General Discussions

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 12:09 AM

I'm looking to build my own PC... and was hoping for some opinions and perhaps the best soures to buy parts and a tutorial or two on how to assemble it... I'd like to save money on this and build a PC that really has the features I need.

So... some thoughts perhaps?

**garg** · 08-01-2006, 12:20 AM

What features do you need? If you want a top of the line computer with all the goodies then it's best to build it your self and you'll save money but if you want a general computer then it's usually cheaper to buy a Dell with a free monitor

I usually buy my parts from NewEgg.com and ZipZoomFly.com

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 12:38 AM

Intel Celeron 64-bit 3.2 Ghz Processor
2048 MB DDR RAM
300 GIG HDD
2 TV Tuner
Video ATI Radeon 9600 PRO w/256MB & TV-Out/DVI
Soundblaster Audigy SE Digital 7.1 24-bit
1-16x DVD Dual Layer Burner/CD-RW with Lightscribe.
Black ATX case
6-in-1 card reader
Heavy Duty 550W Dual Fan Gold

---

the stats I had layed out

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 12:58 AM

This system above will cost me about $730... good, bad... okay?

**sitedesigner** · 08-01-2006, 01:04 AM

wow, that's pretty decent. where did you price all those parts?

**AHA7** · 08-01-2006, 05:58 AM

This may be helpful: http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

TH · 08-01-2006, 06:59 AM

well, change your CPU, don't buy celeron..

**Juicify** · 08-01-2006, 08:38 AM

You should get an Intel core 2 duo e6600 cpu, this is the new ****. And e6600 will give you most power / price. As it's very new make sure the motherboard can handle it.

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew

wow, that's pretty decent. where did you price all those parts?

A friend can get me the parts... I believe he might order in bulk, I'm not sure.

**codeism** · 08-01-2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lpspider

Intel Celeron 64-bit 3.2 Ghz Processor
2048 MB DDR RAM
300 GIG HDD
2 TV Tuner
Video ATI Radeon 9600 PRO w/256MB & TV-Out/DVI
Soundblaster Audigy SE Digital 7.1 24-bit
1-16x DVD Dual Layer Burner/CD-RW with Lightscribe.
Black ATX case
6-in-1 card reader
Heavy Duty 550W Dual Fan Gold

---

the stats I had layed out

Those are some amazing specs for a price like that, but I'm not hardware savvy. I don't think I could buy a PC at $RANDOM_COMP_SHOP for that much.

**Plugin-Developer** · 08-01-2006, 03:22 PM

Stay away from the Celeron. Otherwise, I'd say you have a pretty nice system. If you can afford it, you might want to upgrade that Radeon video card to the new Nvidia GeForce 7950. It's got two video cards in one!

I think your choice of components should really be chosen around what you hope to do with the computer. What do you want to do? Play games? Do web development? Something else?

Good idea going with the 2 gigs of ram. That's what I did and boy am I glad that I did it.

-Nick

TH · 08-01-2006, 03:47 PM

generally, If i was you, I sould wait till 2007, then amd and intel are coming with quadcore..

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickohrn

I think your choice of components should really be chosen around what you hope to do with the computer. What do you want to do? Play games? Do web development? Something else?

It's going to be for:

1) Graphics Design/Editing. Programs like Photoshop/Fireworks/Dreamweaver/Flash.

2) Music recording studio, probably using Adobe Audition. Basically play/sing into the computer and record.

3) TV show recording, mulitple shows at once (thus the dual video cards.)

Those are the three main things that'll I'll be doing sub-frequently, other than internet browsing and such.

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 04:48 PM

Also, what's wrong with Celeron?

**BamaStangGuy** · 08-01-2006, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lpspider

Also, what's wrong with Celeron?

Its the lowest end cpu on the market.

**Lpspider** · 08-01-2006, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamaStangGuy

Its the lowest end cpu on the market.

Well, I want to keep my PC cheap (around where it is now) but keep it at a decent speed... what would you recommend I get then? I can't afford to spend hundreds on just the CPU.

**Tran** · 08-02-2006, 01:26 AM

Just upgrade to a Pentium processor..

**Lpspider** · 08-03-2006, 11:13 PM

So would a change from Intel Celeron to a 3.2 Ghz AMD64-bit processorr (Dual Core if possible) be a nice upgrade?

EDIT: Nevermind.

**imported_Edder** · 08-03-2006, 11:33 PM

I hate to plug my site, but I think DesktopForums.com might be of help.

**Malachim** · 08-04-2006, 06:23 AM

Building computers is Lego work. The art is in choosing the parts. You need to know and understand what you want and why. If you aren't at that stage, buy from the like of Dell or even Walmart (but don't get shafted on the upgrade options).

It is better to understand what you want to do - and what you need to achieve it. Basically, unless you are talking the likes of video-editing and high end graphics, it just doesn't matter any more. Games, web, office work... even a basic build should manage all these without breaking a sweat.

If you are on a tight budget, variables are largely academic, otherwise, I'd recommend:

1Gb Corsair memory
320Gb Seagate 7200.10 SATA2 drive
Nvidia GeForce 7300 or better (according to budget and needs)
The absolute very best monitor you can afford! (Dell's 24" LCD is nice)
P4 3Ghz or AMD equivalent as a minumum - opting for the Intel Duo as a preference*

*As an aside, I upped from a 3Ghz P4 to a AMD X2 4400 and apart from when the insanely resource hungry Norton Antivirus kicks in I genuinely can't see any benefit...