Need recommendations in building A PC

[computernewbie93]

Hi guys, sorry to trouble you all. I am really a beginner at computer here and have been reading some stuff with regards to computer specs after my computer hard disk broke down recently. (It will boot sometimes only and when it does it will hang for awhile though i can still move my mouse scroll).

Anyway, any suggestions on what i should do? I am kind of in a dilemma here.

1)Replace the hard disk (SATA type) and just install and play team fortress 2 cause i am a competitive player there and part of the community. However, i am afraid that the old specs will fail me and waste more of my money since the computer is 2.5 years old.

2)Get a new computer. Games i am looking at will be battle field 3, skyrim , call of duty MW3 , Metro 2033 , borderlands 2 , bioshock infinite , dead space 2 , crysis 2. My budget is around $1100. Which shop is the best and most reliable i should go? I will do more research while waiting for reply for the specs i should need as well as the casing. I need some guidance here.

**Oh yes , and 1 thing , my friend told me 1 downside about building your own computer for newbies is that you cant get a technician to diagnose and do it for you FOC. You have to find out the issue and exchange the faulty part.

**Sorry to trouble you guys! Any help is appreciated!**

Oh yes , and will my HP LE1851w monitor support the new specs after i got it built? THANKS FOR THE HELP GUYS ! =)

 

[dinosau4]

what is your current spec

 

[computernewbie93]

My graphic card is Nvidia 520 GT , all the specs have been bought december 2010. I think its more viable to phase out my old comps and get a new one?

 

[dinosau4]

MOBO & CPU?

I think these days there are people providing diagnostics service for free
Plus does your budget include - Keyboard, Mouse, OS..?

 

[computernewbie93]

Hey dino , thx for reply to the thread ya.

Hmmm , i can only tell you that my specs are bought during late 2010 (december period) ..

as for keyboard i want to reuse the old one cause i am use to it , i already have a razer deathadder so mouse is not necessary ... i can add in $120 for windows 7 OS ... so yea ... any suggestions yup? thx!

 

[dinosau4]

Np. Just helping out a fellow TF2 player

In that case..

* This is strictly for reference and is around your budget. This will run your games(&future games) with decent FPS

CPU & Mobo: i5-3450 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $300
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ ~$72
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $22
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB @ ~$80
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB @ ~$159
GPU: Powercolor 7850 PCS 2GB @ $249
Case: Asgard Midgard II @ $87
PSU: FSP Raider 550W @ $78
OS: Windows 7 Home 64bit OEM @ $110

Total: $1157

Buy and build at Tradepac.

Try to bargain with them the price and also ask for free assembly

(Take note of assembly as they sometimes cant be bothered with the cable management and cause many *snakes* darting around restricting good airflow)

 

[computernewbie93]

hey sorry for late reply. I went to the comp to check the specs you wanted to know. Here are the info i can give. So is solution 1 still possible? Can i replace and upgrade to reduce cost? Or i just need to replace hard disk and stick with tf2. I am fine with it.

Hard Disk : ST3160318AS
CPU : AMD Athlon (tm) II x2 240 Processor
GPU : Nvidia Geforce GT 520
HP dx2355 <T (KM421AV)
3GB of RAM

 

[nippp0n]

My graphic card is Nvidia 520 GT , all the specs have been bought december 2010. I think its more viable to phase out my old comps and get a new one?

I assume yours is a branded computer? Can you list down all your current computer specifications from motherboard, cpu and etc.

I believe GT520 should be able to handle TF2 at your current monitor resolution.

If i were you, I will replace the hard disk with a new HDD/SSD and play with TF2 first.

And at the meantime, save up your money, wait for Haswell to release (in a few months time) and beef up your wallet.

When Haswell is out, sell your current computer and monitor in Garage corner and use the money, top up to your savings and change a new rig and full HD monitor for a better gaming experience with a better graphic at a higher resolution.

 

[computernewbie93]

Oh yes i heard from cases that there are quite a few scams in sim lim square. Which are the stores that are more trustworthy? Is trade pac trustworthy ? o.o I just want to clarify.

 

[nippp0n]

Oh yes i heard from cases that there are quite a few scams in sim lim square. Which are the stores that are more trustworthy? Is trade pac trustworthy ? o.o I just want to clarify.

Tradepac is okay if you know your stuff. As long as you do your homework well, should be fine.

If you still don't feel safe dealing at Tradepac, you can try PC Themes or other established shops such as Fuwell, Bizgram and etc. You can also look for Nigel aka gs to help you. He has a thread in this forum.

 

[computernewbie93]

Hello nippon , thx for replying ya.

Yes , mine is a hp computer. It was built by my brother. I really have not much knowledge in computer so dont blame me . I dont know whether he change the specs or not or it was already pre-built. I already list down the specs to my best abilities. Anyway, sometimes my comp can boot sometime it cannot , and now once it boots, sometimes it hangs awhile and i can only move my mouse and it just stays there. Is it hard disk issue? I just need to replace the HDD right.

Also, i just read up on haswell. It is a new processor developed right? Is it good? In what sense? It says it uses less power and better performance.

 

[dinosau4]

Tradepac is okay. At least local parts and cheap.

I agree with nipp0n, if you can wait just wait, haswell is not far from being released.

520 is alright for TF2 but for future gaming might require something with little more punch.

 

[computernewbie93]

Hey dino , as to my current comp , all i need to change is a HDD that is of SATA type? Cause mine is SATA connectors.

If i wait for haswell, what kind of specs will you propose? Thanks ya!

 

[dinosau4]

Your current Hard disk is IDE type..? or Sata Type

It's still too early to be sure of what haswell to choose as local price is not yet released and it have not been benchmarked.

 

[nippp0n]

I'm not very good at troubleshooting errors.

You might want to look for nigel and ask him to troubleshoot for you.

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/h...corner-all-diy-hardwarezoner-^-^-3581022.html

If it isn't a major hardware failure, just make the minimal necessary changes.

 

[computernewbie93]

Hi , it is of SATA type.

 

[dinosau4]

maybe u can try swapping and testing first, if you dont have the necessary tools, follow the link on nipp0n's reply.