Hi all, I have been giving some thought lately to trying to build my own comptuer system. Do any of you know of any good sites for a) instruction on how to go about building a system and b) for parts? Thanks in advance!

Peace, John.

ok basic outline for compy [img]smile.gif[/img]

- Processor/CPU
- Motherboard (usually onboard sound)
- Ram
- Hard disk
- Dvd/Cd rom/writer/etc
- Monitor
- Keyboard/mouse

Thats it. Personally I would go for that sequence since your choice in CPU will determine if you like Intel or AMD then in turn will affect the socket choices for your motherboard. that in turn will affect your choices in Ram, and HD. my 10cents

<font color=skyblue>I have bought stuff off of newegg before, but when its important and I want a local seller so that I can see the thing I am buying, I go to Intrex. I did a quick search however and it looks like they only have stores in NC. They would have been good for you too, because I can go in there and ask the guy for a step-by step of how to do something or fix something and I've always been told, free of charge, then I go back home and do it on my own.

Building a system really depends on your money situation. That will drive your decisions on what Harkoliar mentioned.

Being a member of IW, you know there will be several people here eager to assist you in getting the best equipment for you money. Just post how much money you want to invest and we'll start from there.

An opinion from me...don't buy the important stuff from online stores because they are harder to get exchanges, shipping sometimes damages goods, shipping takes too long when waiting on a part to make the system work. We need to find you a good local shop in the area so you can walk in and see the item you are buying from the man you can go back to and shout at when something don't work.

Also...winter is here and that means static electricity. Don't build your machine while wearing fluffy socks on the carpet. ;) </font>

<font color=8fbc8f>Well now, this adds some spark back into the not much going on listings.

First: I will offer the magazine, Maximum PC. Thou they are windoze based, and I have not read one in over two years, they used to be the best mag around.

Second: Tom's. The ultimate resource about anything and everything computer.

Third: My list of parts vendors is enormous, but a one click stop would be Newegg. Very reliable, excellent customer service, and very market average pricing.

Fourth: This is an older file, but it was the bomb diggity back in the day. How To

Finally: Proced here with <font color=red>UTMOST CAUTION!</font><font color=8fbc8f> Sooner or later somebody will influence you to O/C, so you might as well go to the source.

</font></font>

To be honest, I have no idea what I might want to spend. I was chatting with a friend and he mentioend he and his build computers. He mentioned they were able to build the follwing for $340.00.

The Hardware

- AMD Sempron 64 2800+
- Biostar Motherboard
- 512MB RAM
- 52X CD-RW / DVD-ROM Combo Drive
- Western Digital 40GB HD
- Tower w/ Window & 400 Watt Power Supply

The Software

- Windows XP Home Edition
- Norton Antivirus 2006
- Word Perfect Office Suite
- Aqua Zone Desktop Garden Screensaver
- Hoyle Puzzle and Board Games
- Easy Fax
- Adobe Photoshop Album
- Pinnacle Studio SE 10.0

I would have no interest in any of the software (I only included it as it was listed in the price).

My initial thoughts on what I would want include between 512 and 1024 of RAM and a minimum 80 gig hardrive. As for the processor and motherboard I am somewhat clueless. I would want to build a system that is good for gaming (at this point allI play is NWN1 and the Baldur's Gate series) while not breaking the bank. Essentially I would want to build a suitable gaming system for as little as possible.

I do not have a budget in mind...I am mainly in the exploratory stages as I would have to "sell" the idea to my wife. :~)

One tip, don't get Dual Core CPU. They might sound great but aren't...they will be maybe in the future but now most programs don't know how to handle them and it slows them down. And they don't work at dual speed but oonly like 15% faster so they are not really worth it...

Are you high? I haven't heard of anyone yet having problems with dual core. Quite the contrary.

Stonewarrior, if you want a system built for gaming, I'm afraid the above just won't do. You'll need at least a GForce 6600 and 1GB RAM (preferably 2). And I really recommend you get a dual-core processor.

Well, thats what I read about it, but ofcourse now I can't find the article when I need it... :(

Feel like a bit of an ass now... just ignore my dumb rantings...

I mostly agree with ZFR.

For a good midrange system I recommend the following (all prices US$):

AMD FX-60 cpu ($675 approx)
Asus A8N32-SLI deluxe ($125 approx)
at least 1GB of Corsair DDR PC3200 ($90/gb)
2x [RAID-0] Western Digital Caviar SE (SATA150) 250gb, 7200rpm, 8mb cache ($120 approx)
GeForce 7950 1GB ($540 approx)
case/ps at least 480W ($160 approx)

total: 1710

add in your choice of optical drive, keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc.

As you can see, this system puts the money where it will best impact performance - the FX-60 is killer at a bargain price, and the dual 7950 is cutting edge, so you shouldn't need another GPU for a at least a year or two.

Add in a second GB or RAM, a cheap optical drive, and $100 worth of accessories and you still come in under $2K.

[ 11-11-2006, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: Sir Krustin ]

I concur with ZFR. Even though I have a modest Dual Core processor (pentium D 805, the "Furnace", @2.6 ghz), it's really quite effective. You might notice how computers generally slow down when you have 2 anti-virus programs, a windows search, a couple of chat programs, 3-4 web pages open, and a game windowed? Well I can forget that ever happened, because mine has never done that. Also consider this: single-core processors are on the out with CPU manufacturers. Would you rather have a device whose support (via software programming) is going to be reduced or expanded in the coming years? Last I checked (this summer when I built mine), the plan is to go with 4-cores or 8-cores in the coming years, not faster single cores.

And about the graphics card. Even 256 MB cards with enormous bandwidths are being eaten alive by some more recent games (well okay, Oblivion), so proceed with caution when buying older ones if you intend on playing recent and future 3d games.

Edit: and I have a hard time seeing Sir Krustin's computer as 'mid-range' lol. He must know some power-users. You can go 'mid-range' for half of that by buying a graphics card that's not over $500 and a processor that isn't over $600.

[ 11-11-2006, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: Lucern ]

Sir Kurstin offers some good advice, but that's closer to goodrange than midrange. If you want to save, it is possible to to get a decent gaming PC with a much lower budget. Consider:

Processor
_AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ - $170.00
OR
_Intel Core2 Duo E6300 1.86 GHz - $200.00

GeForce 7900 GT Gigabyte 256MB -$290.00

And you can get a decent case/power supply for $60.00

I would get 2GB RAM with the above. An extra $90.00

should have no problem running Oblivion or NWN 2 (maybe not on max settings though)

EDIT: prices from Poland. Might be different at your place.

[ 11-11-2006, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: ZFR ]

Honestly, I think my system above is midrange.

Consider this "dream" system:

PS: 600 watt ATX ($230)
cpu: Intel Core 2 Extreme X600 ($1,075)
mobo: Intel D975XBX ($255)
Memory: 2GB Corsair DDR2-800 ($235)
HD: 2x [RAID-0]Western Digital Raptor X, SATA150, 10,000rpm, 16mb cache, 150GB ($640)
Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Music ($110)
GPU: 2x 7900 GTX 512MB ($925)

total: 3470 (not incl. optical, mouse, keyboard, monitor)


edit: Oh, and you may be able to get a PS for $60 - but skimping on the PS with the kind of power draw these GPUs and CPUs have is not a very good idea.

[ 11-11-2006, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: Sir Krustin ]

Yeah, the FX processors are hard for me to imagine as mid-range! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

But regardless, Intel's Core 2 Duo is a much better choice right now. My recommended system would be:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300: $183.50 (The Intel Core 2 Duo processors are simply the best value for money at the moment, and this is the low end chip.)
Motherboard: ASUS P5B Motherboard: $134.99 (ASUS are an excellent motherboard brand, and this board shouldn't let you down. It will also allow you to upgrade to Quad Core, should you wish to do that at some point in the future.)
RAM: Corsair 2 x 1GB DDR2 RAM: $279 (Corsair is an excellent brand of memory, and 2 GB is a good amount of RAM to have. Games such as Battlefield 2, or 2142, really need the extra RAM)
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7900 GT: $239.99 (A very good card, that I own myself. Won't do you wrong, though it isn't too expensive.)
Power Supply: Enermax Liberty 400W: $74.99 (It's very important that you don't scrimp on the power supply. Make sure you get a good brand (and Enermax is excellent), because a cheap power supply won't be able to support the system, and can damage the components.)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 120GB: $54.99 (The hard drive doesn't matter too much, just make sure you buy from a reputable brand (such as Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, etc))
DVD Burner: Lite-On DVD +/- RW Burner: $29.99 (The DVD drive doesn't matter so much, so go for the cheapest. They all do the same thing more or less.)
Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5: $44.99 (The case is mainly a matter of which one you like, but Cooler Master is a good brand, the case is high quality and well made.)

Total: $1042.44

You may also want to get a dedicated sound card, such as the Creative X-Fi for $92.99. It is an improvement over onboard sound, but the sound on this board should do you pretty well. Up to you.

I would also advice staying away from the Western Digital Raptors, as they are noisy, expensive, and not much faster than a normal drive. Take it from someone who was tempted into buying one himself ;)

Another option may be to get the new GeForce 8800 GTX video card. It's incredibly expensive, at $659.99, but it is a DirectX 10 card... it blows everything else out of the water, and is currently processor limited. It's a large investment, but if you buy this card, you won't need another one for a good long while, and with Windows Vista, and DirectX 10 coming, and games to use them, it may be worthwhile, if you can afford it. If you do go for this, you'd need a heftier power supply though, which would further bump costs.

In total, this option would cost around $500 more, but you'd be assured the graphics would be able to take anything you throw at them for a good long time.

[ 11-11-2006, 06:00 PM: Message edited by: Callum ]

Actually HD speed is somthing that is overlooked by many people and it has more effect than people would think.

I got a Seagate 250 GB Barracuda 7200.10 (8MB, SATA II, perpendicular recording) - for $82.00

EDIT:
here is a similar one 320GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140
for $94

It's really worth it to spend the extra 40 bucks (which is nothing compared to total price of PC) and getting a better HD.

EDIT2:
*what* a typo. I meant SATA of course. Sir K's post made me notice it.

[ 11-11-2006, 07:48 PM: Message edited by: ZFR ]

Assuming you are building a new system (and therefor aren't handicapped by a non-SATA mobo) there is no reason NOT to go SATA150. Same price, better performance than ATA drives.

For a serious gamer the FX-60 is logical choice, even in a midrange system. A $185 core duo doesn't really compare. Budget does matter - but a midrange system is all about where you spend the money not what level of individual compnents you buy.

<font color=8fbc8f>A lot of info to rumage through, take your time, and by all means don't be afriad to ask more questions.

Callum has made a valid point: Power supply! Do not scrimp here. Think of PCs like cars, the faster you want to go, the more money it will cost, the more you want to add, the more power you will need.

A fly by night case with a PS already installed for $49.99 is NOT a deal. Enermax is a good line, I would not buy anything less than that, Antec will set you back a little more, and again provide you with true power. BUT; if you want to run one of these dream machines that have been posted here you are going to need real power. And that can be found in the ultra high end, just like all of these other components folks have lavishly thrown at you, I'll throw in my [img]graemlins/2cents.gif[/img] as well. When you want power to handle of those super ridiculous components, then you will need one of these!
</font>

<font color=skyblue>Let me try to keep my head out of the clouds and keep in mind you have a wife to get approval from on all this...</font>

<font color=skyblue>

What ZFR has already said is the reality of the situation in that $340 will not build you a computer worth anything game-wise if you are intending this to be a computer that will run games that you buy for the next (?) years. You mentioned that your wife will have a say in this, and I know from experience that the cheaper the cost, the less likely she will pitch a hissy. </font>

<font color=skyblue>Windows XP itself runs better when you have a gig of RAM, so any gaming you do would makes sense to have at least a gig, in other words, 1024 and up from there.

I have two hard drives in my system for a total of 120G. This is enough for me to enjoy for a long time, with no need to upgrade. I think 80 might be too tight for me and what I need HDD space for, so my advice to you would be to raise your minimum HDD size to 120G. You'll be happier with that, considering how much space NWN1 and 2 do and can take up. </font>

<font color=skyblue>Then work backwards from what you know you need. Decide now on the HDD, the Vid Card, the Sound Card, the monitor, the case, etc...and then decide on how much money you have left. That will tell you what price range of cards to shop for, and which Processors they need...and of course the memory is already decided at a minimum of 1024G of whatever works on the board.

Make a list of the items you decide on, and then start shopping around for prices. Newegg and amazon.com are two great places to find great prices if you want to go that route, or try to find a shop in your area that sells over the counter parts (but not big chain stores). </font>

<font color=skyblue>You may find your wife more easily convinced to let you buy one part every paycheck so as to not spend nearly $1000 at one time. That is the way I have had to do it...buy a part here and there over time so as to not let her realize the grand total of the sum of its parts. </font>

Thats not "above mid-range".. That is "OMFG HARDCORE GAMER" range :D

You could spend thousands of dollars on your system like me.....

But I wouldn't recommend it.....

If you're only going to play games such as NWN and BG1 you're not going to need a good PC, but for $340 it's definately not worth buying a whole PC - the PC you've listed is not worth upgrading to, unless you're in an office environment. Having read the whole topic, and with limited time to post, I'm going to have to say that I don't agree with buying an FX60 now that Conroe is around, a 6300 clocked midrange would trounce an FX60. Fact. It's not worth buying into AMD right now until their new platform as released, and even then I'm not sure it'l live up to it (and this is coming from an AMD user). Obviously top of the range just now is the X6800, but the E6300 is very affordable, and very attractive. The E6600 is even still very affordable (in relative terms) and very attractive.