Building My Own Computer

[Mr_Adam]

My computer sucks, and I've recently decided that instead of buying a prebuilt I'm going to build my own. It will take some time to get the money, but I figured I might as well make a topic now, and get help from the very beginning :)

 

I intend to build a computer that will be good for gaming, but I'm definitely not a person looking for something extreme or something that's going to be continuously updated. I want to play Valve games (Counter-Strike: Source, Left 4 Dead 2), and maybe explore other gaming options on the PC for a year or two (hoping things don't go out of date too fast) (Bioshock 2, for example).

 

I have a friend (who has successfully built and overclocked his own computer) who will help me when it comes to building, and my dad knows his way pretty well around computers - both should be able to help very well with the actual building. I personally am pretty oblivious to in depth computers as of now, but I've been reading up a lot and I (hopefully) know much more now...

 

I'm unsure of my budget at this point - I'll be working more during the rest of the summer, but my pay is tip based (and I don't pay taxes yet :-P ). Also, I'll be receiving birthday money in early September (or possibly earlier). On top of that, I may be able to save money by buying old parts from my rich friend or my PC friend. I'd like to say my budget is between $500 and $700, with $800 being a stretch, and over needing plenty of consideration. I'll be buying from Newegg or my local BestBuy.

 

Now, to the meat of things...

 

[hide=Motherboard] These are some products I have looked at:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121387

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121388

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130235

[/hide]

 

 

[hide=CPU]These are some products I have looked at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116091

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222

[/hide]

 

 

[hide=Video Card]These are some products I have looked at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829

[/hide]

 

[hide=Power Supply]I'm honestly very unsure of how to go about buying a PSU. How do I determine how much power I'll need? and how do I know how much will actually be enough?

[/hide]

 

[hide=Hard Drive]I'm unsure of the specifics I want in a hard drive, and how performance will differ between different units. For instance - is more memory better, or is more rpm (I think)? Also, would it be better for me to put in a small, old Hard drive for necessary things such as an OS, and then use an external Hard Drive for storage, or just buy a new and giant one for all my needs?

[/hide]

 

[hide=Optical Drive]This is just for DVD's and CDs... I don't really think there's too much of a difference when I buy them. I can get a $20 product on Newegg, and I think that should support everything I need it for.

[/hide]

 

[hide=RAM]Here are some products I've looked at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220227

 

I'm unsure of differences/specifics between RAM. I know I want 4gb (unless I can get more cheaper) - but I'm really unsure of what would be best.

[/hide]

 

[hide=Case]I have no idea how to shop for a case.

[/hide]

 

[hide=Coolings] I also have no idea how to shop for any extra fans or such.

[/hide]

 

 

[hide=General Questions]

1. How do I shop for a PSU/Case/Extra Cooling Devices?

2. What do I look for when purchasing RAM?

3. Would it be better to save money by using a old, small (20gb) HDD for OS and such, and use a large (300 or 500gb) external Hard Drive for other things?

4. What is an SSD?

[/hide]

 

I understand this is a lot of info (at least to me), but as of now I have plenty of time, and any help is appreciated. I'll try to keep as involved as possible and keep everything in the main thread up to date with where I'm at.

 

Thanks a TON.

[OldJoe]

I'll just copy my post from Sarumans thread:

 

Cooler master case - 40$

AMD phenom 2 x4 925 - 130$

Gigabyte am3 mobo - 90$

Crucial 2gb ddr3 1333 - 53$ (take two of these=4gb=106$)

Samsung spinpoint f3 500gb 55$

Liteon cd/dvd read/write - 20$

Antec neo 520w - 55$

HIS ati 5770 - 150$

=646$

 

Monitor, OS, keyboard, sound etc excluded.

[Mr_Adam]

Well, I think that matches what I need pretty well/better... :blink:

 

How can I be sure that it's all compatible with each other?

 

Any other opinions are also appreciated.

[Solartide]

Power Supply- First, check how much your video card requires. Then factor in your psu and how many hard drives and optical drives you plan on using.

 

Don't skimp on the power supply! Without a power supply, your computer does nothing! It is the single most important part of a computer. No ram? No CPU? Welt he computer will still power up for a few seconds, and the fans will whir. No power supply? Nothing happens.

 

Don't skimp on the power supply! If your power supply goes down, it has a chance of taking out the rest of the computer with it. Frying your motherboard, frying your graphics card, you'll have to replace it all. A better power supply has a lower chance of going bad and when it does, a lower chance of it taking things down with it.

 

Don't skimp on the power supply! You'll want to upgrade in the future, it's inevitable. That's why if you get a good powerful power supply now, that's one less thing you need to upgrade. Consider this. You spend 50 on a power supply that fits your needs right now. Later on, you get a new video card, a new hard drive, and all of a sudden you need a stronger power supply. So you shell out another 100 for a better one. Now you've spent 150 on power supplies! Better to just skip to the 100 dollar one now and give yourself some workroom.

 

Don't skimp on the power supply! Good power supplies offer long warranties. 3-5 years. If your power supply goes down, you can get a refurbished one that works for nothing but postage and time. 3-5 years is a long time. If you go through builds quickly, that one power supply will last you several builds.

 

Don't skimp on the power supply! Cheaper power supplies come with a 4 pin rail that powers the processor. Which is great except that newer motherboards and multicare cpus require a 8 pin rail. This might be named as a 4+4 pin rail. If you see it listed as 6+2, that's the wrong one.

 

And that's just the power supply. I can rant on other things too, like video cards and their warranties. For example, HiS- 2 years. XFX- Lifetime.

[Solartide]

PWNED!

 

amirite?

 

See, his name was teh pwning ore, and-

 

I'll go back to my corner.

 

See, now this post doesn't make any damn sense because the post before it was deleted.

[Dracion1]

I'd second Joe's build. The 5770 is quite a good card, easily powerful to run something like TF2 on 3 screens with eye finity at highest settings :) . All the stuff is compatible together too :thumbup:

[Kriegsmier]

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

 

I'm neither an AMD or Radeon fan, used both and never have been, never will be. I stick to Intel and GeForce (Specifically EVGA) for processors and graphics. I would however highly recommend the Samsung spinpoint F3 drives. Very good speeds and i've had no problems with mine.

[OldJoe]

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

 

I'm neither an AMD or Radon fan, used both and never have been, never will be. I stick to Intel and GeForce (Specifically EVGA) for processors and graphics. I would however highly recommend the Samsung spinpoint F3 drives. Very good speeds and i've had no problems with mine.

It depends on budget and performance per dollar.

If i'd choose the same performance from Intel/Nvidia, the cost would be significantly higher.

[Mr_Adam]

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

 

I'm neither an AMD or Radon fan, used both and never have been, never will be. I stick to Intel and GeForce (Specifically EVGA) for processors and graphics. I would however highly recommend the Samsung spinpoint F3 drives. Very good speeds and i've had no problems with mine.

It depends on budget and performance per dollar.

If i'd choose the same performance from Intel/Nvidia, the cost would be significantly higher.

 

At first I wanted to stay with Intel/Nvidia, but now AMD makes a good case...

What would be the difference between Intel and AMD? Also, they use the same programs and stuff right?

 

 

Also, again (out of curiosity), what's an SSD?

[obfuscator]

Solid state drive. It uses a different kind of technology (i'm not sure of specifics) to make accessing data from the drive faster.

[Kriegsmier]

I use an SSD strictly as a bootdrive. All thats on it is Windows, so my computer loads windows faster. I also put programs that I use every day on there to make their performance a little faster. Its not needed, but if you have some extra money its a pretty nifty thing to have.

 

Also, I guess you are right about performance/price with Nvidia vs Radeon. I just have a "you get what you pay for" belief system. Theres nothing wrong with Radeons and AMD, but i personally find GeForce and Intel to be better. AMD is just another processor choice, same programs, same function as the Intel just different brand and of course they put their own spin on the technology just like every other company. I personally find Intel to be steps ahead of AMD currently, with the i7's out there but it goes back and forth.

[Mr_Adam]

When I buy a monitor, do I have to think back to my power supply for it, or does it support itself?

[OldJoe]

When I buy a monitor, do I have to think back to my power supply for it, or does it support itself?

You plug the monitor power cord to a regular power outlet.

[Mr_Adam]

When I buy a monitor, do I have to think back to my power supply for it, or does it support itself?

You plug the monitor power cord to a regular power outlet.

 

 

GENIUS.

[PlzPuddngPlz]

Oldjoe's setup is almost exactly what I used for my own first-time build, asides from the processor, psu and video card. (cost me ~$400)

I'll say that is works well for standard homework+ some light gaming (no fpses here)

When shopping for a case, make sure it fits your motherboard (I like to go a tier up for the extra room), along with a couple 5.25" and 2.5" bays, and also convenient usb/other ports on the front.

It should also look nice and have a few spaces for fans on it.

 

I can't say much about PSUs, aside from getting a modular one to reduce cable clutter.

When buying RAM, make sure it matches your motherboard's slots, along with (of course) high capacity and speed.

Using an old hard drive is a reasonable idea, but keep an extra copy of your OS on hand in case the drive fails if it's really old (5+ years).

A SSD is a solid state drive, which uses transistors instead of a spinning platter/disk to store your data. They cost way more than similar capacity regular drives, but make less (if any) noise and last longer because they don't have any moving parts. I wouldn't reccomend buying them now, because I think prices will go down eventually because it's relatively new technology.

[Mr_Adam]

What do you mean by light gaming? I know I'm not looking for a godbox for gaming, but will this support the games I'll want to play? According to specs from wikipedia, this setup seems well enough for many of the games I've looked at...

 

Also, is it worth upgrading to Windows 7, or am I fine with XP?

[obfuscator]

Windows 7 is a good OS, definitely better in some ways. It doesn't make a huge difference though, if you're comfortable with XP, stick with XP.

[Mr_Adam]

Windows 7 is a good OS, definitely better in some ways. It doesn't make a huge difference though, if you're comfortable with XP, stick with XP.

 

Heh, well if I get it for free maybe I'll install it.

[Mr_Adam]

Running 32-bit Windows XP won't be a problem, right? I don't intend to add more than 4gb of RAM atm.

[OldJoe]

Running 32-bit Windows XP won't be a problem, right? I don't intend to add more than 4gb of RAM atm.

No problem.

[Jernlov]

Upgrading to 7 is probably more advisable on newer hardware, and especially if you're gaming.

 

Other than that, I like OldJoe's build. Might want to swap in an ASUS or MSi 5770 though. Those seem to have a pretty good repuation. Also, don't expect to max things at 1920x1080/1920x1200. You'd need a bit more power in the CPU/GPU department for it to be comfortable. If you're just going to be playing at lower/more common resolutions, then you shouldn't have too many issues.

[OldJoe]

Upgrading to 7 is probably more advisable on newer hardware, and especially if you're gaming.

 

Other than that, I like OldJoe's build. Might want to swap in an ASUS or MSi 5770 though. Those seem to have a pretty good repuation. Also, don't expect to max things at 1920x1080/1920x1200. You'd need a bit more power in the CPU/GPU department for it to be comfortable. If you're just going to be playing at lower/more common resolutions, then you shouldn't have too many issues.

More powerful hardware is out of his/her budget. It will easily play games at high settings, sure my monitor is only 1440x900, but even on my budget build, i can play on high settings without lag.

Asus is weird in customer service sometimes, and MSI - i don't know if they've changed to better components yet - but their components are/used-to-be of cheap quality.

[Mr_Adam]

Upgrading to 7 is probably more advisable on newer hardware, and especially if you're gaming.

 

Other than that, I like OldJoe's build. Might want to swap in an ASUS or MSi 5770 though. Those seem to have a pretty good repuation. Also, don't expect to max things at 1920x1080/1920x1200. You'd need a bit more power in the CPU/GPU department for it to be comfortable. If you're just going to be playing at lower/more common resolutions, then you shouldn't have too many issues.

More powerful hardware is out of his/her budget. It will easily play games at high settings, sure my monitor is only 1440x900, but even on my budget build, i can play on high settings without lag.

Asus is weird in customer service sometimes, and MSI - i don't know if they've changed to better components yet - but their components are/used-to-be of cheap quality.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121363&Tpk=ASUS%205770 ->ASUS

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161338 -> HIS

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127481&Tpk=MSi%205570 -> MSi

 

To me, the HIS seems like the best option. I don't plan to use multiple cards, and that seems to be the only real complaint about HIS (however, it only has 3 reviews). ASUS has weaker reviews, and MSi is simply less powerful for not much cheaper. Also, ASUS and MSi seem to run much hotter... potentially running up cooling costs?

 

I think the max resolution monitor I could end up getting would be 1920 x 1080.

 

I am a man.

[Mr_Adam]

Ok, here's something else to consider:

 

My dad just started to receive employee discounts at Dell due to an agreement with his company or something... Either way, through him, I can get hundreds of dollars off of Dell products. Is there anything I could look into there? I looked around, but I didn't really see anything that would really suit my needs without going into high-end models.

[Kriegsmier]

Dell monitors are pretty nice, if you wanted dual monitors or a new one.