So you want to make your own PC?

[eska]

Well we all know that at the current financial time, getting as much bang for your buck is a necessity, and we are going to try and help you in this as much as we can. If you are looking to build your own computer, or just be a bit nosy about what people can have in a PC these days, this is the thread for you!

Also, anyone willing to help with keeping this list upto date should feel more than free to post their suggestions, and I will add them to the list as other things get phased out.

Pre-configured Builds

General Purpose Low Budget PC: A small machine great for basic tasks and playing multimedia files; the integrated graphics can also handle some very light gaming.
Rosewill R115-P BK Micro ATX Mid Tower-$19.99
Seasonic 350W 80 Plus Certified-$45.99
LG DVD Burner SATA OEM-$25.99
Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB 8MB cache-$59.99
OCZ 4GB kit DDR2 800-$44.99
AMD Athlon X2 5200+ 65W 2.7GHz-$59
Foxconn M61PMV Micro ATX-$55
----------
$305.94


$500 Low-Budget Gamer: Has the capability to play any modern video game with enhanced graphical settings. Great for resolutions of 1680x1050 or below.
Cooler Master Elite 330 ATX Mid Tower-$44.99
Corsair 400W 80 Plus-$54.99
LG DVD Burner SATA OEM-$25.99
Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB 8MB cache-$49.99
G.Skill 4GB kit DDR2 1066-$54.99
VGA 512-P3-N873-RX GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB GDDR3 -$99.99
ASRock P43Twins1600 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX-$77.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775-$109.99
----------
$518.92


$750 Value Gamer: Expect to play most games at very high graphical detail settings or at a smoother framerate. Good for resolutions 1920x1200 or below.
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 ATX Mid Tower-$44.99
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power 600W SLI/Crossfire Ready-$69.99
LG DVD Burner SATA OEM-$25.99
Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB SATA-$54.99
Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3-$63.99
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB-$188.99
ASRock N7AD-SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 740i SLI ATX-$99.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz-$189.99
----------
$738.92


$1000 Dedicated Gamer: Offers more longevity and increases performance with high graphical settings. Great solution for resolutions 1920x1200 or below.
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Mid Tower-$50
Antec earthwatts 650W-$85
LG DVD Burner SATA OEM-$25
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 32MB cache-$75
G.Skill 4GB kit DDR3 1333 7-7-7-18 1.65V-$60
Radeon HD4890 by XFX-$250
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R-$200
Intel Core i7 920-$280
----------
$1025


$1400 Hardcore Gamer: Offers superb gameplay and good for any resolution.
NZXT Alpha Black ATX Mid Tower-$60
Corsair 650Watt-$110
LG DVD Burner SATA OEM-$25
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 32MB cache-$75
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer-$95
OCZ 6GB kit DDR3 1333 7-7-7-20 1.6V-$86
Radeon HD4780 X2 by XFX-$400
Asus P6T Intel X58 ATX-$240
Intel Core i7 920-$280
----------
$1416


Individual Parts List
Prices correct at time of publish.

What is listed is a few popular components at various price points and is by no means comprehensive. And it's always a good idea to shop around to find even better deals. You can save quite a bit of money if you find components with free shipping, combo deals, mail in rebates, and temporary price cuts. None of the prices listed reflect any of these extra savings because they change on a daily, weekly, and monthly manner.

Cases:
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 ATX Mid Tower-$44.99 (This case will require a fan, check the Case Accessories list for more info)
NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower-$59.99
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower-$69.95
RAIDMAX ECLIPSE ATX-989WBBL Black Mid Tower-$69.99
COOLER MASTER Mystique Black Aluminium ATX Mid Tower-$79.99
RAIDMAX ENZO ATX-617WB Black Mid Tower-$89.99
NZXT Guardian 921 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower-$89.99
ABS Aplus Diablo Black ATX *FULL* Tower-$99.99
COOLER MASTER HAF Black Steel ATX Mid Tower-$99.99
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower-$109.99
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black ATX Mid Tower-$119.99
Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower-$129.95

Power Supplies:
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus 500W-$49.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W-$49.99
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ400SXS 400W-$49.99
Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V-$54.99
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W-$59.99
NZXT PS-NT-PP600-R 600W-$69.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W-$99.99
Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W-$109.99
NZXT Performance Power PP800 800W-$129.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W-$194.99
COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro1000 RS-A00-EMBA 1000W-$199.99 < Overkill

Optical Drives:
LG Black 22X DVD-$24.99
LG Black 22X DVD w/Lightscribe-$27.99
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD-$29.99
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD w/Lightscribe-$30.99
ASUS 6X Blu-Ray 16X DVD-$99.99
LG 8X Blu-ray 16X DVD-$124.99



Storage Drives:
Western Digital Caviar SE 80GB 8MB cache-$33.99
Hitachi Deskstar 160GB 8MB cache-$39.99
Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 8MB cache-$47.99
Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB 8MB cache-$49.99
Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB 16MB cache-$54.99
Western Digital Caviar GP 500GB 16MB cache-$59.99
Samsung 640GB 16MB cache-$59.99
Seagate 640GB 32MB cache-$69.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 16MB cache-$69.99
Western Digital Caviar GP 750GB 16MB cache-$69.99
Samsung Spinpoint F1 750GB 32MB cache-$69.99
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 32MB cache-$74.99
Hitachi 1TB 16MB cache-$79.99
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 32MB cache-$94.99
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 32MB cache-$104.99
OCZ Vertex 30GB SSD-$139.00
Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB-$179.99
OCZ Vertex 60GB SSD-$219.00
Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB-$229.99
Western Digital 2TB 32MB cache-$279.99
Intel X25-M 80GB SSD-$324.00
OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD-$425.00
Intel X25-E 64GB SSD-$799.00

RAM (Memory): (RAM is not to be confused with hard drive memory.)
Crucial 2GB kit DDR2 800-$22.99
OCZ 4GB kit DDR2 800-$39.99
G.Skill 4GB kit DDR2 1066 5-6-6-18-$45.99
G.Skill PI Black4GB kit DDR2 800 4-4-4-12-$49.99
Corsair 4GB kit DDR2 1066 5-5-5-15-$64.00
G.Skill 4GB kit DDR3 1333 7-7-7-18 1.65V-$59.99
G.Skill 4GB kit DDR3 1333 9-9-9-24 1.5V-$59.99
OCZ 6GB kit DDR3 1333 7-7-7-20 1.6V-$85.99
OCZ Platinum 6GB kit DDR3 1600 7-7-7-24 1.65V-$94.99

Graphics Cards:
Radeon HD 4350 Apollo-$34.99
Radeon HD 4550 Sapphire-$46.99
Geforce 9500 GT Galaxy-$49.99
Radeon HD 4650 Powercolor-$55.49
Radeon HD 3850 VisionTek-$59.99
Geforce 9600 GSO 512MB EVGA-$69.99
Radeon HD 4670 HIS-$69.99
Geforce 9600 GT BFG-$79.99
Radeon HD 3870 Sapphire-$79.99
Radeon HD 4830 Sapphire-$89.99
Geforce 9800 GT Galaxy-$104.99
Radeon HD 4770 XFX-$109.99
Radeon HD4850 Sapphire-$119.99
Geforce GTS 250 512MB EVGA-$129.99
Geforce GTS 250 1GB XFX-$144.99
Radeon HD 4870 512MB Sapphire-$164.99
Geforce GTX 260 Core 216 XFX-$179.99
Radeon HD 4870 1GB Sapphire Vapor-X-$199.99
Radeon HD 4890 XFX-$249.99
Geforce GTX 275 EVGA-$249.99
Sapphire Radeon HD4850 X2 2GB-$279.99
Geforce GTX 280 BFG-$304.99
Geforce GTX 285 EVGA-$349.99
Radeon HD 4870 X2 XFX-$399.99
Geforce GTX 295 EVGA-$589.99

Processors:
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400-$119.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400-$167.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200-$164.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400-$184.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400-$219.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550-$269.99
Intel Core i7 920-$279.99
Intel Core i7 940-$554.99
Intel Core i7 965-$999.99
AMD Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition-$59.99
AMD Phenom X3 8750 Black Edition-$87.00
AMD Phenom II X3 710-$119.99
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition-$139.99
AMD PHenom II X4 810-$169.99
AMD Phenom II X4 920-$189.00
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition-$189.99
AMD Phenom II X4 945-$225.00
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition-$245.00

Procesor Cooling:
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro AMD-$29.99
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Intel-$31.99
OCZ Vendetta-$34.99
Xigmatek HDT-S1283-$36.99
Scythe Mugen-$36.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212-$38.99
Xigmatek HDT-S1284EE-$39.99
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer-$39.99
Tuniq Tower 120-$49.99
Cooler Master Hyper Z600-$57.99
Noctura NH-U12P-$59.99
Thermalright TRUE Black Ultra-120 eXtreme-$59.99
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366-$79.99
Cooler Master LGA1366 bracket for Hyper series-$4.99
Sunbeam CCF LGA1366 bracket-$9.99
Xigmatek LGA1366/775 bracket for S1283-$9.99
Xigmatek LGA1366/775 bracket for S1284-$9.99

Intel Motherboards:
MSI G41M-FD Intel G41 Micro ATX-$74.99
Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L Intel P43 ATX-$84.99
ASRock P45TurboTwins2000 Intel P45-$94.99
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45-$114.99
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P-$134.99
Asus P5N-D nForce 750i-$129.99
MSI X58 Pro Intel X58-$199.99
Asus P6T Intel X58-$234.99
Foxconn Renaissance Intel X58-$249.99

AMD Motherboards:
Foxconn A7VMX-K AMD 780V AM2+ Micro ATX-$54.99
Asus M3A78-EM AMD 780G AM2+ Micro ATX-$74.99
ASRock A780GXE/128M AMD 780G AM2+-$79.99
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AMD 790X AM2+-$109.99
Foxconn A79A-S AMD 790FX AM2+-$119.99
Biostar TForce TA790GX A3+ AM3-$124.99
Asus M4A79T Deluxe AMD 790FX AM3 ATX-$189.99
Asus M3N-HT Deluxe nForce 780a-$169.99

Sound Cards: (These are not necessary for a build, as your motherboard will have built in sound, but if you can afford the extra cost, they can greatly enhance your sound quality.)
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 PCI-Express-$44.99
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 PCI-$81.99
ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 PCI-Express-$89.99
Creative 7.1 Channels Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium PCI-Express-$99.99
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional 7.1 PCI-Express-$127.49
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1 PCI-Express-$159.99
ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels PCI-Express-$199.99

Gaming Keyboards:
Saitek Eclipse Keyboard-$49.99
Logitech G11 Keyboard-$58.99
Logitech G15 Keyboard-$74.99

Gaming Mice:
Logitech MX518 Mouse-$39.99
Logitech G5 Mouse-$43.99
Razer DeathAdder Mouse-$49.99
Logitech G7 Mouse-$72.99
Logitech G9 mouse-$89.99

Gaming Mousepads:
XTRAC Ripper XL mousepad-$16.99
Razer Destructor mousepad-$39.99

Monitors:
ASUS VW198T 19" Widescreen LCD-$109.99
Acer X223Wbd 22" Widescreen LCD-$159.99
ASUS VH226H 21.5" Widescreen LCD-$189.99
Acer X233Hbid 23"Widescreen LCD-$189.99
Dell Ultrasharp 2209WA 22" Widescreen LCD e-IPS-$219.00
Asus VW246H 24" Widescreen LCD-$269.99
Samsung ToC T240HD 24" Widescreen LCD-$329.99
BenQ G2400WD 24" Widescreen LCD-$359.99
HP LP2275w 22" Widescreen LCD S-PVA-$359.99
Samsung Syncmaster 2233RZ 22" 120 Hz LCD-$429.99

Speakers:
Creative Inspire 245 2.0 Speakers-$19.99
Logitech X-540 5.1 Speakers-$78.99
Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers-$99.99
Logitech Z-5500 Speakers-$302.99

Operating Systems: (A 32-bit OS will only use a maximum 3.75GB RAM for applications, the entire amount will be used by the OS however, while a 64-bit OS will use the full amount. WARNING 64-bit OS's are not totally supported with drivers and applications, and compatibility issues may occur.[/b])
Windows XP Home W/SP3 OEM-$89.99
Windows XP Professional W/SP2B-$110.00
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit OEM-$99.99
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM-$99.99
Windows Vista Business 64-bit OEM-$139.99
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit OEM-$179.99
Windows 7 Home Premium-$199.99
Windows 7 Professional -$299.99
Windows 7 Ultimate -$319.99

The prices for these components are not always correct, and may be found cheaper by shopping around. Also bear in mind that this thread is a Work In Progress and will be updated regularly, some components may be out of date, but an overhaul is coming soon. Links to the components will also be coming soon.

[Da BomB]

Nice!!!!!

Though I am a mac user, athough some of this can be used anyways xD!

[eska]

Original template is pretty much the same as the on done by IGN members, but I will be heavily editing it over the coming weeks, hopefully with some help of some of the more knowledgeable members! I'll try to translate any PC jargon as well that people may get confused by in the process.

[Da BomB]

Ill help if I can at lal, let me know if I can do anything!

Cheers!

[Radical_Pi]

Might want to make a list of places to get these parts. My personal favorite is NewEgg

[eska]

All the links so far are to Newegg, it's the best value US place I know of at the moment.

I'm in the process of going through rewriting the list and linking them as well so just bare with me for a while

[eska]

Thanks Red!

[eska]

Added power supplies list, opinions, suggestions, and criticisms plz.

kthxbi

[eska]

Updated again with Optical Drives list.

[eska]

Sound Cards added.

[Xfire Keenmike aka cull]

http://www.xfire.com/blog/keenmike/872434/
i bought this pc for 200 dollars. it was on clearance. when i first saw it i decided not to buy. i went home and started to add up how much each componet would cost. when i was done the total came out to about five hundred dollars. i bought the thing as quickly as i could, which was two days later.
Manufacturer:     eMachines
Processor:     AMD Athlon Processor LE-1620 2.4GHz single core unfortunatly
Memory:     1790MB RAM soon to be 3000MB RAM
Hard Drive:     160 GB at 7200 rpms
Video Card:     NVIDIA GeForce 8200 onboard graphics cool
Monitor:      The hotel DELL Monitor
Sound Card:    onboard realtek
Speakers/Headphones:    headphones
Keyboard:    regualr
Mouse:             regular
Mouse Surface:    two mouse pads taped together
Operating System:    Windows Vista Home Premium soon to be Windows 7
Motherboard:    small little mother board see pictures in blog still in my cell phone the pics
Computer Case:    mini itx case

[eska]

No offense but you can tell that's a cheap build. I really need to get round to redoing the list. When I haven't got major projects to work on I will.

[Xfire Keenmike aka cull]

that is the thing, cheap small and running my swbf1 for only 200 dollars. but worth alot more if you factor the following. what i would have spent if i bought the parts seperate. the wait time for the right amount of money to buy.

[eska]

It's generally cheaper to build your own computer, as long as you shop around a bit. SWBF is not a benchmark for how good a computer is, therefore I'm not too bothered whether your $200 can run it, I'm more interested in being able to run more recent games, and happily on full settings, which is mostly what I'm capable of at the moment, bar a couple of upgrades which are merely aesthetical. And the graphics card in a year.

[Xfire Keenmike aka cull]

according to xfire my little pc can run cod4 and swbf2. installing swbf2 soon. got the most bang for my 200 bucks, you agree?