Help with PCmaking

[basa]

Originally Posted by mr0161

i guess mobo means motherboard?

Correct

Originally Posted by mr0161

And whos Crucial and wheres the site?

Crucial

Originally Posted by mr0161

question - how will i know which case to get, as there is sizes, and i want my stuff to fit just right, not be too small, or too big?

Most common size is the ATX Tower case (Midi or Full Tower). Get one of these and everything fits. Midi are nice - not too big. See here > eBuyer.

Go read 'kfridge's' links.

Originally Posted by mr0161

i wanna know something.

When buying stuff, lets say from overclockers, does the more it cost, really mean it will be better?

In general yes, but be aware some kit can be purchased as 'OEM' or 'Retail'.

This usually means that an 'OEM' DVD/RW Drive, for example, may come as literally just the drive, while a 'Retail' version of the same drive will usually come with a cable, mounting screws, a manual & some extra software such as Nero & WinDVD. Obviously the retail pack will cost more.

- so make sure you really do compare 'like for like'

[mr0161]

so no matter, if it's a mini or a full tower the CPU mobo PSU drives, will all fit in nicely?

plus, i have been looking at overclockers, whats a AMD, i know the intel, but never heard of the AMD?

Amd is the chip you want to buy
You want a 3000 xp64 processor((atleast) (make sure you buy retail in a box as it comes with a fan some custom fans are harder for the novice to install so stick with stock)
A skt 939 motherboard with pci express (buy an nforce 4 board as sata controllers will work without drivers)
A nvidia 6600gt graphics card at least
I would build a midi tower for ease
You need at least a gig of ddr 400/pc3200 in 2 x 512 strips.
Optical drives and hard drives are your choice but a sata drive is best
Buy a good 450 watt (at least)powersupply expect to spend 40 to 50 quid for a good one
Buy all from one place and buy an oem copy of xp
Read the manual very carefully first and make sure when installing the processor be very careful removing from packaging and do not drop.Buy an anti static wrist band too

[Gareth]

Provided you've done your homework and have selected components that are compatible then it will all fit. There's no point buying an Intel CPU and finding that the motherboard you bought is for AMD CPUs, or buying an AGP card and finding that your motherboard only supports PCI Express.

You really should spend some time reading the links kfridge posted earlier on

[mr0161]

yeah, i will read and do some homework,. thats why i asked for a book, i need to get the money first, then i will be back, or if i need a question answered, thanks

Originally Posted by Gareth

Provided you've done your homework and have selected components that are compatible then it will all fit. There's no point buying an Intel CPU and finding that the motherboard you bought is for AMD CPUs, or buying an AGP card and finding that your motherboard only supports PCI Express.

You really should spend some time reading the links kfridge posted earlier on

Or just give me a max spend and let me order it for you jk btw

[mr0161]

well i be getting about 15000, so if you could show me what to get and whats good, in time, would be more than happy, but i may have learnt enough by then, we will see

15000??? buy something mega from alienware I suspect you mean 1500 which will build you something mega(or buy yourself something mega from alienware )

[basa]

Originally Posted by mr0161

so no matter, if it's a mini or a full tower the CPU mobo PSU drives, will all fit in nicely?

plus, i have been looking at overclockers, whats a AMD, i know the intel, but never heard of the AMD?

Midi or Full Towers will take all of todays ATX motherboards (which is really the only thing to be considered as far as case size is concerned). The PSU (Power Supply unit) usually comes fitted with the case, (but you can upgrade this if required later).

The cpu (processor i.e. AMD or Intel) sits on (plugs into) the motherboard. It has a heatsink and cooler assembly clipped on top.

All the drives (floppy, CD & Hard Disk {HDD}) screw to rails already contained inside the case.

AMD is just another make of processor. They tend to be more popular with PC builders as they are generally regarded as giving more 'bang per buck', (or value for money in English !) But you must choose the right make for your mobo as they are NOT interchangeable. You're best choosing your cpu first off, then look for a motherboard that will take it.

---------- Post added at 14:52 ---------- Previous post was at 14:49 ----------

Originally Posted by mr0161

well i be getting about 15000, so if you could show me what to get and whats good, in time, would be more than happy, but i may have learnt enough by then, we will see

As zinglebarb says .. I think (hope) you mean £1500. Even at that your are spending a great deal. You can build a great PC for £500.

I've built 4, and whilst they break no records they are at least competent and none of them cost more than £250 !!

It all depends on what you want to do with your PC - online gaming (and many non on-line games) demand a lot of memory and powerful graphics cards which push your costs up dramatically. Whereas photo & music editing demand powerful processors and lots of memory. Just word processing and surfing can be done very well on a home built PC costing no more than say £200.

[mr0161]

yeah i do mean 1500, sorry was rushing, had to do something, anyway, i want it for online gaming, or just gaming, to play the latest games, plus i want it to last and not have to upgrade every time

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by mr0161

yeah i do mean 1500, sorry was rushing, had to do something, anyway, i want it for online gaming, or just gaming, to play the latest games, plus i want it to last and not have to upgrade every time

If you build the exact pc that I did you will have a great gaming machine for less than 1500

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by mr0161

1. lets say you put all the bits together that you buy for the PC, then switch it on, will it just work right away?

It didn't when I spent £1300 building mine . After a couple of minutes of despair I found that turning the power switch on the power supply from off to on helped

Originally Posted by mr0161

2. when all the bits work, do you go into safe mode and put the windows XP disic in?

Just stick disk in, turn on, and XP should do it's thing automatically. You may need to change a setting or two in the BIOS but it should be straightforward enough and if you get a reasonable brand of mobo the manual should have enough English in to get you by.

Originally Posted by mr0161

3. does anyone know where i can buy a good book or DVD showing you how to make a PC, where it has pic's and stuff, putting it simple, so you learn and not just read it.
Thanks

There are some good online sites/forums that I used, such as:

Build Your Own Computer Tips
Build Your Own PC
AMD system building guide
How To Fix Computers
Strange but helpful people

Google'll come up with a million others.

Warning: It all sounds simple enough in theory, but I found it more stressful than a job interview. It's not knowing whether you're on the right track that does it.

If I was going to do it again I'd buy a cruddy 4 year old box for £150 off ebay and take it apart and rebuild it a couple of times before I tried it on brand new bits.

I'd only recommend doing a build your own if you can face the possibility that you could destroy a £1000 of electronics in the space of half an hour ...

[mr0161]

yeah, i know it will be a pain, but it's make my own, or buy the Dell XPS.

So i dunno

[Gareth]

It's a pain but it is actually very satisfying when you've finished and it works. You'll also learn a lot along the way, so when something goes wrong (as they always do with PCs irrespective of whether they're bought or built) you'll have more of an idea of what is wrong and how to fix/replace it.

Plus, as surprising as it sounds, it can get almost addictive, and you'll find that once you've built your first PC, you'll want to keep on modifying it and adding more stuff to it. Maybe add some neons, quieter fans, more efficient cooling, etc... the list goes on and on. Whereas with the Dell machine, you're more likely to feel almost intimidated by it, and will be unwilling to open it up and mod it, because you won't really know what's what.

Just my