Computer Build

[CreamyGoodness]

Looking for a rough estimate amongst you tech heads. Forgive my complete and utter ignorance.

My computer is 7 years old, and starting to get incredibly sluggish. Worse, new games arent running properly. Every so often a component pops and has to be replaced (ie the video card about 2 years ago). In short... I think the SOB is about to blow taps.

So, can someone give me a bit of an estimate on how much it would cost to get a new PC, either purchased outright or built? Like every other cheapskate on the planet, I am looking for the most for the least.

My requirements:

4 GB of Ram or more
Video Card equal or better than my current GE Force 550
Ability to play The Forest, Minecraft, Rome, and whatever new Elder Scrolls game comes down the pike without it crashing
As large a hard drive as possible
Windows 7 or better
Anti-virus Software
As many USB ports as is physically possible, preferably with 2 or more in the front of the case itself.

Your help is appreciated.
James

 

[j1n]

Here you go http://pcpartpicker.com/

Start there and build your PC. it goes to all the sites and finds to best deals on the parts for the system you build. Also you should mention what your budget is if you want someone to help build one out for you.

 

[todd_k]

Don't skimp on the CPU and motherboard. Also, don't get a video card that is equal to your current one. Get a better one. The ones for sale now are already obsolete so don't get an older one. Hard drive will also depend on whethere you want a SSD or the older kind. Older will be more bang for your buck, SSD will be faster but more expensive for a smaller size.

 

[hunter_le five]

Here's some good reading material:

Building a PC with a budget of $300/$600/$1200

How to build a computer from scratch

Should help you get a good starting place to work from.

 

[Hello]

Just on the CPU and video card alone, I can spend about $400 of your cash. It sounds like an Intel i5 processor would serve you just fine. I'd also get the GeForce 660 Ti GPU on the low end and maybe the GTX 970 on the higher end; you can go higher for sure. I think they have a 2 GB model. I would not build anything or even buy anything with less than 8 GB of RAM. I'd get an ATX motherboard with an ATX case (of course). I love having an SSD as my main drive and I have two 7200 RPM drives in my case, which is great. You can even get a RAID system, but really it is not 100% necessary.

Bottom line is whatever your budget is, I bet we can spend it. I would definitely recommend pcpartpicker.com as well. Also, you may find buying a ready-built may come cheaper but you have to deal with removing whatever BS software they put on, which isn't tough.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Part picker is awesome, thanks for showing me this!

Couple questions...

Any opinions on the EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card? Seems like a good card for the buck.

Also, this doesnt appear to have software bundled. Would I have to spend $90+ on Windows 7 or is there another trick/deal I dont know about?

Lastly, I'm thinking I could salvage my hard drive (as a secondary drive), power supply DVD player and monitor. Any reasons that this is a bad way to think?

 

[todd_k]

Part picker is awesome, thanks for showing me this!

Couple questions...

Any opinions on the EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card? Seems like a good card for the buck.

Also, this doesnt appear to have software bundled. Would I have to spend $90+ on Windows 7 or is there another trick/deal I dont know about?

Lastly, I'm thinking I could salvage my hard drive (as a secondary drive), power supply DVD player and monitor. Any reasons that this is a bad way to think?

Check Tom's Hardware for benchmark tests on video cards. There could be a reason why it is a cheaper card.
No, the OS is not included. You will need to buy it or obtain an activation key somehow.
Yes, salvage the hard drive, dvd player, and monitor. The power supply is a maybe. It will depend on the new equipment and whether or not it would require a new power supply with more watts.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

if I salvage the Hard Drive that gives me one last question (for now. thanks and sorry)... is there a cheaper way to upgrade from XP to 7 without purchasing the whole OEM?

 

[todd_k]

That's complicated, it depends on what Win 7 you want and your hardware.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2152900/upgrade-from-xp-to-windows-7.html

 

[pointcity-homebrew]

I am a fan of barebone kits. I tend to get the best bang for my buck.

Barebone Kits

 

[CreamyGoodness]

ok here comes a really annoying question if you are all willing to answer. If I were to buy this barebones kit, http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9509345&CatId=31 , slot in my current GEFORCE 550 and then upgrade the video card later on when I have more funds... I should be golden... no?

 

[pointcity-homebrew]

IMO yes, this coming from the guy who is still running a Core 2 Duo with 8GB ram. Just an FYI, you would need to run 64 bit windows in order for the 8GB ram to be recognized. Windows 32 bit would only register ~3.4GB if I remember correctly.

I have not had any issues with the games I play, Skyrim included. Granted I cannot jack the graphics settings up to High but can play on medium

 

[todd_k]

be careful when buying a barebones system. the mobos usually have limited empty expansion slots. Just make sure your current card has an available slot. looks like it has 2 available slots, 1 being a PCI Express, so you should be ok but just double check that.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I have done the $800 gaming pc build type of things a couple times. It ran well for 5 years + before I upgraded the motherboard/CPU/memory/video card and it looks like it will go strong for another 5 or so.

Look on sites like maximumpc or such and you can usually find an up to date economy gaming rig that works well. Especially if you have parts that you can reuse.