In which order should PC parts be purchased?

[burnst83]

Hi guys, I have two questions:

1. What order should i buy the components? I'll probably be purchasing the different parts over three or four months. I'm afraid of buying components that conflict with each other or getting a case that isnt big enough.

2. I would like to build a PC that where i can play new games, listen to music, and store a lot of music and movies without the amount of data im storing affecting the speed of anything. Is this possible? Is there anything special i need to keep in mind in terms of what components to purchase?

3. I have Panama Reds checklist which i downloaded from another Thread, the list contains the following items: Case, PSU, Mobo, CPU, HDD, RAM, Pri Optical, Sec Optical, Sound and Video card. does that list cover every category i'll need to build a great pc for what i described above?

that was more than two questions! Thanks in advance for any replys, and i really am struggling trying to find the answer to question #1, so if you just want to answer one of the questions please answer that one!

[glc]

Instead of buying them piecemeal, just SAVE your money till you can buy it all at once.

[burnst83]

OK, i'll do it that way instead but lets say i had all the money right now, which decision do you make first when it comes to which component to purchase first out of that panama red list? I'll start my research from that point.

[glc]

You buy them all at once.........

[burnst83]

When you are researching what you want to buy do you find the mobo you want first, then the case, then the CPU, or would you start with the case, research cases then move on to the CPU then...I guess im sounding like an idiot but i just want to know what component to start the research with. i got the fact that you buy them all at once, i'll do that. btw, thanks for sticking with me on this, if there is a better way for me to answer this question let me know.

[Jdorty]

It doesn't matter what you start with. You're going to want to make sure everything is compatible with the motherboard. The CPU socket has to match the one on the motherboard. If you look on Newegg.com you can filter both the motherboard and the CPU by socket type. You'll probably get a PCI-E video card card, which any recent motherboards will have slots for.

Power supply won't matter except making sure you have enough watts and a good brand. Case won't matter as long as it is big enough to fit your cards in.

So you don't have to start looking at certain parts first, it doesn't really matter. Decide a budget, what the PC is for (gaming, mult-tasking, business, video editing, etc.), and then look for the parts that fit the bill. For example, if you are getting a gaming PC, the video card is your top priority. If you're more worried about business or multi-tasking then the CPU is your priority.

Edit: After you've decided a budget and what the PC is for, you can make a post on these forums asking for advice. However, it always helps if you do as much research on your own before asking for help.

[glc]

What you have to do is this - you have to spec out a whole system, properly balanced for the intended use, within a budget figure. That's what we are real good at here. The things we absolutely try to avoid at all costs are AMD vs. Intel arguments and ATI vs. Nvidia arguments. Some of us prefer one over the other, and everyone's opinions are respected. You prefer Ford or Chevy - or Dodge or Toyota?

[Khalil]

The most important part in your system is the power supply, figure out what you want to do with the computer then you make a choice of a great power supply and build around it. Without knowing what you intend to use the machine for its hard to recommend other components.

[rwest]

The amount of money you have to spend determines what parts will go into the build.

Both Intel and AMD have processors all over the money spectrum, and what you want to do with your pc will have a direct effect on the price and brand (AMD or Intel)you pick.

I'm going to walk you thu my own thoughts and build to help you determine where you may wish to start with your selection process.

I built my machine on two criteria. I'm a wannabe gamer and I do alot of video encoding. Now Intel is known to do a better job of encoding than AMD so I started looiing there first. But in my price range for a video card ATI was just kicking booty for price and performance, and I really want to build something that could game without my having to save forever. So I chose to build an AMD system(they tend to be a little easier on the wallet), and it has been suggested that an ATI card paired with an AMD chipset is an excellent match.

Now I knew which type of system I wanted(AMD). I chose to pick a MB first. I could have looked at processors first, but I also had other other criteria for my build. I knew I wanted something that supported newer processors(AM3), but I also wanted that same board to be able to support a less expensive processor (like an AM2+) in case when it came time to purchase one I would have a larger selection to choose from. I also wanted the faster lan speed 10/100/1000. I also don't have a sound system yet but I wanted the option for such. When I looked at boards I found the options to vary alot. I wanted a quality board with the most options on my board I could get for my money. I spent about $90 bucks on a Gigabyte board.

Next I chose a processor. I wanted at least a dual core (maybe a triple if I could afford it) with the most cache I could get for my money. I needed cache for my encoding projects, but I knew I would need a fast processor for future gaming. I spent about $100 bucks on 3gig dual core with a total of 7 mb cache. I also bought the black version because the board I chose supported overclocking.

I paid $65 for a brand new Radeon 3870 Shipping included. Yep it's old tech now, but my son and I can still play any game we want.

I really wanted to buy my case and power seperate (cuz I really wanted to have a solid power supply), but after deciding on a case the combo deal offered was just too good. I actually just recently upgraded the ps to an Antech. I looked for a heavy case with good airflow, no windows, support for atx and micro atx(for future upgradeability, and top ports, (it was going on the floor).

I watched Newegg and bought my ram and hdds as they went on sale and promos. I reused my optical drives. I have yet to upgrade these to SATA. I did the entire build over a time span of about 6-8 months. Yeah better deals have come out and the newer technology has dopped in price ie(DDR3 is cheaper thanDDR2), and probably for the money I spent(had I been able to save it) I could get a better system now, but I'm very happy with my system and don't regret a thing.

[burnst83]

Thanks so much everyone, feel like i have a clue where to start now! Im gonna go do a ton of research now and will post again once i have a parts list.

[piasabird]

The key parts like Motherboard, CPU, hard Drive, DVD, Video, OS I think should always be purchased together. One reason is Warranty Issues if you send stuff back you need to know if it works right away. The other issue is you only want to assember it once and leave it alone once it is together. Every time you open the case, is a chance to damage something, that is already working.

You can get buy with old keyboards and speakers and mouse from the last computer if you want.

So just save up and get it all at once or you might see a sale to shave some money off the price. Maybe there will be some turkey-day sales. I always think about upcoming sales and the holidays, and new equipment coming out.

[sdkfz]

You buy all at once because...what if something is DOA and by the time you get to the actual build the warranty or free return shipping etc is no longer in effect?

[David M]

Wait...don't put the cart before the horse.

Design your system according to which applications you need to run, which applications you want to run and how fast you want to run those applications. You also need to come up with a budget in how much you want to spend.

This is where you start in deciding which hardware you need.

After this, as glc and most everyone else has stated, buy all your hardware at the same time. Computer technology and prices change extremely fast, this is why you buy everything at once. When you wait to make that purchase, chances are pretty good you will get something that is better and faster for the same price (or cheaper) than if you buy your computer one component at a time.

There are a number of computer professionals here who are extremely experienced at what they do, including glc and khalil. Trust what they are telling you.