that Soprano case is a great lookin' case, Thor. :evillaugh: :uhsure:
Building is more fun for me. I like to do it from the ground up. The first thing one needs to consider is the time frame and budget. I've been buying bits and pieces for my next build because I have a limited budget. It seems like you have the basic parameters selected, but which AMD?? An X2, a Phenon X3, X4, X6?? How much do you want to spend on the motherboard?? What features do you want on the motherboard (all onboard lan, audio, video?) How do you want the motherboard to be able to grow?? How many peripherals do you want to connect?? Do you want RAID?? Then, there's the case. Do you want basic, medium features or are you looking for style?? Then there's the power supply. It depends on which processor & motherboard as to which power supply you need. I was hoping for cheap (like $20, I spent $37)
Here's what I have so far:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435
(http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq124/dmspawn5772/DSC00043.jpg)
A Thermaltake Soprano RS 101 case:
(http://www.pccenterweb.com/images/Gabinete%20Thermaltake%20Soprano%20rs%20101%20case%20black%20con%20ventana.jpg)
A 700 watt Viotak Power supply with the 8 pin 12 vdc connector:
http://3btech.net/ewv2vi7020pi.html
A DVD +RW from Newegg ($19 + free shipping)
I already have an SATA HDD @ 750 GB that I will use for now
all I have left to buy is the processor which will be an AMD Phenom II X6 and I want about 4 GB RAM .
I prefer Newegg or 3bTech for internet vendors. 3bTech's prices are typically competitive with Newegg and 3bTech has shipping already factored in. Newegg sometimes has free shipping, sometimes not.
Could I find something already mostly built?? Sure. Pricewatch.com has plenty of stuff listed through their vendors. I still prefer to create a custom desktop from the ground up. Gainesville isn't too far from me, so if you want to get together, send me a PM. You could help me (watch) with this build and maybe learn some stuff.
Been building from the ground up since around '98. I think ya pretty much got it covered. The only thing I can add is perhaps look into a water cool system with the Athlon or at least make sure it's copper.
As far as motherboards, Ultra has always been a good performer for me, them and Azus. Don't know if you're into tweakin' 'em to speed 'em up, but Ultra makes it a lot easier. The only one I would steer clear of is DFI. I bought one of there LanParty Gamers a few years ago as it was supposed to be a real screamer and it didn't last a year.
Oh. and Ram coolers are always worth the money, along with puttin' as many fans as the case will hold into it to keep the thing cool. The cooler the board is the faster it is and the least amount of problems down the road.
My old Presario had an AMD processor and I finally had to replace the stock fan with a bigger one. It never ran dangerously hot, but always kept my eye on it. Thought about water cooling, but don't know anything about it. Hard to set up and maintain?
Seems like there are a few people here who have done it and thought I'd ask for some advice. I've had a Compaq Presario that I used to tinker with and upgrade, but I've never built one from the ground up.What is your budget like? I have a fairly newer, upper-end motherboard with a 4-core Intel processor, 4 gigs 1600 RAM, nvidia video card, and 5,6,7, hundred gig hard drives for sale - CHEAP!! With the current crap going on in my life, I just want to get rid of the stuff as easy as possible. Last year I purchased a Thecus 4-drive NAS, populated it with 4, 1.5 terabyte WD Green Drives configured as a RAID 5 volume. I effectively have 4.3 TERABYTES of network storage and thus was able to pull eight multi-hundred gig hard drives out of two computers as a result. My main PC and the home automation server now each have an Intel 80GB SSD (Solid State Drive) as their only hard drives. These are partitioned as 30GB for the OS and 50GB for applications. My main squeeze PC boots to Desktop with Outlook opened in about 45 seconds and most of that is the POST. Applications open lightening fast and I was able to replace two 1000 watt power supplies with 450 watt models and actually shaved 10 bucks off my power bill.
So does anyone have any good pointers on what to look for or avoid? My basic minimum guidelines are
AMD processor, dual core or better
4+ GB RAM
250+ GB Hard Drive
I don't do a whole lot of gaming, so I don't need anything crazy. It'll be hooked up to a 27" HDTV as a monitor and mainly used for watching videos and photo editing as well as surfing.
Alienware users are similar to Apple users..... brainwashed into spending megabucks on an OK system..... :stirpot:
Mike, seriously, spend the extra $25 and go with the same motherboard as I have. It has better features than the ASUS and a better chipset. I'm pretty sure it will still run the AMD X4. Cooling IS essential with AMDs. Stock coolers will get you by, but an aftermarket cooler will give better cooling/ performance. That's one of the things I plan on upgrading after the initial build.
Alienware users are similar to Apple users..... brainwashed into spending megabucks on an OK system.....
Alienware users are similar to Apple users..... brainwashed into spending megabucks on an OK system..... :stirpot:I only bought it because I liked the alien head.
Naw it's a self contained system, just like your auto radiator.
Alienware users are similar to Apple users..... brainwashed into spending megabucks on an OK system..... :stirpot:
Mike, seriously, spend the extra $25 and go with the same motherboard as I have. It has better features than the ASUS and a better chipset. I'm pretty sure it will still run the AMD X4. Cooling IS essential with AMDs. Stock coolers will get you by, but an aftermarket cooler will give better cooling/ performance. That's one of the things I plan on upgrading after the initial build.
Alienware users are similar to Apple users..... brainwashed into spending megabucks on an OK system..... :stirpot:
Anyone know what a Windows user can do that a Mac user can't do?
Shut the **** up about their computer.
Uh, how 'bout 10x the amount of software!? Apple doesn't even come close to the apps you have a choice of! You perhaps have the same catagory, but you sure as hell don't have the the amount of applications in the same gender, so get lost!
For instance, cad/cam! Get a clue!
ETA:
And, is there a reason you left all the air space from top to bottom? Is that comprable to the space between your ears?
Can you even build a Mac from the ground up without your hero's consent nowadays?
Typical Mac sheeper! There are a multitude of designers working windows apps throughout the frikkin world! Most Mac's are in the US! you're not coming close to harvesting the intellect that's out there.
You can blame Jobs for that, for bein' the hippie he was instead of a capitalist. He's sure changed his spots since he started enjoying the profits though, hasn't he!
Ya know, I can't think of a single thing a Linux user can't do that a Mac user can do either, only 100x cheaper, mostly for frikkin' free! Which if you listen to Steve Jobs was his intention. So tell me, why do they now cost double what an IBM clone does?
I thought docstew was slamming Mac users for not being able to shut up about how great Macs are.
Hey bubba, just in case you haven't got this new sale from Tiger:
24 hour Clearance from TigerDirect! (http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/WEM2322.asp?SRCCODE=WEM2322TT&cm_mmc=email-_-Main-_-WEM2322-_-tigeremail)
I just drifted over here and all I can say is WOW!
See now why you do your own stuff Thor, amazing work there.
You must really think I'm a dummy now with my little shader deal :thatsright:
Yep, if ya don't keep AMD cool, it will come back and bite yo ass! Don't know if Pentium has the same prob as I haven't had one since the top 5 engineers migrated to AMD back in early '90's.
It's called melting. :-)
Most BIOSes have a temperature shutdown on them that will automatically cut power if the processor overheats. In ten years, I've only seen that problem once.
Only time I have seen it is when one of these super quiet fans stops because the user never cleaned the crud outa her box!
I know, I know, thats what she said!
Only time I have seen it is when one of these super quiet fans stops because the user never cleaned the crud outa her box!
I know, I know, thats what she said!
I know that some AMD platform motherboards didn't have a BIOS feature that would shutdown the processor. I'm not 100% certain, but I THINK my old Abit KT7A- RAID board didn't have that feature. I'll have to look when I reboot next time for this KG7 board
Alienware users are similar to Apple users..... brainwashed into spending megabucks on an OK system..... :stirpot:Of course, those that say "that" cannot afford "that". :tongue: :fuelfire:
Of course, those that say "that" cannot afford "that". :tongue: :fuelfire: