Buying a new PC from newegg

[CheerUpEmoKid]

hey ive been wanting to sell my computer and buy parts from newegg.com and build it myself. i was just wondering how easy it is to do for a first time newb if i had all the parts. my friend just recently built his pc and said it was pretty easy to do. lately weve been talking about it and he said that i probably wouldnt be able to do it. can you guys tell me if its easy enough for me to do it? the closest thing ive done to building a pc is install a new video card dvd burner and ram. thanks for any help in advance

 

[lytalbayre]

If you can install a new video card, you can probably build your own pc.

Everything kinda fits in the only place it's designed to fit, so you can't really mess things up.

Some good advice:

1 pay attention to motherboard stand-offs and make sure they align only with mounting holes in the motherboard. And, make sure to use paper or plastic washers when mounting the motherboard.

2 buy a case with good cooling and enough room to fit what you want

3 buy a power supply big enough to power your system.

4. Use caution concerning static electricity and how you handle your parts.

IT IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK, AND WITH PRACTICE IT WILL BECOME SECOND NATURE.

 

[Valkerie]

you have to read hella tons of articles and know have at least a very basic knowledge of the computer world. otherwise, get a custom built machine from a system configurator, online will be you closest bet without hassle. but you gotta have a friend who knows how to do this sort of stuff, if you're a first timer and just wanna do scratch.

otherwise, what the hell, get the stuff, and just start playing Legos.


chassis/power supply
motherboard
processor
RAM
hard drive
optical drives
sound card
video card
operating system software

get this sh- and you're set

 

[chrisrod01]

Well its easy as long as you dont run into problems that sucks . But if you had done that I say you could build one by yourself or with the help of your friend as long he is not a azzbum. If your having ideas about installing the cpu and you dont want to i would better off buying a combo that includes a motherboard a cpu and a fan from monarchcomputer.com. Just cause he said you wouldnt be able to do it he could just help but its a cool exprience

 

[The Pentium Guy]

The assembly process itself is easy, trust me. The hard part is about knowing what to do AFTER that if it doesn't turn on .

3 things you have to watch out for
1) Don't let the motherboard touch the case's backplate (where you mount it) - or else it'll short out the current
2) Put the heatsink on properly. If you get an Athlon64 you're fine. But if you get a P4, the LGA775 mounting bracket is sort of tight and might cause you some problems unless you press it hard
3) Static. Wear a static wristband when building a computer.

Also List your parts. We'll tell you what works, what doesn't.

Common mistakes when picking parts:
1) People use the powersupply that came with their case (I can only recommend power supplies that come in Antec cases) - those are usually low quality and cause all their parts to fry :Q
2) Need ATX2.0 power supply for current-gen boards
3) Right parts (Ex: don't buy DDR2 if your motherboard only supports DDR, dont' buy a Socket 754 CPU if your motherboard supports Socket 939) --> Common sense.

Again, post your list of parts. We'll be able to help you and tell you what might cause you problems.

Welcome to Anandtech,
-The Pentium Guy

 

[CheerUpEmoKid]

well heres the list of parts i was going to buy but then my friend said i didnt need an xp-90 heatsink or the power supply that comes with the case...and also i was gonna switch the mobo to socket 754...anyway, heres the list i made in word...
Antec SonataII : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155 $120 Case and PSU

Chaintech vnf4 ultra: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813152049 $83.50 Motherboard

amd64 3000+: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537 $146 Processor

6600GT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130214 $154 Video Card

corsair value select 1GB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145480 $100.83 RAM

XP- 90: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835109119 $48 Heatsink

panaflo 92mm: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835180089 $19 Heatsink Fan


Seagate 80GB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148040 $64.25


Speakers: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836130001 $9.49

Total with shipping = $744.50

im working on changing the parts so i can bring the price down to about $500 but about the same performance as the one above

 

[chrisrod01]

You dont need a Heatsink cause retail cpu come with a heatsinkand fan BTW also retail cpu already have applied thermal pad so DO NOT ADD any thermal paste

 

[CheerUpEmoKid]

ok well i took the heatsink and fan out so now the total is $678.07, thx for the info now about the case...my friend suggested the antec SLK2650 and to switch the mobo and processor to a socket 754

 

[lytalbayre]

1st. Newegg is a good store, but it doesn't always have the best prices...

I would not get the sonota. You'd be better off getting a $50 case from newegg and an $80 psu (Antec truepower II 550).

The 3000+ retail stock heatsink should be sufficient unless you plan to overclock majorly....

vid card is okay, but you might find a better price for the same card if you look around
memory is ok but doesn't overclock for anything.
HDD is fine.
Speakers are okay.

I'm assuming you have keyboard, mouse, software, ide and sata cables from your old rig, as well as CD-Rom, floppy drives, etc??

 

[mOeeOm]

I'm that friend

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Hmm.... I don't see the point of an XP90 and a Chaintech board. The chaintech doesn't overclock that much anyways....so there's no need to void your warantee with an aftermarket heatsink. Also your choice of case/powersupply is good, no need for another powersupply. I'm assuming you don't listen to music that much....but seriously, better speakers might help. Those are just pathetic , when you crank up the volume a bit you'll hear distortion most likely.

Other than that, good choices.

I wouldn't downgrade to Socket754. No point in doing so really. 754's actually slower (I think the 754 3400+ competes with the 939 3000+). The only area where you need to spend cash on is the Video card. Get rid of your XP90 and the $15 panaflo (overpriced, you can get these for like $4 on jab-tech I beleive) and buy an X800XL. Much better than the 6600GT.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161141
Or if you don't have the cash for that, at LEAST get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161138
Still better than the 6600GT.

-The Pentium Guy

 

[lytalbayre]

socket 754 will suck compared to this rig. If you can avoid it, and pay the extra, go with this rig.

 

[mOeeOm]

Originally posted by: lytalbayre
1st. Newegg is a good store, but it doesn't always have the best prices...

I would not get the sonota. You'd be better off getting a $50 case from newegg and an $80 psu (Antec truepower II 550).

The 3000+ retail stock heatsink should be sufficient unless you plan to overclock majorly....

vid card is okay, but you might find a better price for the same card if you look around
memory is ok but doesn't overclock for anything.
HDD is fine.
Speakers are okay.

I'm assuming you have keyboard, mouse, software, ide and sata cables from your old rig, as well as CD-Rom, floppy drives, etc??

Naw he doesn't have any of that and he's as dumb as me when it comes to overclocking so don't worry

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Originally posted by: CheerUpEmoKid
ok well i took the heatsink and fan out so now the total is $678.07, thx for the info now about the case...my friend suggested the antec SLK2650 and to switch the mobo and processor to a socket 754

Stick with 939 dude and upgrade that 6600GT to an X800 AT LEAST (you took out the panaflo anyways....). X800 > 6600GT any day actually.

-The Pentium Guy

 

[CheerUpEmoKid]

hmm i dont have the cash for the x800xl my budget is around only $650 im selling my old pc for $450 with the monitor...but i can get another keyboard and mouse for free and possibly a monitor...i went with the crappy speakers cause im trying to keep the price as low as i can

 

[The Pentium Guy]

ok well i took the heatsink and fan out so now the total is $678.07, thx for the info now about the case...my friend suggested the antec SLK2650 and to switch the mobo and processor to a socket 754

+
$650 budget
= You need to save some cash.

Ah well, close enough. A cheaper Chenming case (same company that makes Antec) for $35 and an Antec Smartpower 400W ($50) might be better for your budget.
Now, corsair valueselect for $100? No way. This stuff can be found for $80, check ZipZoomFly I beleive. That saves you about $50.

Stick with the 6600GT if your budget is so small - I'm not saying its a bad card, I was just saying that if you had a little more cash an X800 eats it .

-The Pentium Guy

 

[CheerUpEmoKid]

well my biggest problem is that i dont have the cash right now...im selling my pc to my friend for 450 and he needs it in like a week or less...the reason i cant go to other stores is cause newegg has a plan or something where you dont pay for 90 days. if i buy from zzf id have to pay right away and i dont have the cash right now...ill have it in like 3-4 weeks. but thanks for the case suggestion, ill take a look at it

 

[Dan121]

my antec case power supply is great, and barely noticeable noisewise with no background

 

[CheerUpEmoKid]

ok well now i figured out i can afford the rig i had posted earlier w/o the heatsink and fan but i have a question about the newegg bill me later thing...it says you have 3 months until you need to pay for it...does this mean i have to pay the shipping and tax upfront? or if someone can tell me how it works?

 

[CheerUpEmoKid]

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply ? Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811129155
$119.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST380817AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive ? OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148040
$67.74

CHAINTECH VNF4/Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard ? Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813152049
$82.50

eVGA 128-P2-N368-TX Geforce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card ? Retail
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Shopping/shoppingcart.asp?submit=ChangeItem
$164

Labtec Spin 45 1W 2.0 Speaker ? OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16836117119
$14.99

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory ? Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145480
$100.83

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor ? Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103537
$146


Total with shipping = $695.88...im still trying to bring the price down a bit...i have $450 to spend on zipzoomfly or some other site...i checked out the corsair valueselect ram on zzf and it was only $4 cheaper for the 2700 instead of 3200

 

[mOeeOm]

Looks good .