Anyone wish to build a new PC ... and share my journey ?

Hello BTS

I'm thinking about building a PC from scratch, as a learning thing, perhaps buying one or two components each month and doing the final assembly towards the end of the year once all the bits are together ... I'm on a budget, you see, I can't afford to buy everything at once.

So I'm looking for some friends to join me on this one ... is anyone interested ? I have to confess, I don't really know a great deal about component specifications etc ... so most of our journey might just be to research what's available, what the best buys would be.

I've got a really good laptop right now but it struggles with video sometimes and is prone to overheat a bit when pushed to the limit ... so I'm needing something which can better handle video & graphics. And I'll be using Linux/Ubuntu on it too. And I'm interested in learning more about computers in general, the mechanics of it all.

Anyone interested ?

Grats !

Your best bet is to find a site like TigerDirect and order a group of things to assemble. Some motherboards don't work with specific CPUs and some memory may not be compatible with some mother boards. You can still put it all together and learn a lot but leave the part selection to the pros.

I honestly don't know how much money you'll save compared to a buying a pre made computer but there's no harm in looking into it.

reply to post by dbates


Don't know if you save much money on home assembly, tbh, but it's the things you mention about compatible chips, motherboards, memory etc that I'm keen to learn about.

I suppose I could put approx $100-$150 by each month and save up for a ready made machine. But I won't learn much doing it that way. Need something to do with my long winter evenings and I thought building a pc might keep me busy.

Yeah I know it's not even mid-Summer yet, I'm planning ahead !

reply to post by Ulala


www.newegg.com...

They'll be your new best friend by the end of the project.




TheAssoc.

Originally posted by Ulala
Don't know if you save much money on home assembly, tbh, but it's the things you mention about compatible chips, motherboards, memory etc that I'm keen to learn about.

You could save quite a bit of money if your not looking to build some sort of cutting edge gaming machine or something.

For example my computer is cobbled together from whatever I could get, it's actually been 3 different computers really, just the case and a few other bits are from the original hand me down machine.

This current incarnation is built around a motherboard/CPU/RAM bundle I got off ebay for £40 - that's a pretty good way to start if you don't mind 2nd hand... For that I got a run of the mill Foxconn motherboard a gig of RAM and a dual core AMD 64bit processor (with heat sink and fan) - really couldn't ask for fairer than that, it's essentially a business spec machine really, nice and stable not flashy at all runs anything I need (although I could do with another Gig of RAM I don't need it).

Then just get the odd bit now and then, for instance for another 40 or 50 I got a terrabyte hard drive giving me more than enough storage (I was using an 80Gig I scrounged - I run the operating systems and apps from the 80G cos it's quieter, the TB is storage primarily).

I do things on the cheep, but don't be afraid to put off buying something till you've got more money! - You do get what you pay for with things like graphics cards etc - I'm happy just using the onboard graphics on the MB for now... That's a good bargen tip! - If you MB has on-board graphics you can put off buying a separate GPU till you have more pennys...

Thank you for your suggestions

Yeah I don't mind "cherished" (second hand !) ... it's a great way to save money. I was thinking about putting off the motherboard, graphics card until the last minute, really using the next few months for the nuts and bolts, the case, the monitor, the cd-rom drive and the hard drive ... sort of in the hope that I might get a better spec on the motherboard and graphics card later on.

Does that make sense ? LOL I so haven't got a clue.

Yeah I'd like the new PC to have a really decent specification, one that'll be able to do me for a few years at least. I'm leaving UK for Finland in February so the only fly in the ointment will be the power supply but I'm sure I'll be able to buy some kind of adaptor for that. Plus PC components are less expensive in UK so I'll be saving quite a lot that side of things too. Plus I won't be using Windows 7 either so that'll save quite a bit too on the software license.

The next few days I'm going to figure out the specification and run it by you guys if that's OK ?

Grats !

reply to post by Ulala


I'm pretty sure the power supply won't be too much of a problem, on the computer side of things (internals connectors and wotsits) they are all standard, it's the power supply unit (PSU) that would change... No idea what the supply is in Finland, most likely as you sat you'd just need a plug adapter or a compatible lead - but even if you need a whole new PSU they are easy to swap out and should be less than £30 for a basic one.

edit just checked Finland out of interest: They use 230v ~ 50 hz exactly the same as the UK, it's only the plug that is different.


[edit on 15/6/2010 by Now_Then]

I bought my last computer already made (it's a HP), but the two computers before this one were built by me, and they are both in good shape, and the oldest worked some 16 hours a day for four years and 24 hours a day for another six years with no problems, using two hard drives that were half damaged.

I think you should start by what you want to do with the computer, that way you can get an idea of the specifications for the CPU, hard disk, memory and graphics card.

Based on that you can choose the motherboard, and if you don't need a fast graphics card you can choose a motherboard with onboard graphics, probably cheaper (I haven't followed the market in the last three or four years) than buying a motherboard and a graphics card. It will probably use less power, allowing for a less expensive and noisy power supply.

Having said that, you can also choose the components for a less power-hungry computer, that may be a little more expensive but that will consume less power, becoming cheaper in the long run.

So I guess you should get a really good idea of what you want from your computer first.

I am on the journey for a home built computer. Well I build them all the time for other people but actually going to spend a little on me this time. So far I have a CPU, heatsink, and a general direction where I am going with it. It will be mostly for gaming so I have to save a little extra for what I want. I have a motherboard picked out specifically because it can handle 4 graphic cards all at full speed. I can only afford one here in the next week or so but it leaves room for upgrading later. I second the Newegg recommendation and the reviews are a great way to go shopping and learn.

You can check tigerdirect.com. They sell packages, for a little bit of money, including most of the things you will need. Everything matches, and you get to tinker.

If you aren't trying to build a beast, you can check your local papers or Ebay for a working used machine for a little bit of nothing. Then upgrade as needed. And even insert a new motherboard and components at a later time.

I sometimes scour E-bay for computers missing something like the hard drive, or a computer with something broken. Older parts can be picked up quite cheap. Obviously, you want to make sure you aren't buying complete trash. It needs to be worth the money invested.

Troy

Watch when you buy the parts.

Sometimes parts will not work and the packaging will not warn you.

I build one last month from a couple year old but unused motherboard i had.

It was a SATA compatable board and no where on the box did it say anything about a limit on the drive size.

I got a 500 GB drive for it only to find out the board would only take a max of a 350 GB SATA drive.

I also got a TV Video card for it and found out that it would not work with Linux.
this was after the salesman told me it was Linux compatible.

Never trust computer store salesman.
They ether are idiots or have no computer knowledge but selling complete computers.
They also will steer you to the highest priced parts. Even if they don't work.
FRY'S electronics stores are known for this.

If you are running a windows OS on your old computer when you are done building your new computer and transferring all your files.
format the computer and put a Linux OS on it for a backup computer.
You will find it will run faster and cooler and may have a lot of life still in it.
I have three computers but windows OS is only on one (duel boot)where i need it for windows OS only compatible programs.

The rest i run on linux.

reply to post by Ulala


I am a PC repairman, and I built this machine I am typing on for a little over $400. Got all the parts from newegg, case, motherboard/cpu bundle, (best bet always) power supply, RAM memory sticks, optic drive, and hard drive. Assembly is quite easy, just install the MB, with CPU and RAM installed, into the case and fasten down with supplied screws, then install the power supply and hook up the interface cables to the MB. Install the HD and optic drive, CD/DVD-RW.
Boot the machine, and get into BIOS by hitting Delete, or one of the F buttons, consult your operating manual. Load optimum defaults, the go to boot-up options and make it start on CD, or, with anew drive, make the boot 1. HD, 2. CD, 3. Floppy or whatever. Place your operating system in the tray, and boot the machine and install your operating system.
For Linux downloads, go here: Linux.

For Windows:
Best Free Virus Protection software: www.free-av.com...
Best Firewall: Zone Alarm with Serial
Don't forget: SpyBot Search & Destroy

Assembly and installation of OS should take about 3 hours, including downloads and updates.

[edit on 8/7/10 by autowrench]

[edit on 8/7/10 by autowrench]

Originally posted by TheAssociate
reply to post by Ulala

 

www.newegg.com...

They'll be your new best friend by the end of the project.

TheAssoc.

I agree. Last computer I buiolt from scratch I got most of the parts from newegg. They are extremely fast in delivery times. Highly recommended.

Hey Ulala, I wanted to do the same thing this winter: build my own computer!

There's a very good series of tutorial on Youtube on how to built a computer. First, the guy explains what the components are, what they do and then, he teaches you how to assemble
it all. Here's the first part of the series (23 parts in total):

I built my own almost exactly a year ago and started a thread here while figuring out what I needed to buy and what parts were better than others. After all was said and done I built my desktop that runs graphic intensive games with very few hiccups for $550 once you add in extra things I bought once the basics were put together. It's actually not as difficult a process to undertake as I first thought it would be and I'm pretty proud of myself for putting it together without breaking anything. Saved myself a few grand in the process too.

If you don't plan on a lot of gaming I suggest browsing craigslist for a free/cheap computer that would otherwise likley go leach heavy metals into the ground at a landfill. For most people a Windows XP machine with a gig of ram and several small harddrives should be fine.

If you are into gaming I suggest sticking with Intel processors and boards, as they run cooler and are less prone to going bad.(AMD is raw power at a price) Nvidia seems to be more cost effective than ATI right now, but I am also partial to nvidia as they provide me with free video cards for benchmarking.