Want to build my own PC for AH...help?

[Scotty55OEFVet]

Hey guys, I have been looking into a lot of different sites to build your own PC and for the most part they are like Alienware, Dell, etc. I want to build mine from the ground up and try to do it with the least amount of money. I only use this computer for the Internet and playing AH. I know whatever I build for AH will be good enough for anything. I was wondering who has built their own (know quite a few of you have) and if they did it for a low cost if they could possibly send me the components that they used to run AH perfectly fine. Thank you.

[SilverZ06]

Hey guys, I have been looking into a lot of different sites to build your own PC and for the most part they are like Alienware, Dell, etc. I want to build mine from the ground up and try to do it with the least amount of money. I only use this computer for the Internet and playing AH. I know whatever I build for AH will be good enough for anything. I was wondering who has built their own (know quite a few of you have) and if they did it for a low cost if they could possibly send me the components that they used to run AH perfectly fine. Thank you.

define "low cost"

[SilverZ06]

I just built this last weekend, but it wasn't exactly low cost. http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,320047.0.html

[Scotty55OEFVet]

Lol. Im going back to work in like 2 weeks so moey isnt going to be a huge problem then, but I am thinking I am going to have to do the buy a component at a time kind of thing. It may take me awhile, then again may take only so long. Id like to stay under 1k, but then again if I can get away with something under 800 and still have AH running the way it is supposed to Id be sooo Happy. I guess the more important thing is that I know I can do it myself, but after going on the few sites I did and going with the lowest priced stuff while maintaing the recommended requirements for AH, it was still going upwards of $1200. So any help is greatly appreciated. FYI, I did at one point buy a new Graphics Card for this old beast and I said the same thing "This is what I have been missing!" And thats just with a GC lol. TY for the feedback though!

[Tigger29]

Lol. Im going back to work in like 2 weeks so moey isnt going to be a huge problem then, but I am thinking I am going to have to do the buy a component at a time kind of thing. It may take me awhile, then again may take only so long. Id like to stay under 1k, but then again if I can get away with something under 800 and still have AH running the way it is supposed to Id be sooo Happy. I guess the more important thing is that I know I can do it myself, but after going on the few sites I did and going with the lowest priced stuff while maintaing the recommended requirements for AH, it was still going upwards of $1200. So any help is greatly appreciated. FYI, I did at one point buy a new Graphics Card for this old beast and I said the same thing "This is what I have been missing!" And thats just with a GC lol. TY for the feedback though!

Prepare to be happy for it doesn't take much to max out Aces High.  I built a system for a squaddie last year for under $550 (including windows xp) that maxes out everything in aces high except shadows (starts to stutter if set higher than 4096 shadow textures) with no problems at all.  For $800 you can have a screamer.

A nice dual core processor will work just fine - no need to go with a Phenom or an i7.  There really is no need for an SSD drive or anything fancy just make sure you go with a good quality power supply even if it costs a few more bucks.  I highly recommend the Seasonic brand.

Keep in mind this is if you physically build it yourself... if you're referring to a "virtual build" like some websites do well expect to pay a lot more.

[MaSonZ]

Assuming you have a monitor, mouse and keyboard you can easily do a build for 800. I spent 776 on mine for just the case and hardware. You really don't need anything overly fancy to run ah well. If I was on my computer and not my phone I could scrounge the thread that I posted my goodies in.

[BaldEagl]

Case
LGA775 motherboard
Intel C2D dual core Wolfdale CPU
4Gb compatible RAM
Good graphics card (price range $200-250)
80+ certified 600+W PSU with minimum 50 amp single rail
500+Gb 7200 RPM HD
DVD-R
Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium

$800-1000

AH =  

[TequilaChaser]

just a quick workup of  both an AMD based system and an INTEL based system, including windows 7 Pro SP1 64 bit

High Performance Gaming Rigs for Aces High: ( all components picked out from NewEgg )


INTEL

Intel Core i5-650 Clarkdale 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core CPU  System:

CASE: HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis Gaming Case w/ Front Blue LED 120mm Fan & Top 120mm Fan
Item #: N82E16811121096

$39.99


PSU: Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active ...
Item #: N82E16817153106

$129.99


MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131634

$114.99


CPU: Intel Core i5-650 Clarkdale 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I5650
Item #: N82E16819115220

$174.99


CPU HS/FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Item #: N82E16835103065

$29.99


SYSTEM RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R
Item #: N82E16820233180

$52.99


HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533

$89.99


VIDEO CARD: XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150548

$289.99


MEDIA CARD READER: Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB Port / Extra Silver Face Plate
Item #: N82E16820223103

$14.99


OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116992

$139.99
---------------------------------------------------------------------

SUB-TOTAL = $1,077.90


SHIPPING = $ 11.25
TAXES =  $ ********

          $ 1,089.15

minus instant & Mail In Rebates Total: $75.00( mail -in rebates )
------------------------------------------------------------------------
END TOTAL = $ 1,014.15  <--- INTEL PC SYSTEM



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMD

AMD Phenom II X2 565 Callisto 3.4GHz AM3 Socket 80w Dual Core CPU  System:

CASE: HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis Gaming Case w/ Front Blue LED 120mm Fan & Top 120mm Fan
Item #: N82E16811121096

$39.99


PSU: Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active ...
Item #: N82E16817153106

$129.99


MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131655

$169.99


CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 565 Callisto 3.4GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor HDZ565WFGMBOX
Item #: N82E16819103912

$108.99


CPU HS/FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Item #: N82E16835103065

$29.99


SYSTEM RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R
Item #: N82E16820233180

$52.99


HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533

$89.99


VIDEO CARD: XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150548

$289.99


MEDIA CARD READER: Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB Port / Extra Silver Face Plate
Item #: N82E16820223103

$14.99


OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116992

$139.99
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUB-TOTAL = $1,066.90


SHIPPING = $ 11.25
TAXES =  $ ********

          $ 1,078.15

minus instant & Mail In Rebates Total: $75.00( mail -in rebates )
------------------------------------------------------------------
END TOTAL = $ 1,003.15  <--- AMD PC SYSTEM



now, you could cut back by dropping the OS if you have your own, and you could lower your Videocard  to a lesser model, and you could lower your RAM to 4 GB's if you sole desire too............

just an idea of how much one could get with around $1,000.00  .........


Good Luck


TC

[TequilaChaser]

I did not include a DVD-DL burner/Rewrite........ but just tack on another $21.99 or less ( sometimes $18.99 ) for an ASUS or an LG model burner

also, I could have went and picked the 3.46 GHz version of INTEL dual core 1156 chip, but I was trying to keep the cost as close to equal as possible, so I went with the 3.2 Intel cpu instead......

both of these systems would have no problem maxing out Aces High, I don't think............ except when you start maxing out the AA & the shadow settings in advanced graphics like mentioned earlier going past 4096 in shadow textures, and you start to take a enormous hit from my experience.....

I called these "High Performance" for the simple fact that Aces High is CPU intensive, and I picked the largest CPU core speeds available, and Aces High only utilizes "2" cores max.....

..... also their are some promo codes involved in the items selected above, that I did not bother to enter and drop the prices lower for each system........ promo codes come and go......

anyways.......... just some clarifications


TC

[Scotty55OEFVet]

Thanks a bunch guys. Im gonna start working on gettin something together and if I have anymore questions i'll ask. Thanks again!

[MaSonZ]

as promised, here is the link to my system. i can run full eye candy and shadow resolution with the hi res pack at 2049 pixels or whatever it is. if you do get some ideas though, i would recommend possibly a slightly higher end vid card. every once ina while in a high population fight with a lot goin on i hit around mid 30's for frame rate.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,317738.30.html

[Easyscor]

... I am thinking I am going to have to do the buy a component at a time kind of thing. It may take me awhile, ...

I wouldn't do that.

If you buy a bad component, the return time may run out before you can RMA the item. Also, prices will continue to fall, so you'll end up paying more then you need too, or you might end up with a 750 MHz card instead of the latest 1100 MHz vid card for the same price. The exception might be for the case and the power supply, especially if you spot a sale.

Always do a search for each item using the generic model number. On Newegg, XFX for instance offers 4 different Radeon 6850 cards, all for about the same price but they run from a core clock of 775 to ~850MHz. You'll also see other mfgs line of products this way too.

Be sure to check your mother board mfg's Qualified Verdors List (QVL) for memory. Matching the correct memory is always a challenge for the first time builder.

[cattb]

What ever you build, I am sure a 6850 ATI or 460 (560)nvidia GPU card would be fine. These are both middle of the road cards ( middle of the road price also). I think the 560 is a little higher up of a card then the 460.

Also Skuzzy has said AH runs better with a Intel system, less problems. There are many people who do run AMD without problems. I am not trying to start a Intel,AMD debate.
Both companies CPU's have thier strong and weak points.

Due your research, good luck.

[Bino]

Here's a link to the other recent thread in this forum about building on a budget:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,318121.0.html