Building a computer

Donteventrii

Donteventrii

OG
I'm putting the finishing touches on command center UI. It has seriously bogged down my FPS. I could play at 33-35, but now it's 24-26 with drops to 20 in mid fights.

I'm using a 2010 laptop that wasn't meant for gaming. While it has a 2gb video card, the heat sink just can't pull it's weight.

So fellow twinks, I need some advice on where I can start looking to build a gaming computer on a budget. I want to pick up parts on the cheap over the next 3 months, hopefully striking on deals that are 15-25% off. I have the monitor and SSD.
willix cuz he seems to have helped people in the past with this.
 
Asking for advice, either personal suggestions or a website that would be useful to help me get an idea on what I need to consider. I've never built a computer.
 
hit up newegg and tell us your price range so people can start picking parts for ya
10/10 would recommend a gtx 970, shit's op for the price even though it's still a bit expensive(WORTH IT I PROMISE)
 
Well I'm cheap, so that's why I'd like to plan it out over a couple months. So the hardwarefor what someone would normally spend $1,000 on, I'd like to get it down to $800 by taking advantage of sales/rebates/and Visa Checkout/Masterpass/Paypal promotions.
 
Donteventrii said:
I'm putting the finishing touches on command center UI. It has seriously bogged down my FPS. I could play at 33-35, but now it's 24-26 with drops to 20 in mid fights.

I'm using a 2010 laptop that wasn't meant for gaming. While it has a 2gb video card, the heat sink just can't pull it's weight.

So fellow twinks, I need some advice on where I can start looking to build a gaming computer on a budget. I want to pick up parts on the cheap over the next 3 months, hopefully striking on deals that are 15-25% off. I have the monitor and SSD.
willix cuz he seems to have helped people in the past with this.
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, deals are always happening on individual parts. When something goes off sale, another similar item generally goes on sale. So if you want to save 15-20% you would have to make compromises on brand preferences and probably looks. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but enthusiast builders put a lot of effort into how their computer looks (on the inside especially).

I'd generally recommend deciding on a budget and performance goal. Do you play other games besides Wow? Are you looking to turn up your settings as far as they go and sustain 60+ fps? What kind of resolution are we talking about here? These factors are going to directly affect video performance. Are you looking to have the machine built by someone else? Are you comfortable doing it yourself? Do you have room for a full sized tower where you generally play games?

I'd also suggest saving money over the time period you are talking about and spending it all at once, rather than buying things piece by piece.
 
I have room for a full sized tower. I don't care what it looks like. Monitor is a 23 inch 1920x1080. I'd like to turn the settings up to max if it makes sense budget wise. I have no idea what those hardware requirements are, or the price to go along with them. I would settle for less than max if it saved me a considerable % off the total bill. I expect I could physically put it together.

I know what you mean by one thing going on sale when another comes off. I more meant that I would want to time it with a third party promotion that happens regularly on sites like Newegg/TD, like Visa Checkout, MasterPass, PayPal, Google Wallet, BankAmerideals, Amex Offers. With a bunch of moderately priced purchases needed, I could save a nice portion by being patient for promotions to come along.
 
Any plans on overclocking? Would you prefer it to be a smaller form factor? Or is a big ass case with lots of expansion what you want? If you're only going to game and you're not sure about overclocking or expansion later on (not really much to expand with, usually extra video cards, storage drives, and liquid cooling loops), then I don't see a reason not to go with smaller form factor now, you can always move into a bigger case later on.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PR3mK8

An example build that will run Wow on 1080p at max settings 60+ FPS almost anywhere in game. You'll see some fps drop in crowded cities and raids with lots of stuff going on, but that's going to happen with any video card.
 
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The build willix posted will work indeed. With that mobo and cpu cooler you can probably run an OC stable @ 4.4 GHz, 1.2V.
 
If you don't care about overclocking, you can also save a bit of money on the mobo (probably spend ~50% less) and get a non-k CPU that will still turbo pretty high. You can also save money in the PSU and Case, I just picked better options than most people would recommend on a budget build. That PSU is higher quality than anything else in the $50 price range, and when you spend less than $50 you risk getting something that isn't as efficient or built as well. A $20 PSU will work, but you'll likely be replacing it in 1-2 years and it won't be rated for efficiency or made of the best materials (you'll get coil whine and fan rattle). A case can be had for $20-30 as well, but you're going to get poor cable management, fewer configuration options, and shoddy workmanship in the materials. You want side panels that don't flex, a frame that's sturdy and won't warp, a finish that does not show scratches or dirt, vents that have dust filters on them, and options for multiple different configurations.

Building a PC is like doing cocaine. First it's a 'let's try it and see what it's like' deal. Then you find yourself spending more of your free time messing with your build. Tweaking this and swapping out that. After a while you're making justifications for spending large amounts of money on your build.
 
in addition to what willix posted, pcpartpicker has some solid guides for various levels of gaming.

Build Guides - PCPartPicker

full towers are generally overkill, especially if you're not going for a top of the line build. extra cooling systems are also not really needed if you don't plan on OCing which you won't need to do if WoW is your main goal.
 
Brov said:
would recommend a gtx 970, shit's op for the price even though it's still a bit expensive(WORTH IT I PROMISE)
Click to expand...

I'll second that. Hook that shit up to a 144hz monitor and enjoy your movie quality 100+ FPS extreme WoW action.
 
The build willix posted will be more than fine. I'd personally pick another case but thats just nip picking.
 
i think the combo is fine. i might lean towards going with the other set up if you're planning on using the build for as long as possible. OCing will allow you to get a little more juice out of the tail end of the processors life though you won't need it now.

that should still run wow fine and saving there might allow you to reach for a 970. also you would definitely not need an extra cooling system (in my opinion).
 
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I'd avoid the 970 just on principle, advertised as 4GB GDDR5, when it's actually 3.5GB, with the last .5GB running significantly slower than GDDR5, there's even a class-action suit from disgruntled buyers against nVidia & Newegg for deceptive marketing. If you're going above the 960, I'd skip the 970 & go with the 980.
 
I put a list of everything together.

If you google best x for the money, toms hardware they will let you know.

So best processor or best graphics card. Then you can use PCPartPicker to get an idea of cost.

I priced it out, Digital Storm VANQUISH II Custom Performance PC will build it for me for a 100 bucks more. If you decide to get lazy, this is an excellent machine. (The top of the line Vanquish, it's excellent, and not because it's "the most expensive"). It's the exact recommended build I was looking at, these people know what they are doing.
 
Ebah said:
i don't understand are you asking for advice or just letting us know?
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Donteventrii said:
I need some advice on where I can start looking to build a gaming computer on a budget. I want to pick up parts on the cheap over the next 3 months, hopefully striking on deals that are 15-25% off. I have the monitor and SSD.
willix cuz he seems to have helped people in the past with this.
Click to expand...

;-)
 
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