Help me build a computer...

[jv3x3]

Alright eveyone its time for me to take the plung and build my own computer. So any vets/a knowledgable ones that would offer any help would be of much appreciation. I will cover what I want it to do, what I have, and what I need. So if you have any input on questions i have, what i need, if what i am getting is good or bad etc etc i will be forever in your favor.

Have:
Intel p4 3.0ghz w/ht and 800fsb
Intel D865GBF Motherboard w/lan and a lot of other stuff
Dell 19" trinitron monitor
Wd 100 gig hd w/8mb cache
WD 120 gig hd w/8mb cache
LiteOn 4x DVD+-R/+-RW *(just bought so can be returned, is it ok???)
Optical Mouse
Ultra 512MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory *(just bought so can be returned, is it ok??? i plan on adding another stick latter for dual channel so thats why 1 512 stick)
Radeon AIW 8500dv (havent bought just yet, any thought???)
Windows XP Pro
Office 2003 + some other software but that isnt really important

Things I still need (that i know of)
Case w/fans and power supply
DVD-Rom drive
Graphics card (?, and anyone know any good places to keep a look out for good prices on one... Hot deals here?)

I plan on using the system for pretty much everything, not really heavy gaming though. Photoshop, little web-design, office suite, music and video stuff (ie playback or simplistic dvd creation). I would also like to partition my main drive into 2 or 3 clumps. Housing a clean barbones Xp pro on one piece, a loaded Xp pro w/codecs and all that stuff on another, and maybe a unix or lunix OS on the last one. And keep all my files/video stuff/music on the other drive (maybe 2 if i add one).

So my biggest questions right now are the ram. Is it good?? Cause if i take it back it needs to be done soon.

Would the mutliple OS's be a good idea? I have never used linux before, but would like to try it. Anyone have any thoughts on it and a good free download for it? Any steps im missing to all this?

Case, fans, and power supply? This is probably one of the biggest things im clueless on. How many fans will I need? Do i need something reads tempature? Hows this kinda case http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3445639539&category=3669 ? Should I look into overclocking (id rather not unless it will make a big difference a la my old Radeon 9800 NP w/samsung memory).

Any good guides to building computers in case i am missing any steps?

So basically any thoughts, links to good products for good prices, or any help would be really appreciated. Thanks a lot and thanks to the two poster that already offered some wisdom, really appreciate it

 

[UsandThem]

Radeon AIW 8500dv (havent bought just yet, any thought???)

Kind of a slow video card for your system. Might want to go with a AIW 9600 pro if you game at all.

A good quality case like from Antec (or any other top company) would work. A good 350w power supply would be plenty for your setup. As far as fans, one intake and one rear would be plenty.

 

[Captain4]

If you don't plan to OC, you could go with some lower CFM fans that would be quieter. Pabst fans are supposed to be good.

 

[jv3x3]

Edited the first post with more info.. and thanks UsandThem and Captain4

 

[UsandThem]

Case, fans, and power supply? This is probably one of the biggest things im clueless on. How many fans will I need? Do i need something reads tempature?

Most good quality power supplies have a tempature wire which increases or decreases the fans RPM automatically.

I have this power supply in my system: Enermax EG365P-VE

My system is:

P4 2.6 Ghz
512 MB DDR 3200
Two 7200 IDE hard drives
CD burner
DVD drive

It is a fairly quiet power supply and has plenty of juice. You can also pay a little more and get a really quiet one from Antec, Zalman, Enermax, etc.

The case you provided the link to looks fine. The ram you want to know if it is good, you did not list the brand or any of the markings (such as its CAS rating).

Also, you can try overclocking but with a 3 Ghz CPU, there really is not much need.

 

[themess]

For about another 6 hours, this is a great buy in a case:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1&section=3

I am personally fond of the Antec Sonata case, which costs about $100, is quieter, and has a nicer power supply. Best Buy carries it in addition to almost every web-based supplier.

An on line guide to building a computer is available at:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20010115/index.html

Another guide is available here in two parts:

http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.html?i=283
and
http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.html?i=287

Video: It is easy to go wild. I use a card with Nvidia 5200 chipset, 128 meg and passive cooling. Several companies sell these for under $70. ATI cards with similar performance are available at similar prices.

Intel stock CPU coolers included with "retail" CPUs have a good reputation. If you don't already have one, the Vantec Aeroflow and Zalman CNPS7000 are both better coolers and quieter, but at a price.

I'll stay silent on fancy memory, I'm now using PNY with good results.

Linux may be the O/S of the future. Mandrake 9.2 is probably the most friendly to new users. Download it directly from Mandrake at:

http://www1.mandrakelinux.com/en/

If you don't have a broadband connection, the "ISO image" disks can be (legally) purchased from:

http://linuxcentral.com/_v3/

Mandrake includes installation tools and can set up dual boot systems, which requires some interesting partitioning but works fine. Installation on a second HD is probably the best way to start. Another Linux distribution to consider in Knoppix, which can be run directly from a CD without installing it onto a hard drive. It is also available from Linux Central. If you use Linux you'll quickly be immersed in the computer as a data processing machine, not a mere platform for games and internet access. Books tend to be written for those who already understand operating systems and systems administration at a fairly advanced level. Browse user reviews of Linux books in Amazon to get ones that are good for you, and find a user group near your area.

 

[jv3x3]

Thanks UsandThem and themess

I would like to get something all in one as far as case/power supply/fans...Unless it is a better deal to buy seperately. Its usually cheaper to get them all in one. Id like a case that is sharp looking though, the antecs didnt impress me. But then again it might look better in person. What do you guys think about this case. I realize the power supply is important and could fry my whole system, so i dont wanna skimp on that. And i also think i will be using the case for some time. But dont want to spend more than about 90 bucks for all of it. Should i spend some time on ebay? Anyway here is the case, it seems to have auto temp fan control on the ps and some other important features. Does it run quiet and is it a good brand?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-125-272&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

themess, yeah i think lunix has got a lot of potential so thats why i want to start using it. You sound like you def. know what you are talking about with it, so i will use that Mandrake. You think it would be better to run it on a different hard drive all together? Like i said i would prefer to put all my os's on one hard-drive. Im gonna have at least one 100 gig and one 160 gig, and maybe as high as one 100 gig and 2 200 gig hds.

Another question is am I going to have trouble partitioning and creating a bois (wd boot disk will do this for me right?) without a floopy drive? Can i burn the floopy disk from wd onto a cd and boot from there?

The ram is fine, correct?

As for the video card, i will keep a look out for a good deal on a newer radeon or something.

 

[Matthias99]

The problem with getting the power supply and case together is that unless it's a name-brand company (like Antec) making the case, you're likely to get a *very* bad power supply (even if it's a "400W" or whatever). It's not a money savings, it's a quality thing. Chieftec's pretty reputable, so you'd probably be fine with whatever PSU they include.

Another question is am I going to have trouble partitioning and creating a bois (wd boot disk will do this for me right?) without a floopy drive? Can i burn the floopy disk from wd onto a cd and boot from there?

I'm not sure what a "bois" is (perhaps some horribly misguided reference to a BIOS?), but nowadays you can partition and format your hard disks while you install Windows (at least with XP/NT/2000). Just boot up off the Windows CD; it's very straightforwards if you know anything about partitions. If you make multiple partitions (or have multiple drives), you can install Linux on one of them later and use the Windows boot loader to choose which OS to come up with when you start your computer.

The ram is fine, correct?

You still haven't told us what kind of RAM it is. "Ultra" is not a brand name -- is it made by Crucial, Kingston, Buffalo, Micron, Mushkin, Geil, PNY, or someone else?

For a video card -- if you don't play games (or newer games), pretty much anything at the level of a GeForce2 or above will be fine (get at least that, because at some point *someone* will want to do something using 3D on your system). If you do play games, I'd recommend something like a GeForce4 Ti4600 or RADEON 9600 Pro, or, if you want to go all-out, a GeForceFX 5900 Non-Ultra or RADEON 9800 Non-Pro. At the high end would be a RADEON 9800 Pro, or you could wait a few months for the next-generation parts from ATI and NVIDIA. Newegg refurb cards are a *great* deal, although don't buy an ATI "All-In-Wonder" card from there -- it won't come with any of the cables or the remote control. And watch out for "SE" or "Lite" or "Value" edition cards; they usually suck.

 

[jv3x3]

Yeah, bois was supposed to be bios... Just a simple misspelling, horribley misguided reference seems a bit too drastic. But yeah, lol, i spelled it wrong

Ultra is the brand, heres a link http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=520706&sku=U10-4902
Sony may be the manufacture though

 

[UsandThem]

I have never heard of "Ultra" brand ram. Since I have never heard of them or seen their product, I can't comment on their quality. I don't think I would buy their ram. I have always bought name brand ram such as Crucial, Kingston, PNY, etc.

A good quality power supply is very important. You can always buy a fancy case, but unless it is made from a quality company, they will probably put in a cheap power supply, regardless of it's wattage. As far as Chieftec, I know they have been around for awhile, but I have never used one before. I wouldn't know how good or bad their included power supplies are.

As far as hard drives, you can partition it during the Windows setup. Also, most hard drives come with some kind of partition/formatting program that can partition/format in a Windows environment (when you are at your desktop).

 

[jv3x3]

Thanks, glad a can partition with windows.

How is the power supply with the Antec Sonata??? Anyone know

Also, this ram is starting to worry me since no one has any experience with it. Should i just stick with a bigger brand?

 

[myocardia]

I have Ultra ram (I bought the PC3700), and it works just fine for me. I OC as high as 2.4ghz with my XP2400, which is a 400mhz OC. I dropped my multiplier way down to 11.5, to take advantage of higher fsb's, and have had good results with the ram itself.

edit: Antec makes the best cases, and some of the best power supplies around. I have an Antec case and an Antec power supply, and am very glad I bought both. The Sonata is a nice case, because it has an "automotive" paint job (very shiny-- nice looking), like my case has, and a good Antec psu, which is powerful enough for OCing.