DIY Tips needed

lookslikegod SG

Hi guys, I've been thinking of changing my PC to current standards because mine was far too old already and its time to be changed.

I plan to DIY it from scratch with a budget of about $800.

A little background about what I do will probably give u guys out there a little idea on what i plan to do with it.

I play games like WoW, CS, L4D, Dota, just to name a few. I'm quite an avid gamer but not an hardcore one. I don't go after for high-end graphics but just request for a smooth gameplay. I do extremely basic photo editing and I like to multi-task.

I've searched around and came up with a few specs to look out for, and hopefully can get some help from forumners.

SPECS:

Motherboard: I seriously do not know which to choose. The range of motherboards are way too daunting and is probably the most stressful component of all. Can anyone recommend me something for this?

But im currently looking at the ASUS P5QL-E P43 motherboard. GOod choice?

Processor: Im aiming for Core 2 Duo 7400. Don't see the need for a higher end core 2 duo or a low end core 2 quad like the 8200.

For the chosen motherboard and processor bundled is about $350.

Graphics card: ATI Radeon HD4670 or slightly high. 512MB or 1GB?(1gb about $120)

Hard disk: Just a regular one, about 320gb SATA (abt $75)

RAM: 3gb or 4GB (abt $80)

DVD Drive - Regular one will do. Will pick up any from SIM LIM.(abt $60)

Casing and Power Supply will just pick any too. Not very much interested. $100 should settle it.

So total is about $785.

Any recommendations on where to improve? Do help soon guys! hoping to get everything set up by this weekend.

Also, since im building everything from scratch. Would it be wise to go to a reasonably priced shop @ simlim like fuwell or bizgram and get them to build it for me? Any recommendations on that?

Rgds

Raraken SG

It would be wise to go to shops which, yes, are reasonably priced like Fuwell, Best Price, Bell Systems etc. You can ask Pillow for his opinions, but these are those I trust (and visit) the most.

Do you want to go for AMD instead of Intel? Cause I've been testing out this Phenom II 940 rig, and works pretty good. 3.0GHz, add ~$50 for an ASUS mobo and the CPU. Quad-cores are pretty good at multitasking, which my C2Ds (or more specifically, my Q6600 with a few disabled cores) seem to lack.

The mobo is pretty good, judging by reviews.

The videocard, I'm not too attracted to the 4600 series, a bit underpowered, to me, but it will do very well for regular gaming on the games you mentioned. Go for the 512MB version, since 1GB on anything less than a 9800/GTS250/HD4850/HD4770 is a waste.

For RAM, try to get a Dual-channel kit. They will cost about the same, depending on the brand.

Warning: DO NOT USE THE PSU THAT CAME WITH YOUR CASE.

These are, more often than not, weak PSUs that aren't rated properly. They could also be generic PSUs, so watch out. Should they overload, they may, or more like will, damage your PC.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Starting numerous same topics here is not allowed here. Please choose to continue either in this thread or this topic.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Locked. To be continued here - http://sgforums.com/forums/2250/topics/365492