Hey there, everyone. I've been thinking lately that I'd like to make the switch from consoles to PC, at least for modern gaming. I've been stuck with severely underpowered computers most of my life, so I'm not too privy on this stuff. I know I can slap one together because I've done it before, but I just want to get some recommendations from you guys since you actually seem to know your stuff.

I've been following this guide here under the "Good" path as my primary choice. I'm planning on spending $500 to $600 USD on this computer. I don't really have the funds to go over that amount. I already have a keyboard and mouse (old Dell ones, they're more than functional; I could always get new ones at a later date). I plan on using my TV as my monitor + speakers since getting a new set of both would add on about $400 I don't have to spend on this (this is something else where, if needed, i could get it at a later date). I plan on primarily using this computer for gaming at medium to high settings. I can get copies of Windows 7 and 8 from my university for free, plus I'll probably be dual booting into Linux. I'd like this computer to last for about three to four years before I need a new one (considering that all I play at now is less than low settings, I'll be cool with it lasting that long at lower settings, but I'd prefer higher settings). Beyond gaming, I plan on using this computer for just general usage (internet, watching movies, etc).

Essentially, I just want your guys advice as to how to improve that build (i.e. maybe different graphics card, better cpu, etc.). Also, while I do have headphones, I don't have a headset of any sorts, so I wouldn't mind any recommendations on that either. I plan on buying from NewEgg since that's pretty much the best place I can think of to order from in the US, but I'll take recommendations on stores, as well. Also, any sort of extras (I know you need some sort of gel for the CPU, I can't remember what kind. I also know that I'll probably need an anti-static band of sorts to wear. I don't know if I'll need any specific cords or wires for the inside of the computer, though).

I've been doing some research on this on my own, but a lot of this stuff seems daunting (what parts are compatible with what motherboards, what kind of case I should get), so I'd be very appreciative of this.

Thank you in advance for this.

EDIT: Current build can be seen in the below link.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xI44

I built my first computer all on my own this last summer - and helped my mother build a second one at the very end of the summer. So a couple of things/answers to your questions (stuff about actual hardware choices I'll leave to more experienced people than myself):

You've probably watched the tutorials on NewEgg (since you're planning on buying parts from there) about how to build your own computer. But I watched all three parts (all almost three hours), and it was really helpful. I still messed up a couple of times, so it wasn't ideal all the time. But being able to watch the videos was really a good thing for me.

In terms of the "gel" you need: thermal paste. You don't "need" it. But if you think you are going to be playing games on your computer that are going to actually heat your CPU hot enough to need an "after-market CPU fan" (which means something big and clunky and powerful that doesn't come with the CPU itself) then you need to probably* buy some thermal paste. If you don't get an after-market CPU fan then the fan that comes with the CPU itself will have some pre-applied thermal paste on there and that should work fine.

*the fan I bought actually came with a tube of thermal paste, but I had also bought my own, so that was a waste of $5. But I now just have a bunch.

I didn't buy an anti-static wrist band, but I also built both of the computers I was involved with during the summer when it was humid, and not dry. And I live in an area (the Northeastern United States) where it isn't actually that static-y unless I walk on a carpet in wool socks anyway. Regardless, I was very careful about grounding myself on a plugged in powersource, or the metal case ALL THE TIME. But I think I could have gotten away with not if I really wanted to be more chancy. But basically, I think that something like a anti-static wrist band matters more in terms of your own comfort level (and then where you will be doing the building: is the table you will be working on over a carpet - where you'll be walking and possibly creating static? or are you building on a wooden floor with nothing even remotely metal, or wool, or static-fabrics in the area? etc).

If you don't buy any of your parts OEM (stands for original equipment manufacturer - which means that you are literally just buying the part, no warranty to put it into something, or cords or disks or whatever) then you don't have to worry about cords. The case will come with some cords, the motherboard will come with more, and so will the harddrive(s) likely enough (though I bought both my HHD and my SSD OEM so they didn't have cables - but I had enough from my motherboard).

In terms of compatibility, I think the biggest thing is making sure that the CPU is going to fit into your motherboard. Other than that it is really hard to not have things be compatible (especially if all of the parts you buy are newish - meaning not pre-2005). Edit: I forgot you are using your TV for your monitor! So, it depends on your TV, and what type of signal you need to make the picture look the best on your TV (and I'm not really sure how this works) but you might have to make sure that the graphics card you buy is HDMI compatible so that you can have the TV have the best picture quality.

Best of luck! I hope you have a lot of fun with it!

First go here: http://www.newegg.com/

Search the parts to make sure they are still that price.

AS for what you want - Basic computer use/videos (and light gaming) that "good" will be more than fine for you. I will post more for you later tonight or tomorrow.

I would suggest to ask on Tom's Hardware, they generally can set you up for your pricerange.

Try to decide what brand of cpu and videocard you want, you have two options for both.
Intel generally makes the best cpu's in terms of processing power though they tend to be more expensive, AMD is mostly cheaper and more overclock friendly (and you don't even need a black edition for that).
As for videocards it is more personal preference, both Nvidia and AMD are good, both have also their quircks, personally I prefer Nvidia though.
I also wouldn't be skimpy on a powersupply, just buy one from a good brand, a 1000W powersupply from a crappy manufacturer is worse than a 400W powersupply from a good manufacturer.

Edit:

By the way, if you have to apply your own thermalpaste, be very careful not to spill it because you will fry your system.
I always apply a very thin layer (thinner is better) as it is only needed to reduce the transitional resistance from the cpu to the heatsink.

Thanks for the tips!

My experience with building computers actually comes from my major in college. For one of my classes, we had to build, take apart, and rebuild a computer, as well as determine where hardware issues were occurring. That said, while I haven't watched the NewEgg videos, I'll be sure to look into them. I'm confident in my ability to put the computer together once I get the parts, but it wouldn't hurt to look them over for more information.

In regards to the fans and thermal paste, I was probably just going to roll with whatever came with my stuff. If somebody had some recommendations for fans outside of what comes with my computer, though, I'm more than happy to hear them. That said, maybe I should nab some thermal paste regardless. Yeah, it's $5, but I could always use it in the future, too. From your description, I should probably nab an anti-staic band, as well. They're only a few dollars more, so I'm sure it won't be an issue.

From what I'm looking my GPU should be able to support HDMI (I'm replacing the 650 TI with a HD 7850), so connection to my TV shouldn't be an issue. Apparently my TV supports VGA, but I don't think the card does, so I'll probably just use HDMI. Glad to hear that most modern parts shouldn't have any issues with compatibility, though. I was actually looking through parts right before I posted this.
This is what I currently have.

* [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727 ]AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX [/url]
* CORSAIR 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
* Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W
* GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-1GD Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express
* GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+
* SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM
* Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel
* SAMSUNG DVD Burner
Price: $624.92 + $15 shipping.

It's a bit over what I wanted (the switched out GPU from the 650 TI to the HD 7850 is what put it above), but I think I should be able to handle the price.

I checked over some stuff and it doesn't seem like there will be any incompatibilities.

EDIT: Would any of you recommend getting extended warranty from NewEgg themselves?
Or purchasing the warranty? Alright, thanks for the tips.

I'm alright with either AMD or Intel.
Although, I know that AMD is apparently doing pretty poorly.
As long as it works well enough and isn't too much of a bottleneck, though, it won't be an issue for me.

I feel similarly about GPUs, although, I was leaning more towards NVIDIA simply because they seem to have better Linux support.
That said, I've heard ATI has made quite the leaps under Linux, so I don't have an issue with them either.

I looked into the PSU I chose, as well.
Apparently Antec is a good brand, so I don't think that will be an issue.

I'll look over at Tom's Hardware, as well, though.

Thank you again.

Maybe you could go for a (cheaper) mobo that isn't crossfire but it's your call, other than that it will be a very good system.

Edit:

I see that all mobo's have 2 PCIe slots now, so nevermind what I said.
I don't know about warranty though, I never bought from there. :)

I highly recommend you use http://pcpartpicker.com/ to gauge prices and help sort what works and what does not.

There doesn't seem to be any issues according to that site.
Also, since SheBear brought it up, should I buy any fan kits for my build?
Or any sort of CPU cooler?
The way I understand it is that these things usually come by default, and you usually don't need them unless you plan to overclock (I don't).
But if I need any, I'm not opposed to adding them on.

EDIT:

I've been looking around at GPUs.
Apparently the HD7850 has a 1GB and 2GB version.
From what I'm seeing in benchmarks, for the most part, the 2GB version beats it out in everything.
On top of that, it's about $25 more.
Should I just go for it instead?

Thinking about getting this 2GB model since the Gigabyte one has quite a few bad reviews on NewEgg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127663
Also, apparently, that particular card is also overclocked from what I can see.
As a result, if I do go for it, should I get any additional cooling as asked above?

EDITx2: Or in that case, would I just be better off going with the HD7870?
It'll push the build closer to $700 (I'll have the money).

If that's the case, I'll probably go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150604
That said, I've never heard of XFX, but they seem to be a good manufacturer.
Should I go with them or pay more for MSI or something?

The default fans your case comes with are almost certainly adequate. Case fans are cheap and easy to install anyway, so no sweat there.

CPU coolers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The standard one might be enough, but at least the standard Intel Core i5-2500K cooler is a dog so I got an aftermarket one in a heartbeat even though I haven't overclocked anything. Even inexpensive aftermarket coolers make a big difference in temperature - the Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO seems a particularly popular choice of people seeking good performance for not much money. Whatever cooler you choose, make sure that
1) it's compatible with the correct CPU socket. Most coolers come with adapters to fit a range of Intel and AMD sockets.
2) how much of a bitch it is to mount. Mounting a small cooler is a fairly straightforward matter, but bigger ones require metallic backplates for support. Some cases have a small cutout in the back of the motherboard tray so you can mount a backplate without taking the whole MoBo off - a small, easy-to-ignore feature that can save you from a world of inconvenience and cursing.
3) it fits. Tower coolers can be pretty high, and some cases are narrow. You should be able to find the maximum cooler height from the case manufacturer's website. Some coolers (such as the Noctua NH-C12P-SE14) mount the fan and heatsink the other way around to reduce height.

In any case, you could just use the default cooler for a while and see how it goes. If it's good enough, good for you.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xm5s]
Modified PC build[/url]
It's more like $700-800 rather than what I had originally said, but I'm getting some more juice out of it.
Mainly, all that's really changed is the CPU and GPU to the AMD FX-6300 and the HD 7870.

EDIT: Since I've come to terms with my computer being around $700 to $800, should I go for the HD7870 or the HD7950?
HD7950 would boost the price, but also the performance.

On top of that, I've mostly been choosing parts by price.
Are all of the things I've been picking so far by good manufacturers? Alright, thanks for the info.
I think starting off with the default would be the best bet for now, but I'll keep what you said in mind.

Newegg is alright, but Tigerdirect has kick ass barebones which are tested to work together. Much easier for a beginner than having to choose everything. Plus, the prices are generally quite good.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xmmN

I think this is mainly where I'm going to stop modifying it.
I suppose the main decisions I have left are:
* should I go with the AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE or the current CPU I have selected, the AMD FX-6300. The latter seems like it will last me longer and provide a bit better performance, but it seems like the former is more bang for the buck and would cut my price down a bit.
* Should I downgrade my GPU any from the HD 7950? I don't want to bother with CrossFire, or whatever, and I just want a decent card that will last me a while before my next upgrade. From what I'm reading, the HD 7950 seems to be one of the best single cards on the market for it's price. My previous selection was the HD 7870.

Beyond that, the rest of my set up seems pretty good from what I've been finding out elsewhere.

Never heard of barebones kits, nor Tigerdirect.
How do they work/I assume it's reputable?

I would wait with purchasing a cpucooler for the moment and monitor temperatures for a while to see if you need it.
With AMD overdrive you can do this as well as running stress test to see how temperature accumulates over time.
For example I run my system 25% overclocked with a stock cooler even though it heats up in a long stress test but for normal use the cpu never gets used for 100% that long, so I don't mind a little heat.
Still, I have problems getting my system running from a cold start as my psu is old and crappy. :D
As for 1GB vs 2GB version, I think I would go for the 2GB as that is more or less the standard now, I only would check if you can still get along with the 500W psu.

While I have been looking over some PSU calculators, most of them have been under the 520 mark.
A few have come close, though, while some are over 100 off.

Maybe I should bump it up to the 620W PSU of the same brand just to be on the safe side (has good reviews and still seems of good quality).
That said, I'm going to be above a comfortable limit in my money, so maybe I should scale back the CPU to the Phenom II 965 BE.
I don't necessarily want to cut down on the GPU, but the CPU is equally important.

Hrm.