Advice for making comp (Needs to play SWTOR)

[JamesC]

Alright, so I'm working on making my own computer, and so I've got some base specs that I'm working with on a bit of a budget. A friend gave me these and I know I need know if there are better parts or better deals out there and I know you guys know your stuff. Take a look at what I've got here and comment away. I appreciate the help.

pcpartpicker.com/p/3NsC

(First thing first I know it needs a new power supply)

[Rer]

Forgot to mention this to you earlier but ASUS is an excellent company, so you can trust that Motherboard.

[trapsinger]

Personally I prefer Intel processors, but it's because i used to know some people that worked there rather than a performance thing.

But even so, this looks like a great system to go with, and a great price, very close to what I would get for myself, if it weren't for my lifestyle demanding the portability of a laptop.

If you have a little extra money kicking around, it never hurts to get a snazzier graphics card, no matter how snazzy the one you have is, there is always a better one. And in my experience that's the single piece of hardware that makes the most difference for gaming, and the best place to splurge when building your own system. That said the one you have listed there will more than handle SW:TOR just fine on the "High" settings, getting the better card would only be so it could handle more graphically intense games down the road.

[MeesterJamus]

Take anything Rer tells you, and toss it straight in the garbage. That guy is trouble! =P

Based on his reply, I ASSUME he was the friend that gave you this stuff... But make sure this stuff is all AM3 compatible (your motherboard is an AM3). Without going into a lot of research, the CPU is the only thing that stated it was. For the Power Supply, a 600W should be fine for SWTOR (if I remember correctly). But that depends on how much other stuff you end up putting in there. Also, whatever frame/case you are putting everything into, if the MB doesn't fit, you are SOL.

If you have more questions, go ahead and ask and I'll check back after work tomorrow.

[Talo]

I'd also add that Newegg.com is one of the best PC parts sites around. I've built (and spec-priced) many a machine through customer reviews.

And if you want a reputable video card review (that is up to the minute) goggle for Tom's Hardware Video card hierarchy *current month and year. The reviews are also by price range - which is handy.

Good luck!

[Rer]

Nah I didn't give James the specs, just gave them a lookse

[MeesterJamus]

Well yannow what they say about assuming things... It makes an ass out of you and Rer. =P

[JamesC]

Rer doesn't need any help making an ass of himself, I've no doubt of that. But compatibility is the one thing I'm worried about some. I've updated it a little so that the power supply is better, how can I figure out if everything is compatible?

[Talo]

Eh...well there's no easy way that I know of. It takes time teaching yourself.

Start with the basics: look at a party's name on newegg. When you see acronyms, numbers, and letters that you don't understand start looking them up on Google and especially good forums.

Examples: what's difference between AM3 and AM2?

What's 80-plus certified mean?

What's 20 pin versus 24 pin?

Then identify similarities between products. If a hard drive is SATA 6.0 then you will want to get a motherboard that uses SATA 6.0.

And also consider really understanding the why questions.

WHY is solid state hard drives better than disk? Is SLC better than MLC?

Being able to answer these questions is a lot of work, but it'll pay off in huge dividends. I've been able to make a none-too-shabby extra bit of income after all the time I spent teaching myself.

[trapsinger]

actually i looked at the compatibility on your video card when i was looking at the specs, and it looks like that will work fine in your motherboard too, you have the right slot for it. and i think the hardware will too, so i think you should be pretty set.