Building new PC-need help

[Guy400]

Guys, I'm getting ready to build another PC and was looking for some advice. I'm not actually building it, merely being the bankroll behind the project. A friend of mine is setting it all up for me. I need to purchase a motherboard, a CPU and a video card. I know nothing about motherboards. I'm obviously deciding between AMD and Intel P-IV processors but am unsure. I'm leaning towards AMD unless someone can give me good reasons not to. Then I'm up in the air in terms of video cards but am looking at GeForce4's. I'm looking for CPU speeds in the 1.5g+ range.

Any help would be appreciated!

[p@iNn3ck]

check out Tiger Direct (http://www.tigerdirect.com)
They have some good prices.... also check www.pricewatch.com

What are you gonna use the pc for? Just general email/web....or gaming/video/graphics?

Motherboards - Abit, Asus, Tyan... anything that will support the processor you choose. Speaking of processors, get the fastest one you can afford (shouldn't be that big a $ diff between 1.5 up to maybe 2.4) Plus, get as much memory as you can.

Check Hardware guide (http://www.tomshardware.com/) ... great info on motherboards, etc.... speed, ratings, etc.

gforce video card, get a ti (4200, 4600) NOT an mx. Pny makes some good video cards with gForce chips.

Let me know if you need more or reviews of the parts you pick.

[MeatHead]

I have always been partial to AMD for the processor. But it is really just a personal preference anymore.

Memory - get at least 512M of DDR333 or DDR400. Its not that expensive these days.

Motherboards - I have had good luck with Asus, Tyan, and MSI. I have had bad luck with Abit, and Gigabit. Every Abit board I had has failed on me. They used low quality capacitors that leaked.

I would also agree on the video card. Get a GeForce 4 Ti 4600. Unless you get a nForce 2 motherboard. Which is the way to go if you are not into serious gaming, and want something that will perform well, but not break the bank. Asus has a nice nForce 2 board out now. I believe it is the A7N8X. If you can spring for the deluxe version it comes with dual ethernet connections, 5.1 audio, Firewire, USB2, SATA, and it supports DDR400.

[BigAl]

Asus Motherboards are my pick for AMD
They are also good for Intel chips, but you can't beat an Intel M/B for stability and compatibility, but they are a little higher.

http://www.anandtech.com is another very good site for reccomendations.

I would save money on the processor, and splurge on the RAM, you can't hardly tell the difference between a 1.5Ghz and 2.0Ghz,
but the extra RAM will help.

Unless you are a SERIOUS gamer, any of the older Gforce cards will be great.

[Knight440]

Asus Motherboards are my pick for AMD


:cool: Great choice:cool:

[Knight440]

Now that I think of it I went from a Honda & a Intel to a AMD and a C-Dale:rolleyes:

[JLanphear]

So do you have the case and everything already? You just need to Mobo and CPU and vid card? If so you'll get out of it pretty cheap, or course even with the other stuff you can get out pretty decent if you shop around.

p@iNn3ck was right about www.pricewatch.com , they are usually the best place to find the best prices on stuff. Though what I do is find a good store on there with good all around prices and buy everything I need through one place, you may pay a little bit more for some products, but you save on individual shipping prices and it's a lot easier if there is a service issue.

A good all around site I like is www.acicomputerstore.com . I haven't built a PC for a little while now (6 months or so), but their prices have always seemed pretty good. I've never had any issues regarding service either. If you need the computer case and everything check out there barebone deals, and if you only need the mobo and cpu they sell combos at pretty good prices too.

As for AMD or P4, I personally can't tell much of a difference between the two, and I think most people you talk to would have a different opinion on each. I am running an AMD 1400 in one of my systems I built last year or so and I can't complain about it at all. I chose AMD because of the price difference, at the time it was a lot cheaper. I'm also running a cheap motherboard (ECS) and can't complain about the performance, though I have seen a couple of issues where it doesn't support as wide of a variety of video cards and other peripherals as lets say a nice name brand like Asus, but it was half the price so I can deal. My video card is an ATI Radeon 64mb , which was the most you could get at the time I bought it. Now a 128mb card is pretty much standard for advanced gaming and stuff. Nvidia Geforce is a deffinatly a good choice. My ATI is okay too, but I'd probably get Geforce next time. www.acicomputerstore.com had a smokin deal on a 128mb card....I can't remember exactly what, but it was an Nvidia based chipset and I think it was only like $65 or so....You don't see that every day.

I've got a P4 1.8ghz with motherboard sitting in a box, but I haven't tried it yet. I think that I'll be upgrading to that for a little more performance, still can't complain about my old AMD though.

Anyway, hope this helps.

-Josh

[Knight440]

Originally posted by JLanphear
So do you have the case and everything already? You just need to Mobo and CPU and vid card? If so you'll get out of it pretty cheap, or course even with the other stuff you can get out pretty decent if you shop around.

p@iNn3ck was right about www.pricewatch.com , they are usually the best place to find the best prices on stuff. Though what I do is find a good store on there with good all around prices and buy everything I need through one place, you may pay a little bit more for some products, but you save on individual shipping prices and it's a lot easier if there is a service issue.

A good all around site I like is www.acicomputerstore.com . I haven't built a PC for a little while now (6 months or so), but their prices have always seemed pretty good. I've never had any issues regarding service either. If you need the computer case and everything check out there barebone deals, and if you only need the mobo and cpu they sell combos at pretty good prices too.

As for AMD or P4, I personally can't tell much of a difference between the two, and I think most people you talk to would have a different opinion on each. I am running an AMD 1400 in one of my systems I built last year or so and I can't complain about it at all. I chose AMD because of the price difference, at the time it was a lot cheaper. I'm also running a cheap motherboard (ECS) and can't complain about the performance, though I have seen a couple of issues where it doesn't support as wide of a variety of video cards and other peripherals as lets say a nice name brand like Asus, but it was half the price so I can deal. My video card is an ATI Radeon 64mb , which was the most you could get at the time I bought it. Now a 128mb card is pretty much standard for advanced gaming and stuff. Nvidia Geforce is a deffinatly a good choice. My ATI is okay too, but I'd probably get Geforce next time. www.acicomputerstore.com had a smokin deal on a 128mb card....I can't remember exactly what, but it was an Nvidia based chipset and I think it was only like $65 or so....You don't see that every day.

I've got a P4 1.8ghz with motherboard sitting in a box, but I haven't tried it yet. I think that I'll be upgrading to that for a little more performance, still can't complain about my old AMD though.

Anyway, hope this helps.

-Josh

100%

[cudaman]

theres a new geforce FX card. i guess its pretty bad@ss. on the mem thing. get like a gig. i have 512 ddr pc2100 and i wish i had more. ram is very handy. and its cheap. i also agree on the amd and the asus.

[RAGE]

Anything below 2 gigahertz go AMD.
Above that it becomes personal preference.

Asus and buy GOOD QUALITY ram not the cheapest you can find.

[Castor-426ex]

guy any ?s you have about it let me know ive built several and prob can help

watercooling is my specialty.....hehe

[cudaman]

watercooling is sick!! how much something like that cost?

[Castor-426ex]

depends on how you want it done...

copper, aluminum....plus what components you want h20 cooled...such as gpu, cpu, memory...ect:D

[Dune Surfer]

All these guys know their stuff. AMD is a better chip for the money. Asus and Msi are good boards. I am using a msi now and the last one I built was an asus. The msi cost a little less. Get as much memory as you can afford. I agree with the gforce 4200. Try to get a 128 mb model. One thing no one has covered is a power supply. Get a good one I see more failures from the power supply than anything. A decent sound card is good to have. You can get one that is not cutting edge for cheap. the sound blaster 512 is a steal.

[Leo]

I've had great luck with my Asus mobo...

Spend good money for good ram, and a good power supply (like everyone's been saying ;))..

When I built mine I actually got less processor than I wanted, but spent the extra money on quality ram / mobo / case..

PC is rock solid.. Even running windows ME (yuck) it never suffers a dreaded BSOD..

Leo

[Guy400]

I had a chance to talk with the guy that's going to build it for me a little more yesterday. Here's the plan so far:
MSI motherboard
At least 512k of RAM, nothing less and maybe more
AMD processor, 1.4-2.0 range
GeForce4 video card, 128k

I'll have to crack my case and take a look at the power supply I've got now and see what the word is on it. Thanks guys!

[Castor-426ex]

i would have sold you my alienware:D

[Dune Surfer]

Originally posted by Guy400
I had a chance to talk with the guy that's going to build it for me a little more yesterday. Here's the plan so far:
MSI motherboard
At least 512k of RAM, nothing less and maybe more
AMD processor, 1.4-2.0 range
GeForce4 video card, 128k

I'll have to crack my case and take a look at the power supply I've got now and see what the word is on it. Thanks guys!

Sounds like we are going to have the same computer:D msi mobo
amd 1700, 396 megs ddr 2100, geforce 4200, dvd,cdr,hercules game theater sound, logitec 4.1 speakers. extra cooling fans.
works well and not to costly to build.

[Castor-426ex]

awe just buy my alienware

lol

[MOFO]

Originally posted by Guy400

At least 512k of RAM, nothing less and maybe more




I would ask him for a bit more than 512k. More like 512MB.


LOL, sorry...knew what you meant, just had to point that out though...


Sounds like a good system, as long as the price is right...

[Castor-426ex]

you need at least one gig of ddr 400

corsair of coarse :D

[RAGE]

Look into a antec power supply if one doesn't come with the case. Some of these guys are telling you to use high end products in a low end machine really. If you can find out what they want to do with the machine that would be big help. Reason being if they plan on doing email and surfing the web then a gig of ram and a ti4200 are way overboard.

[pane2k]

hey guy 400 whats up. Heres my advice lol i dont know if it means anything to you, but personally I think the ATI cards make Geforce look like crap.
If i was building another computer I would defintly go with a ATI card. Theyre more compatible in my opinion and the graphics are alot better. As far as Pentium 4 and AMD processors go. it depends on how your going to be using your computer. If your a big time gamer and thats all you will be using your comp for then i suggest the AMD processor. If your going to be using your computer for the internet, paper work, etc. Then i suggest the Pentium 4. The pentium processors are a better all around card, they also run cooler. They also offer a good gaming experience but the AMD is like a gaming processor. They have the ultimate graphcis but run a little hotter .
Let me know what you decide.

Later,
john

[Rip_Tear]

I wouldn't get a MSI motherboard, I just don't like them, I have had problems in the past with them. I would stay with Asus, or Abit for motherboards, don't stray from them and you will be fine. I would go with AMD processor (speed depends on you...) Geforce 4 video card, Creative sound blaster sound card. Stay away from any other video card other then Nividia for compatibility issues. 512megs of ram is good. What size HD you thinking of? I would go with atleast 40gig, not sure what brand. Good luck Guy. I built this computer...

AMD 1.33ghz
Geforce 2 MX 64mb
X Gamer Sound Blaster
40gig Maxtor (7500 rpm)
6.4gig Fugi (5400 rpm)
(I have a bad mobo) Iwill (it was cheap and supposed to be good, I had an MSI before it...)
Klipsch Speakers!
and 196megs of ram

[Castor-426ex]

Originally posted by RAGE
Look into a antec power supply if one doesn't come with the case. Some of these guys are telling you to use high end products in a low end machine really. If you can find out what they want to do with the machine that would be big help. Reason being if they plan on doing email and surfing the web then a gig of ram and a ti4200 are way overboard.

there is no such thing

[Dune Surfer]

Originally posted by Castor-426ex
there is no such thing :D :D

[Guy400]

LMAO...I didn't even realize it, Eric. 512mb of RAM is what I meant to say (you probably thought I was trying to build a Commodore 64 talking in k's). This computer is going to be used for checking emails, surfing the web here and gaming. While I'm not a huge gamer I do play tons of Red Alert, Yuri's Revenge and want to start on Generals but my present PC isn't big enough to run it. Eric, in terms of price, the guy said I can get my motherboard, CPU, video card and RAM for under $350 (as long as my present case will work).

About motherboards, the guy who's putting this together for me said he's never had good luck with Asus boards but all his MSI's have been much more compatible so that's probably what I'll be going with.

I'm keeping my present hard drive. It's only a 20gig but I've had this PC for 3 years now and have just over 4.2gig on it so space isn't a concern for me. I'm very anal about keeping things on my PC that aren't important so if it's not a video or my pictures it doesn't get saved.

[Instinctz]

Yeah I would say 512mb should work fine, anything over 2ghz should be fine as well. Games, are just starting to take advantage of all that memory, but once they do.. having a good 1gig of ram can be handy..

[Jellyrolls]

The video card is only dependent on if youa re going to play video games....if your not going to play games then gforce 4 is useless and too expensive
but if you ARE going to play games get...will be the best investment

[Instinctz]

Geforce 4 is not expensive.. mx'es are cheap.. but I wouldnt buy one. GF Ti 4 128mb would be ideal, and just around $100.

Even for non-games the card helps alot.

[cudaman]

dont get an mx. even though they are cheap. if you look at the specs there are barely different then a geforece 2. they are crappy. dont buy one

[Castor-426ex]

i do not like any geforce cards i have gotten the best results from my slightly overclocked ati radeon 8500le with 128mb of ddr...(also clocked up) than any of the ti geforce4s ive played with

but my new system will take full advantage of 8x agp and the highest bandwidth memory available....


Guy give Gigabyte motherboards a shot....also soyo dragons are very potent...depends on what you want...lol

just make sure the bios is up to date....(call whoever the motherboard vendor is to find out)

the main thing about a personal built pc is making sure the bios settings are correct....i dont know if this is over anyones head....but things to look at are "agp aperture size" if it isnt set correctly this can severly lag overall system performance...it should be set at half the amount of your physical memory content...

say you have 512mb of ram then the agp aperture should be 256

also make sure to find out what the maximum amount of memory the motherboard will handle...even so...sometimes the OS you are using has its own limit

[crazybuffalo]

i would go with an ati radeon 9000+ or what ever the new ones called since it has the best performance on the market and they say the acctual speeds on the amds are lower than the intels but the cpu runs programs or whatever you can throw at it faster than the p4. so id go with amd and ati. but as far as the mother board i would look into an asus

[Castor-426ex]

what its all about is a race for clock speed....but thats not what makes a better cpu.....its workload...and operations per clock cycle that the cpu can handle...and the heat it puts off....

go with an amd xp...or wait for what they have coming

intel may have higher clock speeds...but heat will kill a computer

amd builds the cpu for what it is going to be used for...

intel is a great cpu...but its downfalls are thermal output and stability while multitasking...the newer cpus have begun using the new thinner core thickness and this has helped in matters

it is all about what you want... i have never had an amd cpu to fail...and let me tell you i will put one through hell

I overclocked an amd xp1500 which is 1333mhz to nearly 1800mhz with forced air...and it ran stable, but warm


awe i could go on forever :D

[RAGE]

Originally posted by Castor-426ex
there is no such thing
There is no such thing as what?

[Dune Surfer]

Originally posted by RAGE
There is no such thing as what?

Overkill, when it comes to computers:D

[Castor-426ex]

Originally posted by RAGE
There is no such thing as what?

toothfairy,....santa,.......easter bunny,......and oh yeah Tax refunds:grr

[RAGE]

Originally posted by Dune Surfer
Overkill, when it comes to computers:D

I kind of have to disagree there. Tell me where it makes sense to go out and pay for the latest technology when I am building a computer for my parents if all they are going to do is email and play solitare. No sense in dropping $1200 on a deck of cards and a pad, pen and a book of stamps. That is overkill. :D

Its why I asked what he was going to be doing with it.

[Castor-426ex]

ya never know the folks could be doing other things than what they say theyll be ...then theyll need the extra goodies...


computers are made for learning

well....and for all you porn leaders out there....lmgdfao