building a pc, need some assistance

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:28 am

so I have a $700 budget, probably going to use a linux os since it's free, or pirate winxp, not sure.

what parts would you recommend? I'm looking for sort of a mid-range pc, not sure if that's out of the question though..

Post by **saturn** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:33 am

including monitor?

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:36 am

saturn wrote:including monitor?

not sure if I should get one, maybe a cheap lcd.

Post by **obsidian** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:37 am

I recently bought a Compaq SR1610NX for $350, plus upgraded the video card.

AMD Athlon XP 64 3500+
1GB RAM
250GB HD
added a GeForce 7600GT for $130

You can probably do better with a $700 budget.

For Linux, I recommend an nVidia card, support seems a little better for it. Check all your hardware and peripherals to make sure they are Linux compatible before buying.

Post by **saturn** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:41 am

Actually I can't give you good advice on components since I've forfeited the PC-parts-upgrading path 2 years ago (after I bought an Apple Powerbook). I would buy a Mac myself. ;-)

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:06 am

I might use winxp, just need a cost free solution.... anyways

I'd like to get a
case,
mobo,
ram,
speakers,
sound card,
Harddrive
cd drive
power supply.
monitor
the whole set up
I think I have the speakers picked out though, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836121126

Post by **Captain** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:31 am

You'll save the most money if you do a little hunting for each piece separately. Don't go for any barebone kits that may tickle your toes as they usually use low quality PSUs and mobos. But it would help if you said what it is you want the computer to be able to do ultimately.

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:44 am

Captain Mazda wrote:But it would help if you said what it is you want the computer to be able to do ultimately.

play games with kick ass sound

Post by **Captain** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 5:42 am

Surround sound + subwoofer it is then. I can definitely suggest the Logitech X-530 5.1 system. Just make sure the sound card is at least 6-channel. I'd suggest the Creative SoundBlaster Live! 24-Bit with EAX HD.

Post by **Tsakali_** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:48 pm

a friend of mine was just sending me some links of pc's that she's looking to get, here's one for example

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... 4016%20KIT

it's 64 bit ready so you can take advantage of vista in the near future, plus you can ebay the free flatpanel for some video card cash :icon14:

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:18 pm

Tsakali_ wrote:a friend of mine was just sending me some links of pc's that she's looking to get, here's one for example

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... 4016%20KIT

it's 64 bit ready so you can take advantage of vista in the near future, plus you can ebay the free flatpanel for some video card cash :icon14:

Post by **Tsakali_** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:21 pm

looks sweet, but :

the case is a little gaudy, I'm a minimalist

the video card looks good but will you need the regular vga connection? maybe you could find a comparable card with 2 dvi outputs or even a dvi and tvout setup instead, sounds like it would be more useful in the future.

other than that :icon14:

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:39 pm

Tsakali_ wrote:looks sweet, but :

the case is a little gaudy, I'm a minimalist

the video card looks good but will you need the regular vga connection? maybe you could find a comparable card with 2 dvi outputs or even a dvi and tvout setup instead, sounds like it would be more useful in the future.

other than that :icon14:

yeah, I'll be using the vga, so I'm assuming that thumbs up means I picked everything out correctly and it'll be a good compatible build?

Post by **Deathshroud** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:09 pm

At this point I would suggest buying a Dual Core processor seeing how future apps seem to be leaning in that direction. Also look into 2Gb's RAM as well if you plan on gaming.

Post by **Captain** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:40 pm

You could go for a simpler case to free up some money. A few things to note though.

Find a better PSU. Even the reviews there point to it being another faulty Antec. I had an antec that went belly-up in 2 months. The replacement fried my mobo.

And as Deathshroud pointed out, you'd experience much better gaming with a dual-core CPU.

Also, the HDD only has a cache of 8MB. I couldn't find anything better than the one you've picked though. For gaming, 16MB is superb.

Post by **Tsakali_** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:55 pm

I cant spell u wrote:
Tsakali_ wrote:looks sweet, but :

the case is a little gaudy, I'm a minimalist

the video card looks good but will you need the regular vga connection? maybe you could find a comparable card with 2 dvi outputs or even a dvi and tvout setup instead, sounds like it would be more useful in the future.

other than that :icon14:
yeah, I'll be using the vga, so I'm assuming that thumbs up means I picked everything out correctly and it'll be a good compatible build?

:icon14:

Post by **I cant spell u** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:56 pm

Deathshroud wrote:At this point I would suggest buying a Dual Core processor seeing how future apps seem to be leaning in that direction. Also look into 2Gb's RAM as well if you plan on gaming.

I plan on upgrading to 2 gb soon,

how's this for a psu then mazda?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817148008

and how would this proccessor be? BetteR?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103735

Post by **FragaGeddon** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:55 am

So is AMD or an Intel CPU better for gaming?

Post by **Captain** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 4:11 am

Depends really on the model. I've seen overheating tests between AMD and Intel CPUs and Intel has always come out on top, whereas AMD blows up the heatsink. I personally go for Intel because I've used every generation of their CPUs at some point in my life. My D805 performs better than my buddy's 4000.

I cant spell u wrote:how's this for a psu then mazda?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817148008

I don't know that brand but it looks like one that would work without problems for about a year. Remember that the top fan faces the bottom of the computer. Double fan PSUs are excellent in cycling out the hot air, sucking it out directly from the video card :icon14:

I cant spell u wrote:and how would this proccessor be? BetteR?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103735

Looks good other than the very small cache. At least 1MB would be better.

And this comment made me lol:

Other Thoughts: Dont be fooled by the overclockability of Intel D805. When its true you can OC a D805 to hit 4.0G, you need to invest more in cooling device and ram/mobo. In the end, you are spending more money than a X2 3800 to hit sub-par X2 3800 performance. Oh, did I mention OCed X2 3800 on stock HSF easily kills D805 OC to 4.0G?

rofl, but if the D805 overheats, it will lock up the computer to prevent any hardware damage. 3800 will keep going until it breaks down.