First Time Builder Needs Help!!

[TNDaffy]

I was going to just purchase a new system but upon investigation I think it would be cheaper just to use what I can out of my Gateway PII system and put the system together myself! I was told I would need to get a new case, MOBO, and Procesor, but I believe I can use my drives and stuff out of the system I have. Also was told to get a 300W case, now my question is I noticed they have 400W cases out, should i go ahead and go with that, or is 300 adequate, and is there anything I should know about picking out a case because I have found several good deals, but don't want to get the worng thing, this will be my first system to actually build , very excited just some guidance, don't want to screw it up! any assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated!!!


Thanks
MariLynn

 

[dieselBREATH]

If you email me, I will walk you through, step by step in building your new system.

DieselBreath

balbaugh@columbus.rr.com

 

[digitaldave]

The gateway power supply (ps) is 200W-250w a good 300-320W ps will cost 35-45 bucks. The case should be intel or amd approved.. V 2.03 powerman & Apollo are a few that I use..

 

[TNDaffy]

Thanks for your help!

MariLynn

 

[JohnS9051]

You need to decide what processor you are going to use before purchasing a case. AMD Athlons and Intel Pentium 4s have special requirements.

AMD K6-2s, Intel Celerons, or Pentium IIIs can get away with almost anything, within reason, as far as power supplies go. Reliablity is the main factor here.

AMD Athlons should have at least a 300W power supply with 12-15A on the +12v line. I have seen cheap 400W power supplies that didn't meet these specs. You should also get a case that will take 2 additional fans(one in front and one in back).

Pentium 4s require a power supply that meets the Intel V2.03 standard. This has two extra plug that attach to the motherboard. Plan on spending $60 and up for a case with a decent 300W power supply.

Like digitaldave said a good power supply costs $35-$45. When you buy a $40 or $50 case where do you think they make up for the price difference?

Also, look for a case that will take two full sized CD-ROM drives without interfering with the motherboard.

Building your own system will be a good learning experience. Just remember to buy good quality components and you won't have to spend all your time posting problems on this site.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

John

 

[Eguy]

Hi MariLynn;

If I may add to what John said:

Buy the best and cry only once.

Ed Please let me know if the sugestion(s) I provide are helpful to you.
Sometimes your the windshield... Sometimes your the bug.

 

[TNDaffy]

Thanks for y'alls help, the only thing I had been told was to get at least 300W, I knew there had to be more to it than that LOL. What do y'all reccomend as a good mother board? I want to make this the best it can be and not want ot upgrade anytime soon, even though this is for my own personal use I like having the best!

 

[dakota81]

Just about every motherboard is good these days, as long as you stay away from a company called PC Chips - don't even come within 100 yards of any of their boards. I can't give any advice if you're looking for an Intel system, myself I buy AMD only, a T-Bird running at 1.4GHz with DDR RAM is at par and with some programs even outperforms Intel's best P4 1.7GHz, while costing you half or a third of the cost. If you want a T-Bird, I highly reccomend a DDR board using the AMD chipset.

I'm running an FIC board, model AD11 and this thing is a solid as a rock, never gives me any troubles running Win98SE. This board isn't for the faint of heart, though, requiring the user to push over some capacitors a tad to install a heatsink. This board is also one PCI slot less than the competitors, plus a part on the motherboard is blocking use of another PCI slot for many cards. If you can put up with that, I was able to pick this board up for $90, while the Asus counterpart runs at $160.

Basically just search around for a good price, any of the following companies you are going to be satisfied with; FIC, Asus, Gigabyte, Epox, Abit

 

[TNDaffy]

Thanks for everyones help!!!! The moe I can learn I figure hte better off I'll be!!

 

[Ma3x323]

Hey read this:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboard/01q2/0106041/

If you can wait, it might be a good one. -Feryl
--> Just a silly software engineer wannabee.
If you feel a post has been helpful to you, click on the link at the bottom of their post to cast a vote for "TipMaster Of The Week". You don't need to be the one who asked the question to vote.

 

[TNDaffy]

Thanks for the tip!