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Building my 1st PC

J

Julius

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
402
Hey hardforum Im building my 1st pc :D , Im very excited about this I have to say. I just wanted to know your comments and suggestions about the pc im building so far I have

Aerocool Acryclear 2 Atx Mid Tower 2 Tone Clear Acrylic Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=664273&Sku=Q131-8000

Shuttle AN35N nForce2 Socket A Motherboard with Athlon XP 2800+ Processor
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...asp?EdpNo=39228&Sku=MBM-AN35N-2800&CatId=1231

Maxtor 120GB EIDE 7200 / 2MB / 9.3 / ATA-133 Hard Drive
PRICE: $99.99 ( 2 of them)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...details.asp?EdpNo=7472&Sku=THD-120M&CatId=817

Now Im kind of wondering about the motherboard and processor, because its crucial you have a good motherboard.

Also Im aware that I need the following to make the system complete.

Power Supply
Fans
CDRW Drive
DVDRW Drive
Floppy Drive
Ram (Memory)
Video Card
Soundcard
Windows XP Pro

If im missing anything please let me know, also please comment on the products I have above , help me out on this computer building thing. Thanks
 
I would suggest you get a XP2500+ Barton and a NF7-S with some good pc-3200 ram. You should be able to crank the 2500 to 3200 speeds right out of the box. As far as power, I understand that most people don't need anything over 350-400watts, so I'd go with a Antec of your choice.
 
one of the first questions that should be asked is, what will this computer will be used for? this will save you from unnecessary expenses. also what is your budget?
 
Well I would have suggested a different mobo and processor but that's a pretty good deal. Some suggestions:

Seagate 120GB Hard Drive- Better drive then the Maxtor (IMO), very quite too.
Processor Heatsink- Very good one enough said.
Power Supply- Great PSU.
Samsung Combo Drive- One of the best CD burners around plus it can play DVDs. Or if you want a stand alone DVD Drive.
Memory is different though depending on what you want to do but either Corsair or Kingston will do for every day things, just get two sticks of it.
For a Video card get something like a 9600 card.
The onboard sound will work for most things, I notice that it's 5.1 as well. That Shuttle isn't the best but it's good; sound wise it's not like an Abit NF7-S since the Shuttle doesn't have the MCP-T chipset. You could save some cash by getting XP Home, just get an OEM version of Windows.
 
Hey thanks for all the replies, really helps.

This PC will basicly be used for Music Recording and Video Editing, So I would like a powerful and spacy computer.

Getting XP home would be smart always good to save cash.

Also I was planning on maxing out the ram , I believe the motherboard max is 3GB , does anyone know any good types but not to pricey for this motherboard?



Thanks, any more suggestions?
 
as far as A budget I really dont know , for the hardware itself very much below 1500,.. Im planning on buying a 17" lcd monitor. Which would be kind of high.
 
If I remember correctly there are problems with having more then 2gigs of memory, performance starts tp suffer. Since your making music then get a Creative Audigy2 XXXX Platnium, you know the one with the front bay thing like this:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-102-163&catalog=57&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1
I've been buying Evercool fans for awhile now, they're really good IMO. Since your doing video editing (semi-pro or prosumor level?) maybe a 9600 All-in-Wonder would do. CRT might be better then an LCD for that stuff though but I would suggest either Dell 2001FP (20"!) or NEC MultiSync 1760NX-1.
 
never dealt with tigerdirect, but from what i saw newegg usually beats them in prices, and from personal experience (10+ orders) newegg has excellent service, just something to think about might want to check it out.
 
ok cool thanks for all the information, really really helpful! Im doing semipro level of video editing. Also Ill try out newegg thanks!
 
I've checked earlier about getting a different mobo & pro, an NF7-S with 2500+ Barton would cost as much so it's a pretty good deal.
 
I'm a big amd fan, but if you're looking at video work, i would go with a p4, it's just going to be faster

get a p4 2.6c and an Abit ic7 series mainboard

i gb of ram should be fine for you, even when i encode movies, i only use about 800mb's of ram total in my system
 
Well, since you doing a lot of music recording and video editing, Pentium 4 with HyperThreading will really help you multitasking. That's my opinion. But then you will have to get faster/expensive memory.
 
ok cool. Im really not going to do alot of video editing mainly encoding, but yes ill be doing alot of recording. Thanks for the help
 
i went all out for your budget at newegg, accually over budget, my suggested system for you, prices before shipping...

Cooler Master Wave Master Case without Power Supply, Model "TAC-T01-E1C" -RETAIL = $148.00

ABIT 875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU, Model "IC7" -RETAIL = $110.99

Asus RADEON 9600XT Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "9600XT/TVD = $199.99" -RETAIL

Antec 550W Power Supply, Model "TRUE550 EPS12V" -RETAIL = $115.00

Intel Pentium 4/ 2.6C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512K Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail = $175.00

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3700 = $252.00

MITSUMI D359M3D Black 1.44MB 3.5INCH Floppy Disk Drive, OEM = $10.00

Seagate 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST3120026A, OEM = $200.00

Lite-On Black 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive, Model LTR-52327S, OEM = $38.00

NEC Black Bezel 4X DVD +RW/-RW Drive, Model ND-1300A, OEM = $98.50

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro PCI Sound Card -RETAIL = $205.00

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a - OEM = $91.00
_____

Subtotal = $1,643.48

case and power supply could be down-graded if your on a strict budget.

also i noticed you wanted a clear case. i had a clear case when i first put together my first system. i can tell you theyre not easy to organize wire in since you can see everything. also they look really good once you have everything done but are harder to maintain with the dust build-up. the case i suggested is pricey but one of the best around, it is my current case. if you really want that clear case i suggest this one, as it will save you ~$30... http://www.svc.com/clblaccaatxu.html

edit: by the way the wavemaster case comes with all the fans required. like you know already youd have to total in fans for the acrylic cases.

if you want to know shipping cost just tell me what state you live in.

i would also highly suggest buying from newegg, one of the best online resellers around.

you are teh welcome.
 
Do you know how to build already?...Because I have some good links to help you out...
 
Originally posted by jamezzz122
Do you know how to build already?...Because I have some good links to help you out...
Click to expand...

Yes I know how told build already but the links would be greatly appreciated.
 
sweet merciful jesus don't but from tigerdirect, my girlfriend's brother bought his RAM from there after I warned him not to and they sent him the wrong RAM TWICE. I can't believe no one brought this up (except to recommend new egg) yet. New egg is good though, I'd probably buy the case locally to save on shipping unless you want a really specific case.

Good luck on your first build though and don't rush through the build do the wire management as you go along :p

Peace
 
Going Newegg is a smart choice. Sure, sometimes their prices are a little higher, but they're still competitive, and their customer service is much better than most other retailers.

If you're going for the Cooler Master Wavemaster case, I bought mine recently for $140 from Microcenter, though I do think that the case is back to normal price.
 
Just some helpful tips if you aren't too informed with building comps and dealing with this kind of hardware.
1. (optional) get a static wrist band
2. touch metal before touching any components
3. DO NOT WEAR SOCKS
 
most of the suggestions sound right....to save $$ id go w/ abit ic7 w/ amd 2500+, that way u can go with an all-in-wonder vid card

get a 400watt antec psu imho

512x2 pc3200 corsair xms is a solid choice for ram...i use it and its rock solid, though kingston and mushkin have been reliable in the past

**most important part(s) of a new computer**

lots and lots of zipties for those wires
 
Originally posted by {EB}NuTSymPToM{EB}
most of the suggestions sound right....to save $$ id go w/ abit ic7 w/ amd 2500+, that way u can go with an all-in-wonder vid card

get a 400watt antec psu imho

512x2 pc3200 corsair xms is a solid choice for ram...i use it and its rock solid, though kingston and mushkin have been reliable in the past

**most important part(s) of a new computer**

lots and lots of zipties for those wires
Click to expand...

Where could i find some zipties and how much do they cost
 
last time i bought zip ties i got them at walmart 500 total in an assortement of colors for like 6$ you can get them from about anywhere
 
Originally posted by RC7
I am guessing that your are planning to overclock right?
Click to expand...

well im not trying to do to much I Just want to make sure I have a pretty reliable and spacy computer.
 
Yep that too.. thats why I was planning on buying two 120GB hard drives.
 
Would you want to take advantage of some sort of RAID array though?
 
Originally posted by RC7
Would you want to take advantage of some sort of RAID array though?
Click to expand...
If so spend the cash to get a mobo with SATA and RAID then, big performance boost.:D
So Julius have you firgured out what your going to get?
 
Only problem then though is data security, if one drive fails in the array all of your data is lost :( Using RAID 0 that is.
 
Nope not really just finding everything and comparing prices. Can you tell me more about the raid array thing?
 
Well, a RAID 0 array is like running 2 drives together as one and geting a VERY nice performance boost, but by doing this you have the problem that if one drive decides to bite the dust you lose all your data on both drives. BTW, this explanation is in very simple terms
 
ok, so what would be the safest route to go through, because If Im saving music on the harddrive, itll be some trouble if I loose people audio data.

Also do you recommend getting zip drives to backup important files?
 
hmm by the way are there any good reliable stores I could buy hardware from using paypal?
 
You would definitely want to stay away from a RAID array then and just set up the drives like normal.
 
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