Another Computer Build Thread

[Panic661]

I was reading previous threads about builds, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have alot of money right up front, and I'll be piecing this together.

My laptop feels like its going to melt after any sort of strenuous use now, and with my girlfriends laptop dying, and my dads laptop having to be sent in for repairs, I've got a feeling I'm next.

This is my first build, and I'm actually starting to figure out what exactly I need, but I'm not 100% sure.

Basically, I'm posting this to get others opinions who have built computers, to maybe help me save some money, or keep me from screwing up royally.

I don't game too often, but I would like to be able to have some games on the computer (which ones I'm not sure yet, possibly the new Starcraft and Diablo if it ever comes out.) I mainly use the computer for forums, videos, and porn..

Anyways, what I've got so far:

Ultra X-Blaster ATX Black Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB, FireWire and Audio Ports at TigerDirect.com The case.

Thermaltake W0379RU TR2 Series Power Supply - 500 Watts, ATX at TigerDirect.com Thermaltake 500w Power Supply

ASUS M4A785-M Motherboard & AMD ADX635WFK42GI Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core Processor Bundle at TigerDirect.com Asus motherboard with AMD Athlon II X4 635 Quad Core Processor

Thermaltake CLP0564 Frio Dual 120mm Universal CPU Cooler - LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA775, AM3, AM2+, AM2. "Received The Overclockers Tech Gold Award" at TigerDirect.com Thermaltake Dual 120mm CPU Fan

Western Digital WD5001AALS Caviar Black Hard Drive - 500GB, 7200 rpm, 32MB, SATA-3G at TigerDirect.com 500 GB Western Digital SATA hard drive

I know I need DDR 2 RAM, what type, I'm a little confused on.. also, the computer would be connected to the internet through wireless, do I need anything special for that?

Do I need a video card?

Any help, guidance, criticism, opinions, would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[MissionMan]

I didn't read past you explaining ur laptop issues. If u don't have alot of coin don't go off building a cheap pc... It'll bite you back.


Sounds like your laptops heatsink has a blanket of dust and lint in it causing the overheating.... This is very common. Could also be the battery is old as fack. Open that bad boy up, clean the heat sink, upgrade memory, get a new battery. Assuming the laptop is fairly modern and worth fixing

 

[Panic661]

I didn't read past you explaining ur laptop issues. If u don't have alot of coin don't go off building a cheap pc... It'll bite you back.


Sounds like your laptops heatsink has a blanket of dust and lint in it causing the overheating.... This is very common. Could also be the battery is old as fack. Open that bad boy up, clean the heat sink, upgrade memory, get a new battery. Assuming the laptop is fairly modern and worth fixing

Well, a cheap PC, with a decent processor, motherboard, and vid card.. I'm simply not looking to spend a grand building it, but still looking to spend between 450-600 bucks, maybe a little more.

I mean, I could go with more RAM, and more HD space, but for me, I won't ever fill up a 500 gig even, RAM, I'm hoping 4-6 gigs will work just fine for me.

Also, building it would give me experience for future builds, and probably suit what I'm looking for more then what my laptop currently does. As well as having the ability to upgrade..

450-600 bucks IMO isn't too bad for just the system, considering I can walk into best buy, pick up a system, screen, keyboard, and mouse for that price..

Even if it went over 600 it wouldn't kill me, I haven't gotten the chance to add everything up, which is why I'm saying I'll be piecing it together.

Also, took my gfs laptop into bestbuy, they opened it up, nice dark spots on the motherboard from overheating.. I'll definitely be cleaning mine out, however I think I may just wipe the HD on it, and give it to the gf, she normally transports her computer, I don't.

 

[MissionMan]

sorry didnt read past the first part. looks like a good pc for under 600

 

[LOLasaurus]

1) According to the mobo specs it supports 1200MHz DDR2 RAM, so you should look at getting something in that ballpark, but keep in mind you do not have to get 1200MHz RAM, it just means this mobo supports 1200MHz RAM and no more. That means if you get faster DDR2 RAM it will only run at 1200MHz, I'd say go get some 1066MHz DDR2.

2) The mobo already has an ethernet port built in but if you wanna do wireless then you will need to buy a wireless network card.

3) Ditch the CPU cooler! Unless you plan on doing some hefty overclocking you will not be seeing the temperatures that would require such a heat sink. All you need is a decent (sub $20) heat sink and fan. Also that CPU cooler you posted might not even fit in your case.

4) Yes, you will be needing a video card. But what video card up to you. You should go read some reviews and compare performance on the ATi radeon 4000 series because those would likely be in your price range. Because ATi just released the 5000 series the price of the 4000's are dropping fast. You can pick up a Radeon 4850 for about $100 nowadays (that same card was $300+ a couple months ago)

5) Im getting the impression that you are fairly new to building computers, so heres some other items you will be needing.

-Thermal paste
-Optical drive (dvd drive)
-Windows
-Power supply unit
-Case fan

Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[SonicDTR]

Check this article out. Bit-tech updates it every month and their affordable all-rounder is 475$

PC Hardware Buyer's Guide May 2010 | bit-tech.net

 

[Panic661]

1) According to the mobo specs it supports 1200MHz DDR2 RAM, so you should look at getting something in that ballpark, but keep in mind you do not have to get 1200MHz RAM, it just means this mobo supports 1200MHz RAM and no more. That means if you get faster DDR2 RAM it will only run at 1200MHz, I'd say go get some 1066MHz DDR2.

2) The mobo already has an ethernet port built in but if you wanna do wireless then you will need to buy a wireless network card.

3) Ditch the CPU cooler! Unless you plan on doing some hefty overclocking you will not be seeing the temperatures that would require such a heat sink. All you need is a decent (sub $20) heat sink and fan. Also that CPU cooler you posted might not even fit in your case.

4) Yes, you will be needing a video card. But what video card up to you. You should go read some reviews and compare performance on the ATi radeon 4000 series because those would likely be in your price range. Because ATi just released the 5000 series the price of the 4000's are dropping fast. You can pick up a Radeon 4850 for about $100 nowadays (that same card was $300+ a couple months ago)

5) Im getting the impression that you are fairly new to building computers, so heres some other items you will be needing.

-Thermal paste
-Optical drive (dvd drive)
-Windows
-Power supply unit
-Case fan

Let me know if you have any other questions

VERY helpful! Thank you, I am extremely new to building computers.

HIS H467QS1GHA Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Video Card - 1GB GDDR3, AGP, DVI, VGA, HDMI at TigerDirect.com How about that vid card? Maybe a little overkill for what I need?

Ultra Performance 120mm Case Fan Two-Pack Bundle at TigerDirect.com Says the case supports 2 120MM fans.

Sony AD-7240S-0B Optiarc DVDRW Drive - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD-RAM 12X, SATA (OEM) at TigerDirect.com Optical drive?

Thermaltake W0379RU TR2 Series Power Supply - 500 Watts, ATX at TigerDirect.com
This is a power supply unit right? Just making sure..

And I have Windows 7 Professional or w/e its called here at home, when I bought it it said "good for 3 computers" and i've only used it on one.

 

[Panic661]

Check this article out. Bit-tech updates it every month and their affordable all-rounder is 475$

PC Hardware Buyer's Guide May 2010 | bit-tech.net

Awesome, checking it out right now. I just picked up some side work that should be able to get me from nothing, to close to finished pretty quickly, as far as the system itself. Then I'll be working on buying the screen and mouse/keyboard.

 

[LOLasaurus]

VERY helpful! Thank you, I am extremely new to building computers.

HIS H467QS1GHA Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Video Card - 1GB GDDR3, AGP, DVI, VGA, HDMI at TigerDirect.com How about that vid card? Maybe a little overkill for what I need?

Ultra Performance 120mm Case Fan Two-Pack Bundle at TigerDirect.com Says the case supports 2 120MM fans.

Sony AD-7240S-0B Optiarc DVDRW Drive - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD-RAM 12X, SATA (OEM) at TigerDirect.com Optical drive?

Thermaltake W0379RU TR2 Series Power Supply - 500 Watts, ATX at TigerDirect.com
This is a power supply unit right? Just making sure..

And I have Windows 7 Professional or w/e its called here at home, when I bought it it said "good for 3 computers" and i've only used it on one.

You can get a better video card for cheaper.

Newegg.com - HIS H485FM1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Comparing the ATi 4670 to the 4850 is like comparing a mustang gt to a gt500, just two completely different classes.

Everything else looks good! :beer:

 

[Panic661]

Awesome! What sort of wireless card would you recommend?

And uh, I know this is going to sound dumb, but how is thermal paste used?

 

[SonicDTR]

Definitely get the radeon 4850 video card. I sport a 4850 512mb and it will run everything I throw at it at 1920x1080p....granted the rest of my system is pretty top notch, it still chugs along nicely.

I'm also a huge fan of the intel i-series processors, and going with a budget board/cpu that is ddr3 capable will give you more options to upgrade in the future.

 

[SonicDTR]

Thermal paste is just a few drops between the CPU and the heatsink. Dont want too much or its a terrible mess, i'll find a quick write up for you.

*edit*

here ya go [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRRWbQUqW1Y"]YouTube- Installing Thermal Compound (NCIX Tech Tips #11)[/nomedia]

I seen several videos on youtube of guys spreading the paste out with a business card or w/e, I dont recommend doing that at all. I always put a small "blob" in the very center and let the heatsink do the spreading so it will spread out evenly.

 

[Panic661]

Definitely get the radeon 4850 video card. I sport a 4850 512mb and it will run everything I throw at it at 1920x1080p....granted the rest of my system is pretty top notch, it still chugs along nicely.

I'm also a huge fan of the intel i-series processors, and going with a budget board/cpu that is ddr3 capable will give you more options to upgrade in the future.

So if I went with something like this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5635117&Sku=B69-4087 would I have to change anything else that I've listed so far?

 

[LOLasaurus]

Awesome! What sort of wireless card would you recommend?

And uh, I know this is going to sound dumb, but how is thermal paste used?

Well I have absolutely zero experience with wireless cards in desktops so I can't really help you there.

Thermal paste is a compound that will allow heat to flow much easier from your CPU to your heat sink. When a CPU is made they try to make the top (where the heat sink touches) as flat as they can, but they can't get it perfectly flat. So there are microscopic pits and high spots. If you put a heatsink on a cpu with no thermal paste you would have areas where they touch and areas where they don't, these areas would create voids and this will hinder your ability to cool your CPU. Thermal paste acts to fill in those voids and to evenly cool your CPU.

Also seeing how a tube of high end thermal paste will run you a whopping $5, its not really breaking the bank.

 

[SonicDTR]

So if I went with something like this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5635117&Sku=B69-4087 would I have to change anything else that I've listed so far?

You'll need some DDR3 ram

 

[LOLasaurus]

So if I went with something like this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5635117&Sku=B69-4087 would I have to change anything else that I've listed so far?

Not everything, but some things yes. You would be looking at DDR3 RAM instead of DDR2. And personally I'd switch over to an nvidia based graphics card, because of the intel/nvidia vs amd/ati feud.

 

[SonicDTR]

Also, check out the antec 300 case. I've got it and really like it, very minimalistic and still plenty of room to fit everything and nice airflow.

newegg.com and the reviews are very handy, I find tiger direct to be a little less user friendly while browsing but their prices are sometimes better.

 

[Panic661]

I see. But a wireless card is capable in a desktop right? Lol..

Cause..my modem and router are in the living room, the desktop will be in my room...

Also if I were to swap over to a Nvidia card, what would you guys recommend? I know a Gforce, but I have no idea what I'm looking at with them... I was thinking possibly something like this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250625&CatId=3670

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124069&cm_re=Wireless_adapter_pci-_-33-124-069-_-Product And something like that for a wireless card?

 

[SonicDTR]

You can definitely put a wireless card in a desktop, some motherboards will have it built in and you just have a little antenna sticking out the back...shouldnt cost more than 20-30$ to buy a seperate one. Just make sure the mobo has a free slot for it!

 

[Panic661]

Ok I don't want to make a new thread on this, but I ordered the Antec 300 case. Which is "ATX"

The mobo's I'm looking at are "Micro ATX" will I have any issues with the boards?