Building a PC

jspchief · 11-08-2005, 10:53 AM

I'm getting to the point where my current PC just can't do what I want of it anymore. I'm considering trying to build my own rather than buying something out of the box.

Two reasons I want to build my own:
1. Price. Can I get a good gamer PC cheaper if I build it?
2. The experience. I like the idea of building something from scratch like that.

My biggest question is, how difficult is it? Specifically, how much do I need to know about computers? I've done enough internal upgrades on my current PC to believe I'll be fine with the nuts and bolts aspect of the job. But I'm not sure I'll be able to troubleshoot problems.

It's like bolting together an engine, but not knowing how to set the timing or get the right mix in the carb.

Would I be getting in over my head?
Is it any cheaper?
Any good resources (books or websites)?

**dirk digler** · 11-08-2005, 11:16 AM

The first question would be what is your budget? If it is high then you can build your own if not Dell always has good deals on PC's which you can get for $400-$600.

IMO building a PC is ALOT more expensive than buying one from Dell, Gateway,..etc because you want the best mobo/cpu, ram, video cards, sound card, etc and that stuff isn't cheap.

But once you build your own you have alot of flexibility if you need to upgrade.

I build my own PC's and I enjoy it alot.

Do a search on google and I am sure you will be able to find alot of tutorials on it.

If you need any help don't be afraid to ask me.

jspchief · 11-08-2005, 11:25 AM

Well the last CP I bought was a $1700 Gateway. I figured my budget would be around $1000-$1500, hoping that would get me a pretty high end system.

I realize a $400 Dell will be a huge improvement over what I have, but I'd rather have something that isn't obsolete in 2 years.

I guess I'll look into it further and see what I find.

**dirk digler** · 11-08-2005, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspchief

Well the last CP I bought was a $1700 Gateway. I figured my budget would be around $1000-$1500, hoping that would get me a pretty high end system.

I realize a $400 Dell will be a huge improvement over what I have, but I'd rather have something that isn't obsolete in 2 years.

I guess I'll look into it further and see what I find.

You can definitely build a kick-ass system for $1500 that will last you for a few years.

htismaqe · 11-08-2005, 11:32 AM

Building is better than buying if you have the time and ambition.

For one, I don't know how many of the pre-built HP's, Dell's, etc. out there use AMD and you definitely want to get an AMD proc.

Assembling a PC is a piece of cake, you can do it no problem. As far as troubleshooting, you've got us.

jspchief · 11-08-2005, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Building is better than buying if you have the time and ambition.

For one, I don't know how many of the pre-built HP's, Dell's, etc. out there use AMD and you definitely want to get an AMD proc.

Assembling a PC is a piece of cake, you can do it no problem. As far as troubleshooting, you've got us.

As soon as the snow starts flying, I have a lot of spare time. As for ambition, I love to get projects 90% done.

I think maybe it's time I got serious about this.

jspchief · 11-08-2005, 11:32 AM

This is along the lines of what I had in mind. It's an $800 system, with some areas that I would upgrade form the start.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1822645,00.asp

**Saulbadguy** · 11-08-2005, 11:59 AM

I built my own PC. It is pretty simple.

http://www.anandtech.com

They have good hardware reviews and such, plus a HUGE technical forum, that includes hot deals on tech-related items.

**Saulbadguy** · 11-08-2005, 02:22 PM

If I were going to build another one i'd go with a Shuttle XPC barebone system (case/power supply/motherboard).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...465&Category=3

**dirk digler** · 11-08-2005, 02:44 PM

Here is some ideas

ATX case - make sure it is ATX
400-500w ATX Power Supply - Make sure the power supply will work with your motherboard. Most are standard

ATX Motherboard - I prefer ASUS because there is no configurations that need to be done

AMB 64bit Processor - Depending on what you can afford the bigger the better. Make sure that it works with your motherboard.
I bought my last motherboard/cpu/memory bundle from MonarchComputers. http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv

1gb of RAM at the minimum of course the more the faster - Make sure it works with your motherboard
120GB or larger Hard Drive - Hard Drives are cheap so get the biggest you can afford
High end graphics card - I got a MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 VIVO AGP 4X/8X Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127150

It plays Battlefield 2 flawlessly.

Sound card - I prefer Creative Labs Soundblaster Audigy 2 or better
DVD-RW Drive
Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor

I think that is it.

My recommendation and I know some will disagree but I would tell you to buy a motherboard/CPU/RAM bundle because you know that they all work together and that is less that you have to worry about.

Just my .02 cents.

Pants · 11-08-2005, 02:50 PM

$1500 will get you pretty much the best single core and GPU system right now, assuming you keep the old monitor, speakers, etc (unless you buy one of those $1200 processors).

If you don't want to build your own, I'd recommend checking out www.cyberpowerinc.com it's cheap and looks pretty good from what I can tell. Stay away from Dell/Gateway/etc...

Swanman · 11-08-2005, 03:12 PM

Check out www.tigerdirect.com. It seems like a great place to buy stuff at reasonable prices to build a computer. Their U.S. warehouse is in Naperville, IL, about 2 miles from me, so I can check the website and then go to the warehouse to pick it up instead of waiting on shipping.

Tiger also has some insane gaming computers inside your price range.

AeroSquid · 11-08-2005, 03:55 PM

dirk digler- a 6600GT is a high end graphics card? :chortle:

NVidia just released a new mid range card- 6800GS It should be on stores next week and is about as fast as the 6800GT.

My tips on a BYO pc-

AMD 64 or AMD X2
there is nothing else even worth talking about here.

Asus mobo for stability, DFI for overclocking

1gb of low latency pc3200 (2gb is still overkill, and DDR2 is coming Q2 of 06)

XP-90 or SI-120 + panaflo 92/120mm fan
no substitutes here, these are the best heat skink/fan combos you can get today.

LiteOn or NEC dvd burner

NCQ enabled hard drive with 16mb cache (almost as fast as a Raptor with more space and half the price)

onboard sound is fine unless you're an audiofile (and have very expensive speakers)

a GOOD NAME BRAND power supply. don't cheap out on that, it can kill yuo're whole system.

**dirk digler** · 11-08-2005, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AeroSquid

dirk digler- a 6600GT is a high end graphics card? :chortle:

NVidia just released a new mid range card- 6800GS It should be on stores next week and is about as fast as the 6800GT.

You're right, I guess I considered it high end because the retail price is around $200. Video Cards prices are really to high IMO.

Quote:

Enthusiasts have considered the 6800 GT a very good "high-end value" for quite some time. However, with 7800 GT prices falling into the sub-$330 range, the 6800 GT's reign has drawn to an end. To fill the performance gap and compete with the ATI's X800 GTO and still unavailable X1600 XT, NVIDIA has introduced the 6800GS, which is essentially a higher-clocked 6800 with GDDR3 RAM. It is clocked so much higher in fact that its performance rivals that of the 6800 GT, even with fewer pixel pipelines and vertex shaders.

While the performance is spot-on and the card is already available from companies such as eVGA, it is not clear how many OEMs will support the card or how long it will be available before seeing replacement from a GeForce 7 series part.

The GeForce 6800GS is only available for PCI-Express and retails for $229.

Quote:

NVIDIA'S flagship Geforce 7800 GTX card with 512 MB is expected next Monday the 14th of November,and we have some pricing details about how many greenbacks this card will cost. Nvidia has priced this card at high as $649. A new card working at 550MHz core and 1700+ for the memory will certainly be a faster option than X1800XT 512 MB card but will cost you exactly $100 more than the $549, the suggested retail price of the Radeon X1800XT.

We just don’t see the end of this, as we think that $549 is already an insane amount of money to spend for a graphic card. What happened to $399 as a top barrier? Are we so blinded with marchitecture that we didn’t figure out that Nvidia and ATI are ratcheting the prices up every single generation?

11-08-2005, 10:53 AM	Topic Starter
jspchief BAMF Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Your Face Casino cash: $9998710	Building a PC I'm getting to the point where my current PC just can't do what I want of it anymore. I'm considering trying to build my own rather than buying something out of the box. Two reasons I want to build my own: 1. Price. Can I get a good gamer PC cheaper if I build it? 2. The experience. I like the idea of building something from scratch like that. My biggest question is, how difficult is it? Specifically, how much do I need to know about computers? I've done enough internal upgrades on my current PC to believe I'll be fine with the nuts and bolts aspect of the job. But I'm not sure I'll be able to troubleshoot problems. It's like bolting together an engine, but not knowing how to set the timing or get the right mix in the carb. Would I be getting in over my head? Is it any cheaper? Any good resources (books or websites)?
Posts: 27,207

11-08-2005, 11:16 AM	#2
dirk digler Please squeeze Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clinton, MO Casino cash: $2754644	The first question would be what is your budget? If it is high then you can build your own if not Dell always has good deals on PC's which you can get for $400-$600. IMO building a PC is ALOT more expensive than buying one from Dell, Gateway,..etc because you want the best mobo/cpu, ram, video cards, sound card, etc and that stuff isn't cheap. But once you build your own you have alot of flexibility if you need to upgrade. I build my own PC's and I enjoy it alot. Do a search on google and I am sure you will be able to find alot of tutorials on it. If you need any help don't be afraid to ask me.
Posts: 66,438

11-08-2005, 11:25 AM	#3
jspchief BAMF Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Your Face Casino cash: $9998710	Well the last CP I bought was a $1700 Gateway. I figured my budget would be around $1000-$1500, hoping that would get me a pretty high end system. I realize a $400 Dell will be a huge improvement over what I have, but I'd rather have something that isn't obsolete in 2 years. I guess I'll look into it further and see what I find. __________________ Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.
Posts: 27,207

11-08-2005, 11:32 AM	#5
htismaqe 'Tis my eye! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Chiefsplanet Casino cash: $10269900	Building is better than buying if you have the time and ambition. For one, I don't know how many of the pre-built HP's, Dell's, etc. out there use AMD and you definitely want to get an AMD proc. Assembling a PC is a piece of cake, you can do it no problem. As far as troubleshooting, you've got us.
Posts: 100,022

11-08-2005, 11:32 AM	#7
jspchief BAMF Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Your Face Casino cash: $9998710	This is along the lines of what I had in mind. It's an $800 system, with some areas that I would upgrade form the start. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1822645,00.asp __________________ Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.
Posts: 27,207

11-08-2005, 11:59 AM	#8
Saulbadguy When a nightmare becomes real Join Date: Nov 2003 Casino cash: $2096966	I built my own PC. It is pretty simple. http://www.anandtech.com They have good hardware reviews and such, plus a HUGE technical forum, that includes hot deals on tech-related items. __________________ http://www.goemaw.com
Posts: 46,974

11-08-2005, 02:22 PM	#9
Saulbadguy When a nightmare becomes real Join Date: Nov 2003 Casino cash: $2096966	If I were going to build another one i'd go with a Shuttle XPC barebone system (case/power supply/motherboard). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...465&Category=3 __________________ http://www.goemaw.com
Posts: 46,974

11-08-2005, 02:44 PM	#10
dirk digler Please squeeze Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clinton, MO Casino cash: $2754644	Here is some ideas ATX case - make sure it is ATX 400-500w ATX Power Supply - Make sure the power supply will work with your motherboard. Most are standard ATX Motherboard - I prefer ASUS because there is no configurations that need to be done AMB 64bit Processor - Depending on what you can afford the bigger the better. Make sure that it works with your motherboard. I bought my last motherboard/cpu/memory bundle from MonarchComputers. http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv 1gb of RAM at the minimum of course the more the faster - Make sure it works with your motherboard 120GB or larger Hard Drive - Hard Drives are cheap so get the biggest you can afford High end graphics card - I got a MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 VIVO AGP 4X/8X Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127150 It plays Battlefield 2 flawlessly. Sound card - I prefer Creative Labs Soundblaster Audigy 2 or better DVD-RW Drive Mouse Keyboard Monitor I think that is it. My recommendation and I know some will disagree but I would tell you to buy a motherboard/CPU/RAM bundle because you know that they all work together and that is less that you have to worry about. Just my .02 cents.
Posts: 66,438

11-08-2005, 02:50 PM	#11
Pants Time Keeps On Slipping Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $5419900	$1500 will get you pretty much the best single core and GPU system right now, assuming you keep the old monitor, speakers, etc (unless you buy one of those $1200 processors). If you don't want to build your own, I'd recommend checking out www.cyberpowerinc.com it's cheap and looks pretty good from what I can tell. Stay away from Dell/Gateway/etc... __________________ "Turn the channel to 26!"
Posts: 27,294

11-08-2005, 03:12 PM	#13
Swanman It's a league game, Dude Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Itasca, IL Casino cash: $9967354	Check out www.tigerdirect.com. It seems like a great place to buy stuff at reasonable prices to build a computer. Their U.S. warehouse is in Naperville, IL, about 2 miles from me, so I can check the website and then go to the warehouse to pick it up instead of waiting on shipping. Tiger also has some insane gaming computers inside your price range.
Posts: 4,719

11-08-2005, 03:55 PM	#14
AeroSquid we are 138 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: K.C. Casino cash: $9999900	dirk digler- a 6600GT is a high end graphics card? :chortle: NVidia just released a new mid range card- 6800GS It should be on stores next week and is about as fast as the 6800GT. My tips on a BYO pc- AMD 64 or AMD X2 there is nothing else even worth talking about here. Asus mobo for stability, DFI for overclocking 1gb of low latency pc3200 (2gb is still overkill, and DDR2 is coming Q2 of 06) XP-90 or SI-120 + panaflo 92/120mm fan no substitutes here, these are the best heat skink/fan combos you can get today. LiteOn or NEC dvd burner NCQ enabled hard drive with 16mb cache (almost as fast as a Raptor with more space and half the price) onboard sound is fine unless you're an audiofile (and have very expensive speakers) a GOOD NAME BRAND power supply. don't cheap out on that, it can kill yuo're whole system.
Posts: 1,156