Building a new computer from scratch

computersickness · #1 (**permalink**) 01-12-2007, 03:33 AM

Hi i am going to build a computer from scratch. Can someone please help me by giving me a list of all the items i would need to buy such as video cards, sound cards, mobo, power supply.....etc. I might use this computer for gaming, but not very often......Also can you list what is a good cheap kind of each item i need to buy and where to get it. Thanks so much....( This will be the first computer i will ever build.

guyladouche · #2 (**permalink**) 01-12-2007, 07:20 AM

Okay, I replied to your video card question.

Really, the recommendations all depend on what you're going to be doing. You could go dual-core (or even quad-core now), high-end, low-end, it really all depends. Like if you're just going to be doing web surfing and word processing, a dual-core rig might not really be worthwhile.

So let us know more specifically, then maybe we can make some good suggestions.

computerbuyer101 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-12-2007, 08:30 PM

please can you be more specific:

are you going to be using it for gaming, media studies, e.c.t?

where are you from (uk, USA, ect)?

and how much are you hoping to spend?

if you answer these questions then i will see what i can do for you!!!

computersickness · #4 (**permalink**) 01-12-2007, 10:56 PM

The only gaming i will probably ever do on this computer will be counterstrike. The rest of the time i will use for web surfing and word etc......I live in the U.S.A.I'm not really sure how much i want to spend, but i dont want to spend over 1,000. I would like to kepp the cost as low as i can. Also for gaming it doesnt have to be amazing graphics just good enough so that it wont be blurry.
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This user added the following:
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O ya i would also use this computer for storing songs copying songs onto cds, and watching and buring dvd. Thanks

guyladouche · #5 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 03:59 AM

Okay, well, regardless of my preferences, I'd say you don't really need to go with anything too expensive--even dual core is overkill for what you're talking about. Also, if you're building your own computer and buying the components and assembling it yourself, $1000 is way way more than you need for a basic system.

I'm partial to AMD, so I'd recommend going socket 939 single core AMD--the 3500+ and 3700+ processors are extremely good, and are quite affordable--I don't think they're much more than $100.

Motherboard is probably just basic--ECS makes good basic motherboards--they won't do anything special in the way of overclocking, but they work. I suggest going with Abit or ASUS though--better customer support in case something goes wrong, and I think they make better quality boards. Even their lower-end boards are still good, and those are usually around $100 or so.

RAM--I'd really recommend going with a 1 GB dual-channel kit. Generally, the rule "the more the merrier" is true until 2GB--not much past that really helps, of course every situation is different. But the difference between 512 MB and 1 GB RAM in windows XP is very noticeable. Don't go cheap on RAM. Corsair is a good brand, but steer clear of their "Value Select" RAM. I really like OCZ--they're very good. Also, Mushkin is a very good brand. Can't say more about RAM without knowing the processor and Motherboard you'll get--but basically you'll want to match the RAM frequency with the front side bus frequency of the motherboard/processor you get, and of course make sure it's correctly DDR or DDR2 depending on the motherboard. I'd say that you probably wouldn't have to spend more than $150 for a good 1 GB dual channel kit. No more than about $250 for a 2 GB dual channel kit.

Video card. Not sure exactly what to recommend here. CS isn't that graphics-intensive as compared to newer games, so you wouldn't need to go out and buy the top-of-the-line card. I've also always been partial to ATI for graphics, but Nvidia is great too. If you don't plan on doing any sort of overclocking/modification of the graphics card, I'd suggest going with ATI. They make solid cards. I'd suggest looking for the ATI Radeon x1950pro on sale--it's $200 on sale, and a great bargain. You can look up the specs online. I know it might seem overkill if you won't be playing any newer games, but lower-quality cards cost around $150, and sometimes do a very poor job, so I'd say the extra $50 is worth it.

Case--whatever suits your fancy.

Power supply. I don't mind Antec--they're a well-known brand, but I'd steer clear of their "smart-power" PSU's. Make sure to look for their "true-power" PSU's. I'd say you won't really need anything more than a 450 watt PSU.

Hard drive--I'd definitely make sure to get SATA hard drives. Actually, I recommend at least two two--one for the OS and programs, and the second for your media files. Size depends on how much stuff you'd like to keep.

I think that about covers the basics. I'd say you can get away with very good-quality basics for less than $700.

If you think you will be doing anything in the way of ripping your personal DVD's to video files to store on your computer, or any involved media-encoding, that's a different story, and I would recommend a completely different system--dual core, preferably Intel Core 2 Duo. But I won't go into that right now.

computersickness · #6 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 04:06 AM

Ok Thanks so much this has really helped me and i think im going to do exactly what you recommended. Thanks.

guyladouche · #7 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 06:23 AM

I was just browsing and noticed that the 3700+ Athlon is only $74 on Newegg.com - Buy Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! A very good online computer parts store--might want to keep them in mind for you build. And the 3800+ is only $88. Hope it's fun.

By the way--are you familiar with AMD processors, and what the number with the + next to it means? If not just say so and I'll explain it.

computersickness · #8 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 06:39 AM

no sorry im not.........................................

guyladouche · #9 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 06:49 AM

Okay, good. So what the number means is that the processor will perform as fast or faster than a P4 at that speed in MHz--so a 3500+ AMD Athlon will perform as fast (but generally faster) than a 3.5 GHZ P4. That's all that means. The notation on the dual-core AMD's is a bit different but similar, but don't worry about that now.

computersickness · #10 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 09:39 PM

alright thanks for telling me that because i had no idea what that meant be4.

**Ash** · #11 (**permalink**) 01-13-2007, 10:32 PM

I am slightly biased towards Intel [and have never owned a PC with an AMD CPU before] but I will be offering to build my uncle's next PC and will probably stick an AMD in there to save costs. However just because they are cheaper it doesn't mean AMD chips are inferior - from what I've read AMD seemed to have made "better" chips comared to Intel's in the same price range. It's just that at the moment Core 2 Duo is unrivalled right now. But then again, I am biased towards Intel so I could be wrong. The general rule of thumb seems to be, or at least used to be during the Athlon/Pentium era, AMD for gaming, Intel for multitasking.

computersickness · #12 (**permalink**) 01-14-2007, 01:58 AM

I think i am going to go with amd just because its cheaper, but if i am going to be doing the internet, word, powerpoint, etc... at the same time maybe i should just pay a little more for intel since im also only going to play counterstrike most likely.

**Ash** · #13 (**permalink**) 01-14-2007, 02:04 AM

I said Intel is better for multitasking but to be honest unless you are stress testing your system. Having Word, PPoint and your browser [if you use IE you should consider getting Firefox] will not be too stressful on your CPU - especially if you get one of the "X2" models which are dual core.

computersickness · #14 (**permalink**) 01-14-2007, 02:10 AM

Ok so since im not doing any major gaming i shouck get the amd, but x2.

guyladouche · #15 (**permalink**) 01-14-2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ash

I am slightly biased towards Intel [and have never owned a PC with an AMD CPU before] but I will be offering to build my uncle's next PC and will probably stick an AMD in there to save costs. However just because they are cheaper it doesn't mean AMD chips are inferior - from what I've read AMD seemed to have made "better" chips comared to Intel's in the same price range. It's just that at the moment Core 2 Duo is unrivalled right now. But then again, I am biased towards Intel so I could be wrong. The general rule of thumb seems to be, or at least used to be during the Athlon/Pentium era, AMD for gaming, Intel for multitasking.

No Ash, you're not wrong--I really like AMD, but I'll be the first to agree with you and admit that the C2D cannot be matched by a comparably priced AMD CPU right now--not by a long shot.

That said, I think I have to disagree that intel chips of the same class/release are better at multitasking--at least in my experience, but I have nowhere to show that this is true. A 3500+ or 3700+ is still an extremely fast single-core processor, and since he said that he won't do much multitasking, anyway, it's a great deal. I'd say that bang for the buck, if you're going single-core, AMD is the way to go--my 3000+ was way better than my buddies P4 3GHz in every aspect--and we had comparable systems with regards to RAM and HS's. Plus, P4's are notorious for consuming a lot of power and running VERY hot. But for dual core, it's C2D all the way.

To clarify, regarding gaming, you won't see a performance increase with a dual-core system because games are not multithreaded as of yet, and unless you plan on playing a game at the same time you're trying to burn a DVD or rip movies, gaming won't benefit from a dual core CPU. Actually, most hardcore gamers I know that build their gaming rig use the expenisive AMD FX-series CPU's that are single core but very fast and have high clock speeds--which is more important for games than multitasking.

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