Helpful links on building a gaming PC

[Altanish]

If you're a swedish go to this link: http://www.datorbutiken.com/

[SchmoSalt]

If you have a Micro Center around your area, I would highly suggest you check the prices there against where ever else you may be buying from. They typically have lower prices than Newegg from my experience and you don't have to pay shipping. Plus, they have a huge stock and may have things that Newegg simply does not have.

 

http://microcenter.com/

[König]

http://www.xoticpc.com/ is pretty good for building laptops

[Failer]

Thanks Senior

[jazzy]

lol pot

http://overclock.net/

a community based all around computer/gaming/anything techy really

just use the hardware forum and it has tons of updates on hardware

I DO NOT recommend going to this site for help on getting PC parts that you WILL NOT use for overclocking. Most parts recommended on this site are made to overclock. If you wish to use a PC that stays at stock settings, you should consult elsewhere as most of these parts perform poorly at stock settings, and most products there are specifically targeted towards the overclocking population.

 

 

If you are thinking of building your own PC at this current time, I recommend taking these tips:

 

• ATi Graphics cards are currently a generation further than most nvidia cards, even if your nvidia fanboyism kicks in, tell it to shut up. ATI GPUs are the things to buy RIGHT NOW. Even their budget cards and high-end ones are a better buy.
  
• Buying new CPU? Make sure to think of what price range you want and how far you want to go. the i7 six core cpus that are 9 series are a definite NO BUY. these CPUs run a socket that will no longer be advanced upon. 1156 socket is the way to go. or the AM3, most tech experts however, think that the AM3 socket will be burned out within the next few years for AMD is going to need to refresh their hardware to keep up with Intel standards. However, the budget CPUs are a buy. Phenom II X4 955 is a must buy for the budget user!
  
• Buying a NCI card? DON'T. Most motherboards with built in network capabilities work just fine.
  
• Buying DDR2 is currently a recommended no-no. They cost an extremely high amount of money. This is because people are trying to phase DDR2 chips out and sell DDR3. DDR3 is used by any new socket, ranging frmo AM3 to 1156 to 1366.
  
• Don't skimp on power supplies, don't skimp on heatsinks.
  
• Want to get SATA 6GB/s? Don't bother. Get SATA 3GB/s. SSDs are currently a DEFINITE NONO. DO NOT BUY SOLID STATE DRIVERS. I REPEAT, DO. NOT. BUY. SOLID. STATE. DRIVES.
  
• Seriously, don't buy SSDs. Their software and hardware is currently extremely buggy and you will suffer data lose along with poor performance compared to current HDD standards, don't get reeled into new tech hype. Most times it's buggy, and broken. Wait until the dust settles.
  
• Don't listen to anyone who had the one case of X part breaking so they must be a shitty manufacturer. Most cases it's case of defective bunch. However, here is a list of manufacturers to definitely buy from:
  

CPU:

 

• Intel
  
• AMD
  

GPU:

 

• MSI
  
• EVGA
  
• BFG
  
• Pretty much any company.
  

PSU:

 

• Corsair
  

Cases:

 

• Raidmax (These cases are not actually that good, but they work for budget)
  
• Antec (extremely well air flow, a must)
  
• COOLER MASTERS (same as antec, but even better. these are the best high end cases you will find, if you have the cash BUY THEM)
  

HDD:

 

• Western Digital
  

Motherboard:

 

• Gigabyte
  
• Anything but ASUS really, or Foxconn.
  

Soundcards:

 

• Realtek. Anything really, but from experience Realtek works great!
  

RAM:

 

• This is a tough one...
  
• Corsair
  
• G.SKILL (i don't really recommend these. but if you don't want Corsair, this is really the only other option that isn't as shitty as competitors like Crucial or OCZ)
  

 

But really, I can't stress this enough. DON'T BUY SOLID STATE DRIVES.