Getting a New Computer Soon, Need Help

[Jutsei]

So I've been using a pretty fantastic and wonderful computer for the past 6 years, she's dependable and can play games pretty well, but with a number of MOBAs coming out I can't play, Blizzard doing their ole' wily tricks and making me wanna play everything they put out, and just me suddenly realizing I need smething better to play my Steam Library, I decided it was time to try and get a new computer.

Major problem, though, even though I have intimate knowledge (Or USED to, I think I've forgotten it) of how the inside of a computer looks, I have no idea what's good, bad, or where I should start when it comes to a computer.

I could build one, but I have no idea what should go inside it

I could buy a custom one (Leaning towards this option), but I have no idea if the things offered are overpriced or underpriced.

So I'm sorta trapped in this limbo of not knowing what to do, and none of my tech-savvy buddies are being privvy to help me, so, I'm pretty much turning to Skullheart and hoping there are some tech wizards here.

I DO have two current options at the moment, though.

My friend made a rough blueprint/design of a computer set I could build (With help from a friend of the family)

And another friend referred me to a site that builds (and tests) custom computer builds for you, and this option I'm liking as well

But, as I said, all this is sorta technobabble to me and I'm not sure what'd be the best bang for my buck, so any help is very much appreciated!

(I'm on a budget but I won't say how much, in case some people get a bit anxious around specific numbers)

 

[shoryusatsu999]

If you're solely looking to save money, don't buy from a prebuilt custom PC maker like Digital Storm. They are normally considered overpriced by PC enthusiasts like /r/pcmasterrace. Building one yourself will almost always be cheaper because you won't have to pay for labor, recolored cases (if you decide to have them painted, of course) and the sometimes gimmicky or aesthetic unique features each prebuilder puts into their rigs such as logo badges. In comparison, I made an almost identical build to the Level 1 trim of the Vanquish 3 for about $677 counting promos and rebates (~$743 not counting any promos or rebates), while the actual Vanquish 3 has a base price of about $800. If you don't have the time, space, or energy to spare, though, a prebuilt PC isn't gonna run any worse than a completely custom PC unless there's bloatware involved. You might want to shop around in this case, as I believe Digital Storm is one of the more expensive prebuilders. If you're on a really tight budget and need a prebuilt, I think eCollegePC has some good budget rigs.

As for the PCPartPicker build (always a good idea to use it if you're looking to build, as it notes part incompatibilities and collects everything in one spot), I really don't think a GTX 7xx series graphics card is a good idea for your use case. That's two generations behind, so it's not gonna be able to run newer games at high framerates. The CPU in the PCPartPicker build is also slightly worse than the one in the default Level 1 trim of the Vanquish, but that may or may not matter depending on the games you play. If you want to buy part by part but still have your rig assembled when you get it, try NCIX. They have a good reputation for their consumer-customized builds, and they also have prebuilts if you don't want to deal with part picking.

 

[Jutsei]

I'm buying part-by-part, I decided this a while ago, and already have the chassis.
The graphics card I'm getting will depend on how much everything costs by the end of it all.
750 isn't two generations away because 800 was Laptop only.
It just depends on how much everything costs.
And I really don't mind the CPU, i'm just getting a computer that can play pretty much every game I want at medium-high graphics, I don't care about Ultra settings, just that I can play FPS at a decent level, and play games I want to play.

The graphics card might be upgraded to 950 depending how much it costs at the end of October.

 

[Kyugetsuki]

Since you're buying part by part make sure to check NCIX every wednesday for sales. I do suggest building a computer slowly to save money if you're not in a rush.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/ use this to check your video card and to see if it is worth it.

 

[Jutsei]

Yeah, ain't in no rush, I'm taking it slow so I don't go flat fucking broke.
I should have all the parts by November, and the Graphics card comes last, no matter what.
It all comes down to price since I'm budgeting.
If the 750 GX TI is still the cheapest/or is $120-130, I'll get that, but if the (newly released) 950 GTX is only $20-40 more, then I'll get that.

I don't think I'm changing the processor though, most other processes are above $100

 

[Kyugetsuki]

Are you getting an SSD? or already have one? A cheap one is like $50-100.

 

[Jutsei]

I'm getting an HDD, 1 terabyte, my build is outlined in the link.
I heard the only real difference is SSD's have a much lower chance of failure and start up faster, my friends orignial build had both an HDD an an SSD but I decided to get the HDD instead since I'm used to those

 

[Jutsei]

So, computers getting built on Friday, wanted to thank people helping out in the thread.
Just wanted to know if there's anything I should know once it's all set up and built?
(My brother-in-law is building it)
Aside from the usual stuff of Avast, Malwarebytes, and standard Skype/other programs.
I'm just used to buying computers with all the shit already on it n' stuff