Buying parts for a new computer

[VirDeBello]

I didn't get to read the sticky on the links to buying computer parts so maybe some of the questions may have been answered but I am buying computer parts and what not when should I purchase them? During this Christmas sale or the week or two after the Christmas sale? I am buying them online on Newegg.com and another question is should I put in the extra bucks for a better part or try to remain cheap and within budget. Example is I am looking at a couple power supplies the one that is the best is well the most expensive too lol So the question is go for the quality of the product even if its more expensive? Or are the good quality products that are cheap?

[Shadowex3]

Quality with computer parts is rarely directly connected to price, if anything some of the most respected and trustworthy parts are usually significantly less expensive than others. Corsair power supplies for example as basically tied for perfect ratings from everyone everywhere with PC Power and Cooling and a 750 watt psu (easily 150 watts over what any non-sli gaming comp will EVER use) is only $110.

 

It's more knowing which names to buy than going by price. Since you're more intelligent than yeast and I haven't slept in too damn long thanks to finals week here's the sparknotes version, btw anandtech and tomshardware are good for benchmarks:

 

Motherboards: Gigabyte or Asus

Ram: Geil, mushkin, corsair, OCZ, gskill

Psu: Corsair, PC Power and Cooling (they're both pretty cheap anyway so why go elsewhere yknow?)

Graphics: XFX and EVGA the big two with lifetime warranties and 24/7 support plus overclocker friendly policies.

GraphicsATI: ATI first party or Sapphire are good, otherwise look at the heatsink and warranty information.

Soundcards: Some x-fi's are fakes without the real chip, check wikipedia for a list of the real hardware x-fi cards.

Heatsinks: Noctuas are suprisingly good, Thermalright (especially the TRUE) is the next best bet. Anandtech ftw.

Fans: Noctuas for dead silence at the cost of air, yate loons for a middleground, delta for "Screamers".

Thermalpaste: Arctic silver, Ceramique, IC diamond, arctic cooling mx2

Bling: Heatsinks, fans, and lights/accessories are cheapest from SVC.com instead of newegg.

CPU: Dependant on benchmarks and your budget.

Cases: Antec's got some good ones, Cooler Master is kinda the de facto leader. Look for steel and 120mm fans.

Peripherals: There's a reason the best warranty service is nicknamed a "Logitech lifetime warranty".

Screens: I've pasted a link to the thread on different flatpanel panel tech a dozen times. IPS or MVA/PVA is better.

Mousepads: Find an office depot and get a ~$10 "deskpad".

Headphones: Audio Technica or Sennheiser, don't buy into the surround sound or "gaming" BS. trust science.

 

Also it sounds ridiculous but if you get a less expensive case buy some fine grit sandpaper, cases without any rolled edges are like boxes full of razors.

[Vinny]

Day after christmas.

[VirDeBello]

Well the one case I was looking at is 70$ and has two 240mm fans on it, saw good reviews and will prevent any over heating in anything. And my last two Nvidia cards were BFG Tech and I was happy with those last two products so I was gonna go with them again. They are good yeah? I already have certain things like mouse, keyboard, and headphones so that cuts out a bit already.

[Shadowex3]

BFG changed their warranty policies so it's not a true lifetime anymore and they've got a harsher registration deadline than EVGA. That's why it dropped from the Big Three to the Big Two.

[VirDeBello]

Oh I guess I didn't catch that, thanks for that little update man.

[Kiwi]

I'm a 100% nvidia fanboy, so I say no ATi!

 

Also, what is your budget? Under $700, AMD CPU, however, I am not so up-to-date on the prices and new CPUs out there, but I'll research them tonight.