Hey,

 

So I have made a few posts about this in the past year or so, each time never actually making a buy. Now its for real. I will be getting a new computer for my birthday in the fall (September). I have about $1,200.00 USD dollars to spend, more on the lower side of $1,200.00. I know what I want, and what I need to run on this new computer, but I dont want to go overboard on things I dont need to, and skimp out on things I do need. I have a couple builds in mind. If I had my way I would build my own computer, but my parents are worried if I mess up there is no warranty or anything like that. 

 

Currently I am running the following disgusting specs on a Dell Vostro 1720:

 

Intel Celeron @1.71Ghz

2GB RAM

Integrated  500mb dedicated Motherboard Graphics

256GB Hard drive

Integrated Motherboard Sound

1 55mm fan

Intel Motherboard

17" screen

Full keyboard

 

Thats really all there is to it. I get an average of 4.5fps on FSX at the lowest settings, and can only run max 2-3 programs at once with the limited RAM. I own many many addons over $400.00 worth of them, but cannot use any of them because of my systems horrible capabilities.

 

Now, which build should I get? I will show the specs of each below, but first let me tell you what I need to run on this new computer.

 

AutoCAD Architecture 2014

 

Minimum Specs for 32-bit Windows:

 

• Windows® 8 Professional or Enterprise edition, Windows® 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition, or Windows® XP Professional or Home edition (SP3 or later) operating system
• Windows 7 or 8: Intel® Pentium® 4 processor or AMD Athlon™ dual-core processor, 3 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
• Windows XP: Pentium 4 or Athlon dual-core processor, 1.6 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
• 2 GB RAM (4 GB RAM recommended)
• 10 GB free disk space for installation
• 1,024 x 768 display with true color (1,600 x 1,050 or higher with true color recommended)
• 128 MB graphics card (256 MB or greater recommended)
• Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Microsoft® Direct3D®-capable-workstation-class 3D graphics card
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7 or later web browser
• DVD drive (for installation only)
• Optional printer or plotter, digitizer, Internet access, and network interface card

 

Minimum Specs for 64-bit Windows

 

• Windows 8 Standard, Enterprise, or Professional edition, Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition, or Windows XP Professional (SP2 or later)
• AMD Athlon 64 with SSE2 technology, AMD Opteron™ processor with SSE2 technology, Intel® Xeon® processor with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology, or Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology
• 2 GB RAM (4 GB RAM recommended)
• 10 GB free disk space for installation
• 1,024 x 768 display with true color (1,600 x 1,050 or higher with true color recommended)
• 128 MB graphics card (256 MB or greater recommended)
• Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Direct3D-capable-workstation-class 3D graphics card (supported graphics hardware)
• Internet Explorer 7 or later
• DVD drive (for installation only)
• Optional printer or plotter, Internet access, and network interface card

 

I have been using this program for a couple years now at an office, and I have notices that it is a huge RAM and Graphics Hog. also, the files generated by it are very big usually about 20-50MB.

 

AutoCAD Revit 2013

 

Minimum entry-level configuration

• Windows® 7 32-bit Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition operating system[1]
• Single- or multi-core Intel® Pentium®, Intel® Xeon®, or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology (highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended)
• Multiple cores for many tasks, up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations
• 4 GB RAM (Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 100 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.)
• Models created in previous versions of Revit products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process
• /3GB RAM switch not recommended. Revit software and system stability can be affected by memory conflicts with video drivers when the /3GB switch is active.
• 5 GB free disk space
• 1,280 x 1,024 monitor with true color
• Display adapter capable of 24-bit color for basic graphics, 256 MB DirectX® 11-capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 as recommended by Autodesk
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7 (or later)
• MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion®-compliant device
• Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key
• Internet connectivity for license registration and prerequisite component download

Value: Balanced performance

• Windows® 8 64-bit Enterprise or Professional edition, or Windows 7 64-bit Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition operating system
• Multicore Xeon or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology (highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended)
• Multiple cores for many tasks, up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations
• 8 GB RAM (Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 300 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.)
• Models created in previous versions of Revit software products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process
• 5 GB free disk space
• 1,680 x 1,050 monitor with true color
• DirectX 11 capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 asrecommended by Autodesk
• Internet Explorer 7 (or later)
• MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion-compliant device
• Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key
• Internet connectivity for license registration and prerequisite component download

Performance: Large, complex models

• Windows 8 64-bit Enterprise or Professional edition, or Windows 7 64-bit Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition
• Multicore Xeon or i-Series processor or AMD equivalent with SSE2 technology (highest affordable CPU speed rating recommended)
• Multiple cores for many tasks, up to 16 cores for near-photorealistic rendering operations
• 16 GB RAM (Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 700 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.)
• Models created in previous versions of Revit software products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process
• 5 GB free disk space; 10,000+ RPM for Point Cloud interactions
• 1,920 x 1,200 monitor with true color
• DirectX 10 capable graphics card with Shader Model 3 asrecommended by Autodesk
• Internet Explorer 7 (or later)
• MS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion-compliant device
• Download or installation from DVD9 or USB key
• Internet connectivity for license registration and prerequisite component download

 

This program, Revit, is a huge Graphics hog. It is used to make extremely detailed and complex renderings, and 3D models with everything to the last wire connection. The files generated by Revit are bigger than AutoDesk, sometimes up to 1GB each

 

Last but not least Flight Simulator X.:

 

Minimum System Requirements

• Microsoft Windows XP SP2 / Vista
• PC with 1 GHz equivalent or higher processor
• 256 MB of system RAM for Windows XP SP2 / 512 MB Vista
• 14 GB available hard disk space
• DVD-ROM drive - the faster, the better
• 32 MB DirectX 9 compatible video card required
• Sound card, speakers, or headphones required for audio
• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
  56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play

 

Everybody here probably knows alot about what FSX needs and wants.

 

Other Programs, besides the basic Word processor and Internet, etc are:

 

Google Earth

Google Sketchup

zwCAD (very infrequently)

FSCommander (latest version)

VRC

Teamspeak

Skype

 

Ok, I know alot of info, but the gist is, that I want to be able to get at least an average of 30 or more FPS in FSX with the settings at least halfway or more. I also want to be able to run all the addons I have. In AutoCAD I want to be able to render and do complex 3D operations smoothly, and I want to be able to run more the 2 programs simultaneously!!!! I need a serious Upgrade. 

 

Here are the builds I have found, lemme know which one I should take, or if I should modify anything:

 

1st one:

Its from Bestbuy, right in my price range. Only thing I really dont like about it is that it has Windows 8. My friend has an unused copy of Windows 7 Ultimate that he is giving to me.

 

Here is the link to it (the word link)

 

It does not have a monitor, I would have to get one.

 

2nd one:

Its from iBuyPower. Has good specs, again I would have to get a monitor and get Windows 7 from my friend.

 

Specs:

1 x Case ( Rosewill Thor V2 Gaming Case - Black )

0 x Case Lighting ( None )

0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )

0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )

1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )

1 x Processor Cooling ( Corsair Hydro Series H55 Liquid CPU Cooling System - Standard 120mm Fan *FREE Upgrade from Default CPU Cooling System* )

1 x Memory ( 16 GB [8 GB x2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair Vengeance )

1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti - 2GB )

1 x Motherboard ( ASRock Z87 Pro3 -- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 4x SATA 6Gb/s, 4x USB 3.0 )

1 x Power Supply ( 650 Watt -- NZXT HALE82N-SI / 80+ Bronze )

1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )

1 x Data Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )

1 x Optical Drive ( 24x Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black *Independence Day Sale* FREE Upgrade to BLU-RAY Reader Combo Drive for Primary Optical Drive )

0 x 2nd Optical Drive ( None )

0 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( None )

0 x Meter Display ( None )

1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )

1 x Network Card ( Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card )

1 x Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )

1 x Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Keyboard - FREE Upgrade to A4Tech LED Backlit Gaming Keyboard ($19 value) )

1 x Mouse ( iBUYPOWER Precision Gaming Mouse - Midnight Black )

0 x Monitor ( None )

0 x 2nd Monitor ( None )

0 x Speaker System ( None )

0 x Video Camera ( None )

0 x Case Engraving Service ( None )

1 x Warranty ( 3 Year Standard Warranty Service )

1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days

 

 

Pretty good I think, now the Next one, from CyberPowerPC, again I would have the same deal with the monitor and Windows 7. 

 

• *BASE_PRICE: [+1110]
• BLUETOOTH: None
• CAS: CFI Boreallight Full-Tower Gaming Case w/ 1x 140 & 2x 120mm Fans, Front USB 3.0, HDD Easy Swap Bays & Side-Panel Window (Black Color)
• CASUPGRADE: None
• CD: LG 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive & DVDRW, 3D Playback Combo Drive (BLACK COLOR)
• CD2: None
• COOLANT: Standard Coolant
• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1150 (All Venom OC Certified) [+106]
• CS_FAN: Default case fans
• ENGRAVING: None
• ENGRAVING_MSG:
• FA_HDD: None
• FAN: Cooler Master Seidon 120M Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
• FLASHMEDIA: None
• FREEBIE_MB: None
• FREEBIE_VC: None
• FREEBIE_VC2: None
• GLASSES: None
• HDD: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)
• HDD2: None
• IEEE_CARD: None
• IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
• KEYBOARD1: AZZA Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard [+5]
• MB_SRT: None
• MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
• MONITOR: None
• MONITOR2: None
• MONITOR3: None
• MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX] GIGABYTE Z87-HD3 Intel Z87 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Ultra Durable 4 Plus, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2 PCIe x16 (1 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2 PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (Pro OC Certified)
• MOUSE1: AZZA Optical 1600dpi Gaming Mouse with Weight Adjustable Cartridge [+4]
• NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
• OS: Microsoft® Windows 8 (64-bit Edition)
• OVERCLOCK: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more)
• POWERSUPPLY: 500 Watts - Corsair CX500 V2 80 Plus Certified Power Supply
• RESERVOIR: None
• RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
• SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
• SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
• SPEAKERS: None
• TABLET: None
• TEMP: None
• TUNING: None
• TVRC: None
• USB: None
• USBFLASH: None
• USBHD: None
• USBX: None
• VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
• VIDEO2: None
• VIDEO3: None
• WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11n 150Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]
• _PRICE: (+1244)

A little more expensive, but I think still doable.

 

Those are the only ones I have found, that I like that are in my price range. I really do not want to have to have AMD processors. 

Basically I want the best possible computer I can get for under ~$1,200.00 USD.

 

Thanks! I know, its a long post!

 

1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )

1 x Processor Cooling ( Corsair Hydro Series H55 Liquid CPU Cooling System - Standard 120mm Fan *FREE Upgrade from Default CPU Cooling System* )

 

This doesnt make any sense to me. Isnt water cooling useless without overclocking? I'd pick  Intel® Core™ i7-4770K. K means it is overclockable. If you are planning not to overclock then Id suggest you to leave watercooling aside.

Ok, in this case there was no choice other than water cooling. Thanks though!

With building, each part has its own warranty. If you follow the right guides, you should have no problems. You just have to be careful, and take it slowly. 

I know that but my parents wont allow it for whatever reason.

Have you tried the argument that it will help you when trying to get into college. Being able to say that you built a computer would help.

With building, each part has its own warranty. If you follow the right guides, you should have no problems. You just have to be careful, and take it slowly.

Right, but be careful. If the failure of one component is caused by another component, you'll very often be up a creek. Anyway, home building used to make sense when there were no good (and reasonably priced) builders on the market. That's no longer the case. Cyberpower builds often beat the cost of homebuilds. And they come with a warranty covering the system as a whole. That's important considering the interdependency of the components.

 

 

Cyberpower builds often beat the cost of homebuilds.

But when dealing with prebuilt solutions, there is the problem of being forced to use sub standard components. The pre-builers want you to choose what they have the most of, or the greatest profit margin. Most of these components are not from reliable brands, and will die after a certain amount of time. This is how the companies can match the cost of home builds. That is beside the fact that home building is fun, and a great learning experience.

I would recommend that you build your own system.

 

It is *not* hard and there are dozens of detailed tutorials online that will guide you through the process of putting your system together.

 

 

If you wanted to build I would recommend something like this:

 

Corsair 500R

Intel Core i5 4670K

Nvidia Geforce GTX760

Asus Z87-Plus Motherboard

Corsair H100 or similar

Corsair HX650 PSU

 

This kind of system would give you a tremendous performance boost... Literally 20-30x performance boost over what you currently have. Also, with the K model CPU, you will be able to Overclock your CPU to squeeze out even more performance in FSX. 

But when dealing with prebuilt solutions, there is the problem of being forced to use sub standard components. The pre-builers want you to choose what they have the most of, or the greatest profit margin. Most of these components are not from reliable brands, and will die after a certain amount of time. This is how the companies can match the cost of home builds. That is beside the fact that home building is fun, and a great learning experience.

If by "pre-builts" you mean off-the-shelf HPs and Dell computers, well sure. But Cyberpower lets you pick every single component from a laundry list of top of the line options. The list is almost dizzying for some components. Whereas Dell's customizer might give you 2 options for a video card configuration, Cyberpower gives you a page worth, with all the different permutations available. See for yourself. Build a PC on Cyberpower (I went with the Zeus Thunder 2500 myself a few months ago). Make all the various selections. Then take that list of parts and try to source the parts yourself using your favorite PC parts dealer (NewEgg, or whatever). Oftentimes you'll find that the EXACT same set of parts cost more individually than the amount you'll pay Cyberpower to build the thing for you. And why shouldn't it? It's common sense really, because builders like Cyberpower can buy in bulk and sell components at a discount over retail prices.

 

Granted, building your own system is fun. I built my other PC. But nobody should jump on the DIY bandwagon thinking they'll save money or get a higher performing system. That logic is circa 1990.

 

 

ftentimes you'll find that the EXACT same set of parts cost more individually than the amount you'll pay Cyberpower to build the thing for you.

I listed the part list below on pcparpicker.com, the cost is below:

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Microcenter) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM  Liquid CPU Cooler  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  Asus Z87-A ATX  LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.73 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($67.47 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card  ($249.99 @ Newegg) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 

Optical Drive:  LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer  ($15.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Total: $973.09

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 20:54 EDT-0400)

 

That same build cost 200 dollars more from cyberpowerpc.

Thanks so much for all your replies, but as much as I want to build a computer, and my friend who built his own last year very successfully has offered to help, my parents won't let me. I can try to persuade them but I doubt its going to happen. I will try though.

 

I will try to change to the i7-4.....k one so I can overclock it, and I am gonna try to get an extra SSD for windows, FSX, and all my major programs.

 

Thanks!

 

I listed the part list below on pcparpicker.com, the cost is below:

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.73 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.47 @ SuperBiiz)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)

Total: $973.09

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 20:54 EDT-0400)

 

That same build cost 200 dollars more from cyberpowerpc.

Hey, I hadn't heard of PCPartPicker. Very useful!

 

You're right, I came up with a Gamer Extreme on Cyberpower for $125 more--not quite $200, but more expensive, I'll give you that. I did say "oftentimes", but I never would have thought you could get such a great price sourcing the parts individually... I do like that site. Thanks!

 

Of course, I might be willing to pay $125 more in order to get a 3 year labor/1 year parts warranty covering the entire system. Hmmmm

Warrenty aside, if you can't change a oil filter or car battery better off buying a computer someone else will build for you.

Warrenty aside, if you can't change a oil filter or car battery better off buying a computer someone else will build for you.

Huh? Lol.