So I'm building my first homemade computer...

[imported_Uber]

So I'm building my first homebuilt computer.
Small Form Factor... etc.
I want reasonable functionality with room to upgrade it into a gaming rig later, for now, moderate power to keep inital costs down.

Problem is: I have NO IDEA what I need in a motherboard. I want onboard video and sound to start, for price issues, a good processor is a must (preferably dul core) and it would be cool if I could buy a motherboard with the processor already installed, but thats not a must, or even a big deal.

So uh... Help?

Thanks
-Uber

 

[Brainonska511]

With Conroe out, I'd recommend going with a mobo that supports said processor. For mATX boards, you can look into the 94x or 965 series. I think there are a few SFF systems too if you want to go that route.

 

[imported_Uber]

Hate to drag you down with my n00bish questions and requests, but could you maybe post a link or three?

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Uber
Hate to drag you down with my n00bish questions and requests, but could you maybe post a link or three?

How much were you planning on spending?

If it were me, I'd go with the following:

Motherboard: Asus P5B-VM (P965 Chipset)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo: Either the E6300 or E6400

Memory: Some form of DDR2 800, most likely in a 1GB kit (2x512MB sticks): (like something from this list: Text)

Hard drive: any SATA 3.0 hdd
Optical drive: some CD/DVD Burner
Case: whatever mATX case you want, I've used the X-QPack from Aspire and that was alright, it was large enough to put my own PSU in it.
PSU: whatever you want, try to go with a quality 400W+ PSU (Enermax, Seasonic, Fortron...)

 

[imported_Uber]

I was hoping to keep it around $500, but that might be unreasonable.

EDIT: the motherboard looks just about perfect. thanks.

EDIT 2: and I already have a keyboard, mouse, and headphones, so that chops a little bit of money off my budget here.

 

[Brainonska511]

I don't know if you could build a decent Core Duo system for that little. There may be places that you can cut corners, but I think I cut enough corners to put together a good system without compromising upgradability in the future (hence the 500W PSU). And on that note, this is the system that I put together using that motherboard and an E6300:

Optical: LiteOn DVD Burner $32: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827106013
Case: CoolerMaster Centurion mATX: $45: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119088
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 160GB, SATA 3.0 hdd $54: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822145088
PSU: Antec SmartPower 2.0 500W PSU w/Modular Cables $65: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817103937
RAM: OCZ Gold 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2 800 (cheapest for that memory speed) $120: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227126
Mobo: Asus P5B-VM mATX Intel G965 $132: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131043
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz) $180: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115005
OS: Windows XP Home w/SP2 $90: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16832116056
AntiVirus/Firewall: Just use something free, like AntiVir (antivirus) and ZoneAlarm (firewall)

Total (pre-shipping): $720
Shipping is about $30 extra.

 

[imported_Uber]

With slight modifications by me, the price comes to around 700 plus shipping. Thats not too bad, considering it will run circles arounf my current computer, which I spent $1100 on.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Uber
With slight modifications by me, the price comes to around 700 plus shipping. Thats not too bad, considering it will run circles arounf my current computer, which I spent $1100 on.

Yeah, there are things that you could go cheaper on, such as the case (and maybe a slightly cheaper PSU, but you don't want to go too cheap with that since if the PSU blows, it could take out the whole system), maybe going with less RAM, though 1GB is ideal, and then there are other Intel G965 boards available that are a little cheaper than the Asus board.

 

[BladeVenom]

He did mention it being a small form factor. I wouldn't consider a mini tower to be a SFF.

If you buy a small form factor case it usually comes with a motherboard and powersupply. I can't recomend a specific model, but if you want to browse try http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=3

 

[imported_Uber]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: Uber
With slight modifications by me, the price comes to around 700 plus shipping. Thats not too bad, considering it will run circles arounf my current computer, which I spent $1100 on.

Yeah, there are things that you could go cheaper on, such as the case (and maybe a slightly cheaper PSU, but you don't want to go too cheap with that since if the PSU blows, it could take out the whole system), maybe going with less RAM, though 1GB is ideal, and then there are other Intel G965 boards available that are a little cheaper than the Asus board.

oddly enough, I save a bout $20 by getting 1GB RAM instead of two 512MB RAM, same memory, more room to improve later, and $20 cheaper? No brainer.

 

[hmsrolst]

If you go with the Asus P5B-VM and plan to use the onboard video, it only has VGA out--no DVI. From my experience the latter does much crisper output if you have a DVI LCD.

 

[imported_Uber]

Thats ok. I'm only planning on using the onboard for a few months.

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: Uber

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: Uber
With slight modifications by me, the price comes to around 700 plus shipping. Thats not too bad, considering it will run circles arounf my current computer, which I spent $1100 on.

Yeah, there are things that you could go cheaper on, such as the case (and maybe a slightly cheaper PSU, but you don't want to go too cheap with that since if the PSU blows, it could take out the whole system), maybe going with less RAM, though 1GB is ideal, and then there are other Intel G965 boards available that are a little cheaper than the Asus board.

oddly enough, I save a bout $20 by getting 1GB RAM instead of two 512MB RAM, same memory, more room to improve later, and $20 cheaper? No brainer.

Dual-channel RAM results in a performance boost.

 

[Brainonska511]

nevermind

 

[piasabird]

You might look at an AMD AM2 motherboard and Processor.

Asus AM2 MB

Asus 939 MB

Then look at the prices on the Processors:

Socket 939 cpu

Socket AM2

Some people like the AM2 Mobile processors for a small case.

 

[ND40oz]

I'm most likely going to purchase one of these for a cheap Core2Duo setup once it comes back in stock. Shuttle SD32G2 Product Page

 

[imported_Uber]

Well, I've got some stuff lined up.
I think I'm up to about 800 dollars now.

the case I want is $70 and includes a 420W power supply, but I need to decide on an optical drive.
CD burning and DVD reading are essential, DVD burning is preferable. Customer reviews on the case say that some optical drives nearly touch the power supply in this case, so a shorter drive would be good, but full size ones do fit.
Also, what EXACTLY does Lightscribe do for me? And do I want it?

EDIT: The LiteON linked by Brainonska looks good. I would still like to know however, what the heck Lightscribe really does.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Uber
Well, I've got some stuff lined up.
I think I'm up to about 800 dollars now.

the case I want is $70 and includes a 420W power supply, but I need to decide on an optical drive.
CD burning and DVD reading are essential, DVD burning is preferable. Customer reviews on the case say that some optical drives nearly touch the power supply in this case, so a shorter drive would be good, but full size ones do fit.
Also, what EXACTLY does Lightscribe do for me? And do I want it?

What case are you looking at?

Just get a Lite-On drive since they tend to be of the shorter variety.

I have an X-QPack at home with a 420W Enermax Noisetaker in it (so it is a PSU that is physically larger than the stock one), but it has about an inch between the PSU and the Lite-On optical drive, which is certainly enough for a ribbon IDE cable and the 4 pin molex connector.

 

[imported_Uber]

This is the case:
APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-QPACK-NW-BK/420 Black Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case ATX 420W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144162

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Uber
This is the case:
APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-QPACK-NW-BK/420 Black Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case ATX 420W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144162

Yeah, I have the same case (Silver Windowed version). Just get a Lite-On drive and you'll be fine. You could even fit a regular sized ATX12V 2.0 PSU (which I recommend in the long run since the stock PSU isn't that good) in there if you wanted with the Lite-On drives.

 

[imported_Uber]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: Uber
This is the case:
APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-QPACK-NW-BK/420 Black Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case ATX 420W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144162

Yeah, I have the same case (Silver Windowed version). Just get a Lite-On drive and you'll be fine. You could even fit a regular sized ATX12V 2.0 PSU (which I recommend in the long run since the stock PSU isn't that good) in there if you wanted with the Lite-On drives.

You say the stock PSU isnt very good. Will it work for gaming for a while? I'm really yanking on my budget now anyway, so sticking with that PSU for a while is almost required.

Also, when I am told that dual channel RAM is a performance booster, I think I might yank one of the 512 chips out of my current rig and stick it in the new one as soon as I get my crap configured so that the small one is my main rig. That will leave my outdated P4 system with 512 MB RAM, which should be enough for the extremely reduced use it will be getting.

 

[imported_Uber]

Ok, heres the computer based on a rapidly expanding budget. Hopefully it wont get any more expensive or I'll have to wait longer to buy.

Case: Apevia X-Qpack-NW-BK Black Aluminum etc. with 420W PSU
PSU: see above
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
RAM: Wintec AmpX 1GB 240Pin DDR2
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500VS 250GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Optical: Lite-On 16x DVD+R Burner Black ATAPI/E-IDE
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with SP2B
Monitor: X2Gen MW15A Black 15.4" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Subtotal: $847.93

 

[day0]

N/M wrong thread.

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: Uber
I might yank one of the 512 chips out of my current rig and stick it in the new one as soon as I get my crap configured so that the small one is my main rig. That will leave my outdated P4 system with 512 MB RAM, which should be enough for the extremely reduced use it will be getting.

If your P4 is outdated, is it the right kind of RAM? The ASUS P5B-VM uses DDR2 ram, what's your P4 use? Even if it's DDR2 what speed is it? Dual channel doesn't make a big difference, but if your also sticking in slower memory...

 

[VooDooAddict]

Originally posted by: Uber
Ok, heres the computer based on a rapidly expanding budget. Hopefully it wont get any more expensive or I'll have to wait longer to buy.

Case: Apevia X-Qpack-NW-BK Black Aluminum etc. with 420W PSU
PSU: see above
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
RAM: Wintec AmpX 1GB 240Pin DDR2
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500VS 250GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Optical: Lite-On 16x DVD+R Burner Black ATAPI/E-IDE
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with SP2B
Monitor: X2Gen MW15A Black 15.4" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Subtotal: $847.93

I think I can help you out a bit. While I love and swear by newegg and thier customer service. ZipZoomFly thanks to free shipping has been gettign some attention from me on Budget builds.

UltraFly (Updated Version of the QPack) Case from ZipZoomFly $50 Shipped after rebate.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=382312

Intel mATX G965 Motherboard - $119 Shipped
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=241324

Intel Core 2 Duo e6300 - $182.50 Shipped (w/Free Ghost Recon Adv Warfighter)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80858
- For gaming you really don't need anything better.

WD 250 SATA $73 Shipped
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101220-11

Simple Lite-On 16X DVD Burner - $35 Shipped
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=170674
- Newegg may have better deals on DVD burners

Value 1Gig (2 x 512) DDR2-667 Kit - $113 Shipped
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=85016-44

Register for a copy of Vista Release Canidate 2 to be legal and still cheep. $0
- Register for the RC1 code on microsoft's site ... then download an Image of RC2 and use the code for it.

If you are going to do any gaming ... put a vid card on there ... even if it's temporary!

Depending on if you are a fan of Nvidia or ATI for a temporary card ...
--- NVidia 7300GS $59 Shipped
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=327407
--- ATI X1300 $54 Shipped
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=322338


Total comes to @ $625 after the small rebates and before Monitor.

You should keep your eyes open for Monitor deals on the Hot Deals Forum.

JustDeals.com has good prices on referbed Logitech Keyboards, Mice, and Headsets. Good local deals can be found on cheap KB, Mouse, and Headphones if you aren't buying anything special.




As other's mentioned .. AMDs AM2's and 939's are great values for gaming if you aren't spending alot on the CPU. But once you are spending well over $150 on the CPU you might as well go Core 2 Duo.