Here is a complete guide detailing parts of PC's, how to build them and why. Hope you guys enjoy it
A lot of computer enthusiasts don't like to admit it, but PC manufacturers have the power of buying in bulk that you'll never have. Even with their markups, you can often get them cheaper than building your own, especially on the lower end of things. If you don't have a lot of specific needs—that is, if you just need a simple computer for web browsing, Microsoft Office, and other low-powered tasks—you'll probably get a cheaper system by buying one, and you won't notice a big difference between it and something you build yourself (but we all know you want a beast gaming PC for LCPDFR ). Building your first PC may be scary to you, but it isn't all that bad. This guide will walk you through the the steps of building a PC along with FAQ's and general information. Just before we start, I will warn you. Building a PC is no easy slap it all together and throw some peanut butter and screws at it and expect it'll work. You will have to take some time and use common sense and your knowledge while building so there will no issues.
Step 1
-Budget: How much are you willing to spend on building your PC? The costs of parts vary depending on their performance and features they offer. *Please note that depending on where you are, prices will be different*. Most common price builds range from $400, $700 and $1000 plus.
-Research (Websites): The best websites to find information on building your PC are~
http://www.tomshardware.com/
http://linustechtips.com/main/
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/
Plus many more but those will provide you with information about trouble shooting, the best parts and prices and pretty much whatever questions you may have regarding PC's.
Step 2
-Choosing your parts: As we have discussed earlier, prices of parts range depending on their performance and abilities. The main components of a PC include
• Chassis/case
• Power supply
• CD/DVD drives
• Hard Drive(s)/SSD(s)
• RAM (Random access memory)
• Motherboard
• CPU (Central processing unit)
• CPU heat sink (Liquid Cooling/Air)
• Video card (graphics card)
• Sound card* (optional if your motherboard has onboard sound which most do)
• Operating system software
• Monitor (display)
• Peripherals (Keyboard/Mouse, Speakers)
The best place to organize parts, find whats compatible and lowest prices, http://pcpartpicker.comis the place to go. It classifies the lowest prices of parts, compatibility and such.
Picking out your parts is very difficult especially when you have no clue what GB's, GDDR or such means so I have already have a list of parts with their performance level for you.
CPU's
What does a CPU do? The processor, or CPU, is the brain of the computer. It basically does arithmetic, but incredible fast.
Intel
Intel: Ranging from lowest to highest (Price/Performance)
Intel Pentium G3258
Intel Core i3-4160
Intel Core i5-4460
Intel Core i5-4690K
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-5930K
AMD
AMD Athlon X4 860K
AMD FX-4300
AMD FX 6300
AMD FX 8350
AMD FX-9590
Intel or AMD? This question is often asked so I'll break down the cons and pros of each brand.
Pros and Cons for Going with Intel
Pros: Better performance, higher FPS, more suited for high-end rigs, sports better motherboards
Cons: Much more expensive, not as much cache (Nerd Alert!)
Pros and Cons for Going with AMD
Pros: More affordable, over clocking friendly, more cores.
Cons: Some iffy motherboards, questionable dependability, lower performance in certain areas (Games), gets very hot at times
TL:DR- So overall, if you are on tight budget, AMD is the way to go. If you have a bit more to spend and want better performance, Intel with offer that performance.
GPU's
What is a GPU? A graphics card or GPU, is basically another core/brain/CPU with it's own RAM for displaying your graphics from your games/movies,etc. Once again there are different brands for graphic cards. And here are the best ones going from lowest to the best.
Nvidia
GTX 750 Ti
GTX 760
GTX 960
GTX 970
GTX 980
GTX Titan Z
AMD
AMD Radeon HD 7770
AMD Radeon R7 250X
AMD Radeon R7 260X
AMD Radeon R9 270
AMD Radeon R9 270X
AMD Radeon R9 280
AMD Radeon R9 290
AMD Radeon R9 295X2
I will not be listing prices due to the fact that different places will have different prices. To find out prices, just copy and paste the model number into google and look at your local dealers prices and that will give a general sense of pricing. Remember, there is still tax and shipping!
Here are some pre-built part lists that have been made already. If you do not want to do research into buying specific parts than here are builds corresponding to your budget.
*These builds do not include monitors nor peripherals nor windows (OS)!*
All FPS estimates are with 1.0.7.0, LCPDFR Mods, and @ 1080P (1920x1080)
$400 USD
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pNLqVn
You'll be able to run GTA IV on high settings (No ENB) at about 30-45FPS
$550 USD
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/davelaric/saved/cbgKHx
GTA IV at Max settings with 40-50+FPS (No ENB)
$760
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pqn3WZ
GTA IV High/Max Settings with 45-60 FPS and CRYENB V3
$1000
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Pokechrizx7/saved/T2Kkcf
GTA IV Max settings with 50-60FPS+ with CRYENB V3
Those are just some builds, if you want a specific price point with specific parts and I will put something together for you!
Many other builds with price points: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/269162-31-recommended-builds-usage
As for the other parts such as MOBO, PSU and etc. they are chosen depending on your parts so it is very difficult to put together a list of recommend parts. To find the best parts, check out these forum posts or comment on this post/message me your parts and I'll find the best, suitable model for you.
Motherboards: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/motherboard-selection-guide,3900.html
Extra Info: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-pc,2601.html
Step 4
Building the PC itself!
Now is the time to build the PC! What we have been waiting for all this time
Guide with pictures and step by step instructions on building: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274745-31-step-step-guide-building
Video on how to build:
*Be sure to run the recommended tests to ensure your system is fully operational!*
Hope this guide helped you and if you have any questions at all, feel free to message me and I'll do my best to help you out
Also if this guide is missing anything or breaking any rules, please tell me and will fix it right away!
Cheers!
~Dave