Building new system. Need advice.

[PuterRookie]

Hello Guys & Gals.

I am in the process of building my first computer. I can't see spending $2000 for something I can build for $900. I am a diesel mechanic by trade, so putting the components together is no problem. But I forsee some confusion in configuring and setting up on the first bootup. Maybe someone could post a link for a guide to setting up computers, or just point me in the right direction. I haven't bought all of the components yet, but here is what I plan on getting;

Asus A7N8X Deluxe
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
Asus GeForce 4 Ti 4200 8X 128meg
40 gig HDD
2 sticks Crucial 256 (2700)
DVD-Rom
Windows XP home
US Robotics 5686 external modem (no cable or DSL in my area)
Plus the case w/350 watt power supply, monitor, speakers keyboard/mouse, floppy

Thanks, in advance.

Hated homework 20 years ago, and yep, still do. LOL

 

[microAmp]

This should help you a little bit.

Also, in your system specs, make sure you get a quality power supply, not a generic name one. Antec, Sparkle, are a some of the good ones out there.

If you plan to buy all this online, take a look over at NewEgg.com and when you are buying at least one hardware item there, you can pick up WinXP Home for @$90 OEM version. Basically it comes with super wimpy manual, which you don't need one anyways.

 

[chipy]

In addition to what Motoamd posted, there are sites all over the Internet on building computers. Just do a search on google.com. Make sure you are static-free when building your PC or it might damage the components. Also, don't forget to use thermal compound on your processor.

I also prefer Windows XP Pro over the Home edition because it has a few more security and administration features. Here's a comparison on the two: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Hope this helps!
Chipy

 

[sgopal2]

What type of HD are you getting?

I suggest one with at least 7200 RPM and transfer speeds that can accomodate ATA 100.

There are newer drives coming out that take advantage of ATA 133 and Serial ATA connectors...you may want to consider this for the future.

Also add to your system:

Tube of artic silver (thermal paste)
4 Case fans
Rounded IDE cables

You also didn't mention what type of heatsink/fan you will be getting for the CPU...you should probably do some research on this as well.

 

[AtomicDude512]

Originally posted by: PuterRookie
Hello Guys & Gals.

I am in the process of building my first computer. I can't see spending $2000 for something I can build for $900. I am a diesel mechanic by trade, so putting the components together is no problem. But I forsee some confusion in configuring and setting up on the first bootup. Maybe someone could post a link for a guide to setting up computers, or just point me in the right direction. I haven't bought all of the components yet, but here is what I plan on getting;

Asus A7N8X Deluxe
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
Asus GeForce 4 Ti 4200 8X 128meg
40 gig HDD
2 sticks Crucial 256 (2700)
DVD-Rom
Windows XP home
US Robotics 5686 external modem (no cable or DSL in my area)
Plus the case w/350 watt power supply, monitor, speakers keyboard/mouse, floppy

Thanks, in advance.

Hated homework 20 years ago, and yep, still do. LOL

Wow. For being new to computers impressive that you know about Dual-Channel, not a lot of newbies I come across know that...

But yeah! That looks like a solid budget gamer, mine's basically the same except for a XP 1700.

 

[PuterRookie]

Originally posted by: sgopal2
What type of HD are you getting?

I suggest one with at least 7200 RPM and transfer speeds that can accomodate ATA 100.

There are newer drives coming out that take advantage of ATA 133 and Serial ATA connectors...you may want to consider this for the future.

Also add to your system:

Tube of artic silver (thermal paste)
4 Case fans
Rounded IDE cables

You also didn't mention what type of heatsink/fan you will be getting for the CPU...you should probably do some research on this as well.

Sorry I didn't add the details.
Maxtor 40 gb 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE Ultra ATA 133
Seektime <10ms
Cache 2mb

Plus I am adding 2 fans (don't plan on OCing)

Why the rounded cables?

On the heatsink/fan I was going to get the retail CPU with H/F

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The rounded cables are just neater and help with air flow inside the case, besides they're very inexpensive at places like SVC. You can route the flat ribbon cables that come with most boards and tie 'em up to make 'em very neat and give good air flow too but it's extra time vs a couple bucks for the rounders so I get the rounders BTW, Since you aren't going to overclock the retail CPU with stock cooler is fine as I've built many workstation and budget systems for clients using the stock cooler and thermal pad and never had to service one due to a problem created by it and the 3yrs warranty is nice for peace of minds sake if you don't upgrade very often. Looks to me like you will have a sweet system, just be forewarned, you will get hooked and you will end up overclocking the devil outta your stuff because you can! Good luck and have fun with your build

Edit: FYI, I've read some claims that the rounded cables increase cross-talk and can cause data loss/performance issues but I've had no such problems and neither have many of the other forum members here using them so I'll be sticking with them till such time as I'm affected by the issue

 

[sgopal2]

I think you will need more fans than just 2.

My case can accomodate up a total of up to 7 fans:
4 case fans (2 front, 2 back) + PSU power fan + CPU heatsink/fan + Chipset fan

Depending on what type of case you have, you will probably need some more airflow. I suggest getting at least 1 for the front and 2 for the back.

Good luck.

 

[PuterRookie]

Thanks very much guys.
I will take all of your advice and put it to good use.
DAPUNISHER, you're probably right on overclocking, but not untill I get real comfortable navigating the BIOS & whatnot.

 

[PuterRookie]

Well, after doing alot more research, I've decided to go with an Epox 8RDA+ instead of the Asus A7N8x. And going to put in Corsair XMS memory. What do ya think?

 

[Duvie]

DVD-rom suggestion...get the lite-on 16x48x dvd-rom...nothing touches it for speed of dae and dvd ripping as well as it idles down when running dvds and is virtually quite...I have seen the toshiba and pioneer and I hear no difference....


I also think the 2100+ xp is the sweet spot for bang for the buck!!!