Need some advice on building a pc!

peteaboda1

So, I have been meaning to build my own pc for a long time now and just tonight my friend and I started checking out deals at newegg. I need advice as to whether all of these components would work together, what other possible things I might need, or any other suggestions. As for price, I am trying to make it as cheap as possible. This is what I have so far, prices are rounded

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - OEM
processor, $185
OR
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
Processor: $260
HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 HDP725050GLA360 (0A35415) 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Hard Drive: $65
MSI P43 Neo3-F LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard
Motherboard: $85
EVGA 512-P3-N975-AR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Video Card: $130
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
4gb ram: $70
OR
OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
RAM: $90
Rosewill TU-155 Black Steel ATX Black 0.8mm SGCC Steel Mid Tower Computer Case 400W(20+4 pin) Power Supply
Case: $60 (with 400w power supply, though I don't know if that would be sufficient)

I am a fairly big noob when it comes to technical aspects of pcs so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

IreneDAdler

We have a thread dedicated to computer building in the Technology subforum of G&T. I wouldn't recommend reading from the beginning as it's fairly stream-of-consciousness, but the last 4 or 5 pages may be helpful. Just from a casual glance, your build looks fine. I personally would get a Core 2 Duo instead of Quad, as most programs nowadays often don't take advantage of more than two cores. Also, check out Ars Technica's build guide.

peteaboda1

Thanks a lot, am reading now. But just to clarify I want this computer to last me years, so how long do you think a duel core would last from here on? Wouldn't the next step be moving towards quad core? Making this rig last longer?

IreneDAdler

Well, the thing is, since most programs now can't talk to more than two processors at once, you're probably going to see a reduction in performance if you got to a quad core with slower clock speed. Back when dual core first came out, and most programs didn't have support for multi-threading, I was actually getting better performance on my AMD Athlon 64 than my brand-spanking-new Intel dual core, because, as far as my programs were concerned, they only saw one 1.8GHz processor with the Intel. It wasn't until programs started supporting multi-threading that I saw a performance boost with my Intel chip.

Now, obviously I can't say for certain that you don't use things that can talk to all 4 processors, but what I've been hearing is that those types of programs are rare. So you're going to have to wait a while before you can take full advantage of your quad core, at which time I bet you can get a much better quad core for not very much money. Investing in technology is always a losing game, but investing too much ahead of the curve is really bad. If you really want to future-proof your computer, I would get a really fast dual core and an HD4870.

peteaboda1

Thanks, I took it into account and put a newer list up in the other thread. When I said upgrade to a quad core down the line, I meant a few years when the shift is made towards it and it is actually an upgrade. As for the video card, I think I may stick with the one I have picked out just because of price. Thanks a lot though.

JamesKeenan

I'm doing the same, with many similar parts. An E8500 dual core, and a 4870 video card, though.

My biggest thing is know exactly what PSU I need. I have a 90 dollar case and PSU combo, and it might be more than I need. If I could knock off 30-40 dollars but still have the case room/air flow and PSU power/connectors I needed... I'd be ecstatic.

KurnDerak

It looks like everything should match up pretty well for you. One thing I would recommend, with the size of video cards now it would be good to make sure that the slot you will put your GPU won't have it blocking out any other slots such as SATA ports. IMO, a good example of one is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136044 though it is AMD and not Intel, I don't have any problems with my behemoth of a video card getting in the way. Though after looking at the one you had, it seems decent enough.

I would support suggest going with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 as it is cheaper then the other one you have and looks to have very good ratings.

Just quickly browsed through what you have and looked up what I thought might help you out some.

One thing that helped me when getting the comp I have right now is just going through one component at a time, comparing different ones that looked good, then adjusted the whole thing. Took me a few weeks to finally get mine to the point I was ready to order everything. A very good friend of yours when searching NewEgg is the Best Rating option when choosing how to list results.

Also, invest in something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261003
I have used this for working on my comp, putting together furniture (dvd shelves and such) and it is just really very all around useful.

Torque Monkey

Highly suggest going with a reliable PSU brand - Antec, OCZ, Forton Group, EnerMax or similar, otherwise that's going to be one of the biggest potential issues for your computer. Also i'd spend a little bit more on your motherboard as that too is a pretty important component, add an extra $30-40 there, ASUS or Gigabyte are two solid choices with reasonable priced boards.

Dual-Core vs Quad-Core, yeah the large majority of processes can't use 4 cores, the e6400 is still the best chip on the market. Buy the 66 or 6700 if you do buy a quad though, I wouldn't say the 9 series is worth it unless you plan on doing something a lot more than the norm.

KurnDerak

Here is something that is very important when looking at building a PC that I realised hasn't been touched on at all. What is the price range you are looking at? I'm estimating that it would be in the 700-1000 range somewhere, but something more definite would also help us.

Is there any reason why you are going with Intel over AMD for a processor? I was able to get my dual core AMD cheaper then I could find a dual-core Intel.

Also, another thing to think about when building your PC. Have someone around that really knows what they are doing. The putting it together is actually really simple, but when something goes wrong it is very nice to have someone around who can tell you what you have to send back.

peteaboda1

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Kurn, you suggested the ram I was going for actually. As for the motherboard I had four friends who have built/repaired computers before and they said it was fine, but I have a while before I am actually going to order everything so hopefully a better motherboard will be cheaper/available by December. That sounds a long ways off but I just wanted to dip my toe in to see what I was getting into. As for the building process I think I may just invest in some anti-static straps, I have most of those tools. I went with Intel because it had the best ratings and I trusted those.

Here is an even more updated list than in the other thread, seeing as how people are posting in here now. I am opting for a duel core as I trust it will last me a long time and I can just upgrade to a quad when it is actually being utilized years down the line.

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor: $120

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor: $170

Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive: $90

MSI P43 Neo3-F LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard: $85

EVGA 512-P3-N975-AR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card: $130

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory: $70

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply: $130

DVD RW drive: around $30


I am aiming for as cheap as possible, but I just found out I can work two days a week at my job which will double my paychecks so I could potentially invest in a higher quality motherboard as I am fairly happy with everything else as of right now.

KurnDerak

Just going to list some motherboards that you might want to keep an eye on incase they go on sale, or you decide to spend a bit more. I have a DFI myself, and really like it. Just going to put brand and price. Also aiming for the $100-200 range on MBs, and those that are rated very well.
DFI $179.99
BIOSTAR $169.99
INTEL $229.99 It's a little more, but might still be worth keeping an eye on it.

One thing that makes looking for MBs easier for you then it was for me was that I bought one of those massive ATI cards that takes up 2 slots, so it would block off SATA slots on most boards.

These next things are just what I got myself, and have worked out. One warning with the power supply, the first one I got went crazy and blew the circuit it was on, so that if it was even plugged in the power would go off to my room, my brother's room, and the garage (all on one breaker or whatever the correct term is). Didn't harm the computer one bit though. Second one has worked like a charm.
As for a Power Supply MSI 600W $79.99
This is the case I got, never got the sound/fan things workings. No detailed enough instructions on how to set em up, looks pretty though. APEVIA $69.99

If you haven't, sign up for NewEgg's newsletter, they have 15-20 deals in there about weekly I think.

Also, if you're wanting to save money, are there any components from your current computer that you would be able to keep? Such as HDDs, CD/DVD drives, and the such. If you're curious at all I can put up what my computer is currently, and it cost about $700.

peteaboda1

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep a lookout in a couple months. I just signed up for newegg's newsletter as well. The PC I am on now is going to turn 5 years old come January, so I don't think there are any components I want to keep, I am also somewhat afraid to find what may be living in there haha.

KurnDerak

My CD drive and my CD-w/DVD drive are both from my old computer, which I bought around 5 years ago this december I believe. They both still work just fine, cept the CD-w/DVD doesn't always want to open if there isn't a disc in, but will always open if there is one in. I kept two of my old HDDs, though those are maybe a year and two years old each.

One question I do have, that is very simple, is how do you connect to the internet? Are you on a wireless network, connect directly to a router/modem, through another comp, etc etc? I don't even remember if MBs come with onboard wireless, could be wrong. I doubt this will change much, but at most it might add on about $10-20 to the cost, nothing big.

I think so far this computer should last 4-5 years, might have to upgrade the video card if there is some kind of big jump in gaming, but that is unlikely I think. If you went with a dual core 2.5-3gHz you should be good for years to come. I finally upgraded my 2.4gHz single core this year as games finally started requiring higher. I don't remember where I read this, so don't take it as fact, but I do remember seeing somewhere that computer games were reaching a plateu for a bit on how system intensive they are becoming, so if that is true getting a system that could run most current games very well will be good.

mechaThor

I just recently built a computer using a Western Digital 640gb hard-drive (recommended to me on the tech forum here at PA) which is very quiet and has worked flawlessly so far, so unless you are die-hard Seagate I would at least recommend the WD.

link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

peteaboda1

mechaThor wrote: »

I just recently built a computer using a Western Digital 640gb hard-drive (recommended to me on the tech forum here at PA) which is very quiet and has worked flawlessly so far, so unless you are die-hard Seagate I would at least recommend the WD.

link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Well my two friends who worked at a computer store said that Seagate was the way to go (one specifically said to avoid western digital) and since the one you linked is only $5 cheaper I am just going to stick with Seagate.

Kurn: I have a wireless router to connect to the internet, so if the motherboard comes with built in wireless that would be a plus I suppose. Exactly how do I check if it does? Or will it be as plain as "built in wireless".

KurnDerak

Hmm, I was thinking there were motherboards with onboard wireless, but not sure exactly what to look for since it doesn't seem to be on the list of specifications. Will need to look into it.

Either way, a decent internal wireless card would be a little more then I expected, but would still be in the $20-40 range. The one I got has been discontinued, and MSI hasn't seemed to have made any more that NewEgg is selling.

peteaboda1

Keep me updated if you find out Kurn. I am thinking about getting Vista 64 as my OS when I do order everything. What sort of deals are there for a college student, if any?