Well its about that time. My computer is getting old. It runs oblivion pretty good, but shes getting tired.

So fellas, my knowledge of computers is outdated. I built this beast 2002 or 2003 i dont remember. Anyway i need to do some research. Anybody got a good link on technical information on computer assembly. Any jackass can throw parts together to build a computer, thats easy. But i want to get somewhat in depth.

If you think you know the best way to build a computer feel free to post it. Im going to do a lot of research no matter what, but suggestions/opinnions on the best build are always welcome.

Im willing to spend some cash on this one.

 

why not take that money and go out and buy the best laptop u can buy!thats the way too go .imo ps and ive built alot of pcs!

 

I'm still running the p3 933 dually I built fall of 01, but I'll probably buy my next one,

 

wheres ryan when i need him

 

Try Tom's Hardware site it has a wealth of info.

http://www.tomshardware.com/

The current trend is to get a laptop, but unless you need the portabilty forget it.

Desktop PC's have CPU speeds up around 3 Ghz Laptops are around 2 Ghz.

Desktops have room for expansion, Laptops do not.

Parts for desktops are readily available. Laptop parts have to get from the manufacturer and they discontinue them quickly.

I would recommend comparing the Dell or Gateway systems with what it is going to cost to build your own. It will probably be cheaper to buy one of these and beef it up than to start from scratch..

How much you have to spend? That will be a deciding factor.

If you opt for the Laptop I highly recommend the longest warranty they offer..

Those LCD screens can be expensive to replace.

 

Wait!Thats right wait if there is any truth to what is being said about major changes coming within the next six months,waiting until fall seems like a logical idea.

 

Well, If you have built one nothing has realy changed. About the only change is the number of pins on the CPU.

If you are wanting a new and up-to-date system of the average kind, buy it.
If you are wanting a high end system you are best to build it because to buy it would take an arm and leg or 3!

 

For hardware try http://www.newegg.com. You can buy parts from many suppliers and save a couple bucks but you will lose them in time and aggravation.

My son builds high end computers for gamers and friends all the time. There is more to it than slapping parts together. You have to know which parts to slap together so they work well. Every part must be carefully chosen. He gets paid for his expertise tho. I would never buy a retail type packaged computer, they are full of proprietary parts and software and are 2X as expensive as making the equivalent with good parts and software. Nor would I buy a laptop for the expansion and parts reasons.

 

I know quite a bit about computers as it is. Id just like to take my knowledge to the next level.

Its deffinatly not gonna be a laptop, and it will be for gaming. Im going to build it myself. Those are the "for sures" right now.

 

a got a decent deal on mine a local computer shop. They called it the "core 2 duo bare bones bundle"

came with a fancy metallic black and white case, a Asus P5PE-VM mother board, a Intel core 2 duo processor [3 ghz], and a 300 watt power supply all for 650 bucks. the base setup came with a 80 gig harddrive, i upgraded to a 500 gig. it came with 512 mb of ram, i upgraded to 2 gigs [DDR400]. All together i walked out the door about 825 bucks poorer. I pulled my memorex 52/32/52 CD burner, and my Sony dual layer dvd writer out of my old machine an stuck them in the good one. all together i have less then a thousand bucks in this machine. I went over kill on everything, its more computer then I'll ever need so hopefully it be a while before i retire it.

2002 or 03 don't seem to old at all. i still have my IBM 300pl kicking around, 600 mhz p3. It ran xp pro just fine, got a little bogged down when i burned cds or dvds on it. i have a hobby of dragging home peoples old junk computers they toss out on junk day. got quite the stock pile of parts. I keep my two good ones up and running and tinker with the others when i need something to do.

Don't laugh, i found my LCD monitor in the junk pile at someones house. I guess they thought since the computer had a virus [trojan peacom] they had to throw the whole thing away. made off with the monitor, dolby 5.1 speakers and sub, a laser mouse, nice key board. the computer was a gateway, p4, had two 80 gig hard drives and a gig of ram. all sitting on the side of the road. I wiped out the hard drives and installed xp, i sold the tower for a hundred bucks. some people are dumb.

 

This may be a little high end on building Overclockers.com, but as others have said, wait a bit longer if you can. The CPU prices will drop some more very soon. The overclocker article by Kyle (linked) doesn't pull any punches on a Pentium D or an Asus motherboard as he advises you to get better versions of each.

I read Tom's but, I really don't trust them when discussing AMD vs Intel.

Can you use the case, power supply etc. from you old computer? You maybe should consider getting a new power supply anyhow as it is one of the most impotant items in your computer.

Enjoy your new build.

 

check out www.pcmech.com
Seems like a world of info there and their forums are top notch like FTE.

 

The current ARS 'hot rod' box looks like a nice setup:

www.arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/guide-200703.ars

They have been recommending different systems for years and usually have good picks.

 

Ok now were talking. Good advice guys.

 

Their "Hot Rod" box is probably the closest fit to what most folks are willing to pay, but I would make a couple changes if it is going to spend time as a gaming rig.

For starters the Intel E6400 processor needs to get ditched in favor of the E6600. Plain & simple. In resource intensive applications (i.e. games, in this case) 4MB of on-board cache is going to edge out a processor with only 2MB of on-board cache.

Secondly, I would set the minimal memory requirement at 2GB. If you can afford to bump it to 4GB--under whatever constraints there are for the motherboard you choose--I would suggest 4GB. This is just a means of future-proofing your new box, and it provides a performance boost by not having to cache any of its memory to the hard drive when you bounce between applications. Buying 4GB of memory upfront also ensures that you have the exact same memory....buying matching memory 2 years from now may be a bit "interesting."

For hard drive(s), I would strongly suggest sticking with Western Digital Raptors. I was simply amazed when I bought my first WD Raptor...my load times were cut down drastically. Until something faster than the Raptors comes out, I cannot imagine going back to a "standard" 7,200 RPM drive.

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As for shopping, you can hit www.pricewatch.com and do some searches there. But, to be brutally honest, you might as well just hit www.newegg.com & order everything there. They have been extremely competitive on almost everything computer-related that I've bought over the past couple of years. While you might save a couple bucks on one part or another from some obscure company, you will likely end up eating that price difference up with the added shipping & handling charges. And, New Egg is really good about their S&H rates and throwing in free 2-3 day shipping. (who doesn't like their stuff sooner?!!?)


Just my two cents.