Newegg (brag about your computer!)

You could just buy the components and assemble them for almost half the cost. There's really no need to buy a packaged computer these days, with tutorials available across the Internet on how to construct a computer with the components.

Just want to mention something about the value of a 10oz can of compressed air. I'd been having overheating problems with my video card - not being able to run games at the highest settings without it overheating, for example, idling around 72-81C, being somewhat unstable in general.

So, with a 10oz bottle of compressed air, I took my computer outside, and just blasted the interior. My god, the dust, it was awful - and the thing is, just by looking at it, it didn't /look/ that bad. But just massive clouds. I ended up taking my video card out entirely and just blasting air though that separately, for a good ten minutes, every single little corner or crack or hidden bit I could find, until I was absolutely certain it was as dust-free as I could get it. And good thing I was doing this outside - dust everywhere. I've no idea how it was hiding so well. The rest of the case too, I spent about a half hour all told, going over everywhere I could, cleaning it out.

Anyway, now my computer idles at around 50-52C instead of 72-81, and the running games at 1920x1200 resolution with absolute maximum settings on every single possible setting, instead of overheating, I have a hard time making the core temps go above a sustained 80C.

More of the story: dust is /good/ at hiding. Get a can of compressed air, take your computer outside, and do it the favor of blasting out that hidden dust. You'll be rewarded by a much cooler machine.

Bekul said:

So, with a 10oz bottle of compressed air, I took my computer outside, and just blasted the interior. My god, the dust, it was awful ... And good thing I was doing this outside - dust everywhere. I've no idea how it was hiding so well. The rest of the case too, I spent about a half hour all told, going over everywhere I could, cleaning it out.

Click to expand...

I did this recently because I'd noticed my temps sliding up. And yeah, upon first inspection, it only appeared a small cake of dust had formed on my vid card fan. But nooooo. It was everywhere. That's what I get for owning cats.

I ended up taking out each component and spraying with the compressed air.

After five or so years of using my first computer, it started to shut itself down due to overheating. This was before I started getting an interest of fiddling around with hardware, but the problem was pretty apparent even to my untrained eye:

Before:


After:


Basically I cremated my CPU in a nice dust oven.


My current computer now has a dust filter on the intake fans and is doing an admirable job at keeping the swarms at bay. Some dust still manages to sneak in, but I'm monitoring the situation closely.

Yeah. From now on, personally, I'm going to make a point of dusting out my case at the end of every month, paying particular specific attention to my video card, taking that right out to be sure it's as dust free as I can get.

That ... looked ... dusty.

Dust-issues are really big! But i never got that much dust! At some point i figured out, that using a hoover is a nice idea. But before you do so, please block all fans with pencils. Because even if there isn't any connection to power, the fans could spin and boom a short circuit.
When i see the pc's here, i envy you :) My PC is from 2003. But with ubuntu it is damn fast!

So, I've thrown this together real quick based on this guide
Any of you more experienced guys see an immediate problem? I already have a monitor(37" 1080p HDTV and some old shitty 22" or so to be exact) and an old DVD burning drive. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Oh, and I don't really plan to do any overclocking or SLI/Xfire related stuff just yet, if that changes anything.

Get a bigger HDD. You're barely saving $10 by not getting 500GB. Other than that it looks Ok. I don't know that Diablotek brand though, but I take it you either looked it up or it's established in the US.

Thanks Aaz! While thinking over the PSU thing... I ended up doing a bit of an overhaul.
This was the result
Might change a few things depending on combo deals at the time when I have the money, but I think this is a good start at least. I'll pretty much be buying it 250 dollars at a time due to how horrible I am at saving money. The thing I'm the most skeptical on is the HDD, which is a Recertified 500 gig, which pretty much means it was preowned and repaired, right?

To make it easier for any help I might need... and myself:
Case
GPU
CPU
PSU
RAM
HDD
MOBO

Dar Klink said:

The thing I'm the most skeptical on is the HDD, which is a Recertified 500 gig, which pretty much means it was preowned and repaired, right?

Click to expand...

Yeah. I'd get a new one if I were you. If it dies on you your data's gone, warranty or not (the warranty never includes data recovery).

raaaawrgh ,

I have scoured the internet in search of a good video card, but I only know the basics and dont know what I should be looking for in a video card. I do need it to be under 90$ usd, but still be able to run something like COD 4/MW2 or Mass Effect at low/medium settings.

I seriously dont know what to buy

so if anyone can tell me the best deal for a good price(70$ ~ 90$), please help me.

I don't know what the US market is like, but for a good yet affordable card I'd recommend the Sapphire ATI HD 5770 1GB. You might not find it for the price you want though.

If you buy this card before 11/30 you can get it for $99 w/ mail-in-rebate. I might get it myself!:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161338

It's the same model Aaz recommended, but a different brand (HIS instead of Sapphire) with the same specs.

Bahahaha

I think I was too late for that one, its out of stock now.

it's ok though, i want to spend as little as possible, the holidays are killing my wallet as it is

I'm really trying to buy my family gifts for the first time ever with the very little money that I make.

im getting this for my dad since his old portable speakers broke and these seem pretty good and very cheap right now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855996274

ok, i'm completely stumped,
could you guys help me out?

which of these 2 video cards would you buy?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150467&cm_re=hd5670-_-14-150-467-_-Product

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-161-334&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=4&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=(keywords)#scrollFullInfo

or any other 5670 card if you know of the best one.

I hear that these video cards can run games like mass effect and COD at pretty good FPS

________________________________________________________________________
EDIT:

WHAT LUCK!! Newegg JUST Put another video card I had my eye on as a Shell Shocker DEAL!
its similar to these last two v-cards I was mentioning, but luckily for me i waited and by the graces of god, newegg decided to have this video card on sale!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150472

so yes,
i save my self 25 + bucks, which is always great, beacuse im a Mr. Crabs when it comes to money.

@Truder

So you're getting the last one you posted? Cool! Deals are always good.

I have an Imac with bootcamp right now. I've been thinking about building a gaming computer for a while though. Something cheap, with a good GPU. Hoping I could connect it to my HDTV. But I've never built my own computer before. I have about zero idea of where to start, except what I need to purchase (case, power supply, etc) If anyone has a good tutorial, I would love you forever. Sorry if one has been posted, I'm gonna dig through the thread tomorrow.

Aphasia said:

I've been thinking about building a gaming computer for a while though. Something cheap, with a good GPU.

Click to expand...

A good gaming computer isn't going to be cheap. Well, maybe cheaper than a Mac, but what isn't?

Aazealh said:

A good gaming computer isn't going to be cheap. Well, maybe cheaper than a Mac, but what isn't?

Click to expand...

Heh, true that. I just can't resist shiny things. (Though I like the OS quite a bit) It's just kind of lame that you can't switch out your mac hardware unless you get the stupid expensive Mac Pro. I think the graphics card is soldered to the mother board...or something that would make it way too hard to replace. Gotta get them hardware sales somehow!

How much would you spend to get a decent rig? I was considering "cheap" in the 500 -700 range for the tower. Maybe I was underestimating how much I would have to spend.

Aphasia said:

How much would you spend to get a decent rig? I was considering "cheap" in the 500 -700 range for the tower. Maybe I was underestimating how much I would have to spend.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind I don't live in the USA, so I'm not particularly aware of the local prices, but for something that'll last you a while I'd put around 800-900.

What components do you need for a new computer? Are you starting completely from scratch?

Walter said:

What components do you need for a new computer? Are you starting completely from scratch?

Click to expand...

Yeah, assuming I end up building one, I'd have to start at ground zero. I'm fairly computer competent, but a noob at building a rig. I'm not in any rush, either. But getting a push in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

Aazealh said:

Keep in mind I don't live in the USA, so I'm not particularly aware of the local prices, but for something that'll last you a while I'd put around 800-900.

Click to expand...

Ah right, thanks for the suggestion...I'd probably be ordering my parts from Newegg, so unless their prices are vastly different for customers overseas your estimate is probably pretty accurate.

Aphasia said:

Yeah, assuming I end up building one, I'd have to start at ground zero. I'm fairly computer competent, but a noob at building a rig. I'm not in any rush, either. But getting a push in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!
Ah right, thanks for the suggestion...I'd probably be ordering my parts from Newegg, so unless their prices are vastly different for customers overseas your estimate is probably pretty accurate.

Click to expand...

This guide is pretty damn useful for getting stuff and figuring out what you can afford. It just got updated today, but you can find the newest version here: www.tinyurl.com/falconguide
Use this to match up graphics cards: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html
Hope this all helps, I used these to help me figure out what I was gonna get for my NEW GAMING DESKTOP back in August... and then my hours at work got cut down to "not gonna get any new expensive stuff for a while" hours.