Building a new PC

alexandertheti · 10-20-2006, 01:34 PM

I plan on slowly building a new pc. One piece at a time as im a poor mofo.

Should i find a video card i want and build it around that? Or should i start with a motherboard? Or does it really matter? OR should i just upgrade my current pc?

Athlon64 3500 ~2.2ghz
Geforce 6150LE
ASUS nagami2l
1x 512mb DDR RAM (Nanya)
1x 256mb DDR RAM (Hyundai)

Also, could i use the HDD from this pc and put it in the new one, or would there be driver conflicts with all the new hardware, etc etc....

Edit: While im here, could you lay down some specs for a gaming pc? Im willing to spend around $1000.

**Cellus** · 10-20-2006, 01:54 PM

What components you can get are mostly dependent on the motherboard. It governs the kind of CPU, RAM, drives, and expansion cards (video, sound, etc). Of course it all depends how far you want to go in upgrades - do your planned upgrades warrant an upgrade to the motherboard or not (can you get away with not upgrading the mobo)?

Tumbleweed36 · 10-20-2006, 06:06 PM

Hi,

You need to start with a great power supply and build your components around that. It is the heart of your computer.

A-Nick4me · 10-20-2006, 06:40 PM

I am about two months away from having saved enough money for ether; a new, or a build my own computer, The reason I did not attempt to build my own slowly: Was due to the fact that building my own (that way) could result in the shorter warranty on individual parts expiring before I would be able to afford to complete the project. New parts do not always arrive from the factory defect free.

alexandertheti · 10-20-2006, 06:41 PM

The mobo has 4 memory bays, 3 PCI :*( , and 1 PCI-E slot. Also it has 4 SATA bays and 2 ATA. If im not mistaken its socket 939. (i dont know what that means exactly, but thats what cpu-z tells me.

Whats faster; agp or pci-e?

As far as upgrades, i want to be able to run oblivion (seems to be a gpu/cpu intensive game) with visual settings most or all the way up with decent fps. Or at the VERY least run it at all! Will i need to sell some of my soul to afford this?

Edit-

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Nick4me

I am about two months away from having saved enough money for ether; a new, or a build my own computer, The reason I did not attempt to build my own slowly: Was due to the fact that building my own (that way) could result in the shorter warranty on individual parts expiring before I would be able to afford to complete the project. New parts do not always arrive from the factory defect free.

Well, i think i'll be able to build it a bit faster than that. I could just save up and buy it all at once, but im impatient when it comes to these things. I figure i could buy 1 or 2 parts a week as i avarage $300-$400 week. (I work more than i'll even have time to play, but when i do play i want to have a nice computer to do it on.)

A-Nick4me · 10-20-2006, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexandertheti

Well, i think i'll be able to build it a bit faster than that. I could just save up and buy it all at once, but im impatient when it comes to these things. I figure i could buy 1 or 2 parts a week as i avarage $300-$400 week. (I work more than i'll even have time to play, but when i do play i want to have a nice computer to do it on.)

Ya I know what you mean, that is something I struggle to gain control of myself.

jflan · 10-20-2006, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexandertheti

I plan on slowly building a new pc. One piece at a time as im a poor mofo.

Should i find a video card i want and build it around that? Or should i start with a motherboard? Or does it really matter? OR should i just upgrade my current pc?

Athlon64 3500 ~2.2ghz
Geforce 6150LE
ASUS nagami2l
1x 512mb DDR RAM (Nanya)
1x 256mb DDR RAM (Hyundai)

Also, could i use the HDD from this pc and put it in the new one, or would there be driver conflicts with all the new hardware, etc etc....

Edit: While im here, could you lay down some specs for a gaming pc? Im willing to spend around $1000.

It looks from this post that you have already chosen a mobo?
If you are talking 6150, then you have a mobo in mind because that is an embedded graphics solution.

Anyway, if I were just starting out in designing a system, I would, without a second thought, start with the chipset.
Before anything else, I would start with the chipset. Research/study them.
The chipset can make or break a motherboard.
So, for instance, if I were building now I might be thinking Intel, and that would push me toward their 975 chipset. I would look at 945 and 965 also.
Then it would be a price/feature contest between (probably) Intel and Asus for the actual motherboard. (And a track record comparison)
Then the CPU....and so on.

**TheMatt** · 10-20-2006, 07:57 PM

$1000 can get you a nice gaming computer. You might be able to fit in a Core 2 Duo Conroe.

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128017

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003

OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227082

Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136055

LITE-ON Black CD/DVD±R/RW/RAM 2M Cache ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106017

SAPPHIRE 100106PEL Radeon X850XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102059

ENERMAX Whisper II EG565P-VE FMA(24P) ATX12V 535W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103512

It comes out to $885 without the case. If you end up not being able to afford it, you could always save money by going with RAM with higher latencys, or you could step down to an E6400.

You might want to browse Newegg, Tigerdirect, or other sites to see if you can find a case you like. I would make sure it has at least 1x 120 mm fan and a fan in the front.

Here are two nice cases as examples:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133017
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133013

IMO, I would wait untill you have enough cash and then get all the stuff together so you only have to pay shipping once.

alexandertheti · 10-20-2006, 09:10 PM

Thanks TheMatt... ill look over that list and consider it heavily. As for the case, i have plenty of those laying around, and as a hobby i do my own case mods... so that shouldnt be a problem. =P

One thing though. Is another .2 ghz really worth buying a new mobo/cpu?

**forcifer** · 10-20-2006, 09:11 PM

id get a decent video card also. x800, x850, 7600GT, 7600GS should fit in your budget decently. you will probably have to sowngrade cpu to 6400 or 6600.

jflan · 10-21-2006, 11:20 AM

Here's a link to a couple of 965 reviews that may be of interest to the OP.
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/

JF
Nice suggestions, TheMatt.
Looks like Gigabyte is coming along nicely.

**TheMatt** · 10-22-2006, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexandertheti

One thing though. Is another .2 ghz really worth buying a new mobo/cpu?

Despite the fact that its only 200 MHz faster, it is a MUCH BETTER processor than the Athlon 3500+.

**forcifer** · 10-23-2006, 03:33 PM

matt, might wanna delete a post

on subject: speed (mhz) hardly matters. for example, a C2D 1.8 beats the crap out of a 4.0 Pentium D

alexandertheti · 10-23-2006, 05:14 PM

Point taken. However, if different processors rated at the same speed can perform at different quality... what exactly is the point of even measuring them in hz? It seems a little inconsistent/unrealiable way to measure. Sorta like an inch not always being an inch, rather somewhere between a foot and a centimeter.

**linderman** · 10-23-2006, 07:10 PM

Alex >>>

until about 3 months ago (intel core -2 release) the cpu speed was constant the inch was an inch !!

but the total redesign of the core 2 intels have really revamped how processors do their "work"

its all about how much data is moved per clock cycle thats why AMD cpus' that were 1.8 ghz were able to keep uo with a pentim of 3.6ghz because the AMD was moving twice as much data per clock cycle that the pentium

but now its intels turn! they are moving alot more data per clock cycle!

**TheMatt** · 10-23-2006, 08:46 PM

Exactly. While processors are becoming faster, they are also becoming more efficient, requiring less speed to do more.

Sorry about the double post, I must have hit the "post reply" button twice fast. I didn't know because I only saw one post show up after.

10-20-2006, 01:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
alexandertheti Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 21 OS: Windows XP Media Center - SP2	Building a new PC I plan on slowly building a new pc. One piece at a time as im a poor mofo. Should i find a video card i want and build it around that? Or should i start with a motherboard? Or does it really matter? OR should i just upgrade my current pc? Athlon64 3500 ~2.2ghz Geforce 6150LE ASUS nagami2l 1x 512mb DDR RAM (Nanya) 1x 256mb DDR RAM (Hyundai) Also, could i use the HDD from this pc and put it in the new one, or would there be driver conflicts with all the new hardware, etc etc.... Edit: While im here, could you lay down some specs for a gaming pc? Im willing to spend around $1000. Last edited by alexandertheti; 10-20-2006 at 01:39 PM.

10-20-2006, 01:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cellus Moderator Networking Team Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,664 OS: Windows Vista Business SP1, Windows XP Professional SP3 My System	What components you can get are mostly dependent on the motherboard. It governs the kind of CPU, RAM, drives, and expansion cards (video, sound, etc). Of course it all depends how far you want to go in upgrades - do your planned upgrades warrant an upgrade to the motherboard or not (can you get away with not upgrading the mobo)? __________________ TSF Networking Team Virus/Trojan/Spyware Removal Help Donate!

10-20-2006, 06:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,720 OS: XP Professional	Hi, You need to start with a great power supply and build your components around that. It is the heart of your computer. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

10-20-2006, 07:57 PM	#8 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	$1000 can get you a nice gaming computer. You might be able to fit in a Core 2 Duo Conroe. GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128017 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003 OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227082 Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136055 LITE-ON Black CD/DVD±R/RW/RAM 2M Cache ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106017 SAPPHIRE 100106PEL Radeon X850XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102059 ENERMAX Whisper II EG565P-VE FMA(24P) ATX12V 535W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103512 It comes out to $885 without the case. If you end up not being able to afford it, you could always save money by going with RAM with higher latencys, or you could step down to an E6400. You might want to browse Newegg, Tigerdirect, or other sites to see if you can find a case you like. I would make sure it has at least 1x 120 mm fan and a fan in the front. Here are two nice cases as examples: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133017 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133013 IMO, I would wait untill you have enough cash and then get all the stuff together so you only have to pay shipping once. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides Last edited by TheMatt; 10-20-2006 at 08:28 PM.

10-20-2006, 09:11 PM	#10 (permalink)
forcifer ole' Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,631 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	id get a decent video card also. x800, x850, 7600GT, 7600GS should fit in your budget decently. you will probably have to sowngrade cpu to 6400 or 6600. __________________

10-20-2006, 06:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
A-Nick4me Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canadian West Coast Posts: 225 OS: Ubuntu & XP Home My System	I am about two months away from having saved enough money for ether; a new, or a build my own computer, The reason I did not attempt to build my own slowly: Was due to the fact that building my own (that way) could result in the shorter warranty on individual parts expiring before I would be able to afford to complete the project. New parts do not always arrive from the factory defect free.

10-20-2006, 09:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
alexandertheti Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 21 OS: Windows XP Media Center - SP2	Thanks TheMatt... ill look over that list and consider it heavily. As for the case, i have plenty of those laying around, and as a hobby i do my own case mods... so that shouldnt be a problem. =P One thing though. Is another .2 ghz really worth buying a new mobo/cpu?

10-21-2006, 11:20 AM	#11 (permalink)
jflan Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 935 OS: XP/Puppy 2.14	Here's a link to a couple of 965 reviews that may be of interest to the OP. http://www.anandtech.com/mb/ JF Nice suggestions, TheMatt. Looks like Gigabyte is coming along nicely.

10-23-2006, 03:33 PM	#13 (permalink)
forcifer ole' Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kansas City kansas Posts: 3,631 OS: Vista Premium 32 My System Blog Entries: 1	matt, might wanna delete a post on subject: speed (mhz) hardly matters. for example, a C2D 1.8 beats the crap out of a 4.0 Pentium D __________________

10-23-2006, 05:14 PM	#14 (permalink)
alexandertheti Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 21 OS: Windows XP Media Center - SP2	Point taken. However, if different processors rated at the same speed can perform at different quality... what exactly is the point of even measuring them in hz? It seems a little inconsistent/unrealiable way to measure. Sorta like an inch not always being an inch, rather somewhere between a foot and a centimeter.

10-23-2006, 07:10 PM	#15 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,442 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	Alex >>> until about 3 months ago (intel core -2 release) the cpu speed was constant the inch was an inch !! but the total redesign of the core 2 intels have really revamped how processors do their "work" its all about how much data is moved per clock cycle thats why AMD cpus' that were 1.8 ghz were able to keep uo with a pentim of 3.6ghz because the AMD was moving twice as much data per clock cycle that the pentium but now its intels turn! they are moving alot more data per clock cycle! __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial

10-23-2006, 08:46 PM	#16 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Exactly. While processors are becoming faster, they are also becoming more efficient, requiring less speed to do more. Sorry about the double post, I must have hit the "post reply" button twice fast. I didn't know because I only saw one post show up after. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides