Building my own Games Computer

RevRam

Hi all

I am 15 and I would like to build my own Games PC and I would like some suggestions from enthusiasts and experienced games developers for what the best Mother board and graphics card I would need.
How much Ram would be required to start out with and the software that I could use....Thanks for your help.

RevRam

Serephucus

Fill out the first post on this thread, and post it back here. We'll go from there.

RevRam

1. What is your budget? [€800]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games) Creating and making new games

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? I need to build from scratch [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [/24'/]


6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No] Not sure what this means?

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] or paypal

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days] as soon as possible

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Meath.]

If you have a sample build yourself, use Fluffy's script to format it nicely.

Serephucus

Ah, ok. The wording of your first post was a bit ambiguous, I didn't realise you were looking to build a PC for games development. A couple of other questions then:

What sorts of games do you want to develop? What computer do you have at the moment? How knowledgeable (RE software development, game engines, development software, etc.) are you in general?

Recurve360

Im unsure of the types of games your looking to make so wont spec a build just yet but some software is Gamemakerstudio(standard version is free), then there is the likes of Adobe Edge and Flash Pro which are quite expensive and will only make flash and html5 games. If your going to be doing any kind of 3d modelling for characters I will emphasize you will need at least 16gb ram. Rendering can be a pain.

RevRam

Hi Serephucus

Thanks for getting back to me, I would like to create games and story lines, but I don't what kind of software to use - I'm literally just starting out, and I' m pretty green to all this. I'm just working off my netbook at the moment with Java but i'm not really getting too far..any advise would be grateful. thanks for your patience.

Regards

RevRam

Serephucus

Then I'd say start out with what you have now, learn to use some game dev tools, then look into a new machine. Really, it should be one of the last things you focus on. I know it's nice to think "Games development! That means I'll need a shiny new machine!", and if you want one anyway, then great, go for it. If you're dropping €800 on a new machine for something you're not even sure you'll stick with, it might not be the best idea.

As an idea where to start, go download Unity3D. It's an absolutely fantastic game development suite, has tonnes of tutorials and projects online, and has a wonderfully active community. Get Unity installed, and do a couple of the starter projects (Roll a Ball and Space Shooter are two good ones), and see how you like it. If you're just starting out, there'll be a bit of a learning curve, but if you can get to grips with it, it'll serve you really well.

I'm currently in the middle of a games dev masters, also using Unity, so if you need a hand with anything, feel free to shoot me a PM or something.

RevRam

Hi Serephucus

Thanks for the tips I really appreciate it, This is something I would really like to get into as I love it. I will down load the programs below and learn the ropes. Thanks again.

Rev Ram

Steviemoyne

Slightly off-topic.

Boards have a Game Development & Editing subforum here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=61

Might give you a nice basis to start from. Would also recommend looking into GameMaker and pick up Unity. Edit: Oh and Blender if you plan on making 3d assets for Unity eventually.

Both of those should be a great starting basis for software to make games and there's plenty of tutorials out there.

Good luck with the pc build. I'm studying game development myself and €800 should be more than sufficient for a machine to develop on.

estilen

Sorry for off-top, but Serephucus, where are you doing masters in games dev?

@RevRam
If you're just starting, there wouldn't be much point building out a computer designed to design. At this point, as you said, you're not even sure which path to go. My advice would be to carry on and keep learning in that area. I'm not sure what's the story with different engines/software/etc, but I'd assume that different ways of designing games can focus on different components (don't quote me on this :P), so it could be quite difficult to come up with a build.