A Decent Computer for a Good Price

A few hours? Thats it? Wow i thought it would take like days... Also, what do you mean building it by scratch? Would i have to pick out every part? I'd be glad to do that if i could save money and still get a good computer as long as i had someone who could help me out... Could you fill me in on some details and prices? Sorry if im being a hassle =/

i just built mine from scratch, had a little problem with it but now its running amazing i spent $950 and i think its the best system you can build under $1000 and it games amazing, there are good tutorials at newegg on selecting your motherboard and processor, making sure they match, and then getting good memory and a gpu. have fun!!

Just wondering but what are all the parts involved in building a computer from scratch? Also, could anyone make a guess on the end price of a custom computer with decent specs (close to the above mentioned specs)?

well your going to need a motherboard, i like ASRock, very quality products, Asus is also very good. the brain of the computer is the processor, i recomend AMD for overall quality gaming and multitasking. your going to need memory, PC3200 DDR400 is what i have. im really fond of Patriot or Corsair, 1GB is more then enough for what you seem to be into. a graphics card is also nessicary. the Nvidia GeForce 6600 is a great entry level card. your going to need a case and a power supply as well, Xion makes great cases and Aspire makes good cooling units. that should be everything, talk back if you need anything else

Obviously, you can't go past building your own. Have a look at the following explainations and suggestions. Quoted from Marc Saltzman by Microsoft corp.

"Processor. A PC's processor is the brains of the machine. The rule of thumb is the higher the number, the better. Today, an Intel Pentium 4 chip running at 3.0 gigahertz (GHz) is a great start. You may see cheaper PCs with an Intel "Celeron" chip, but it doesn't process data fast enough to support high-end games. On the other hand, more expensive Pentium processors include Intel's "Extreme Edition" with industry jargon such as "hyper-threading" technology, but this will add more to the budget.

Alternatively, AMD's Athlon 64 processor is also a good choice. In fact, AMD's 64-bit platform extends the current x86 instruction set architecture and is often preferred by gamers for its fast performance and reliability; the Athlon 64 processor in particular is designed for applications that require multi-processor scalability and fast 3-D processing. Games certainly fit that bill. And AMD-based PCs may be slightly less expensive than Intel-based ones.

Memory. Like the processor, memory (or RAM) affects the speed and performance of your computer, and also makes it possible to run more than one program at once. Because the price of memory has dropped considerably over the years, chances are any new PC you purchase—even value-priced ones—will ship with 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM. If you look at the bottom of the box of new computer games, the minimum amount of RAM required is usually 128 MB (Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, The Suffering) or 256 MB (Thief: Deadly Shadows, Far Cry). So while 512 MB should be enough, 1 gigabyte (GB) is preferred. Also be sure you're buying a PC with DDR SD-RAM running at 333 megahertz (Mhz)—that is, higher-speed "Double Data Rate" memory that should cost about the same as regular system RAM.

Video card. One of the most important considerations when buying a new PC is its video card and the amount of video RAM (VRAM) on the card. The card will determine how fast and smooth those 3-D graphics in games render. It's easy to upgrade these over time, but you'll want to find a PC with a decent card already installed. Some recommendations include the Nvidia GeForce FX 5900 (and a few more from Nvidia), with 128 MB to 256 MB of onboard memory or the ATI Radeon 9600XT (and a few others from ATI) with 128 MB to 256 MB of RAM. Note This is considerably more than the 32 MB of VRAM required for many of today's PC games, such as True Crime: Streets of L.A. or the 64 MB of VRAM recommended for Battlefield: Vietnam.

Hard disk. Hard disk space has also come down in price over the past few years. The more you have, the more games, programs, and files you can store on your computer. Be sure to purchase a computer with at least 80 GB to 100 GB of hard disk space. An expansion pack such as Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots requires 750 MB of space, while an online role-playing game such as City of Heroes requires a minimum of 2 GB. To ensure the hard drive is a fast one, look for 7,200 RPMs (revolutions per minute) and 8 MB of cache.

Sound card and speakers. When it comes to audio, today's games may feature a number of bells and whistles—such as 7.1 surround sound that splits audio into seven different tracks, plus the bass via the subwoofer. But don't bother investing in one of these audio cards if you're counting your coins. A regular Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! or Sound Blaster Audigy card is all you need to deliver great-sounding music, voice, and effects in titles such as Halo: Combat Evolved or Star Wars: Battleground. Pass on the 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 surround sound set-up if you're watching your wallet, and instead choose a PC with a good set of 2.1 Klipsch speakers.

Disc drives. Many PC manufacturers sell desktop computers with DVD burners or multiple CD or DVD drives. However, all you need is a single drive configuration that plays DVDs and CDs, and records (or burns) onto CDs. These are referred to as a DVD/CD-R/RW combo drive. As for speed, expect a 16X DVD reader and 48X CD-R/RW drive to burn discs. So, unless you come across a good deal, forget about a DVD burner for the time being.

Monitor and chassis. Choosing one of those snazzy flat-panel monitors may save space on your desk, but it can really eat up one's budget. Therefore, even though they're big n' bulky, choose a 19" CRT monitor instead. Plus, while the thin LCD screens look attractive, often the refresh rates are not fast enough to render a game's graphics smoothly. Look for a rate of 75 Hz for a monitor up to 17 inches, and 85 Hz for a larger monitor. When it comes to your desktop computer's chassis, a mini-tower or mid-tower is fine, but be sure there are a couple of extra slots at the back (PCI or AGP) so you could add more components, if so desired."

Good luck

Regards,

Korrupt

I would state that to have two hard drives at least 60gb. So you can back up all the time. I have half a terabyte of storage and I have yet to use about 15%.

The only people who need humungous hard drives are those that store and a lot of video and audio.

60gb is plenty for most. Even my laptop which I use strictly for school (has 60gb hd) I only use about 50% of it. (But I also have a lot of music on it - at least 13gb)

Here is a system that I am going to be building in the future for someone, should be more that enough for what ou are looking for.
Mobo: ~$62 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128307
Power: ~$40 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153006
Processor: ~ $99 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535
Hard drive: ~ $71 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148103
DVD/CD-RW: ~ $29 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106994
Floppy drive: ~ $12 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103202
Memory: ~ $87 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
Case: This can be very personal, since you have to look at it. This is just a more general case. ~ $43 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811156019
Monitor: ~ $100 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824172050
Video Card: ~ $110 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145112
Thermal paste: ~ $11 with shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007
Wrist strap (To keep you grounded and so you don't fry any components): ~ $11 with shipping, may be cheaper at local Best Buy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16899888207

For a grand total of ~ $675

This would take down that ABS system no problem.

Your first time building would probably take 5-6 hours maybe spread over a few days.

days? lol.

deciding on, and aquiring all your parts is the most time consuming of all. the actual build will only take a few hours.

just to give you some price points as a reference, i'll use my current rig:

1. CPU $92 - AMD socket 939 venice 3000+
2. MOBO $82 - Abit KN8-Ultra
3. RAM $93 - Kingston HyperX PC3200 512MB x 2
4. VIDEO CARD $??? - i have a low end card (ASUS radeon AX550), you will need much better for a gaming rig. you should expect to pay around $200 for a nice gaming card (but like I said earlier, i've been out of the loop video card wise for a while, so that's only a guess)
5. POWER SUPPLY $59 - Antec TruePowerII 380w
6. CASE ~$30 - generic thin steel mid tower ATX case (brand unknown)
7. HDD $80 - 160GB western digital SATA150

it's not top end, but with the exception of the case, its all made with good quality components and it only adds up to $326, if you got a better CPU and a nice video card, add another $250 to it which still would leave you with more than enough for your CRT, keyboard, mouse, DVD/CD drives, wireless router, and wireless card.

all modern mobos have built-in surround sound. this is fine for most people, you don't need to buy a sound card if your budget is tight (which your's is

Video card wise, a 6600GT runs most new games with good performance although for more bang, I would recommend the 7600GT. It will be around $200 like KingCody said. ATI alternatives include the X800GTO2 and the X1600XT.

Well since I have no experience with putting together a computer someone will have to help me =)... Anyways here's my attempt at putting together a good computer...
1.PSU $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817148027
2. Mobo $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128307
3. HD $65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148105
4. Cd/DvD Drive $30 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106994
5. Floppy Drive $6 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103202
6. Memory $82 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
7. Case $33 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811156018
8. Monitor $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824172050
9. Processor $93 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537
10. Router $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124010
11. Card $22 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833328103
12. Video Card $150 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814141026
13. Paste $6 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007
14. Wrist Strap $6 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16899888207
15. Speakers $26 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836117123
Grand Total ~ $900 (Including tax and shipping)
Also, I have no clue if this stuff is compatible with eachother or if its good enough for what i need it for... Can u guys take a look and see if theres anything that could be toned down or needs to be improved?Will this stuff be good? Also, for the wireless router and card thats not gonna slow down my connection speed is it, because i really dont have any other options except to put in new internet lines?Also, is there anything on that list that i could tone down a little? Is there free shipping on high dollar orders? (I'm guessing no because a lot of the stuff for computers is expensive but that would help a lot... shipping for everything is like $88 or something)

Look pretty good, except for your second choice of video card would not work. The 7600GT uses a PCIe interface and the Mobo is AGP. If you wanted to go with a Nvidea card, this is one of the best AGP in your price range:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814141026

You would probably want to add some speakers, but if you have some old computer speakers lying around they would work fine to begin with. I wouldn't bother with a sound card, the board has sound built in.

Well there I added some decent speakers and that other card.. Still a little pricey but if thats what i need i guess i could save a little more haha... but if you can find something that could be tuned down without making the computer any worse then by all means mention it =p

Well, with the speakers that put you just over the $900 mark. However, it is a pretty nice system and you should be able to enjoy it for years. Don't forget that the 900+ is for everything you should need, including wireless connectivity to the internet!

Well, thats awesome but will the wireless connection slow down my internet speed at all? That would be very bad. Also, is everything on that list compatible with eachother cuz i dont wanna come home to several parts that dont fit/work together? =p Lastly, is there anything on there that i could tone down without losing performance because that list is a little pricey? Thanks =D

Hi Tenko,
As you're building a whole new system, I'd recommend going with the latest standards rather than older, soon-to-be obsolete standards.

You can build a new, AMD Socket AM2 system within you current budget.

A sample system, complete with LCD 17" w/ speakers, mouse, keyboard, 450W power, DDR2-800 memory, AMD Socket AM2 XP and Windows XP etc.etc: ~$950

Parts list:
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=3547406

overall your choices are OK, I can see that you looked for the budget side of things, but that's OK. there are a few things to consider however...

1. gigabyte makes good mobos, but you should go for one with PCI-e instead of AGP. this will obviously mean getting a PCI-e video card instead, but they are often cheaper anyways. the reason being is that you may want to upgrade your video card in another year or two. currently there is still a demand for AGP cards, so they keeop making them, but this is for older systems. since you're building new, you should use the current video interface standard.

2. although the venice 3000+ is a great CPU, I bought mine when socket-939 was more expensive than it is now. currently you can get better processors for only $20-$30 more. also as sharkfood mentioned, you may want to go AM2 instead. CPU and mobo prices are similar, but DDR2 RAM is sometimes cheaper.

3. do you really need a floppy drive? i didn't know those old things even existed anymore.. hahaha

4. i don't know why you refer to the power supply as "cooling"... but anyways. aspire PSUs are junk. buy a good brand like Antec, Enermax, Fortron, PCP&C to name a few. you can find models within your price range. just to let you know, you don't need 500w either. and FYI a cheap PSU like that aspire will never be able to provide 500w.

5. if you're not going to overclock, then don't bother with the AS5 paste, the CPU will come with a cheap thermal pad/paste already on the heatsink that will work fine. if you plan to overlclock however, then you should indeed get it.

the other components don't really matter performance wise too much.

BTW, good job choosing a static wrist band, the $6 spent on that can save you hundreds of $$$ down the road

and to answer you network question, first you need to know how fast your wired internet connection is, then decide. wirelessB is 11Mb/s, wirelessG is 54Mb/s.

as an example... I use a Linksys wirelessG router and a Linksys WirelessG PCI card. my high speed broadband from comcast is 6Mb/s, so even wirelessB exceeds my fast internet connection. but wirelessG is cheap and widely available so just get that. keep in mind that the further away from the router (or the more obstructions there are), the slower the transfer speed.

Well thanks for the advice =)... I have no clue what overclocking is so i won't be doing that haha.. and the power source/cooling mistake was a typo cuz i wasnt paying attention =D and ya i put a floppy drive in there cuz i thought i had some old floppys layin around but now that i check i dont. How do i find out my internet connection speed? Also, the router would be one floor away. Would that wireless card even work with the wireless router i chose or does it have a specific one that works with it? Anyways i've taken what u guys said into consideration and here are the replacements/modifications i've made to the list...
1. Floppy Drive Removed
2. Thermal Paste Removed
3. Mobo $65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157089
4. Processor $94 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103639
5. PSU $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103935
6. HD $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148100
7. DDR2 RAM $72 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145525
8. Video Card $130 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145132
New Grand Total $887 (Compared to $900)
Would it be better for 1GB RAM with 2 512MB Sticks or just 1 stick for 1GB? Because there doesnt seem to be a differance except taking up more space with 2...
Also, why are PCI-E Video Cards so much cheaper then AGP ones? The ones im lookin at with 512MB are only like $70 compared to a 512MB AGP Card for nearly $200??? Are those cheap 512MB PCI-E cards just really bad or what?
Oh, and are the above changes good?
(Please say that is good because with those changes I have enough for the new computer right now and like $5 to spare =) but i still will have to buy Norton Antivirus and Windows XP... BTW how much is Windows XP?)
Also are there any better or free Antivirus programs out there that i could get and which Windows Program would be best for the type of things im doing (Gaming, internet, etc.) and what is the price of it?...

Your new list looks fine except for one thing. The Mobo you have selected is a MicroATX form factor and the Case is an ATX form factor case (ATX Mobo's are bigger and MicroATX). So you can do one of two things, either select a different case for around the same price or select a different Mobo. The setup you have seems pretty good so you may want to grab a different case. Here is one you may consider:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1779365&Tab=2&NoMapp=0

Don't be thrown off by the title, if you look at the case specs it does list MicroATX compatible.

And a 120mm fan:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811999346

After the case rebate should be cheaper than the ATX case from before.

Instead of Norton, and I'm sure many others would say the same, you may want to consider ZoneAlarm. Norton is a resouce hog. I think AVG has a free antivirus program. Windows XP Home is about $84 at Newegg, but can probably be found cheaper on Ebay.

Here is a link to the Zonealarm page:
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/appli...alogHome&dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en&lid=nav3_ho

Well here are the new changes... and owch my price went way up... =(
1. Case $45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811154058
(I kind of want to buy everything from one place sorry )
2. Zonealarm $50 http://www.zonelabs.com/store/appli...alogHome&dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en&lid=nav3_ho
3. Windows XP Home $88 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059
New (And hopefully final, if not tuned down) Grand Total ~ $1050
Well that hurts so now im really thinking about budget cutting and tuning some things down... right now i have $890 so thats another $160 to save which would take a couple weeks but maybe its worth it... idk ><