The Official PC building thread!

If you can wait I would wait for the nforce4 boards. I don't think that they will support agp vid cards so you will probably have to get a pci ex(the future of video cards). I would look at the dfi, asus, or abit boards. Abit USA has a forum that is great and very active. I have heard that DFI also has a great forum. These forums are the best help that I have found for any mainboard problems you may have. I am not sure about asus but abx forums have alot of asus users on it. My seagates aren't the fastest drives but they are quiet and reliable. I have a TDK indi drive(cd+dvd r+,r-,rw writer) it is quiet and reliable but kinda pricey. If you can't wait I have heard some good things about the DFI nforce3 boards but it is a socket 754 the nforce4 will be 939 socket. Here is a forum discussing the release of the nforce4:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=29&threadid=1409092&enterthread=y
_X_X_X_X_X_[small]P4 2.8c @ 3.2
Abit IC7-G
2x80 gb seagates barracudas
ATI AIW 9600 soft mod by w1zzard
2 x 256 pc 3200 Kingston valueram(hynix chips)[/small]

 

How long would i have to wait, And i dont want to spend $400 dollars more then i already am. Also would i really see a significant improvement. I dought it would make much of a difference when Playing Half-life 2, and WoW.

 

Okay i gota wait 6 days for the first one.. if its any moer then 170 i wont get it, also if the video cards fo it are 2 expensive i wont get that either.. now to check on those

 

just wanted to say what's up to everyone, I read this room all the time but just decided to register in it and help some people out and to give some input. currently stationed in Korea in the army, ya'll keep it real in the U.S.

 

Okay, I just built my new pc, and i double check all the connections, and i plug it into a monitor and boot up, it seems to work find except for the display, in the text some letters and words are missing, and when i access the bios, it's almost impossible to read the options since the graphics are all messed up. I checked my jumpers for my HD (WD) and i changed it a few times, but that doesn't seem to be the problem. My video card is a new 9800 pro bought retail, I checked all my IDE connections and everything and I can't figure out the problem. Any suggestions?

 

In the Uk,, overclockers. com or is it co or redstore.com are not the cheapist, but have all you will need!
Where in the UK are you?

 

I'm hoping someone can help me. I think I'm in the right section.....

Basically I'm in the market for a new PC.

This PC is going to be used for:

Burning DVD's and CD's.
Storing Photo's.
Storing MP3's.
Playing DVD's.
Internet browsing.
I need imputs and outputs for Video etc
Also plenty of USB's.

Basically I want a home entertainment system.

My budget for a Base unit alone is £300. I don't want a cheap computer and after the little research I've done, I don't think £300 is going to be a cheap computer. I'd like to think it'll make a fairly good computer actually......

I know nothing about computer building. I've swapped a few cards, hard drives and CD drives etc., over in my time, but never started from scratch.

Here's what I'm thinking.

Case = Around £50, for a basic(ish) example.
Motherboard = Around £45
CPU = £60 - £80 I think what I was looking at was an AMD 2600+ or similar.
Ram = Around £100 for 2 x 256mb SDRAM
Hard Drive = Already got a couple to choose from sitting at home. A 120g or 200g.
Floppy = Do I need one these days?? Mine certainly never gets used......
Sound Card = There's one built into the motherboard, but worst way a top notch one will set me back around £25
Video Card = £60 - £100. I want a top notch one with all the inputs and outputs. I may pay extra, but I don't think I need to.
DVD RW drive - I've already got.

So any advice on what I've written regards to pricing, or the setup, I'd be much appreciative. Also if you know how to do this better, or what has worked best for you, then please let me know.

I have a nice computer I use at work, which if I could match for speed and performance I think I'd be very happy.

Here's what I have atm:
AMD Athlon XP 2600 +
2.13 GHZ
512mb RAM of which is shared I think.

-------------------------------------------

After looking into things I've come up with the following components:

Can anyone in the "know" double check and advise me where needed if possible

Case £64.99
I'm going for something a little fast and furious he he
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG3326_thermaltake_xaser_.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/products/GG3326.jpg
The stunning new LANfire III enclosure from ThermalTake, finished in alloy silver, is one of the best PC cases money can buy. Featuring thumbscrews and removable drive bays, installation is almost tool free. Computer Case Features include:
•Four 80 mm internal silent system fans with air filters, stopping dust from entering the case
•Both USB 1.1/2/0 compatible and Firewire ports, neatly concealed under a flap on top of the case
•Front panel control unit, allowing full control of all system fan speeds, and LCD reading of system temperature
•Temperature alarm
•Clear side panel
•Features 4 5.25" & 2 3.5" expansion bays

No power unit though, so I'll have to find one elsewhere. Shall I budget 30 quid??

Motherboard £44.99
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG2718_asus_motherboard__.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/www/public/images/photo/pc/asusa7v8x.jpg
ASUS MOTHERBOARD - A7V8X-X FOR PC
Format: PC
Asus motherboard for PC Supports Socket A AMD Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron processors
• 200/266/333 MHz Front-Side-Bus (FSB)
• VIA KT400 Chipset
• 1400 MHz - 3200 MHz and higher CPU speed
• 3 DIMM slots support up to 3 GB PC 3200/2700/2100/1600
• 1 x AGP 8X, 5 x PCI slots
• 6 x USB 2.0 ports, 2 x Firewire ports
• 2 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 IDE interface
• C-Media CMI8738 6-Channel audio controller
• ASSESS C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection)
• ASSESS MyLogo
• Wake-On-LAN, Wake-On-Ring, Chassis Intrusion support
• Smart Card Reader (SCR) interface support
• ASSESS iPanel connector

CPU
I've got a choice of two here and I'm not sure which is going to be best. Price isn't an issue, I'd rather the best for my setup??

Choice 1 £87.99
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG4810_cpu_amd_sempron_28.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/products/GG4810.jpg
CPU, AMD, SEMPRON 2800+ / 256K L2 / 333 FSB, SOCKET A
Format: PC
AMD CPU processor chip for PC
• Genuine AMD Sempron processor
• 2.0 GHz clock speed
• Socket A form factor
• 64 KB level one cache
• 256 KB level two cache
• 333 MHz front side bus

Choice 2 £74.99
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG4808_cpu_amd_sempron_26.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/products/GG4808.jpg
CPU, AMD, SEMPRON 2600+ / 256K L2 / 333 FSB, SOCKET A
Format: PC
AMD CPU processor chip for PC
• Genuine AMD Sempron processor
• 1.83 GHz clock speed
• Socket A form factor
• 64 KB level one cache
• 256 KB level two cache
• 333 MHz front side bus

RAM

Again a choice of two and need advise of which to go for. Price is not an issue, again, just the best for my PC:

Choice 1 £78.99
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG6115_dimm__512_mb_ram_1.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/www/public/images/photo/pc/ramdefaultdimm.jpg
DIMM - 512 MB RAM, 168 PIN, PC 100 MHz, SYNCHRONOUS
Format: PC
This DIMM is compatible with P3, P4 and Athlon Motherboards. Please consult your motherboard manual before ordering any computer memory. RAM can be fitted to your PC for you in any Special Reserve Shop

Choice 2 £68.99
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG2405_ddr_dimm__512_mb_r.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/www/public/images/photo/pc/ramdefaultdimm.jpg
DDR DIMM - 512 MB RAM, 184 PIN, 400 MHz / PC 3200, SYNCHRONOUS
Format: PC
Please consult your motherboard manual before ordering. RAM can be fitted for you in any Special Reserve Shop

Graphics £59.99
http://uk.special.reserve.co.uk/q_GG8945_sapphire_ati_radeo.html
http://image.reserve.co.uk/products/GG8945.jpg
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600SE 128 MB AGP GRAPHICS CARD FOR PC
Format: PC
AGP Radeon Graphics cards for PC Featuring full retail version of
• ATI 9600DV chipset
• AGP 8x bus connection
• DirectX 9.1 hardware accelerator
• 128 MB DDR
• 200 MHz memory clock speed
• 325 MHz core clock speed
• 8.2 GB/sec memory bandwidth
• VGA connector for analogue CRT
• S-Video or composite connector for TV / VCR
• DVI-I connector for digital CRT or flat panel
• Up to 16x FSAA (Full Screen Anti Aliasing)





These have gone slightly over my 300 budget, but for a top notch hassle free PC I'm happy with that.....

If these are all compatable I think this computer will meet my needs and be a reasonable spec computer??

It's got all the USB ports I could need.
The space for drives etc
DVD playback capable (with my DVD drive/rewriter)

The only things I'm not sure about, is I want to be able to run this PC direct to my TV for DVD playback etc. Will this be possible, orwill I need other bits??

Many thanks for taking the time to read and any help is much much appreciated!!

PS If this setup is a silly one and you know of a much better setup in this price range then please advise. I'm starting from nothing here and I'm only guessing bits I need really...

 

Greetings everyone. This will be my first attempt at building a PC, and I am looking for advice. The goal is to make a PC using a 64-bit processor.

Budget: $2500 - $3500 U.S. dollars
Usage: Gaming, Multimedia, and large downloads.
One of it's main uses will be for using Maya.
Upgrades: Ability to ugrade the PC for the next few years.

I would prefer a quiet system as oppossed to a loud one.

---

I have a PC that's almost a year old, and I was wondering if I should sell it, salvage parts or upgrade it (maybe I could use it for my maya application).

Specs:

Mobo: Asus A7V 600
CPU: XP 2500+ 333MHZ FSB
Memory: 512Mb DDR
HD: 80GB
DVD/CD-ROM: 16xDvd + 52x CDRW (Hewlit-Packard)
AGP: 64Mb GR4/T.V. out
Sound: 3D sound
Netcard: Net 10/100
case: A7X 517
O.S.: 98SE upgraded to 2000ME

The only important aspect is that applications; such as, Maya be able to run smoothly.

Thanks in advance!

 

um maybe u should get a

a amd 64 3800+
um 2gb of ram
a x800 xt pci ex
2x 200gb hdd sata
a 74gb raptor etc
and i no i dont think you would wantr to salvage any of those parts there simply to crap for a 3.5k comp

 

Ok so i decided... Screw my old computer, im gonna
buy a new one. i have about... a 1000 dollar price
range for a motherboard processor ram and a video
card, i want to get the BEST that i can for the money i
have its gonna be for pretty much only playing games
and downloads, i also want it to be able to be
decently overclocked, any suggestions on what i
should buy? Thanks.

 

Wanted to post in The Ultimate Computer but was unable due to my status. So here is what I am working on I was in the process of building and decided to upgrade
Dream Machine

Motherboard $259.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=240418
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket939/a8nsli-d/overview.htm
http://usa.asus.com/powerup/main.htm

Processor $272.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-463&depa=0

Memory $215.50
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-449&depa=0

Hard Drives $177.00 x 2
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-160&depa=0

Video Cards $189.00 x 2
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-145-098&depa=0

DVD Burner $114.00 ~ 30.00 rebate $84.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-131-327&depa=0
Waiting on PX-716 Bugs & DL Media Prices

Power Supply $99.49
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-910&depa=0

Case $94.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-170-012&depa=0

Heat Sink & Fans $51.47
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-112-006&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-999-612&depa=0

Fan Controllers $43.98 Noise & Looks Cool
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-504&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-999-151&depa=0

Lots of Overtime! $1850.94

Any thoughts or suggestions.

 

Praetor,
I have read through pages 1-2 and 8-10, so I apologize in advance if I missed this topic somewhere in the middle (popular thread).

I am using a P3, 1Ghz system with 1 GB of ram to convert raw AVI files from my camcorder to MPEG2 using TMPGEnc. The software runs fine and does a great job with quality, but because my system is old it can take 12+ hours for long clips to render to MPEG2.

I don't use my system much for gaming, but I use it daily for office stuff and web apps. My current system works fine for this, but I am ready to build a new one that is optimized for my home video projects. My budget is between $1000 and $1300, so it is not that big, but I already have the DVD burners and all the software. I don't really care if the system is AMD or Intel, so I am completely open to suggestions.

Also, would overclocking help my conversion projects? If so, I am open to doing this as well.

 

Praetor,

you say clean out all crap in xp pro. could you expand?

thanks.

 

hi there been reading the forum and thought you all could help. I have recenlt decided to build a home theatre/gaming system out of my old p2 33mhz 64mb hdd basic system from the time of the dinosours. i dont expect to use any of the internal junk as it should be outdated. just maininly using an old aluminum case.
wondering if i could get some info on were to obtain the things i need cheap. and am not entierly clear on what will get along with other parts
i know i want:
p4 at at least 2.8 ghz with ht
compatible mobo
120 hdd
ati video card with a tv tuner and the ability to use a flat panel tv as a monitor
surround sound compatable sound card
and at least 1g ram
oh and a dvd rw/cdrw

can yall help me ive read many things on how to uild it yet have not done so yet this would be my first. i have seen the inside of my comps to change the ethernet cards and look around but not ever messed with anything major although im told its both not as hard and not as easy as it sounds.

 

oh and if you need this to help me lol, i am looking at the cheapest things or just how to get them cheaper, i want it to run smoothly but not to cost more than this computer i bought at the store and am regreting every second. ty ahead of time

 

i just built my pc this summer a custom icecube mini case with neat blue lights inside. a intel mother board 1 agp 1 pci iv got a 300 watt power suppy and a 8x dvd burner i have a 128mb ati radeon 9600 le and a 6.1 onboard sound card i have 1 gb of some cheap brand ddr 3200 ram lol and uhh.. oh yah my wireless super g eathernet card i have 4 usb and a 6pin firewire1394 i also have a optical in but i dont use that
i have round idecables that glow blue like the rest of my case and its a fully see thorugh case oh yeah i have a 160 gb maxtor hdd... hmmi dont think i missed anything but thats my baby
oh yeah lol the processor, 3.06 ghz hyperthreading and i got a nice ass blue and red thermal take polo 735 fan ontop of it to keeep it cool

 

Ok I bought this build it yourself computer off Tiger Direct. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1220949&Tab=5 I put it together but when I hit the power switch both the cooling fan and the power supply start to spin but after a second start to slow and stop. Thats it nothing else happens! Can you guys help me with this I have been working on this 8 hrs straight!!! Thx

 

Ok great I'll try that out! Could it also be possible that the electricity is grounding out? Thanks