!!! READ THE THREAD !!!
I know there is a lot to read here. But if you ask a question that is not answered in this simple to read OP. Then I'll just point you to the top of the thread. I can tell if someone didn't read the thread or not. Please don't make me look stupid. I even made a FAQ! Read that too!

My main job is a manager at Olive garden, I am also a plumber, and as a side job I also fix computers for additional bank.

- I work on weekends as a computer technician / builder for SHUNTECH solutions. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuntek-Technology-Solutions/189851587731394)
- I have over 10 years experience. Four of those years were done professionally with Shuntech.
- GUARANTEED "Beating Best Buy" prices for over two years or the build price is free! (I charge 13 bucks an hour. 20 bucks out of state. And 10 bucks for Military)
- ALIENWARE quality, at a Geek Squad build! I guarantee that my builds will have reliable warranties. Part's however must be within manufacturer standards.
- Viruses will be NUKED. I charge $30 to have any virus nuked from your computer. Less if it wasn't a virus and just hardware troubles!
- I'll teach my trade for FREE! This is where this thread will come in handy. I will be accepting any and all hardware and computer issues here in this thread. (Exceptions follows) So please feel free to ask away!

EXCEPTIONS: I do not use Laptops or Mac Computers. If you are using a Laptop, more than likely your question will not be answered. I have a good friend who does this sort of stuff and unfortunately, he will not pass on his trade because he went to school for it. Desktop computers, which I have been working on since I was young; I will share my trade and secrets.

Mac computers I refuse to work on. Mainly because the tools to troubleshoot and repair any part in the computer (Usually software issues) Mac charges through their website asinine costs. I; can't do that. If you own a mac and you post in this thread your problems and concerns. I'm sorry, but that is gonna cost you money through the company.

I usually get these questions a lot so I might as well share these as well:

Q: How come my games won't run smooth? It skips or there are always errors.
A: More than likely the software is being bottlenecked by your hardware. It's time to either start upgrading or purchasing a new computer! Upgrading, thankfully, is easy. And if you have any questions or concerns. Please ask me!

Q: My computer is slow! How can I make it faster?
A: Don't be fooled by commercials that 'Promise' to make your computer run faster. This is all in the definition of what "Faster" means to your computer. If you want your computer to run as fast as it was when you got it out of the box you need to maintain it better. Defragment your hard drive. Download free and publicly used software that get's rid of Malware and Spyware (Google Malware Bytes and PLEASE download that), finally: run disc cleanups. Also having a lot of applications on (Stuff like iTunes, Steam, etc) can inhibit your computer speeds. Try closing out some of those programs and only turn it on when you need it.

Q: My computer is fast. But my Internet is slow! How can I make that faster?
A: Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and ask them what service you are using. For example if they provide 400kbs Download speed and you are only getting 200kbs. it's either two things: 1) It's the server the ISP has. Complaining about this won't do anything and you just have to wait it out. or 2) You have applications in the background running that is interupting your internet speed (Torrent's, Shareware, Anything that is constantly downloading something). 9/10 times it's usually something on your end. Stop using torrent files when you don't need it.

Q: What companies do you recommend in buying computers from? I don't know how to build my own computer!
A: I always use Newegg.com as my primary source for computer parts and computer hardware, Software, games, programs, and more. If you are in the market in buying a new computer. Ordering off Newegg is probably your best bet. Please avoid Alienware, Dell, and Tigerdirect. Newegg has never let me down, and as their saying goes: "Once you know, You newegg". Places like bestbuy and Wal-Mart has a lot of Bloatware (TRY AOL FOR 30 DAYS FREE) that will NEVER leave your computer and in order to repair and manufacture it you have to deal with the company. Most places (Like Geek Squad) charge extra to get PC's like this fixed. Oh, and for God's sake avoid HP like the plague. They make horrible computers.

Q: I'm ready to buy a new computer. Can you review the computer for the cost and my needs?
A: That is another reason why I made this thread. You are going to buy a new computer. When I was building mine. I had to carefully pick out the parts and really think about what I was using it for. Mainly, this computer is for gaming as of right now. But it can handle mostly anything I throw at it. You may ask yourself "I am going to buy a computer for Gaming" but you may look at a $2,000 computer and think it's better than the one I have now. The only thing better about it is the cost and the computer I have now costs a grand and it's able to run EVERYTHING I throw at it on Ultra settings just fine. The only thing you are going to get out of that $2,000 computer is less money saved and I am sure you do not want that.

So when asking me "This is what I want" I can do this for you.

- Tell you what crucial parts you need to look for (Processor type, Graphics card, Motherboard Chipset, additional features).
- Give a quote on how much the computer will cost if you build it yourself. (And quote on if I build it. But I can't do that for you on Vizzed)
- Give a link to a computer that is more than capiable to suit your needs at a reasonable price.

Q: I'm a super duper computer nerd and I say your choice in parts / computer is wrong good sir!
A: By all means, please, call me out. Rookies to masters! I am willing to listen! But if you say that a 6 Core processor is good for gaming then I am just going to laugh at your face and say that most games don't utilize all of those cores to handle games. And I'll throw back and say prove me wrong. But if you object and say something else that is educational to me then I'll respect it and totally agree with you. Don't be an ass. If you know your way around the tech then by all means please show me what I did wrong.

Q: What is the general "Tech Proof" computer you can come up with.
A: For starters, there is no "Tech Proof" computer. Once you have it, it will soon become outdated within months of having it.

But I can say that currently the best "BANG FOR YOUR BUCK" build is this. All around Gaming, programming, editing, and etc.

For Gaming. Quad Core AMD. Only got for Intel if you have the extra cash to throw around. But AMD makes respectable processors. ONLY go 6 core if you plan on using it for editing and serious multitasking. NOT gaming.

1GB Graphics card with 256 Bitpass. RADEON or NVidia. NVidia is more expensive and offers a little better gaming performance. RADEON is still just as good. RADEON cards like this cost about 180 bucks. nVidia Cards cost about 220. Only difference is quality. RADEON cards are the better bang for the buck. Serious gamers who want absolutely no lag want to go with the NVidiaGTX 500 series cards. (They cost 400 bucks)

4GB GDDR3 RAM. Most gamers argue that 6GB RAM is better. Either one will not make your game faster. If you have an HD video on on tab running while playing a videogame and finally have something installing. You are totally doing it wrong.

Operating System: This is all personal opinion. Thankfully; Windows 7 does not take much to run and it's supported by Microsoft head on. Meaning that they are currently supporting the OS like they did with XP for 10 years. IMO you can't go wrong with WIn7, if you are strapped for cash just remember that Microsoft no longer supports XP and you won't get the most out of your computer with XP. Move on with Win7 and learn to love it. There is a lot to love about the OS.

AVOID WINDOWS VISTA! AT ALL COSTS!

Virus Protection: For Free? Avast is good. But remember; you get what you pay for. A very good Anti-Virus software that I use is ESET NOD32. No other competitive Anti Virus comes CLOSE with it's protection: http://www.eset.com/us/

If not only the Bank of America and the NAVY uses this software. Then I dunno how other competitors deal with being on the market in the first place. One year for 60 bucks? That's not bad at all. And you could get a virus at any time. NOD32 has NEVER had a single virus breach their database. Beware of torrenting this software. If you do you don't get automatic updates, which in turn is just as protective as not having anti virus. So don't even try.

I just built my first pc this month, and I gotta say I do agree with you for the most part. I'll start with the source of my parts, i ordered them from newegg, great prices and fast shipping, they have never let me down. As you said, hexacore processors are not for gaming as of now. its only been the last few years that games have taken full advantage of quad cores, and many new games don't even do that.  Really people should look less at "how much more powerful is this one over this one" and more at "about how much power do I actually need". As far as AMD goes, I personally perfer Intel, but that is just my opinion. One correction though, it is true most of the GTX 500 series cards cost $400+, but the gtx 560ti is only about $240 (see here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 ). it runs everything I have thrown at at it maxed out at 1080p resolution. Great thread man, hope it helps some people/.

metal572 : Ah yeah and EVGA is not a bad company to purchase cards either. I always trusted them and ASUS for my graphics cards. But I purchased the card you see in my signature.

As for a 6 core processors go the ONLY game right now that fully uses all of those cores is Civilization 5 and that's only if you are playing a sick map with 12 players online. (Or was it 8. Not sure). But who does that?

Intel is a good processor. But for the price point I always stick with AMD. Nothing wrong with either CPU though.

E- I know a huge significant difference with that Graphics card you linked and most of the 500 series cards:

You card: 384 Processor Cores
$400 Card: 480 Processor Cores

That's still a good card though. Either way.

My computer has been acting up lately. I tend to load a YouTube video, then wait around for little while before watching it. Sometimes when I click to play it, the entire screen turns black. When it comes back, a bubble appears in the corner to tell me that the driver crashed. The YouTube video screen also turns to a solid green color, but the sound still plays.

It's a NVIDIA driver. I updated it, but that didn't fix the problem. I use Windows Vista with a Compaq computer and Google Chrome as a browser. I haven't checked with other browsers for whether or not this happens.

"4GB GDDR3 RAM. Most gamers argue that 6GB RAM is better. Either one will not make your game faster. If you have an HD video on on tab running while playing a videogame and finally have something installing. You are totally doing it wrong."


Whats is in your rig, and at what point does the extra RAM do little-nothing benefit wise.