New gaming build on a budget, help please?

kinson

Gawd
Joined
Nov 14, 2005
Messages
772
What's up fella's... Long time no chat...

I plan on building a new pc here within the next 3-6 months. Looking to keep the price pretty low $800 would be nice but performance is key, primarily for battlefield 3 (could probably handle $1000-$1,500 in the 3-6 months, so multiple ideas/builds are welcome but again, performance is primary. Longevity is secondary).

I haven't really had time to do much research on hardware in the past couple years so I've been a little bit out of the pc loop. I figured I'd ask the guys I know and trust who keep up with this a little more than I about hardware, and see what options you all think would be best. I already have a tower, keyboard, mouse, monitor, sound card, and hdd's (though I'll probably get a small-decent sized SSD for OS and current games).

I would need PSU, CPU, Motherboard, Memory, and GPU... I've heard the new i7's are really nice with sandy bridge (but haven't researched much) and have also heard the new AMD FX chips are nice as well... Regardless, I'm looking to have a system that performs average around 60fps at 1920x1080 with pretty extreme-high settings and hopefully a minimum no less than 40fps. Y'all, I'm sure, like having the best bang for the buck, and I am no different. So, if you don't mind helping me out with what's new and whatnot, I'd appreciate it. Treat it like the system would be for yourself ;)... I of course will (when I have time) attempt to do as much research as I possibly can. Unfortunately 60+ hour work weeks are making it hard to do much of anything.

Thanks,
Kinson
 
I plan on building a new pc here within the next 3-6 months.

Unfortunately you're planning this PC too early. There's gonna be a bunch of new parts coming out within that time frame. Not to mention that due to the nature of the computer hardware market, a build we recommend today may not be the same build list we recommend in a month let alone 3-6 months. As such, if you want an up-to-date build list, ask for advice when you're 2-3 weeks away from buying the parts. It does not help you to plan a build 3-6 months in advance.
 
Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
What specific case are you reusing? Are those HDD's all SATA?
Will you be overclocking?
When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? etc.
Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Overlooked the 3 - 6 month time frame. As Danny noted, too early to plan a build. Just bump this topic and do us a favor and answer all these questions.

Asking for Build Help?: ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST
 
3 months is too far out.

You'ld do something like...
-Core i7 Ivy Bridge
-$200-350 Nvidia or ATI card
-A decent 600Wish PSU like a Corsair, Seasonic, Antec
-$150-200 mobo, preferably Asus, Gigabyte, MSI
-$100-200 on an SSD. SSDs make a HUGE difference
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming primarily, everything else is secondary
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Budget if within the next month is going to be no more than $1000, if possible in next 3 months then maybe $1500
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Alabama, America F#$@ yeah!
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, RAM, Motherboard, GPU, PSU, SSD drive for OS and Games
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
The only thing I'll be using is my Thermaltake Shark Full tower and hdd's which are all sata, maybe one is not but it's not important, and my keyboard and mouse
6) Will you be overclocking?
Possibly, I don't know much about oc, but will probably goof around with it as I have in the past
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Max resolution is 1920x1080 currently. I have a 70" LED tv I can use, or my 24" Westinghouse (will probably upgrade monitor further down the road to a higher reso, but not any time in near future)
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Hopefully within 3 months if finances work out.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? etc.
Crossfire or SLI would be cool, but not needed. Raid of course. Firewire not needed. Sata 6gb/s sounds nice. As does USB 3.0... I mean it's a gaming build, of course most of these options besides onboard video are useful
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Lets say yes, and win 7 64bit.

I'm aware that 3-6 months is a long time in terms of computer hardware. However, like I said, I don't have a whole LOT of time to do much researching. So getting a general idea of what's new is fine. More than likely if I wait 6 months, I'd ask the same thing, but have more of a clue later down the road thanks to having key items to research now.

Regardless, if I can build it within 3 months, I will... It's a matter of money, like everything else.
 
Well if you are ready to buy this week, I can set you up with a build now. However, that build will most likely expire after this month.
 
3 months could be too far out, but we're talking about a budget... If I wasn't trying to spend less money and just buy the best thing that was out in 3 months, then of course this thread would be completely useless... But even if something awesome new comes out, it's going to have a fat price tag with it... So I'm not that concerned about what could, and could never be ;)...

I guess main thing is, getting something that will run bf3 without a hitch at 1920x1080 for now, that has a potential of upgrade over the next few years and still be a pretty decent machine. Maybe other newer fps I haven't had the chance to check out or are coming out in close future.
 
Well if you are ready to buy this week, I can set you up with a build now. However, that build will most likely expire after this month.


That's just how technology is though no matter when you buy... and I'm not ready to buy this week ;) I technically could, but I need to save up for it instead of blowing every dollar I got atm.
 
That's just how technology is though no matter when you buy... and I'm not ready to buy this week ;) I technically could, but I need to save up for it instead of blowing every dollar I got atm.

The problem with planning a build so far in advance is that pricing and availability can (and often do) change extremely drastically within that time period. And what we recommend now might very well be totally obsolete or overpriced or discontinued and no longer available by the time that you are actually ready to buy the parts.
 
ok I must confess... I'm addicted to buying firearms... Trying to find a nice balance of buying the guns I want and saving for my new pc :/... I have a problem lol
 
ok I must confess... I'm addicted to buying firearms... Trying to find a nice balance of buying the guns I want and saving for my new pc :/... I have a problem lol

Nothing wrong with that. When you get the money in hand to spend on the system, just give us about a week bump to give you some lists. Shouldn't take long for you to research the parts we recommend.
 
agreed on all this, march/april time frame newest parts should more or less be available by then, and it would be easier to get the magical performance/$ in regards to the components list. Sata 6 for the SSD, and in regards to SLI/CF generally speaking, it ends up costing a bit more this way(usually) for the gain in performance vs just going with a better card off the bat, and of course the power supply. A sinlge good gpu a 500-600watt will suffice, 2 gpu you better off 600-750, so it can add a chunk to the price.

I would wait till mid/late march and going into april, a good chunk of new gpu and possibly some new cpus will be out this way, and if you are waiting 3 mths, at least you might have more coin available, and, newer stuff will be out and possibly have stabilized in price some :)
 
Yeah, truth to all statements... Should I decide to buy sooner I'll just bump... Otherwise I'll wait until I am for sure certain that I can put more $ coin into the system and get something that will be more up to my standards...

I just really dislike the communities on consoles... I reminisce of days of ol' when TS and BF2 were in my daily schedule with people who actually played games as if it were a sport and not a team slaughterfest....
 
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