Building a Computer from Nothing

[danp123]

Hi,
I want to build a pc i have a budget of £600 roughly $960 to build a computer (already got the monitor). I was thinking an AMD chip 1.5ghz, 32mb/64mb Graphics (Ge force or nvida), 256mb ram (dont know what type), cd rw, DVD, floppy drive, sound card (can not think of any decent makes), mobo, lots of usb ports, it would be good if it could have a 7200rpm Hdd over 40gig and a case / tower for it

I have no interest in buying a ready made pc my son wants to make it with his friend but i need compatible parts etc.

sorry i sort of tailed off towards the end getting more and more general if you guys can think ofaanything else i would be grateful
Main idea is that it will be a work / gaming machine BUT not broadband and not networked so i wont need a 10/100mbs port
I could do with pleanty of PCI ports as my son who will be the main user is contantly wanting more and more bits put in but the last time we upgfraded was 98 so we have a slow computer in todays language

i have software os etc (all lisenced not illegal)

Current pc has
10gig hdd
2 X 64mb ram chips
8mb graphics card
some cheap sound card useless
pentium II 350mhz
win 98se - new pc will have xp

thanks for any help you can give me

 

[danp123]

oh yeh i have a 56k modem that i can use

 

[edemiere]

I would think something like:

Intel Based System:
Asus P4P800 Deluxe
Intel Pentium 4 2.4 800FSB CPU
Corsair 1GB Dual-Channel DDR400 (2 x 512MB)
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB or GeForce FX 5600 Ultra 128mb
WD 80GB HD with 8MB Buffer


AMD based System:
Asus A7N8X Deluxe
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ 333FSB Barton
Corsair 1GB Dual-Channel DDR333 (2 x 512MB)
ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB or GeForce FX 5600 Ultra 128mb
WD 80GB HD with 8MB Buffer

I would think that with either of those systems, if priced out consciously on the Internet should meet all your needs as well as come in under the budget you have.

Either system would be a good system for most anything you'd want to do.

Good luck!

 

[edemiere]

I should have mentioned that most onboard sound systems these days are pretty good and buying another sound card really isn't that much of an issue.

Also, I didn't mention floppy or DVD drive because that stuff is what I consider low cost and for the most part the drives will all get the same job done.

Also, you can cut the memory down, though with the affordable prices these days, why not get more than you initially planned, providing you have the funds left over.

Just some thoughts.

Cheers!

 

[paparazi]

I see you are in the UK like me, these people are based in Nottm and offer a mail order service.

This list will work well, based on the fastest socket "A" platform all are compatible.
AMD XP2.6+ CPU £72.26
Gigabyte 7N-400 pro ultra £90.48
Silent cooler £11-00
Maxtor 80gig Diamond Max Plus 9 ATA133 £56.99
Codegen 8870 350watt midi case £27.00
Kingston 2X 256mb PC3200 DDR £33.49 each
Gainward 128mb FX5600 Graphics card £138.00
Sony retail 52x24x52 CDRW £35.00
Slot loading Pioneer DVD player £34.08
Mitzumi floppy drive £8.00
Extra 80mm case fans (recommend 2) £3.50 each

This motherboard has the 6.1 soundstorm onboard
5PCI slots
USB2
10/100 lan built in
Firewire
SATA
Raid
And a whole lot of other stuff lol
Think there is a small dellivery on these prices
Available from: A&D computers Nottingham.

http://www.a-dcomputers.co.uk/index2.html

Martin

Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[danp123]

and all this bits would be compatible? paparazi the uk company sounds great but it would work yeh? and plug and play compatible etc? so i dont need to worry about crashing or non loading pcs my son would be annoyed and probably moan at me if i got this wrong! so them bits abvove total £513 so i got a bit left so should i go for more ram. Thanks for any help

 

[danp123]

will you all be able to offer help when i go to put this all together? you know its quite a jump for me the most me and my son have attempted inside was installing a pci device! his friend knows some things. how easy i spose is what i am asking

 

[danp123]

will this system be quick for gaming and clear for DVD viewing, i havent heard of that make of graphics card and wonderd wheter games prefer more talked about makes like NVIDA and GE Force

 

[danp123]

paparazi where did you find the Codegen 8870 350watt midi case£27.00 when i serch for case it dosent appear and even when i search midi case i didnt find it! where is it and does it come with PSU or will that need to be purchased separately

p.s soz for posting so much so l8

 

[paparazi]

Yes I can say 100% that all these components are fully compatible.
Gainward are one of the TOP graphics card manufacturers and the FX5600 is the newest of Nvidia's latest offerings called the Geforce FX, it is a midling card that has all the power you need without going silly on price, it will play all the latest games without problems and help give you clear smooth DVD playback.
I have chosen the above parts list because they are all pretty much latest technology with a reasonable upgrade potential.
You notice I wrote 2X 256DDR this is because this board has dual channel memory facility which requires two identicle sticks of ram.
If you wanted to spend a little more money then possibly go for the XP2.7 or a better case and power supply, this company sells the Thermaltake range of gaming cases, but there is quite a jump in price and you would have the addition of a seperate power supply.
Think they do a twin fan Qtech 450watt PSU for £25.00 but the steel version of the Thermaltake case is like £85.00 but you are buying into something a little special (a proper gaming case, on the otherhand if you like quality but prefer something more traditional looking then they sell the all Alluminium LianLi cases (I have one) beautiful.
Think they do the basic PC61 for around £81.00 but you will still need a power supply as well.
Yes I will help of course, there are things that can go wrong if you are not thorough with your preparation and don't take your time and rush.
As for crashing and non loading, well one can never gaurantee such things won't happen, PC's are fickle things at the best of time, all you can do is choose the best quality components and assemble them with care and thought and on percentage you should have few problems.
martin_@ntlworld.com
Martin

Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[ken07734]

keep in mind that the newer mobo's sound are not amplified. most of the older sound cards are, you will also need amplified speakers for the sound.

 

[danp123]

where would i find amplified speakers then i think i got bog standard naff ones tsunami or something there absolute rubbish!
where do you fit the case fans then there dont seem to be anywhere and the front usb bay would that be filled by the mobo or not?

 

[danp123]

another thing! where is the silent cooler for £11 on a-d site i cnt find ne thieng there all like 26 quid!

 

[danp123]

alright i know it is ebay but would this case work with all the above hardware

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2745965264&category=16145

it seems to be brilliant and a good price

 

[ceh4702]

Try looking at this website. Might find some nice links.

http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[danp123]

ive also found this graphics card NVIADIA GeForce4 MX Graphics Processing Unit it cost £41 is that cheap and would it work instead of the 138 gainward one!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2746506677&category=27387

i also found the GAINWARD FX 5200 128 MB PRO/660 DVI POWERPACK

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2745946621&category=27387

will this do the job as well or am i best sticking with the ultra exprensive gainward recoommended?

How much worse performance do these cards do and are they compatible and i ask again is this case good !?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2745965264&category=16145

 

[norty303]

I use

http://www.ebuyer.com

for my parts and most suppliers seem to be much of a muchness.

Get as much memory as possible whether you think you need it or not. 1gb is good. Also with HD so cheap now I would think 80gb is a little on the small side. Seagate Barracudas are a good drive and very quiet. For the money I'd go for an AMD processor, anything 2500 upwards sounds good although look for the thread about FSB speeds as you may want to think about futureproofing by going for a mobo option that will allow a processor upgrade in 1.5 or so years time.

If you go for an ATI based gfx card then Sapphire are the people to go for. Gainward are the choice for nVidia. You don't have to have the top card out. Look at what is available in the £70-£100 bracket for a suitable solution. Case is really up to you're choice but make sure it hase a good PSU as this started to become a critical piece in a system a couple of years ago as more and more power started to get drawn. Especially as you say you want to add devices over time.

Good luck and happy building, it may not go without a hitch but you'll learn SOOOO much in the process and there's plenty of good advice out there (here)

 

[ANFPS26]

paparazi gave you the best advice you will find. He builds hundreds of PCs. I would trust his recomendations over anyone's.

Jim

 

[edemiere]

How quickly everyone seems to forget that Gainward were the ones that produced that mass of shoddy GeForce Ti cards that were riddled with voltage irregularities causing lockups and screen anomoloies.

I would put PNY and MSI at the top of the GeForce video card manufacturing line.

I've built more PC's than I've had hot meals in my life and have never gone wrong with PNY, MSI, Asus or Corsair products...

Cheers!

 

[paparazi]

Take it from me, I know they are not on the website but they definately have them in stock (I am a regular customer) Silent Cooler rated to XP2.8+ with copper bottom, AMD approved , made in Switzerland, I've used a few myself and I rate them pretty highly for the price.
Nearly all cases have mounting points/vents to fit at least 2 additional 80mm case fans.
The normal configuration for this would be front lower drawing IN cool air and back top (below power supply) exhausting OUT the warmed up air, these fan kits come with the proper retaining screws and use the small 3pin plug that pushes onto the motherboards auxillary fan header points, so case fan speed sensing is possible.
That case would work just fine but look at the small print, there is another £15.00 to pay on top of the £33.00.
You get what you pay for especially with cases, buy cheap and not only is everything sharp and flimsey but the power supplies are of very low quality, believe me, after you have spent all this money the last thing you want is instability caused by poor voltage control and even worse, the PSU popping taking out all these nice components.
Although not top shelf I have found the Qtek PSU's to be very reliable and utterly dependable, at such a low price point £25.00 for a 450watter they can't be bettered.
The Gforce 4 MX440 and the newer 5200FX are both considered entry level graphics cards, they will work just fine, the FX5200 is slightly better (newer) but with the very latest of games they are considered "border line" only just able to display at an acceptable level.
The FX5600 is about twice as powerful, other cards to look at would be the Radeon 9500pro/9600pro around the same price as the FX5600, it's your choice, but if you class yourself as more than an occassional gamer? then you ought to go better than GF4 MX440/FX5200. (they sell the GF4 MX440 64mb DDR) for £33.00. generic no particular brand.
You need to buy speakers that have a sub woofer and two satalites, these will give you good sound, up from that would be the 5.1 and 6.1 speaker sets if you are serious about your sounds, they start at around £38.00
AS I said if all you want is good sound without all the wiring, then a good 2.1 speaker set (sub and sats) may suit you best. (start at around £21.00)
Martin


Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.