First custom built computer for college...

[JaX_Ryko]

Hello hardforum...

Later in August I will be going off to college and I desperately need a new computer. I want to build my own before I go to college so I can get some experience with computers. With the help of some friends I have that have built their own computers and with a little research of my own, i've sorta come up with a list of parts that I need. I wanted to get hardforum's advice on it and get some tips on other parts. Plus, I need help in knowing if all the parts I want are compatible. This computer is gonna need to get me through college, so i'm gonna need it for all the obvious stuff, but i'll also be doing a lot of gaming on it, and i'm a computer science major so i'll also be programming and what-not on it too.

And I also need to say that I do know more about computers then the average person, but not near as much as everyone else here. So I might be alittle oblivious to some important things about building computers. Also, this isn't really a money-saving computer so my budget can be high than normal, probly between $1,000 and $1,500.

Anywayz, here's my list...

Case: Black POWMAX 0327-4 Case with Handle (Case)...$35

Motherboard: ABIT IC7-G MAX II Advance with onboard sound...$145

CPU: Pentium 4 with Heatsink and Fan [I'm not sure how big of a processor I should get. I know I want over 2 GHz, but what do you guys suggest considering my other pars and current situation?]...around $169

Memory: 2 sticks of 512 mb DDR-RAM [Please give advice on a brand and the type, such as PC-2700]...around $100 each

Video Card: Radeon 9600 XT, 256 mb [I know i'm gonna be gaming a lot so I wanted to go all out for the video card. If there's a better one out there or something more compatible please tell me.]...$185

Hard Drive: 2 Samsung 7200 rpm IDE hard drives [For the hard drives, i'm thinking about having 2 hard drives, one around 80 GB and the other around 40 GB. One will strictly have school stuff and other important things, and the other would be for everything else, like games, music, etc.]...around $120 all together

As for the drives, I need a good CD-ROM drive (52X), and I wouldn't mind having a good CD Burner. Should I get both or just a good burner and use it for both? I could really care less about a DVD drive, and if I really want one later on I can get it. Plus, I plan to get a cheap 3.5 Floppy Drive.

As for the monitor, i'm still somewhat undecided on just a good CRT, or going all the way with a good LCD screen. The LCD would be kool to have but I here it's not so good for gaming.

I'll need to find a good keyboard and mouse, so if you have suggestions on that, please tell me. I can't decide if wireless would be worth having or not.

Finally, i'm gonna end up needing some speakers, but i'm not really gonna about that as of right now. Plus my friend says he can get me a cheap set of 5.1 speakers. To start off i'm just thinking of getting a good pair of headphones. I also already have Windows XP Pro and Office XP ready to install, and i'm gonna end up buying a few extra case fans and a better power supply because i've been hearing that the one that comes with the case will crap out after awhile.

But that's my list for a new computer. Please give me any suggestions at all or just tell me what i'm doing wrong. Like I said I need this computer for college and I only have about another month to build it and get it working...

 

[redheadfred]

Well Jax, I was in the same position as you not too long ago. I would say, unless you REALLY want to build a computer, get a laptop. I've been kicking myself for building my own, although it is alot of fun.

So with that said, lets assume that you're going to build one. I'll just go into the things that I have ideas about. For the processor, you can get upto 2.8 pretty cheap from newegg, so check those out (this comes to mind )

I wouldn't go for wireless kb/mouse. I use a logitech elite keyboard and a mouseman dual optical mouse. Batteries can be annoying for a college student. So unless you're going to be working from the couch, stick with a standard corded pair.

As for the monitor, depending on how much time you are going to be using the computer, paying the little more for an LCD would be good for your eyes. True, not as good looking for games, but you get used to it pretty quick. There are some cheap 15" out there.

hope that helps a little

 

[Mushroom Prince]

Hello hardforum...

Later in August I will be going off to college and I desperately need a new computer. I want to build my own before I go to college so I can get some experience with computers. With the help of some friends I have that have built their own computers and with a little research of my own, i've sorta come up with a list of parts that I need. I wanted to get hardforum's advice on it and get some tips on other parts. Plus, I need help in knowing if all the parts I want are compatible. This computer is gonna need to get me through college, so i'm gonna need it for all the obvious stuff, but i'll also be doing a lot of gaming on it, and i'm a computer science major so i'll also be programming and what-not on it too.

And I also need to say that I do know more about computers then the average person, but not near as much as everyone else here. So I might be alittle oblivious to some important things about building computers. Also, this isn't really a money-saving computer so my budget can be high than normal, probly between $1,000 and $1,500.

Anywayz, here's my list...

Case: Black POWMAX 0327-4 Case with Handle (Case)...$35

Motherboard: ABIT IC7-G MAX II Advance with onboard sound...$145

CPU: Pentium 4 with Heatsink and Fan [I'm not sure how big of a processor I should get. I know I want over 2 GHz, but what do you guys suggest considering my other pars and current situation?]...around $169

Memory: 2 sticks of 512 mb DDR-RAM [Please give advice on a brand and the type, such as PC-2700]...around $100 each

Video Card: Radeon 9600 XT, 256 mb [I know i'm gonna be gaming a lot so I wanted to go all out for the video card. If there's a better one out there or something more compatible please tell me.]...$185

Hard Drive: 2 Samsung 7200 rpm IDE hard drives [For the hard drives, i'm thinking about having 2 hard drives, one around 80 GB and the other around 40 GB. One will strictly have school stuff and other important things, and the other would be for everything else, like games, music, etc.]...around $120 all together

As for the drives, I need a good CD-ROM drive (52X), and I wouldn't mind having a good CD Burner. Should I get both or just a good burner and use it for both? I could really care less about a DVD drive, and if I really want one later on I can get it. Plus, I plan to get a cheap 3.5 Floppy Drive.

As for the monitor, i'm still somewhat undecided on just a good CRT, or going all the way with a good LCD screen. The LCD would be kool to have but I here it's not so good for gaming.

I'll need to find a good keyboard and mouse, so if you have suggestions on that, please tell me. I can't decide if wireless would be worth having or not.

Finally, i'm gonna end up needing some speakers, but i'm not really gonna about that as of right now. Plus my friend says he can get me a cheap set of 5.1 speakers. To start off i'm just thinking of getting a good pair of headphones. I also already have Windows XP Pro and Office XP ready to install, and i'm gonna end up buying a few extra case fans and a better power supply because i've been hearing that the one that comes with the case will crap out after awhile.

But that's my list for a new computer. Please give me any suggestions at all or just tell me what i'm doing wrong. Like I said I need this computer for college and I only have about another month to build it and get it working...

I'd highly recomend you look into a AMD based system rather a Pentium 4 computer. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have a Athlon 3200 over a 2.8ghz Pentium 4 ?

 

[RancidWAnnaRIot]

ONe thing.. if you want to check things for compatibillity.. a good place to go is to your prospective mobos site.. adn find the manual to the mobo you're thinking of buying.. they have lots og good info..

 

[Koz]

I'd say a 2.8C P4.

If you decided to take the AMD road, a A64 3000+ or 3200+ would be the way to go.

The better choice for a videocard would be a Radeon 9800 Pro. They cost a little below $200 now and have substancially better performance than a 9600 XT.

If you're getting a 800MHz FSB processor (which you should be), the ram choice is PC3200. It syncs with the FSB speed and dual channel PC3200 is THE ram to buy if you're not overclocking. If you are you may want to invest in some higher clocked ram although PC3200 probably would be fine.

I'd recommend getting a 52x burner and using that as your sole drive. If later you want a DVD drive you can purchase a dvd drive (or dvd burner) and together they will cover all the bases.

If you wait for a good deal on harddrives, you can save LOTS of money on your purchases. If you look at the hot deals forum, I think theres some harddrive deals floating around right now.

 

[JaX_Ryko]

Thanx for all the help guys. You've helped me make a lot of changes that will hopefully be better for my new computer.

One thing I haven't really understood since starting a new computer is the whole Pentium vs. AMD thing. What's the biggest difference between the 2 processors and which one is really the better one to have at the moment? I know that there's hardcore fans of both of them, but what's the big deal about the whole thing. To be honest, i've never actually worked with AMD processors in the past.

 

[Falls Included]

all in all, they perfrom abomut the same, except one does better in X program... the amd ratings system is in place so they dont get trounced by intel. give or take.. 3ghz intel = 2 ghz amd (give or take) what it comes down to is if you need to alot of cad work or photoshop. then go intel, the memory controller gets better perfromance from dual channel than the amd does. if you are doing gaming, and just not really needing a gigantic bandwidth powerhouse, by all means, go amd. i did and i love it. right now imo, the a64 is the king, only bested by the 1000 dollar p4ee. with a budget like that, i'd be looking to amd. a64 is just rocking me, its a notebook too.