Forum for PC Building

[joe7987]

Anybody have a PC building forum they frequent, or have frequented and would recommend?

I'm considering building a gaming PC toward the end of the year and would like to start learning now.

 

[ImportFan1]

http://bit.ly/Ied9vM

With being a tech myself I have just learned the stuff over the years and if I have issues I ask around at work.

 

[joe7987]

I already did that... but if you put "good civic forum" into google, you'll get Honda tech before you get ClubCivic, which obviously does not reflect my choices. So I'm looking to those who may have been a part of a good PC building forum who can give me personal insight into one they enjoyed.

Ass.

 

[ImportFan1]

I haven't used these to build PC's but these are 2 sites that usually pretty reputable.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

http://www.tomshardware.com/

And I also use Experts-Exchange.com but that is a site that works pays for us to have access to.

 

[JohnS.]

www.tech-forums.net

Lots of savvy people on there. I went there with questions last year.

 

[DarkCreep]

Wow I used to be all over the PC forums back in 2003ish. I completely forgot all the ones I was part of haah.



What are yo ubuilding OP.

 

[Billy.]

I haven't used these to build PC's but these are 2 sites that usually pretty reputable.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/

http://www.tomshardware.com/

And I also use Experts-Exchange.com but that is a site that works pays for us to have access to.

tweakguides.com
overclock.net

Also, wikipedia has a ton of detailed information on things like chipsets, graphics cards, and cpus.

Are you going toward Intel or AMD?

 

[anfrey]

hardocp has decent product reviews... i just read those and the tomshardware features... then pick hardware accordingly based on budget

 

[joe7987]

Thanks for all the help, so far!

What are you building OP.

I don't quite know how to answer this question with too much more detail than I gave in the first post. Looking to build a fairly high powered gaming PC

Are you going toward Intel or AMD?

I haven't decided. From the research I've done so far, it looks like there are two competing mindsets when it comes to these: Intel or go home, or AMD is cheaper and works just as good as Intel

I kind of liken it to the AEM debate, of which I am a fan of ebay intakes. So if it ends up being a similar situation, I might go with AMD. Can't say as of yet though, I want to do a lot more reading before I decide on anything. If I do decide to build a PC, I'm not planning on building this til around December.

 

[Billy.]

In hindsight of building my last gamer rig, one of the important decisions you need to make is how many screens do you plan to run? It is easier and cheaper to run 1 monitor at 1080P than 2 or more, so if you don't need/want additional screens you can save a ton of cash.

I recently posted about my build if it helps you to get some ideas:
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=211432

 

[joe7987]

I'm going to be running it on my 42" 1080P, 120Hz refresh rate 3D HDTV

Thanks for the link!

 

[Billy.]

Nice. I have not yet delved into the world of 3D gaming, but my rig does support it. I just don't have a 3D monitor (yet).

 

[joe7987]

^^It's pretty immersive, but it can give you motion sickness at times. It's not the most awesome thing to ever happen to gaming, but it's fun to play a 3D game every now and then.

 

[Billy.]

Yea 3D might be one of those things I skip, like kepler and ivy bridge.

Another question; how deep into the technical stuff are you wanting to go? Like, do you plan to be overclocking everything, changing ram timings, changing various voltages on the graphics and motherboard, etc? Or just want to get factory overclocked components and put everything together and leave it? I found I went a little overkill on some of my purchases, and could have gotten the same job done while being a little more cost effective had I downgraded a couple things...

 

[joe7987]

^^That's the kind of insider info I'm looking for.

I will be doing whatever I know how to do by the time I begin ordering, which is the main reason I'm starting now. So I'll be getting as deep as my knowledge, by then, allows.

 

[Hecz]

man, we should make our own thread here for members who are into that.

I just finished building my pc this past weekend.
So nice.

 

[Billy.]

^^That's the kind of insider info I'm looking for.

I will be doing whatever I know how to do by the time I begin ordering, which is the main reason I'm starting now. So I'll be getting as deep as my knowledge, by then, allows.

That's the way to do it. On top of a moderate knowledge of computers, I spent months researching before I purchased anything. Even still, I am often amazed at the knowledge of other enthusiast builders that make me feel amateur in comparison.

man, we should make our own thread here for members who are into that.

I just finished building my pc this past weekend.
So nice.

 

[Hecz]

That's the way to do it. On top of a moderate knowledge of computers, I spent months researching before I purchased anything. Even still, I am often amazed at the knowledge of other enthusiast builders that make me feel amateur in comparison.

Billy, You know enough to be dangerous

The cool thing about building your own computer is that;

There is no there computer out there Like it.
You know exactly what goes into it.
The computer is exactly how you want it to be.
No unnecessary add-on software/hardware
You have all the control of cost.
And it should make you feel proud. " yes, i built this thing right here, yup, that was me"

 

[joe7987]

^^Sounds a lot like modifying your car

Shouldn't be too much of a surprise that a lot of people on here build their own computers.

 

[toneekay]

Tomshardware!

Hands down one of the best tech forums... a lot of cocky "know it alls" but hey once in a while they come in handy when you actually need the help.