Hi long time no talk

My parents said that they're willing to help pay for a brand new computer and I'd like to hear what you guys have to say about what type of cpu I should get and methods (l2 build on own, premade..)

I'm not too sure about the price range, I don't really want to stretch it too much. I want a good computer that can possibly run DotA2 on high settings . I'm aware that we don't know what dota2 reqs atm but can still try to guess. (i hear that it runs on equiv of alien swarm but not 100%)

I think the last time I asked you guys about this you guys said I should probably prepare 600~800 in a good comp

btw include a monitor

so ya

if you could help me build my comp online and help me set up everything I will be forever grateful

thanks! (maybe we can play dota sometime or some other games once i get another cpu : ) )

Hmmm, I have a Radeon HD4870 I'd be willing to part with for $60+shipping.

4870 is a pretty solid piece of kit.
I was playing The Witcher 2 on it before I got my new card, and it handled it fine at high settings without the ridiculous ubersampling on.

As far as PCs....

You're not that great at making your own, so maybe buying a barebones kit with a case/motherboard/CPU and memory would be a good idea.

For your price range, look at AMD mobos/CPUs.
A Phenom II 955 Black Edition CPU and compatible AM3(+) motherboard is a good idea, and will cost about $180-220

You need a 650ish watt power supply (make sure it's 80+ certified) and a decent case.
Antec makes some decent mid-price cases. Maybe spend $80-$100 on those two items.

Memory will be some DDR3 memory, nothing too expensive. 8GB will set you back maybe $70.

Hard drive, go for a Western Digital Black in the 1TB/500GB range, or a Samsung Spinpoint F3@1TB, either is about $60-70

any DVDRW drive will work, maybe $15.

Video cards are expensive, a new HD6950 costs about $250, and is a great investment.
Nvidia's GTX480 is about $300, and mildly better performance wise. Either will do.

As far as a monitor, any old 24" 1080p model will cost about $180ish.
You also have the option of getting a 120hz model for about $300ish.

That fits in the $800 price range, if you arrange it right.

Good idea to rebuild for DotA 2 but did you know that the game is going to be at Gamescon in August? Might be able to see what the system requirements for the game are at that time but regardless you are probably going to want to go with what Woy and I are suggesting more/less. The most important thing right now is for you to figure out when exactly you are ready to buy, and if you want to do a complete build yourself or get a prebuilt machine. When you're ready I'll post links to the stuff that I recommend. Anyway,

Agree that building on your own may not be the best of ideas, that is unless you have someone around that can help you. (Not someone on Vent, hard to help/solve computer issues that you cannot see for yourself) Getting a barebones kit isn't a bad idea but I've had issues with them not turning on because the power supplies that typically come with them are garbage. Most likely won't be an issue if we know it is a quality power supply but I'm biased because of past experiences.

Definitely agree with an AMD Phenom II quad. Really really nice CPUs for gaming and they are very affordable. Also agree with 8 gigs of DDR3. Hard drives are cheap these days so anything that is 7200RPM and at least 500gigs will be fine, I like Western Digital and Seagate.

Disagree that video cards are great investments, they lose value faster than anything else in a PC so I wouldn't buy a high-end current generation card. I'm pretty out of touch with video cards but I would probably go with an AMD card that is DX11 compatible with 1 gig of VRAM. I'm not even sure which models are DX10 or DX11, gonna have to do a bit of reading to catch up with the times.

Woy's suggestion of a 650ish watt PSU is about right. What he didn't mention is that it is really important that you get a quality power supply. Some consider it the most important piece of hardware in a computer and rightfully so. Cheap ones either die earlier than they should or kill the other hardware in the computer. Or both.

Agree with pretty much any DVDRW drive will be fine, $15 is about right as well. I'm also a bit out of touch with monitors but if budget and space on your desk allow I'd go with a 16:10 1920x1200 24" screen.

Okay, sounds like a better idea to go with a prebuilt then. What do you suggest I do in that case?
Do I have to buy a computer from a big name company if it's prebuilt or is there a site where I could possibly customize the parts and just have them build it.

Will put this on hold ..
looking forward to new shit in the next month or so!


DotA 2 System Requirements for PC:
Operating System: Windows XP®, Windows 7®, Windows Vista®
Processor: Intel Dual Core 2.26 GHz or AMD Athlon equivalent
RAM: 1.0 GB Ram
Hard Disk: 5GB
Video Memory: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT or Ati Radeon 3870 HD with 512MB memory.
DVD-Rom drive.
BroadBand Internet Connection.
Steam must be installed.
DirectX 9.0c
Keyboard
Mouse

DeathMasta wrote:What he didn't mention is that it is really important that you get a quality power supply.

dude, yes I did.

80+ certified.

best way to tell good psu from fireworks.

I think IBuyPower is popular but I'm not really sure, I've pretty much never bought a prebuilt haha.

http://www.ibuypower.com/

Kuroikaze wrote:

DeathMasta wrote:What he didn't mention is that it is really important that you get a quality power supply.

dude, yes I did.

80+ certified.

best way to tell good psu from fireworks.

80+ means that the power supply has at least 80% efficiency under load. Doesn't mean it won't die on you.

oh, FYI, new computer = new OS install.

you're going to need a copy of windows.
Now's a good time to move to windows 7.

Luckily, that shizz is easy to pirate and easy to install (unless you have a raid array)

Also, Death, do you really think they give 80+ certs to fireworks?

I don't think I want to pirate it.. I'll purchase it if necessary it's not a big deal. but thanks for all the heads up guys.

yeah i've heard of ibuypower before

you think you guys could help me out when the time comes?
you two are probably the people i trust the most when it comes down to cpu stuff

Kuroikaze wrote:oh, FYI, new computer = new OS install.

you're going to need a copy of windows.
Now's a good time to move to windows 7.

Luckily, that shizz is easy to pirate and easy to install (unless you have a raid array)

Also, Death, do you really think they give 80+ certs to fireworks?

Not necessarily no, I never said that. All I'm saying is that 80+ certified PSUs are rated with 80% efficiency or greater under load. Its not the only thing that should be considered.

PEACEoutEMERika wrote:I don't think I want to pirate it.. I'll purchase it if necessary it's not a big deal. but thanks for all the heads up guys.

yeah i've heard of ibuypower before

you think you guys could help me out when the time comes?
you two are probably the people i trust the most when it comes down to cpu stuff

Yeah I'll help you pick the hardware out when the time comes. Stop calling a computer a CPU please, I've told you this before lol. CPU = central processing unit. PC = personal computer.

ILL STOP WHEN YOU STOP CALLING IT RAISONS MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nature's gueez

After having some talk with some friends

I decided that it is probably better to try and build my own.

I know I'm not that good with computers but I figure I might as well learn since I want to be able to build my own computer in the future as well.

My friend is going to help me build a cart soon (he said ibuypower was not worth it from personal experience) and i was wondering if you guys could take a look at the cart whenever you had the time.

I'm planning to probably start at the end of august or maybe earlier depending on when dota 2 info comes out.

Let me know what you guys think!

(if you think it's a raelly really really really really bad idea that i try to build it then I won't, but if you think that it won't hurt to try then i think i will stick to this decision)

thanks for the input!

PEACEoutEMERika wrote:After having some talk with some friends

I decided that it is probably better to try and build my own.

I know I'm not that good with computers but I figure I might as well learn since I want to be able to build my own computer in the future as well.

My friend is going to help me build a cart soon (he said ibuypower was not worth it from personal experience) and i was wondering if you guys could take a look at the cart whenever you had the time.

I'm planning to probably start at the end of august or maybe earlier depending on when dota 2 info comes out.

Let me know what you guys think!

(if you think it's a raelly really really really really bad idea that i try to build it then I won't, but if you think that it won't hurt to try then i think i will stick to this decision)

thanks for the input!

As long as you don't rush it and don't do anything that you're unsure then go for it. I'm telling you now though helping you through AIM or Vent isn't going to do much. Just do some reading online to see what you are getting into. Here's a couple links. I'm not going to bother posting links to hardware yet because you aren't buying for a month. When you are within a couple of days when you want to buy then let me know.

http://www.buildacomputerguide.com/

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bui ... c,511.html

Also for a sidenote I remember you telling me that I shouldn't spray compressed air into the fans so much to make it spin like crazy.

What if I kept the fan in place by putting my finger there?

Would it be okay or is it the compressed air itself that fucks with the fan

I feel like my computer is overheating more often than usual and it might be because I haven't cleaned out in a long time

eDIT- DID YOPU GET THAT MESSAGE ON VENT A LONG TIME AGO

PEACEoutEMERika wrote:Also for a sidenote I remember you telling me that I shouldn't spray compressed air into the fans so much to make it spin like crazy.

What if I kept the fan in place by putting my finger there?

Would it be okay or is it the compressed air itself that fucks with the fan

I feel like my computer is overheating more often than usual and it might be because I haven't cleaned out in a long time

eDIT- DID YOPU GET THAT MESSAGE ON VENT A LONG TIME AGO

That is how I killed my old video card that I sold to Woy a couple years back. I stuck the straw from the can immediately in front of the fan and let it rip. It wasn't long before it would overheat and the computer would straight up shut off like you flicked a power switch.

But yeah that should be fine with the fans. I think I told you before but don't tip the can upside down and spray it either, moisture is the bane of electronics.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MESSAGE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.