virginpilot1 Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Hey guys Looking for the best place to upgrade but a bit unsure where to start looking for a new comp... i'm sort of computer literate but just wondering if i'm missing a good site.... i mainly have just looked on ebay...should i be custom building or... Budget of about 1000 Thanks heaps!!! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markabcan Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 As far as value goes I would say custom rigs are hard to beat! I just finished designing my own custom FSX rig and it was quite daunting but after enough research completely doable and I got much higher specs within my budget limitations. As far as specific places to buy in AU that's out of my sphere of knowledge... Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virginpilot1 Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 Ok great thanks alot mark. So custom build is me selecting everything?? Complex =p lol Anyone got any good places to custom build in OZ?? Preferably Sydney =P. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Harris Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I use the MSY Auburn store in Sydney...they also sell custom rigs http://www.msy.com.au Check out the Intel DDR3 systems But for the best of the best....choose your bits and build you own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virginpilot1 Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 Thats fantastic thanks alot meatycus!! =D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurice_King Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Buy you components and build it yourself then you have the pride in knowing you did it and the ability to repair it should things go wrong and also not be scared at the possibility of doing upgrades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markabcan Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Ok great thanks alot mark. So custom build is me selecting everything?? Complex =p lol Anyone got any good places to custom build in OZ?? Preferably Sydney =P. Thanks It certainly was a very complex task for me, I learned a lot about the workings of computers though, just learning about which components were compatible was challenging enough for me. Many hours of research did the trick though, simply start with a budget and identify which areas you are willing to compromise, then let the endless research begin! I tried to find the best and most FSX friendly of each component within my price range. My next challenge will be learning to overclock my cpu and gpu... If you need any help don't hesitate to shoot me a message! Mark Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virginpilot1 Posted March 10, 2010 Author Share Posted March 10, 2010 Ok great thanks alot for your support mark and will do =D Much appreciated!!!!! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMaestro Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 MSY wouldn't be a good choice for the beginner, it can be a bit daunting to the uninitiated. Prices are very low but the expectation is that you know exactly what you want, so you will line up, ask for your parts, pay and get out. Customer service is almost non-existent. A bit like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi. Questions or chit-chat to staff will annoy fellow customers who know what the deal is and want to get in and get out. Not to mention that half the items you want will be out of stock and you'll have to make a decision on the spot about alternatives. There's two approaches I think you could take, one is to go to a computer shop and ask them to spec-up a system based on your budget and requirements, and the second would be to select the parts yourself, then go to a store and buy it from them, getting them to build it for you unless you want to put it together yourself. If you have absolutely no idea what you're doing then go for the first one, but if you think you can do it with some help from the internet and people on this forum then the second one is the best choice. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaveenB Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I learned how to build computers buy taking apart an old one...no fooling after seeing how stuff fits together and that it's not some fragile porcelain heirloom, I had the confidence to put one together myself, I am typing this on the 3rd computer I have built. as far as component selection, I would look at the specs of alot of the guys here, these are FSX afficianados who have built for the sim. Good Luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgutteri Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 +1 for building it yourself mate. There is an immense feeling of pride in building something from scratch for a specific purpose. The value you achieve is also second to none. Sites such as www.tomshardware.com and www.anandtech.com are the best for research into parts (check out Tom's best graphics cards for the money Month xxx) The other advantage of DIY is that if you want to upgrade your rig, you can do it in parts, rather than the whole computer (which will never resell well). I've been astounded by the prices I've scored on EBay for a single CPU or motherboard. Here are a couple of tips that I wish I had known before building my first rigs: NEVER skimp on your power supply (PSU). This is the backbone of your PC and should be treated as such. Don't let the wattage alone dictate your purchase, but the quality and the voltages. A good PSU rewards you by being quiet (they can be the noisiest part in your system), reliable and well-built. Personally I go for the Corsair range. A good calculator is http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp Don't just look at raw numbers such as Ghz of the CPU, RAM and GPUs. A better quality part whose numbers are slightly lower will be better. For example, the RAM timings makes a huge difference, as does cache on your CPU. Always look at how upgradable your parts will be. The beauty of a desktop is that you can replace whenever you like. Ensure that the socket of your CPU is reasonably future proof (e.g. AM3 for AMD). Intel currently have different sockets for their CPUs which means that in the future if you want to upgrade the CPU, you will have to upgrade the motherboard too That's all I can think of for now, but new ideas will come to mind. Others will also add their mistakes and advice I'm sure. I try to use MSY when possible, but due to stock variance I find myself going to CPL in Melbourne for slightly higher prices and customer service. I don't know the equivalent in Sydney, but Google is always your friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dow Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Ok here's how we can help you... ) Do your research and select a list of what you want to purchase. Then post your list here and wait for a hundred different opinions on how you should change your list. ) Here's what I would build from scratch with a medium budget. Antec, Thermaltake, Coolermaster or similar quality quiet case $150 Min 650W Antec PSU or 850W other brands $100 i7 920 CPU $300 Gigabyte EX 58 Extreme Mother board or the ASAS P6 equivalent $250 GTX 275 1GB video card $340 6GB Corsair XMS3 or Dominator RAM $220 128GB SSD or 300GB Velociraptor for C Drive (Windows and FSX only) $500 or $300 1TB HDD for all other programs $120 DVD Burner $40 23-24" LCD screen $250 Noctua NH-U12P cooling fan $100 Quietest and probably best fan on the market Total at prices I would expect to pay at MSY or similar: $2170 to $2370 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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