does it ever really screw up?

[ishallwin]

hey there,
ive wanted to build a computer for a couple of years now, and have finally got a job since leaving college which gives me some dough to cook. im no whizz with computers tho, and am quite worried that im gonna buy all the bits to build the computer and theres gonna be some sort of major problem when i try to start it up. is it easy to mess it up? ive read the "how to build a PC" article and im sure i could follow it a little. ive found all the bits i want to build my computer, i want to use it for gaming mainly aswell as the usual internet stuff, heres what ive come up with:

Motherboard: DFI NF4 INFINITY SLI SKT939 6 channel audio SATA USB ATX £45.95

Cpu: AMD (Venice) Athlon 64 3500+ 939pin 512Kb L2 Cache 90nm Retail Boxed Processor With 3 Year Warranty and Fan Included. 50.01

Ram: Crucial 2GB kit (1GBx2) DDR PC3200 CL=3 UNBUFFERED NON-ECC DDR400 2.6V 128Meg x 64 £110

Hard disc: Western Digital WD2500KS Caviar SE 250GB 7200RPM SATA2/300 16MB Cache – OEM £41.49

Opticall drive: HP DVD940i 18x SuperMulti DVD±RW/RAM Lightscribe Black Retail Box £21.99

Graphics: Asus 7600GS SILENT 512MB DDR2 PCI-E £76.81 Nvidia

Case + PSU: Aspire X-Dreamer II Black Mid Tower Gaming Case - with 420W PSU £41.69

I already have an ATI 9600 256MB graphics card, but think the one ive chosen will suit gaming better, am i correct in thinking that?

any suggestions, or is this a good build
Thanks for taking the time to have a look anyway

[glc]

The ATI card is not compatible, that motherboard does not have an AGP slot. The Aspire power supply is NOT recommended.

[newbuilder14]

If it is your first build I would not get the DFI motherboard - Asus boards are easier to work with and more reliable anyway.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Where are you buying this from? If you could link up some kind of catalog or site, we could suggest some better options.

And on the memory, if its Crucial with the "Ballistix" moniker then stay away. The DDR Ballistix's had a sudden death syndrome. 50/50 chance.

[TimPoet]

You'll do fine with your first build if you buy pnly quality components. So much of successful building springs from the right parts. You want stable, high quality parts that are compatible. If you follow the guidelines in BYOPC and ask us for advice you will have a great build.

[ishallwin]

heya, im getting all the bits from http://www.ebuyer.co.uk, i had a quick look for an asus motherboard and this one looked pretty good:motherboard for the ram i dont really know which to go for but here is what aviaible in 2gb
so its just the motherboard and ram that i had in the initial build which was crap? also whats the difference between a 939 socket and a 940, will a 940 fit onto the 939 board (i was looking at getting the AMD 3800)

[ishallwin]

also will the new motherboard i chose be compatible with the video card i want. i will get another powersupply from the website, is 420watt not enough then?

[freakitchen]

If you're buying parts for a Socket 939 system in the UK - be quick about it! Good quality compatible motherboards are on their way out, and DDR RAM is starting to get expensive.

The ASUS A8N-E you linked to is a great motherboard, you're quite lucky to find it.

The new video card you've chosen IS compatible with that board, as it's PCI-Express. Your existing one isn't, as its AGP. For a gaming system, though, I'd say look at the 7600 'GT' as a minimum. The video card has the biggest impact on gaming performance.

Regarding the power supply - Wattage isn't that important, but QUALITY is. Aspire power supplies are poor quality, and you'd be risking every component in your system by using one.

Ebuyer's choice of quality power supplies is limited. How about getting this Antec case, that includes a quality power supply?

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/112648/rb/23643213046

FK

[ishallwin]

ok, yeh that case looks pretty good ill go for it. i cant find a gt version of that graphics card on ebuyer, do you know another english website which may have one, or can you recommend another from ebuyer?

[freakitchen]

Ebuyer's website is a pain to navigate.

How about this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/111198

or even this, seems a bit better value for money

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/106578

FK

[Mr.Ferrari]

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/98690
Ram I'd suggest.

[ishallwin]

ok one last thing, which operating system should i choose, home or proffesional? and is it worth getting the voucher for the vista upgrade next year

[freakitchen]

XP Home is more than sufficient for the home user. Pro has a lot of extra networking features that are only really necessary in an office environment.

Aren't the versions with the upgrade coupons the same price as the ones without? If they are, then you may as well have it, but I wouldn't suggest thinking about Vista until the release of the first service pack, at least.

FK

[Staren]

Ya, I'm holding off on Vista at least for awhile. It took me 3 years before moving to XP, and Vista isn't going to be much difference. I'll probably move over sooner this time, but I'm still going to wait and see what the new security features are actually going to do in the real world and I'd advice most people to do the same for now.

[ishallwin]

hey, ive just had another look at "build your own computer" article and it says something about using a system disc, ive never been aware of such a thing, whats it all about?

[glc]

Not applicable any more. The XP CD is bootable and will do everything for you. That article was written back when Win98 was the most common operating system. The basic build principles are still valid.

[ishallwin]

phew, ok so let me just get this straight, all im gonna need to get this computer running will be all the components ive listed above and an edition windows XP

[flanzig1]

Since you didn't say anything about a mouse and keyboard, I'll bring it up now.
When you get the parts, read ALL of the manuals(there will be a test-your computer booting up/sorry, a little humor)

[ishallwin]

haha well yeh maybe i should of said mouse and keyboard, right im off to buy all the bits now! will all be here by the weekend, so will update you on wether it starts

[freakitchen]

Since this is your first build, I'd suggest following the steps in this thread when you first assemble the components. It details building the PC with core components out of the case.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=132409

It removes a lot of variables that can cause the system not to boot up - and it lets you know that the core bits and pieces are working the way they should if you get a display. At that point, put the motherboard in the case and add everything else.

FK

[ishallwin]

thanks freakitchen that will be really helpful