Hardware Need some advice on building/buying a desktop PC.

[Pipcard]

I have a budget of around $400-500 and want to get the best bang for my buck, without building my own computer. I'm worried about parts not fitting together / having the wrong mix of parts.

 

[garyw]

If you are not building your own PC you shouldn't have an issue with putting things together.....

 

[Jarvitä]

If you aren't building your own computer, you aren't getting the best "bang for your buck".

In any case, unless it's absolutely urgent, I would advice waiting for a month or two. A new series of Intel processors (Ivy Bridge) and Nvidia graphics cards (the 600 series) are just around the corner, and they both offer significant improvements over their predecessors. And even if you decide against the latest and greatest, the prices of older components are bound to drop once these are out.

 

[TMac3000]

I got my machine from Tiger Direct.
IBM Lenovo Think Center
3.8 GHz Processor
1 GiB RAM
80 GB Hard Drive
Cost: $140

I highly recommend Tiger Direct as they did me pretty good. But keep in mind to read the description very carefully, as the picture may not look exactly like what you are getting. Happy computer hunting

 

[Pipcard]

If you are not building your own PC you shouldn't have an issue with putting things together.....

Right now, I would be worried if I was building my own, which what I was trying to say.

But if I was building one, what are the issues that I would need to deal with and how should I deal with them?

I'm afraid it's going to overheat or something and I'll need to buy a super-expensive cooling system. And what if the parts are incompatible? They're all from different brands. The thing that I'm most worried about is getting the wrong graphics/video card.

Also, why was this moved from Brighton Lounge? This PC I want to buy is going to be for gaming in general*, not just Orbiter.
*(but a non-high-end one)

 

[garyw]

Right now, I would be worried if I was building my own, which what I was trying to say.

Then buy pre-built. Problem solved.

But if I was building one, what are the issues that I would need to deal with and how should I deal with them?

You'd need to deal with the issues of working out what you want and how to put it all together. I recently build a new PC for Krys and to minimize the issue of parts I bought a box set which had processor, RAM and motherboard. I supplied the case and hard drives. I bought the PSU and put it all together.

I'm afraid it's going to overheat or something and I'll need to buy a super-expensive cooling system. And what if the parts are incompatible? They're all from different brands. The thing that I'm most worried about is getting the wrong graphics/video card.

Check the specs before hand. Every board has a complete list of the components it can handle. If they are incompatible then send it back for a refund. As for cooling, just makes sure that the position of the fans is such that the case has suitable venting.

Also, why was this moved from Brighton Lounge? This PC I want to buy is going to be for gaming in general*, not just Orbiter.
*(but a non-high-end one)

Because it's a hardware question. I don't know anyone who uses a PC for just orbiter and this hardware & software section is for general hardware and software questions.

 

[RisingFury]

Pipcard, if you have to ask these questions, than you shouldn't even attempt to build your own computer.

 

[Jarod]

Some confusion here
He is not trying to build a computer but asking what pre-built desktop computer would be better for his budget, even if it doesn't compare to a customized-one.
I can't answer to that, sorry.

 

[orb]

He is not trying to build a computer but asking what pre-built desktop computer would be better for his budget, even if it doesn't compare to a customized-one.

Not quite. The title says: "[Hardware] Need some advice on building/buying a desktop PC.", so despite of the "...without building my own computer", the advice for building still applies, and some of computer shops not only have pre-built sets available, but you can customize parts you want, and get your computer built within next couple of hours.

 

[Codz]

Pipcard, if you have to ask these questions, than you shouldn't even attempt to build your own computer.

Aren't you the one who said that you shouldn't be afraid to ask questions?

 

[garyw]

Aren't you the one who said that you shouldn't be afraid to ask questions?

There is a big difference between 'How do I build my own PC' and 'Will a 16bit PCI Graphics card work with XYZ motherboard?' or variants there of.

What I'd suggest Pipcard do is have a look at both pre-built systems and components shops then make a decision based upon that research to decide if pre-built or self-built is the best option.

 

[RisingFury]

Aren't you the one who said that you shouldn't be afraid to ask questions?

Actually, I'm the one who said "Do your research before asking questions." I guess you got me mixed up with someone else.

 

[Pipcard]

Okay. I am asking what you think about this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229310

 

[TMac3000]

I'd say that looks like a bargain, particularly with 8 GiB of RAM...

 

[RisingFury]

I'd say that looks like a bargain, particularly with 8 GiB of RAM...

8 GB of RAM won't really do you any good unless you do some heavy video editing (I mean every day, long videos). You can settle for 4 GB.

 

[Pipcard]

It was the cheapest desktop PC that was categorized as "Gaming".

And maybe I want to make some Youtube videos later.

 

[Pipcard]

Is an integrated video card good enough for games like Minecraft? I don't plan on playing games with super high graphics (like most of the FPSs out there today).

 

[Dude]

I'm afraid it's going to overheat or something and I'll need to buy a super-expensive cooling system.

I've built a few PCs, and here's what I do to check that. Immediately after putting everything together, I'll:

1) Install a copy of Windows. XP or Win7 is fine, and no need to activate it, this is temporary.

2) Install HWMonitor (freeware) on the computer, and start that running.

3) Start enough programs running to max the CPU at 100%. Nothing fancy necessary, I wrote my own program which is little more than "while (1==1) k=2.45*35.3;" For each core in the CPU I open one DOS shell and run a copy of that.

4) HWMonitor will display not only the current CPU temperature, but also the maximum and minimum temperature it's observed. Your temperature will rise rapidly at first then will plateau, so watch it closely for a while. Then you can leave it running, walk away, and come back later to see what your max temp has been. An hour is much more than enough time for the CPU to reach max temperature -- if that max is still within the CPU's limits, you're fine.

For GPUs, there's a great program called FurMark (also freeware) with which you can do the same thing.