Building your own computer?

[Heretic Apostate]

How hard is it?

I bought an interim computer when my last one had an OS crash. I needed a computer, but not one that was cutting edge. I got one cheap, but it's only marginally acceptable.

So, I want to get a new computer. But by the time I toss in decent RAM (at least 512MB, but preferably 1GB of RAM, since that seems to be required to run WinXP and three or four other programs at once), a decent hard drive (at least 120GB, but preferably in the 200GB range), and is strong enough to run some older computer games (newest I have is over a year old; most are two to five years old, but I have a LOT of them), as well as Office XP Pro and 2000 Pro (I like both, and have full versions of each; I can install them both, right?)...

Anyway, by the time I get those requirements, we're hitting over $1500. I'm hoping to get a computer for under $1000, so that may mean I have to build it myself.

As someone who is not technically proficient, how hard is it to build one? I don't want fancy, I just want middle-of-the-tech-curve, with lots of room to put stuff. (I'm tired of uninstalling games to play new ones, see?)

Help?

 

[Planesdragon]

So, I want to get a new computer. But by the time I toss in decent RAM (at least 512MB, but preferably 1GB of RAM, since that seems to be required to run WinXP and three or four other programs at once), a decent hard drive (at least 120GB, but preferably in the 200GB range), and is strong enough to run some older computer games (newest I have is over a year old; most are two to five years old, but I have a LOT of them), as well as Office XP Pro and 2000 Pro (I like both, and have full versions of each; I can install them both, right?)..

Let's take this a few steps at a time.

1: It's not hard AT ALL to build your own computer... provided that you're competend with a screwdriver and know to properly ground yourself. (Touch something that's bare metal that is plugged into a grounded outlet before you touch any "computer board" parts.) The best thing to do is price your processor (go AMD--better bang for the buck), motherboard (match it with your processor & the features you want), and case/power supply as a single item.

You might even be able to get them all from the same vendor, and have them all nicely put together for you. (If not, it's not TOO difficult to put the CPU in. Just be careful, follow instructions, and don't forget the fan.)

2: Yes, it's entirely possible to install both versions of office. Install the older version first, though--just to be safe.

3: Your spec selection looks "about right." When using sites like Pricewatch.com and froogle.google.com to search for prices, don't forget to look for at least one critical review from each vendor and manufacturer before you buy from them.

I will note that I run XP, with Word and iTunes and Excel and Mozilla, just fine with less than 256 MB of ram on a four-year old Duron 700, and I have yet to fill up my 30 GB drive, although I don't leave a lot of games on there.


Oh, two final notes.

* Be sure that you can install your OS on a different computer. Some OEMs (like Compaq) don't give you real Windows CDs, they give you near-worthless "recovery" CDs. (OTOH, XP pro OEM is only about $100 or so extra, and you can buy it from an online screwdriver shop.)

* When you setup your computer, you might want to consider making one partition for "windows" and one partition for "data", so that if Windows completely FUBARs you can whipe and reformat that partition without hosing your data. I use a FAT drive to keep all of my music and documents on, and it works nicely.

 

[Malar]

The hardest part about building your own computer is selecting the appropriate parts.

First, you should begin with the processor or motherboard, since those limit the options of the other parts. If you want optimum bang-for-the-buck you should select a processor a little older than the newest one. I can recommend Athlon 2800XP series for example (around 2Ghz). Then choose a motherboard that has the appropriate gadgets for you, and the right FSB-speed. There is no use buying faster components than the slowest component in the box.

For example, a 2Ghz Athlon 2800XP runs with 333Mhz FSB. That means you don't need a motherboard or memory that support 400Mhz. So you will have to be certain all parts fit together.

Be sure to select a fan and heatsink that are appropriate, or to be on the safe side, buy the boxed version of the processor that comes with fan and heatsink. The other stuff you can buy as bulk since you are going to throw the fancy boxes in the trash anyway.

Now, if you want to play the newest FPS-type games you will probably need a kickass graphics card, but if you don't play, or you play games that do not require really high-end graphics, you can save a lot of money on this part. A Radeon 9600 runs most games today really well, and it costs only a fraction of the newest cards today.

Be sure to select a case with a good power source. 350W is probably the bare minimum for today's computers. Harddrives are cheap and standardized as long as you stick to IDE-drives and not Serial-ATA or SCSI. In that case you must check that your motherboard supports them.

Where I live, you can put together a good office-computer for just under 400€ (about 400$) and a little more powerful machine for around 600€ (gaming etc). Above that, you gain much less by the buck.

As for assembling the machine, it is pretty straightforward these days. A screwdriver and some common sense is all that you require. The motherboard always comes with a manual and as long as you follow those instructions you cannot do anything wrong really.

Beware of static discharges though. Before you touch any electronic components, always touch the computer case or some big metallic object to ground yourself. You can preferrably ground yourself by touching the radiator and the case to be on the safe side. Professionals use a grounding bracelet that is connected to something similar.

In most countries you can buy an OEM version of your favourite operating system as long as you buy a new computer, (buying a mobo, processor and memory should suffice) but it will have to be done in the same purchase.
Installing the OS is so easy I won't go into that

 

[Thanee]

Some random stuff.

CPU power is not very important, really. Don't buy a high end CPU, it's not worth the money. Just buy one in the moderate to low price range. You cannot buy CPUs that are so low-powered, that they won't be able to do what you are looking for these days. Something in the 2 GHz range is more than enough. The AMD Athlon is a better choice than the Intel line (Pentium, etc) here.

DEFINITELY buy a CPU that comes in a complete box with a cooler (heatsink) already installed, so you do not have to do that part yourself, as you can easily kill your CPU this way, if you do not know what you are doing!

GFX card power is quite important, if you want to play the latest games (or use other graphics intensive software, but there really isn't much besides games). However, you won't need a super impressive high end card here either, but I'd rather spend more money on the graphics adapter, so you get at least something above average.

A decent mainboard makes some difference, too. I'd buy one with a brand name, and not some cheap imitation. ASUS produces very good mainboards. Be sure to check what stuff comes with the mainboard (onboard). Many have sound controllers installed already, so you don't need anything else, unless you want surround sound or other luxuries. Be sure to get the right one for your CPU.

Memory (RAM) is also quite important, as you mentioned yourself. With 512 MB you should be on the safe side for a while, but you can also go with 256 MB and if you really think it isn't sufficient, get another 256 MB one and install it later (that's no problem at all). Be sure to get the right one for your mainboard/CPU.

Harddisk, just get one that is big enough for your tastes. You can't do much wrong here. Be sure to buy an IDE hdd, tho, not an SCSI one, as you would need an extra card to use it.

The trickiest part when putting it all together, is doing the cable lines right (power connectors, data cables, etc), and setting any jumpers on the board, if that would be necessary. It's usually explained in the mainboard manual (another reason to buy a brand name product here, as they have better manuals ). Other than that, after everything is put together, you might need to customize your BIOS settings, which might be another tricky part. If possible, try to get some help there, so you are on the safe side.

And one final word. Many vendors will try to sell you stuff you don't need. Be sure to get more than a single opinion before you make your decision on what components you are going to buy.

Most computer parts vendors here in germany also sell completely customized machines, that is you say which parts you want to have exactly, and they put it all together for you at no extra cost or a very low cost. Maybe they do the same where you are.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Breakdaddy]

Thanee is absolutely right on several points. My PC at home is an AMD Athlon XP 3200+ with 512 megs of dual channel corsair PC3200 and a Radeon 9800XT video card. these specs run even the most taxing games (such as Farcry) in high resolution and with good framerates. In fact, to illustrate the processor to video card importance for games, my work pc is a P4 dual 3 ghz 800mhz fsb multithread with 2 gigs of ram but with a much lower end Geforce FX5200. It runs Farcry and many other games much less efficiently. Now, granted that most games will not use the power of the second proc on a dual proc system, the raw power of this P4 is >my home PC and yet runs games much less efficiently. Apps run SLIGHTLY better here at work, but not enough to justify the price difference.

 

[mps42]

Building your own

How hard is it?

I bought an interim computer when my last one had an OS crash. I needed a computer, but not one that was cutting edge. I got one cheap, but it's only marginally acceptable.

So, I want to get a new computer. But by the time I toss in decent RAM (at least 512MB, but preferably 1GB of RAM, since that seems to be required to run WinXP and three or four other programs at once), a decent hard drive (at least 120GB, but preferably in the 200GB range), and is strong enough to run some older computer games (newest I have is over a year old; most are two to five years old, but I have a LOT of them), as well as Office XP Pro and 2000 Pro (I like both, and have full versions of each; I can install them both, right?)...

Anyway, by the time I get those requirements, we're hitting over $1500. I'm hoping to get a computer for under $1000, so that may mean I have to build it myself.

As someone who is not technically proficient, how hard is it to build one? I don't want fancy, I just want middle-of-the-tech-curve, with lots of room to put stuff. (I'm tired of uninstalling games to play new ones, see?)

Help?

$1500??? Where are you shopping?! you gan get a good to VERY good computer with similar specs (and build it your self, which is easy if you're carefull) for closer to $800 if you shop around a bit.
I can't tell you how many times I'v had this discussion with prospecive computer buyers. If you want to go buy a Dell or Compaq or something similar, go ahead. Just be aware that you are most likely NOT getting a system that you can upgrade in 5 years when you are ready to play that awesome new game or run that new office app. On the other hand, the job of "matching" all the parts has been done for you and it's built, ready to go.
If you go custom-built, YOU have to do the research to mach all the componants and sometimes build it yourself (which is easy as long as you're carefull). HOwever, you get a system that is (in theory) EXACTLY what you want and, in general, you get more for your money.
As to the question of "how har is it", I've built literally dozens, if not hundreds, of PC's and I can say that, as long as you're carefull about grounding and making sure you plug everything in the right way, it's EASY.
Now, in my opinion, the REAL question is "what should I buy?" which no-one can really answer but you. I am assuming you want a system that can run office apps, a few games, internet, etc, yes? If so look at the following system I priced in about an hour on the internet:

Case: Aspire X-Dreamer II (with 350W PSU) - $52
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 3000+ Barton Retail - $144
Cooling: included Retail HSF - $0
Motherboard: MSI K7N2 Delta-L - $63
Memory: 512-MB (2x256-MB) Corsair PC3200 DDR - $97
Hard Drive: 200 GB Western Digital SE - $151
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128-MB OEM - $184
Sound Card: SB Live! 5.1 OEM - $25
CD/DVD-ROM: AOpen COM5232 Combo Drive - $45
Communications: Onboard LAN - $0
Mouse: Microsoft Intellimouse Optical - $15
Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard - $15
Operating System: Windows XP Home - $81
Floppy: - $6

Total: $895

Now I didn't price a monitor or speakers since I assumed you had those and shipping would be extra but, even so, that is a VERY nice system for the price. You just have to put it together.

 

[redhawk]

How hard is it?

I bought an interim computer when my last one had an OS crash. I needed a computer, but not one that was cutting edge. I got one cheap, but it's only marginally acceptable.

So, I want to get a new computer. But by the time I toss in decent RAM (at least 512MB, but preferably 1GB of RAM, since that seems to be required to run WinXP and three or four other programs at once), a decent hard drive (at least 120GB, but preferably in the 200GB range), and is strong enough to run some older computer games (newest I have is over a year old; most are two to five years old, but I have a LOT of them), as well as Office XP Pro and 2000 Pro (I like both, and have full versions of each; I can install them both, right?)...

Anyway, by the time I get those requirements, we're hitting over $1500. I'm hoping to get a computer for under $1000, so that may mean I have to build it myself.

As someone who is not technically proficient, how hard is it to build one? I don't want fancy, I just want middle-of-the-tech-curve, with lots of room to put stuff. (I'm tired of uninstalling games to play new ones, see?)

Help?

Time to pimp the wonderful folks at Ars Technica.

If you're on a budget, but you still want to play games, try this:

http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/budget.html

If you've got some extra coin to burn, try this:

http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/hotrod.html

Prices are all listed, as of roughly today. Links to webvendors are also provided for acquiring said parts.

Oh, and about the MS Office thing? It can be done, but you're setting yourself up for a _world_ of pain. If you MUST install both Office 2K and Office XP, install O2K first, then OXP _into its own directory_.

Very important, that last step.

I'd recommend against it, but it can be done.

Redhawk

 

[redhawk]

PC Builds

*deleted - double post. Sorry!*

 

[Cullyn]

Another good place to check out is Newegg. You can find them over at http://www.newegg.com and while they might not have the lowest price on every single item they have excellenet service and shipping speed. Their shipping prices are generally much better than you'll find other places and their internal review system and product links give you a reasonable amount of information which leads to an informed purchase.

Early this year I purchased all my parts from Newegg to build a monster machine. The machine itself cost me about $1300 which included the shipping of about $45. I didn't get a monitor or printer, but I did purchase everything else. This machine is a little pricer than what you're looking for, but it's also much more powerful. I'm not going to spec the entire thing out, but it does use dual Serial ATA 160GB drives in a RAID array . You should be able to price out an entire machine there for under $1000 easy.

I also agree with what has been said. The actual process of putting together a computer is much like putting together legos. The time consuming process is making sure that your components will all play nicely.

 

[LiVeWiRe]

There has been good advice and comments on components, where to shop, etc. so I will just provide a link to an excellent step-by-step guide to building your own PC--that is, if you decide to go that route.

PCMechanic Build Your Own PC

HTH,
-LW