28 replies to this topic

[RPinney]

Hi there, this is my first time on these forums. I am here because I know hardly anything about building a computer. I appreciate your help in advance.

I am currently attempting to build my own budget-friendly (>$600) gaming PC. Right now I have a list of everything I plan to buy, but since this is my first time doing this I would appreciate some advice or suggestions. Here is what I plan on purchasing so far:

ASUS M3A78-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780V Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131330

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103300

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231226

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148262

HEC 6C28BBX585 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811121002

LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106276

Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16824009145

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116488

Note: Since the motherboard comes with a decent video card, I plan on upgrading it later when I feel the need to.
Note: I already have a keyboard, mouse, and speakers to use.

Total Cost: About $560.00 including shipping

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Things I am skeptical of:

- The motherboard. Since I have never worked with one before, I have no idea what to expect. There were so many different kinds to choose from, but I picked the one I picked because it was compatible with good memory, processors, and came with a decent video card.

- Operating system. I have no idea what the difference is between 64-bit windows vista and 32-bit. Whatever version of vista is the simplest to install and will run games great I will take.

- Computer Case / Power Supply. I specifically picked a computer case with a power supply because it saves me at least $40. I was simply unsure of which one I should choose (of the ones with the power supply) because of my inexperience.


Things I am confident about:

- The LCD Screen looks wonderful.

- The processor

- The hard drive


Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! For example, if I am missing something that I will need to get my system up and running, or if I will run into compatibility issues, etc.

Also, comments on things I am skeptical of would be nice.

Thanks!!!

Edited by RPinney, 28 March 2009 - 09:22 PM.

[jephree]

Hi and welcome!

Thanks for the very well presented post.

My first quick reaction is you picked some good stuff. However depending on the games you want to play relying on on-board graphics is really stretching it.

I would definitely try to fit a PCI_E graphics card in there. You can get an average one for @$100 and a pretty good one for @$200.

Plus that mobo is a micro ATX which I would avoid simply for ease of working with components plus a full size PCI_E card if you choose one.

Otherwise it looks like you put together a nice package.

As to the case I would prefer a side fan as well plus 120mm would be better than 80mm. I would also want the specs on the PSU which I cannot find either from Newegg nor HEC:

http://www.hec-group.com.tw/pccase/6c/

Save this:

http://www.hec-group...w/power_supply/

And I do not like those PSUs. I suggest you get a blank case and add a major brand PSU.

Also to add: I would wait and get Windows 7 rather than Vista. You can get the free RC1 mid April to run until the final is shipped probably in the fall.

[RPinney]

Thanks for the quick reply

How about this motherboard?
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131325

Recently looking at motherboards brings a question to mind.

What is are the advantages of having multiple PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots vs. having one? Those are used for high end video cards I think, is that all?


Edit: Nevermind, release candidate 1 for windows 7.

Where can I get it for free?

I am a noob XD

Thank you

Edited by RPinney, 28 March 2009 - 09:48 PM.

[jephree]

Much better board yes. Here is the Asus page:

http://www.asus.com/...ChThDvEAJ31GxGV

The PCI_E 2.0 x 16 will handle the best cards on the market today.

The only reason for multiple PCI_E 2.0 x 16 slots is for Crossfire in ATI or SLi with NVIDIA. What this is is running two identical cards side by side. Certainly not in a budget under say $1,000.

I would again also reconsider your case and PSU. You can get a basic case for @$50 with side and rear 120mm fans and you can get a decent PSU for @$50.

The PSU is one of the most important parts and should not be something you overlook. You do want between 500 and 600 Watts but you also want a major brand name and there are other considerations as to PCI_E connections as well as how they distribute the voltage over rails.

As to the operating system: Windows 7 is now in Beta and I am running it. Microsoft made it available for public download back in January. In mid April they will upgrade the Beta to RC1 or Release Candidate 1. Again this will be a temporarily free public download and can be run until the retail version is released. This is now speculated to be October.

As to your 32 bit 64 bit question you're best to stay with 32 bit for general use. 64 bit is designed for computers demanding more than 4GB RAM as well as specifically designed software. As of now and the near future 90% of software is written for 32 bit.

[RPinney]

Yep. Here's what I now plan on using for the case / power supply


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119104

and

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182150
vs.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182017
$10 difference

Case is a done deal imo, but I'm still debating the power supply.

Other than that, you think everything will work out the way it is right now? i.e. Will I need to purchased a networking card?

[jephree]

Good case.

As to PSU I would go with this one:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182150

It adds 2 x PCI_E power lines. Not to be confused with two cards but most high end PCI_E cards require two power lines.

As to a NIC (network card) what is your connection setup?

The basic mobo 10/100 NIC handles any standard ISP DSL or cable setup.

The only thing I would verify further is the RAM and mobo compatibility but on first glance it looks fine.

This is just something to always double check.

[RPinney]

It should be fine Thanks so much for your time, I'll check back now and then / if I have any other questions. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

[jephree]

Cool. Let us know how it goes. Once you get it up and running we could suggests some tests and it will be interesting just how well that on-board graphics does perform. We also like to review graphics cards so when you can afford an upgrade let us know. Meanwhile enjoy your new machine!

[RPinney]

Shoot, that motherboard is out of stock. How about this one?

I would go with this Gigabyte motherboard, but I really need the onboard video card until I can afford to buy a quality one.

Anyways, the only problem I worry about with the first one I listed is that on the website, here is what it says in the specs:

CPU
• Supports 64-bit AMD® Phenom X4 / Phenom X3 processor (Socket AM2+)
• Supports 64-bit AMD® Athlon™ 64 / Athlon 64FX / Athlon 64 X2 / Sempron processor (Socket AM2)

My processor is Athlon 64 X2 (Socket AM2+)

Incompatible yes/no?

If it will be compatible that will be the one I'm getting.

[jephree]

Yes it should work.

CPU

• Supports 64-bit AMD® Phenom X4 / Phenom X3 processor (Socket AM2+)
• Supports 64-bit AMD® Athlon™ 64 / Athlon 64FX / Athlon 64 X2 / Sempron processor (Socket AM2)
• Supports AMD CPU with 140W power requirement
• For latest information on CPU support list, please check

http://global.msi.co...mp;maincat_no=1

http://www.msicomput.......0G&class=mb

[RPinney]

I see Athlon 7750 Kuma in that list, but not Athlon X2 7750 Kuma. I think I'll go with the Gigabyte one and get the videocard for my birthday since it's coming up

[jephree]

Sounds good. An independent card is far superior. It also frees up your board RAM.

[RPinney]

Everything is supposed to be here by Thursday, that's when I'll be putting it all together. I'll use the guide here, but I'll still probably have some questions =P

[jephree]

Cool. Let us know how it goes. That is an excellent guide. I would add this detailed page as to TIM:

http://forums.whatth...ial_t95526.html

Even if the CPU heatsink comes with a thermal pad I would remove it and clean the surface then use a product such as ArticSilver as seen in Digerati's post.

[RPinney]

The short version of what you linked would be "spread a thin layer of the compound on top of the CPU" yes? Just making sure I understand what it all means, because there is a lot of information there. also, I understand what grounding is which is noted there What is CPU die?

Edited by RPinney, 30 March 2009 - 07:35 PM.