first-time builder

[smitty2005]

I know this is a lot more pedestrian than most (if not all) of the posts in this forum, but I need some help. I'm looking to build my first PC, and I'm confident about the building process itself, just not selecting the right components. I guess compatability is my main concern.
Here's what I want to do: Build a system that is decent for gaming, is capable of capturing viceo and burning it to DVD and wont completely put me in the poorhouse. I have a budget of 1,300, not including the monitor.
Can I get suggestions on a processor, motherboard, case, cooling system, optical drive (DVD burner), hard drive, memory, etc.? Thanks for helping a newbie out.

 

[xeodragon]

go to newegg.com and look around at their popular items. thats what i did to choose my computer parts. don't forget to look at reviews and stuff and to make sure everything works together

 

[mwmorph]

avoid expensive ram and smaller motherboard brands.ASUS/MSi for motherboard, Value ram from a larger company (2Gb @ less than $100 a gb should be your target), and NEC3520a for dvd burner. Also, avoid AIW, get a seperate tv tuner card instead. For video encoding P4 is good(AMMd for a more general performance balance though). Also, get a big HDD if you plan to capture a lot of video(Seagate for a balance of Noise and Speed or Samsung for quietness).

 

[The Pentium Guy]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=27&threadid=1520618&enterthread=y
+
link in my signature
= Lots of information.

-The Pentium Guy

 

[The Pentium Guy]

His recommendations were the following (this was from some time back, so the prices are cheaper now btw)
^-- I'm talking about UsAndThem (the guy that made the guide I linked to)

AMD Based Computer $1057.00
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Processor $147.00
CHAINTECH VNF4/Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard $92.00
Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000SWS Silver ATX Mid Tower Case $79.00
OCZ PowerStream OCZ420ADJ ATX 420W Power Supply $89.00
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 $91.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive $94.00
Samsung 160GB 7200RPM Hard Drive $88.00
POWERCOLOR Radeon X800XL 256MB PCI-Express Video Card $289.00

My recommendations? (Tweaked to your budget)

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Processor $147.00
EPOX 9NPA+Ultra $109
Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000SWS Silver ATX Mid Tower Case $79.00
OCZ PowerStream OCZ420ADJ ATX 420W Power Supply $89.00
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 $91.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Samsung Spinpoint 200GB: $92
POWERCOLOR Radeon X800XL 256MB PCI-Express Video Card $289.00
BenQ DVD Burner $45
Thermalright XP90 Heatsink + Panaflo L1A Fan $50 (This will cool your processor better, and allow you to overclock (or make your processor run faster)).

Leaves you at $1079. Gives you about $300 for some upgrades.
-Get yourself 1 more GB of RAM (+$100)
-Get yourself an Audigy 2-ZS (+$70)
-Get yourself a Logitech Z5300e ($130) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121121 <-- HOT!

There's your $1300 system


Bold represents changes made.

First thing you want to do is review EVERY SINGLE PART.
CPU is an easy choice: AMD Athlon64 3000+. If you want a faster CPU, overclock it .
Motherboard: Just do some research (see guide in sig). The board I recommended for you should be very easy to set up for a first timer, while STILL giving you the chance to overclock (2nd best overclocker)
Case: Haha. Decide based on Looks, Cooling (hot performance systems need good cooling), and Noise (some cases are loud).
Power Supply: Make sure you get a quality power supply. I think UsAndThem's guides explain that pretty well. The OCZ Powerstream 420 suggested is excellent though.
Graphics card: Look at some benchmarks. Find the bset one for you. Best bang for the buck now is the X800XL though.

Good luck, and most importantly: have fun!
-The Pentium Guy

 

[ElFenix]

i'd get a vivo video card

 

[smitty2005]

Thanks for the info.
Does the x800xl offer video capture or a tuner card?

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Just get a seperate TV Tuner card. Probably a better bet.

 

[xTYBALTx]

Pentium Guy > alles

 

[djnsmith7]

I just did a real nice upgrade this weekend & I didn't spend all that much money to do it. I got an A64 3200+ & an ASUS A8N-E for $314. Ask anyone here & they'll tell you that's a decent deal. Great CPU & so far, an awesome MB.

Grab some Corsair Value RAM. You can get a 1 GB PC3200 module at Zipzoomfly.com for $92 w/ Free S&H. Personally, because of limited slots on MB's, I'm no longer buying multiple RAM kits, so I stick with the 1 GB modules now.

Also just upgraded to the ATI X800XL PCIe version. This was $299 at BB, not a bad deal. Plus, if you check your mail & you're on BB's mailing list, they sent out a 12% off coupon last week. That'll take off $36, which is what I did.

I'm a bargain shopper & always looking to get the best bang for the buck.

Good Luck!