Build From Scratch (sort of)?

[Alaric]

I've been looking at barebones kits from Tiger Direct , Newegg , etc. Not having done this before I don't want to drop all the cash on a project I can't finish. Do they come with directions? I guess I'm asking about difficulty level. I'm not uncomfortable about the project but I don't know if I should be.
Any experience you guys would like to share would be greatly appreciated.

[numberoneoppa]

Do they come with directions?

Nope, but I'm sure you can find a lot of help here if you need it. You'll find most of what you need to know, though, by reading the manuals for each component, which should outline how to each component in.

It's very easy, don't fret!

[Hdale85]

Just look on youtube, it really is quite easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4c3391cxC8&feature=related

Several parts there, he says gaming computer but really should work for any computer build.

As you can tell he doesn't know a ton...so if he can do you it can do it

[Alaric]

Thanks guys! I'm also looking at a true scratch-built unit. I have no interest in gaming or HD , so the money I save on a video card I can spend on a ridiculous processor like this http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=10010974 and a decent mobo. I have a DVD burner. I found some good prices on 1 TB HDDs from WD also. Looking at this as well http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...69225&csid=_22 Pure overkill in both cases but I like hot-rods! Faster is better.

[Hdale85]

Ehhh Personally with motherboards I stick with just a few brands, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI for the most part. That processor isn't really all that insane. Personally I'd go for a Core i5 or something at that price point though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319613

Something like that would be great, the Core i5 is identical to the i7 except it doesn't have the hyperthreading abilities. Kind of like the Core 2 vs the Core 2 extreme. The extremes had Hyperthreading the standards did not. This combo would make a very updated PC that should last you a few years no problem. The Phenom II's are already a couple years old and guessing AMD will have the new models out before long here. I've always preferred intel CPU's when I can afford them and lately their price gap compared to AMD isn't as big as it used to be.

[Alaric]

I've always had Intel CPUs , but I was curious to try an AMD. The i5 and the Phenom are overkill for websurfing and email , and that's about all I do. Some occasional DVD stuff , but that's about it. The i5 combo is still $70 more than the AMD , though. I figured the processors in that range will give me fast boot times and loading pages. If the AMDs are nearing the end of their life cycle that may explain why the prices are good.
In defense of my 3 intel CPUs , 0ne is 6 years old , one is 5 years old , and one is approaching a year. Never a hiccup from any of them. It will be a couple weeks until it happens , so I'm still researching. Is the 2.66 Intel going to be as fast as the 3.2 AMD? Either one would be more than sufficient for my needs , but the AMD seems to be a little hotter. Also cheaper.
Well , the folks here are part of my research! Any experience and/or knowledge is a big help.

[numberoneoppa]

I'll throw a wishlist together for you that's a bit more sensible if you'd like. :P

Will this end up being in a HTPC (sideways) case or a normal tower?

edit: For what you do, a processor that fast, or even close to that fast will not yield any extra performance - for that you would want at least a few gigs of RAM and a good boot drive (SSD).

[Alaric]

Normal tower. I like the idea of way more processor than I need. I'm prone to opening a bunch of tabs while the anti-virus is running , etc.. I also hate slow downloads of videos-a lot. I do intend 2 or 4 gigs of RAM and a good HDD. I already have a couple DVD drives I can use and not real concerned with gaming level graphics so a cheap vid card will be fine , and a PSU shouldn't cost too much. Throw in a $50 case and I'm happy.
My current desktop is an ancient Dell Dimension 2350 I upgraded with a 2.66 P4 and 120 GB HDD several years ago. With a fresh install of XP it ran OK , until 132 updates later it's running in mud again. More upgrades on that unit would be a waste. Proprietary mobo (400 FSB!) , old HDD , 5 year old CPU. Even if I did change all that stuff , I'd have to hope Microsoft would validate my XP again. They've already done it once and it's a 6 year old OS.
So , time for a new one. I'm not married to that AMD , just looked like a nice CPU at a good price. I thought AMD usually had a better $/fast ratio than Intel , but that was several years ago. I'd appreciate a wish list if you're willing to put one together for me. I've been out of the computer loop for 4 or 5 years now and that's a couple lifetimes in computers.

[numberoneoppa]

If you want performance, check this build out:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13786146

The SSD might be overkill, but they really make the difference between "fast" and "WOW, THAT'S FASTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!".

The Athlon II x4 620 is more than you will need for a very long time based on your current usage habits. Also, I've built several machines with the Athlon II CPUs and they run very cool! The motherboard is very nice and have a great array of features and ports on the back. It also has SATA III and USB 3.0 so you're future-proof (for a while). The graphics card is good enough, as you said you don't game at all. It will definitely do everything else just fine - and it will allow you to do hardware accelerated H.264 playback. The power supply is a seasonic which is a very reputable brand. 350W for your build is more than enough for your build. However, if at any point you decide that you want to start gaming, you might want to get a bigger one (or just spend another 20 bucks and get a ~500W PSU now). 4GB DDR3 RAM - this one doesn't require much talk, let's just say that it will let you do all of the multitasking you wish. How about that other harddrive? Well, since the boot drive is pretty small, this is where I would keep all of my movies/music/etc. If you can, get another one and backup onto it.

Case: I want to give a separate paragraph to the case, just to give it some extra emphasis. This case is a Lian Li, I am a firm believer that they make the best cases on the market. I am a user of a Lian Li case and can honestly say, even though I paid 270 dollars for mine, that it was money well spent. It's quiet (mine came with 6 fans), roomy, and very well built. There are no sharp corners/edges inside, and it's built completely of aluminum which looks awesome and is lighter than steel!

Err... Did I forget anything? Oh I did, Windows 7. Just do it, it's amazing.

Cheers~
-Josh

[Alaric]

Thanks! I'll have to think about the SSD , budgetwise , but that looks like a nice setup. I can probably go with an external HDD later and just start with the SSD? Definitely worth considering. Have to log off for now so the wife can take a test. Thanks again.

[Hdale85]

I've always had Intel CPUs , but I was curious to try an AMD. The i5 and the Phenom are overkill for websurfing and email , and that's about all I do. Some occasional DVD stuff , but that's about it. The i5 combo is still $70 more than the AMD , though. I figured the processors in that range will give me fast boot times and loading pages. If the AMDs are nearing the end of their life cycle that may explain why the prices are good.
In defense of my 3 intel CPUs , 0ne is 6 years old , one is 5 years old , and one is approaching a year. Never a hiccup from any of them. It will be a couple weeks until it happens , so I'm still researching. Is the 2.66 Intel going to be as fast as the 3.2 AMD? Either one would be more than sufficient for my needs , but the AMD seems to be a little hotter. Also cheaper.
Well , the folks here are part of my research! Any experience and/or knowledge is a big help.

Well also that combo comes with a much nicer motherboard that costs more then the Biostar in the combo you showed. I've never had much luck with Biostar and generally steer clear of them.

And yes the Core i5 is probably going to be faster then the AMD. There's more then the ghz that determines how fast it's going to be. The i5 has 8mb of cache which is a large amount and will increase the speed quite a bit. Either is certainly good but if you're going to go with that Phenom II you should get a nicer board then the Biostar and if you do it's going to put it as the same price as the i5 combo which is why I showed it to you But either way you'd be happy as long as the Biostar didn't start screwing up from the beginning or later down the road.

[numberoneoppa]

Biostar is a Tier B motherboard brand in my opinion. Not great, but not something I would go for unless the feature set was really outstanding. Gigabyte is my favourite brand right now.

[Alaric]

Well also that combo comes with a much nicer motherboard that costs more then the Biostar in the combo you showed. I've never had much luck with Biostar and generally steer clear of them.

And yes the Core i5 is probably going to be faster then the AMD. There's more then the ghz that determines how fast it's going to be. The i5 has 8mb of cache which is a large amount and will increase the speed quite a bit. Either is certainly good but if you're going to go with that Phenom II you should get a nicer board then the Biostar and if you do it's going to put it as the same price as the i5 combo which is why I showed it to you But either way you'd be happy as long as the Biostar didn't start screwing up from the beginning or later down the road.

Now that's the kind of info that matters. You and numberoneoppa are really helping me out here. I've really had good luck with Intel , and my AMD info is several years old. The mobo advice is definitely welcome , as reliability is a major concern. I hate fixing crap. Which is funny since fixing crap is my career. Probably why I don't like fixing crap at home!

[Hdale85]

Yeah a motherboard can be the key factor of stability or instability in a computer.