[b][u]***Need to find something? Press ctrl + f.[/u][/b] We're back! If you can remember the days of the Flood in its pre-Bnext days, there was a thread to help the Flood with PC builds, support, and of course a FAQ. Those last couple threads are in the abyss of B.old, and it's time for its revival. So let's get started. [b][u]***BOOK MARK THIS THREAD***[/u][/b] PLEASE READ: If you are giving somebody support, please make sure that the information you are giving them is 100% accurate. Please do not screw over anybody. [quote] [/quote] [u]Helpful links[/u] Your tech questions answered - https://www.youtube.com/user/Techquickie/videos For seeing if you can run a game (WARNING, not always accurate) - http://systemrequirementslab.com/cyri For configuring a PC build - http://pcpartpicker.com/ http://www.logicalincrements.com/ For CPU benchmarks - http://www.anandtech.com/Bench/CPU/2 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php For GPU benchmarks - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU14/815 http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/ [quote] [/quote] [u]Learning to build your PC[/u] Check out Newegg's 3 part video on building your first PC. The videos go through the buying phase, the building phase, and the software installation phase. Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok [quote] [/quote] [u]What parts are needed and what are they?[/u] [b]CPU[/b] - The CPU is the place where just about any processes on your computer is happening. So if you want a snappy/fast computer, you may want to consider investing in a good CPU. [b]Motherboard[/b] - The motherboard is where the majority of your PC parts will go. So you could call it the hub of your PC. It's important to buy your motherboard from a trusted brand, or else your PC parts may burn out (no, seriously) parts of your motherboard. [b]RAM[/b] - RAM is where bits of information are held temporarily. So basically, if you want to have a bunch of stuff opened at once, you want a decent amount of RAM. If you have insufficient RAM, your PC will be slow. (And no, you cannot download this.) [b]Hard drive[/b] - The hard drive is for long term storage. Any programs, games, videos, music, etc. will go on here. The faster your hard drive, the faster you will be able to access your saved data (and loading times in games will be faster). For a gaming HDD, you should get a 7200 RPM drive. [b]Solid State Drive[/b] - An SSD does the same job as a HDD, except only much, much faster. It accomplishes this by using flash memory whereas a hard drive uses a physical spinning disk to store your data. Oh, and an SSD has no moving parts. The only downside to an SSD is that they're pricey and you don't get as many gigabytes as you would on a HDD. [b]Video card[/b] - If you want a PC for gaming, this is one of, if not the most important part of your build. The video card basically draws what's being displayed on the monitor. The higher the resolution of your monitor is, you'll need a more powerful video card with more VRAM (although most come with 2GB or 3GB, so you'll be fine). [b]Case[/b] - Pretty self explanatory. This is the place where all of your PC components will be stored. Is it necessary? No, but that's a risk you shouldn't really take. Plus a case looks nice. [b]Power supply[/b] - This is easily the most important part of any PC, [b]any[/b]. The PSU well, powers your PC. If you have a crummy PSU from a crummy manufacturer, I kid you not, your power supply will explode. [quote] [/quote] [u]What brands should you buy from?[/u] [b]For CPUs:[/b] Intel, AMD [b]For motherboards:[/b] ASRock, ASUS, Biostar (on occasion), EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI [b]For RAM:[/b] A-Data, Corsair, Crucial, G. Skill, Kingston, Mushkin, PNY, Patriot [b]For hard drives:[/b] Western Digital, SeaGate, Hitachi (on occasion), Plextor (on occasion) [b]For solid state drives:[/b] A-Data, Corsair, Crucial, Intel, Kingston, Mushkin, OCZ, Patriot, Samsung, Sandisk, Toshiba [b]For Nvidia video cards:[/b] ASUS, EVGA, Galaxy, Gigabyte, MSI, PNY [b]For AMD video cards:[/b] ASUS, Club 3D, Diamond, Gigabyte, HIS, MSI, PowerColor, Sapphire, VisionTek, XFX [b]For cases:[/b] *This is a bit of an exception, because every manufacturer has good cases and bad cases. So really, you can go with whoever/whatever. [b]Power supplies:[/b] Antec, Cooler Master, Corsair, Cougar, EVGA, FSP Group, Fractal Design, NZXT, OCZ, PC Power & Cooling, Rosewill, SeaSonic, Silverstone, Thermaltake, XFX [quote] [/quote] [u]Where should you buy your parts from?[/u] Newegg, NCIX, TigerDirect, Micro Center, Amazon, SuperBiiz, MWave, OutletPC [quote] [/quote] [u]PC BUILDS[/u] [b][u]PLEASE be aware that the prices of PC parts can change from day to day, so these builds are NOT bound to stay the same price. Some of the prices of the following builds have fluctuated to where they are not hitting their price point. I apologize.[/u][/b] [b]~$350 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2FceM [b]~$450 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Fcre [b]~$550 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Fhvr [b]~$650 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Fhy8 [b]~$750 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2FcW1 [b]~850 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Fd4n [b]~$950 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Fd8W [b]~$1050 build[/b] http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2FdbH (For any other priced builds, please ask.) [quote] [/quote] [u]Operating systems[/u] Download the Windows 7 ISO here: http://www.w7forums.com/threads/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads.12325/ For a Windows 7 product key, you can buy one online for fairly cheap. If you can get your hands on a Windows 8.1 ISO, then you can buy a product key on the cheap from G2A (they're around $20): https://www.g2a.com/windows-8-professional-32-64-bit-cd-key-global.html To set up the ISO for installation, follow the instructions provided in Microsoft's Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool Here' some free OS alternatives that use Linux: Ubuntu - http://www.ubuntu.com/ Gnome - https://www.gnome.org/ Debian - http://www.debian.org/ SteamOS - http://store.steampowered.com/steamos/download/?ver=custom [quote] [/quote] Have any suggestions or additions to this thread? State them and I'll edit what needs to be edited.