Ok you persuaded me... Im attempting to build a gaming rig. Advice needed.

SkylineOnFire

SkylineOnFire

SkylineOnFire

Associate
Joined
21 Aug 2009
Posts
74
Ok. So what i intend to do is buy part by part, and then build it in a month or so when i have enough peices, this way i can spend a little more on each part. So should i start with a case yes? I was thinking....

Case > PSU > Motherboard > Processor > RAM > Graphics Card > DVD.

Is that a good order or should i switch some things up. Im relying on some help from you guys for this sorry! Its my first time attempting this and im a little confused/scared, but after being linked to an excellent thread about building a rig i decided its just something i have to learn to do. I dont specifically have a budget, but id like to keep every part as reasonable as possible. So can i get some things specced for me? Id like to have the final build cost at around 500..... But i have a little flexibility since i dont intend to boot it for the first time until around october.
 
As i read it your going to buy it bit by bit? If i were you i would save up and buy it all in one go. Hardware changes fast and so do the prices.
 
That's almost exactly how I built the rig in my sig.
But I cheated and bought one of the OC bundles...:D
 
Case, PSU, DVDRW, speakers, and RAM wont depreciate much over time, or have potential to alter in price much.

If it takes you longer than planned to build, buy the CPU and graphics card last, as you'll get the most performance per £ spent.

Keep an eye out in "this week only" deals as well, might pick up something good there that fits your budget.
 
I'd recommend a bundle aswell. Overclocked to a stable level by the experts so you get "more bang for buck" and dont have to worry about blowing yourself up trying to do it yourself.
 
By building it bit by bit i mean over a few months. 2... 3 at the very most. And at the end of the day im after a quad core with a good graphics card and 4GB of RAM. I know that tech moves on every month but i dont intend to build the best rig out there or anything, just a nice powerful computer that can run current gen games on med/high.
 
It is always best to buy all at the same time, but if you have your heart set on stages Id buy in two: Case, PSU, DVD > CPU, Mobo, RAM, GPU.

But due to the prices always falling, hardware changing I'd save up and buy it all at the same time.
 
I bought mine in Pairs/groups.

1. Case & PSU
2. CPU, CPU Cooler & Motherboard
3. Memory & GPU
4. HDD & Optical Drive
5. Accessories.

The downside is, I spent more than 50 Quid in shipping cost.:rolleyes:
 
greywolf said:
As i read it your going to buy it bit by bit? If i were you i would save up and buy it all in one go. Hardware changes fast and so do the prices.
Click to expand...

no, i would build it peace meal, but leave the card/cpu/mobo/RAM to the last minute, ( because these are the 4 critical items that get outdated quickly) the rest of the stuff is standard pc hardware and will be ok in 3 years time...

the downsides are, expensive shipping costs.. it's frustrating to wait so long. ..... there's a hell of a lot of hardware to buy in stages, it's easy to forget to buy something.

buy in pairs that equate to 100 quid a month or close...i.e fans and case, then SATA and CPU cooler, then BLU-RAY and PSU.

the cpu cooler is a bit early to buy in a weeks time.... BUT the Megahalems will still be near the top in 2 years time... but i wouldn't touch a cooler in 10 th place...not nearly good enough

this is the clue, dont buy anything that isn't in the top 3 right now...... because this stuff might be outdated in 3 years time.

look for bargains, because i got my case 30 quid cheaper than here

...........you can also buy your cpu now, because there's nothing new due from Athlon till Bulldozer/fusion and this new 965, is just a 955 in disguise............even so, wait till Xmas because by then the 955 might only be 80 quid

unfortunately, next summer this means you'll have to folk out a fortune for the card/mobo ( GTX 300, well, you know; it'll be a bloody rip- off, try 379 quid as a guess) .... then finally you'll need Win 7.............thus, to save money i'd get the CPU/RAM at xmas.

i'm tempted to say **** off to DX11 and get twin GTX 295, but maybe this'll be more expensive than a single GTX 300...depends how far prices drop...any future games on DX 11 and can you really tell the difference, i doubt it.
 
Last edited:
Ross1234 said:
You could buy it on finance.
Click to expand...

+1

you can phone the finance people up at any time to make debit card payments too - you dont have to wait to pay it all off at the end of the finance period.

I always buy my stuff on 12 months interest free credit then pay it off in about 10 months :D

Also, if you buy in groups you'll spend a fortune in shipping @ approx £10 a time!
 
matt_fsr said:
Case, PSU, DVDRW, speakers, and RAM wont depreciate much over time, or have potential to alter in price much.

If it takes you longer than planned to build, buy the CPU and graphics card last, as you'll get the most performance per £ spent.

Keep an eye out in "this week only" deals as well, might pick up something good there that fits your budget.
Click to expand...

Exactly what im doing at the moment, bought an FT01, just looking for a psu at the moment and will order the optical drive and hard drive at the same time, then next month il see how the i5's and 5xxx gpu's are coming along and from that decide what mobo and ram to get.
 
+1 for saving it up

If you must, get the case and DVD drive now, along with any fans and cable ties, tools etc.

Then get the PSU, HDD and RAM

Finally the CPU, Motherboard and GPU.

I'd really really recommend all at once though
1) You get the best possible price
2) You can make sure you only buy it when you can follow the project through to the end - if your finances go arse-over-tit and you've already bought some components, you're wasting money in the time you wait
3) You can spend some time on the forum and get free shipping, meaning that instead of 4 deliveries at £12 each, you're getting 1 delivery at £0. £50 is the difference between "budget mid range" and "high mid range" for most components.
 
i look at my old rig ( 4 years old) and the only things that are outdated are the CPU/MOBO/CARD/ RAM.....all the rest is still ok..... so this gives you a clue as to what to buy last of all. ...... the biggest to get right is probably the mobo......because my mobo is too old and slow, so i cant upgrade the rest.

yes shipping is expensive, but you've only got to do this 4 or 5 times over a year.

the problem with doing it all at once in a years time, plus researching for a year; while you're waiting is..... you'll forever be dreaming about it/researching, it'll drive you crazy, so many bookmarks, price budgeting etc.... just get the right stuff now, it's less to think about next year.

ok it's sitting downstairs getting all dusty, but at least you can look at it and think ``yea that looks good, i'm proud of that``...i keep modding mine, fooling around with it.................plus it's a treat getting something every month, you get excited when the postman knocks on the door ha ha
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom