Hardware The "what computer should I buy/build" thread?

[Originality]

Considering the PSU is not the most expensive part of the system, it doesn't matter if your computer has "too much" power... it'll only use what it needs. The advantage of having more power is being able to use the same PSU if you ever want to upgrade in future (e.g. to a much more powerful graphics card).

 

[person66]

I am going to be building a cheap (but decent) PC for my grandparents, just wondering how this looks?

Spoiler

Linkworld 43716-128FU+P04 black/silver Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply    $37.49 $33.49

Rendition by Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model RM51264BA1339    $37.49

• BIOSTAR A880G+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
• SPARKLE SXG210512S3L-NM GeForce 210 512MB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card
• $113.48 $73.48 (+ a $15 mail-in rebate)

Samsung SH-S223C 22X DVD Writer SATA Black OEM    $22.00 $16.79
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA2 3.5IN 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Hard Drive OEM    $44.46 $35.44
AMD Athlon II X3 450 Triple Core Processor AM3 3.2GHZ 1.5MB L2 Cache 95W    $78.74
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM    $118.38 $93.79

Grand total (with tax, shipping and handling): $455.38 (that equals $476.81 USD!

) or $441.06 with the mail-in rebate!

Has anyone here used bestdirect.ca before?


also, I feel like I'm missing something...

 

[Originality]

You haven't listed a monitor, keyboard or mouse.

I strongly recommend replacing the SeaGate HDD for a WD Caviar Blue, Green or Samsung Spinpoint F3. SeaGate drives may be cheap, but from my own experience they have the highest failure rate out of all HDD brands.

Other than that, it looks fine for a computer not expected to do anything more than use the Internet and maybe watch videos. You may want to add a commercial AV software to it, since grandparents aren't typically the most alert for avoiding links that may contain viruses, and free AV solutions have their it's.

 

[person66]

They are fine with using their keyboard and stuff from their old computer.

For the AV software, our internet provider provides a free copy of their security software, which is based off F-Secure.

And for the hard drive, how is Hitachi? Or should I definitely go with WD or Samsung?

 

[Originality]

I've no real opinion on Hitachi Deskstars. They tend to be slightly more expensive than WD and Samsung drives, and aren't as good in performance, but they don't have any real flaws that I've ever encountered. They've been around a long time and have a lot of experience in the industry, although they did get bought out by WD earlier this year.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Not sure if this belongs in this thread, but here we go...


I have a potential budget of $1200, and I need a decent gaming PC or Laptop that can give me the most bang for my buck, and I CBA to build it myself.

Here's the kicker...I need to buy it from a company that:

has good return/parts replacement policy
Sells it at a damn reasonable price

 

[Originality]

This is the right thread for it. Unfortunately you're asking for two different things: best value (bang for buck is really a terrible phrase to use) and best warranty policy. If you want the best warranty, you typically need to pay more, and that typically means using an online systems builder (similar to the one Dell uses).

To that end, you should probably use newegg if you're getting it online, or a local electronics store if you can't get it online. As for the parts... refer to the first page of this thread.

 

[spleenandpie]

So im trying to build a 500$-ish gaming computer and so far these are the parts I want to build it with

CASE:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811147153

DVD drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827135221

Hard drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136319

Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820139046

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128455

Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817151096

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103911

GFX card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...#scrollFullInfo

Will all these parts work together and are they the correct parts for my situation?
Also if i need wireless internet do I need a wireless internet card?

Sorry if I am a bit of a noob at this but its my first time building or buying a gaming PC

Right now the price of all this together including shipping is 525$

Also i just realized i spelt bedget wrong

 

[Bulit]

You forgot the video card, which is a MUST for a gaming pc.
Other than that, looks good.

Oh, and yeah. You need a wireless card.

 

[Hakoda]

Is it me or is this "gaming computer" missing a GFX card?

 

[spleenandpie]

woops sorry forgot to add in the GFX card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...#scrollFullInfo

 

[Bulit]

I would recommend:

gt 440
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814500192

athlon ii x4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103871

 

[Ritsuki]

Did you check Hardware-Revolution Budget Gaming PC build ? Here.

 

[spleenandpie]

I think i might upgrade my parts to those

just to be safe though. Does anyone see any problems in using the GFX card that "Bulit" reccomended?

no offense to bulit though

 

[Originality]

@spleen, regarding your build, I see no problems with it. You can replace the 640GB WD Caviar Black ($60) for a 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 ($55) to save $5 and gain extra capacity. There's no significant difference between their performance anyway. Personally I don't think it's worth getting a sub-$100 graphics card (it'll probably have to be replaced within a year to keep up with newer games), but if you've got a tight budget you can't really help that. There's nothing overly bad about the GT 440 (and nVidia drivers are famously better than AMD drivers), so feel free to go for it.

 

[Infinite Zero]

Quick question from a noob: Are most DDR3 motherboards incompatible with DDR2 RAM? Or is there a mobo that is compatible with both DDR3 and 2?

 

[Pyrmon]

Quick question from a noob: Are most DDR3 motherboards incompatible with DDR2 RAM? Or is there a mobo that is compatible with both DDR3 and 2?

There are mobos that are compatible with both, but IIRC, most DDR3 ones don't work with DDR2.

 

[Infinite Zero]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

 

[Urza]

Who edited my subtitle?

 

[Originality]

Quick question from a noob: Are most DDR3 motherboards incompatible with DDR2 RAM? Or is there a mobo that is compatible with both DDR3 and 2?

There are mobos that are compatible with both, but IIRC, most DDR3 ones don't work with DDR2.

To clarify, there are a few motherboards with DDR2 and DDR3 slots, but you can never put DDR3 in DDR2 slots or visa versa. There is a little notch part way up the RAM sticks which is located differently on DDR2 and DDR3. If you try and force a RAM stick into an incompatible RAM slot, you will break something. Also, it's best not to use DDR2 and DDR3 on the same motherboard ( for those that can) since they run at different speeds.