Help needed once more.

[Zeldaboy14]

I need some advise on what specs to go for because later this year, I'm possibly going to start building a PC built to run most of my games, including Trainz, at full speed. I've already got a 2nd Nividia graphic card scrapped straight from a old Dell XP computer, but I need to know, what would be the best processer, motherboard, etc, to go for?

 

[bentrain14]

First off scrap the Graphics card. Just get all the parts new. And go to new egg.com, they have great deals and great costumer service.

 

[nicky9499]

Amazon regularly has very attractive deals on hard disk and solid state drives. I've bought more than a few with their free international shipping program. You also need to provide important information like

What is your budget
Do you intend to overclock
Do you already have peripherals (keyboard/mouse/etc)
Do you already own a copy of Windows
Do you already have displays

 

[Zeldaboy14]

I don't really have a budget.
No overclocking
Of Course I do!
Yes
Yes.

 

[nicky9499]

I'm genuinely trying to help you here so please be serious. By "no budget" do you mean you can spend literally any amount on your new computer? When I asked about displays and peripherals it meant "do you want to continue using them with your new computer or buy new ones".

Do you want an extremely powerful setup that'll be obsolete within the next 2 years or so?
Do you want a small, quiet and efficient little machine that will be on many hours a day if not 24/7?
Are you going to actually assemble the machine yourself? (Alot of peeps say "I built this pc" when actually they just picked the parts and got the shop to do it).
Are you comfortable with spending time messing with the hardware diagnosing any faults and issues that may arise?
Are you intending to tinker around and upgrade often?

If the answer to the last 3 questions are "no", you are better off buying an OEM machine that has warranty and on-site support services. Such "branded" computers used to command a high markup over DIY but that is no longer the case. The cost savings can be negated by inexperienced mistakes and it doesn't take much to fry new components. In dry climates all you need to do is walk across the carpet, touch a stick of memory without grounding yourself and that will be instantly toast.

 

[Zeldaboy14]

OHHH! So that what you ment by budget. I guess ranging from $400 to $800 for the budget.

 

[nicky9499]

You have one more chance to provide a proper response to post #5 otherwise I'm done here.

 

[Zeldaboy14]

This is my first time going to be building one. To answer #5: 1 It will be powerful. 2 Somewhat. 3 With some help, yes. 4 Of Course. 5 Not really.

 

[LNERlover5]

A 'probably' is rather disconcerting when it comes to diagnosis... I advise doing some proper research into PC building before you attempt it yourself. The Tek Syndicate group are a good place to start. This video is a few months out of date considering how quickly technology changes, what with Intel releasing the Z97 chipset and all that. However it should still be fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EnOMhXkKqI&list=PL441D9BF9F40D0E5E&index=26

The group also has full build guides if that will be needed.

 

[nicky9499]

From my local price list. Converted to US$.

CPU & Mobo: i5-4440 & MSI B85M-G43 @ $268
A micro-ATX mobo which offers more features compared to an ITX mobo.
Ram: Crucial 1600mhz 2x4GB @ $72
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $19
HDD: WD Blue 1TB @ $58
SSD: Crucial M500 120GB @ $92
Another good alternative is Plextor M6S 128GB.
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini @ $104
More of a mid-tower design. Sleek and has sound proof material. As it is a mid-tower design, it has more room to accommodate longer graphic card in the future and able to fix standard PSU size instead of SFX.
PSU: FSP Aurum S 500W @ $72

Total about $685.

You can look for these parts online in places like Newegg or Amazon, and there are some websites who assemble the machine at a fee then ship it to you. Best to get it all in one place, you often need to have a minimum order value before they'll offer free shipping. If you're going the self assemble route, take extreme care; constantly ground yourself, work somewhere far away from a carpet and air conditioning if you can avoid it, only remove components from their anti static bags immediately before installing, do not allow components to sustain any sort of impact, do not touch any contacts of any sort.

Always ask if unsure.

Cheerio,
Nicholas

 

[ColPrice2002]

You'll also need to add in a decent graphics card, which will be a couple of hundred dollars - don't cut corners on this!
You may also want to add in a sound card to get audio out..

Cheers
Colin

 

[nicky9499]

You're right, a graphics card slipped my mind. All modern boards these days come with built-in HD audio which is more then adequate for anything short of a 5.1 surround system.

Graphics card choice will really depend on what kind of games Zelda wants to play, at what resolution and on how many screens. These days you generally need at least 1GB for 720p, 2GB for full HD and 3GB> for dual or triple display setup.

Good read:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-3.html

 

[Zeldaboy14]

Here's some examples of what I play: Minecraft, Trainz, Emulators, etc, etc. Minecraft also requires a lot to play since 1.7 came out. Trainz, as always, requires about the same as Minecraft. And emulators, well, it depends on what game console I want to emulate.