Building A Computer

I suggest going to the JNCS website. My husband buys most our parts off there, they''re very good with prices etc.

They have really good package deals with cpu/mb that they actually test before mailing you, which is nice. I strongly suggest getting an ASUS motherboard, as a general rule, because they are SO much more cooperative clearing up IRQ conflicts. I also suggest avoiding onboard video and sound if you intend to play games on it, as the games that I play, at least, throw hissy fits when you attempt to use onboard hardware. For video cards, GEForce 2 TI''s (TI, *NOT* MMX) are terrific little cards for the money right now... ironically they''re cheaper and just as good as the GEForce 3 MMX.

For a hard drive I suggest a Matrox. I''ve seen a lot of people have problems with Western Digital so I''d avoid those.

Really computers are like electronic legos. Shouldn''t have too much trouble, and if you do, there are plenty of websites to help. Just a word of caution... don''t force anything, EVER. If it doesn''t want to go in, double check and triple check what you''re trying to fit it into (because, for instance, socket 7 chips only go in one way without breaking it.

-fel

I''m pretty sure fel meant a Maxtor hard drive. Easy mistake to make, but I too would recommend them.

As for jumper settings, you won''t need to worry about that on newer mobos. If you have more than one hard drive, you may need to set a jumper to configure one as the slave, but this is usually explained well in the documentation.

Also, be sure to get high quality memory. Kingston is a good choice. Go to www.crucial.com , they''ll give you what you need. www.pricewatch.com may also be helpful to you, and if all else fails, eBay. I bought all of my computer parts off of eBay, and my computer hasn''t died yet (well, ok, it has...but since I''m a necromancer, these are trivial things).

Good luck.


P.S. I stole the necromancer idea from Nyugen. Forgive me.

If you feel like building your own pc pick up a book on A+ Certification. The most difficult part of building a pc is usually placing the heatsink/fan on the cpu. Most of everything else is fairly trivial. Newegg.com has great service, decent prices, and a good, actually working return policy.

BTW, I just bought a nice 60gb 7200 RPM Maxtor hard drive that hasn''t failed me (yet). Also, if you are near a store such as Frys, I highly recommend you attempt getting your parts locally. It will be much easier if you need to return them, or get help.

Ack. Yes, Maxtor. I was thinking "video card" to decide if the GEForce 3 TI''s were a good thing to suggest (based on price, really), and got the name of one of my truly ancient video cards in my head.

Oh... monitors... I suggest KDS, which are cheaper but are literally the same thing as some of the other monitors you can get (same CRT, different plastic box and sticker). We have several, we only ever had a problem with one of them and the tech support picked up the phone immediately, listened to the problem, and immediately sent us a brand new monitor on overnight shipping (we were to send the broken one back at our leisure). To me, excellent technical and warranty support is even better than a perfect track record... EXCEPT for hard drives because there you lose critical information.

For a mouse, get an optical. They''re almost as cheap as a decent mechanical and they last about 4 times as long (and counting. Hubby and I are hardcore gamers, and this mouse is the first one I didn''t manage to destroy in under 6 months.)

If you have the budget I do suggest going with a CDR/W instead of a plain CDR. It''s only slightly more expensive than a normal CDR, it''s just as fast on the read, and it''s worth it... especially for backup purposes.

-fel

I second the recommendation for NewEgg. Great prices, fast shipping, responsive and knowledgeable customer service... I''ve never been disappointed by them.

For parts NewEgg doesn''t stock, I''d also recommend avlogic (www.avlogic.com)... I haven''t used them as much, but they have a very extensive inventory.

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Don''t listen to me. I''ve had too much coffee.

quote:

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Original post by masterg
The most difficult part of building a pc is usually placing the heatsink/fan on the cpu.

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that is so true. Everything else goes in without a hitch, but those damned HSF''s are usually a pain in the ass.

You should mod your computer (after you build t of course)

[H]

I just received my Volcano 7 HSF+fan. Taking about 20 minutes to install, I almost broke my Athlon XP''s die, with this large bunk of copper. The best advice anyone can really give you is to "take your time."

There''s a great article at Tom''s Hardware about power supplies. You might have to search for it, though.

.elendil67

Have you seen This site?
This guy/gal explains how to build your own computer very well.

Also, I give two thumbs up on newegg.com, they have everything(minus digital cameras)and some great prices. Only problem with them I have is that the ViewSonic P95+b is out of stock.

for $1000 though, i would suggest going with a GeForce4 Ti 4200 for around $150 as your video card, it it far superior to the GeForce2 Ti and is much faster, in fact i recently upgraded from a GeForce2 Ti to a GF4 ti 4200 and my framerates went way, not to mention the anti aliasing.

also, never get an LCD

X4J

Im now using my new Athlon XP 2000+, Geforce2 Ultra, 512 DDR pc2100, 420W power supply, Leadtek mobo based pc Also of note, is to make sure you have "good cooling". Try to maintain a system temperature of no higher than 34C or so, and a CPU temperature never above 50C.

Alright guys, I decided to build it ordering parts form newegg.com. I am gonna get:

CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2000

MOBO: Some type of Asus board (not sure what yet)

CASE: a $58 Enermax 300 watt. this one has great placment for fans. getting one 120x120x25 mm fan in front intake, a side 80 mm intake, 2 rear 80 mm exhaust, and 1 top 80 mm exhaust.

RAM: 512 DDR (PC2100 most likely, depends on motherboard)

VIDERCARD: either a geforce 4 4200, 4400, or 4600 ti (will see depending on funds after I got everything else.

DRIVES: a $8 samsun floppy, and I am not sure if I should get a DVD drive or a CD drive yet. I am not going to get a CDRW drive yet, that comes later.

SOUNDCARD: creative labs sound blaster 16 (I use earphones so no 5.1 needed)

HARD DRIVE: 60 gig Maxtor

And I think thats it. What do you guys think? Did I leave anything out (besides little things like heatsink+fan and stuff)

[edited by - Squeejee on July 26, 2002 11:43:29 AM]

If it''s between CD drive and DVD drive... get the CD drive. Most games don''t come on DVDs.

You forgot a modem or ethernet card (which might come on your motherboard, granted).

I''m a big fan of the little exhaust fans you stick in the slot under your video card by the way... they''re only about 12 bucks, and they work wonders if you''re having any heat-related problems.

-fel

quote:

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Original post by Squeejee
MOBO: Some type of Asus board (not sure what yet)

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My current suggestion from Asus is the A7V333. I know someone who has it and its been great. Basically it gives you all the new features you want (ATA133, USB 2.0, 1394 [firewire], real heat protection, PC2700 DDR slots and optional RAID)

Are you sure you don''t want a CDRW drive? They are getting to be fairly cheap, and are well worth it in the long run. Right now, I have both a DVD drive and a CDRW drive in my computer.

Oh, and if you decide to get a DVD drive (which you shouldn''t if you already have a DVD player), make sure you get one that comes with a decoder card.


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"And I was like....hghnnnh?" - Ellen Feiss, stoned Mac user

Yeah felisandria, I forgot modem. I am going to get a Aceex 56k modem so I can get online until I get broad band sometime mid-to-late fall.

And a question. If I get a board that supports 2700 PC RAM, can I use anything lower like PC 2100 if needed? An I know I should use all the same type.

Also, if a mother board says it supports ULTRA DMA/100 will it work with a hard drive that says ULTRA ATA/100?

As for CDRW drives, I can't find one over a 32X and I would rather have a 52x drive right now.

[edited by - Squeejee on July 26, 2002 2:16:57 PM]

You must not be looking in the right places, because my machine is running a 48x CDR/W that I picked up about 4 months ago at Best Buy.

-fel

quote:

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Original post by Squeejee
And a question. If I get a board that supports 2700 PC RAM, can I use anything lower like PC 2100 if needed? An I know I should use all the same type.

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Yes.

quote:

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Original post by Squeejee
Also, if a mother board says it supports ULTRA DMA/100 will it work with a hard drive that says ULTRA ATA/100?

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Yes.

quote:

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Original post by Squeejee
As for CDRW drives, I can''t find one over a 32X and I would rather have a 52x drive right now.

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Are you only looking at used stuff (As I would find it impossible to find 32X drives anywhere but 2nd hand places)? Besides, a 16X DVD is only about 10-20% more, I would go for it (faster seeks times, ability to read DVDs)

With your hard drive Ultra100 thing, make sure you get an EIDE cable, not just a regular IDE. EIDE has about double the number of the little 'wires' on the cable, which provides for faster transfer rates. UltraATA will only be functional if you have one of these cables.

Personally, I see no reason not to get a DVD drive. It will also read CDs with no problems, and with a high end video card like that, decoding should be handled well.

Also, I'm not sure why Sickilla said never to get an LCD. Yes, they are more expensive, and the viewing angle is limited, but if you're in need of desk space, they're AWESOME.

It's refreshing to see someone who has done their homework. Good job, and good luck on your new system.



[edited by - andromeda on July 26, 2002 8:31:19 PM]