Building a computer
 

So, I've decided that I'd like to get a second computer...because I'm tired of Rho fucking this one up. ;) The new one will be for Rho's internet journeys and music listening.

Rather than buy a new one though, I'd like to build one. I'm not the most mechanically inclined soul, but I watched UT build my current one (which is fucking awesome, BTW), I've looked at a couple of how-to sites and I have a bunch of geeks on a couple of different boards that will probably have no problem putting their $0.02 in. I think I can do it with just a little help.

Two questions to start:

--Is there anything that you all would not recommend buying used in putting together a computer?

--Is there a way to obtain WinXP on the cheap?

Personally, I'd never build a box with a used hard drive, unless I knew exactly where it came from and what was on it beforehand.

Anything of decent specs that you can get free should be used, if only temporarily; I don't agree with CW's concern for the content (data-wise?) of a used HD, given you can set your reformatting utility to completely erase all previous data. However, used HDs are hard to buy because they rarely are sold in working order. Similarly, I would be cautious of a used optical drive.

You can sometimes find them in shady non-chain computer stores.

Not to mention Ebay.

It depends on what you consider cheap. When I did mine newegg was selling XP Home for $95 or something like that in its OEM version. For my money, if you're going to use Winblows, then that's probably worth it so you can not be hassled about getting security updates.

Anything with a moving part is questionnable used. The power supply fans for example.

In general, people seem to like the Sparkle power supplies for low-price setups. I personally have gone Enermax for the high-price setups.

You can find replacement fans for cases at low cost. A replacement CPU cooler is also a good idea... Thermaltake is a good selection in this category.

It's not the data I worry about. It's the actual physical hard drive. I've had two fairly catastrophic failures because the secondhand hard drives I had gotten themselves were shot. I had gotten them from a computer recycling center. One of them produced a burning smell right before it died. I cracked it open and found the discs and bearings were caked with dust that burned as the thing spun. That's why I only trust used hard drives if I know how they've been treated before. It's just a caveat.

First question to ask.

How much do you want to spend?

$300-400 total.

You'll be hard pressed to build one from components at that price range. You can buy whole systems for that, but not build them.

Piece by piece will kill you on price unless you know exactly what you are looking for.

These should give you a feel for some prices of inexpensive systems.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...op%20Computers

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...op%20Computers

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...op%20Computers

With monitor or without?

I gotta buy one this time around.

I did my dad's for under $500 back before Christmas last year. Of course I cheaped out on the case & power supply. (Remember, these are almost a year old.)

CG case/ power supply.. $40
ASUS A7V8X-MX mobo .. $60
AMD Athlon 2400+ CPU .. $81
Crucial 512MMB DDR RAM .. $74
Teac floppy drive .. $8
40GB Seatgate hard drive .. $58
Lite On CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo .. $51
Win XP Home OEM edition .. $91

Plus $23 shipping from Newegg.

Amusing and sad that the most costly thing on that list is also the biggest turd.

Yeah and it's a problem Microsoft is going to have to come to terms with... at the price points for low end PC's, when there's a $100 or $150 difference between a computer with Windows and one with some kind of Linux, people are actually going to start thinking about whether it's worth it.

http://www.newegg.com/software/?DEPA=6
Best deal I could find. New Egg is where I go to get all my computer crap. I'm pretty sure they have a building service too. Though I never looked into it, I just do all my computer modding stuff myself. (It ain't that hard! :biggrinpi )

Don't install used lubes.

Also, avoid static at ALL COSTS when handling the internals like the motherboard. etc. One little spark cause you're wearing grandma Flo's christmas sweater can fry the entire board and ruin it.

I want to build a computer too, but I'm so broke these days I'm going to have to buy the parts one or two at a time until I have enough components to build it. This may take a few months. I am thinking about starting off with a case, a monitor, dvd-burner, etc. and get the video card, motherboard and processor last so I can make sure I have the latest and greatest when I actually build it.

I'm debating on whether to use AMD Athlon 64 FX 55 or the Intel Pentium 560 3.6GHz. The AMD is better of the two and in February when Microsoft releases it's 64-bit version of XP, that performance gap will only increase. The problem is the Athlon is $850 and the P4 is $450. Athlon also has a MUCH higher bus speed available than Intel. I'm hoping between now and the time I build it, the price will drop on the Athlon. If not, I may go with the Pentium.

I want to go with the largest SATA drives I can afford. I want to get a really nice video card, 2GB of really fast ram, etc.

I'd like to have a very reliable high performance gaming/video editing/etc. machine.



Whenever I build a machine I try to get the very best so I can go longer without doing an upgrade.

Cellar donors have at this point donated almost enough to build a new system so the Cellar can live safely on its own machine, albeit a slower one. I'll report further when this comes along.

How much to retain the speed, UT? :eyebrow:

I build 'em hardy. Speed isn't the major factor in web applications. An AMD 2600 will do.

Ah, yes hardy will be important while your on those world tours fending off the groupies. :thumbsup:

I know we had a thread discussing video cards a little while back, but I'll throw my two cents in on this anyhow. Me and my buddy both run ATI 9800 Pro video cards. And let me tell you, these things are beautiful! They come w/ dual moniter support so my buddy can play Doom III FLAWLESSLY on one screen and do his 3d animation work on the other one, at the same time.
I about drooled when he showed me this.
The 9800 Pro has the beef to run Doom III and Halo and isn't goin anywhere fast. So my advice to you, forget the hugely expensive ones w/ 256 mb's that will strangle your wallet. Get the 9800 Pro and you'll have a very satisfying (and sh*t scarey w/ Doom II) gaming experience.

As for the RAM, this same bud of mine is running 1024 mb's and he doesn't need a byte more. That is unless, you plan on running about 10 applications at once, at that point, you should look into your time managment skils.

Two things:

1) For a software guy who has only ever been inside a machine a few times (to add RAM or move around PCI cards), how hard is it to actually build a machine from the ground up? As far as I can see, everything seems to fit only where it belongs, and it'd just be a matter of making sure all of my hardware is combatible, but is there anything specific I should avoid?

2) Tony: I have an ever-growing archive of computers (you'd be amazed how many people would simply rather buy a new one than fix their old one, even if it's less than 2 years old). What kinds of parts do you need in order to build a home for this lovely little forum of ours?

Not hard at all. The most finicky part, for me at least, is getting the CPU heat sink/fan clamped into place properly. You will also need to hook up things like the power switch on the front of the case, external USB ports, etc. etc. to the motherboard. This is not hard per se but deciphering the diagrams provided can be a linguistic challenge. Once you've done that, just insert tab A in slot B and you're done.

The only trouble I had my first (and so far only) time was I didn't seat the RAM properly. Which was odd, because RAM is one of the few connections with a good feedback mechanism to let you know it's seated proplerly. :eyebrow:

You have an archive, I have a fuckin' morgue. But "hardy" demands we not reuse any part that might actually have sat around in a damp garage for more than a month or so.

So, you're saying you don't want my 12MHz 80286 system? It's got a whole 1MB of RAM. Well jeez I just won't offer then. :D

I have some parts in one I built for my son. Give me clue as to what you need, I'll have to hook it up again to see what's in it. most of it almost new.

So Toad are you telling me you have NO use for the small pile of 20-200 meg hard drives i have , or the 256k ram cards ????
Oh i can get my hands on an 8088 laptop if'n you want !!! :)

Dell Advice
 

I'm also looking for a new computer to augment the laptop being used as the family computer.

I have a Compaq I might like to cannabalize for parts after the warranty period ends.

I was looking at the Dell 4700c series and I noticed that they upgrade to SATA drives. What are the advantages over IDE and does this mean I can't add an IDE drive later on?