need help building computer [Archive] - ForumsHQ

[Aragon]

Hey I want to build a computer.



I need help picking good brands and some general config info.



I'm looking at getting the AMD 64 cpu. I don't care much about having the fastest clock speed so I'll probably do the 3000-3500 line.



Anyways... what are good (budget) motherboards, RAM, hd, case, fan, power, dvd burner, etc... ?



I was thinking of getting the motherboard/cpu/fan combo from pricewatch to save some trouble.



Is pricewatch the best (easiest) place to get my parts?



I want to keep it under $1000 w/o monitor.



THanks



P.S. I'm not a huge gamer so I don't need a top of the line blazing fast system. I play WoW from time to time and might get into guildwars.

[Drago]

A friend of mine built my board computer using pricewatch and ebay for $500 without software.

[Aragon]

What are the specs?

[Drago]

meh .. rethread that.. it's a AMD Athlon 2600+ with 1 gig of ram and a 30 gig harddrive. It has a CDR/W and that's about it.. He also got my my switch (which was like $50ish or so).. and the case. He did all the wiring and set-up. All I had to do was put software on it.. and this was.. uh.. I forget how long ago.. but somewhere along the lines of 6 months to a year.

[iNViSiGOD]

Well if your budget conscious my friend, Pricewatch is nothing more than basically an online broker, I priced it all on pricewatch for you, do what i did:



AMD64 Socket 754 3000+ (2ghz) - 118.97

DFI Lanparty NF3 250GB - 113.00

Lian-Li PC60 case - 105.99

Corsair Value Select - 42.00

Geforce 6600 128mb AGP - 130.00

Antec 430 watt PSU - 68.95

Western Digital 200gb 7200RPM 8mb cache SATA HD - 97.00



Ill leave the CD/DVD Writer and HSF to your choosing, as thats a matter of preference. Thats $675.91 minus Monitor, HSF, Writers.

[Aragon]

thanks for info



isn't the 939 cpu better? What motherboard would I get with the 939 chip? What's with the Rev E. stuff? Do I need a CPU fan? I think i'll just get the mobo/cpu/fan combo. Seems easier. I just want a couple of USB 2.0 and atleast 1 firewire connection, 2-3 pci..1 agp..



Would everything else listed be compatible? For the price, that case is ugly as hell! :p



Oh yeah, are 2 sticks of RAM faster than 1 of the same size? I seem to see a lot of people getting 2x512MB vs. 1GB. Is it because of price or performance?

P.S. what's hsf?

[Shaddow]

thanks for info



isn't the 939 cpu better? What motherboard would I get with the 939 chip? What's with the Rev E. stuff? Do I need a CPU fan? I think i'll just get the mobo/cpu/fan combo. Seems easier. I just want a couple of USB 2.0 and atleast 1 firewire connection, 2-3 pci..1 agp..



939 chipset aint available up here YET... I have a preference to the new Asus boards, mine is very nice.





Would everything else listed be compatible? For the price, that case is ugly as hell! :p



Oh yeah, are 2 sticks of RAM faster than 1 of the same size? I seem to see a lot of people getting 2x512MB vs. 1GB. Is it because of price or performance?

P.S. what's hsf?



Cases are in 2 cats, do you want to look at it, or is it hiding under the desk...



Dual channel ram is always better than single, dual is faster, more reliable, and usually higher maximum. my board handles both dual & single, I have 2xGeIL 256MB PC3200 400MHz DDR. Geil however has a lifetime warrenty.

[iNViSiGOD]

P.S. what's hsf?



Heatsink and Fan



939 advantage over 754 is minute, lower power consumption and die shrink make it dissapate heat better and give off less of it. Also 939 has Dual Channel capabilities and support for SSE3 instructions.

[Raybdbomb]

i wouldn't go with a Lian Li case, they're always overpriced. you can grab an Antec case (with hsf) or thermaltake case, those are my favs



not sure I would agree on the video card either.



also pricegrabber.com is better than pricewatch.com now (and has been for about 2 years)

[iNViSiGOD]

i wouldn't go with a Lian Li case, they're always overpriced. you can grab an Antec case (with hsf) or thermaltake case, those are my favs



not sure I would agree on the video card either.



also pricegrabber.com is better than pricewatch.com now (and has been for about 2 years)



Keep in mind Ray that it was based off of "Budget Specs, meaning hes not wanting to dump $400+ for a Geforce 6800 Ultra.