26 replies to this topic

[Rush]

The title says it all.
What should I learn before I start buying computer parts and jamming them together?
Links and advice would be quite helpful.

[Mr. Hobo]

Make sure you buy all compatible parts . Reading guides beforehand will definantly help.

http://www.basichard...g_your_own.html
http://www.frozencpu...rmal_Paste.html

It's pretty easy, just putting things in the right slot. Your motherboard should come with a guide/manual that'll tell you what you need to do

Decide if you're going to overclock before hand. Check the prices of the parts on like 3 or 4 different sites (newegg.com/ncix.com/tigerdirect.ca for example) to make sure you're getting the best price. Be willing to spend time comparing different parts, like the 500gb seagate hard drive might be 10$ less then the 500gb maxtor hard drive but it might preform worse.

[Rush]

If I do decide to overclock beforehand, how would it affect my processor choices?
Like what capabilities or specs should I look into first?

EDIT: Read through both links. Thanks.

Edited by Rush, 27 October 2008 - 11:47 AM.

[Cyo]

If I do decide to overclock beforehand, how would it affect my processor choices?
Like what capabilities or specs should I look into first?

EDIT: Read through both links. Thanks.

generally dual core (2 cores, dno wat the fuck diffrence is between core 2 duo, dual extra 2 core duo, magic cores duett wat the fuck) are easier 2 overclock cuz they make less heat then quad core

[Rush]

generally dual core (2 cores, dno wat the fuck diffrence is between core 2 duo, dual extra 2 core duo, magic cores duett wat the fuck) are easier 2 overclock cuz they make less heat then quad core

Wouldn't a good cooling system suffice? Am I missing some key info here?

[Mr. Hobo]

If I do decide to overclock beforehand, how would it affect my processor choices?
Like what capabilities or specs should I look into first?

EDIT: Read through both links. Thanks.

Not sure how it would affect your processor but it would affect your motherboard (would want a more expensive motherboard with better overclocking capabilities if you overclock), ram, heatsink fan and possibly video card. I don't really know enough to go into more details but I'm sure Fatal or Hawk will come in and lend their knowledge.

[Cyo]

oh and wat kind of computer 2 u want to do?
gaeman pc or work pc or internet surfer

[Rush]

Not sure how it would affect your processor but it would affect your motherboard (would want a more expensive motherboard with better overclocking capabilities if you overclock), ram, heatsink fan and possibly video card. I don't really know enough to go into more details but I'm sure Fatal or Hawk will come in and lend their knowledge.

Got it. I'll keep that in mind.

oh and wat kind of computer 2 u want to do?
gaeman pc or work pc or internet surfer

Gaming of course. No, it doesn't need to run Crysis on max settings.

Edited by Rush, 27 October 2008 - 12:01 PM.

[Sida]

If you plan on overclocking, look into what graphics cards/motherboard/processors are known to be good for overclocking. Also you'll need a good PSU and preferably improved cooling.

[Rush]

Fatal if you come by here later, I'm not exactly building a computer in real life. I'm using it for an article (if you may call it that) for my blog.
Just saying so you don't go looking for individual parts and linking it all here.

Yeah, I do read around (esp. at TomsHardware). I think it's now obsolete but this is what sparked my interest:
http://www.tomshardw...ng_rig_for_720/
^Possibly obsolete.

[Fatal]

Alright

Just make sure all your parts are compatible, make sure to get a high quality PSU. I would stick with a Intel Q6600 for just about any use of a computer right now. Seems it will be the best bang for the buck for the next years to come (eh, maybe till mid 2009 or late 2009 I believe) even, since Nehalem (Intel's new line of chip's that just came out) is somewhat flopping for its price.

-Need to have a good motherboard if you're going to overclock, if not then a budget one with the features you need should be good enough, probably don't need a high end mobo if not overclocking.

-4GB of ram would be the best decision for right now, unless its a budget build

-Get a good CPU Cooler


BTW: I would probably try to stay away from Tom's Hardware, not nearly as good as it used to be. Stick with something like AnandTech, Hard[OCP]

Edited by Fatal, 29 October 2008 - 06:59 PM.

[The Dirty Filipino]

Overclocking?
- Good Motherboard
- Good Ram
- Good Cooling
- Good Processor

And I agree with Fatal, any new system should have 4GB of RAM on it. There's really no point unless you are making an internet surfer.

[Mr. Hobo]

Rush - sorry I am semi-hijacking your thread .

Is there that big of a difference between 1gb/2gb and 4 gb? And what exactly is that difference?

[Fatal]

Rush - sorry I am semi-hijacking your thread .

If there that big of a difference between 1gb/2gb and 4 gb? And what exactly is that difference?

Programs are able to use more memory. If you don't have enough memory for the programs you're running, then you will see much lower performance. Your ram would be a bottleneck in that case. Depending on what you run, there can be a very big difference between 2GB and 4GB, or 1GB and 2GB.

2GB will currently run Vista just fine, 5/6 of my computers right now are running Vista with 2GB of ram, all run games great, but 4GB is beneficial.

Edited by Fatal, 06 November 2008 - 01:56 PM.

[Mr. Hobo]

Lower performance as in load times or drops in fps? And thanks

[Sida]

Lower performance as in load times or drops in fps? And thanks

Not just load times, it can affect performance aswel. The more ram you have, the more applications that can be run simultaneously. Programs use ram to perform tasks, so obviously the more you have the better they run. I'd definatly say it's worth the extra cash getting more ram, but if it's fps you're after get a good gfx card.

[Mr. Hobo]

Ok, ty.

[Fatal]

More ram will increase FPS but a better video card will generally have a larger impact on performance.

Still, if the ram being used is too much of a bottleneck, then it will hurt your performance greatly.

Edited by Fatal, 07 November 2008 - 09:35 PM.

[Balistix]

I dont really agree with using 4gig of ram because right now if im not mistaken only 64 bit system can fully utilize ram that is below 3.7gig correct me if im wrong, just get a good 2 gig high speed performance ram with the 4-4-4-12 latency (thats the best on the market i think), if u are on budget, ddr2 is enough, you can always overclocked them anyway. Most people would go to ati for gpu here in my place because its cheaper than nvidia, , ati 4870 costed about 900++ here which is more than enough to run cod 5 at maximum settings, because my friend is using 4850 and he run COD 5 to the highest setting, but he overclocked his graphic card though. For processor, if u plan to overclock get the cheapest c2d because usually people overclock that one.

and for liquid cooling system, not really worth it for budget build, just get alot of fans which is cheaper and a good casing. , as for mobo, i dont know about you guys but here most people prefer gigabyte eventhough asus technology is better but its not that stable sometimes.

once you get more money, you can just slice your gfx card by buying another same model of the graphic card. more power!

[Kyle]

By build is:
Gigabyte p35 ds3l
4GB AMPX DDR2 800
e8400 @ 3.0 (getting aftermarket soon)
XFX 8800GTS Alpha Dog
80GB 7200 HD

I like my 4GB, but if your going to overclock a lot, it would be beneficial to spend the same money on a quality 2 GB. I don't recommend my gfx card because its a little overpriced, and hard to find now. Go with a quad core because it will be a little more future proof, plus some of the q6600 are overclocking mofo's. Don't water cool right off the bat. Get some decent air cooling stuff and see how far that gets you with ocing, and if you want more THEN look into water. If you game pretty often and use a large monitor, I would recommend SLI/crossfire, because you will get lower fps with a larger monitor if you don't. Get a motherboard that supports SLI/crossfire even if your not going to use it right off the bat.

That's about all I can think of right now.

Edited by KyleBigMac, 09 November 2008 - 07:31 PM.

[Balistix]

offtopic : i plan to get x280 on my new set, anyone got any other recommendation? it cost around 1.7k here for one though. but i heard its better than ati 4870 x2.

[The Dirty Filipino]

I dont really agree with using 4gig of ram because right now if im not mistaken only 64 bit system can fully utilize ram that is below 3.7gig correct me if im wrong, just get a good 2 gig high speed performance ram with the 4-4-4-12 latency (thats the best on the market i think), if u are on budget, ddr2 is enough, you can always overclocked them anyway. Most people would go to ati for gpu here in my place because its cheaper than nvidia, , ati 4870 costed about 900++ here which is more than enough to run cod 5 at maximum settings, because my friend is using 4850 and he run COD 5 to the highest setting, but he overclocked his graphic card though. For processor, if u plan to overclock get the cheapest c2d because usually people overclock that one.

and for liquid cooling system, not really worth it for budget build, just get alot of fans which is cheaper and a good casing. , as for mobo, i dont know about you guys but here most people prefer gigabyte eventhough asus technology is better but its not that stable sometimes.

once you get more money, you can just slice your gfx card by buying another same model of the graphic card. more power!

Have fun gaming on Vista with 2 Gigs of RAM. Seven (or Siena, forget what it's called) is coming out next year, best be prepared.

Even for OC purposes, I still say pick up 4 gigs of cheap DDR2 memory. People spend too much money on RAM when the difference doesn't scale properly with other things you could spend money on. If you're going to make it an OC build though, I'd just read reviews and get ones with decent heatspreaders. Don't overclock a budget C2D. There are new processors out that are much better and overclock like a machine. If you're on a budget, I know that the C2Q Q6600 is extremely cheap right now and overclocks like a beast.

For cooling, most people don't really need it. Just spend a bit more and get a good quality case with some good quality fans. I'd recommend getting an aftermarket heatsink though if you plan on OC'ing the processor a fair amount.

Obviously don't cheap out on the PSU.

I'd stick with ASUS over Gigabyte. I find Gig easier to work with but I think things just run a lot cleaner on an ASUS board (once everything is set up and such).

By build is:
Gigabyte p35 ds3l
4GB AMPX DDR2 800
e8400 @ 3.0 (getting aftermarket soon)
XFX 8800GTS Alpha Dog
80GB 7200 HD

I like my 4GB, but if your going to overclock a lot, it would be beneficial to spend the same money on a quality 2 GB. I don't recommend my gfx card because its a little overpriced, and hard to find now. Go with a quad core because it will be a little more future proof, plus some of the q6600 are overclocking mofo's. Don't water cool right off the bat. Get some decent air cooling stuff and see how far that gets you with ocing, and if you want more THEN look into water. If you game pretty often and use a large monitor, I would recommend SLI/crossfire, because you will get lower fps with a larger monitor if you don't. Get a motherboard that supports SLI/crossfire even if your not going to use it right off the bat.

That's about all I can think of right now.

Futureproof is the key word here. You don't want to build a system and have it be a waste of money 3 months down the road.

offtopic : i plan to get x280 on my new set, anyone got any other recommendation? it cost around 1.7k here for one though. but i heard its better than ati 4870 x2.

Buy online and pray Customs doesn't take it?

The drivers for the 4870 are a bit eh, but I like em better than the 280's. From what I've seen 280s in tri-sli aren't too much better than the 4870x2.

[Fatal]

Have fun gaming on Vista with 2 Gigs of RAM. Seven (or Siena, forget what it's called) is coming out next year, best be prepared.

Even for OC purposes, I still say pick up 4 gigs of cheap DDR2 memory. People spend too much money on RAM when the difference doesn't scale properly with other things you could spend money on. If you're going to make it an OC build though, I'd just read reviews and get ones with decent heatspreaders. Don't overclock a budget C2D. There are new processors out that are much better and overclock like a machine. If you're on a budget, I know that the C2Q Q6600 is extremely cheap right now and overclocks like a beast.

For cooling, most people don't really need it. Just spend a bit more and get a good quality case with some good quality fans. I'd recommend getting an aftermarket heatsink though if you plan on OC'ing the processor a fair amount.

Obviously don't cheap out on the PSU.

I'd stick with ASUS over Gigabyte. I find Gig easier to work with but I think things just run a lot cleaner on an ASUS board (once everything is set up and such).




Futureproof is the key word here. You don't want to build a system and have it be a waste of money 3 months down the road.


Buy online and pray Customs doesn't take it?

The drivers for the 4870 are a bit eh, but I like em better than the 280's. From what I've seen 280s in tri-sli aren't too much better than the 4870x2.

Few things:


Windows 7 will be less of a resource hog than Vista, and will run better than Vista on all hardware
2GB of ram runs games great on Vista
I would definitely recommend DFI and ASUS for motherboards, and try to stay away from Gigabyte. Their boards are no where near the quality of the DFI/ASUS'.


Intel E8400 E0 / Q6600 G0 are the two chips to get right now depending on your uses. The E8400 shouldn't have trouble getting near or over 4Ghz, and the Q6600 should get to 3.2-3.8ghz, big range.

ATI HD4870 is probably the best bang for the buck right now
You don't need THAT great of overclocking ram, its called dividers, allowing you to overclock with your ram running slow. I'd try and pick up some 1066 2x2GB set if you can afford it.

Edited by Fatal, 10 November 2008 - 09:08 PM.

[The Dirty Filipino]

2GB of ram runs games great on Vista

Can't quad-box WoW with 2GB =[

Edit: Oh and real men get their Q66 to 4.0 GHz.

Edited by T.E.I., 14 November 2008 - 07:59 AM.

[Fatal]

Edit: Oh and real men get their Q66 to 4.0 GHz.

Without exotic cooling, you won't hit that. Very unrealistic for 24/7 usage.