Man, is choosing computer parts overwhelming nowadays!

[RedRooster]

I haven't owned/built an actual desktop in over a decade. I had a series of junky laptops for basic stuff and some consoles for gaming the entire time.
Now I'm going to attempt to get back into PC gaming and build myself a machine again and the selection is unbelievable! Like just for motherboards, ASUS makes over 2 dozen variations of the same motherboard?! Why?! And then there's 8 other manufacturers doing the same thing!
I really want to re-learn it all again, but holy cow its about 10x the industry it was 12 years ago.

Has anyone else just got back into PCs and realized how ridiculous the selection is?

 

[ultimatebob]

Bah... just pick one and go with it. The variations are so minor that it's not really a big deal.

If you're really uncertain, there is always the General Hardware forum.

 

[Anubis]

TBH i have to agree about mobos, there are just too many that are nearly the exact same thing

beyond that its not really any harder

Choose CPU
Get mobo that works with CPU
Get ram that is correct

HDDs and vid cards and the rest are the same as ever

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Building a computer has never been easier. Every generation it becomes more idiot-proof. The selection is overwhelming, but there are tons of resources that make it easy. Figure out your budget and then google terms like "Best video card for $xxx" and "Best CPU bang for the buck". You'll narrow it down pretty quickly.

 

[z1ggy]

Decide your budget.
Go on newegg.
Buy highest rated parts.
Build.
Pr0n.

 

[vshah]

Decide your budget.
Go on newegg.
Buy highest rated parts.
Build.
HD Pr0n.

fixed.

 

[lozina]

Last PC I built last year felt a lot easier than previous ones

 

[KMFJD]

Last PC I built last year felt a lot easier than previous ones

I've built my own systems since 1996 and it's been getting easier every year (I build a new one every 4 years or so)

 

[yhelothar]

Overclocking has gotten a lot more complicated. Well I haven't had a chance to play with the unlocked K chips, but with FSB overclocking, there are a host of new parameters such as VTT+ settings. Also I find RAM settings to be particularly tricky as there's a small window in which everything works. Have it too slow, and it won't boot either.

 

[Puppies04]

I haven't owned/built an actual desktop in over a decade. I had a series of junky laptops for basic stuff and some consoles for gaming the entire time.
Now I'm going to attempt to get back into PC gaming and build myself a machine again and the selection is unbelievable! Like just for motherboards, ASUS makes over 2 dozen variations of the same motherboard?! Why?! And then there's 8 other manufacturers doing the same thing!
I really want to re-learn it all again, but holy cow its about 10x the industry it was 12 years ago.

Has anyone else just got back into PCs and realized how ridiculous the selection is?

I presume you are talking about 24 socket compatible mobos from asus, all they do is try to hit low mid high and ultra high price points and intel spec 3 different chipset feature layouts. You can safely ignore 2/3 of them once you decide which CPU you will be going for and if you are planning on overclocking the CPU.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Shit, I think it is easier to build now then it used to be .... more reviews, less unknowns when you are getting gear.

 

[Ns1]

Except the actual computer building part is super easy and no brainer

It's not like everything is IDE and you have to figure out jumpers

 

[Puppies04]

Overclocking has gotten a lot more complicated. Well I haven't had a chance to play with the unlocked K chips, but with FSB overclocking, there are a host of new parameters such as VTT+ settings. Also I find RAM settings to be particularly tricky as there's a small window in which everything works. Have it too slow, and it won't boot either.

Really? Unless you are trying to push your chip to somewhere near its limits all you have to do is change the multiplier in the bios then stress test while you drop the voltage a tick at a time. Sure you can make it more complicated than that but how you can claim it is worse than it was before intel locked the bclck to 100 is beyond me.

As for having RAM not run if you set the speed too low I have no idea what you are talking about, I have never had a set of RAM not run at a slower speed than advertised and it begs the question why would you even bother as the days of having to buy uber top quality RAM to enable you to OC your CPU are long gone (at least if you stick to intel).

 

[ViviTheMage]

Yeah, no more jumpers, no more DDR2/DDR3 mishaps, no more odd GPU issues with compatibility.

 

[Ns1]

IMO the hardest part about computer building these days is getting the giant aftermarket heatsinks/fans on

 

[lxskllr]

It's overwhelming when you first look at the selection, but it's easy to narrow down once you start digging. You pretty much have a choice of Asus and Gigabyte. Pick a board that looks good, then check user reviews. Many times the reviews will point you to something better, so it's easy to narrow things down to a half dozen or fewer choices.

 

[RedRooster]

Oh, I'm excited to just plug in hard drives to SATA ports and have a nice clean modular power supply and maybe even get a water cooler.
It's the choosing of parts thats just crazy.
Give me an unlocked Celeron 300A and an Abit motherboard like everyone and their dog had at the time, and its done.
And when did they start coloring all the heatsinks and slots and stuff? Its like freakin Tony Hawk X-Games in my computer case!

 

[blackdogdeek]

I find it easier these days. Selection is bigger, yes, but I like that. Once you decide what you want and you buy the parts it's really easy to actually assemble the system.

 

[yhelothar]

Really? Unless you are trying to push your chip to somewhere near its limits all you have to do is change the multiplier in the bios then stress test while you drop the voltage a tick at a time. Sure you can make it more complicated than that but how you can claim it is worse than it was before intel locked the bclck to 100 is beyond me.

As for having RAM not run if you set the speed too low I have no idea what you are talking about, I have never had a set of RAM not run at a slower speed than advertised and it begs the question why would you even bother as the days of having to buy uber top quality RAM to enable you to OC your CPU are long gone (at least if you stick to intel).

Notice I said I haven't tried the unlocked K chips but FSB overclocking has been a PITA.

My Core2Quad with the Gigabyte EP45-DS3L mobo wouldn't run my 8GB DDR2 800 ram at default settings. I had to plug 4GB in, change the settings to its rated speed, and plug the other 4GB in. On another setup, a Foxconn Black Ops mobo with a Core2Quad, the DDR3 wouldn't run at a cas 9 at lower speed settings.

Granted these are pretty old now, so posting about it in a thread about current computers might've not been so wise.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I understand the overwhelming scope of motherboards .. but as others say, doesn't really matter too much provided it supports whatever CPU you want...

I usually do this: Pick cpu, pick chipset, choose my favorite few mobo brands, then pick the cheapest board which has whatever options I want/need.

Any money I save by getting a cheap mobo goes into the Power supply or the Video card(s).

 

[RedRooster]

Notice I said I haven't tried the unlocked K chips but FSB overclocking has been a PITA.

My Core2Quad with the Gigabyte EP45-DS3L mobo wouldn't run my 8GB DDR2 800 ram at default settings. I had to plug 4GB in, change the settings to its rated speed, and plug the other 4GB in. On another setup, a Foxconn Black Ops mobo with a Core2Quad, the DDR3 wouldn't run at a cas 9 at lower speed settings.

Granted these are pretty old now, so posting about it in a thread about current computers might've not been so wise.

The sad thing is, I'm not sure I even understand all of that. You have to tinker with RAM settings in the BIOS nowadays? I'm screwed. Maybe by Christmas I'll have something resembling a working computer.

 

[lxskllr]

The sad thing is, I'm not sure I even understand all of that. You have to tinker with RAM settings in the BIOS nowadays? I'm screwed. Maybe by Christmas I'll have something resembling a working computer.

AFAIK you just put it together, and default settings take care of basic operation. If you want to overclock, or tune performance, it takes a bit more effort.

 

[kreactor]

micr0center builds most of yr desktop for $100

 

[HeXen]

I'm picky about mobo's. I have to have the PCIe slots in specific arrangement so I can use a 3 slot video card and have the audio card above it so it's not to interfere. Then i'm picky about how the SATA ports are aligned and how close the ram is to the CPU to allow for certain oversized coolers (but that hasn't been a problem in a long time) and I prefer a good integrated Ethernet so I don't have to use card. And finally I prefer a bios reset switch instead of jumper...so usually I'm limited enough so that my choice is clear.

Overclocking has gotten a lot more complicated. Well I haven't had a chance to play with the unlocked K chips, but with FSB overclocking, there are a host of new parameters such as VTT+ settings. Also I find RAM settings to be particularly tricky as there's a small window in which everything works. Have it too slow, and it won't boot either.

For those that don't want to mess, many have very good OC'ing software bundled.

 

[destrekor]

Notice I said I haven't tried the unlocked K chips but FSB overclocking has been a PITA.

My Core2Quad with the Gigabyte EP45-DS3L mobo wouldn't run my 8GB DDR2 800 ram at default settings. I had to plug 4GB in, change the settings to its rated speed, and plug the other 4GB in. On another setup, a Foxconn Black Ops mobo with a Core2Quad, the DDR3 wouldn't run at a cas 9 at lower speed settings.

Granted these are pretty old now, so posting about it in a thread about current computers might've not been so wise.

Yep, full system OCing when using Core2 parts was a convoluted and patience-testing affair. I OC'd my Core2Duo 6420 and that took quite some time to dial in correctly.


Today, FSB/full system OCing is mostly a dead art, as it should be. Most parts are now so dependent upon precise timing, and don't really put up with much difference in the FSB.

My OC is basically only my CPU and that's it.
Doing a minor OC is also very easy. Pushing as much as possible, requires a bit of patience. I didn't go too high, especially since I'm on air, but I did have to change P state settings and a few variables throughout the BIOS to get stability. I do have my 2600K at 4.5GHz or so.
I started around 4.8, various events pushed me to drop it down a bit over time, I usually raise them again later... I forget where I left it at recently. Tracking down bugs in BF3 led me to drop it awhile back, turned out to be a random driver that needed reinstalled - a Razer keyboard driver, no less...)

The sad thing is, I'm not sure I even understand all of that. You have to tinker with RAM settings in the BIOS nowadays? I'm screwed. Maybe by Christmas I'll have something resembling a working computer.

Nope, not really. Most OC's work perfectly fine with memory on auto. You can tweak if you want faster, but today's PCs, memory OC'ing is also not worth the effort, imho. The benefits gained are not worth the trouble, because the benefits are so immeasurably small. PCs have changed a lot, that memory speed so good now what is out there can't make much of the small changes we can introduce.