21 Steps To Build Gaming Ultimate Pc
21 Steps To Build Gaming Ultimate Pc
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Consider your price range. If you want to spend $1000 you're going to have a much different layout than if you're willing to put in $1500 or $2000. Some people have found good hardware for less than $1000.
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Look into what you plan on using this computer for. Obviously gaming, yes, but what type of gaming, graphics intensive or not, single player or online? These will bring differences to your build.
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Now you start researching parts. Keeping those things in mind, you have a lot of options. It's a good idea to spend a lot of time looking at different parts, spending a month looking into different parts can make a drastic difference in your computers performance.
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First big decision: what central processing unit (CPU/processor) line. AMD and Intel both provide great processors, and depending on what you're looking for in terms of price, number of cores, and performance, you may choose different processors. Intel tends to have better dual-core CPUs, while AMD has better valued quad-core CPUs (less expensive, but still good) You could probably find a good AMD Phenom series CPU for a reasonable amount or an Intel Core 2 series CPU for a little more. Also Intel's new Core i7 is good but expensive choice. Remember that higher prices don't necessarily mean better.
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What do you plan on doing with this CPU? Chances are, your stock heatsink will do reasonably to withstand up to moderate loads. You will want to replace that heatsink when building an ultimate computer, especially if you plan on overclocking. You probably want to look into water cooling for overclocking, but air cooling should be fine otherwise; depending on your other hardware, that is.
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Now, you're going to need to match things up based on that. Starting with a Motherboard. Your motherboard should be specifically designed to match your CPU, not just socket, but by wattage, and maybe even suggested for that particular line. If you look at Newegg.com (and some other sites), you will find combination suggestions, which can help you decide what parts to put together. High rated motherboard manufacturers include ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, or Foxconn, your research should give you a good idea.
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Time for a graphics card. You have a couple of options, based on your motherboard choice, the first of which is - single configuration graphics or multi-configuration graphics (Nvidia SLI, Ati Crossfire, etc.). Make sure your motherboard (and other hardware) can handle it. Most of the time, just one more powerful one will suffice, but if you're looking into very intense games like Crysis, spending the extra $100 or $150 will help you increase your FPS (Frames Per Second) a reasonable amount. However, if you look around enough, you should be able to find what you are looking for based on what types of games you plan to play, and price. Also, chipset limitations can determine your graphics configuration; AMD chipsets support Nvidia SLI and ATI CrossfireX, while Nvidia chipsets (nForce) support SLI fully and limited Crossfire.
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RAM time. GBs don't mean everything, in fact, for 32bit Windows OS's, there is a maximum of 3 GBs that is being read. You can step up to 64bit (theoretical up to 16 TB), but for the time being, there is less software that will work on 64bit than 32bit. First thing to consider, you are probably going to want to start with 2GB (usually, 2GB (2x1GB) is ideal but 4GB (2x2GB))), and then you can upgrade later, if your system will allow it. The next thing to look at is compatibility, DDR2 or DDR3? 800MHz or 1066MHz? Your motherboard will be able to provide this compatibility information, then you make the call based on price and CAS latency (lower is better).
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Let's look storage, as in Hard Drives. There's a number of options here, the first of which is a big one. 15000RPM, 10000RPM, or 7200RPM? Most people go with 7200RPM and more storage, but if you are looking for optimal performance regardless of other setbacks, go with the 10000RPM. The 15000RPM HDs are only for those of us with a lot of money who are top notch gamers, looking for the works. Next, how much storage? This is mostly a 'how much do I need, how much am I willing to pay?' issue. Some people find that 250GB is enough, 500GB is ideal, enthusiasts and extreme gamers use a 10000 RPM as the boot drive and a couple 7200 RPM TBs for games and media. For the most part, Cache and Interface speed are negligble, but higher cache could provide higher speed, and higher interface speed could do the same.
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Based on your decisions so far, you'll need to make a decision on a case. Case size is the most relevant aspect, as getting a case that's too small will be problematic. After you determine what you need, it's mostly aesthetic. Don't expect to use the power supply the case comes with, they're generally not great quality, and usually will not have enough power for higher end computers.
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Power supply (PSU) time. Based on the choices above, your power usage will vary, but expect at least 500W for a lower-end gaming computer, and 750W+ for a top notch computer or overclocked computer. Doubling up on PSU's is not usually a good idea unless you have two separate systems running inside your computer. If you have a -sometimes- overclocked computer, and have a higher end cooling system (for liquid only, really) that you want to turn on or off, you could have 2 PSUs. Not recommended.
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Want a CD Drive? Consider what you will use it for, burning CDs/DVDs? No DVD compatibility necessary? Need Blu-ray? Based on those choices you will want to make a choice. A standard DVD Burner should fit most people's needs, but Blu-ray may be worth the extra money. However, they cost a lot!
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Sound system? For most computers, the sound system (speakers/headphones) determine quality, but if you want to step up your system, look into an internal sound card. Digital audio (optical/coaxial) or analog (3.5mm standard for most PCs), 24 bit (HD) or 16 bit (SD)? "AC97" audio is usually what you will find in many PCs, but some motherboards have started to include HD Audio, therefore eliminating the need for an external sound card. You can find a good Creative X-fi or something for a reasonable amount. You may want to look into this as an upgrade you do later, after testing your onboard sound card. Also, don't expect free/cheap headphones to be a good judge of whether your sound card made any difference on your sound output.
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Look at what you have so far. Based on those components, you will need to decide on a cooling system. For most (even customized) computers, air cooling will be sufficient, even if it means having 3 or 4 case fans. Most computers will not require liquid cooling unless there is high overclocking or a system costing over $1200. Liquid cooling is fairly expensive ($200 for a basic system), but if your computer runs too hot, it may be necessary.
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You just customized a computer, congrats. Now let's look at accessories.
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Display. Most people are okay with one monitor, but decide if you want widescreen or not (for gaming, widescreen is best (better field of view means you can see more of the battlefield)). Then, look at your graphics card, what is the max/recommended resolution? What resolution do you want to run at? You should be able to find a monitor with sufficient resolution that you can run web browsers only in large, comfortable settings, but that will support and run well under lower settings for games. For most visual pleasure, look into HD monitors that support 1080p.
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Sound. We already covered the sound card, but for headphones and speakers, there are a number of options (5.1 configuration or 2.1). For the top of the top, there's pretty much anything Bose. Creative has a number of good options through various price ranges. Logitech has good higher level gear, as well. Do not look into big names like those 3, unless you want to spend at least $50, their products below that point are much lower quality. For gaming headsets, look toward Creative, Logitech, and Razer (in order by price, quality, performance).
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Keyboard. You will have a lot of options here, as well. Logitech provides great options between $40 and $100. Razer provides good options for above that price range. Consider that, when gaming, you may want keyboards with functions keys (Logitech G13 or G15, for example) with sound or programmable keys.
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Mouse. Microsoft, Logitech, Razer (in order by price, quality, performance) are the top options for anything above $30. Optical tracking or laser? Primitive "ball" mouses are one of the worst ideas for fragging your buddies effectively. The Logitech MX518 (optical) or G9 (laser) would be best.
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Also look into a power strip that has a power surge suppression feature. This ensures that if there is a power outage or a lightning strike or something else, that your computer will not be fried (if it doesn't get hit by the lightning itself..).
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For actually building, you may want an anti-static wrist band. This will help protect your new, expensive pieces from receiving a shock from your touch, which may break the piece.
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