30 replies to this topic

[TheFiresInTheSky]

im coming into roughly $1300 next year and want to build a computer. any suggestions on parts to buy and such? i dont know much about the "inside" of computers.

[Andavari]

I'm don't keep up at all with current hardware and what's considered the best therefore I can't recommend any particular brands and such, however I do know this:

• Get a good and powerful Power Supply that can handle anything you throw at it hardware-wise.
  
• Get a good dual format DVD writer drive, e.g.; DVD-/DVD+
  
• Get a good display card that you won't need to update/replace for many years.
  
• Get a large enough hard disk that will suit you for many years and do go a little crazy by getting one larger than you think you'll actually need, and partition it (using NTFS of course) to completely separate the operating system and program files from your music and videos because a format that removes all music and videos just plain sucks. Or get a couple of hard drives.
  
• Get a PC case that has very good ventilation.
  
• Get a good monitor that you know will suit your needs for many years and even a future PC.

[1984]

i am/was looking at building my first computer. currently i have a ibm p4 with 2000mhz, 768 ram (upgraded from 256), 40g hd, plus 2-250 g external hd, dvd player, cd burner, external dvd burner, cordless and corded keyboard and mice, web cam, logitech game pad, logitech 5.1 surround speakers and an upgraded graphics and sound cards and a 17 inch monitor.

i am now looking at adding ups, 19 monitor (and running both), larger power supply, and a router (with firewall). not a lot of cash, but enough.

i dont think i will be upgrading for a few more years now that i have looked at a few things. i like the games my comp handles, the speed is decent, and it pretty much runs trouble free and does what i want, so why bother (other than the challenge and the fun).

a few more years, vistas will be out and relatively bug free, dual/quad/more processors will be out and cheaper and easy to build.

good times.

[Andavari]

For a monitor I myself wouldn't go below 19 inches which I happen to have now, however if/when I ever get another monitor it will have to be even bigger than 19 inches, as well it will have to be widescreen. I may just get a high-end laptop because I'm tired of desktop PC's that take up so much space.

[Eldmannen]

Get a good everything.

Heh, well its hard to say a specific model or brand, since things changes fast.
But yeah, 19" monitors are good, and you dont have to buy a monitor if you already have one that you can use, but if you going to buy one, then it might be a good idea to invest in a good one, since they last a long time...

And with pretty much any component, dont buy the best, because it will be very much more expensive than what is almost-best. Example, 100$, 110$, 120$, 130$, 140$, 230$.

If you play games, then a good graphics card is very important but if you dont play games, then go with a cheaper one.

Dont buy a soundcard, most motherboards have a built-in which is almost just as good.
Same goes for the network card.

[Woody]

"dont buy the best"

I have to disagree with this. Buying the best is something you will never regret. Long after you have forgotten the purchase price, the quality will remain with you.

[TheFiresInTheSky]

im gonna have to go see how the prices range. wheres the best place to shop for parts? i would just go for best buy... any place better in your opinions?

[Andavari]

neighberaaron, on May 30 2006, 09:36 PM, said:

im gonna have to go see how the prices range. wheres the best place to shop for parts? i would just go for best buy... any place better in your opinions?

Try to shop locally if possible, because:
* It financially helps your community.
* Returning an item you don't want is quick and easy because the place is just across town.

At Best Buy, Staples, etc., you can get ordinary run of the mill things like hard disk(s), keyboard & mouse, Printer/Scanner, CD/DVD writer drive(s) if you don't want something specific like a Plextor CD/DVD drive, etc. Make sure you look at the stores weekly flyers in your newspaper because you can buy some things when they're on sale, do try to save a few bucks by getting things on sale.

For RAM I would personally choose crucial.com (someone else may know another reliable online source). When it comes to RAM don't try to save a few dollars by going el cheapo because you'll regret it later.

The only brand preference I have is when it comes to computer speakers, I'll only use Altec Lansing. However what I've seen in stores like Staples is their "lower-end" stuff, however their website has the good stuff.

Of course you also need to consider if some of your current equipment like Printer/Scanner, etc., is good enough to continue using because you can save allot of money if some of your hardware is suiting your needs fine.

[lokoike]

neighberaaron, on May 29 2006, 04:01 PM, said:

im coming into roughly $1300 next year and want to build a computer. any suggestions on parts to buy and such? i dont know much about the "inside" of computers.

Buy from New Egg, my man! Every computer I've ever built (and I've made quite a few) has been constructed of parts mainly from that website.

My recommendations to your are: get a motherboard that supports dual-core, even if you can only afford a single-core proc right now. Dual-core is the future, and you want your board to be upgradable. Make sure you board supports AMD, instead of Intel. This is actually more of a preference, but Intels generally run waaaay too hot, whereas your AMD will run cool and last for years. Every computer I've ever built has used AMD, and I am definitely impressed!

For RAM, no less than a gig, although if you've got $1000 to work with, I would go with 2 gigs. In fact, if you have to shave a little off of the cost of the video card and \ or CPU, I would do it if it means having 2 GBs instead of 1. More RAM will give you a huge performance boost. RAM companies I like are Corsair, Kingston, and Crucial.

Hard drive is pretty much up to you. The higher the RPMs (5400, 7200, 10000, etc.) and cache (2 MB, 8 MB, 16 MB), the faster your hard drive will be. Space is totally dependant on how much you will use. Seagate gives you a 5 year warranty, so they are probably the most dependable drive you will find.

Optical drive is also up to you. I generally put that last on my list of importance, but if you do a lot of burning, you may want to spend more. Plextor and Sony are probably the best companies (and also most expensive), while companies like NEC, BenQ, and LiteOn will give you a slightly slower, but still good, product.

And video card is also dependant on what you will do. The only suggestion I will give you when it comes to video is to go PCI-Express, as opposed to AGP. AGP boards are quickly disappearing, so you will want your motherboard to support your PCI-E card, since that is the new standard.

Good luck, and feel free to post any other questions you may have!

[TheFiresInTheSky]

wat if i dont want to shop online?

[krit86lr]

neighberaaron, on May 31 2006, 07:44 PM, said:

wat if i dont want to shop online?

Then you're going to pay more money.

[Mike Rochip]

neighberaaron, on May 31 2006, 06:44 PM, said:

wat if i dont want to shop online?

I used to have good luck at Compusa although I guess some people don't like them. They have a lot of sales and some good deals. Just make sure you read, follow, and keep track of rebates if you use them. A lot of stuff I bought there ended up being free or very low priced.

[zaphirer]

Mike Rochip, on May 31 2006, 09:36 PM, said:

I used to have good luck at Compusa although I guess some people don't like them. They have a lot of sales and some good deals. Just make sure you read, follow, and keep track of rebates if you use them. A lot of stuff I bought there ended up being free or very low priced.

In my opinion, CompUSA is too... well... user friendly. As in, it's sort of a cross between Best Buy (This is a COM-PU-TER...) and electronics stores like Fry's, where you can buy practically anything. Not a bad selection, but usually not a whole lot.

Neighboraaron, please give some input as to what you will be doing with your computer. It will help to be more specific. For example, if you're a gamer, then a 550W Modular PCI-E power supply might be something you want to get. On the other hand, if you simply want to browse the web, answer e-mails, watch a few on-line videos, etc., you will want a completely (well, very different) system.

[CTskifreak]

If I were building my own system, (which I want to do REALLLY soon) I would buy from three places online,
Tiger Direct, Zip Zoom Fly, and New Egg. These three are probably the most reliable and most trusted.

As zaphier said, it matters what you want to do with your computer. A gaming system will be much differtnt than one used for something like word processing and emailing, and possibly photo manipulation and listening to music.

Get back to us with what you want to do with your new tower.

AJ

[TheFiresInTheSky]

zaphirer, on Jun 1 2006, 01:08 AM, said:

Neighboraaron,

GRR its neighbEraaron LOL

im wanting to produce videos using video editing software such as Pinnacle.

[zaphirer]

Ok, but first off, you might want to choose something other than Pinnacle... it has... issues...
anyway
For video editing, you will probably want a dual core CPU, which means something along the lines of an AMD X2 3800+
Also, you are going to need quite a bit of RAM. 2 GBs should do it, since moving around large amounts of files will need lots of memory.
For a graphics card, you may need some kind of All-In-Wonder, since those cards allow you to sync up a video camera. An ATi 9800PRO AiW should suffice.

You may or may not want to purchase an extra fast, 10k RPM hard drive. I don't know how much of a performance boost it will give, but you must be prepared to give up a lot of space (they are 74GB and 150GB versions.)
Then again, movie files take up a lot of space so you may have to purchase a 400GB or even a 500GB drive.

[PS3]

i can tell you a fair bit about an inside of a computer but you have to firstly tell me what you want to do with this new computer. eg. gaming, cinema, work, business, recreational purpose (stuffing around), etc.

[Humpty]

Here's one for you.And only $24,000.

Don't know why they're not using 10,000rpm raptors though.

Omen Elemntal

[CTskifreak]

That's nothing....

Go-L

My dream computer.....and monitor.


AJ

[TheFiresInTheSky]

OMFG those things are effin expensive! i want to do commercial advertisement for MORE businesses and special parties.
b-day parties
weddings
school games
ect...