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- pion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21small things like "Select ... carefully", "Review ... options", and "Consider ... requirements" ?
- BassCadet, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20That's a terrible list.
I wanted to see one that went into detail that told you how to properly put a mobo in a case - like using the little lifter screws that keep the mobo from touching the case and shorting out. Or how to properly organize your cable inside the case to not interfere with airflow. Or how it is very important to use a good thermal paste. - Tengen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Here's a mirror:
Make sure your components are good:
1.Mobo
2.CPU
3.Case
4.Power Supply
5.RAM
6.Hard Drive
7.Video Card
8.Connect Everything
9.DVD Burner
10.Cool is Good
An article with only ONE tip, how to select a motherboard, that actually explained how to select one beyond "make sure the socket type and form factor are correct" would have been more helpful... - Tkkt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14If you wanted any assurance that this is a beginner guide you can find it at the bottom of the article.
"Also, don't store the system's documentation inside the PC. I recently replaced a failed hard disk in a physician's computer that likely died an early death because the previous administrator placed a plastic bag containing the PC's documentation inside the case... Although it's a good idea in concept (keeping a system's documentation, license, and install CD with the unit), the material obstructs airflow." - ohmar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15Anyone who learned anything from this list should not be building their own case to begin with. This is "the bare essentials of what you need to know so that everything will plug together nicely." Not really a very good resource for anyone who would actually build a PC. More of a resource for those who need to replace ram. "make sure the speeds match."
- SP33DFR34K, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13#1: Select the mobo carefully: Okay, in my opinion, I would pick the motherboard as one of my last items. Typically the two main decisions you'll make is picking the type of processor and the type of Video card setup. From there on, you would pick your motherboard accordingly. Selecting a motherboard first, to only find out later that it is not what you want is kind of pointless. So save yourself the trouble and think about the processor and video card setup first. I typically stick to the price range of $130 for this part (for a little above par computer).
#2: Review CPU options: This should be one of your first choices. Luckily if you are on the AMD side, it becomes less of a problem when choosing a compatible motherboard. While processors are important, most of the modern AMD processors will do you just fine. I personally have a 3000+ (OC to 2.2) that runs just fine.
#3: Don't skimp on the PC case: This guy has clearly not seen the new expensive cases. These things are just fine. Just look at the construction of the build and whether it suits your need. If money is questionable for you, this is find to skimp, just be warned that it may be a nuisance for you later on.
#4 Powerup
Yup, power supply is commonly underrated (no pun intended). For most gfx card, stick to PSU that have at least 16A on the 12V rail. Don't go by the "watts" because its misleading at times.
#5: Check the RAM
Uh, you can have way too much ram. For most users and some average multi-tasker, 1GB of ram should suit you just fine. Of course, add more ram accordingly for your job. 1GB should just about be standard with all the memory hungry apps.
#6: Choose the right disk format
Go with SATA, not because its that much faster (no one can actually use the theoretical bandwidth limit of SATAII), but because the wiring is much nicer than IDE cables. If you want to save money, wait for those HD deals. Sadly, most of the times they are PATA (IDE).
#7: Consider video requirements
Why is this on the bottom? It should be one of the ones on top. This should be your other main focus of what you want. AGP, PCI Express, SLI, Crossfire. If at cost, avoid AGP. While its not a dead yet, PCI Express is starting to be more heavly used more and more now. The SLI and Crossfire, just pick accordingly to the requirements and match with your motherboard and you should be fine.
#8: Secure everything
Read the instructions! No need to rush into everything. If possible, have a friend that done it before to help you. If its your first time, read all the instructions first before you get your hands dirty.
#9 Buy a burner
Any CD burner will work. Newegg sells them for like $20 if you just need a burner.
#10: Cool is good; heat is bad
Stock cooling (the one that comes with your processor) is just fine for regular use. Now if you are planning on overclocking it, you will probably have to use other form of cooling. I suggest the Zalman line (quiet) or the XP-90 (effective cooling).
Just remember, like any project, just pick your parts carefully, read the instructions, and be careful. Happy building. - ejdmoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Except it's just the components required to assemble a computer, such as the CPU and motherboard.
I think anyone serious about building a system already knows this... - sinner0423, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Arctic Silver > Stock HSF Thermal Pad.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Uh... thats pretty basic stuff. Is it really enlightening anyone?
- ModernDayDarwin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Having read the article, I don't think there are many that are reading that which have an OS decision to make. Those that are going with linux would go straight to the linux compatability list.
Those that are going with OsX just go to the Mac store and give them their charge card. - thepotoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@newevilmind:
No. If you shop around, you'll get a much better deal from places like newegg. I recently put toghether a box for around $500, $250 cheaper than it would have been from Dell.
The other thing to consider is, that when you buy from Dell, you don't get exactly what you want (unless you go custom made, which is more expensive).
Want a system that has a 2.5 ghz Celeron processor, 512 RAM, but a duel 256m Nvidia card (this would be a budget game computer)? On a build it yourself level, it's easy to get this. Not so from Dell.
Plus, there's a lot of respect to be garnered from fellow geeks if you build your own box. That's probably one of the biggest points of all. Any moron can get a copy of counterstrike and a gaming rig. A real gamer will build his own box, from scratch, with a custom case, running whatever OS he wants, without worrying about breaking the warrenty. - pkulak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I'm so sick of guides that don't actually contribute anything, but just rehash the basics for the one-millionth time. It's getting to the point where it's almost impossible to figure out how to do anything because every acticle is so basic.
- themulf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I'll make sure to foward this list to my 76 year old grand mother.
- 4answer2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Or how some OEM fans come with a thermal pad already attached and you don't need to use any thermal paste in this case.
- fani, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Someone who is building their own pc probably already knows all of this.
This is Ridiculous 101 targetted towards a fairly competent audience if they have to build their own PC.
Sorry, no digg. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Stopped reading after
"While your motherboard choice often determines the processor (AMD Athlon 64-bit and Intel Core Duo are but two examples), you still have a decision to make. That is, how fast should your processor be?"
Who the hell chooses their motherboard BEFORE they choose the processor?
It makes much much more sense to pick all the bits you want then find a mobo they can all slot into. - TeacherOfHeroes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4If you really want good information about choosing good components, may i suggest Tom's Hardware Guide?
http://www.tomshardware.com - newevilmind, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10the last time I was going to build a PC, I found that I could get the equivalent from DELL for less $ than I was going to spend to put it all together myself. Now granted, it was on sale, but whatever. My point is that pre-made PCs are getting so cheap it's almost not worth it anymore to bother making it yourself, other than to learn how it's done.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4That's a tenuous analogy
Picking a mobo before you picked components would then limit your choice
Example: I pick Motherboard A, it's socket 754, has 2 dimm slots and AGP x8 graphics, I now must pick an AGP graphics processor and an AMD processor, and cannot have more than 2 sticks of ram
or
I pick an intel processor, a PCIx graphics card, and 2 gig sticks of ram, I now pick a motherboard that these will fit into and have the choice of having extra dimm slots etc
Picking a mobo before you think about what components you want is ludicrous, like buying a house before you decide how many people are going to be living there - colmore, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, back in school, the library gave me and a friend of mine a key to the supply closet and told us to go nuts with the broken computers.
Using trial and error, we pieced together a working 386 and put linux (which both of us were completely new to... this would have been 1997 give or take) on it. We immediately christened ourselves the Spartan Linux Users Group (both after the school mascot, and because we weren't a terribly large Linux Users group.
Anyway, point of the story is, building a computer when you have NO IDEA, what you are doing is a great way to learn about computers... just do it with old parts that nobody cares about. Of course, I'm a shoot first and read the manual later kind of guy.
These days, I've stopped playing games, so my rig at home is a behind-the curve self-made machine. Where I've gone all out is the extras. 3 monitors, one of those left-hand minikeyboards made for FPS games, but that I've got set up for emacs and photoshop shortcuts, and a racing game pedal system for shift control and alt. If developers had LAN parties... - MrDan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3FTA:
"Not only does your motherboard choice determine the number and type of ports (parallel, serial, USB, memory card, etc.) a new system possesses, but it also dictates which processor powers the box, the memory (type and speed) that's used, the number and type of disks (IDE, SATA, etc.) supported, and the resulting PC case style (micro, Shuttle, mid-tower, 1U server, etc.), as the motherboard's form factor (ATX, mini-ITX, etc.) typically determines the case that must be used."
No, No, NO !
It is completely the other way around.
Step 1 should always be: Decide what you are going to use the computer for.
Then decide what ports you want, what interfaces, what speed processor, what form-factor, THEN find a motherboard with these features !! - wayjer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4101, but dugg it anyways for those of you new to building your own pc. It is very satisfying so don't be discouraged and just do it!
- jokerr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I couldn't agree more. This list just scratches the surface of building a PC and goes into no detail on the actual assembly. You'd figure if you're going to make a top 10 list that you'd include the basics such as "how static electricity can be your worst enemy" or "if you're forcing something to connect, STOP!"
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@newevilmind:
The difference between a cheap DIY box and a cheap Dell box is speed. I've seen way too many pokey/extremely loud sub-$500 machines from Dell to recommend them to anyone. People that need laptops, sure, get a Dell or whoever you're comfortable with, but for the cheap boxen, building them yourself yields more speed regardless of price. I haven't determined just why they're so slow but they always are. - pixel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3For all you noobs out there... don't build your new machine on the carpet! Static is the enemy.
- sudonim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2#1 Most definately should be power supply. I know no shortage of people who insisted on building their boxes on the cheap and now are wondering why their computer decides to randomly restart during games of cs.
#1 Rule of Building PC's: Don't Buy Generic Power Supplies. - colebarnes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The footprint is the amount of space the computer takes up on your desk. You've never heard of a PC, monitor, TV, stereo, or {insert any other device here} having a small footprint?
You don't want to buy your tower, monitor, and printer only to find out that they won't all fit on your desk. But again, I guess this is one of those obvious things everybody should know already. - colebarnes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2ah, yes...
I've seen far too may over zealous new computer builders buy a SATA drive only to find out thay can't install XP until they find a floppy drive.
Do people even still use IDE RAID (on new computers)? But, the same applies there too. - ModernDayDarwin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I dunno, the new AMD's are running (amazingly) cool. I didn't even bother putting artic silver on this time around.
- Splitt3rxx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Significant savings can be had by reusing an existing 5400 RPM 20 GB IDE disk as opposed to purchasing a new 7,200 RPM 300 GB SATA drive.
RLY!!!11 OMG - billgateslacky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If you're going to do anything around RAID don't forget a 3.5" floppy. Windows still requires that disk when you're installing... this caught me on my last build when I finally thought I'd get rid of that drive. It's only a $15 touch.
- theman8631, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wtf is a system footprint, and how the hell does the case determine it?
I've put together many pc's and have no idea wtf he's talking about there. - CubeFarmDrone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Worse than the restarting is the horrible amount of noise that comes from a cheap power supply.
- Izzie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1forgot to mention the screen, you want to choose this one wisely because these are not evolving as fast as the rest of hardware. a bad monitor can truly screw your computing experience.
also if you plan to use linux, it would be smart to buy pieces of hardware that are known to work well with linux.
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/ has a list of ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) compatible sound cards. you can find the same kind of list via a quick search. - JohnboiWaltune, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1most people put so much paste on the CPU die that they may as well not use anything at all
- Unitarder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Heh, my first fully built PC was perfect except for one small detail: CPU fan. Apparantly 1Ghz Athlons require cooling, something I didn't know about with my Pentuim II 400mhz cpu, and I didn't know any better in my noob world. Funny, because I did a ton of research, but I guess it was so obvious to other people they never said anything about it. Oh well, I just take it as a really expensive lesson, and life goes on (athough I must have scared the ***** outta my neighbors with a constant stream of profanity for a few hours straight).
I also found out that when using canned air to blow out the computer, it's very important to not spray it upside down, or you'll have instant ice in your machine and a frost bitten hand. Although that might have been the more the weed's fault for that one :) - chil2c5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1When putting together a home brew system make sure to keep an eye on the noise of your 'high end' components. Nothing worse than building a state of the art rig that sounds like an airplane taking off and keeps you up all night.
- Rosewood, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2If you read this list and thought "Hey, thats a good idea..." then please, http://www.dell.com is for you.
- Surreal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This really isn't helpful at all. All it's telling you is to buy a motherboard, psupply, ram, video card etc... and not getting into any real details about it all.
I lamed it. - Inglorion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"You can never have enough RAM"
Right.
I didn't like that article too much. - Izzie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1First step would be to define what the computer will be used for.
Second step would be budget as in how much are you ready to put in your computer
Third step would be what will the computer become in a few years, if you consider upgrading it sooner or later make a list of component that you can keep (case, fans, hard-drives, power supply, ...) and choose those wisely cause they 'll last longer than the rest.
Keep in mind that you can save money by choosing an efficient power supply such as this one:
http://www.fsp-group.com.tw/english/1_product/2_detail.asp?mainid=1&fid=50&proid=123
this may help you choose:
http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/3938/benchtemp0ot.png
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article280-page1.html
advice to gamers outthere: chosse an adapted video card, one that is not bottlenecked by your cpu. better have a decent video card that goes along with the cpu than a killer video card and a cpu that cannot process and send data quick enough to feed the video card.
my advice is to pick a sata-II ncq enabled hard drive, an oversized cooling system (less noise, but check for available space inside the case and around the cpu on mobo), the fortron green PSU above, a well designed case (mine is the now discontinued SF-201b) - colebarnes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"2) you can't install your OS w/o a floppy drive (there are ways to install WinXP on SATA drive w/o floppies)."
Not if you are building a computer for somebody else and don't want to give them anything but the original (legal) Windows XP CD. Pretty sure this will not be an issue in Vista, but you're still kinda stuck in XP - twollamalove, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1#0: Research and select Chipset/CPU pair
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@MDD:
I've found the same thing. Any of the socket 754 Semprons, Athlon64's and 64 dual cores will idle at around 32 celcius and maybe reach 50 under heavy extended load. It almost made me regret buying an elaborate water cooling system for it..but then again the silence is worth every penny. - colebarnes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"I also found out that when using canned air to blow out the computer, it's very important to not spray it upside down, or you'll have instant ice in your machine and a frost bitten hand. Although that might have been the more the weed's fault for that one :)"
HA!!! Actually, I think it should be a requirement that people find out about the frost bite thing the hard way! - gbresnahan2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm going through a lot of this at the moment. I've been reading various hardware sites, buyers guides, etc for weeks, then compared prices for days.. Didn't do my homework well enough I guess.. the motherboard had a fixed parallel port while the case didn't have a slot for it. So I cut a hole in the case only to find that (long story short) the motherboard and the case were going to be tough to get to work together (power supply and mobo are different, all the LEDs were going to be a huge challenge). I gave up and got a different motherboard. The original motherboard will be on ebay soon ;-) The new motherboard doesn't have the fixed parallel port so now I have a nice hole in the back of the case.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This varies widely with manufacturers, even within their own product lines. Some BIOS have a setting that does some magical IDE emulation on the SATA ports, so you can install Windows without a driver disk being present. Windows just sees another IDE drive. On some boards, you have to disable SATA RAID in the bios, then the disks appear as standard IDE. Then on other boards, you have 2 completely different SATA chips on board; one for normal stuff, one for SATA RAID. Depending on which one you plug your hds into, you may need drivers. It's really a coin toss.
- brhad56, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2God, I hate fux0ring with thermal paste!
- kevincannon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Also, another great site is Build Your Own.org.uk
http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/ - CubeFarmDrone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1LOL. I can't count the number of times I had to help my friends with their failed system builds. That is a common problem though for newbies, along with making sure that the jumpers are set right on their drives before installing them
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