First Custom PC Ever!

[Matrixboy777]

Hey everyone, I am new to computer hardware, and I am thinking of buliding my own PC since everyone recommends it, so I am kind of clueless on what the parts of the computer are and I was hoping you guys could a post a definition of what each part does, and please include what brands are the best. Thank You!!!

[EzyStvy]

what's inside: computer hardware
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/co...re-channel.htm

[Matrixboy777]

Originally Posted by EzyStvy what's inside: computer hardware http://computer.howstuffworks.com/co...re-channel.htm

Thanks, but it really didn't help me, please post some more.

[shadowpr]

You will need:

Case
PSU (Power Supply Unit)
MB (Mother Board)
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
Ram
HD (Hard Drive)
dvd drive
Video Card

Then you still need keyaboard, mouse, monitor. Most people like speakers as well.

And of course you will need a OS (operating System).

If you give us a budget, what the intended use would be for, what country you're in, and if you need the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and os included with that budget we can help you pick out parts.

I would also suggest reading through some of the threads in this forum.

[Svaneyk]

The sticky at the top of the forums should get you started.

Want to know what parts to use for a new build?

[Matrixboy777]

Originally Posted by shadowpr You will need: Case PSU (Power Supply Unit) MB (Mother Board) CPU (Central Processing Unit) Ram HD (Hard Drive) dvd drive Video Card Then you still need keyaboard, mouse, monitor. Most people like speakers as well. And of course you will need a OS (operating System). If you give us a budget, what the intended use would be for, what country you're in, and if you need the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and os included with that budget we can help you pick out parts. I would also suggest reading through some of the threads in this forum.

Thank you very much, just what I needed, well I was thinking of buying a dell xps 625, but on the other hand I have $1,500 to build a pc with!

[Khalil]

You can build a really good rig for that kind of money. What are you going to use it for primarily? Gamer? Multimedia?

[Matrixboy777]

Originally Posted by Khalil You can build a really good rig for that kind of money. What are you going to use it for primarily? Gamer? Multimedia?

I will mostly use it for Gaming and Browsing.

[David M]

You can make your own really good gaming machine for that price.

Be sure spend heavily on the graphics card. You may want to go for it with a single Nvidia GeForce 295 GTX or an ATI Radeon 4870 X2. The 295 runs around $500 and the 4870 X2 just under $400.

For a gaming machine, the CPU does not have to be the fastest ones you can get...which are running around a thousand bucks. An Intel i7 CPU in the $200-300 price range will work fine. I think the fastest CPU's are sort of a rip off compared to their not much slower and significantly cheaper brothers.

Get yourself a good power supply. They vary quite a bit in their quality. We have listed here the better quality PSU's (Power Supply Units) Having a quality power supply is a lot more important than what many newbie first time builders seem to think.

Always go with a quality motherboard. Most people here like Asus. There are maybe one or two other good companies, then after that the quality goes downhill fast. Get one with an Intel chip set

Cases are like art...it mostly a matter of personal preference although there are some case companies that produce absolute junk and other companies that produce real nice ones....and lots in between.

RAM...get some nice stable and compatible RAM. The motherboard manufacturer will have recommendations. DDR3 memory is cheap enough now. RAM now is fast enough as well...its unnecessary to clock the hell out of it.

Drives, either Western Digital or Seagate or perhaps Samsung The 10,000 RPM versions are not much faster than the 7200 RPM ones with 32 megs of cache. You probably would not notice any difference.

Optical drive (DVD drive)....look at the specs. There area number of companies making good ones.


Whatever you do, don't go with the cheapest stuff you can find. The cheap stuff will create an unreliable computer and end up frustrating the hell out of you. I can't tell you how many hundreds of times I have seen people lectured in this forum for buying junk...especially junk power supplies or junk motherboards. Those two items seem to be the greatest sources of hardware problems

Secondly, trust the advice you get from the computer professionals in here. Learn who they are. You will get a sense of that over time.

[Khalil]

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz

DIAMOND 4890PE51GSB Radeon HD 4890 1GB

Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+

Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3

You can install windows 7 then buy it when it comes out in October or go with Vista with the 7 upgrade

$970 without the case

For a case Antec, Cooler Master, Lian Li and Xclio is what I recommend you look at.

You can also go with an Intel configuration.

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz +$30

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 +$170

Kingston 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 +$40

So an Intel rig would be $1210 plus the case you choose and shipping

David M is right about the Nvidia GTX295, it is the king of video cards and would give a big advantage if you plan on playing multiple game instances on multiple monitors, if not then I would stick to the ATI 4890 and save $300
good luck

[Matrixboy777]

Originally Posted by David M You can make your own really good gaming machine for that price. Be sure spend heavily on the graphics card. You may want to go for it with a single Nvidia GeForce 295 GTX or an ATI Radeon 4870 X2. The 295 runs around $500 and the 4870 X2 just under $400. For a gaming machine, the CPU does not have to be the fastest ones you can get...which are running around a thousand bucks. An Intel i7 CPU in the $200-300 price range will work fine. I think the fastest CPU's are sort of a rip off compared to their not much slower and significantly cheaper brothers. Get yourself a good power supply. They vary quite a bit in their quality. We have listed here the better quality PSU's (Power Supply Units) Having a quality power supply is a lot more important than what many newbie first time builders seem to think. Always go with a quality motherboard. Most people here like Asus. There are maybe one or two other good companies, then after that the quality goes downhill fast. Get one with an Intel chip set Cases are like art...it mostly a matter of personal preference although there are some case companies that produce absolute junk and other companies that produce real nice ones....and lots in between. RAM...get some nice stable and compatible RAM. The motherboard manufacturer will have recommendations. DDR3 memory is cheap enough now. RAM now is fast enough as well...its unnecessary to clock the hell out of it. Drives, either Western Digital or Seagate or perhaps Samsung The 10,000 RPM versions are not much faster than the 7200 RPM ones with 32 megs of cache. You probably would not notice any difference. Optical drive (DVD drive)....look at the specs. There area number of companies making good ones. Whatever you do, don't go with the cheapest stuff you can find. The cheap stuff will create an unreliable computer and end up frustrating the hell out of you. I can't tell you how many hundreds of times I have seen people lectured in this forum for buying junk...especially junk power supplies or junk motherboards. Those two items seem to be the greatest sources of hardware problems Secondly, trust the advice you get from the computer professionals in here. Learn who they are. You will get a sense of that over time.

Oh my, thank you, that helped me very much, I will for sure follow your tips!

[David M]

I am no expert. Khalil is the expert with thousands of builds under his belt.

One more thought, if you have a monitor with lots of pixels, the high end graphics cards make a nice difference.

[Matrixboy777]

Originally Posted by David M I am no expert. Khalil is the expert with thousands of builds under his belt. One more thought, if you have a monitor with lots of pixels, the high end graphics cards make a nice difference.

O, nice tip thanks.

[mvanwey]

sorry, I'm not smart enough to help w/ your spec's, but everything I know about PC's I learned here. You came to the right place. They got me through building one from scrap, and I'm keeping my wife's business PC running, backed up, and cloned a drive BEFORE a crash WAY COOL!
Just read A LOT of posts, and the sticky's.
Good luck.