Am I nuts to think I can build my own PC?

[THEFNG]

I want to build my own PC. I have been doing some research, but the more I dig, the more unsure I am that I can do it. As far as my background go's...I was a manufacturing support technician for a Telecommunications manufacture. I have no problem installing drives, software, os systems, and hardware.

The more research I do on Motherboards, the more nervous I get. I am no longer employed in that field and the support I would have had with my co-workers is gone.

I have been looking at the ASUS P5n32-E SLI Plus and a E6600 cpu. I keep reading about Bios issues, temp issues, sound issues, and the like.

I guess I thought it would be as easy as installing all the new components-pop in a windows OS disc and install. Then install all the drivers for hardware and off I'd go. New kick-ass system. But I keep reading stuff about motherboard issues that I just don't quite understand.

Am I kidding myself about doing this, or am I just making a bigger deal than it is?

This is a run down on the components I have been planning on using. Nothing set in stone here. Any help and opinions on better stuff to use is much appreciated.

Antec P180B case
ASUS P5n32-E SLI Plus MB
Geforce 7900GS graphics card
Core 2 E6600 CPU
2 GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 SDRAM
Seagate Barracuda SATA 250GB HD
DVD burner
CD burner
floppy drive
ASUS MW221U 22" 2ms LCD monitor

I have been thinking it would be as easy as installing all the components and powering it up...install OS software and add the drivers.

How much more to it is that? Should I be just buying an over-the-counter system than building a better one that I can afford?

Help me out please...need some confidence building here.

Steve

 

[Domer]

Your build looks good. Get rid of the CD burner as the DVD burner will also burn CD's. Maybe get an EVGA video card so you can step up to the 8 series later on. Or if you can afford it now, get an 8800gts for $270 after rebate. I don't know about a floppy drive, I have never had the need for one. Also make sure to get a good power supply for that system.

"I have been thinking it would be as easy as installing all the components and powering it up...install OS software and add the drivers. "

Yep, install everything, take your time. Make sure it boots, and then install the OS, drivers, chipset drivers, video card drivers, etc.

I would suggest hooking it up "on the bench" rather than inside your case to make sure everything works well. Put your motherboard on top of your mobo box, install cpu, heatsink, video card and 1 stick of ram. Hook up the power supply and see if everything boots okay. Then transfer it into your case.

Good luck.

 

[bendixG15]

Topic Title: Am I nuts to think I can build my own PC?
Topic Summary: 1st PC build attempt
------------------------------------------
Yes, you are nuts... but we all were nuts doing it the first time.
We learned and survived ..... and so will you.

Just do it .. you might even enjoy it, and get hooked

You get stuck .. just post here and you'll get all kinds of help

 

[law9933]

I knew nothing about PCs or how to use them. I read a lot of great forums, asked if my parts were compatible (most from newegg.com), and it simply plugged together. No problem, but of course no bad parts. As stated get a quality PSU 500+watt. Your list looks like you know quality brands. You might want to state the ways the PC will be used. Les

 

[mechBgon]

Check this out and see if it's any help: photo guide for newbie computer builders, including the all-important snack breaks and Windows setup/security stuffs. Welcome to the Forums, hope that helps some

 

[WildHorse]

Yes you can do it. It's fun! Go slowly & methodically through the guide linked above by mechBgon.

You CAN do it.

 

[MedicBob]

It is not hard to do. Make sure you take your time, read the above guide, read the manuals that come with your parts, and ask if you get confused/stuck. It is better to ask the "dumb" question and not break something, then to try it, break it, and then ask.

Any questions just post, we are more then willing to help you.

 

[daniel3168]

its a piece of cake man the more you worry about it the more likely you are going to screw up. thats what makes it interesting to build a PC from scratch is the problems that you encounter and solving them. you can always ask for help here in the forums.

 

[ineedaname]

You're just crapping your pants for no reason man. Building a computer is fairly simple and especially when you just leave everything at stock. With everything at stock it should all just go by smoothly.

99% of these problems are when people try to do something special like use raid arrays, sli and overclocking.

As for some of the choices you've made. I would change a few things.

Your first problem is COOLING. Some of the parts you have chosen are a total waste of money if you don't plan on overclocking. If you do plan on overclocking you need some nice cooling like the "Scythe Infinity" or "tuniq Tower 120". If you do NOT plan on overclocking then you're better off getting DDR 533 ram and a cheaper motherboard like a P5N-E SLI. Not to mention that the P5N-E SLI is still an awsome overclocker.

Another thing is your 7900GS, If you're going to spend so much on a motherboard and ram it,s a waste because you'll get better performance if u bought a $130 motheboard and got something like a 7900GTX or 8800GTS.

As domer said a CD burner is a waste because DVD burner's do CD's and they're so cheap anyway its like $30 for a good pioneer 16x dvd burner.

The last thing is your hard drive. Pay the extra $10 or so for the 320gb seagate with 16mb cache. Anandtech did a review where those 320gb hard drives were amazingly fast.


My suggestion:

Scythe Infinity Cooler
Antec P180B case
Asus P5N-E Mobo ($130 and great overclocker)
Evga 8800GTS 360mb (Beats the 7900GS into the ground about $100 more)
Core 2 E6600 CPU
2 GB Kingston PC5300 DDR2 Value Ram (ram is cheap and overclocks like crazy 900mhz+)
Seagate Barracuda SATA 320GB HD (only about $10 more and faster/more space)
2xDVD burner
floppy drive
ASUS MW221U 22" 2ms LCD monitor

This system will have the potential to overclock to an amazing amount and even if you don't overclock it'll be a lot faster than what you have already picked out. If you choose to overclock buy the cooler if not then leave it out.

 

[Muse]

When I built my first system (I've built about 4 now, but it's been almost 5 years), I was pretty nervous too. What I did was find a forum where there was a high percentage of people building with the specific MB I wanted. It was a Tyan MB, and so I haunted the Tyan newsgroup. I read the relevant posts and determined what components were known to work together and made judgement calls on certain other things, like what case to get. I had a pretty good idea that I wasn't making mistakes by virtue of all this. Of course, I had to cross my fingers that all the components were OK to begin with, but they usually are. It wasn't a big headache. I took a lot more time doing it than people who slap systems together all the time, of course.

I think it's a really good way to learn about computer hardware. In spite of the fact that I work in software, I feel that having a grasp of hardware issues is very helpful and I have a lot more confidence when I'm troubleshooting problems in my own systems. There have been so many times when I've been glad I got into building my own systems. I've never bought a computer put together by any kind of company. The one computer I had that I didn't build from parts (my first, and used) was put together from parts by an electrical engineer. When I bought it from him I grilled him for hours about computer basics. It was an amazing experience! I have found that systems you build yourself are in general easier to upgrade because you put in non-proprietary parts. The system manufacturers, particularly the big name ones usually include parts that don't lend themselves particularly to easy upgrades, all things considered. There's usually snags that get you when you try to upgrade. Of course, any machine eventually becomes impossible to upgrade beyond a certain point. It's just the nature of personal computers, computers in general. All of them eventually become obsolete. Don't delude yourself that your system won't be obsolete in a few years. Good luck!

 

[Frintin]

Your fear shows respect for the technology. Computers are amazing, and if you look at the whole can be daunting.

1. The guides mentioned and forum lurking can help with your specific parts info.
2. You already have a handle on how to get started (asking about the parts you intend to use...checking for compatibility issues from others owners, etc.)
3. Respect the fragile nature of computer parts (protect parts from being dropped, banged on or bent.) Also try not to get the touchy feelies with computer parts - hold stuff by the edges and not all over the contacts or circuit tracings etc. Be aware of static charge and handling computer parts (do not run around on the carpet in your socks then go grab a cpu!)
4. Understand the basic parts (motherboard/cpu/heatsink-fan/memory/hard drive/video card or integrated graphics chipset/operating system)
5. Buy your parts from a reputable vendor or local retailer (if something goes wrong it is easier to get it fixed or replaced, and can add some security for the first time build jitters.)
6. Be very thorough in your building checklist, getting in a hurry can cause you to overlook things that are easily solved by experienced builders...yet totally unsolvable by the novice.

If you are hear and asking questions then you are going to love building your own computer! This forum is full of people who have been where you are and we love doing it still!

 

[Smilin]

The path I would suggest:

Buy a custom built rig from someone. Not a Dell, not an HP. Some whitebox shop.
Spend the next year or two upgrading it one component at a time.
ram, vid, eventually tougher stuff like cpu or psu.
Before you know it you'll be swapping a mobo.

Then on your NEXT rig build it from scratch.

 

[Bob Anderson]

I built my first rig at the age of 59 with less than good eyesight and less than steady hands. I researched every component for weeks and read at least 4 assembly guides and read every part manual. I even wrote out by hand an assembly plan and stuck to it. I never asked a single person for help here or anywhere.

It has worked perfectly since first firing it up.

My aged friends think I'm a computer wizard.

If I can do it, anyone can.

-Bob

 

[herm0016]

[water boy reference] you can do it! [/water boy reference]

we were all noobs at one point. have to start somewhere. welcome to AT!

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Bob Anderson
I built my first rig at the age of 59 with less than good eyesight and less than steady hands. I researched every component for weeks and read at least 4 assembly guides and read every part manual. I even wrote out by hand an assembly plan and stuck to it. I never asked a single person for help here or anywhere.

It has worked perfectly since first firing it up.

My aged friends think I'm a computer wizard.

If I can do it, anyone can.

-Bob

Bob, you are a wizard. I read your posts about the computer clock. Neat stuff.

 

[THEFNG]

This is great stuff. I can't thank all of you for your inputs enough. I am going for it. I know I can handle doing it, and I will have a ball. I just got a little cold feet when I priced everything. New Egg had all of that stuff plus the Antec True Power TP3-650 watt power supply for around $1500 clams. That to me is alot to blow if I couldn't get it running. As far as parts handling and installing, as I said in my original post, I was a computer geek in a past life. I worked in a high tech environment where you had to wear special static shoes and wrist straps while handling equipment. I was a Manufacturing Test Technician for a Test Engineering department(Lucent Technolgies). Today, beleive it or not...I am an Union Elevator Constructor in Local 4 Boston. Quite different from my office and test bench.

I'll let you all know when I get everything underway.

Thanks
Steve

 

[Frintin]

Some of the first computers built by people on this forum probably were 5 times as much as you are looking at spending. My most memorable expenditure to this day is still my Ricoh cd recorder (almost 500 bucks with scsi card included.)