Need help building a PC

[Jeremizzle]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if any of you new a good site or a good book or whatever that had a good walktrough of how to build your own PC.
Thanks,
Jeremy

[Fanatic]

there are tons of books...
but first off you need to figure out what kind of PC you are goin to use it for
Gaming or just surfing the net audio and video editing...

basically from there you could figure out what components you will need
for gaming basically need a fast processor and a good to a very good graphics card
as for basic surfing the net...you dont really need an expensive graphics card

and your budget of course will have a tremendous effect on it to

[Jeremizzle]

yeah ive already got in mind the components i need to buy i just need a suggestion on a book or article on how to put it together.

[joebob09]

everything goes into one spot... the parts all come with manuals trying to tell you how everything goes... i build mine the first part of june and its running great. it was my first pc i built its extremely easy... took me around 4 -41/2 hours to comepletely finish it, installing windows and everything...

[Fanatic]

yeah ive already got in mind the components i need to buy i just need a suggestion on a book or article on how to put it together.

installation you mean?
like the dude said...read the manuals...especially the part on what is compatible with that hardware or what is necessary to run it...ei..processor speed and RAM

just start with your processor and your motherboardk and memory
these can be found together in most computer stores....and most important in the system
making sure that your motherboard will have enough slots/power and your case have enough space for your components..ie..CDR..DVDRwxyandz
then choose a graphics card for your application and sound card
hard disk is easy...what ever amount of storage you can pay for..oh and check the read/write speed too.
but basically thats it

[Jeremizzle]

Thanks for the help guys.

Can you do me another favor and check if these parts i selected are compatible?

• Enlight Mid-Tower ATX Case with 360W Power Supply, Model "EN-7250" -RETAIL
• Lite-On White 52X32X52 Internal EIDE CD-RW Drive, Model SOHR-5238S, Retail
• Teac 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model FD235HFC291, OEM
• Hitachi 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model HDS722580VLAT20 Part# 14R9246, OEM Drive Only
  
• Kingston VALUERAM 184-Pin 256MB(128MBx2) DDR PC-2700, Model KVR333X64C25K2/256 - OEM
• ASUS "P4P800 SE" i865PE Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL
• Intel Pentium 4 2.0A 400MHz FSB, 512K Cache - OEM
• Albatron nVIDIA GeForce4 MX440-8X, 64MB DDR, 64-bit, TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "MX480EL" RETAIL

Thanks

[Blazestorm]

I'd recommend a heatsink for that processor, go for the "Retail" version not the OEM

Otherwise I believe it's all good, although again I would recommend PC3200 ram, Look into Mushkin, I bought two sticks of Kingston and both were corrupted (Yes I installed them correctly) I promptly returned them and grabbed two sticks of Mushkin.

I'm building 3 computers right now if you need any help

[NJPaint]

#1 scrap those links that you posted.
#2 Okay, fill out this survey:


1) The primary function of this computer is:
a) gaming
b) home use (surfing the web, word)
c) intense work

2) What is your budget:
a) <$500
b)$500-$1000
c) $1000-$2000
d) More exact ammount

Give me that and I can give you a general idea of what to go for.



If you have budget constraints, go AMD. I can give you exact brands and models of all the parts of compadible systems if you want me to.

[Jeremizzle]

Thanks blazestorm

NJPaint- im hoping to spend around $500 and its gonna be used for less intensive gaming (my little brother playing the sims)

[Python14]

I hate to hijack the thread, but how can I find out what kind of memory I need? I currently have 512mb and want to upgrade to 1gb but don't know what to buy. I'd also like to upgrade to a faster gamecard(currently Nvidia mx400 32mb). My goal is to make a nice platform for Unreal tournament 2k4. It already runs quite well, but on some maps the fps goes from like 20 down to 5 if the action get's going.

I might also go ahead and get a faster chipset....whoa, this is gonna cost me.

[Blazestorm]

You should take apart your computer, turn off the computer, unplug everything, take off the side panel (Left if you're facing from the front) and look at the ram (It'll be to the right of the CPU) Ground yourself by touching some piece of metal on the case (The bottom should work) Now press down on the two tabs on the top and bottom of the ram to pull it out, now hold the top and bottom with your fingers, and only that part, now take it out and look and see if you can find the label.

It should tell you the speed and brand. If not it's generic and I suggest you replace it

For a video-card, I'd look at the ATI 9600 Pro/XT or 9800 Pro. Those will run UT2004 at amazing frame rates, you'll be drooling. (Getting below 30fps is very rare for me)

And if you want to upgrade your ram, I suggest getting 512 to a 1024mb of Mushkin PC3200, it's at www.newegg.com for 80 bucks (Per 512 stick) and has fast timings (good)

Good luck man.

[Jeremizzle]

hahah python i was just about to ask that question too, thanks for doing it for me!

[Jeremizzle]

yeah, on the memory part of my motherboard it says

-Dual Channel Memory Architecture
-4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 4GB DDR400/333/266 non-ECC DDR SDRAM memory
-ASUS Hyper-Path Technology

So does that mean it can support the mushkin ram ?

on that it says
Manufacturer: Mushkin
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5-4-4
Support Voltage: 2.6V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64 -Bit

[NJPaint]

Thanks blazestorm

NJPaint- im hoping to spend around $500 and its gonna be used for less intensive gaming (my little brother playing the sims)

Okay, what do you need? (or what parts do you have already, monitor etc)

With a budget of $500 I would definately go AMD. Newegg prices:

$56 AMD XP2000
$54 ABIT "KD7A" KT400A Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
$64 Crucial 184 Pin 128MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM (x2)
$75 Case of your choice (with PSU)
$52 Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD400BB
$142 GAINWARD nVIDIA GeForce FX5700 Video Card, 256MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out
CD Drive...

That is $443, I would beef up on the Motherboard if you have extra cash (ask If you need help finding one).

[Jeremizzle]

I already have all the extra stuff moniter, speakers, keyboard, mouse....

I have a couple questions about those parts though,
What does the CPU compare to when your looking at Pentium 4's, I know that you cant compare them with ghz speed, so how do they relate. Also, I think that its going a little overboard on that video card, my little bros gonna be playing games like the sims, nothing that intense.
Thanks for the help