Desktop Building Advice

Looking for a new computer at the end of this Summer. I've used laptops most my life (you know once they were a viable option about 10-15 years ago). I've done research on this and blah blah blah, I know about pc part picker and all that.

lets say I have between $1000-2000 to spend here

Mainly what I'd like to know is:
Whats a good price for a motherboard?
How about a case?
Power supply?
Fan?
I've never had to worry about these things with laptops so any like indicators or rules of thumb would be helpful.

ancillary question:
Is there a graphics card company that can give better performance for about the same price than nvidia? I know who's doing best with processors is always changing so, what do ya think?

Check those threads:
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23654
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24071
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24358

And remember that, with the new generation of CPUs, GPUs and DDR just around the corner, right now might not be the best of time to splash out too much on a new machine.

Originally Posted by ReturnToCinder
Looking for a new computer at the end of this Summer. I've used laptops most my life (you know once they were a viable option about 10-15 years ago). I've done research on this and blah blah blah, I know about pc part picker and all that.

lets say I have between $1000-2000 to spend here

That's a lot. You might want to consider to aim low and upgrade the graphics card along the way. Generally speaking you'll be hard pressed to find games which can put more than 50% load on a 200$ CPU while playing on FullHD.

Mainly what I'd like to know is:
a) Whats a good price for a motherboard?
b) How about a case?
c) Power supply?
d) Fan?
I've never had to worry about these things with laptops so any like indicators or rules of thumb would be helpful.

e) ancillary question:
Is there a graphics card company that can give better performance for about the same price than nvidia? I know who's doing best with processors is always changing so, what do ya think?

Very brief tips. Please check the other threads.
a) Depends on your focus. You can get a rock solid motherboard with 7.1 sound and USB3 for less than 100$. Even major brand. Or you can spend 300$ for one which can brew you coffee - and which is exactly as fast as the cheap one. Since my geeky days are over I would lean to a relatively cheap m/b by a brand manufacturer.
b) Doesn't matter all that much. A carefully selected 25$ case will do, especially if you don't plan on changing parts out every few weeks. You can get suprisingly good and attractive cases at low end. More luxurious cases have their advantages too though. I'm running a cheap case now and I've spent 200€ on a noise-isolated case before. I was satisfied with both decisions.
c) Major brand only. No compromise. Get some 80%+ certified product. Low noise (verify! - everybody claims this) and cable management are nice to have.
c2) RAM: Given your budget go for 16 GB right away. Major brand only. Go for mainstream stuff. High end isn't worth it.
These 2 are *the* most important parts apart from the m/b. The priority is stability.
d) I'll leave that one out. There's a lot of good product in all price ranges on the market. Make sure you understand with 100% certainty how to attach the fan & cooler to the CPU without applying too much pressure. Nowadays this is more or less the only point at which you can actually destroy components.
Case fans: Buy some low noise stuff. Not really a cost factor.

e) nVidia or AMD/ATI is a matter of taste. I would simply go for a card in the mainstream sector (roundabout 150 - 250$ plus extras) and replace the card when the PS5 comes out. Beware of noise. Loud cards sound like a helicopter. Good reviews mention how loud the card is with and without load.
Don't spend less, but only spend more if you're gaming on a higher resolution than 1080p.

My general advice - YMMV:
- Performance differences less than 10% don't matter at all. At 30% it gets really interesting.
- SSDs are good.
- 2 - 3 monitors are an immense time saver.
- Noise & heat are the devil.
- Games don't profit from i7 CPUs compared to i5.
- Mainstream parts are fast and reliable nowadays. Hardcore parts are no longer necessary. But of course they're fun if you're into this stuff.
- Upgrading is irrelevant. Buy what you need now. At the time you'll consider an upgrade you'll for sure replace a whole sub-system, for example mainboard + CPU + cooler. Nobody wants to plug a fast new part into an old mainboard.
- Low noise has become cheap. 100$ more for everything should do it.

Just to add to Gorath points:

1- case…. just remember to pick a case which is roomy enough to accommodate your chosen graphic card.
2- fans…. for CPU fan I would recommend Cooler Master HYPER 212 EVO. Not expensive, quiet and has very good reviews. Case fans…. Be Quiet! Shadow Wings SW1 - VERY quiet and works well in horizontal as well as in vertical position.

600 euro for
I5 4460
R9 280
Matx silencio 352 case
Etc

250 GB ssd is 100 euro extra. Plenty fast

Maximum PC updates every month their recommended build for PCs in three shapes: budget, baseline and performance (in order of price/power), you can use it as a guideline:
http://www.maximumpc.com/build_pc_re…ilds_july_2014

wolfling where were you with that link when I was upgrading?!

Okay, I admit, in the end I'd combine and buy the same thing, but nevertheless…

Get a case with big fans that produce lots of airflow with low rpm. Good airflow is the key to silent pc (It will also keep your components cool). You dont need noise-canceling. You can get one for around around 100 so they are not expensive.

I built my pc with haf932 case six years ago and I havent had single problem or failing component. Also the pc is almost silent. I credit it to the airflow.

I too have a HAF series case the mid tower 922 and the room in it is amazing and very close to a full tower.

Gorath's point C is dead on. I build my own systems; have for years. I have lost count of the number of people who to save a buck will go cheap on a power supply and then wonder why their system is having issues. Think of your psu as the "backbone" of your system.

Video cards - I have run both Nvidia and AMD. Both have done me very well. You'll find that the video card in most instances the single most expensive piece of hardware especially if you are gaming (though monitors can be right there in cost and sometimes beyond). Do your research and don't get suckered into the latest and greatest because 1) they are very expensive and 2) software including current and near future games have no need what they provide.

I run an i5. As Gorath points out really no need for an i7.

SSD for Operating system and a few other things but a hard drive for gaming. Anyway, that is how I do it. Crucial makes stellar SSDs as do Samsung though the latter has had some issues with their 840 series (I have their 830 series). Plus neither use the SandForce controllers.

I don't know where you live but Newegg.com is a great place to buy from and if you live anywhere near a Micro center do yourself a favor and check them out. They often have a really good sales going on with motherboard/cpu combos.

You've all given me a great amount of advice and some new resources. Time to get my reading on. This is definitely the kind of directing I needed and I'll convene with my more desktop oriented friends about this. Thanks so much everybody! (especially you Gorath)

Wouldn't hurt to take a look at a few of these links either.

Buildapcforme
Buildapcsales
Psassembly.

reddit's got it all. thanks

I highly recommend using a larger SSD, and to include your games on it. It makes a big difference when loading and streaming content.

I know there's this myth about keeping it for the OS only, but that's not something I agree with.

For that kind of money, you could always go for top-of-the-line stuff, but that means buying a monitor that really lets you take advantage of it. If you're going to run everything at 1920x1080 you really don't need a badass computer.

However, if you get a high quality monitor, like the Dell U2713HM, which supports 2560 x 1440, you can really upgrade the visuals quite a bit. If you do, you need serious hardware though, like an i7 CPU, GTX 780 graphics card and ASUS Z97-A motherboard. In such a setup I'd also buy high quality RAM like 16GB Kingston HyperX or Corsair Vengeance.

I have to say I don't agree with what Maylander just said.

Even at 1080 - you will find lots of games struggling to maintain a smooth frame rate on max settings, especially if you enjoy modding and enchancing the visuals.

Obviously, if you're the kind of gamer who's fine with merely "high" or "medium" settings - that's not a big deal. But if you want to experience the best there is - and I happen to think that's why PC gaming is great - you DO want a beast, and you DO want to be careful upgrading your monitor to a higher resolution, because it's a relatively small visual upgrade that's extremely expensive in terms of performance.

Do keep in mind, though, that this is just my opinion.

I have a setup similar to the one I described, including the monitor in question. I run most games at ultra in 2560x1440, and it looks pretty damn sweet. Of course, the latest and greatest shooters would probably struggle, but RPGs? Nah, they're all fine. From Mass Effect to Risen to WoW and ESO. It's all been good so far.

Like I said though: It does require serious hardware, such as GTX 780.