So it's come to the point where I need a new computer, the only problem is I have no idea when it comes to selecting one I'm looking for a computer that can handle heavy games, mainly the ones coming out late 09'/into 2010, and runs them as smooth as silk (Mainly interested in Dragon age origins, The old Republic, and Diablo III) the only other thing I need the computer for other then gaming, would be the internet, I don't need programming or anything that's not nessicary (But microsoft word would be nice) I've asked around many sites and it comes to my attention that it would be good for me to build my own computer which is where I need someone to step in, I'm not cheaping out but i'm not blowing alot of money either so there doesn't need to be that much of a compromise for money costs, (My absolute maximum to blow on it is 2000 but i'm hoping it will cost less, maybe around 1000+) So I was wondering, Could somebody please help me out! It would be much appreciated!

(I really need info on the things I need to buy, the assembly I can get someone to do, also i'm a Canadian resident so if it can be shipped to canada or you can find them in a store around the vancouver region it would be much appreciated, thank you for your time )


EDIT: Well after I posted the thread I did some researching and found some of the things I need, let me see what you think about them and if they will all fit together?

CPU: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Sea...AIN#detailspecs

Motherboard: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/sea...AIN#detailspecs

Hard drive: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Sea...;Sku=TSD-1000H4

Video Card: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Sea...p;Sku=P450-4892

So i'm missing a case and a powersupply because I got confused when trying to find those so I need help with those, also is it nessicary to get a dvd burner? (Unless i'm wrong isn't it just to create CD's and stuff and not needed for PC gaming? [Unless the thing you put the gaming cd in doesn't come with the motherboard/case thing :S ])

the moniter and mouse and keyboard I will deal with later right now I just want the tower, also if you could recommend a better cooling thing for the CPU that's not too expensive and will make it better it would be appreciated

How did I do so far?

This post has been edited by Technical Pickle: Aug 21 2009, 09:48 PM

Need RAM, case, powersupply, optical (DVD burners are cheap, just get one).

The processor & motherboard you've specced look fine.
The hard drive is mediocre, go with Western Digital. (But everyone has their own preference)
The graphics card will last you into 2010 too. My personal preference sides with nVidia, but each to their own.

RAM, you'll need DDR3. Probably 6GB - 3x2GB.

Power supply, look for something decent, high quality, high efficiency, probably about 650-750W. Make sure it's a name brand.

Case, whatever suits you. Just make sure the board will fit.

Stock cooling for the CPU should be fine unless you intend to overclock - though the i7s do run a slight bit hot. You'll get by though.

I did a little research for a friend a few weeks ago who was looking to build a gaming computer for around 1000/slightly more. Through looking through benchmark reports on tomshardware, anandtech, etc, this is some of what I found:

- Core i7, of course, demolished the cheaper AMD phenom IIs. For most tasks (video editing seems to be an exception), AMD gives marginally better bang for the buck. But since your budget is 1000-2000, this doesnt seem like an issue. So core i7 920 definitely seems like the best cpu for the price


- Based on the benchmarks research, the 4890 will handle most current games just fine. The most demanding games, like Crysis, will do quite well with a single 4890, unless youre talking very large monitor, and max res. In this situation, the 4890 looks like it will do so-so. But so-so performance with Crysis is pretty much awesome performance with all other games.

But to get max GPU performance right now, the GTX 295 will give that. From what I've seen, it is approximately equal to a pair or 4890s, a little better than a pair of 4870s. But a pair of 4890s is cheaper. So going with the 4890 you picked now looks good, and then later on, you can just add another one. A single one will definitely give you high end performance for a few more years, and a 2nd one later on should give you high-end a few more years after that.


************

Given your budget, for max performance, I would definitely go with 10000 RPM HDDs, as opposed to the 7200 you selected. Another option, given your budget, would be to go with solid state disks.

Pros: Significantly faster for read/write. I havent personally looked at any detailed benchmarks, but I remember seeing an article that stated something like 30% improvement for intensive read/write operations over a (7200 or 10,000 RPM??) SATA. Also, no moving parts, so you don't have the same potential breakdown issue as with HDDs. Also, they are quiet

Cons: Cost a lot more (a few hundred for a large one), and don't come in as high of capacities.

Also, in a few years, they will likely be much cheaper


***************

RAID configurations (0 or 5) will give you better performance when read/writing from the disk. Of course, this requires at least 3 HDDs, which isn't that big a deal given your budget.


Given your budget, a $300 motherboard looks OK. But there are plenty of high end ones that run $150-200, with the same features. This money could go towards bells and whistles like a monitor, blue ray drives, or solid state disks


****

Liquid cooling will also: Look cool, be quieter, and allow more overclocking (if youre into that sort of thing), which can potentially increase performance for intensive tasks by 10-20%. Although, i'm definitely not the guy to go to when it comes to OCing details, but this is definitely an investment that would extend the range of your computer.


*******


Blue cases are scientifically prove to yield better performance. So blue case, or pay the consequences.


********


Another note: When it comes to components, even with your budget, you definitely want to keep in mind the principle of decreasing return on investment. So for CPUs, for example, for something like a corei7 920 gives you about the ideal performance for your cost. A 500 dollar or 100 dollar model is not going to provide nearlly 2x or 4x the performance.

So even with a high budget, my own preference would be putting the money into monitor, sound, maybe an extra blue ray drive, and other bells and whistles.

With a 2000 budget, you have a lot of room for bells and whistles after getting high-end core components

This post has been edited by alpinewarrior: Oct 3 2009, 12:10 AM

All good points above.

As to DVD - RW....... that's a definite "Yes".

If for nothing else, you should have the immediate ability to create the system backup DVD when first installing your OS.

As an extention, I'd recommend Acronis or Ghost (I prefer Acronis) and an External HD, to take periodic or incremental drive image .iso backup from which you can restore if you run into problems.

Restoring your system from External HD can take as little as a half-hour and you are back up and running.
(You will need to be able to burn Restore DVD with Acronis, so that's another reason to "just buy one".)

Best Regards

(But microsoft word would be nice)

Consider the (free) Open Office.