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computer building help questions?(new ones)

Mr. S

By Mr. S
in The Tailgate

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Mr. S

Mr. S

Posted
Posted

alright, i am trying to convince my rents to let me build my own computer, and they take my current one. Their current computer is 5 years old and is starting to crash too much (despite doing a complete hard drive wipe and re-installing windows).

anyways, I have never build a computer before, but i have priced out some components on newegg.com, im mainly worried about cpu, motherboard, and case compatibility. I am thinking of going for an AMD Athlon XP processor, seem to be the cheaper ones.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103381

this is the processor I am looking at, with this motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813127166

and the case is up in the air, but I heard any ATX case will match any ATX motherboard. Here are 2 I am looking at, any suggestions are welcome:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811147001

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811195002

I have already found a dvd burner oem on there for 40$, a video card for 50$, and the RAM and hard drive ill buy local as they come on sale in places after rebates. Already have a monitor, speakers, and basic peripherals.

my goal is to stay under 450$, I have priced out other components and I have dealt with installing those before, so Im not too worried there. Just want some knowledgeable computer advice on these components, and if I should stick with AMD Athlon or use Intel P4, which would cost more.

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Destino

Destino

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I looked at what you had and frankly I wasn't too impressed by it. If you spend a little more the system will last a lot longer. Here are some of my suggestions that really are in the mid range of pricing....

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice - $190.00

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - $129.00

mushkin EM3200 Dual Pack 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR - $99.95

Seagate Barracuda 120Gig SATA OEM - $121.00

This is a nice extra but not needed, a cheaper Antec is fine. But go Antec.

Antec NeoPower ATX 480W Power Supply 100 - $110.00

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jrockster21

jrockster21

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Fred Jones

I like visiting www.pricewatch.com and www.tomshardware.com for price checks. Also, if the computer show and sale comes near you they usually have very good prices on equipment and you can get everything you need at once. They come to Northern Virginia every month or so. Just go to www.marketproshows.com for more information.

I was gonna say go the Market Pro Computer Show and Sale, or go to www.mwave.com, which always seems to have the best prices. Plus, they are very reliable.

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jpillian

jpillian

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Originally posted by Johnny Punani

If anyone is looking for a deal I am selling an Intel 3.0ghz 800FSB with thermalright heatsink/vortec fan, ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe motherboard, and MSI ATI 9800 Pro with R360 core (really a 9800XT).

Why are you getting rid of the board Johnny? Upgrading already? I seem to remember that particular board was a good setup last year. (Still would be a heckuva lot better than what I have right now --- would you mind talking to my wife for me? :D )

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Destino

Destino

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Originally posted by Johnny Punani

If anyone is looking for a deal I am selling an Intel 3.0ghz 800FSB with thermalright heatsink/vortec fan, ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe motherboard, and MSI ATI 9800 Pro with R360 core (really a 9800XT).

how much? That's a good gaming set up, you upgrading already?
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CHUBAKAH

CHUBAKAH

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The guys at this site I frequent are more knowledgeable than any other site I have ever used. They also tend to gear most of their stuff towards the upper end of the spectrum. You can check out their hardware leader board HERE and gain a bunch of useful information. No one there will let you spend $450.00 on a complete tower though if your asking a similar question on the forum.

I didn’t read every response in the thread, but what is this PC going to be used for?

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Mr. S

Mr. S

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Originally posted by CHUBAKAH

I didn’t read every response in the thread, but what is this PC going to be used for?

the computer is not going to be used for anything fancy, so I dont really need something that high end, hence why the middle end amd stuff I am looking at. I also plan on putting a 256 mb video card, so that should cover most gaming needs of mine. It will mainly be a gaming and internet machine, Im not in the computer field and wont need anything that fancy.

I appreciate all the suggestions though, some of the things became rather pricy though. I will assume a budget of 500$, as my parents otherwise woulda bought a low end Dell for that much anyways, and as Im running a Dell P4 1.8 Ghz, I wonder how high the parts were that were used anyways.

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CHUBAKAH

CHUBAKAH

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Originally posted by Mr. S

It will mainly be a gaming and internet machine, Im not in the computer field and wont need anything that fancy.

Not to burst your bubble, but if it is going to be used for gaming, and you want it to actually run some of todays games, it will need to be at least a little fancy.

I know you said you are looking to build it yourself, but I think you will save if you go with a custom built machine from a company. I built like 7 PC's this year, and I used the same company each time.

Here is a link to something that may interest you. It is not bad for the money you are spending. http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/custom/cfga64.asp?v=d

If you look at the part specs, I would at least upgrade the video to a NVIDIA Geforce-FX 5500 256MB DDR W/ TV OUT & DVI()

I am a hard core gamer myself, so I know that the single most part you want to invest in is a solid video card. Todays games are very demanding. this would also give you a good base to upgrade in the future.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

:cheers:

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Erigion

Erigion

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AMDs are cheaper and perform better, stick with them. If your budget is $450 you aren't going to be able to run recent games very well.

If you're going to be upgrading this system in a year or two you must get Socket 939 since Socket A is almost not supported anymore. Not to mention AGP is also going to away. You'll end up paying more today but you'll be able to use those parts in the future.

If you're going to be doing any serious gaming you're going to have to spend money on a video card. A $50 dollar card will not cut it with today's games. You're going to have to spend at least 100-150.

$150: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814133137

137: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102281

113: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145113

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Mr. S

Mr. S

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CHUBAKAH, that link rocks, thanks!!!

I was also looking at Ibuypower.com, also another cheap gaming pc site. Did the PCs from there come with any software loaded? I dont want any annoying software on the comp. Anyways, thanks!!!

Also, thanks for socket type info, this is the type of info I need to know, since I dont know too much about motherboards or anything yet.

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Destino

Destino

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Mr.S you would be better off buying Johnny's set up for 350. That's a good price for good quality parts. The mobo is a good brand and a good model, the chip has enough power to run any modern game....and it comes with enough good quality memory to tie it all together wonderfully....and you get a very nice vid card.

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Destino

Destino

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Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin

Anyone want to tell a non-l33t gamer/computer dude what the hell a Mobo chip is?

Is there a hierarchy of quality? I have a Pentium 4, is that better or worse than a Mobo or AMD Venice?

Damn normals, never understand anything. :)

mobo = motherboard, so I can't compare this to a P4 for obvious reasons.

As for the P4 vs the AMD Venice, it all depends on the P4 in question. A P4 just means a Pentium 4 and those range in speed greatly. The AMD I linked is a 64, which can run 32bit software apps (they are the standard) but will also run newer software that is able at 64. Here's a quick blurb on what that means:

A bit is short for “binary digit.” It is basically how a computer stores and makes references to data, memory, etc. A bit can have a value of 1 or 0, that’s it. So binary code is streams of 1’s and 0’s, such as this random sequence 100100100111. These bits are also how your processor does calculations. By using 32 bits your processor can represent numbers from 0 to 4,294,967,295 while a 64-bit machine can represent numbers from 0 to 18,446,744,073,709,551,615. Obviously this means your computer can do math with larger numbers, and be more efficient with smaller numbers.

Did that clear anything up for you?

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Ghost of

Ghost of

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Originally posted by Destino

Damn normals, never understand anything. :)

mobo = motherboard, so I can't compare this to a P4 for obvious reasons.

As for the P4 vs the AMD Venice, it all depends on the P4 in question. A P4 just means a Pentium 4 and those range in speed greatly. The AMD I linked is a 64, which can run 32bit software apps (they are the standard) but will also run newer software that is able at 64. Here's a quick blurb on what that means:

Did that clear anything up for you?

:laugh: You know what's the worst? I actually saw that mobo=motherboard. Then for some reason my brain clicked off and I saw the Asus mobo whatever and was like, "yeah, so I'm a moron, what's up?!"

Is there some designation for the chip that will tell me if it's 32 or 64?

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Destino

Destino

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Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin

:laugh: You know what's the worst? I actually saw that mobo=motherboard. Then for some reason my brain clicked off and I saw the Asus mobo whatever and was like, "yeah, so I'm a moron, what's up?!"

Is there some designation for the chip that will tell me if it's 32 or 64?

lol :laugh:

If you don't know what your chip is, then it's a 32. AMD 64 bits are named "AMD 64" there are also dual core chips out now, which is like having two chips, but I heard they are worthless for gaming.

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Mr. S

Mr. S

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Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin

Anyone want to tell a non-l33t gamer/computer dude what the hell a Mobo chip is?

Is there a hierarchy of quality? I have a Pentium 4, is that better or worse than a Mobo or AMD Venice?

hahaha, Id like to buy a MOBO processor now instead of a Pentium 4, just kidding, your post brightened up my day. Thanks for asking though, I didnt know what all the differences that Destino explained were either, and thanks Destino.

Johnny's setup seems good for 250$, Ill have to see if that price can fly with my budget (now raised to 600$).

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Mr. S

Mr. S

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ok, just a few more questions. I have sorta settled on this setup:

Mobo:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813138249

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103537

video card is up in the air, but here goes: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814131411

most socket 939 boards dont seem to have an AGP slot, so I had to go with PCI for now.

Just a few questions, I bought a 120 gb 7200 rpm ATA-100 hard drive, will that still work with the motherboard as the mobo says ATA-133? Also, will PC 2700 work with this motherboard which says DDR 400 as standard?

Im basically asking will they still take slower speeds and that the motherboard supports up to the speeds it has listed? Thanks!

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