Building a new computer

[KEVIN564]

hi folks i am currently enrolled in a IT coarse and have a good basic understanding of computer components and the way they work. I wish to build a computer from scratch to give me a bit more experience and knowledge. I am still basically an novice when it comes to this kind of stuff so the experience and help of tech spot users would be greatly appreciated .
my first question is what kind of motherboard should i get? I have done a bit of research and have concluded that it should be sata compatible, with a reasonable fsb speed and have room for expansion. please bear in mind that I am a student and will have to save up for each component so not to expensive . thanks

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Look at the sticky in the General Hardware forum for PC building. There are a couple of great links there that will help you with the actual building.

And of course, there's always us.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Yes there are some good links there,
It's best if we have a budget for all the parts and what you will do with the computer.
And for future reference, 99% of the motherboards over at newegg.com will have SATA support, as will the vast majority of other motherboards you can still find selling on the web.

 

[klepto12]

for a general mid range computer i recommend something like this
case- Antec Nine Hundred $109
CPU- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 $167
MB- GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 $134.99 ($20 mail in rebate)
Ram- G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 $58.99
PSU- Antec earthwatts EA500 500W $69.99
HDD- Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB $69.99
Video card- SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4830 512MB $89.99 ($10 mail in rebate)
thats around $700 and you can just pick a dvd drive and os also do you need monitor ,keyboard and mouse ?

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

For a gaming build, I would use klepto12's build, with a cheaper introductory P45 at around $100.
Possibly some cheaper ddr2 800 RAM and either a 4770, 4850, or 4870. Even a 4890.

 

[klepto12]

i recommended that board for expandability and i dont know if he is gaming it was just a cheaper build like he asked for. also i wouldnt skimp on the ram 1066 performs better and is not very much more than the 800.

 

[KEVIN564]

wud the pentium D be a good proccessor?

 

[kimsland]

CPU- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400

The Pentium D brand was succeeded on July 27, 2006 by the Core 2 branded line of microprocessors with the Core microarchitecture released as dual- and quad-core CPUs branded Duo, Quad, and Extreme.

 

[KEVIN564]

but surely the pentium d 3.2 ghz could stand its own even with tdays processors . . . . its only a few years old

ive been checking ebay and the pentium D seems to be an inexpensive processor that offers a resonable amount proccessing power

 

[kimsland]

Sorry I better quote the thread Title to you again:

Building a new computer

So is this thread finished now?

 

[KEVIN564]

nt exactly im still figuring out the components to put in it

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

but surely the pentium d 3.2 ghz could stand its own even with tdays processors . . . . its only a few years old

ive been checking ebay and the pentium D seems to be an inexpensive processor that offers a resonable amount proccessing power

Not at all. It is easily outclassed by not only the Core 2 Duo and Pentium Dual-Core line (which is based on the earlier Core 2 chips), but also by any dual-core AMD currently has to offer. The latter can be had for $50-60, with the X2 7750+ BE currently sitting at the top of the range.

 

[fimbles]

A processor is a good place to start, and your choice should be determined by what you will be using the pc for? Gaming? surfing the net? and budget.
I suggest you do a little reasearch on the various types and brands of processor available (eg single core, duel, quad) and see what would suit your needs and pocket best.
There are many benchmarking sites out there that compare processors and should give you an idea of how they compare to each other.

And think of all the lovely IT knowledge you will get in the process!

If you need any help or advice on your choice. you know where to come

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

but surely the pentium d 3.2 ghz could stand its own even with tdays processors . . . . its only a few years old

I suggest you do a little reasearch on the various types and brands of processor available

Yes, obviously your research, or rather, logic has some flaws, I doubt there are any benchmarks comparing, on a similar level, the pentium D and AMD Athlons and Core 2's. You could skip the research and just ask us too, which you did, and there is my answer.

For gaming I think we already suggested the E8400, I think that may be cheaper because the Pentium D is so outdated, some parts are almost 'archaic' are may actually be more expensive.