[frogg]

Hello. I am planning to build a computer, cause the one I am using is 7 years old (actual age x12 = computer age, so its like 84 years old.) And not new enough for stuff i would like to do, such as playing games that were made after 2003.

I am cheap, and planning to salvage my old comp's case, power supply, and fan. I was going to just use those in the new comp, unless you can convince me I need new ones. Also, medessec gave me a dvd drive that works splendidly, so I can use that for a drive.
So, what I believe I do need is a motherboard, hard drive, processor, videocard, and operating system (probably the win 7 64-bit home premium oem). Buying this stuff on newegg or whatever would be fine, although Fry's is an actual store that I can return stuff to much easier if I need to, so I'd prefer to go there.

What can you people that have built computers in the past recommend for me? I am trying to keep this at least somewhat cheap. That way I could probably get my parents to pay for most of it anyway (twould be shared with my brother and sister).

[Tinytimrob]

Jesan is the best person to help you in this matter because he is closer to you and knows the market better based on where you live.

[frogg]

aye

[Jesan]

Uh... your power supply probably has no SATA connectors, but I'd have to see to be able to tell you.

Also, for starters, is it a Pentium 3 or Pentium 4?

[Medessec]

Pentium 4 Gateway computer.

I think if you're going to start from scratch, the current case will do, although it will look unsightly, unless you like the idea of disguising a modern computer as a horribly outdated Gateway.

I say green flag on the getting a new-mobo, as all modern graphics cards that you will want require PCI-Express, and your current motherboard does not supply that.

I suppose you can find a motherboard with a VGA port on it already, so you can simply use it's built-on graphics until you find a suitable graphics card.

But then again if you're buying a whole new motherboard you've got the RAM(DDR2? DDR3?) and the HD(SATA? Solid State?) and the processor(AMD? Intel?) to worry about.

Maybe you can actually consider inviting Jesse over so he can see the desktop and tell you straight away what needs to be done to bring you up to date.

[Tinytimrob]

I can only base my discussions on UK prices because I don't know any US shopping sites. But here goes anyway.

I can build a brand new Kumara computer system for around £215 which is roughly $325. If you are looking to use your computer for gaming then I recommend something considerably better than this (the Kumara is designed as a budget office machine for those that only do word processing and browse the internet). I don't think you're saving much reusing the case, PSU or fans though. The power unit is probably far too low in terms of wattage, won't have any SATA drive connectors, and the case probably has insufficient air flow meaning that your new system will run very hot. In the UK you can buy all of that brand new for around £20 (roughly $30) if you get cheap enough parts. I personally advise replacing them Get a nice roomy ATX case and a PSU with a decent wattage (450W+), this will make it much more comfortable when choosing other parts. I usually go with a 500W power unit because it means that I never have to worry about power (or lack of it)

First step in building a computer is simply to decide between an Intel or AMD processor. I prefer Intel processors, but AMD are considerably cheaper and Jesan favours them. With my experience AMD processors run at higher temperatures. It really doesn't matter in the long run, since the only real things this will affect are the Motherboard and CPU you end up buying, all the other hardware is still standard nowadays. Take a look at the CPUs, put them into a list (Intel vs AMD) and try to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each one (what cache does it have, what speed is it, what extensions does it support). I once made the mistake of buying tbe best CPU I could find for my previous computer's dated AMD mainboard (a 2 Ghz Sempron) and not realising that it wouldn't run Adobe Creative Suite because it didn't support SSE extensions. On the other hand, the 500Mhz Intel Pentium III did support these extensions but was too slow. It's all about finding the right compromise.

Then you need to choose between DDR2 or DDR3 memory. DDR2 is cheaper, but DDR3 is faster. If you are building an office machine then 2GB will do, but if you are gaming then you almost certainly want 4GB.

Next, decide how much hard disk space you want. I suggest 500GB as a minimum nowadays, but you can safely go for 750GB or 1TB if you feel you need to. Try and find a good deal by looking at the buffer sizes and finding one with at least a 16MB buffer (32MB is good but more difficult to find). Also, be sure to buy a SATA-300 hard disk and not one of these old SATA-150 or ATA-133 drives.

Now you need to search for a graphics card. I like nVidia, but Jesan favours ATI, so if you want help with comparing the performance of nVidia cards then I can help you, but if you're looking at ATI cards then seek Jesan for help.

In terms of an optical drive, any old drive will do as long as it can burn DVDs, they're all roughly the same now. I usually go for LG Electronics because they are in my opinion the best, but there are much cheaper drives out there.

For the operating system you should be looking at Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM. This is the most sensibly priced version of Windows at the moment in terms of value for money.

Once you've decided all these things, hunt for a motherboard that supports whatever other parts you selected. I usually go for Gigabyte motherboards, but it doesn't make much difference if you aren't a techy. Add up the cost and see if it fits your budget. If it is too expensive, look back and see if you can cut the cost of anything.

[Jesan]

Well, I figured I'd give you a $500 budget goal machine based on what you said, Frogg.

http://www.newegg.co...st=Combo.354128

The actual design is for a media center PC, but the same specs will work for a regular computer. The only downside is it requires low profile expansion cards..... But this doesn't matter too much as the integrated graphics are ATI 4200 which I have my parent's desktop and FAR exceeds Medessec's 3650 and probably 4 billion times faster than whatever you've been using.

The processor is also triple core with 6mb lvl 3 cache WHICH I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS! I would rather you get a nice i5 processor, but they are still too expensive and for NOW the Phenom II Black Editions still kick Intel's butt.
4GB of memory is my personal minimum reccomendation especially since I will hook you up with Windows 7 Proffessional, which since you are a student in the United States is even cheaper than the Home Premium OEM.

And, drum-roll..... its got a Blu-Ray reader multi drive that will also burn DVD-RAM and DVD-DL so you're all set! No Blu-ray burning though, but for a $500 machine you ain't going to beat that.
And it also tosses in a 1TB hard drive.


And, unless you want to build it yourself, I'll put it together for you for FREE! more or less because I love computer building.



If I were you, I would take this deal because it won't last much longer!


And in differences between what Rob said: I prefer Intel i5 chips to all AMD ones ATM due to the new integrated graphics ON THE PROCESSOR ITSELF!!!! In all honesty, an Intel-ATI combination is the best in the world. Esepcially since this is the third year running that ATI has consistantly and constantly had a product that had the "World's best" title.

Also, I personally believe that ATX cases are wasteful, too expensive and big. Americans are used to buying MATX cases and our furniture is designed for such machines. Also, MATX is the same size as Frogg's present computer and it would be unwise to change sizes on him like that. Did I mention ATX cases are wasteful?



You will need to add Windows 7 Professional 64-bit for $80 if you would like it. OR you can used your XP key for now, and leave the computer the way it is. Your choice.

[Medessec]

I think it's a good deal. Any report on this from Frogg?

I'll just say this:

If you want to go the brand new computer route, with brand new hardware Windows 7 worthy:
-Don't get any lower than 4GB RAM
-Don't get any smaller than a 250 GB HD(although I'm sure you'll find way bigger for a nice price)
-Don't get a Pentium or Celeron processor. Get the i5 Jesse mentioned above.
-DVD-RW drive.
-ATI graphics(you could head down the NVIDIA ramp... but I recommend ATI)
-Windows 7. You could stick with XP using the key on your Gateway for a bit.

I think the above deal Jesse mentioned is absolutely brilliant, and fulfills all of the above criteria. If you can't afford it, keep saving up. When you buy a computer, you're stuck with it, and you can't buy another one for awhile. So it's best to pile up your money and blow it on the right computer rather than the cheap computer.

[frogg]

Yeah thanks for the offer jesse but I really wanted to make the comp myself. I just need to know what parts to buy.
I can't imagine using blu ray at all, and I do have that drive that you gave to me which would work lovelyly medessec. thanks for that man.

For now I was planning on doing a variation of jesses idea. I would use the motherboard, processor, and maybe ram mentioned in that kit, and then use the dvd and floppy drive I have. The ram in that kit seems expensive. $100 for 4 gb? or am I just cheap?
I would buy a new case, powersupply and fan (I was thinking i would go to frys for that) plus windows 7 (also frys, unless its cheaper online.)

[Jesan]

Uh, didn't you read the part where I said I can get you Win7 ridiculously cheap?


Oh, and you are being cheap, that's good RAM.

[Medessec]

RAM can get pretty expensive, but it's for the right kind, so you're getting what you're paying for.

[frogg]

alrighty then

[frogg]

Do you have any recomendation for a hard drive, besides the 1 tb one that was listed in the package?
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148433

[Jesan]

Yes I can reccommend another drive:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822332078


I don't think you want to pay one grand for it though.

[frogg]

hmm tempting tempting. I may just get one at frys though.

[Medessec]

Ya I think I'd get a case at Fry's. They have a neat selection, and aren't badly priced.

Hope you're still planning on this.

[frogg]

I am. I am going to fry's probably either this or next weekend.

[Medessec]

excellent.

Oh, and see if there are any Zune HDs at Fry's.