Building your own computer

[maddogkf]

Now that I am done building my pool, I want to tackle new project, one that frightens me even more - building my own computer.

I have a 1998 Computer w/ an Intel Celeron. I run Win98, 2ed. I think my HD is 10GB.

I have a cable modem.

Here's what I want - a computer that is quick on the web, where the damn screen doesn't take a second or two to recognize my keystroke, a CD burner, disk drives - floppy, media card reader, etc.....

Any recommendations?

I know I have to get a case, motherboard, processor w/fan & heat sink....


What operating system do you recommend?

I have heard good things about Win 2000 Pro

Monitors - flat screen vs regular...

I maybe want to drop $750 +/- into this....no idea though

I have decent speakers right now

I have a printer/scanner/copier right now (Thanks Ryan for the trouble shooting!)

I have a crappy cordless keyboard

Any & all help would be greatly appreciated.

I probably want the capability of good gaming, running spreadsheets, downloading photos from a camera, & various other things.

Nothing too crazy

I want to save some of the stuff on my current hard drive -do I make it a slave? If so, how do I do that?

I got ths info but personal input is great!

http://www.buildpc.net/


THanks!!!

 

[Chaplin]

Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to build a kick arse system for 750 bucks. Believe me, just last week I looked into buying one, and between the burners, the hard drives, the motherboard, the processor and the monitor, you're burning at least 1000 bucks right there. You figure the monitor alone, if you go with flat panel, is at least 350 dollars. Motherboard and processor will probably run you at least 300 dollars together, if not more. Case is probably 50-60, sometimes less if you're lucky and don't care about the look of it. But you'll still have a video card to get, minimum 100 bucks--if you want to play some of the newer games, closer to 200 bucks. That's 900 at least right there. A CD-Burner won't be too expensive, but a DVD-Burner probably would be. And then there is the hard drive, which you can probably get some deals on, but I'd expect spending at least 100 on that too. Plus you don't really get good warranties either.

So instead, I went to Fry's and bought a bundle. Yes, it's not the greatest in the world, but it's better than a Celeron with a 10 gig HD!

I actually got a Sony VAIO 410 for 850 bucks--and a 17 inch TFT Flat Panel for 399. My VAIO is a P4 2.66, with 256mb RAM, a 120Gb HD, a CD-Rom and a DVD-Burner. I still have to upgrade my video card, and I'm having some second thoughts about this HP monitor I have, but otherwise it's a great computer.

 

[arthurracoon]

Originally posted by Chaplin
but a DVD-Burner probably would be.

DVD Burners have come down in price lately.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by arthurracoon
DVD Burners have come down in price lately.

Not good ones.

 

[DbaxJ]

Originally posted by Chaplin
Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to build a kick arse system for 750 bucks. Believe me, just last week I looked into buying one, and between the burners, the hard drives, the motherboard, the processor and the monitor, you're burning at least 1000 bucks right there. You figure the monitor alone, if you go with flat panel, is at least 350 dollars. Motherboard and processor will probably run you at least 300 dollars together, if not more. Case is probably 50-60, sometimes less if you're lucky and don't care about the look of it. But you'll still have a video card to get, minimum 100 bucks--if you want to play some of the newer games, closer to 200 bucks. That's 900 at least right there. A CD-Burner won't be too expensive, but a DVD-Burner probably would be. And then there is the hard drive, which you can probably get some deals on, but I'd expect spending at least 100 on that too. Plus you don't really get good warranties either.

So instead, I went to Fry's and bought a bundle. Yes, it's not the greatest in the world, but it's better than a Celeron with a 10 gig HD!

I actually got a Sony VAIO 410 for 850 bucks--and a 17 inch TFT Flat Panel for 399. My VAIO is a P4 2.66, with 256mb RAM, a 120Gb HD, a CD-Rom and a DVD-Burner. I still have to upgrade my video card, and I'm having some second thoughts about this HP monitor I have, but otherwise it's a great computer.

It all depends on what you want. I just picked up a Athlon XP 2.0 and mobo combo at Fry's for $70. Case $70. CPU Fan $12 PC2100 512MB for $89. Maxtor 120 GB for $119 w/$40 mail in rebate. 52XCD R/W for $39 and a Radeon 9800 for $109. Floppy for $14. Thats a complete system, for under $500. No its not the ultimate gamer, but that isnt what he said he wanted. A system like this is light years ahead of what he is already running... of course the monitor is the stumbling block.. but as they go, you get what you pay for there.

 

[maddogkf]

Thanks for the info guys.

What about operating systems?

I hear people bragging about Win XP, others like Win ME, others swear by Win 2000

Is there much of a difference?

I don't know much about OS - I looked at a few websites & they just say that XP is good for home use, 2000 Pro is good for business applications but is there really a difference?

Thanks again!

Kevin

 

[tommcnabb]

Originally posted by maddogkf
Thanks for the info guys.

What about operating systems?

I hear people bragging about Win XP, others like Win ME, others swear by Win 2000

Is there much of a difference?

I don't know much about OS - I looked at a few websites & they just say that XP is good for home use, 2000 Pro is good for business applications but is there really a difference?

Thanks again!

Kevin

Do NOT get Windows ME.

I personally run XP pro with XP Office Pro on my laptop. It's a pent4.


But, I also have a pent 3 Dell running Free BSD and KDE. Now that's cool too.
The Konqueror web browser is nice. Just ask me how much the OS and the office pack cost on the Dell. Damn cheap!!

The monitor is where you're going to drop your cash.
--Tom

 

[maddogkf]

Thanks for the info Tom!

 

[tommcnabb]

Originally posted by maddogkf
Thanks for the info Tom!

You're welcome. I do this for a living. Not because I live it though; I just like the pay.

Some computer people live this stuff day and night. Not me.

Computers make me money.

The Harley gives me fun.

Working with my kids and sub teaching gives me satisfaction.

If you have any questions you need quick answers to and don't want to wait for message board, it may be quicker to pm me.

 

[maddogkf]

Originally posted by tommcnabb
You're welcome. I do this for a living. Not because I live it though; I just like the pay.

Some computer people live this stuff day and night. Not me.

Computers make me money.

The Harley gives me fun.

Working with my kids and sub teaching gives me satisfaction.

If you have any questions you need quick answers to and don't want to wait for message board, it may be quicker to pm me.

A man with his priorities in line!

 

[Chaz]

XP is the way to go.
Pro version is nice if you will use the features it has.

For basic home use the XP home version is fine.


Flat panel (LCD, not to be confused with flat screen CRT) monitors are really nice but the CRTs are really cheap now that the panels are so popular.

If you are interested in learning and self assembly best idea is to make a list of the parts you need and start shopping and reading.

It is a little easier to buy a bare bones bundle and just add the drives and graphics board.


Assembly is not that difficult. Just make sure you are grounded and do not static shock the parts.

 

[maddogkf]

OK...

here's what I have going on & looking into & I am open to any & all suggestions:



ATX mid tower case w/300 W (?) power supply w/fan
w/at least 2 ea 3.5 ports, 3 ea 5.25 ports
Processor w/fan (under @ $175) - can I get something good & fast?
Flat panel monitor - SONY 15" TFT or similar
3.5 floppy
CD RW
DVD RW (should I get both these? - I want to copy CDs too...should I just get the DVD RW & a plain CD?)

Internet modem port (not USB - the phone jack looking thing)
Video Card
Sound Card
Hard drive
Motherboard that is compatible w/RAM
9 type media card reader

Do I need a zip drive?



I currently have a HP PSC 750 xi printer/scanner & Altec Lansing speakers (2 little ones & a sub woofer) that I probably will re-use

 

[maddogkf]

Oh yeah - I want to be able to hook a VCR up to the computer & then burn a tape into a DVd.

What do I need to do this?

I have some literature about the actual assembly of the computer components but I am pretty green on what to get.

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by maddogkf
Oh yeah - I want to be able to hook a VCR up to the computer & then burn a tape into a DVd.

What do I need to do this?

I have some literature about the actual assembly of the computer components but I am pretty green on what to get.

You need a video card with a video input. Many cards have the "TV out" in the form of a composite or s-video connection. You will need a card that has the input of the same type connector.

Something like an "all in wonder" card that has video capture capability.

Sorry I cannot be more specific on a particular card.

Look at the Matrox or ATI, they both make good video capture cards.

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by maddogkf
OK...

here's what I have going on & looking into & I am open to any & all suggestions:



ATX mid tower case w/300 W (?) power supply w/fan
w/at least 2 ea 3.5 ports, 3 ea 5.25 ports
Processor w/fan (under @ $175) - can I get something good & fast?
Flat panel monitor - SONY 15" TFT or similar
3.5 floppy
CD RW
DVD RW (should I get both these? - I want to copy CDs too...should I just get the DVD RW & a plain CD?)

Internet modem port (not USB - the phone jack looking thing)
Video Card
Sound Card
Hard drive
Motherboard that is compatible w/RAM
9 type media card reader

Do I need a zip drive?



I currently have a HP PSC 750 xi printer/scanner & Altec Lansing speakers (2 little ones & a sub woofer) that I probably will re-use

DVD-/+RW drive should cover all your cd and DVD writing and re-writing needs. You will need two optical drives only if you want to copy one disk directly to another. With one drive and a large hard drive you could image the disk to the hard drive and then write it back to the same optical drive.

Probably will not need a zip drive. an external hard drive or one of the flash usb drives are probably a better removable storage solution. I guess the only advantage is these "new" solutions are a fixed size and zip drive are only limited by the number of disks you have. However, that is also true of the CD-RW and DVD-RW so I am not sure why someone would need a zip drive today.

Internet Modem??? Do you mean network card(NIC)? It looks like a phone jack but bigger? to hook up to a cable modem by ethernet right? Many motherboards have this built in. If not they are pretty cheap these days.

Hope I was helpful.

 

[Dan H]

Prices courtesy of www.newegg.com . . .

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Retail w/heatsnk - $90
Corsair Value Select 512MB Dual Kit (2 x 256MB) - $90
Abit NF7-S motherboard - $90
Western Digital 800BB 80GB hard disk - $68
Gainward GeForce 4 Ti4200 64MB - $99
3.5" floppy - $6
Sony 52X24X52 CD-RW - $35
Pioneer DVD-120S DVD drive - $38
Biostar 6-in-1 media card reader - $9
Enermax 5866 case with 350W power supply and side window - $53

Total: $578

Note that the motherboard has an integrated network card and integrated sound on par with Soundblaster Audigy . . .

I'd pick your own monitor as those mostly come down to personal preference. Another option might also be to replace the Ti4200 video card with a 5700 Ultra; it depends on which sort of games you play. The Ti is fine for older games, the 5700 might be more future proof, but is another hundred dollars.

Also note that the AMD 2500+ processors are very overclockable. By default they run on a 333MHz effective bus, but the Abit motherboard can very easily be set to run it at a 400MHz effective bus, overclocking the processor to 2.2 GHz, which is equivalent to a 3200+ rating.

The top of the line DVD burner is the NEC 2500A. It burns DVD-R at 8X, DVD+R at 8X, 4X DVD-RW, 2X DVD+RW, 32X CD-R, and 16X CD-RW. It's a bargain at only $131.

As to Chaplin's comment, "Good" CD drives are subjective at best as there are only 3 or 4 manufacturers making drive assemblies in the world today; most of the larger OEMs such as Sony will buy assemblies from these manufacturers and slap their own labels and firmware into them.

So with the upgrades you'd have:

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Retail w/heatsnk - $90
Corsair Value Select 512MB Dual Kit (2 x 256MB) - $90
Abit NF7-S motherboard - $90
Western Digital 800BB 80GB hard disk - $68
Chaintech GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB - $192
3.5" floppy - $6
NEC ND-2500A DVD-Writer - $131
Pioneer DVD-120S DVD drive - $38
Biostar 6-in-1 media card reader - $9
Enermax 5866 case with 350W power supply and side window - $53

Total: 767

Which would wipe out your budget, but then again you could build the new system now with your current monitor and save up to buy a new one. Places online often sell refurbished CRT monitors - I have a friend who bought a very nice 21" for under 200 dollars. LCDs are nice, but the best ones with the lowest screen response times are still around 400+ dollars depending on the size of the screen you prefer.

 

[maddogkf]

Originally posted by SirChaz

You need a video card with a video input. Many cards have the "TV out" in the form of a composite or s-video connection. You will need a card that has the input of the same type connector.

Something like an "all in wonder" card that has video capture capability.

Sorry I cannot be more specific on a particular card.

_______________________
Internet Modem??? Do you mean network card(NIC)? It looks like a phone jack but bigger? to hook up to a cable modem by ethernet right? Many motherboards have this built in. If not they are pretty cheap these days.

Hope I was helpful.

Thanks for the input! (no pun intended )
I Believe that's the internet connection - my cable modem has a USB port & a phone jack looking thing - so it sounds like it's the NIC

Thanks

 

[maddogkf]

Originally posted by Dan H
Prices courtesy of www.newegg.com . . .

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Retail w/heatsnk - $90
Corsair Value Select 512MB Dual Kit (2 x 256MB) - $90
Abit NF7-S motherboard - $90
Western Digital 800BB 80GB hard disk - $68
Gainward GeForce 4 Ti4200 64MB - $99
3.5" floppy - $6
Sony 52X24X52 CD-RW - $35
Pioneer DVD-120S DVD drive - $38
Biostar 6-in-1 media card reader - $9
Enermax 5866 case with 350W power supply and side window - $53

Total: $578

Note that the motherboard has an integrated network card and integrated sound on par with Soundblaster Audigy . . .

I'd pick your own monitor as those mostly come down to personal preference. Another option might also be to replace the Ti4200 video card with a 5700 Ultra; it depends on which sort of games you play. The Ti is fine for older games, the 5700 might be more future proof, but is another hundred dollars.

Also note that the AMD 2500+ processors are very overclockable. By default they run on a 333MHz effective bus, but the Abit motherboard can very easily be set to run it at a 400MHz effective bus, overclocking the processor to 2.2 GHz, which is equivalent to a 3200+ rating.

The top of the line DVD burner is the NEC 2500A. It burns DVD-R at 8X, DVD+R at 8X, 4X DVD-RW, 2X DVD+RW, 32X CD-R, and 16X CD-RW. It's a bargain at only $131.

As to Chaplin's comment, "Good" CD drives are subjective at best as there are only 3 or 4 manufacturers making drive assemblies in the world today; most of the larger OEMs such as Sony will buy assemblies from these manufacturers and slap their own labels and firmware into them.

So with the upgrades you'd have:

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Retail w/heatsnk - $90
Corsair Value Select 512MB Dual Kit (2 x 256MB) - $90
Abit NF7-S motherboard - $90
Western Digital 800BB 80GB hard disk - $68
Chaintech GeForce FX 5700 Ultra 128MB - $192
3.5" floppy - $6
NEC ND-2500A DVD-Writer - $131
Pioneer DVD-120S DVD drive - $38
Biostar 6-in-1 media card reader - $9
Enermax 5866 case with 350W power supply and side window - $53

Total: 767

Which would wipe out your budget, but then again you could build the new system now with your current monitor and save up to buy a new one. Places online often sell refurbished CRT monitors - I have a friend who bought a very nice 21" for under 200 dollars. LCDs are nice, but the best ones with the lowest screen response times are still around 400+ dollars depending on the size of the screen you prefer.

Thanks! That's not too bad. I'll check into these items!!!! You're a great help!!!!!

 

[SweetD]

Originally posted by Chaplin
Not good ones.

I just saw a NEC for $129.00 last week.