- May 4, 2000
- 16,068
- 7,383
- 146
I (and all other long time members) always see junior members pop up here and ask questions like:
This kind of question is very frustrating. It is impossible to answer, and it is asked a hundred times a day.
You can save a lot of time and reading this review or use the forum search feature. Just click on the search button. Use the keywords "system" and/or "build". You will be overwhelmed with the results you get back.
Use the search button! It really does work.
Trust me, if you have a question on something, it has already been asked a hundred times here.
__________________________________________________________________________
INDEX
Section One: Warranties
Section Two: Stability Concerns and "Mature" products.
Section Three: Hardware Review Sites
Section Four: General Information and miscellaneous comments.
Section Five: Resellers and where to order your parts.
Section Six: What ram is best for me?
Section Seven: What power supply should I get?
Section Eight: What CPU is right for me?
Section Nine: What video card should I get?
Section Ten: mechBgon's guide on building computers and Schadenfroh's guide on antivirus, firewall, and secuirty programs
Section Eleven: Sample Intel and AMD systems. Low end, Basic, Mid-Range, High-End, and The Beast setups.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section One
Feel free to go with other brands and models that may cost less or more. Most people will recommend a brand that they have had good luck with, however you should read reviews and make your own decisions.
It is very important to consider the manufacturers warranty. The warranties range from one year to a "lifetime" warranty. It is important to read "the fine print". Sometimes a lifetime warranty is merely the lifetime a product would be sold on retail shelves.
OEM vs. Retail
OEM stands for original equipment manufacturers. It usually means it is a plain box item with little to no accesories that would come with a retail item.
OEM CPU's are not warranted through AMD or Intel. Instead any warranty would come from the company you buy it from. For example the warranty period for these range from 15 days to one year. With some resellers you can buy an extended warranty. OEM CPU's do not come with a heatsink/fan.
Other OEM items include video cards, CD/DVD drives, ram, sound cards, and various other items. They are usually cheaper than retail items, but look at the big picture.
For example, look at these two items:
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Processor - OEM $149.00
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Processor - Retail $148.00
There is not much of a difference here in price, and when you factor in the much longer warranty and the included heatsink/fan, it should be an easy choice.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Two
Sometimes it is wise to wait until a particular product has "matured". This means that the manufacturer has had a product on the market for a little while, and has fixed it's problems with newer motherboard revisions and BIOS updates. Sometimes buying a product that is brand new can cause quite a few headaches.
The same is with almost any new computer product, such as the 6600GT video card review that was done at Anandtech concerning the questionable fan/heatsink retention brackets on some cards. You can read that review here.
"Good things come to those who wait." It is so very true when it comes to computer parts!
It is wise to wait several weeks or even months after a new product launch before making major purchases. This gives you time to read about early buyer's problems. Better them than you, huh?
Want to find out if the motherboard you like is a good choice?
Motherboard help!
Looking for a good case or having heat issues?
Cases and Cooling!
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Three
You can read hardware reviews at:
Anandtech
Tomshardware
Sharkyextreme
Overclockers.com
HardOCP
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Four
This is by no means the "end all of guides" as prices change, new products and items emerge, and there is always something "on the way".
I did not include CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD burners in this guide as there are really too many out there and any would be a good choice. Most generic burners are rebadged drives anyways and are just fine if you want a good basic drive. You know what you need and don't need.
It seems the current most recommended DVD burner is the NEC ND-3540A. It sells for around $50.00.
Most computer cases were picked by name brand and by how many fans they had. I tried to pick a case that had a 120mm fan in the back and a 120mm fan in the front. Cooling and air movement is very important for your overall system stability. The 120mm fans are so much quieter than 80mm fans, and move just as much air at lower RPM's.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Five
The main companies people use here to buy their parts (there are a lot, but these are the names I see the most) are:
Newegg
Zipzoomfly
Monarch Computer
Outpost
SVC
Chief Value
Mwave
Be sure you are getting the best deal by visiting these places before placing your order:
RTPE
Pricewatch
Hot Deals Forum
Fatwallet
***There is a retailer you should be aware of as well when it comes to their handling of rebates***
Tigerdirect
They have had a questionable past on some of the rebates that are offered through them.
You can check out the reseller's ratings and decide for yourself at Resellerratings
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Six
A lot of people ask "What is the best ram for me?". Well, there is a very easy answer for this.
1. What model is your motherboard?
2. Are you planning on overclocking?
The easiest way to find out is to go to the memory manufacturers websites, and use their memory configuration menus. All you do is enter the manufacturer and model of your motherboard. They guarantee that the memory they recommend will work with your system! How easy is that?
Crucial
Kingston
PNY
Corsair
OCZ
Kingmax
Apacer
PDP Systems (Patriot Memory)
TwinMos
If you are planning on overclocking or running at faster timings, then buy Cas2 ram. Most people will want to go with the Cas2.5 ram, as the actual performance you gain from going with very expensive ram is questionable. Most place it at a 2% - 5% performance gain. However, you should read the reviews and decide for yourself.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Seven
Another question that is posted here a lot is "What power supply should I get"?
This again is a very easy question to answer. It all comes down to quality. A lot of power supplies that come with cases are very cheap and not very good. Remember, when it comes to power supplies, it is not always "bigger is better". It all comes down to how well it is built.
A good quality 350w power supply is good enough for most users. However, stepping up to a good quality 400w power supply is a good idea as it leaves you room for future upgrades. Did you know that Dell usually ships their new systems with 250w and 300w power supplies? They are good quality and provide solid power so there is no need to ship them with higher watt units.
Good quality power supplies are OCZ, Antec, Zalman, Fortron, Sparkle, Kingwin, Tagan Series, Seasonic, and Enermax. There are always new units hitting the market, but the above manufacturers have a history of producing good products. Once again you should read the reviews on the particular unit that you want to buy. Sometimes a manufacturer puts out a dud, and you should watch out for this.
With new motherboards supporting a 24 pin power connection (BATX) to the motherboard (the older connections were 20 pin ATX), make sure you get the correct one for your motherboard. Most new motherboards support the use of a 24 or 20 pin connector, but if you have to buy a new power supply, you might as well go with the 24 pin version, as it supplies more power to your PCI Express slot.
I own and have used the OCZ Powerstream 430w for about six months now, and I couldn't be happier. It is a very nice unit.
You can read the power supply reviews and guides here:
The All-Encompassing Power Supply (PSU) Thread by Chaotic42
Anandtech
Tomshardware
AMDboard
SilentPCReview
You should also strongly consider getting a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source).
Not only do they provide you with a battey backup in case the power goes out, many of them provide protection against power surges, over voltages, and under voltages. Some of the models even provide AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) or line conditioning. This "cleans" the power going into your power supply and provides you with better stability and protects your valuable computer from being damaged.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Eight
Another question asked here is "What CPU should I get"?
It all comes down to what you want to do with it.
If you to do video encoding, mp3 encoding, and and multitasking stuff you might want to go with a Pentium 4. Pentium 4's are a little faster and efficient with these tasks. Also, Intel chipsets (well most of the time) are always rock solid.
The downside to Pentium 4 (Prescott LGA 775 and socket 478) CPU's are that they run hot, so make sure you have good cooling. The Pentium 4 (Northwood socket 478) was a good core, however they are on the way out. Soon you will only be able to find Prescott core CPU's on the LGA 775 interface.
If you want to game and use your computer for other general use, consider getting a Athlon64. The main sockets are socket 754 and socket 939 and come in various cores. They are, in order of newest to oldest: Venice, Winchester, Newcastle, and Clawhammer. Clawhammers are the oldest core and are limited to socket 754. The Newcastle core is available in socket 754 and socket 939 CPU's. Winchester and Venice cores are available in socket 939 only.
Socket 754 and Clawhammer core CPU's are on their way out. If you choose a socket 754 motherboard and CPU, you will be severly limited the next time you upgrade. The plus side to this is they are generally cheaper.
Newcastle core CPU's will be on their way out now that the Winchester core is out, but if you go with a socket 939 Newcastle CPU, you can upgrade later on with ease. They are based on a .13 Micron process and run at 1.5v.
Venice core CPU's are the newest core from AMD. They are only avaiable in socket 939. They are based on a 90nm process (smaller than Newcastles and Clawhammers), and run on 1.4v. and 1.5v They are the best overclocking CPU from AMD right now, and run very cool. This core also has an updated memory controller and SSE3 support. Be sure to check out the CPU/Processors and Overclocking forum for more information.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Nine
Video cards are another area where it is hard to answer which one is the best card. Some cards score better in some games and not as well in other games.
Right now, the current generation cards from Nvidia are:
7800GTX (PCI-E only) ~$599.00
6800 Ultra (AGP and PCI-E) ~$425.00
6800 GT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$299.00
6800 LE (AGP Only) ~$199.00
6800 (AGP and PCI-E) ~$199.00
6600 GT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$159.00
6600 (AGP and PCI-E) ~$109.00
6200 (AGP and PCI-E) ~$78.00
The current generation cards from ATI are:
Radeon X850 XT PE (AGP and PCI-E) ~$474.00
Radeon X850 XT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$459.00
Radeon X850 Pro (PCI-E only) ~$349.00
Radeon X800 XT PE (AGP only) ~$464.00
Radeon X800 XT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$339.00
Radeon X800 XL 256 Mb (AGP and PCI-E) ~$272.00
Radeon X800 XL 512 Mb (TBD)
Radeon X800 Pro (AGP and PCI-E) ~$265.00
Radeon X800 (PCI-E only) ~$242.00
Radeon X700 Pro (PCI-E only) ~$138.00
Radeon X700 (PCI-E only) ~$106.00
Radeon X600 XT (PCI-E only) ~$109.00
Radeon X600 Pro (PCI-E only) ~$88.00
Radeon X300 (PCI-E only) ~$72.00
Radeon X300 SE (PCI-E only) ~$56.00
As you can see, there are a lot of choices (especially from ATI). Sometimes the marketing makes it hard to figure out what card you should get.
Some manufacturers release cards that have:
-Faster or slower clocked GPU's (Graphic Processing Unit's / cores.
-Some versions of certain chipsets are "crippled" (less pipes or less bandwidth)
-Faster or slower clocked ram
-More or less ram than the reference cards (reference cards are made by ATI and Nvidia for the partners to follow)
-Nicer heatsinks and fans (copper is the best, but a lot of cards use cheaper aluminum heatsinks).
You can read the following reviews to help you decide what is the best bang for your buck.
VGA Charts V: PCI Express Graphics Cards @ Tomshardware
VGA Charts IV: AGP Graphics Cards @ Tomshardware
Anandtech
Sharky Extreme
***It is highly recommended that you read reviews from other users around here. Sometimes there are major problems with some cards, and sometimes there are cards that truly stand out from their competition.***
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Ten
Other guides that you might need
-Need help on how to build that beast? Check out mechBgon's newly updated guide on how to build your PC.
You can find it here.
-You need a antivirus, spyware, and firewall program, so check out Schadenfroh's guide here. This guide has reviews, freeware and shareware links, and teaches you about online security.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Eleven
Part One - Low end computers
Low End Computers
Would be good for your grandma to check email, browse the internet, and play online bingo.
Intel Based Computer $333.00
Intel Celeron 2.0 Ghz $63.00
Intel motherboard with onboard sound/video $62.00
Mid Tower with 350w power supply $33.00
256 DDR ram $38.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital 40gb Hard Drive $49.00
AMD Based Computer $299.00
AMD Duron 1.6 Ghz CPU $47.00
Chaintech 7VIF4 Via KM400 M-ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Video, LAN Retail $40.00
Mid Tower with 350w power supply $33.00
256 DDR ram $38.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital 40gb Hard Drive $49.00
A few notes from the "Low end computer" section.
-You are almost always better off buying a cheap Dell with a monitor or an Emachine with two hundred MIR's from Best Buy, but if you want to build your own you can get an idea from above. For hot deals visit the "Hot Deals" forums.
-The Intel and AMD "low end computers" in the end were priced very close together.
-If you are lucky enough to live near a Fry's or watch for a deal at their online site Outpost, they usually offer really good bundles (CPU's and motherboards) for about the same price as what the CPU would cost. Frys's is a B & M (Brick and Mortar) store. They own and use Outpost.com for their online presence. The deals are usually different between the two. They often only offer some of their best deals at the Fry's stores.
If you can get one of these deals you can get a much faster CPU. Almost all of their bundles come with ECS motherboards, but it does vary from time to time.
Basic computers
Would be good for basic functions and will run some older games
Intel Based Computer $523.00
Celeron D 335J Processor 2.8 Ghz $111.00
Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G Intel 865P motherboard $80.00
Antec Solution Series Case with 350w power supply $64.00
Corsair 512MB DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory $44.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital Caviar 80GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $59.00
SAPPHIRE 100561L Radeon 9600PRO 128MB Video Card $77.00
AMD Based Computer $488.00
AMD Athlon XP 2800+ Barton Processor $101.00
ASUS A7V600-X VIA KT600 ATX AMD Motherboard $55.00
Antec Solution Series Case with 350w power supply $64.00
Corsair 512MB DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory $44.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital Caviar 80GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $59.00
SAPPHIRE 100561L Radeon 9600PRO 128MB Video Card $77.00
A few notes from the "basic computers" section.
-Once again here, I think you would be better off going the Dell route or a cheap Emachine, as they include monitors, keyboards, and mice. Catch a good enough deal and you might get a printer as well.
Mid range computer
Would be good for general use, will run older games, and will run most newer games in lower resolutions (800 X 600 to 1024 X 768)
Intel Based Computer $720.00
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 520 2.8 GHz CPU $158.00
GIGABYTE "GA-8IPE775-G" i865PE Chipset Motherboard $84.00
ANTEC Performance Series II Mid Tower Case With 350W Power Supply $79.00
MUSHKIN 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM $81.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $79.00
Leadtek A6600 GT TDH Geforce 6600GT 128MB Video Card $151.00
AMD Based Computer $664.00
AMD Athlon 64 2800+, 512KB L2 Cache $120.00
GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS" NVIDIA nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard $66.00
ANTEC Performance Series II Mid Tower Case With 350W Power Supply $79.00
MUSHKIN 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM $81.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $79.00
Leadtek A6600 GT TDH Geforce 6600GT 128MB Video Card $151.00
A few notes from the "mid range computer" section.
-I still am using Antec 350w powers supplies in the above systems. They would be fine as long as you are not overclocking. If you are, you might want to step up to a 400w.
-The ATI 9800 Pro is still a great performer, however it has been on the market for several years, and is on its way out.
High end computer
Would be good for general use including video editing. Will run new games at a decent resolution 1024 X 768 or 1280 X 768
Intel Based Computer $1088.00
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530J 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB $172.00
DFI LANPARTY 915P-TAG Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915P motherboard $98.00
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
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
A few notes from the "high end" section.
-Also used a SATA and IDE hard drive, as a lot of new people here post they have installing and booting off of a SATA drive. This way if they have trouble, they can just install to their IDE drive.
The beast computer
You want to be run everything at the highest resolutions and want to impress your friends
Intel Based Computer $1871.00
intel Pentium D 830 Smithfield 800MHz FSB 2 x 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual Core, EM64T Processor $368.00
GIGABYTE GA-8I945P-G Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P Motherboard $129.00
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower $105.00
SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply $100.00
CORSAIR VALUESELECT 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $138.00
Windows XP Professional $148.00
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive $175.00
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $109.00
XFX PVT70FUNF7 Geforce 7800GTX 256MBVideo Card $599.00
AMD Based Computer $1973.00
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego Integrated into Chip FSB 1MB L2 Cache Processor $482.00
BFG NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard $124.00
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower $105.00
SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply $100.00
Patriot 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR SDRAM $131.00
Windows XP Professional $148.00
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive $175.00
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $109.00
XFX PVT70FUNF7 Geforce 7800GTX 256MBVideo Card $599.00
A few notes from the "The Beast" section.
-I know people here run RAID and some run SCSI, but most noobs here don't ask about that stuff, so I have left it out.
-I am not including anything to do with SLI. If SLI interests you, then read some reviews and see if it is worth the extra money.
-I used moderately priced ram here. I personally cannot justify paying $150.00 for a stick of 512mb ram. However, I do not overclock.
This kind of question is very frustrating. It is impossible to answer, and it is asked a hundred times a day.
You can save a lot of time and reading this review or use the forum search feature. Just click on the search button. Use the keywords "system" and/or "build". You will be overwhelmed with the results you get back.
Use the search button! It really does work.
Trust me, if you have a question on something, it has already been asked a hundred times here.
__________________________________________________________________________
INDEX
Section One: Warranties
Section Two: Stability Concerns and "Mature" products.
Section Three: Hardware Review Sites
Section Four: General Information and miscellaneous comments.
Section Five: Resellers and where to order your parts.
Section Six: What ram is best for me?
Section Seven: What power supply should I get?
Section Eight: What CPU is right for me?
Section Nine: What video card should I get?
Section Ten: mechBgon's guide on building computers and Schadenfroh's guide on antivirus, firewall, and secuirty programs
Section Eleven: Sample Intel and AMD systems. Low end, Basic, Mid-Range, High-End, and The Beast setups.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section One
Feel free to go with other brands and models that may cost less or more. Most people will recommend a brand that they have had good luck with, however you should read reviews and make your own decisions.
It is very important to consider the manufacturers warranty. The warranties range from one year to a "lifetime" warranty. It is important to read "the fine print". Sometimes a lifetime warranty is merely the lifetime a product would be sold on retail shelves.
OEM vs. Retail
OEM stands for original equipment manufacturers. It usually means it is a plain box item with little to no accesories that would come with a retail item.
OEM CPU's are not warranted through AMD or Intel. Instead any warranty would come from the company you buy it from. For example the warranty period for these range from 15 days to one year. With some resellers you can buy an extended warranty. OEM CPU's do not come with a heatsink/fan.
Other OEM items include video cards, CD/DVD drives, ram, sound cards, and various other items. They are usually cheaper than retail items, but look at the big picture.
For example, look at these two items:
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Processor - OEM $149.00
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Processor - Retail $148.00
There is not much of a difference here in price, and when you factor in the much longer warranty and the included heatsink/fan, it should be an easy choice.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Two
Sometimes it is wise to wait until a particular product has "matured". This means that the manufacturer has had a product on the market for a little while, and has fixed it's problems with newer motherboard revisions and BIOS updates. Sometimes buying a product that is brand new can cause quite a few headaches.
The same is with almost any new computer product, such as the 6600GT video card review that was done at Anandtech concerning the questionable fan/heatsink retention brackets on some cards. You can read that review here.
"Good things come to those who wait." It is so very true when it comes to computer parts!
It is wise to wait several weeks or even months after a new product launch before making major purchases. This gives you time to read about early buyer's problems. Better them than you, huh?
Want to find out if the motherboard you like is a good choice?
Motherboard help!
Looking for a good case or having heat issues?
Cases and Cooling!
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Three
You can read hardware reviews at:
Anandtech
Tomshardware
Sharkyextreme
Overclockers.com
HardOCP
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Four
This is by no means the "end all of guides" as prices change, new products and items emerge, and there is always something "on the way".
I did not include CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD burners in this guide as there are really too many out there and any would be a good choice. Most generic burners are rebadged drives anyways and are just fine if you want a good basic drive. You know what you need and don't need.
It seems the current most recommended DVD burner is the NEC ND-3540A. It sells for around $50.00.
Most computer cases were picked by name brand and by how many fans they had. I tried to pick a case that had a 120mm fan in the back and a 120mm fan in the front. Cooling and air movement is very important for your overall system stability. The 120mm fans are so much quieter than 80mm fans, and move just as much air at lower RPM's.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Five
The main companies people use here to buy their parts (there are a lot, but these are the names I see the most) are:
Newegg
Zipzoomfly
Monarch Computer
Outpost
SVC
Chief Value
Mwave
Be sure you are getting the best deal by visiting these places before placing your order:
RTPE
Pricewatch
Hot Deals Forum
Fatwallet
***There is a retailer you should be aware of as well when it comes to their handling of rebates***
Tigerdirect
They have had a questionable past on some of the rebates that are offered through them.
You can check out the reseller's ratings and decide for yourself at Resellerratings
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Six
A lot of people ask "What is the best ram for me?". Well, there is a very easy answer for this.
1. What model is your motherboard?
2. Are you planning on overclocking?
The easiest way to find out is to go to the memory manufacturers websites, and use their memory configuration menus. All you do is enter the manufacturer and model of your motherboard. They guarantee that the memory they recommend will work with your system! How easy is that?
Crucial
Kingston
PNY
Corsair
OCZ
Kingmax
Apacer
PDP Systems (Patriot Memory)
TwinMos
If you are planning on overclocking or running at faster timings, then buy Cas2 ram. Most people will want to go with the Cas2.5 ram, as the actual performance you gain from going with very expensive ram is questionable. Most place it at a 2% - 5% performance gain. However, you should read the reviews and decide for yourself.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Seven
Another question that is posted here a lot is "What power supply should I get"?
This again is a very easy question to answer. It all comes down to quality. A lot of power supplies that come with cases are very cheap and not very good. Remember, when it comes to power supplies, it is not always "bigger is better". It all comes down to how well it is built.
A good quality 350w power supply is good enough for most users. However, stepping up to a good quality 400w power supply is a good idea as it leaves you room for future upgrades. Did you know that Dell usually ships their new systems with 250w and 300w power supplies? They are good quality and provide solid power so there is no need to ship them with higher watt units.
Good quality power supplies are OCZ, Antec, Zalman, Fortron, Sparkle, Kingwin, Tagan Series, Seasonic, and Enermax. There are always new units hitting the market, but the above manufacturers have a history of producing good products. Once again you should read the reviews on the particular unit that you want to buy. Sometimes a manufacturer puts out a dud, and you should watch out for this.
With new motherboards supporting a 24 pin power connection (BATX) to the motherboard (the older connections were 20 pin ATX), make sure you get the correct one for your motherboard. Most new motherboards support the use of a 24 or 20 pin connector, but if you have to buy a new power supply, you might as well go with the 24 pin version, as it supplies more power to your PCI Express slot.
I own and have used the OCZ Powerstream 430w for about six months now, and I couldn't be happier. It is a very nice unit.
You can read the power supply reviews and guides here:
The All-Encompassing Power Supply (PSU) Thread by Chaotic42
Anandtech
Tomshardware
AMDboard
SilentPCReview
You should also strongly consider getting a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source).
Not only do they provide you with a battey backup in case the power goes out, many of them provide protection against power surges, over voltages, and under voltages. Some of the models even provide AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) or line conditioning. This "cleans" the power going into your power supply and provides you with better stability and protects your valuable computer from being damaged.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section Eight
Another question asked here is "What CPU should I get"?
It all comes down to what you want to do with it.
If you to do video encoding, mp3 encoding, and and multitasking stuff you might want to go with a Pentium 4. Pentium 4's are a little faster and efficient with these tasks. Also, Intel chipsets (well most of the time) are always rock solid.
The downside to Pentium 4 (Prescott LGA 775 and socket 478) CPU's are that they run hot, so make sure you have good cooling. The Pentium 4 (Northwood socket 478) was a good core, however they are on the way out. Soon you will only be able to find Prescott core CPU's on the LGA 775 interface.
If you want to game and use your computer for other general use, consider getting a Athlon64. The main sockets are socket 754 and socket 939 and come in various cores. They are, in order of newest to oldest: Venice, Winchester, Newcastle, and Clawhammer. Clawhammers are the oldest core and are limited to socket 754. The Newcastle core is available in socket 754 and socket 939 CPU's. Winchester and Venice cores are available in socket 939 only.
Socket 754 and Clawhammer core CPU's are on their way out. If you choose a socket 754 motherboard and CPU, you will be severly limited the next time you upgrade. The plus side to this is they are generally cheaper.
Newcastle core CPU's will be on their way out now that the Winchester core is out, but if you go with a socket 939 Newcastle CPU, you can upgrade later on with ease. They are based on a .13 Micron process and run at 1.5v.
Venice core CPU's are the newest core from AMD. They are only avaiable in socket 939. They are based on a 90nm process (smaller than Newcastles and Clawhammers), and run on 1.4v. and 1.5v They are the best overclocking CPU from AMD right now, and run very cool. This core also has an updated memory controller and SSE3 support. Be sure to check out the CPU/Processors and Overclocking forum for more information.
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Section Nine
Video cards are another area where it is hard to answer which one is the best card. Some cards score better in some games and not as well in other games.
Right now, the current generation cards from Nvidia are:
7800GTX (PCI-E only) ~$599.00
6800 Ultra (AGP and PCI-E) ~$425.00
6800 GT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$299.00
6800 LE (AGP Only) ~$199.00
6800 (AGP and PCI-E) ~$199.00
6600 GT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$159.00
6600 (AGP and PCI-E) ~$109.00
6200 (AGP and PCI-E) ~$78.00
The current generation cards from ATI are:
Radeon X850 XT PE (AGP and PCI-E) ~$474.00
Radeon X850 XT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$459.00
Radeon X850 Pro (PCI-E only) ~$349.00
Radeon X800 XT PE (AGP only) ~$464.00
Radeon X800 XT (AGP and PCI-E) ~$339.00
Radeon X800 XL 256 Mb (AGP and PCI-E) ~$272.00
Radeon X800 XL 512 Mb (TBD)
Radeon X800 Pro (AGP and PCI-E) ~$265.00
Radeon X800 (PCI-E only) ~$242.00
Radeon X700 Pro (PCI-E only) ~$138.00
Radeon X700 (PCI-E only) ~$106.00
Radeon X600 XT (PCI-E only) ~$109.00
Radeon X600 Pro (PCI-E only) ~$88.00
Radeon X300 (PCI-E only) ~$72.00
Radeon X300 SE (PCI-E only) ~$56.00
As you can see, there are a lot of choices (especially from ATI). Sometimes the marketing makes it hard to figure out what card you should get.
Some manufacturers release cards that have:
-Faster or slower clocked GPU's (Graphic Processing Unit's / cores.
-Some versions of certain chipsets are "crippled" (less pipes or less bandwidth)
-Faster or slower clocked ram
-More or less ram than the reference cards (reference cards are made by ATI and Nvidia for the partners to follow)
-Nicer heatsinks and fans (copper is the best, but a lot of cards use cheaper aluminum heatsinks).
You can read the following reviews to help you decide what is the best bang for your buck.
VGA Charts V: PCI Express Graphics Cards @ Tomshardware
VGA Charts IV: AGP Graphics Cards @ Tomshardware
Anandtech
Sharky Extreme
***It is highly recommended that you read reviews from other users around here. Sometimes there are major problems with some cards, and sometimes there are cards that truly stand out from their competition.***
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Section Ten
Other guides that you might need
-Need help on how to build that beast? Check out mechBgon's newly updated guide on how to build your PC.
You can find it here.
-You need a antivirus, spyware, and firewall program, so check out Schadenfroh's guide here. This guide has reviews, freeware and shareware links, and teaches you about online security.
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Section Eleven
Part One - Low end computers
Low End Computers
Would be good for your grandma to check email, browse the internet, and play online bingo.
Intel Based Computer $333.00
Intel Celeron 2.0 Ghz $63.00
Intel motherboard with onboard sound/video $62.00
Mid Tower with 350w power supply $33.00
256 DDR ram $38.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital 40gb Hard Drive $49.00
AMD Based Computer $299.00
AMD Duron 1.6 Ghz CPU $47.00
Chaintech 7VIF4 Via KM400 M-ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Video, LAN Retail $40.00
Mid Tower with 350w power supply $33.00
256 DDR ram $38.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital 40gb Hard Drive $49.00
A few notes from the "Low end computer" section.
-You are almost always better off buying a cheap Dell with a monitor or an Emachine with two hundred MIR's from Best Buy, but if you want to build your own you can get an idea from above. For hot deals visit the "Hot Deals" forums.
-The Intel and AMD "low end computers" in the end were priced very close together.
-If you are lucky enough to live near a Fry's or watch for a deal at their online site Outpost, they usually offer really good bundles (CPU's and motherboards) for about the same price as what the CPU would cost. Frys's is a B & M (Brick and Mortar) store. They own and use Outpost.com for their online presence. The deals are usually different between the two. They often only offer some of their best deals at the Fry's stores.
If you can get one of these deals you can get a much faster CPU. Almost all of their bundles come with ECS motherboards, but it does vary from time to time.
Basic computers
Would be good for basic functions and will run some older games
Intel Based Computer $523.00
Celeron D 335J Processor 2.8 Ghz $111.00
Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G Intel 865P motherboard $80.00
Antec Solution Series Case with 350w power supply $64.00
Corsair 512MB DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory $44.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital Caviar 80GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $59.00
SAPPHIRE 100561L Radeon 9600PRO 128MB Video Card $77.00
AMD Based Computer $488.00
AMD Athlon XP 2800+ Barton Processor $101.00
ASUS A7V600-X VIA KT600 ATX AMD Motherboard $55.00
Antec Solution Series Case with 350w power supply $64.00
Corsair 512MB DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory $44.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital Caviar 80GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $59.00
SAPPHIRE 100561L Radeon 9600PRO 128MB Video Card $77.00
A few notes from the "basic computers" section.
-Once again here, I think you would be better off going the Dell route or a cheap Emachine, as they include monitors, keyboards, and mice. Catch a good enough deal and you might get a printer as well.
Mid range computer
Would be good for general use, will run older games, and will run most newer games in lower resolutions (800 X 600 to 1024 X 768)
Intel Based Computer $720.00
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 520 2.8 GHz CPU $158.00
GIGABYTE "GA-8IPE775-G" i865PE Chipset Motherboard $84.00
ANTEC Performance Series II Mid Tower Case With 350W Power Supply $79.00
MUSHKIN 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM $81.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $79.00
Leadtek A6600 GT TDH Geforce 6600GT 128MB Video Card $151.00
AMD Based Computer $664.00
AMD Athlon 64 2800+, 512KB L2 Cache $120.00
GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS" NVIDIA nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard $66.00
ANTEC Performance Series II Mid Tower Case With 350W Power Supply $79.00
MUSHKIN 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM $81.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $79.00
Leadtek A6600 GT TDH Geforce 6600GT 128MB Video Card $151.00
A few notes from the "mid range computer" section.
-I still am using Antec 350w powers supplies in the above systems. They would be fine as long as you are not overclocking. If you are, you might want to step up to a 400w.
-The ATI 9800 Pro is still a great performer, however it has been on the market for several years, and is on its way out.
High end computer
Would be good for general use including video editing. Will run new games at a decent resolution 1024 X 768 or 1280 X 768
Intel Based Computer $1088.00
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530J 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB $172.00
DFI LANPARTY 915P-TAG Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915P motherboard $98.00
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
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
A few notes from the "high end" section.
-Also used a SATA and IDE hard drive, as a lot of new people here post they have installing and booting off of a SATA drive. This way if they have trouble, they can just install to their IDE drive.
The beast computer
You want to be run everything at the highest resolutions and want to impress your friends
Intel Based Computer $1871.00
intel Pentium D 830 Smithfield 800MHz FSB 2 x 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual Core, EM64T Processor $368.00
GIGABYTE GA-8I945P-G Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P Motherboard $129.00
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower $105.00
SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply $100.00
CORSAIR VALUESELECT 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $138.00
Windows XP Professional $148.00
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive $175.00
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $109.00
XFX PVT70FUNF7 Geforce 7800GTX 256MBVideo Card $599.00
AMD Based Computer $1973.00
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego Integrated into Chip FSB 1MB L2 Cache Processor $482.00
BFG NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard $124.00
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower $105.00
SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply $100.00
Patriot 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR SDRAM $131.00
Windows XP Professional $148.00
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive $175.00
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $109.00
XFX PVT70FUNF7 Geforce 7800GTX 256MBVideo Card $599.00
A few notes from the "The Beast" section.
-I know people here run RAID and some run SCSI, but most noobs here don't ask about that stuff, so I have left it out.
-I am not including anything to do with SLI. If SLI interests you, then read some reviews and see if it is worth the extra money.
-I used moderately priced ram here. I personally cannot justify paying $150.00 for a stick of 512mb ram. However, I do not overclock.
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