Originally posted by: UsandThem
I (and all other long time members) always see junior members pop up here and say:
"I need you to build my system"
"What is the best ram, power supply, CPU, hard drive, motherboard, and video card"?
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.
Search!
Trust me, if you have a question on something, it has already been asked a hundred times here.
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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: mechBgon's guide on building computers and Schadenfroh's guide on antivirus, firewall, and secuirty programs
Section Ten: Sample Intel and AMD systems. Low end, Basic, Mid-Range, High-End, and The Beast setups.
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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+ 1.8GHz Processor - OEM $149.00
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8Ghz Processor Retail $155.00
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.
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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!
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Section Three
You can read hardware reviews at:
Anandtech
Tomshardware
Sharkyextreme
Overclockers.com
HardOCP
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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.
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.
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Section Five
The main companies people use here to buy their parts (there are a lot, but these are the four names I see the most) are:
Newegg
Zipzoomfly
Monarch Computer
Outpost
SVC
***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
Be sure to check out the Hot Deal Forums. You can find great deals there ranging from individual parts to whole systems. Dell seems to release some great deals every other week now, and their deals usually include LCD monitors.
I personally bought a P4 Dell system with a 17" LCD monitor for under $400.00 several weeks ago.
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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)
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.
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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.
You can read the power supply reviews and guides here:
The All-Encompassing Power Supply (PSU) Thread by Chaotic42
John's Choices
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.
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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, multitasking, and general office stuff you might want to go with a Pentium 4. Pentium 4's are much faster and efficient with these tasks. Also, Intel chip motheboards are 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 Winchesters), 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
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 Ten
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 $347.00
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
Modem if needed $14.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital 40gb Hard Drive $49.00
AMD Based Computer $313.00
AMD Duron 1.6 Ghz CPU $47.00
Biostar motherboard $44.00
Mid Tower with 350w power supply $33.00
256 DDR ram $38.00
Modem if needed $14.00
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 $510.00
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
Modem if needed $14.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital Caviar 80GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $59.00
XFX GeForce FX5200 AGP 8X 128MB DDR Video Card $50.00
AMD Based Computer $481.00
AMD Sempron 2800+ 2.0GHz $97.00
BIOSTAR "M7NCD ULTRA" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard $65.00
Antec Solution Series Case with 350w power supply $64.00
Corsair 512MB DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory $44.00
Modem if needed $14.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
Western Digital Caviar 80GB ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $59.00
XFX GeForce FX5200 AGP 8X 128MB DDR Video Card $50.00
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 $731.00
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
Modem if needed $14.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $79.00
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card $148.00
AMD Based Computer $685.00
AMD Athlon 64 2800+, 512KB L2 Cache $120.00
GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS" NVIDIA nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard $76.00
ANTEC Performance Series II Mid Tower Case With 350W Power Supply $79.00
MUSHKIN 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM $81.00
Modem if needed $14.00
Windows XP Home $88.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive $79.00
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card $148.00
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 $1108.00
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530J 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB $188.00
DFI LANPARTY 915P-TAG Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915P motherboard $98.00
Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000SWS Silver ATX Mid Tower Case $79.00
E-POWER "Tagan" Series 480W Power Supply $79.00
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 $91.00
Modem if needed $14.00
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 $1095.00
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor $151.00
EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra $122.00
Thermaltake SOPRANO VB1000SWS Silver ATX Mid Tower Case $79.00
E-POWER "Tagan" Series 480W Power Supply $79.00
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 $91.00
Modem if needed $14.00
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 $1705.00
Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 550 3.4 GHz $282.00
ABIT AA8-3RD EYE Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 925X Motherboard $164.00
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower $105.00
OCZ PowerStream 420W Power Supply $89.00
Mushkin Dual Pack 240-Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR2 PC2-4200 $120.00
Modem if needed $14.00
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
Leadtek Geforce 6800Ultra 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express $499.00
AMD Based Computer $1700.00
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice Socket 939 Processor $285.00
DFI "LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D" NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Chipset Motherboard $145.00
Thermaltake VA3000 Dream Tower $105.00
OCZ PowerStream 420W Power Supply $89.00
Patriot 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR SDRAM $131.00
Modem if needed $14.00
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
Leadtek Geforce 6800Ultra 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express $499.00
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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