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Constructing first computer. Guidance?

E

eyor

Banned
Hi guys!
Okay, I have been studying here for a while now, and have been promoted to member, lol. I decided that the best way to learn more 'bout hardware was to start building some stuff. I am not looking to make a 1.2ghz system, but maybe just a nice quality, stable, overclockable PC. Note that I am younger than the average user, so money is an issue, but I think that spending all the money I have on computer parts is money well spent 😉

Here is a list of stuff that I was thinking of to get started:
*Case w/ fan, 300w ps, and how many hubs?
*HD, mediocre rpm, <=15gig should suffice.
*Motherboard and microprocessor. I was thinking of a nice AMD.
*Cards? video(dual monitor?), sound...
*56k modem.
*RAM.
*I have a floppy and CD drive already.*
*Cooling: heatsink?

Anything I'm missing?
Any reccomendations? How should I go about this?
I do not plan to but everything all at once. Shall I cruise the hot deals board, checking for parts?
What are your personal faves?
what works well together?
what sites should I be reading regularly?

Thanks all! This board is a big help. 🙂
 
Hmm, not many replies...

Okay, I was about to get my processor, and I was wondering: AMD or INTEL?
::Snicker:: 😉
 
eyor

What will yu be using the computer for???

How much yu are ready to spend???

Give these peices of info and alot more people will be able to help yu out!

Check out Anand'd value system guide

Click Here!
 
AMD all the way.

If you're going for value (Duron or Celeron) everyone knows how badly a Celeron will get beaton by a Duron. And if you want to get a Celeron, pay MORE for it, and have less performance.. Hey, go for it 🙂

Easily get more for your money with AMD.. No longer sacrificing performance for cost.. nope, more bang for less buck.
 
eyor, you've got a lot of vauge questions. Tulkas was right, check out the buyers guide. Here's a list i keep in a .txt file on my desktop, so that whenever I throw together a system I remember all the parts.

Monitor
Case
Mobo
CPU
HS/F
RAM
HDD
FDD
CDROM
CD-R
DVD
Video
Sound
Speakers
NIC
Modem

Some of the parts you may not need, some you may buy multiple off.
I suggest you take that, research each part you want, and list it next to the catagory.
If you want help on specific parts, just ask. Keep in mind to search anandtech's front page, there's a lot of articles there that will explain 99% of it.

bart
 
I you feel you must build that up to you but be aware that DELL has the perfect system to meet your needs. P3 667 and all the goodies including monitor AND legal software and support Price $899. Check around pricewatch, hot deals etc and its hard to beat the price.
 
Monitor - Sony G200
Case - Fong Kai KF-602
Mobo - Abit KT7
CPU - T-Bird 700
HS/F - Tai Sol
RAM - 128-256 mb Crucial
HDD - Maxtor DM+40
FDD - Teac
CD-R - Plextor 8/4/32 A or 12/10/32A
DVD - Pioneer 105S
Video - GeForce 2 MX (Hercules?)
Sound - Sb! Live
NIC - Netgear FA310X

do now know that that adds up to, but that is a good gaming system
 
OK, thank you. I'm sorry for being kind of vague. I just want to build a system for fun. I'll have use for it and all, but it is more just a project than something I need to have for doing specific tasks on. Maybe I could make a nice gaming system, we'll see. I checked over that value system page, thanks. Here is what I was thinking:
Monitor--Have. What do I need for dual monitor setup?
Case--Antec from Onvia. $60
CPU--600mhz from buy.com $70 (Are these all overclockable?)
HD--10 gigs for $60
CDROM--Staples, $40-$40 rebate = free
Floppy--Salvaged. Free
RAM--128megs for ~ $100
Motherboard--??What would I need to go with my CPU??
Video--??what can I get for cheap/value??
Sound-- ''
Modem-- 56k ~ $30
Speakers-- have. free
$60+70+60+100+30=$320, but I am missing a few cards and a motherboard. Hmmmmmmmmm...
 
CPU - Duron 600 = very overclockable. Just be careful because the FC is fragile. Is this chip OEM or boxed?

Mobo will cost about 150 $US for a good model with OC friendly features.

RAM - 105 $US for generic PC133 (Pricewatch) BUT not sure if its CAS2 or CAS3. Good PC133 SDRAM from Mushkin or Corsair will cost you 125 $US or more.

Video - GeForce2 MX - 108 $US plus shipping

Sound Card - costs about 20 $US for a low end soundblaster

Hard Drive - 10 Gigs might seem a bit tight after a few months. Go for @ least 20 GB if you can afford it.

Do you need a monitor, keyboard and mouse too? Or are they salvageable from your old system?
 
If your gonna build an Athlon system...don't skimp on the Ram...athlons are very picky when it comes to the ram...so buy some name brand stuff...I agree with Shudder..go AMD...great performance and OCable and a great price to boot....
 


<< What do I need for dual monitor setup? >>



You could get a Matrox DualHead or GeForce with TwinView, but the cheapest way to go is to get a cheap PCI video card to throw in alongside your main display card. Then hook up your second monitor to that.

So, you need two video cards and two monitors.
 
k. Would a lesser processer be overclockable to a mediocre speed, and would the motherboard costs drop with it? also, for non serious video stuff, what options are there below the geforce2? And I guess I could look for a hot deal on a 20gig hard disk drive, but that is the most space I would ever use up. maybe if I had a dual boot mandrake/winme setup or something.
And about the dual monitor. Any special requirements for the mobo?
 
The Matrox G400 DualHead 16/32MB is the best card for 2D, and it has two VGA-out connectors, supporting two monitors out of the box. Gaming performance is not bad, about on par with the TNT2.
 
okay, rather than getting a 600mhz and OCing to 900, how about getting <600 and OCing to around 600? And any suggestions on the motherboard? what do you all use?
 
I'm thinking of getting a Duron, too. Ok. I see you are going for extra cheap. Look on pricewatch.com for the Duron 600. They dont make Durons less than 600, and u can find them for 54 bucks on pricewatch.There is no processor cheaper, believe me.
Dont want 900 Mhz? Yoou'll be lucky if you get that anyway. If you want no more than 660, get a FIC AZ-11 or Gigabyte GA-7VM ( I may be wrong on that type for the Giga board) they are cheap and they can't overclock too well. ABit KT7, which is made for OCing, is $135. get a GeForce 2 MX. cheap but powerful video card. Get PC100 SDRAM. A 128 Megabyte stick should be enuf. And don't bother with an expensive fan, get a cheap one. Also, for Hard Drive, get an IBM 15GB, unless u dont need that much room. Good luck!
 
I doubt this post is being looked at anymore, but oh well. Any way eyor, I wish I knew.(about the unlocked durons) I am wondering the same thing. Why don't you ask those Hot Deals people? HOWEVER, you can unlock it with a pencil. i'm sure there are many guides on the net on how to do this.
 
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