, online or physical stores)

Anyway! Back to the topic
Yes the build will certainly run Crysis 3 with ease. I played the beta version using an i5-2500k and GTX 560TI which was okay. Your build will certainly perform better :)
 
Even though I value all the comments posted in this thread, for it gives me several perspectives on the matter, I have to agree with najirion on this one!

Due to the fact that users can rate a piece of hardware through the internet, plus the fact that some people use that feature carelessly, I find it hard to discern good and constructive comments with background knowledge regarding the specific item through actually trying the product and worthless comments made by people who either are unsatisfied with a brand in general or who simply received a broken piece of hardware and therefore post 2 out of 5 stars on products that might actually be of good quality!

Plus people forget to look at budget and required performance, depending on the needs of each person, therefore the overall opinion that you find in websites is often generalized, not giving newbies like me =P the best perspective of things.

Although, I wouldn't apply those rules directly at a website like tomshardware. If someone like me asks for opinions regarding a general concept such as "which parts are the best", I wouldn't expect people to have the same opinion. It is completely normal that the comments I will receive will vary in many ways.

Nevertheless, I think that having different opinions here will only help me to broaden my horizons, even though in the end, I will be making my own choices :)

But yeah, najirion, I can say you have been the most concise and sensitive to my case, by actually identifying my performance needs without forsaking my budget, and for that I thank you.
 


Hmmm nothing that I can think of.. In terms of compatibility, everything depends on the motherboard (I didn't notice it has a tom's hardware approval thingy now LOL)
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/

mobo - processor = 100% sure compatibility
mobo - rams = I can't find it in the list but that's because there are just too many variations (just having a different color of heat spreader and the ram will have a different model name LOL) in rams that mobo manufacturers don't list them all. Hence, latency should be supported. So that will be fine.
SSD depends on chipset and controller and Z77 can surely support that.
graphics card will be okay, mobo has pcie 3.0 so even if you break the 1Ghz barrier you will be 100% fine.
for chassis, im sure everything will fit in.
 


What do you mean by breaking the 1Ghz barrier? lol
I just hope that when I assemble it it will work lol
 


hahaha nevermind that. anyway, that board has a latest PCIE slot version which is 3.0 and so for no videocard can cap it's bus speed :)
 



Is there a difference between the Gigabyte gtx 660 and the MSI GeForce GTX 660 Twin Frozr 2 ???
 
difference in performance are negligible to the naked eye but benchmark tests would show some differences.If you look for roundup reviews you would see some differences
3d1.png


temps.png


you could find other roundup reviews and differences would he small. They both use twin fans but personally, I like MSI cards. Most find them robust and good overclocking cards. After MSI afterburner is one of the most preferred OC tool for graphics card. :) But just go with your preference. I'm sure either way will be fine.