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Thread: How to build your own camming PC and save up some money in the process!

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    Featured Member KarinaGiselle's Avatar
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    Default How to build your own camming PC and save up some money in the process!

    Hey ladies!

    The idea of this thread is to offer you all an option to help you build your own computer systems and save up some money. Lots of people think it's too hard! That you need to be a super nerd to get it right! But that can't be farther from the truth. Fact is, building PC's oday is quite easy. If you can put Legos together, then you can easily build a PC.

    Let's begin.

    Where do I get the parts to build my PC?

    That depends a lot on where you live. If you are in the US, you have some options on where to shop your hardware, such as:
    * newegg.com
    * amazon.com
    * TigerDirect.com
    * microcenter.com
    * ncixus.com
    * frys.com

    You'll find a large variety on prices and hardware available. But all of these sites should have pretty much similar prices. It's up to you to shop around and see which site fits you best.

    What pieces should I get?
    This is quite variable, but the fact is, it depends on how much you can spend. I mean, as of today's standards, a good custom built PC suited for camming should be costing somewhere around $850USD. Some PC's can cost up to $8,500USD or even more. It really depends on how much you're willing to invest. To get an idea of what you should get, check out this list:

    * CPU (Acronym for central processing unit, also known as Microprocessor. Think of it as the heart of the computer, where all the data is processed)
    * RAM (Acronym for random access memory)
    * Motherboard
    * Graphics card (Very optional, but can come in handy if you also want to play some PC games)
    * Computer case (It's the enclosure where all the organs of the PC are put together)
    * Hard drive (It can be mechanical drives or SSD's. More about that in a bit)
    * Optical drive (Optional. It's the drive where you can put your CD's, DVD's and even Blu-Ray discs)
    * PSU (Acronym for Power supply unit. It's the thing that feeds energy to all of the computer's organs)
    * CPU cooler (Optional, but a good investment to enlarge the useful life of your CPU)

    Basically, you have to do your homework on what components to get, but it goes like this:
    * If you get an Intel processor, you have to get an intel compatible motherboard. That's because the sockets have to match. Say, if you have a motherboard with an LGA775 socket (Socket is where your CPU is placed in the motherboard), you can't put a newer processor that uses a, LGA1155 socket, because they're different. Newegg offers a feature on its site where it lets you pick a motherboard and see what socket it uses. This can come in handy when you pick a processor and want to know what motherboard fits it. But it's quite easy.

    Let's talk about the components a bit:

    What CPU should I get?

    Considering the main purpose the computer will fill (Camming, of course), you need to make sure you're getting a processor that can be fast enough to deal with streaming video in HD- Sometimes, multiple streams at the same time. So look for a CPU that can be fast enough to handle this. You're looking to get a CPU with at least 4 physical cores and with a clock speed high enough to handle the workload. A core is a microprocessor that is embedded inside the big chip we call a CPU. A CPU can contain lots of core, with the current processors having 4, 6 or even 8 cores inside the chip package we call CPU.

    My favorites for this are Intel processors. Simply because they have the best bang for the buck and they're good at handling heat loads. My suggestions for this area are (As of September 2014. This will change later on)

    * Intel Core i5 4690k. It's quad-core, and it's an amazing processor! Quite fast, not expensive at all, and should be more than fine for camming.
    * Intel Core i7 4790k. It's also a quad-core CPU, but unlike the previous one, this processor has two threads per core, which means it can perform at least 10% faster than the i5. Having more than one thread per core is quite useful for multithreaded workloads because it can let you do multiple tasks at the same time without the system going slow. I recommend this processor if you plan to do splitcamming in HD with multiple video sources. It's $100 more expensive, but if you're taking this seriously, it's worth the money.

    How much RAM should I get?

    For this kind of job, the bare minimum is 8GB. Consider this: the more RAM memory you have, the better your system will be able to manage the tasks it needs to perform. I'd personally grab at least 16GB of RAM. Remember: You'll be streaming video in HD to multiple sources and have lots of apps open at the same time. You want to have as much memory available to you as possible.

    There are many RAM kits available, and of course, picking up the right one depends on your needs. Just make sure the RAM you want is compatible with the motherboard you buy. If you motherboard needs DDR3 RAM, get DDR3 RAM.

    Should I get a Graphics card?

    The advantage of a custom built PC is that you can scale it up to fit your needs. This means that you can build a system just for office stuff, then expand it into a beast while still keeping some components. The advantage of buying a good graphics card is that you can use it to connect more than one monitor to your computer and use them all to increase your screen real estate. That could come quite handy when you have so many things open. And we all know that when you cam, you have lots of crap open. So why not keep track of all that with ease having multiple monitors? That's one of the things that a graphics card allows you.

    Also, PC gaming. I personally am a PC gamer. I love the way games look on PC. It's amazing. You get much better quality than on current consoles (Yes, games on PC look WAY better than on Xbox one or PS4), and you can even plug the PC to a hi def screen and play on that. With services like Steam, PC gaming has never been easier. Also, there are amazing sales every 6 months, with insane discounts of up to 95% off its original price. Did I also mention you can use your Xbox 360 and even your Xbox One controller in your PC?

    It's up to you to decide if it's worth it.

    Hard drives. Which should I get?
    Ok, it seems simple: The bigger the hard drive's capacity is, the more stuff you can put on it. But consider this: Usually, hard drives are slow. I'm specifically talking of mechanical hard drives. You know, the ones that have moving parts inside and read stuff from a spinning disk inside. While they can have nice capacities of up to 6TB each drive, they're slow. And in this day and age, that can be a problem.

    That's where Solid State Drives (Also known as SSD's) come into play. SSD's are storage devices that do the same work as a mechanical drive, but with one substantial difference: They're MUCH MUCH faster than a mechanical hard drive. The pitfall of SSD's is their capacity. As of today, SSD's come in small capacities (120GB, 256GB and so on). But the larger the capacity, the higher the price tag. Some SSD's can cost up to $1,000 dollars a piece (We're talking of 1TB SSD's).

    Now, how could you use an SSD into your system without going bankrupt? Simple: Get a small SSD (Say, anywhere from 128GB to 256GB) only for basic stuff like the OS (As in Windows or Linux, depending on what you use), drivers, Office suite, your browser and other critical software you need. And use a mechanical hard drive to store things like music, pictures, movies, games and other stuff that requires lots of space. That's how I have it set up: A 120GB SSD for Windows, MS Office and some basic programs I use, a 500GB fast hard drive for my Steam games, and a 2TB hard drive to store media. The advangate of SSD's is speed. And a decent 120GB SSD is around $140. So it's well worth the money.

    Optical drives: Are they still worth it?

    Depends... With the rise of digital media and services like Netflix, Spotify, Steam and YouTube, storing movies and music in discs is kind of pointless right now. If you like to watch Blu-Rays or have a large DVD collection, maybe it's worth getting an optical disk drive. But let's be honest: Who burns DVD's these days? A decent Blu Ray burner is around $120usd. I wouldn't get one, since they're not really worth it these days. But that's really up to you.

    And what computer case?

    That's very subjective. Look for a case that has a decent airflow and that looks good for you. Overall, you want something that looks good (As in, you like it), is compatible with your motherboard (An ATX motherboard won't fit on a micro ATX size case, for example. Google more about that. It's quite easy to figure it out). A good case is usually between $50 and $100. Some going much higher. Again, depends on your budget.

    What about the PSU?

    You want to buy a quality PSU, not a cheap one. A bad PSU can kill all of the components on your PC, and for a camgirl, that means losing your worktool. Look for quality brands like SeaSonic and Corsair. They build some of the best PSU's available. Please don't go cheap on this part of the computer, as a bad PSU can end up killing your computer.

    As for the power output, depends on what you'll do. There's this website called Extreme Power Supply Calculator, which can let you figure out how much power your system will need based on what parts you'll be putting into it. A quick google search can help you find it.

    CPU cooling.

    The CPU cooler is what lets the CPU get rid of the heat it generates while working. It's necessary to keep the CPU as cool as possible to make sure it can work optimally. There are lots of options in the market for CPU cooling, including air cooling (Consisting of a copper or aluminum heatsink and fans) and watercooling systems (Which work just like the radiator of a car, using water to conduct heat) like the Corsair H80i. It's really up to you to decide which solution fits you best. But in my opinion, it's worth investing in a separate CPU cooling unit to extend the useful life of your processor. Remember: A hot CPU can get damaged due to overheat. And you definitely don't want that.

    Ok ok, Karina. Once I get all the pieces, how do I build it?

    Easy

    This is one of my favorite PC building guides. It's quite clear and very explanatory. It really is like putting legos together as long as you follow the steps accordingly.



    There are many other PC building guides out there. It's just a matter of looking around on YouTube to find other building guides.

    Once it's all built, the next steps are to install the OS (Windows or Linux), installing the drivers and updates, and all th software you need to get your system up and running. Shouldn't be too hard, really.

    What if I need further assistance?

    Look no further! There are some amazing communities online where you can learn a lot about computers and even get tech support!
    * overclock.net (It's one of my favorites)
    * reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace
    * reddit.com/r/buildapc
    * reddit.com/r/hardware
    * reddit.com/r/computers
    * LinusTechTips forums

    And of course, here on the tech support threads.

    What about prebuilts?

    With prebuilts we mean computers that are built by someone else and sold at stores. Brands like Dell and HP come to mind. The issue with prebuilts is that a high performance prebuilt computer can be quite expensive. The good thing about them is that you get some excellent warranty and support, which is something that with a DIY computer, you don't get (Then again, you have warranty for each piece and you have amazing support communities that can help you).

    If you'd still like to buy he whole PC from a vendor, I suggest looking for these vendors:

    * DigitalStormOnline.com
    * OriginPC.com
    * CyberPowerPC.com
    * PugetSystems.com
    * iBuyPower.com
    * xoticpc.com

    And what about Apple computers, AKA Macs?

    This is a very tricky question. You see, Macs have good quality in construction. But the problem is the price tag. To be considered as a camming tool, they're VERY expensive. And quite frankly, they don't offer anything to the cammer that justifies spending $800 more just because it's a mac. As a matter of fact, Macs can have compatibility issues with things like hi end webcams (Like the C920 issues lots of girls report here) and they're almost not scalable. If you prefer macs, then that's great, and I don't deny they're well built machines. But I personally can't justify spending $2,500 on a computer I can bulid for $1,200 and get the best out of it. Also, Macs hace this tendency to overheat easily, and that's not something you want when camming, because again, that can shorten the lifespan of the computer's components. It's really up to you to decide whether it's a good investment or not.

    This post might get edited later down the road with further infor for you all. I just need to get things more sorted. Of course, feel free to contribute to this thread and share more info if you have it!

    Cheers
    Camming PC specs database and suggested builds ||Post your internet speedtest results .||Wanna stay safe while camming? Find out how ||||||


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