Newbie pc building questions.

[Mloot]

I would like to build a decent system in my spare time (not top of the line) for my kids, without breaking the bank. Have never done it before, only installed vid cards and memory. Would an AMD system be cheaper overall? What mobo is beginner-friendly and is building a pc just basically plugging everything in if you have a mobo? Don't care if it has onboard sound, but I would like an AGP port. Or should I just buy a barebones system and add the components I need? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[scorpioLP]

If you can troubleshoot a new PC and have the time, I say go for it. I can't give you specifics, because I haven't built a machine in a while, but I just priced parts for a meduim-caliber small business machine and it came to about $500 (no monitor).

THen again at Best Buy you can get a low level HP for about $600, so it may give you peace of mind to have a warranty and a place to return it to, for the extra $100.

 

[Mloot]

I wish I had $500 to front for a system. But I also want this to be a learning process for me, and perhaps a future hobby, if I like doing it. I plan on having a budget of $80-100/month for parts, so having it done right away is not a priority.

 

[Smilin]

I would point you in the direction of Anandtech. His value gaming system that he did an article on last week is probably the best place to start. He ended up with a really great system including 4.1 sound 19" monitor and decent video for about 750 bucks as I remember. You could probably shave another 200 bucks if you were willing to give a bit on the monitor and speakers. The components he's spec'd out are an excellent place to start. You can find just about all of them on www.newegg.com. Go look at the article - it should still be on the front page of this site.

Be a bit wary of barebones systems. Unless you look at every little component (and know what the heck you are looking for) you'll probably end up getting what you pay for which is not much.

The two hardest parts of building a PC are: 1) Knowing what components to buy that will work well together and 2) connecting those silly little connectors from the case lights and switches to the motherboard.

Anand has done the first part for you. The second part...hehe that's the adventure (rest assured you can't really burn anything out by screwing it up at least)


Oh yeah... To answer your original question, yes AMD is generally less expensive. Don't confuse this with being "cheap". AMD still performs very well.

 

[ParagonX]

One of the best tips i can give is to have another working computer handy. It makes it easier if you run into problems. You can isolate problem parts by swapping out parts, etc. Plus the fact that you can also research problems on the net. These forums and google are great for that type of thing

 

[cainsdive]

I would have to agree with Smilin. I'm looking at building a new rig myself ,and have had to do a lot of reserch for it as far as what parts work with what etc. IMHO you might want to get The Anandtech guide to PC Gaming Hardware if you want to make it a hobby. I myself brought the book, and as a newbe have found it a great sourse of basic info. My 2c

 

[DeviousTrap]

Originally posted by: Mloot
I wish I had $500 to front for a system. But I also want this to be a learning process for me, and perhaps a future hobby, if I like doing it. I plan on having a budget of $80-100/month for parts, so having it done right away is not a priority.

Guys look at what your are suggesting. His budget cant fit that much.

If you want to get a decent system you should probebly go into the FS/FT forum and look around. Wiht that budget you cant really build something. Youd be better off buying something used.

 

[Tarmouth]

Try the link in my sig. There's some excellent deals to be found there

 

[Telinar]

What are your kids going to be doing with the computer? You can make a decent computer with that budget if you save up for 3 or 4 months.

 

[Mloot]

My kids are just 4 and 6, so I would like a basic pc that they could learn to use, and also play educational games on. I know a system can't be purchased for $100, but I thought I could get a case one month, maybe mobo next, memory and cpu, etc.

 

[IanthePez]

Since computer parts change SO quickly I would not recommend you buy the parts one at a time. Save up the money and buy it all at once. Otherwise your first components will be outdated when you finally get the last ones.

 

[HumbleFish]

Hi Mloot,

The best advice I can give you is to stay off the bleeding edge of technology or you'll get burned... The older stuff works just fine and costs about a third or less than the original price...

For kids I would recommend a AMD K6-2 or Pentium II System... Don't go back any farther than that.

Try this system:

Enlight EN-7237 ATX MidTower Case with 250/300Watt Power Supply
EpoX MVP3G-M Mother Board
AMD K6-2 500 Mhz CPU
128MB PC100
16MB TNT AGP Video Card
Soundblaster Live! Sound Card
10GB ATA/33 Hard Drive
ISA Modem
40x CD-Rom
Floppy
17" CTX VL710S Monitor
Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick, Speakers
Win98SE

You should be able to put it together for a pretty good price... You can get and compare the prices here at www.pricewatch.com and make all kinds of other comparisons. . . Be sure to check out the Motherboard Combos. . . And by the way, www.newegg.com is a great place to shop.

You can do it!

Love You!
HumbleFish