TUTORIAL: Buying a Computer for StarCraft 2 for under $650

OH NO Will my weak 4870 X2 and Q6600 play SC2!!
jk, I know it will. Nice thread though

Please don't space out posts.

 

Told ya! Under $700 even with the upgrades. If you need any assistance putting it together please refer to this thread:

http://www.starcraft2forum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6062&highlight=tutorial+build

Also, the best thanks you can give is referring your friends to these tutorials.

 

man, i WISH i had $700 to burn on a new computer.

 

Everything worked great. It's put together and running beautifully. Now all I need is the SC2 beta to start... *waits*

 

hehe

 

ISO update list of parts.
Some are deactivated and tht 8800GT is weak.

 

I'll revise this article when beta is imminent.

 

Want me to post images of cheap builds from another forum?

Edit:
Here are some anyway xD




Sorry if images are too big.

Note- These were used to help people in affording cheap GG gaming computers. Both those builds were created by PENandPAPER on http://forums.d2jsp.org.

 

How do you think will my machine run starcraft 2 on medium graphic options?
imac 20 inch
intel core 2 duo 2.4 ghz
4 gb ram
ati radeon HD2600 256 mb videocard

 

Not with that videocard IMO, but there might be chances.

Any more info on your RAM?

 

its a nice guide but i hardly feel like spending the time to build my own comp. i know it seems like the cheapest and best way to go about getting a good comp but id rather just flat out buy one thats already built and made and geared towards high end gaming. even tho im capable of building my own i just would like to avoid any frustrations like if something goes wrong or if those horror stories about static discharges come true for me...

anyway with that being said, any recommendations of a good comp with good specs that can play sc2 or any game thats like sc2 on high settings? i know alien ware comps is one but thats kinda out my range for now and alot of ppl say its a waste of money... id like to have a pimped out comp that i can get for under a thousand $. something that can not only play games good but other media as well in HD quality. so any recommendations? remember i dont plan on building my own comp atm, i just want to avoid all that hassle and just flat out buy one with all the specs and such already in.

 

@ Ballistixz,

Really not that time consuming to build a PC... takes about 2 hours to assemble it properly. Another 2 to install the OS and you're good to go!

 

You will regret not building it yourself..

 

y would i regret it =o? can anyone tell me the pros and cons to just buying a comp and building one myself basides the prices? usually when i buy a comp it last me a good 5-6+ years. like the current comp i have now i had since 2002 or 2003 and its been good to me up untill recently. but its so old that its giving out on me and i just need a new and better one.

right now i just dont see many benefits from building my own comp vs buying one already built basides the fact that it might be a little cheaper building my own =/ unless u guys can enlighten me i might reconsider building my own, but without any good reason to do so i might just go ahead and buy a nice dell/HP or something.

 

When you build your own computer you can upgrade any of the components at any time, making its "useful" life a lot longer, almost indefinite.

Also I've found computers assembled by yourself to be a lot more serviceable because it forces you to know your computer, it's requirements, and the parts used. You know when the power supply fails why it failed and what to replace it with.

Thirdly the cost for benefit ratio is SO much higher than it is with pre-built computers that I don't even know if you can consider price as a factor. You can't say "just because it's cheaper I don't want to do it" because not only is it cheaper but you're able to purchase much better equipment than you would get in that more expensive, less capable PC.

 

yeah, i find many computers from Dell or HP come with just the bare essentials inside. if you're lucky, there's one extra port for another hard drive, and maybe there's room for a new graphics card. there may or may not be enough cables from the power supply to plug in, much less enough power to support a high-end upgrade. and often they're non-replaceable and don't follow standard ATX layouts.

if you EVER plan on upgrading your computer, build it yourself.

 

well considering i never actually built a comp before and it will be my first time how long will it take for a beginner? how easy/hard/frustrating will it be for me since it will be my first comp built?

i did take a appliance repair class at one of my schools carreer center (was going to take the computer electronics class where they teach u how to build and manag comps and all but the teacher quit during the first few weeks school let in so i had to switch to another course and by the time a new one was found i already got to attached to my current teacher and classmates >.>) so i do have a little bit of knowledge on certain things but alot of the components are still alien to me.

like i dont want to choose the wrong graphics card or wrong components or damage anything that will cost me even more money to replace. but even with all that said and my cautiousness to building my own i think i will take everyones advice and just try to build one of my own. it will be a nice project for me and i love building things anyway =p.

the components you reccomend in your tutorial, is it good for other things basides just playing starcraft 2? like i do play other games so u think it will be best for those to? and i do browse the net alot and watch videos on youtube/anime/thatguywiththeglasses/angry video game nerd/etc etc so that wont cause any problems if i follow your guide right? if im going to build my own id like to have HD and all.ill do some searching and studying on how to build one before i just go blindly at it tho.

o ya and one more thing, what would be the best operating system to use if i do decide to build one? should i stick with windows XP or go with windows vista?

oh and btw, taking another look at your guide some of the links lead me to a list of products instead of the product itself. and others dont have prices or say "deactivated item" where the price should be so im not able to buy it.

 

@ Ballistixz,

Yeah the main issue you're going to run into regarding this tutorial is that the product links are completely outdated. Maybe I will get some time today to update it since I was planning on writing some articles.

Otherwise you'll have to look for some things on your own. But I will try to update all the links today.

Also I'd say on a scale of 1-10 10 being the hardest this project comes in at a 5. It's not terribly difficult you just have to follow the directions. I also have a tutorial on how to actually build your PC here:

How to Build Your $700 Desktop

Oh and you can go with whatever OS you want. Vista is fine but has some compatibility issues so if you go with that you should plan on eventually going to Windows 7. Or you can just skip straight there. There are some student plans that let you get Windows 7 for free in case you haven't already opted into the beta.

 

Also: go for Vista. Even though it sucks, you can get a video card that supports direct x 10 and up. Pretty important for newer games. Further, you now almost always can buy a package with a free upgrade to windows 7 when they release it. That way you can get the best hardware, AND get windows 7 really cheap right away.

 

Just letting you guys know I have officially updated the links and specs for this article. The new price I came to is:

*drumroll*

$598.11. I'm gonna put up a wishlist so if you REALLY want you can just buy exactly what I posted. RAWR