hi , I want to buy a new high end desktop PC (for gaming). I also want to customize it with my own needs. Which online sites do you suggest me look at? Which sites provide customizable PCs?

Quote: Original post by Great_White
I want to buy a new high end desktop PC (for gaming). I also want to customize it with my own needs. Which online sites do you suggest me look at?

Benchmarks: (although take these with a grain of salt, I hear they can be biased / have conflicts of interests)
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html

Pricing:
http://www.newegg.com/

Quote: Which sites provide customizable PCs?

http://www.dell.com/

[Edit]BTW, I just ordered myself a new gaming PC yesterday (from a local store, not the internet). After my research, if you don't plan on upgrading again in the near future then I'd really recommend getting an Intel Q6600 CPU (preferably the G0 model). It's not ridiculously expensive, and has a truckload of (theoretical) power that the next generation of (multi-threaded) games will take full advantage of.

Yeah I plan to buy a Q6600 CPU. I also prefer Nvidia 8800GTX graphics card. I mostly focused on two Dell models: XPS 410 and XPS 720. In XPS 410 it seems to me that power supply is 350W low for my system. I dont think newegg provides customizable PC for buying. How about this site http://www.cyberpowerpc.com ?

Don't be scared to learn to put your own hardware together. It really isn't all that hard, if you can buy a set of Lego, and build exactly what is in the booklet without missing parts or having parts left over (just check that your parts list actually includes all your pieces), and you can read and follow basic directions, then you are qualified to assemble a computer yourself.


Just ask for help and tips.

Quote: Original post by Talroth
Don't be scared to learn to put your own hardware together. It really isn't all that hard, if you can buy a set of Lego, and build exactly what is in the booklet without missing parts or having parts left over (just check that your parts list actually includes all your pieces), and you can read and follow basic directions, then you are qualified to assemble a computer yourself.


Just ask for help and tips.

What is this comment, are you kidding ? I am not afraid of anything. What I need is some advice from users who are currently using these configurations. Until now I've upgraded my computer 7-10 times. Anyway which power supply should I buy to use with my new system with Q6600 CPU and 8800GTX GPU ? Is a 850W power supply enough or should I buy a 1kW one?

850W should be fine for running a PC with a 8800GTX... I'm using a 650W and it seems OK.

A 650W like this one is more than enough to run a Q6600/8800GTX/DVD/multiple HDDs. I'd only go above 650W if you were using SLI and overclocking!

thanks

Quote: power supply is 350W low for my system

Dell knows what they're doing -- their PS is good enough for the system. If you're putting in another graphics card and Blu-Ray writer, it might not be enough, though. The 800-1000 watt power supplies are for dual- or quad-card solutions with water cooling and overclocking that all draw lots of power.

Think about it. A CPU draws no more than 85W (less for many modern models). A graphics card is maybe 150-200W. Drives and fans are about 10W each. Add another 20W for memory and mobo. How much do you end up with? Chances are, a 400W power supply (that actually gives you 400W) is quite enough for the system you describe. If you buy too high, the power supply will not work in its comfort range, and efficiency will be low, so you'll get a portable space heater with your computer, which can be a real ergonomics drag!

Quote: Original post by hplus0603

Quote: [...]

Dell knows what they're doing[...]

[lol] [grin] [lol]

... you were joking... right? Dell puts in the cheapest and most useless parts they can find, then up the price by 3x, and call it an uber 1337 pc for elite gamers.

Also - you all forgot 2 very important things - amperes and companies:

1) Amps - A 8800 GTX requires more than 28 amps on the +12V rail if I remember correctly (my GTS needs 26). This is different from adding 2 or more rails together - 2 rails of both 18A do not equal 36A. Go read up on it, it'll prove useful in the long run. Anyways, it's not just watts. A 1500W PSU with very weak +12V rails will do nothing but fuck your machine up.

2) Company - A generic 1000 watter for 30$ is an expensive way to throw your PC off a skyscraper. PC Power & Cooling are the best, no argument to that. But they're extremely pricey. Next are the pretty good ones such as Antec, Fortron Source (FPS Group), Enermax, CoolerMaster (some are pretty crappy, but some are nothing but quality - watch carefully), and Corsair. There are indeed a few others, but these are "The. Best." A good quality check is to see how heavy the PSU is. If it weighs less than a feather (obvious exageration tag goes here, in case some exageration-impaired people are reading this), it's junk.