First build: Simple; needed mostly for internet.

[marliz]

My old dell is dying (have been getting a board failure message for almost a year) and the cd/dvd reader just died on it. I have a fairly new pc for work use and am using the dell mostly for the internet. I use Word Perfect 2000, True Image Backup and on a rare occasion I use Photoshop Elements on the Dell. I've been using a usb flash drive to copy files to my other computer.

It seems a good time to try my hand at building a basic PC. I thought about doing this before I bought my new system, used for photo and video work, but chickened out. :-(

Anyhow, the info I'm finding is aimed at building fast systems and I'm hoping you can give me an idea of how to build a very basic one.

I've put in cards, ram and drives, but never fooled with the motherboard, fans or power supplies.

Can anyone steer me to a website that gives very basic instructions? I will want 512 mg ram, an 80 gig hard drive, good cooling, and a dvd/cd writer. Would still like the old fashioned floppy drive also. I am currently using an LCD monitor with a usb switch hub so that I can switch the monitor over to use as a second with my work computer and use just one keyboard and mouse. I don't suppose that would be a problem? I'll need an ethernet connection for cable. My printer is USB but I suppose cases come with parallel and serial ports whether you need them or not?

I would prefer a non-integrated video and audio slot and card. Whatever is needed to view streaming video on the net, since I occasionally need that to check out tutorials. And I would like a fairly large case so I'm not trying to work in a mini box.

All that said, is there a better chance of building this basic computer without running into problems, such as conficlts, than there would be in building a more sophisticated machine? Would appreciate any advice you can give!
Peggy

[Cricket]

Building your first PC from parts

Cricket

[jeromebrill]

Welcome to the board. I just built my first computer also. It wasn't to bad. I had a Dell 8300 and the mobo went bad. I had done the same stuff as you, Memory, Drives and all that. Best thing to do is just take your time and think a head on what your trying to do. Some build there system out of case to get everything going then resemble it back in the case. I built mine right in the case. As for a big case. Go with a mid or Full-Tower case. I bought mine off of TigerDirect and they have a good selection and they wern't priced bad. It was a mid tower case. My mobo was a Micro-ATX so I still had space to move around. http://www.geocities.com/jeromebrill...ycomputer4.jpg If you buy a Full-Tower case, do so if your going to eventually make a faster system. You will still have plently of expandability with a Mid-Tower case though. I Hope that helps a bit.

[glc]

You are not going to find a motherboard these days without integrated sound and Ethernet. Today's integrated sound is actually pretty decent, but if you really want a sound card, the integrated sound is easily disabled in the bios. If you will not be gaming, actually today's integrated video is quite good too as long as you have a little extra ram, but if you really want a separate video card, go for it.

Here's a suggested basic system that will be very reliable.

Case:

Foxconn TS001-V-A300A Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 300W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811153042

Motherboard:

ASUS P5GD1-VM Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131520

Note: Onboard video *with* a PCI-E slot for an upgrade - try the onboard first, add a card later if desired.

Processor:

Intel Pentium 4 506 Prescott 533MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor Model BX80547PE2667EN - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116224

Hard drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3808110AS 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148107

Optical drive:

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SHW160P6S05 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106014

Floppy drive:

MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821104104

Bonus - this also has digital card reader slots.

Ram: Go for 1gb.

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440

Add peripherals and an operating system.

[marliz]

Thank you all for the advice -- I am reading carefully.

After I posted, I wondered if anyone ever reused their old case and put new parts in it? My case is a mid sized tower (a lot better made than the Dell I ordered two years ago and sent back before I ordered a Velocity Micro!.) You can tell how much a noivice I am since I don't know if a new motherboard would fit an older case, or if that would be the hard way to go!

After I shut down and pulled the plug for a few minutes my old Dell started up with the cd/dvd player recognized again. Since I have been getting the board failure message on boot up for many months and since I basically want to do this to learn how, I would like to spend as little as possible and still have a reliable system that will last a few years. I'm using Windows 2000 on it and see no need to upgrade to XP (which I have on my new PC).

Any thoughts on this?

[flanzig1]

Dell cases can be tough to install standard computer parts like mother boards and PSUs. If the case is a non name brand computer company, then the case is probably a standard ATX format case. If your Win 2000 came with the Dell, probably won't be able to reuse it(Dell ties their installed Windows to the computers BIOS.

[rwest]

Marliz,
It really depends on your current case and the form factor it supports. You really have to be careful with propietary stuff too. I bought a used standard atx MOBO and stuck it in an HP Pavilion case. All I had to do was modify the original back plate for fit and split up the front connectors. It can be done, but do your home work!!! Cooling, space, and clearance will be your biggest concerns.

[marliz]

Thanks you aso much for the encouragement and advice. My Win 2000 is retail -- I replaced Millennium which came with the dell. I've decided it would be best to start fresh with a new case. I found the guides on the website (afte finding the forums) so have quite a bit of reading to do!