archive of old OP for next thread:
Planning to build a new computer? Don't know where to start? Read Here first!
Ask questions in this thread about upgrades and new system builds. Read through the OP and compare it to your own situation.
Things to remember: These builds do not include any OS, Keyboard, Mice, Speakers or Monitors. That is up to the builder to choose.
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Desktop PC Builds
Click the wish list link at the top of the build to purchase.
Click select all then add to cart at the bottom.
Entry Level: General purpose PC, good desktop productivity. Casual gaming.
Price Range: $400 - $450 AMD processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
AMD Kaveri A10-7860 APU
|
$139 CA
|
$109 US
Motherboard:|
Asus A88XM-A FM2+
|
$139 CA
|
$79US
RAM:|
G.Skill 8GB 2133
|
$57CA
|
$44US
Video Card:|
INTEGRATED
|
INTEGRATED
|
INTEGRATED
Power Supply:|
EVGA 500W
|
$44 CA
|
$39 US
Case:|
Rosewill Redbone
|
$49 CA
|
$44 US
HDD:|
N/A
|
$N/A
|
N/A
SSD:|
Corsair Force LE 240GB
|
$79 CA
|
$58 US
Optical Drive:|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
Total: |Prices as of 6-19-16|$450CA|$378 US
Entry Level: General purpose PC, good desktop productivity. Moderate gaming capability
Price Range: $500 - $600 Intel processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
Intel i3 - 6300 Skylake
|
$149 CA
|
$146 US
Motherboard:|
MSI Z170A Pro
|
$159 CA
|
$114 US
RAM:|
Kingston HyperX 8GB 2400
|
$44CA
|
$37 US
Video Card:|
Gigabyte GTX 950
|
$174 CA
|
$134 US
Power Supply:|
EVGA 500W
|
$54 CA
|
$39 US
Case:|
Rosewill Challenger
|
69 CA
|
$49 US
HDD:|
N/A
|
$N/A
|
N/A
SSD:|
Corsair Force LE 240GB
|
$79 CA
|
$58 US
Optical Drive:|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
Total: |Prices as of 6-19-16|$814 CA|$583 US
Mainstream: General purpose PC, good desktop productivity and most gaming
Price Range: $800 - $850 Intel processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
Intel i5 6400
|
$239 CA
|
$189 US
Motherboard:|
Asus Z170-E
|
$155 CA
|
$135 US
RAM:|
Kingston HyperX 8GB 2400
|
$44CA
|
$37 US
Video Card:|
EVGA GTX 960 4GB
|
$259 CA
|
$194 US
Power Supply:|
Corsair CX600 v2
|
$89 CA
|
$64 US
Case:|
Rosewill Challenger-U3
|
$59 CA
|
$59 US
HDD:|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
SSD:|
Crucial MX200 500GB M.2
|
$189 CA
|
$148 US
Optical Drive:|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$1,099 CA|$824 US
Mainstream: General purpose PC, good for desktop productivity, all gaming, with overclocking potential.
Price Range: $1000 - $1100 Intel processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
Intel Core i5 6600k Skylake
|
$339 CA
|
$219 US
Motherboard:|
Asus Z170-A
|
$204 CA
|
$164 US
RAM:|
G.Skill Aegis 2800 16GB
|
$74 CA
|
$59 US
Video Card:|
Power Color R9 380X
|
$299 CA
|
$222 US
Power Supply:|
EVGA 110-B2 750W
|
$139 CA
|
$79 US
Case:|
Rosewill Challenger U3
|
$59 CA
|
$59 US
HDD:|
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
|
$64 CA
|
$50 US
SSD:|
Crucial MX200 500GB M.2
|
$189 CA
|
$148 US
Optical Drive:|
Samsung SATA DVD RW
|
$17 CA
|
$17 US
CPU Cooler:|
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
|
$34 CA
|
$34 US
Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$1,373 CA|$1,043 US
Enthusiast: Specialized system, good for High Performance gaming and overclocking
Price Range: $1500 - $1600 Intel processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
Intel Core i5 6600k Skylake
|
$339 CA
|
$249 US
Motherboard:|
Asus Z170-A
|
$209 CA
|
$154 US
RAM:|
G.Skill Ripjaws V 8GB DDR4 2800
|
$89 CA
|
$69 US
Video Card:|
EVGA GTX 1070
|
$? CA
|
$419 US
Power Supply:|
EVGA 110-B2 750W
|
$139 CA
|
$79 US
Case:|
Antec 1100 V2
|
$124 CA
|
$99US
HDD:|
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
|
$64 CA
|
$50 US
Optical Drive:|
Samsung SATA DVD RW
|
$17 CA
|
$17 US
SSD:|
Samsung 850EVO 500GB
|
$199CA
|
$159 US
CPU Cooler:|
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
|
$34 CA
|
$34 US
Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$1,800? CA|$1,302 US
High end: Excellent all around system, near top of the line.
Price Range: $2000 - $2200 Intel processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
Intel Core i7 6700k Skylake
|
$414 CA
|
$324US
Motherboard:|
Gigabyte GA-Z170X
|
$239 CA
|
$194US
RAM:|
G.SKill Ripjaws X 16GB DDR4 3000
|
$179 CA
|
$154 US
Video Card:|
MSI GTX 1080
|
$899CA
|
$699 US
Power Supply:|
Corsair RM850X
|
$219 CA
|
$149 US
Case:|
CM Storm Stryker
|
$199 CA
|
$159 US
HDD:|
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
|
$64 CA
|
$50 US
Optical Drive:|
Asus SATA DVD Burner
|
$17 CA
|
$17 US
SSD:|
Samsung 850EVO 500GB SATA
|
$224 CA
|
$179 US
CPU Cooler:|
Phanteks PH-TC14PE
|
$124 CA
|
$79 US
Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$2,549 CA|$1,881 US
Who needs money!:
Price Range: $4900 - $5000 Intel processor
Click Here to add all of the items to your cart.
Canadians can do the same by clicking here.
Hardware
|
Name
|
Price CA
|
Price US
Processor:|
Intel Core i7-5960X
|
$1,329 CA
|
$1,049 US
Motherboard:|
EVGA X99 Classified LGA 2011
|
$589CA
|
$379 US
RAM:|
Corsair Dominator 4x8GB DDR4 32GB
|
$269 CA
|
$209 US
Video Card:|
2X MSI GTX 1080
|
$899CA
|
$699 US
Power Supply:|
Seasonic Platinum 1000
|
$289 CA
|
$249 US
Case:|
Cooler Master Cosmos II
|
$339 CA
|
$329 US
Blu-Ray:|
LG Black 14x BD-R
|
$139 CA
|
$117 US
SSD:|
2xSamsung 850 Pro 2TB
|
$1099 CA
|
$ 919 US
CPU Cooler:|
CORSAIR Hydro Series H115i
|
$169 CA
|
$109 US
Total: |Prices as of 6-18-16|$6,279 CA|$5,585 US
==================================================
Common PC questions
Processors (CPU's)
Different types of Sockets
Installing your Heatsink?:
Use a proper thermal compound application
Video Cards:
Can't decide which video card to buy?:
Compare them by year
2014 -
2013 -
2012 -
2011 -
2010 -
2009
Performance Per Dollar by Techpowerup
Want to upgrade your video card?
Check here first
TechPowerup's VGA BIOS collection (for advanced tweaking)
Crossfire Compatibility chart (7xxx/6xxx)
Crossfire Compatibility chart (R9/R7 Series)
SLI / Crossfire Q&A video.
Memory:
Ensure your Dual channel memory is appropriately configured. (Dated but relevant)
What are Memory Timings?
Software
Backup, copy, and restore your computer:
Seagate Drives
Western Digital Drives
Put your new system to the test:
Benchmark it with
Unigine -
3dmark11 -
3dmark13 -
Lost Planet 2 -
Final Fantasy XIV -
AVP Bench -
Resident Evil 6
Differences Between Windows 7 Versions
Never Installed Windows before?:
Watch this video
Hard Drives
New SSD? Check out this
introductory guide.
Tom's "Best SSD for the money 2013"
Motherboards
Newegg's Motherborad Buying Guide
Guide to Motherboard Selection (dated but good concepts)
Power Supplies (Or PSU's):
2013 PSU break-down
PSU reviews:
Anandtech -
Jonnyguru
Think your PSU is bad?:
test it here. (post in the thread if you need assistance)
Want to save money?:
Don't cut corners on the PSU.
How much power does a generic unit truly provide?
Power supply Efficiency levels
Reference:
OEM's of Popular PSU brands
How much power do I need?
Power requirement estimator #1(uses data from trusted review sources)
Power requirement estimator #2 (less accurate but more part options)
Power Requirements for video cards from MSI
Video Tutorials on PC Building
I disagree with the host in some areas but overall it's a well done series. Long Winded however. For an absolute beginner it's a good resource. If you just need help with assembly, watch the second video.
Pt.1 Basic PC introduction and Component selection.
Pt.2 Assembling your system
Pt.3 Installing your OS, other odds and ends.
Thread Updated as Hardware is Released
I use NewEgg as a reference for PC components. Please shop around and find the best prices if they can be found elsewhere. In my experience NewEgg has fair prices though.
*Prices might not be 100% accurate. Check them carefully. Some items include additional mail in rebates as well. Those savings are not reflected in my prices so your build may actually be cheaper in the end.
**When choosing your parts remember you are the boss. do no hesitate to tailor one of these blueprints to your specific needs. Want a great multimedia PC but don't really need high end gaming? Spend less on the GPU and add a Blu-Ray player and Tuner Card. Need additional Storage? Go for the 2TB drive.
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