This post is a work in progress. I need your help to complete this, and make it a better list. PM me any information that you think should go here.
Where to buy parts:
www.newegg.com
www.tigerdirect.com
www.microcenter.com (better selection and pricing if you have a local store)
Custom built machines:
www.clockworkit.net
www.pugetsystems.com
www.digitalstormonline.com
www.falcon-nw.com
Hardware benchmarks:
www.passmark.com
www.benchmarkreviews.com
www.tomshardware.com
Specs?
I’m always a fan of form-fitting designs, especially with mini-ITX/DTX stuff.
Windows 7 64bit pro
1tb HDD
40gb SSD (boot drive)
Bluray Drive
8gb DDR3 1333 G.Skill
Intel i-3 550 clarksdale
Also built in wifi, and a remote with media center support and a dedicated netflix button. It’s pretty rad.
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor @ 3.40 Ghz
8 GB of DDR3 ram, G.Skill
AMD Radeon 6800 series video card
1 TB Wester Digital Black HDD
1 CD/DVD/Bluray RW Drive
Edimax PCI Wifi card capable of A,B,G and N
Modified Cool Max Case
Acer P35H 23" Monitor
ohhh we tossin out comp spec? woot. here’s the stuff in mine that matters i guess
Intel Core i5 2500k
8gb ram
120gb Vertex 2 SSD
GTX 460
M-Audio Fast Track Pro & a Native-Instruments Audio 8 sound card
Antec Sonata Case (not a fan of all that light-up junk in my cases, + 120mm fans are quiet = minimal background noise for the studio)
Acer H233H 23" monitor
Nice. I recently installed The Witcher 2, and its murdering my PC on ultra. Thinking about putting another GTX 480 in SLI.
Eep, 1156? Why not Sandy Bridge? Costs?
I’ll post my specs when I get home. My gaming rig and my miners.
Win7 64-bit/Arch Linux
120gb Intel SSD (I wanna say 320 series)/1tb hdd (rest of my stuff is on my NAS with 4 2tb drives)
Samsung DVD Drive
12gb Corsair DDR3 1333
Intel Core i5 2500k
Radeon HD 6870
Seasonic PSU, can’t remember model.
ding-dong here… would it be ok if i ask for some advice? I have my pc parts picked out for the most part. it is a budget gaming pc… My question is I have my motherboard picked out, it is an ASRock 870 extreme3 R2.0. my graphics card is a sapphire ati 6870. I have yet to pick my processor and psu out, but I would like to go the AMD route and get the FX-8120. what would be a good PSU that could handle these two for under 100$? or if you have any suggestions i would greatly appreciate it, this is my first build 
my case is a thermaltake v3 black edition.
This is one I’m just giving away. Its main purpose is to play blurays and have a fat hdd.
It’s nothing special, really.
ASRock 870 extreme3 R2.0 is a AM3+ socket motherboard, so you would be running along the lines of one of these processors
AMD Phenom II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940) / Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 / Sempron processors
I believe the FX-8120 should work as well.
As for the Power Supply
New Egg has a Power Supply Watt Calculator
http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell/tool/psucalc/index.html
Enter your PC parts (or the closes approx to your parts) in the appropriate fields and hit calculate
The number you get is the amount of watts you system requires. Example for me, I just did the calc and got this result 483 Watts
Now there is no 483 watt rated PSU. And that is the number of watts I need minimum on paper, in reality you want something more.
And you also do not want to get the bare minimum ether. You want to add at least 50 to 100 watts more to that number.
I have a system what needs 483 watts, I have installed a 700 watt PSU as it more than cover my requirements as well as include room for future upgrades.
ASRock 870 extreme3 R2.0 is a AM3+ socket motherboard, so you would be running along the lines of one of these processors
AMD Phenom II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940) / Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 / Sempron processors
I believe the FX-8120 should work as well as the above list was made prior to the FX release.
As for the Power Supply. Tips how to find your own PSU
Long explanation because I don’t want to leave anything out
New Egg has a Power Supply Watt Calculator, use it even if you do not shop from them.
http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell/tool/psucalc/index.html
Enter your PC parts (or the closes approx to your parts) in the appropriate fields and hit calculate
The number you get is the amount of watts you system requires. Example for me, I just did the calc and got this result 483 Watts
You can go further and click on the Button Find PSUs. That will generate a list of PSUs that meets your requirements
But I will skill that entirely, instead take your number you receive
Now there is no 483 watt rated PSU. And that is the number of watts I need minimum on paper, in reality you want something more.
And you also do not want to get the bare minimum ether. You want to add at least 50 to 100 watts more to that number.
So 483 + 100 is 583. Round that number up to the nearest Hundred. You Should have 600. So if you get a result for 483, you should be shopping for a 600 Watt PSU or more.
When you search on new egg for PSU sort by BEST RATING
You do not want to sort by Lowest price first, as the first few PSUs you see will be junk.
I have a system what needs 483 watts, I have installed a 700 watt PSU as it more than cover my requirements as well as include room for future upgrades.
When you go shop for a PSU, DO NOT GO FOR THE CHEAPEST PSU YOU CAN FIND. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to PSU.
A good PSU should be heavy, those are power capacitors and other components that regulate and smooth out the flow of electricity for your PC.
** Look for PSU that have the 80 PLUS certification**. The 80 Plus verification comes in 5 levels, Regular, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
The higher the Cert, the more energy efficient your PSU is. At the Regular level your PSU will be 80% (or more) power efficient, and that heavy loads and high heat your grantee 80% of the wattage on the PSU label. Hence why I said look for a PSU that supplies more watts that you need.
Heat will reduce the efficacy and life of all PC parts and components.
Here is a listing of 600 Watt PSU which is what I recommend for you. Most PSU in there are less than $100.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657 600014021 600014078&IsNodeId=1&name=600W
Sort by Best Rating and see which one fits your needs.
So I built that PC and it isn’t quite what I wanted. I think I’m going to sell it and start over.
Is this the place to ask tech questions as well? I’m curious about hard drives. I have a regular sata internal hard drive which I’ve been using for over 5 years now with probably about 30 reformats (don’t ask). What’s the lifespan on this piece of shit you think I got left?
What is the capacity on it?
It’s only a 250gb hard drive.
Eh, as long as its kept cool (which shouldnt be a problem) and you aren’t banging your case around, it still has some years in it.
Good. I mean I’m probably going to change it by the end of the year but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t able to blow up in the near future.
I’ll post my (really shitty specs in comparison to you guys) this weekend but I’ll also post along the upgrades I plan on doing if some of you don’t mind giving me input on the situation.
I agree with Rabbit here. Although I would not force too many more reformats if they are not required if you get what I mean.
I don’t think any one would mind at all. I would be glad to help.