anyone build desktops?? need advice

[Cutehumor]

I'm interested in building a desktop computer for myself. However, I don't know where to start in terms of what companies make the best motherboard, processor, ram, etc. I read that computer companies put the cheapest quality parts in prepackaged desktops sold in stores.

I never built a computer before, I read that they were easy to do. So I took apart my old sony vaio Pentium 2 350 mhz computer and put it back together. I had no problems and I enjoyed doing it. I figure I could save some money too. any recommendations on where to start? what websites have good deals on buying a "kit" of some sort? I plan on using the computer to burn movies, email, surf the internet, and watch TV shows online.

 

[odessit]

ARS really has it nailed.
See the Quarterly System Builder's guide.
I use them as a base and than do minor changes to my own liking, but the advices that they give are solid.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

odessit, thanks for the link! There's some really good info there!

I suggest checking out NewEgg's reviews before you purchase anything. I guide many of my purchasing decisions based on trended customer feedback.

Are you looking for a very speedy experience? An Intel Core2Duo 3.0ghz with 6MB of cache will do the trick.

If you're looking to save some money, and still enjoy solid performance, an AMD 5400+ is a good place to start.


Hardware charts from Tom's Hardware:
Hard drives: http://www23.tomshardware.com/storage.html
CPU's: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html

For a budget PC that has good performance and has low power consumption, I suggest to start with these three items:
--Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128090 This one has built-in accellerated graphics onboard. There's an article about this M/B here: http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/05/780g-changes-graphics-game
--CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103242 (add a CPU fan of your choice) I wish NewEgg sold a retail box version of this CPU as it would come with the fan (and the a bit higher price) but the 65W power rating of this CPU is the highest speed in the 65W power category.
--Hard Drive: Seagate's 7200.11 series SATA drives that offer 32MB of cache. These drives are currently at or near the top of Tom's hardware's disk speed tests.

In TN, we have to pay tax to Newegg as they have a warehouse in Memphis. Bummer. The upside to this is that if something is in stock there, I see it in two days..even one day if I order early enough the previous day...w/o having to pay any additional shipping. Very nice.

Good luck!

 

[Cory]

I too have used the resources of Tom's Hardware and Newegg as mentioned above. Customer feedback is excellent on Newegg. Once information is obtained from Newegg, you could then consider eBay, purchasing new or used equipment. Unless cost effective, eBay will have you buying things from multiple sources and paying more shipping.

Another resource that I have used in the past, can't speak as of lately, is mwave.com

I've always used Asus motherboards with Intel processors. Now depending on how powerful a machine you want, you can have many features built right into the MB (motherboard) to include ethernet, sound, and/or video. This can be a cost incentive approach depending again on your preferences. Crucial and OCZ memory have been very good for me in years past as well. For hard drives, I've been partial to Segate and IBM drives but have had others that came at the right price. There are a lot of performance feature with drives to consider that also need to correspond to your MB. Actually, anything you purchase needs to be in spec to the MB and it's specifications.

Also consider what OS you'll be using. I'm not up on Vista but seems as though it's a memory hog and needs 2G to run efficiently? I'm happy with my XP Pro yet and 1G seems to be fine. I added an additional 500MB and didn't see a performance increase in my daily use.

Have fun! It's been nearly 3 years since building the machine I'm using today and I've been very pleased. I've always enjoyed doing this, learning a little something each time (keeping up with the times that is) and saving a little money in the process.

Best of luck.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

I built my last machine 2 years ago and did some major upgrades just recently by adding 4 hard drives in a RAID configuration and added RAM and a video card. I also upgraded the processor a few months back.

When I built it originally I bought an Intel board with video and sound built into the motherboard but made sure it was compatible with the latest and greatest technology even if I wasn't going to use it then. I was able to add a PCIe 16x video card, add more ram in to 2 empty slots, upgrade to a SATA HDD and eventually to a RAID setup because I bought a mother board that had all the extra slots and capability. I also started out with a Celron D 2.93GHz processor that only cost $40.

It was much faster than the computer it replaced and cost 1/2 of what a new computer would have cost if I bought what I wanted from HP or Dell. I eventually spent the other 1/2 when the money was available and newer and better components were available 2 years later. I always try to leave room for upgrades and try not to lock myself in to a full replacement just to get some more speed later.

I also have found Newegg to be a good place to do business with and the prices and reviews are good.

Tigerdirect is also pretty good but there are fewer reviews by users. The prices are good and they were easy to deal with when I got something that didn't work. I have never had to return anything to Newegg so I don't know how they compare. Tigerdirect even gave me a number to call for tech. support when I had an issue, it appeared to be a 3rd party but they were quite helpful.

 

[Mudcat]

Of the reasons to build your own rig, saving money is unlikely to be one of them. It's not really possible to match the volume pricing extended to OEMs. Maybe there is an economic benefit at the high end, but at the low to middle market I don't see it.

From time to time, PC magazine runs articles about building your own system. Their sister web site, extremetech.com runs system build articles every few months. There are also numerous books on the subject.

You might want to consider what's called a "barebone" system. Tigerdirect and newegg both sell these. These typically include the case, with the motherboard, power supply and fans already installed. You would then add CPU, memory, drives, OS and video card if needed. ASUS and Shuttle are a couple of well known brands. Shuttle makes some beautiful small form factor units.

If you do choose to run Windows, educate yourself on the pros & cons of using a retail version vs an OEM version of Windows.

There are alot of sharp cookies on BITOG. You might want to post your proposed system build on the forum and let the guys help you get the most bang for the buck.

 

[tmorris1]

The machine I am typing on right now is a 1GHz Athlon, Asus motherboard that I built about 7 1/2 years ago. I have upgraded hard drives and memory, but it is still working great running XP pro. I have built several machines (none in the last couple years), but Asus has always been a solid MB. IMO AMD or Intel is a toss up, get whatever is the best deal and then get a good motherboard, memory, and power supply. Those 3 are the key to stability.

I am looking to upgrade my desktop and want to build one, but with the Dell deals and $300 off coupons it is making it hard to justify now. I can get a Dell Core2 Duo E6550, Nvidia 8600 GTS video card , and 22" monitor for less than $800 shipped. I don't know if you can even build one for that now.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: tmorris1
The machine I am typing on right now is a 1GHz Athlon, Asus motherboard that I built about 7 1/2 years ago. I have upgraded hard drives and memory, but it is still working great running XP pro. I have built several machines (none in the last couple years), but Asus has always been a solid MB. IMO AMD or Intel is a toss up, get whatever is the best deal and then get a good motherboard, memory, and power supply. Those 3 are the key to stability.

I am looking to upgrade my desktop and want to build one, but with the Dell deals and $300 off coupons it is making it hard to justify now. I can get a Dell Core2 Duo E6550, Nvidia 8600 GTS video card , and 22" monitor for less than $800 shipped. I don't know if you can even build one for that now.


Would the Dell power supply and motherboard meet your personal standards? That's cab a big problem low priced ready built computers. Memory quality I don't care as much about on a ready made machine. If in doubt buy it with minimum memory and replace it with good stuff on your own.

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: Mudcat
Of the reasons to build your own rig, saving money is unlikely to be one of them. It's not really possible to match the volume pricing extended to OEMs. Maybe there is an economic benefit at the high end, but at the low to middle market I don't see it.



so your saying I would spend more to build my own PC, then buying one at the store? since I'm looking at the low to middle market.

 

[odessit]

Re: Saving money for first time builders. YMMV.
Often I break even on low end desktops. More often I lose out by $100-200 or so because I have to pay full price for software (Windows).

Typically I am ahead on high end desktops/workstations.

The money savings for me come from reusable parts (collectively I call them "platform"). When 2 years down the road I want to get new PC - I keep case & power supply, peripherals, software, hard drive, LCD. But this is the choice I made - to plan ahead (read "overspend now") so I do not have to re-buy these components to accommodate new hardware.

First time you build a platform there is an opportunity cost - your time and the extra $ you put in "long life" parts.
It has to be taken into account when building a PC. Maybe it's not worth keeping and better to buy all brand new components in a few years and use this money saved now on something else.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

There's a lot of good points in this thread.

I'd like to add a different angle on the low-end PC spectrum: performance.

I'm looking to build a low-end system to replace my wife's P4-2.8 PC. Using the afforementioned M/B, CPU, RAM, and Seagate 500MB 7200.11 drive, +CPU fan, NewEgg's price comes to $370 before shipping/tax. Add case w/power supply & DVD drive of your choice. About $80 more when buying for the low-end of the PC spectrum.

For comparison's sake, let's take a look at the 'low-end' Dell Inspiron 530, 530s, 531, or 531s on eBay. There are some decent deals, but the performance on the home-built system above would be much better as the hard disk performance of the 7200.11 series is superior to anything that Dell is installing on these models. Also, if you play any games, the enhanced graphics of the new AMD-onboard solution saves you from having to purchase a video card. Sure, any of these Dell models would work fine, but the performance of the home-built model--for not much more $$--tips the scales in favor of the home-built solution.

Prior to AMD's new on-board gaming graphics, I would have voted in favor of a low-end Dell 530/531 series for around $500 delivered from eBay. No longer. Making your own cheap, high-performance PC's is fun again!

 

[Mudcat]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
so your saying I would spend more to build my own PC, then buying one at the store? since I'm looking at the low to middle market.


Yes, that is my overall opinion. That was not to discourage you, only to prepare you for what I have seen in the recent past.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

If starting from scratch, no you probably don't save money building your own. If you get to reuse a lot of components then it makes more sense. I don't think I've had a 100% new component computer since 1991. I've always got something from an old computer integrated into my newer computer. I always price it both ways (all new versus a build/rebuild upgrade) and I almost always will spend more when buying all new.

The knowledge learned while building your computer can also be quite valuable. Lots of people spend lots of money buying a new computer when all they need to do is buy a bigger hard drive and more RAM. They buy new because they don't know any better. Of course eventually you have to upgrade your MB, processor, etc.

 

[tmorris1]

Originally Posted By: XS650
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
The machine I am typing on right now is a 1GHz Athlon, Asus motherboard that I built about 7 1/2 years ago. I have upgraded hard drives and memory, but it is still working great running XP pro. I have built several machines (none in the last couple years), but Asus has always been a solid MB. IMO AMD or Intel is a toss up, get whatever is the best deal and then get a good motherboard, memory, and power supply. Those 3 are the key to stability.

I am looking to upgrade my desktop and want to build one, but with the Dell deals and $300 off coupons it is making it hard to justify now. I can get a Dell Core2 Duo E6550, Nvidia 8600 GTS video card , and 22" monitor for less than $800 shipped. I don't know if you can even build one for that now.


Would the Dell power supply and motherboard meet your personal standards? That's cab a big problem low priced ready built computers. Memory quality I don't care as much about on a ready made machine. If in doubt buy it with minimum memory and replace it with good stuff on your own.


I don't know about the power supply, but Dell doesn't make motherboards, I think they use Intel boards. I agree with the memory. Dell memory upgrades are a rip off. I would buy with the minimum and order memory someplace else for 1/2 the money.

 

[eljefino]

I would time the project to take a month or so if there's no hurry. Watch sites like slickdeals.net for deals. I have a case with power supply I got for free... even shipped free... after rebate. $.49 chevron has nothing on computer rebate deals.

I got a case off ebay with an XP home license sticker for $20. Just make sure you CAN'T read the letters/numbers in the seller's ad photo, or someone else may already use/register that number. You CAN reuse an XP license on all/mostly new equipment; I had to call India once for a 2nd level unlock code but got it okay.

Things like keyboards, DVD drives, etc can be robbed from old equipment.

I like shopping newegg just because they organize the way I think. If I have to throw together a cheapie 'puter they have a mobo/CPU/ram combo with a rebate and cheap/free shipping.

 

[kc8adu]

Originally Posted By: tmorris1
Originally Posted By: XS650
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
The machine I am typing on right now is a 1GHz Athlon, Asus motherboard that I built about 7 1/2 years ago. I have upgraded hard drives and memory, but it is still working great running XP pro. I have built several machines (none in the last couple years), but Asus has always been a solid MB. IMO AMD or Intel is a toss up, get whatever is the best deal and then get a good motherboard, memory, and power supply. Those 3 are the key to stability.

I am looking to upgrade my desktop and want to build one, but with the Dell deals and $300 off coupons it is making it hard to justify now. I can get a Dell Core2 Duo E6550, Nvidia 8600 GTS video card , and 22" monitor for less than $800 shipped. I don't know if you can even build one for that now.


Would the Dell power supply and motherboard meet your personal standards? That's cab a big problem low priced ready built computers. Memory quality I don't care as much about on a ready made machine. If in doubt buy it with minimum memory and replace it with good stuff on your own.


I don't know about the power supply, but Dell doesn't make motherboards, I think they use Intel boards. I agree with the memory. Dell memory upgrades are a rip off. I would buy with the minimum and order memory someplace else for 1/2 the money.

many dell motherboards are now made by vesuvius.
i get a ton of vesuvius killerbee,riptide, and chopper in here as they used bad capacitors to build them.dell gx 260,270,280 being the worst.
biggest advantage to building your own system is to avoid lowest bidder parts.
you have to take some newegg reviews with a grain of salt as some folks cant even plug in a power supply without doing damage and then blame the product.
with enough comments a pattern will emerge if a product truly has
a problem.
any power supply under $50 is suspect.antec is to be avoided like the plague.
i have also found that to get a quality case go for older stuff.
i like the old enlite cases with the motherboard tray that slides out.
too many pretty looking cases made of tinfoil out there.
dont skimp on memory either.
i use corsair,micron,kingston,ect.
pny is nothing but trouble when it comes to warrenty support.
another to avoid with video cards is evga.PITA to get a replacement under warrenty.

 

[Buffman]

nothing wrong with antec PSU. I've been using a 330watt unit for years. I just upgraded to a 550 watt unit for some future plans. All rails are stable and no issues. Have been running it for close to 5 months now.

I like the Cable management feature of plugging in only the cables I need. Plus I noticed PSU company's now sleeve the cables. I remember a few years ago that being a good mod. Took way to [censored] long though. But you're right any PSU under $50 shouldn't find it's way into a system. I've got a cheap one, But I use it as a backup PSU for testing purposes.


My opinion is still out on EVGA but a guy at work picked up a couple to use in a couple machines at work. They seem to be working fairly well.


Anymore it's hard sometimes to beat a Dell deal. Yes components are prolly the cheapest you'll find, but they do hold up fairly well. I usually get asked to build a lot of PCs, but I end up recommending someone a Dell or HP because all they really want to do is use it for the internet.

 

[CivicFan]

Desktops are so 20-th century. I would seriously think about getting a laptop instead if the self-built desktop cost is close to the cost of a decent laptop.

But if you decide to build a desktop, newegg is probably your best friend as they are a reputable retail outlet with good prices (usually). When I used to build desktops, I frequently used http://www.pricewatch.com/ for finding decent prices. The brand names mentioned above are reputable brands. The ANTEC power supply comments have basis. I lost a PS within 2 years of service.

Putting the parts together is not a big deal. The whole thing will probably take about 30 minutes to assemble. Just remember to avoid static electric shock. That can kill the motherboard and other circuits.

 

[kc8adu]

come to my shop and see which power supplies come in bad.
any antec at the 1 year mark will have bulging fuhjjyu caps.
antec has been using these known bad parts for too many years after they knew about it.
then they have the nerve to send "antecrep" over to badcaps forums trying to tell us they dont have a problem.
even after tons of pics were posted of the antec units with blown caps.
antec=trash.

 

[Buffman]

I've haven't seen as many as you have, but I've had three in service. One didn't last very long cause it got struck by mr lightning, but was fixed under warranty and has been fine since. I'll have to go and dig up the 330watt unit and check the caps. I'll have to see how long the 550 lasts