I would recommend using the site as a reference and to give a general idea of what options are available, but in terms of specific components and combinations there are always going to be many more out there. You can get a better comp on the cheap if you get components over a longer period with as extensive research as possible, picking ones that are good performance/price and on sale. If you're looking to just go through with it and be done within a couple weeks, then the components listed on that site are a fine template.
If you want general advice, I can think of a few helpful things.
-RAM is overrated, 8GB is enough for basically anyone. I rarely use more than 4, if you get 16 then it's money that would be better spent on basically anything else, including things like the case or fans.
-If you're considering linux, go for Nvidia over AMD graphics cards. They release proper drivers for (all?) of their cards for linux operating systems, whereas with AMD you need to rely on community made drivers which can be quite disastrous in terms of getting performance and stability out of your card. Going linux over windows can save a substantial amount of money (unless you want to risk sailing the high seas), but even with growing linux support there will be some games that can only be run through things like WINE and emulators (or not at all). And of course it's more difficult to learn, but this is the DF forum!
-If you're interested in overclocking your processor, you'll both need an uncapped processor (some cannot be overclocked) and a motherboard which supports it (also check reviews which mention the quality of the BIOS).
-Don't use the stock processor fan, it's like $10-15 for a replacement heatsink that's much better. If you're overclocking, then this is a must, and you may want to spring for a pricier one.
-Don't skimp on the PSU, make sure you have some wiggleroom with a bit more wattage than you need. There are some extremely shady cheap PSUs out there, and that component is both one of the most likely to fail and quite disastrous if it does. Efficiency is also important, computers use a lot of electricity.
-The latest graphics cards are essentially never worth it in terms of performance/price. Most graphically intensive games are made to run on already outdated console hardware, and those that aren't are on PC, where they need to support a reasonable range of card quality anyway. An older card is usually much better value, both in terms of its inherent discount and the possibility of getting it on sale.
-For gaming, you could technically still get away with using a dual core processor for basically any modern game, but most are probably too old. Very few games benefit significantly from monsters like the 6 or 8 core thingies you may see. Those are mainly for specialized software that's threaded for that many cores, I would recommend a quad core. Processors aren't as important as the graphics card for gaming, but still impact performance significantly.
-Don't get lights and spinny things and transparent stuff on your case, it's silly. Mid range cases are fine, just make sure they're roomy and have a good interior setup for cabling and motherboard placement (and of course fits whatever components you may be putting in it).
-An SSD is a luxury, and not necessary. I've heard it's quite a deal more responsive to install your OS on one though, so maybe consider it.
Author
Topic: Building a Computer (Read 1424 times)