Okay, this will NOT be that thing that I start and then give up on halfway through.

Now that I have a job, I'm going to build the best computer I'll ever own. You want to know why? Because I've been wanting to build a dedicated gaming PC for years, and now I have the ability to gain the money to do so.

Aspirations:
Screen of at least 20", preferably mountable on the backboard of my desk
16 GB RAM, with the possibility of expanding to at least 32 GB later on.
1TB Hard Drive so I can install my 30+ Steam games and still have room for Minecraft, my PS2 emulator, PS2 backups, and the random crap that I download and ends up being useless bloatware that I never get around to uninstalling.
No less than a quad-core CPU
Internal Blu-Ray/DVD Burner/Reader
Laptop Styled Keyboard+Touchpad Mouse
Speakers on either side, must not be built into monitor.
Internal capture card for whenever I get around to getting a PS3 so I don't have to turn my incredibly fun and old swivel chair 45 degrees toward my TV in order to play my console games.
Excellent graphics and video cards, which I have no other standards for at the moment.
Webcam that can be mounted on my monitor.

Spoiler: Fits in this space

Misty, please don't hate me.

Cost of no more than $1,500, preferably under $1,000.

Checklist:
Pay for College
Preorder Persona 4 Golden
Clean Desk
Motherboard
RAM (CHOSEN)
Hard Drive (CHOSEN)
SSD for OS
CPU
Optical Drive (CHOSEN)
Keyboard/Touchpad (CHOSEN)
Capture Card (CHOSEN)
Graphics Card (CHOSEN)
Sound Card
Wireless Card (CHOSEN)
Case
Speakers
Monitor (CHOSEN)
Webcam
Anything else that I've missed? Please tell me.

 

You will not.

Also, random: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-stupid-habits-you-develop-growing-up-in-broken-home/

 

I have faith in you. Good luck!

 

16 GB of RAM is a bit much. I'm just fine with 8. A better processor would be preferred I think.

What graphics cards you looking at so far?

 

I usually have a lot of browser tabs and programs open at once, so I need all the memory I can get. For reference:


And for my graphics/video card, I'm looking into this sweet piece of awesome.

 

I remember when I used to be like that lol. Then I just realized that I only ever used a few at a time usually.

And I don't know much about Radeon graphics cards, but that one does look really nice.

 

Gaming is cool and all, but I wouldn't save up money for a gaming pc. Your call tho, your money. Though I would use it on something else.


Have fun I guess.

 

Yeah, but I usually do make use them all periodically.

And it's good to know that I'm doing well. I have everything that I've already picked out in a bookmark folder named "PC Build."

 

I still suspect 8 to be fine. I have 8 and almost never go above 4 honestly. Though capability of higher is always good.

I would say one other think to look at is hard drive speed. Within the function of your computer (e.g. not the internet) it is a very common place to have a slow down. Solid State Drives and RAID setups are both worth a look at.

 

The Radeon HD 7950 is decent, but I would go for a GeForce GTX 660 Ti or GTX 670 (I just prefer Nvidia, they have better cards)​

​

But yea all the other stuff seems okay. I have 1TB and um...~70+ games, mostly all installed, and still have about 150GB left. Also PS2 ISO's and emulators as well.​

 

Eh, I'm still gonna spring for 16. I plan on installing some beautiful graphical mods in a few games just to see how much I can push it, so I don't want to risk anything.

And I can't afford a 1 TB SSD. What's the fastest an HDD can go while staying in a reasonable price range? The one I've picked out does 7200 RPM, holds 1 TB, and costs $74.99.[DOUBLEPOST=1347160069][/DOUBLEPOST]

Awesome to know. I'll see if that's in my price range.

And that is fantastic to know. I look forward to this already.

 

7200RPM is the best for a harddrive, I think. I believe what many people do is get an SSD to install your OS on (and a few games), and a 1TB (or 750GB) HDD to store other stuff/more games on.

670 is ~$400, and the 660 Ti is...~$300? (depends on the models)​

 

Alright, then! I just check that out, and it turns out that the card you described is an EVGA card, not Nvidia like you said. Though the highest I could find is this guy, so I don't know if that's close enough or not.

 

EVGA didn't actually make the...card? I dunno, Nvidia made it, different companies sell them (like EVGA). Also that is a piece of crap for gaming. Just search "GTX 660 Ti" or "GTX 670," you'll get results.​

EDIT: GTX 660 Ti and GTX 670​

 

Aright, then. I'll search that, then.

EDIT:
Dammit, the only results I can find for that automatically give me a Borderlands 2 bundle for $299.99 and I can't find it on its own. This displeases me. I'll have to use Google.

EDITAGAIN: Wait, that's not a bundle, the Borderlands 2 coupon comes free with it. I'll switch out my choice, then.

 

You realize that you get Borderlands 2 for free, right?​

 

I just saw that, which makes it better. Maybe I can sell the coupon to someone.

 

I would suggest a Radeon 7970. Processor...Intel i5 3.3Ghz ...i7 is a bit over kill. Don't forget a case. If you can, consider getting a 100gb SSD. :D helps the comp alot. tbh, it's going to be a little tough to make it less than 1500. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL DEALS!!!!

 

^ everything people above have said is good

I do agree that 16GB is overkill, if you really want to do it though that's your choice, RAM is pretty cheap. Keeping it under $1500 might be tough, I could see it in the $1700 range, but if you really deal hunt you might be able to pull it off.

also clean yo damn desk

I have a 20" Acer that I loooooove, I don't think it's very mounting friendly but I do recommend the brand because the thing is so slim. Dunno about gaming performance, of course.

Advice: get an SSD for the OS and a few games, then the 1TB drive.

Most gaming keyboards aren't laptop styled, unfortunately. But try Logitech if you want to spend a lot, they make some gorgeous chiclet key keyboards. I have an HP Wireless Business Pro v2 and it's lovely, but there's not much in the way of function keys.

dream card: http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/intensity/models

I have a Logitech C310 which I am quite fond of, 720p & amazing light & sound settings. Only downside is that it doesn't swivel (which I knew when buying it, and there are more expensive models that do) and that, because my monitor is very slim, the clip doesn't fit just right (though i've gotten it to stay).

You really don't need a sound card if you're not an audiophile, motherboards have them built in and it should be more than adequate.

Good luck tho.

 

That's in the checklist.

An Acer is what I chose too. I looked through the specs, and this one does mount, though I'm not sure if I'll want to mount it just yet. I just kinda want the option because I plan to mount it eventually.

That's been a big part of the advice that I've gotten so far, so I think I'll do that. Any idea how much space I'll need for two Windows operating system and one Ubuntu?

I actually don't really need a gaming keyboard because I have a PS3 controller set up to work with most of my Steam games. The others work just fine with my regular keyboard, so any other keyboard should be fine as well.

That Intensity Shuttle is exactly what I need in a capture card. A yellow jack for my PS2 and a set of RGB jacks for my PSP with a broken LCD screen. Since it's external, I'll just work on building a housing that I'll attach to my case. That, or get a case with an extra expansion bay that I can kinda drill holes in the side to fit the jacks. Ooh, I'm already thinking about customizing my case. Am I moving too fast? Will she resist getting drilled into like that so soon?

Oooh, I'll have to look for that. Webcams, speakers and motherboards are really the only things where I don't have much idea what I'm doing, so this helps quite a bit.

That's good to know. I'll go for it if I'm somehow not over my budget with everything else.

Thank you! I'll update the first post with everything that I've already chosen in a few minutes.