First time!

P

pyromast

Geek Trainee
This build will be my first ever, I have devised a list of things I'm thinking about putting in. I have found a few usefull videos on building a computer, and hopefully they will come in handy.

Well heres my list, note - there isn't a HD or OS yet, I havn't decided, maybe some help. :chk:

Case - Casebuy A1.03
Motherboard - ECS RD480-A939
Graphics Card - Asus Nvidia 7600GT
CPU - Athlon 64 4200 Dual Core 2.2GHz
RAM - Ebuyer 1GB DDR PC3200 X2
Monitor - HannGs HU196D 19" 8MS

I havn't chosen a soundcard yet either :(
Anyway, it's my first list so please critize it, and tell me where I'm going wrong, I will have made a mistake somwhere..
Thanks for you're time guys.
 
You'll definately need a beefy power supply, it is a critical component of the system. Not only is 350W not enough, but its a cheap branch so it will probably die on you. Check the power supply sticky for some good suggestions.

As for the HD, most from Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital should be good.
 
pyromast said:
Case - Casebuy A1.03
Click to expand...
buying a case with a PSU is not generally a good idea, a good quality PSU is essential, i would recommend at least a decent 450W PSU (to allow some spare power for upgrading) with that spec i think you will need at least a good 350 -400W PSU - saving money by skimping on the PSU is false economy, read B's PSU Sticky for a list of good brands, but personally i would recomend the Antec SP 2

as for HDD i can only talk about my personal expirence, IMO Maxtor drives are unreliable, although they are good at replacing dead drives, IMO Seagate are the best, but i've heard good things about Samsung & WD
 
thanks for the replies.

Right well that's somthing I did'nt know, I assumed buying a case with a PSU was desirable. There were other I quite liked which said they don't have a PSU, but again I thourght that was a drawback :O

As for HDD's, I have heard alot of bad reviews for maxtor, in facy, my own brothers ext HD has died on him after 3 months, a maxtor.
And I've also heard that segate make great HDD's so I'll have a look at some and update my list.

So the other parts are OK?
More feedback would be great, if nessacery :)

Thanks again.
 
pyromast said:
Well heres my list, note - there isn't a HD or OS yet, I havn't decided, maybe some help. :chk:
Click to expand...
as for the OS, don't use Win (very insecure) use linux (no need to use a firewall or antivirus) it's not easy, but its well worth it

BTW: i've only being on linux for about 10 months, if you prefer Win you'd be better starting with one of the following:
  • Mandriva
  • Kubuntu
  • Linspire
  • PCLinuxOS

quote=pyromast]I havn't chosen a soundcard yet either[/quote]if you want to save some money, just use the onboard sound to start with, and upgrade the sound later
 
Well Linux has its pluses, but Windows has the larger market share by far, therefore you will have a hard time finding programs and games to run on linux.
I stick to Windows for this reason, yes its unreliable, yes it has security issues, but without windows I can't play games and use the applications I want to use easily.

What sort of price range are you looking at? It would help us show you improvements if you could tell us.
 
Cadega can play most games in Linux.

And there's free alternatives to the software that people associate with Windows, I have nearly 19,000 packages available to install through an easy-to-use package manager if I need them. Using the excuse "Linux is hard to use" or "Linux doesn't have the range of software available that Windows does" just doesn't hold up anymore.
 
Well lets not get into a Linux vs. Windows discussion here, in the end it's up to the user to make the decision.

pyromast, I would certainly look at the option of using an Intel Core 2 Duo, you can pick an E6300 up for around the same price as the AMD Athlon 4200+ and it will beat the socks off it.
 
mut, the AMD had dual core as well? - If I buy an intel processor will I then have to buy an Intel motherboard, or can you mix n' match as you please.

As for a budget, well I havn't even totted up that lot yet, but I think I'll be able to spend around 600-700 pounds, maybe more if I can purswade my dad to lend money :P

As for Linux I'm a little apprihensive with it, all I hear is that it's really mean't for programmers or serious computer enthusiasts, I just use a computer for games and the internet atm, I'm trying to learn more and more, I really want to build my own machine, but yarrr, I'm not so sure about Linux.
 
You won't be able to swap AMD and Intel CPU's as you please. AMD uses socket AM2, while Intel employs an LGA775 (socket T) interface. Any motherboard with an AM2 CPU will work with the new AM2 Athlon64's. Newer LGA775 motherboards will work with the Core 2 Duo's.
 
Right well that cleard it up. Is there any conflict between Nvidia and ATI GPU's when you go AMD or Intel, isn't one suited more for the mobo/processor than the other, or is that another myth I heard?
 
donkey42 said:
:chk: i'll lay odds of 3 to 1 against, i bet mut isn't a linux user:chk: [ot]:chk: LOL:chk: [/ot]:chk:
Click to expand...
Well you're right with that, I did used to have Ubuntu as well as XP on my PC, but Windows is just so much more convenient, don't really have the time to be getting used to Linux and using Windows applications on it.

As for this PC we are talking about, if you go for Core 2 Duo (recommended as it gives better performance than the AMD X2), then you simply get a motherboard which supports it.

Here's a system for £502.84

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.83GHz) - £135.11
MOBO: Gigabyte GA_965P_S3 (Socket 775) - £93.99
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 1GB - £93.99
GPU: GeForce 7900GS 256MB - £126.89
PSU: Hiper 580W PSU - £52.86

That leaves the rest of your budget for a hard disk drive, optical drive, monitor and case, or possibly 2GB of RAM rather than 1GB
 
pyromast said:
Right well that cleard it up. Is there any conflict between Nvidia and ATI GPU's when you go AMD or Intel, isn't one suited more for the mobo/processor than the other, or is that another myth I heard?
Click to expand...

Some motherboards will support SLI while others support Crossfire. So if you want to run dual graphics cards it could be an issue, other than that you just need a PCIe x16 slot.
 
Thank you very much for your time mut, that has been very helpfull :) - And of course to everyone else that has helped.

One more question, do any of you guys know of sites, or maybe there's a sticky in this forum that goes into detail about actully building the machine? Maybe it would be usefull to have next to me when I'm scratching my head figuring out what goes where, the stuff about configuring master/slave setting baffles me, so seen as you guys must have done this loads of times maybe you have some good resources for me to look through.

Well again, thanks alot.

*edit ~
About the RAM, is 1GB sufficent enough for gaming? I have been told that somtimes it can't quite cope, things like call of duty 2, and 3 when it comes out for PC, Battlefield, etc, games like that?
 
I can play Battlefield 2 on full, I've got 1GB of RAM and an nVidia 6600GT.
But when I get into the game it can give me a couple of seconds of lag before it calms down. I would recommend 2GB but you can always upgrade at a later date.
1GB is enough, but 2GB would give you a smoother ride with your games.
* In Battlefield 2142 I play at 1280x960 resolution, and most settings on highest (4x AA, 0x AF).

As for help during the build, your motherboard manual should tell you everything you need to know. And you can always ask us here, or add us to msn or something.
 
I'll agree with that. In most cases a GeForce 6600GT will do the job just fine. However, with faster cards available, you can enjoy more detail settings and eye candy, which are nice to have along with smoother framerates at higher resolutions.

One thing that can really help is watching someone assemble a PC. If you're mechanically inclined a little and can use a screwdriver, you can do it. Seeing someone assemble one helps you understand how to go about the process.

It's a little dated, but this is a pretty good guide on assembling a PC.

And, of course, before anything else, read the manual(s) first. Along with visual installation instructions, they'll also provide any specific nuances you'll want to know about the product, such as various headers on a motherboard. The key manual is the motherboard manual, but don't neglect the others.

And, of course, ask.
 
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