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Desktops: first complete build am i missing anything???
You need to Back-up
by dsutton9 - 12/24/04 4:46 PM In reply to: back up question... by justchillinBack up! You need to back-up because you should do a clean install with win XP. Also make sure you have copies of all other apps. you want to install as some may need updates with win XP.Make sure you do a complete scan on your system before B-Up to make sure you don't transfer crap to your new sys.
Checkout prices on outpost.com for savings or any of the internet shoping sites.
back up???
by justchillin - 12/24/04 5:37 PM In reply to: You need to Back-up by dsutton9just out of curiosity, why? i'll be upgrading from 98se to xp anyway...should i reformat the hdd reinstall 98 and then install the xp upgrade? is there a particular reason for doing this?
if this is the case i'll just transfer all my files to my second hdd...
Backing Up Is Only Smart....Anytime
by gadgets3 - 12/25/04 6:12 AM In reply to: back up??? by justchillinBacking up your files is always smart, if for no other reason, JUST in case you fry something or a virus gets you, even in a new system build. Format and use your Windows XP upgrade disk without loading Windows 98se first, but keep the Win 98se disk at hand, you will need to put it in during the install to prove you have the right to upgrade. I agree with many of the others, AMD/Intel is a personal choice but I think you have it right with the stuff you have so far. Sound card is only thing I see left off from the start, more RAM is a definate plus but you already have the plan so good on ya! DVD Burners, I recommend using one that handles DVD+R/RW AND DVD-R/RW if not adding the newer Dual (Double)Layer also. Power Supply....get Antec True Power 480 Blue for excellent PSU and the added lighting for your windowed case. Just my humble opinions.
I would use a AMD64
by bobpear - 12/24/04 5:45 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinI think you will get a lot more for your money using a AMD 64 cpu. most computer hobbiest and gamers use them because they preform better and will be compatable with Windows XP 64. for video just get the board that works best with the prime application you will be using.
Operating system
by Raimundo - 12/24/04 6:03 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinOne the most important things in a system, is the operating system, I will put Windows XP Profesional, service pack II.
First PC
by law_john - 12/24/04 7:20 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinSounds good, as long as everything is compatible. Make sure you have at least 2 or 3 fans to keep the processor from overheating. As long as you have all the external peripheals (i.e. mouse, keyboard, etc.) sounds like your ready to go! Watch out for static electricity!
Sounds like my PC
by dhostetter - 12/24/04 9:16 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinYou have most of the the exact components that I put in my new PC earlier this year. After reading through all the respnses, there are three that really need even more emphasis. PLEXTOR for the DVD/RW. Rounded cables for connections. XP Pro for the OS. And one additional suggestion, since you have a good looking case with a window in the side, go for the Corsair Pro series RAM. They have LEDs on the edge that light up as the RAM is being accessed. It doesn't do anything for the performance, but if you are building a macine with a window in the side you care about more than just performance.
first complete build am i missing anything???
by mr_guns - 12/24/04 9:35 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinDon't agree with all the AMD posts. I had a system built with a P4 and the store building it kept trying to talk me into a AMD chip. I stood my ground and they were amazed with the results. I've since built three others myself all with P4 chips and couldn't be more happy.
First complete build am i missing anything??? O/S Suggestion
by 77777s - 12/24/04 10:37 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by mr_gunsWow you guys have given excellent advise to the subject...all of you have overlooked one major area...
the Operating System...Are you sure you want to go with the XP Home...My feeling is that you should opt for the extra expense and go with the XP Pro with the SP1...you may not like all the extra hassles that the SP2 brings with it...if after the build you decide you want to try the SP2 you can get a free upgrade CD from Microsoft then if you decide you don't like the SP2 or you have software that isn't compatable with SP2 you can do a simple System restore and be rid of the SP2...Here is the url... http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx Microsoft says allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery but i received mine in less than a week... You may have a hard time finding XP Pro SP1 but i found it at SuperDealOnline url... http://atl.aitweb.net/cgi-bin/ait-detail.asp?product_no=646&menu_no=11 for 126.00... Then what about a Firewall and Virus protection...Well good building and enjoy
"Cy" in Denver
Suggest different hd
by mark2588 - 12/24/04 3:08 PM In reply to: First complete build am i missing anything??? O/S Suggestion by 77777sThe 10,000 rpm WD SATA hard drive is nice, but for around $125 from New Egg you can get a 200 gb Seagate SATA 7200 rpm drive that from my experience is as fast as a Western Digital 10,000 rpm drive, with more than double the storage. If you really want more drive performance, get 2 Seagate drives and raid them. But also, XP Pro with 2 gig ram is the way to go.
Am I missing anything?
by pr - 12/24/04 10:15 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinI'd suggest three things, perhaps four.
RAM: 512mb is sort of a minimum standard these days. Computer programs are getting longer and longer. If you download music as many do, the download goes into RAM before it is transcribed onto your hard disk and CD/DVD. I'd up it to 1 gigabytes and perhaps more depending upon your planned use and you will never (never say never) get an out of memory or a dumped CD/DVD disk.
Hard Disk: Hard disk space is one of the least expensive commodities. Music, video, pictures use a lot of space. My Sony VIAO multimedia machine came with 250 gigabytes of storage. If you are just gaming, 80 is probably enough.
DVD/CD drive: I'd add another CD drive so that you can copy from CD's directly rather than having to go through RAM for storage and the recording onto the new disk.
Video CARD: If you are gaming, doing a lot of photo's or need a high resolution go for an 8X 256mb card. This is where your video speed and high picture resolution come from.
Finally, you monitor: I'd choose a minimum of 1280 x 1056 pixel rating monitorand maybe even a 1600 x 1200 display. You can't use all your computing power if you can't see all of it on a single screen (or have to use the slider bars to move the picture around so that you can see all of the frame). LCD screens are nice but flat glass displays are providing the greatest resolution, especially the industrial strength monitors used for CAD/CAM and medical applications.
That said: Good luck, have fun, save a little money from buying a custom build, and do let us know what you do and what the end results are.
Paul Rogers, Honolulu
Are you missing anything?
by tanjian - 12/24/04 10:46 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinNope, it looks like you have everything in order, except what you are using for a video card, and a sound card. As far as the OS is concerned, I am a avid Linux user, preferrably Debian, however if your not comfortable going into that arena, may I suggest using XP Professional instead of using the Home edition. Home edition still carries some of the flakiness that ME had about it. It's a good idea to know what you are going to use the machine for, that way you know what type of computer you are going to build.
Not bad system
by mblck - 12/24/04 10:56 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinWhat you are describing is not bad, but you need to remember if you are going to do alot of gaming you may want to boost your ram, also I would but a external Floppy drive with USB. Floppy aren't use that much now a days, and will eventually be fully replaced by USB memory cards. You did't mention your USB functionality. I would make sure you have Four back, two front if you are going to use headphones and mike. I would get a USB hub to plug your printer, scanner, mouse and keyboard in.
On the cd rw: if you already have it, good, but if you are going to go out and buy one I would spend a little more and get another Pioneer Black DVD+RW/-RW Drive (Item# N82E16827129157. DVD is going to be your best combatibilty for you symtem in that you won't have to up grade hardware as soon, and have more versitility in burning and copying. The need for speed on burning is not always the way to go, you can get more error burns and wear out your DVD/CD burner faster at the higher speeds.
On your video card, don't skimp on that. Your best bet is a Nvidia vedeo card if you are going midrange quality, they have less conflicts with XP Home SP2.
Other video cards have conflicts unless you go with their extreme high end video cards. It also depends on if you are going to do a lot of gaming. If so , there are some excellent choices out there in the $200 to $300 range.
On your power supply, the triple fans are nice, but gives you more to wear out. Go with a 4" single fan and add one or two cooling fans to your box. Keep the same wattage.
I would keep one of your other harddrives out and get a external case for it to make it an external hard drive for backing up your system and keeping it seperate from the PC. You can hook that one up using USB connections.
These are some ideas I used on other PC's that I built after my 1st attempt.
When you decide to get started make sure you have a static free enviroment. Make sure you discharge any static you built up into a metal desk or table that you have near your work area. Steel rod will also work.
Make sure after you have it built that you tweek your settings and go to all your hardware sites and download their most current drivers. Don't rely on windows update to do this because they don't always have the most current drivers. Make sure you have the most current Bios also.
If you are going to be internet active, don't forget to get a good anti virus, firewall, antispam, Ad popup blocker.
I hope this gives you some different perspective and helps you think of some things you hadn't thought of.
More RAM!
by Chicagoan - 12/24/04 11:11 AM In reply to: first complete build am i missing anything??? by justchillinI agree with some other posts. If you are using Windows XP, within a range of CPU (rated) speeds, you will always get better performance with more RAM versus faster processor speed. E.g. a 2.8 GHz CPU with 1, 1.5, or 2 GB RAM will outperform a 3.0, 3.2, etc. CPU with .5 GB RAM. Don't know whether it's true with Linux, Unix, Mac OS, etc. - maybe someone has benchmarks - and I assume it's equally true for AMD CPUs which generally kick ass when running in similar systems compared with an Intel CPU.
yes, 1gb is my personal MINIMUM
by slappie - 12/27/04 11:15 AM In reply to: More RAM! by Chicagoan512 is fine for simple ONE application stuff. Most games are not really happy without 1gb and if you do more than one thing at once, 1gb is a necessity. Especially for the low low price of only another $70, you will definately notice an increase in speed.
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