Need help with my first gaming computer!

Y

YourClassClown

n00b
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
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I am getting my girlfriend's step-father to help me build my first desktop since he knows a lot more than I do. However, I turn to the bright minds here at [H]ard Forum to ask for advice. I'm going to use this computer for mostly gaming, (WoW/L4D/MW2 etc...) but will also use it for schoolwork. My budget when I decide to start working on this will be around $2,000 including tax/shipping/Windows 7. I currently reside in Pennsylvania and will probably be getting most, if not all, of my parts off sites online (Newegg/TigersDirect etc..). I'm starting from complete scratch and would prefer quality of the hardware of the PC over having the 'best gaming mouse' or the 'best monitor.' That's the type of stuff I can work up to with money I get down the line. Though I don't know much about overclocking, it sounds like a good idea but I have no idea how to go about it and not sure if I want to risk it, depending on how risky it is and how expensive the consequences are. A decently priced 20" monitor should suffice but if I have money left over or going over, I will decide what monitor to get. As I said, I am BUILDING this from the ground up and have hopes of using Windows 7 unless someone suggests otherwise. As far as the motherboard, it appears that I will need at least everything that the sticky lists. (RAID/Firewire/Crossfire/SLI support.) Like I said though, I'm not a hardware type of person, so I don't know whether or not I REALLY need it or if I'm missing anything. So what I'm asking is for advice on what parts to get for maximum quality gaming without going too overboard on the cosmetics of it.
 
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc (Gaming/Schoolwork)
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? ($2000-ish including Windows 7 and tax/shipping.)
3) Where do you live? (Pennsylvania)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? (Building from scratch. Need everything.)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? (None)
6) Will you be overclocking? (Sounds good but don't know much about it and if I can afford any consequences if it goes wrong.)
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? (I would be content with a decent 20")
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? (I plan on putting two/three months paychecks into it, so late July or August)
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.(Don't know much about computers, but after looking the listed features up, they all sound pretty good if I actually need them for a good gaming computer.)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit? (No)
 
Too early to start planning a build nor is it a good idea to buy the PC in parts/pieces over a period as long as 3-5 months. So two weeks or so before you buy, make a new thread asking for build options.

Trust us, virtually most of the parts we recommend today won't be recommended in 3-5 months from now.
 
In the meantime, if you see killer deals (on stuff like the PSU, case, or whatever else aside from the core components) that are too hard to pass up, go for them. ;) Though, this may entice you to building sooner than you planned and may be harmful to your wallet. :p
 
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