Budget gaming build guide

red1776

Posts: 5,124   +194
I recently put together my umpteenth build, and as with the previous, it always reinforces one of my life theories "the older I get, the more I realize the less I know".....and how much there is to know.
I recently built a budget gaming rig after a friend of a friend of a friend offered me a try on his machine, one of those so called '$700.00 Crysis machines' , and I was heartily unimpressed, and thought I could do much better in performance, price , and the ratio between them. After building a new machine for my home office I found myself way under budget from what I originally set aside for that build. Which brings me to my first computer building tip: never tell your wife that you came in under budget! you will find half your surplus ending up as something floral patterned with cushions, sitting in your living room.... but I digress. That left me with just over $700 to complete my task.
Every day there are folks who come in here to Techspot and post a new thread that has the title 'need help building a budget gaming machine' or something to that effect. it can a little frustrating when someone building their first machine, asks the same question over and over. However it is understandable because when you're working with a budget, you get one shot to get it right. When the Newegg boxes arrive, your pretty much stuck with what you have, and if you miscalculated the sum and capability of your components....your kind of screwed. I have been afforded the luxury of being able to test out many configurations and components, as I have been slammed the last year and a half with requests to build computers for friends, acquaintances, etc...etc. And many of them are glad to buy the superfluous components....at a hefty discount. anyway I thought I would post this guide and share what I have learned , researched, and observed about putting together a budget gaming rig.
So I turned this last machine I have built into a 'budget testing ground' it has been through three processors, two motherboards, two sets of three graphic cards, a single high end graphic card, two HSF's, four power supplies, and two sets of Ram. I would like to offer the people looking to put together a gaming rig on a budget, what I have discovered from playing musical components with my builds. This is largely for those who are attempting or thinking about building their first machine themselves. a lot of members here at Techspot already know this stuff, or will disagree with some of it as it is a combination of technical fact and my opinion.
Guidelines and Advice-
0) setting expectations -What are you expecting from your build?
decide what level of performance you are expecting from your new machine. many times friends or people in forums (not here of course :) will tell someone that they are getting 40 FPS in Crysis with a XXXX cpu and a XXXX graphic card. problem is that they neglect to say that's on low settings at 1024x768 resolution. and the person I'm building the machine for is think more along the lines of high settings at 1680x1050 . I can't tell you how many times that has happened when building a machine for a friend ,family member, or the guy down the block. I have learned to ask questions and set expectations prior to ordering components to avoid unreasonable expectations. Defining your expectations is a critical aspect to avoid being very disappointed after dropping hundreds of dollars .


1) Don't short the power supply...(No pun intended....none noticed I'm sure)
If the motherboard is considered to be the 1st priority of a solid foundation for your build, the power supply should at least be considered 1a. A big mistake many people make is to choose the rest of the components and leave what's left for the power supply. they find a 650w psu for $19.99 and call it good. the problem is that a twenty dollar 650w power supply will not only not be able to deliver 650w, but rather deliver a heap of ripple, (a deviation from consistent regulated power) which is essential to the rest of your components, and becomes especially evident while doing something as resource intense as gaming. and will eventually most likely take them out when it fails prematurely. Power supplies are the epitome of 'you get what you pay for' , and there are many qualified folks here at Techspot who will be happy to recommend a quality and watt/Amp appropriate PSU for your new build. I favor power supplies from OCZ, FSP Group, Corsair, and Antec.
2) The Motherboard:
there are volumes that can be written about what to look for in a motherboard, so I will leave the bulk of it to those who do the 20 page reviews of them (see #6). Remember however that the motherboard is responsible for how all of your components communicate with each other, and the speed and efficiency they do it at. Look for a chipset (north bridge) that is a good gaming performer like the AMD 790FX/GX or Intel P43/45 among others. Make sure to check the manufactures support list's for compatibility with the components you have selected. This is maybe the most common mistake 'almost made'. I say almost made because usually a Techspot member will see the mismatch in the list and advise them that a component is not compatible with the selected motherboard. Also stick with motherboard manufacturers of known high quality. I favor Asus,Gigabyte, and DFI.

3) Leave your Fanboyism (and others) at the door.
many of you have been exposed to this very thoughtful and introspective advice...."Intel rocks! AMD sucks!..... when you ask one of these people what it is specifically they do not like about AMD, you are likely not to get anything intelligent about cpu architecture , electro-migration , or the virtues of a larger L3 cache, but rather another round of "AMD SUCKS" which renders their advice about as useful as one of those bumper stickers of Calvin pissing on a Ford emblem . they are however half right, Intel does indeed 'Rock' as for the second part .....not so much. the fact is that AMD produces equally high quality products as Intel, and has products that compete across the performance spectrum , with the exception of the ultra high end (the I7 core). and as this is about budget builds, AMD is your friend, and you would be well served to consider them as an option in your budget build.
4) Choosing a processor: (see #2)
A good thing to keep in mind when selecting a Processor for your budget gaming rig is that you don't have to start shopping quad cores. Most games make use of two or three cores. A cursory look at the benchmarks out there shows that many of the dual cores keep up with, and even outperform the quads. Also most games prefer and respond to higher clock speeds rather than an additional core(s). Your choice then really becomes more of a price point then. AMD has really sweetened the pot for budget gamers in recent months with the release of what have been referred to as 'bin chips'. They have taken cpu's of the Phenom and Phenom II series that have one or two cores that do not test up to par and disabled them . The Phenom's were introduced into the Athlon X2 series with added benefit of the K-10 architecture with the faster Hyper Transport, and the Phenom II being a X4 920 or x4 940 with a nice complement of L3 cache and one or two cores disabled . There are some really nice price /performance value in many of these processors and worthy of consideration for your budget gaming build.
4a) a few processors to consider: (IMO) :)

Upper end Budget:
Intel E 7500
Intel E 8400
AMD Phenom II X3 720 (this thing is really a gem folks)

Mid Budget:
AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE
AMD X3 Phenom II 710
Intel E 7400

Low end Budget:
AMD Athlon II X2 245
Intel E 5300 (great Overclocker)
Athlon II X2 250 BE
Intel E 6300
AMD Athlon X2 7750 BE
AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE
 
Budget Gaming Build Guide-Part 2

5) research from trusted sites.
Do your research from websites that you trust to give you the straight skinny on the components you are considering. trusted is important here because you will find yourself looking at a lot of bar graphs, and the writers performing the benchmarks can help you interpret what they mean and separate impressive(but not so meaningful at times) synthetic benchmarks, and those that will equate to , and are relevant to 'real world' performance. often times these are different, and critical in a budget build, and your computing experience and enjoyment.
6) The weakest Link
A good thing to keep in mind is that a computer is a weakest link scenario. it will only push data through as fast as its slowest component, and data throughput, is the key to a gaming machine, so balance between components is key for a budget build. windows Vista has a.....okay stop booing!...right then, windows Vista has a feature in its welcome center called' windows experience index', and for the most part it's as useless as ....., well , pick your own favorite phrase. It does one thing well however, and that's illustrate a point. it rates various major components on a scale of 1.0-5.9(windows 7 does the same thing from 1.0-7.9) it then rates the strength of your system based on the lowest rated component. while I consider this to be just a bobble of the GUI to make you feel better about things, it does illustrate rather accurately that a computer can only perform as well as its weakest component.
7) Stop when you get to the point of diminishing returns
when researching your components be careful not to get caught up in paying for diminishing return purchases. in other words you are building a budget rig here and paying 50% more to get 8% more performance is not going to contribute to a well balanced machine, and most likely you will have to skimp on another component. then your back to the weakest link problem. here is a great example of diminishing return. The Nvidia GTX 285 is currently averaging around $100 more than the GTX 280, and the GTX 285 in benchmarking only offers on average a 4-5% increase in performance. That's $100 that could be spent on another component that will actually offer tangible increases, or spread over the entire build, lifting the performance overall.



8) Consider Overclocking
Okay I'm probably going to catch hell over this one, but here goes.....overclocking is safe!....there I said it. I as much as anyone here at Techspot always issue a disclaimer when asked for overclocking advice, and will continue to do so, however, I have been overclocking for 15 years...and I have yet to burn up a processor. And as anecdotal as that may, or may not be. I do a great amount of reading on the subject of overclocking, and have found that done reasonably, and while adhering to a few rules. there are very few incidences of burning up the CPU and other components as a result. The modern processor left at its factory clock speed is designed to, or just as a side effect of will last 10-20 years under normal use. and in that way it's a lot like an automobile. If you drive your car 10,000 miles a year, it will probably last you 20 years. if you drive it 25,000 miles a year, it will only last you 8 years. So ask yourself the following question: do I intend to be using the same processor in 5-8 years? if the answer is no, consider using the additional performance locked up inside your CPU , and as long as you observe a few simple guidelines, you can have additional performance from your system beyond the length of time you intend to have it around. Because if you're like me....and I know I am! you like getting the maximum price performance you can. okay I mentioned some guidelines, here is my take on 'safe' overclocking.
8a)Number one, and the most obvious.... keep it cool
Don't entertain the idea without an aftermarket heat sink and fan. things that kill processors are frequency and the corresponding heat , electromigration ,parasitic structures, latchup etc (and other things I have spent a lot of time trying to wrap my brain around). I keep my overclocked temps well below even the manufacturers recommended range.
8b). stop when you come to 'diminishing returns'
If your building an high end system, not buying into 'diminishing returns' is irrelevant, and a preposterous idea. however in building a budget and price /performance machine, it is imperative.
when overclocking there comes a point when you need to apply a disproportionate amount of voltage to get a limited return, at this point...stop! for example if you can overclock your cpu from 3Ghz to 3.6Ghz with a .05 increase in voltage say 1.30v to 1.35v , but to need to bump the voltage .10v from 1.35 to 1.45. to get to 3.7Ghz, stop there and keep the OC that required only the .05 increase. I personally am less concerned about voltage increases than the inexorable link between increased voltage and the heat that comes with it. if however you feel the need to push it further........
8c) adhere to the maximum Vcore voltage
both AMD and Intel have the maximum vcore voltage ratings that you get when you purchase a CPU, however they also have a 'really really maximum for overclockers' pay heed to these voltage regulations. currently for many newer AMD and Intel processors, these voltages are 1.55v (for AMD) and 1.45(for Intel) (verify that for your particular processor) be aware that Intel CPU's are more sensitive to higher voltage and its effects, but they generally have more overclock headroom and require less voltage to get there.

8d) create a gaming profile (or a profile for anything you can't wait for)
you do not have to run your rig overclocked 24/7. We are talking gaming here so you can create a gaming profile in overclock software offered by your CPU manufacturer, or in some cases, built into your motherboard bios manufacturer. The profiles are also great if you do video editing or rendering in 3DS max, and the like, as I do.
8e) The disclaimer:
okay, have to do it. here is the ubiquitous disclaimer, this one is from AMD and ironically enough is paired with their own overclocking utility :) Intel's warning is similar.

From : http://game.amd.com/us-en/default.aspx
WARNING AMD and ATI processors are intended to be operated only within their associated specifications and factory settings. Operating your AMD or ATI processor outside of specification or in excess of factory settings, including but not limited to overclocking, may damage your processor and/or lead to other problems, including but not limited to, damage to your system components (including your motherboard and components thereon (e.g. memory)), system instabilities (e.g. data loss and corrupted images), shortened processor, system component and/or system life and in extreme cases, total system failure. AMD does not provide support or service for issues or damages related to use of an AMD or ATI processor outside of processor specifications or in excess of factory settings. You may also not receive support or service from your system manufacturer.
DAMAGES CAUSED BY USE OF YOUR AMD OR ATI PROCESSOR OUTSIDE OF SPECIFICATION OR IN EXCESS OF FACTORY SETTINGS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER YOUR AMD PRODUCT WARRANTY AND MAY NOT BE COVERED BY YOUR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY.

9) Crossfire works!
I have been lambasted on here at Techspot over and over again for recommending a crossfire setup. The conventional wisdom has been that "one high end card, is always better than two(or more) mid range cards) While that certainly can be true in many situations, I have to assume that many these folks have either not had a crossfire setup, or only tried it pre the 8.4 drivers. the fact is that crossfire has come a long way since the XT2900. even more since the 8.12 driver set. Since the 8.4 driver set there has been an improvement in crossfire performance of over 30%. Rage_3k_Moiz said this the other day and I think it is an important point to note. Crossfire is more dependent on driver support and development than single card setups . ATI puts a fresh set of drivers out every month, and driver development seems to have garnered more attention in the last year + since AMD has been at the helm and Crossfire is now a great option to buying one of those super high end cards, and the right crossfire setup can match or out-perform them for a lot less money....more on that later. which leads me to my next topic.....
 
Budget Gaming Build Guide-Part 3

10) The Gpu
A few years ago cpu frequency doubling speed every 18 months came to a flying halt at about 4Ghz due to a limit in manufacturing process and the inability to dissipate the added heat that came with speeds above 4.0Ghz. the industry then turned to putting multiple cores on the same die. It was also around this time that GPU development garnered a lot more attention and R&D by manufacturers and the result is a hyper competitive market. for the purposes of a budget game build, the sweet spot at this time is in the area of $80-$120. there are really a great selection of powerful GPU's that can be had in this price range. don't get me wrong, the GPU is a critical component to your budget game build. games now are more GPU dependant than ever, and will remain that way, however , don't get carried away and purchase a GPU that your new system will not be able to use to its fullest extent(again the diminishing return factor).

I often see a couple of faulty assumptions in the area of selecting graphic cards. 1) folks making a choice based only on core speed, core speed is way down the list as far as purchasing considerations for a GPU. 2) I have seen many folks not get a Nvidia GPU because they compared the 'streaming processor' count of the ATI products with that of the Nvidia. the problem with this is that the ATI and the Nvidia GPU architecture are of completely different design and not comparable. it has been generally accepted by the industry that approximately 200 of the Nvidia SPU's are equivalent to 800 of the ATI SPU's. Right then. here are some of the things that I take a hard look at when selecting a Gpu, other than the reviews and bench tests of course.
A) SPU count : streaming processing units,(sometimes referred to as 'unified shaders') once you do the conversion between the Nvidia's spu's and the ATI spu's, this can give you an indicator of a cards capability.

B) The 'FLOP'
short for 'floating point operations (per second) this stat can be a little difficult to find, but entering 'detailed specs 'on the cards you are considering into Google or the like, will usually yield you this spec, and is useful in comparing the 'processing power' the card has. the higher end cards these days have crossed the gigaflop barrier and are usually somewhere in the 1-2.5 teraflop range, with the midrange cards in the .5-1.0 teraflop range
C) memory bus width Here is a great tool for monitoring M-flops , GPU core speed , temp, and increased bandwidth as you OC the GPU. http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

I am not usually taken with a card that has less than a 256bit memory bus width, however ATI has made an art (or game) depending on how you look at it, of hitting a price point of trading 256bit bus width for the an 128bit bus width by using DDR5 in lieu of DDR3, and the performance comes real close to breaking even. but that aside, usually cards that have a 256bit bus width and up are the ones that are more powerful .
None of these alone is the end all for determining how the card will perform in your real world desktop, but they are good indicators as to the 'horsepower' a card has. as an illustration that the core speed is not a very important tool in determining the card you should be considering...consider this, the most powerful graphic card on the planet is the Nvidia GTX 295, and runs at maybe the slowest core speed of all the high end cards @ 576Mhz. and to tie it in with the above it has 480 shaders (1800 in ATI terms) 1.79 Teraflops and has a 896bit bus width (2x448)




11) system memory
Right now DDR3 is running at about 2-3 times the cost of DDR2 Ram. (and I can hear the price dropping as we speak). don't feel like you have to have DDR3 system, if its within the budget great. however the performance gains you will get with DDR3 is in the low single digits. a quality set of 4Gb DDR2 800 or 1066 will work splendidly for you. As far as how much memory is needed, I think Toms Hardware did the best job of explaining this in this article and benchmark: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html



12) After Market cooling solution
You don't have to spend a ton on a cooling solution if you decide to overclock and go aftermarket. There are some inexpensive solutions out there that keep up with and surpass the performance of heatsinks costing twice as much. There are plenty of comprehensive benchmarks out there to choose from. here are three around the $30 range that I found that perform extremely well, and beyond their price category.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202007





13) Case selection
I suggest getting a good size mid tower for its ability to have good airflow. particularly if you are going to be overclocking and/or have graphic card (s) that vent the hot air from the GPU into the case unlike the 'tunnel cards' that push the hot air out the back of the case. You can set your case up to negative or positive air pressure. each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here is an article that explains how to set up your case and explains how positive and negative air work. Taking time to do some wire management can help airflow as well.
http://www.xoxide.com/computer-cooling.html
Taking time to do some wire management can help airflow as well as well as appearance, if you are so inclined. here is a tutorial with cable management tips from Techware Labs.
http://www.techwarelabs.com/guides/misc_mod/cablemanagement/


Okay so I am not recommending that anyone or everyone in need of a budget gaming rig build the one I have . but I did make a project out of this thing exploring how to get the most performance possible with a limited budget. like I mentioned at the top, it has seen two motherboards, two sets of three graphic cards , a single high end card, four power supplies, three processors. and two sets of Ram. I learned quite a lot from all that and I believe that I have found a configuration that pretty close to the maximum bang for the buck at this point in history. this machine as it stands adds up to $840, however it has a few extras that would not be necessary for a budget build. these being the secondary power supply, and the second set of 4GB ram. without these it is a $700 rig. to take it a step further if you removed one of the GFX cards and made it a 2x crossfire,....well you get the idea. I hope that some or all of this will help those who are entertaining their first custom build, or are in need of a demanding build on a budget. and if you are not sure what criteria to use to start your build, I hope this is of some assistance to you. :)
For anyone interested I have attached a few pics of this thing, and some Crysis warhead frame rates. here are the specs! happy gaming!

Motherboard: DFI 790FXB M2RS
Processor: AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE @ 3.8 GHz
HS/F: OCZ Vendetta
Power Supply #1: Sigma Shark 635w
Power Supply #2: FSP Group Booster X5 500w
Graphic cards: 3X ATI HD 4850 CrossfireX
memory: 8Gb OCZ Platinum (PC 8500) 1066
HDD: 2x Seagate barracuda 500 Gb 7200 RPM 7000.12
Case: SunbeamTech ACB9 Acrylic
CD/DVD Drive: Asus DRW-22B1LT



References and resources:
trusted web sites for review and technical information:
https://www.techspot.com/ (of course :))
http://www.tomshardware.com/us/
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/
http://www.guru3d.com/
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/16392/5
If you take an interest in the more technical aspect of things:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.techreport.com/cpu/


My preferences for power supplies:
http://www.corsair.com/
http://www.seasonicusa.com/
http://www.fspgroupusa.com/
http://www.ocztechnology.com/
http://www.antec.com/us/

And To figure the amount of juice you need:
http://www.antec.outervision.com/

Intel Home page:
http://www.intel.com/
AMD Home page:
http://www.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDHomePage.aspx
Motherboard Preferences (my motherboard preferences)
http://www.dfi.com/ *****Warning:( ONLY USE DFI IF YOU DONT MIND YOUR MOTHERBOARD LOOKING LIKE A GARDEN! ******* :)
http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/

ID and monitoring software:
http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php
http://www.techpowerup.com/ (see the 'our software 'section)
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
ATI home page:
http://www.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDHomePage.aspx

Nvidia home page:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/home.html

Benchmark and Review:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/index.php (particularly for power supplies)
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/16392/5
http://www.tomshardware.com/us/
http://www.guru3d.com/
http://www.overclockersclub.com/
http://www.anandtech.com/default.aspx
http://www.legitreviews.com/
http://www.bit-tech.net/
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

AMD gaming:

http://game.amd.com/us-en/unlock_dragon.aspx (AMD Overdrive and monthly ATI drivers can be had here)


Benchmarking and troubleshooting software:
http://www.lavalys.com/
http://www.sisoftware.net/
http://www.memtest86.com/
http://www.fraps.com/download.php
 

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About Considering Overclocking.......

This is sort of directed at Intel's C2D offerings.

I've read lot of customer reviews of Conroe Allendale and Pentium (E series) dual core.

The question that still comes to mind is, does it actually pay to buy an up-line CPU for it's clock speed, or can the same results be expected by a more severe overclocking of a lower priced, (hence "slower") unit.

The CPUs that come to mind here are the E2xxx series of Pentium Dual Core.

"My E2140 clocks to 3.4" and another review might state that an E2200 may only make that frequency when it is overclocked. How much is BS, how much is enthusiasm, how much is fact?

So, I guess one way of expressing that, does Intel merely down clock the lower priced CPUs, or conversely, is there a E8500 lurking inside every E8400 waiting to get out?

And the follow up question is, is there much to be gained by running a lower clock frequency CPU at only 1 or 2 steps up the line. IE; Overclocking a C2D E7300 2.66 Ghz, to the E7400's 2.8 Ghz or the E7500's 2.93Ghz ? The 2.93 Ghz speed only equals about a 10% speedup.
 
The way i understand this, and have been reading it since the 486 or Pentium I days is this. when they 'bin' the processors, they earmark them as a certain model based on demand....or expected demand by clock speed. however if say the demand for the E8400 out paced demand for the E8500, the E8400 was taken from the E8500 bin and relabeled to be an E8400.....i think i just confused myself......anyway back in the day we used to call it "getting one of the good ones" when you got an under clocked chip and could get a 50% OC out of it. I think it still works the same way. they count on the average user not overclocking or being afraid to void their warranty, thus collecting a hefty markup for the same chip, only clocked up 200Mhz faster.
as far as you chip Cap (the E2140) check this out.....I think you got one of the 'good ones' a E2160 relabeled LOL
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/pentium-e2160_14.html#sect0
 
The question that still comes to mind is, does it actually pay to buy an up-line CPU for it's clock speed, or can the same results be expected by a more severe overclocking of a lower priced, (hence "slower") unit.
Theres always AMD, and the Phenom II x3 720 :), either way no need to worry about the E2xxx series anymore, their just not as good price/performance anymore.
It is luck dependent though, mostly with the very low end intel processors. My E4600 with 2.4 stock can't even hold 3.0 without some good overvolting, I guess I was unlucky as it is perfectly feasible for some E4600 to reach above and beyond. I blame intel's "binning" for shipping me a sucky processor. I do think results stabilize when you go higher up the price ladder.

About the actual thread, i'm quite speechless, must have taken all your vacation time.
 
Winds of the Old Days..........

I hope you saved me enough so I could do a mega-post......! ;)

Anyway, HK is right, good, nay, verily great job.

Is this your idea of a "stay-cation"? The motivation is formidable!

About all I could picture mustering out of an extra week at home, would be the purchase of a new toilet seat. :haha: :wave:
 
yes and no

I hope you saved me enough so I could do a mega-post......!
I would expect nothing less!


must have taken all your vacation time.
Just pecked away at it over a couple of months in between angst ridden days of pounding out the great American novel. :D
 
Amazing! I guess "The FORCE was with you"!!! :p

It'll be a great post to refer to for anyone trying their hand at building their first rig.
 
love on the rocks.....

"I is, I said", I thought that was Neil Diamond and not Mark Twain (.) (?) (!) :haha: :wave:


No no no...its "I am I cried" :p:wave:


I AM... I SAID
Written by Neil Diamond

L.A.'s fine, the sun shines most the time
And the feeling is 'lay back'
Palm trees grow, and rents are low
But you know I keep thinkin' about
Making my way back

Well I'm New York City born and raised
But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores
L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home
New York's home, but it ain't mine no more

"I am," I said
To no one there
An no one heard at all
Not even the chair
"I am," I cried
"I am," said I
And I am lost, and I can't even say why
Leavin' me lonely still

Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of bein' a king
And then became one
Well except for the names and a few other changes
I you talk about me, the story's the same one

But I got an emptiness deep inside
And I've tried, but it won't let me go
And I'm not a man who likes to swear
But I never cared for the sound of being alone

"I am," I said
To no one there
An no one heard at all
Not even the chair
"I am," I cried
"I am," said I
And I am lost, and I can't even say why
Leavin' me lonely still

now if having that at the ready isn't cause for worry......
 
No, no, I think we're both wrong, I'm pretty sure it's, "I is, I bees", and it was "Grill Diamonds", the rapper! :rolleyes: :haha:
 
Excellent! So you finally got it sorted out with Mr. Julio I see. :)

I have small nitpicks though:
  • Section 2 - I think you meant P43\P45 there. (it says P48)
  • Section 4a - A little formatting would help to distinguish the CPUs from each other.
But they are just minor ones. Overall, it is an extremely helpful one-stop-for-all guide.

Great work Greg! :grinthumb
 
I have small nitpicks though:

* Section 2 - I think you meant P43\P45 there. (it says P48)
* Section 4a - A little formatting would help to distinguish the CPUs from each other.

Thanks Moiz......fixed! I wrote it in MS word, when I C&P it, it scrambled it but good.
thanks again for your help with this :)
 
hello im looking forward to making a gaming computer i have a Area-51 750i but im going it give it away to one of my good friends who's computer has been stolen I know im crazy but he needs one and will pay me money from time to time so im not crazy my father can make a computer well any kind of computer like for gaming or music or just plain bills or just for fun but I really want to make my own computer so in the future i know what to do and how to do it I love to learn about this stuff and from what im told its cheaper you just need the materials and the ability I have the ability i help my dad put in certain stuff into a computer like a motherboard thats about it and I want to test my skills and make one on my own to show my father that I can make on and to take time off of his hands when he has to make a new one but lets cut to the chase I need opions on what kind of things I should buy to make a gaming computer so far I just got into reading about this stuff its been around 15 minutes and Iv covered the basic things you need for a gaming computer a CPU, motherboard, hard drive, computer RAM, and graphics card Im currently looking at a Intel Pentium Dual Core for 80 bucks I need to keep a low budget because i only have 1200 dollars from working [mowing lawns] so if you can message me about this it will be great thank you very much
 
Under Mid-Budget in the processor section you have put AMD Athlon II X2 550 BE and I think You meant AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE . Right?
 
Graphics cards

nice build red!

just wondering are the 3x ATI HD4850 graphic cards you spec'd the version with 512MB of on board memory or the 1GB counterpart?
assuming that the cards used were sapphire 4850s based on the picture of the internal components
 
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