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Answer» Hi all, I've been pondering my first pc build and am somewhat reluctant to start it. I've never built one, I'm not a super pc geek. I can work on cars and have reached the point of being sick of oem computers. You'd think there were goverment secrets on oem pc information. I've spent several hours making 2 build lists one in the 570 dollar range and one just over a $1000. I just need a little input should I try the cheaper build first or just go for the big boy. From all the threads I've read there's always problems and I don't know my way around a bios. No idea about timing or several any number of things. This may be a foolish post but I'm kinda unsure about this whole thing.
P.S. Side note I had thought of getting a motherboard compatible with my cpu and making baby steps. Just to get started that might be silly but I sure would hate to have a $1000 dollar paper weight.It depends what you want your PC for as to how much you spend on it.
If you're doing web browsing and typing letters, there's no point spending loads on the latest and greatest.
If you were to tell us what you want this PC for, we can go over your parts list and suggest improvements or changes if necessary, if you like.
My advice is to read up as much as you can before starting, and make sure that everything you get is 100% what you want and that all the components are compatible and reliable.
Then when you get started, take your time and be careful.First build list is cheaper of the two with room for later upgrades.
apex tu-163 atx full tower case(350wattpsu)
evga 122-ck-nf66-t1 lga 775 650i ultra atx
asus eax1550/td/256m radeon 256mb 128-bit gddr- video card
intel celeronD 360 cedar mill 3.46ghz lga 775(upgrade to duo core when cheaper)
patriot extreme performance 2gb(2x1gb)240-pin ddr2 sdram ddr2 800 (pc6400) dual ch.kit
maxtor stm3160215as 160gb sata
lite-on 20x dvd+-r sata
xp pro oem not retail version
build option two better stuff all around still not top line
asys ck-1022-2 atx full tower
evga 122-ck-nf67-t1 lga775 680i lt sli
evga 256-p2n761-ar geforce 8600 gts 256mb 128-bit gddr3 sli ready(one for now)
corsair cmpsu-520hx ATX12V v2.2 and eps12v 2.91 520 watt
crucial ballistix 2bg(2x1gb) 240pin ddr2 sdram ddr2 800 dual channel
seagate barracuda 7200.10 st3160815as 160gb sata (2 of these)
philips 20x dvd burner atapi/e-ide
asus dvd-rom atapi/ide
xp pro oem build version not retail package
I do more gaming than anything else no work related stuff. Web surfing and the regular stuff. I'm not one of the people who has to play with settings maxed out. I will be happy at medium settings(usually) but want pc to be stable. I've had heat issues, lost drivers and all that kinda thing I really just want a reliable system that can be tinkered on if need be. All the oem computers that I've had are hard to deal with (support sucks) lots of extra stuff I dont want. Anyway thats it. Thanks
You may want to check into a better MBoard/CPU combo...for a little more you could probably fit into either of those builds and budget say an ASUS MBoard and Intel 6600CPU which have dropped dramatically in price.Or a Pentium Dual Core CPU, or a C2D E4300/4400.
Your first build doesn't mention a GPU (is it integrated?), and the second omits the CPU.
Another thing . . . you can drop to slower RAM to save some cash, DDR2 800 speed is overkill for most things, slightly slower speeds won't make much of a difference.
The 8600GTS is a good choice, NICE powerful mid-range card and the option for SLI later makes it a good upgrade path as well.Isn't the 6600 a dual core ? ?I noticed I'd omitted the cpu on second build list. I was looking a c2d but havent decided on one. The e4300 is SUPPOSED to overclock like mad but I dont have any experience oc'ing. The gpu for the first list is there it was a asus radeon x1550 256mb.
Also took a harder look at the asus motherboards they seem better but I dont have a clue about how to gauge which is better for what I need. The chipset thing is what I really dont know about. I understand all chipsets are not created equal but don't know which is better. You guys are great and I really want to thank you for your time.Quote from: patio on September 03, 2007, 07:39:02 PM Isn't the 6600 a dual core ? ?
Indeed it is.
What I meant by Pentium Dual Core is Intel's new range of (supposedly budget) CPUs. Cheap, but powerful, and overclock well. Just the ticket for my next build. And I only suggested a different CPU because, over here at least, the 6600 is pretty expensive, there's a fair gap between it and the E4300/4400. It's getting rarer too, as the E6x50 series supersedes the E6x00 line.
The E4300 is a powerful CPU anyway, even without overclocking.
And for games, the CPU isn't too important, as long as it is fairly powerful, which any Core 2 Duo is.
The graphics card is the main factor for 3D performance.
I see the X1550 listed now, my mistake. But avoid that card, it's not very powerful. Although the naming suggests it is just below the X1600, it is not - it's just a jumped-up X1300.
My advice is to get an 8600GT or GTS.
As regards motherboards, as FAR as I'm concerned either of those is fine, but I don't have a lot of experience with motherboards myself. For me, if it has some USB ports and some SATA ports, and SLI (if it's for a gaming rig) then it's fine for me. But, if patio says you can do better, then you probably can - see what he has to say.Just curious Calum...what range of pricing are you seeing in your neck of the woods on the 4300/4400 ? ?
On my end the 4400 runs $129.00 with the 6600 coming in at $200.00...
On the MBoard side of things i'm not familiar with the brand mentioned.I'm seeing £42 on the Pentium Dual Core E2140, £75 on the E4400, and £103 on the E6650.
The E6600 isn't available from the shops I frequent, the 6650 has taken its place.
EVGA is a brand I'm familiar with, but usually for video cards.Great. Now i gotta google the currency converter ? ?
Oops sorry . . . £1= just over $2.
According to XE.com's converter, the above prices are $85, $152, and $209 (ROUNDED).Quote from: Calum on September 06, 2007, 04:22:40 AMOops sorry . . . £1= just over $2.
According to XE.com's converter, the above prices are $85, $152, and $209 (rounded).
I was actually kidding,,,watching the Markets bury my money from time to time has taught me to keep up with the conversion rates...silly as they may be.
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