HI Folks,
I am new here and I must say it seems like there is a great group of folks here who are quite knowledgeable. I have decided to finally make the plunge and try to build a computer myself. I have some experience in some very basic upgrades...memory, video cards, sound cards, power supply. I imagine building one from scratch will definitely be more involved but after buying a book on how to build a pc and browsing the web it seems like something that is within my grasp. I am definitely on a budget so I need to keep it in the sub 1k range.There are a few things that I think I have decided on as far as what I am looking for.
1. At least one PCI-E 2.0 slot (preferably two)
2. DDR3 memory capability (at least 8gb max...preferably 16gb) although I could settle for DDR2 if it seems to make the most sense.
I would rather put the money into an up to date motherboard and processor and have room to expand in the future as my finances allow. I have an ATX case already and could reuse that. The power supply is pretty weak though...350w.. I'd like to save some money and just reuse the PATA Hard drive that has xp installed already if possible. Not sure if this would be difficult to use with a new motherboard ? Down the road I'd like to go with an SATA hard drive and Vista...but would be nice if I could get a way with XP professional for a while.
Would I be wise to insist on PCI-E 2.0 ? It just seems that eventually most video cards will end up there, and being a gamer, being able to play at high frame rates is a priority, so I want to try to keep as up to date as possible. Is PCI-E 2.0 much better than the current PCI-E ?
Am I being unrealistic as far as wanting these technologies with a sub 1k budget ? Would it be better to settle for a regular PCI-E x16 slot and some 1600mhz DDR2 and save some money?
In the immediate future I'd like the ability to play Age of Conan and Crysis at pretty high graphics. Any thoughts and/or recommendations on a motherboard and processor would be greatly appreciated
I'd prefer a pretty smooth install...not sure if I am confident enough to flash a bios in order to get another CPU to work with the MoBo... (the idea scares the heck out of me!) So a MoBO and CPU that work together right off is what I am looking for
Thanks a lot
-Steve
I am new here and I must say it seems like there is a great group of folks here who are quite knowledgeable. I have decided to finally make the plunge and try to build a computer myself. I have some experience in some very basic upgrades...memory, video cards, sound cards, power supply. I imagine building one from scratch will definitely be more involved but after buying a book on how to build a pc and browsing the web it seems like something that is within my grasp. I am definitely on a budget so I need to keep it in the sub 1k range.There are a few things that I think I have decided on as far as what I am looking for.
1. At least one PCI-E 2.0 slot (preferably two)
2. DDR3 memory capability (at least 8gb max...preferably 16gb) although I could settle for DDR2 if it seems to make the most sense.
I would rather put the money into an up to date motherboard and processor and have room to expand in the future as my finances allow. I have an ATX case already and could reuse that. The power supply is pretty weak though...350w.. I'd like to save some money and just reuse the PATA Hard drive that has xp installed already if possible. Not sure if this would be difficult to use with a new motherboard ? Down the road I'd like to go with an SATA hard drive and Vista...but would be nice if I could get a way with XP professional for a while.
Would I be wise to insist on PCI-E 2.0 ? It just seems that eventually most video cards will end up there, and being a gamer, being able to play at high frame rates is a priority, so I want to try to keep as up to date as possible. Is PCI-E 2.0 much better than the current PCI-E ?
Am I being unrealistic as far as wanting these technologies with a sub 1k budget ? Would it be better to settle for a regular PCI-E x16 slot and some 1600mhz DDR2 and save some money?
In the immediate future I'd like the ability to play Age of Conan and Crysis at pretty high graphics. Any thoughts and/or recommendations on a motherboard and processor would be greatly appreciated
-Steve