Computer newbies forum: Building a computer for the first time, HELP?

In my opinion and the opinion of most articles I have read you will get a better mid-range processor out of the AMD lineup per dollar anyway.

Within the past year I built my first computer and it went without any problems what so ever. I think if you've done your research and have spent ample time inside one it will be effortless unless you get a bad component and need to troubleshoot it without an operating system installed.

I've had very good luck with G.Skill RAM. It is in my current computer which was the fourth set of it I have owned. Once I had a module go bad after 3 years and it was exchanged for a new set within 5 days of returning the set with the bad module in it.

I've always read that the Western Digital Black Drives are more durable. They have a 500GB & 640GB drive that also has 32Mb cache as opposed to 16Mb and are very reasonably priced. http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Wd5001Aals-7200Rpm-Ii-300/dp/B002OOWHY2

A case is a matter of personal preference but I went with the Antec 300 Illusion case for $69.XX($59.XX on sale at the time)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

Definetely use the Windows 7 64-bit, regardless of which version.

I'm partial to Corsair Power Supplies and they're reasonably priced being they need not be over-sized. (They will handle their rated power loads)

DVD-writer I would get anything with reasonable ratings that wasn't expensive.

Then the Processor(CPU) and Motherboard depend a great deal on if you insist upon Intel or if you would go with AMD. I've always used AMD and am not familiar with Intel processor's or motherboards without first researching them. The motherboard you listed does not have onboard video and you didn't list a video card? If you do not already own one you will either need a motherboard with onboard video or a separate video card which will add considerably to the cost.

Monitor depends on what you are willing to settle for. I got a 23" Acer monitor from Newegg for $169.00 (sale price at the time)

I strongly recommend you do your research at Newegg.com and go based on the consumer reviews provided for each component. There's a ton of valuable information there for most any component you would wish to purchase.

Good luck and don't sweat it once you've wisely selected your parts. I read as a rule of thumb plan on 2 to 3 days for your first build but I had mine together with the operating system installed in about 3-1/2 hours and I had no prior knowledge of building a system.

I would go for a better Graphics card than what u mentioned if you're going to play high end games. like the HD5770

"The motherboard you listed does not have onboard video and you didn't list a video card?"

His video card is listed right after the mobo.

Just a simple tip, as all your components look great. The tip: When starting your computer for the first time, have everything unplugged except for the MB & CPU. ie: disconnect DVD, floppy & even the HD. You should see the MB advertising on your video (from the chip PROM). This eliminates the unknowns from the equation. Once you see the advertising you can shut down & hook up the rest. FritzK

I think you should try to get a higher performance graphics card like the geforce 250, 8800 gt or 9800 gt as minimum. Or on the radeon side 5770 or higher. Your CPU is o.k. but probably will need a quad-core or higher in the future.

liljdoodoo,

I tried piecing together a system per your specifications but couldn't get it under $934.90 without making sacrafices I wouldn't be comfortable recommending. Motherboard is critical obviously, especially if using Windows 7 OEM. Power supplies are also critical because a bad one can ruin any component in your system. A bad hard drive and you lose all your data. Then regarding monitors and video cards I wouldn't recommend anything of questionable size and quality because I tend to keep these for 5+ years. Personally I'm too cheap to upgrade my video card as often as many do.

As per the Tom's Hardware Link I posted above I would recommend you give much consideration to this processor for $86.99(note those who didn't rate it with 5-stars all did so because they were unable to unlock the fourth core. It is a three-core processor so a fourth core should not be expected in my opinion) -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103843

This Corsair 550VX 550W Power Supply is likely all you would need with this system. I know people typically over-size their PSU's but believe it is primarily because many PSU manufacturer's make false claims about their Power Supplies. My own system should run a maximum of 390 watts and I have been using a Corsair 450VX (450 Watt)flawlessly and without any sign of trouble for years. Right now Newegg has it marked down from $105 to $79.99 which is an excellent buy.(5-year Warranty standard)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

The Western Digital Black hard drives again are top quality and an excellent value.(5-year warranty standard) This one is a 640GB, 32MB cache for $74.99 -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Then there are several good motherboards for the processor listed above or any other AMD socket AM3. And there are also several other processors you could upgrade to at a later date for increased power and speed without chaning your motherboard. But if you are serious about getting everything you desire for $850 I would recommend using the onboard graphics until you can get additional money for a better video card. Of course it is your choice and a personal one as with all of this.

System case is also a very personal preference but having built only one system myself and utilized the Atec 300 Illusion I am comfortable recommending it because cable routing was easier than most cases and the case has more than sufficient cooling with 4 large fans built in as well as a dust filter. The case does NOT have a system speaker and the front audio panel is not shielded which means you can get a static sound through your speakers occasionally if other electronics are near. I only get it briefly before my cellular phone rings.

Unless you are without a system completely now I would also advise you to take your time and weigh your options carefully. Trust no single person's advice, including my own. Get a concensus of opinions and read reviews so you are comfortable with the components you purchase.

Also read about building a computer and/or watch some tutorial video's online. You should know exactly how to go about it and in what order to do what before ordering the parts. Cable Management is really the only thing you should need to decide on the fly because you need to get your parts assembled to know how best to do this.

I'm simply passing along the favor that others have done for me in the past. You are wise to seek advice and also wise to be building your own system. No manufacturer I am aware of uses all quality parts. They all skimp on quality in some of their parts, often the most critical ones. If you pay someone else to build you a system they will typically make up to $100/hour for doing it so it is best to do it yourself. It wasn't long ago I was in your situation and today am very glad I took the initiative to build my own. Now I have a solid computer, customized to my specific needs, with all quality parts each with their own warranty, can be upgraded at any time easily and effortlessly. If my operating system ever becomes corrupt or I get a bad virus reinstalling Windows is a simple and quick process as opposed to using "restore CD's" that reinstall all the crapware that later has to be removed manually.

If you are like me you will find the entire process rewarding and empowering and never be intimidated by your computer hardware again, lol. I do hope you get exactly what you want and enjoy the process. But again I reiterate Don't purchase lesser quality parts thinking you will replace them at a later date. Since you can never recover money on used parts just wait until you can afford exactly what suits your needs. Similarly don't purchase More than you need as many do with video cards and power supplies. If you need any additional help or opinions post here. I would like to hear what you eventually decide to order and build. Have fun.

good luck !

Well what do you think this is the final thought on parts Unless something is not compatible. Otherwise this fits the budget and is pretty much all I really need for now going to be easy to add to at least for the future. I did lots of research on just about everything here. So, now alls I have to learn to do is how to put 2 OS's on this HDD. Some of the games I already have will not work on Windows 7 so I'll need XP on there to. Being the hard drive is 500gbs. Can not wait to build this.

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor
RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
ZOTAC ZT-20203-10L GeForce GT 220 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

This is a good point but I have some old games, over 10 years old that played on Windows 7 without utilizing a virtual drive. The only reason I needed to create a virtual drive and the reason I chose Windows 7 Professional was I own a copy of Autocad Version 14, which is about 12 years old and it would not install on Windows 7 without the virtual drive.

If you have had games that wouldn't play on Windows 7 I would like to hear about it. I wondered about this after first setting my system up and since have forgot all about it. But hell, I installed Delta Force Land Warrior and that's an ancient game.

I would be hesitant to use that power supply, or most any of those that are included with the case because they're most often junk.

It is important to realize that when using Windows OEM software opposed to the full version that if anything happens to your motherboard then your operating system is also gone. So if you rely on a substandard power supply and it happens to fry the motherboard then not only are you out the $130 for the motherboard but also the $110 for that copy of Windows. And it isn't too uncommon for a bad power supply to fry the motherboard, the CPU, the PSU(power supply)itself and anything else in your system. It would be a gamble in my opinion and as always your choice but it would not be a risk I would be willing to accept personally.

And I really don't know how well those lower end video cards work or what kind of performance you could expect from them. From what I have read recent onboard graphics work nearly as good if not as good and could be obtained by choosing another model motherboard. If it were me I would go that route(actually i did) and use the onboard graphics and then later purchasing a video card when it was more feasible to do so.

The hard drive and the memory are both identical to those in my own system so I would highly recommend both of them.

The burner has good ratings and reviews but they're so inexpensive any more it isn't a critical item. If one goes bad they can easily and inexpensively be replaced. Though the one you selected appears to be a good one.

I will read more about that case and the cable management inside of it because this should be a factor in selecting a case for your first build. Routing the cables inside some cases is very difficult, at times impossible without extensions and adapters. This Antec 300 Illusion that I am using made for rather easy cable management, has two large front blue LED fans, One huge blue LED fan on top and one exhuast fan in the rear. But the standard Antec 300 is very similar without the blue LED fans and is $10 less expensive.

So it is really up to you if you're willing to run a risk on a questionable power supply. When i was researching them for my own build I couldn't find case+power supply combo's that gave me much confidence.

I know the power supplies are expensive but personally consider it the second most important of the computer next to the motherboard. As a bad CPU won't harm other hardware only run slow and can be replaced easily. The motherboard is vital because everything runs through it and it should be upgradeable for as far into the future as possible. The AMD Socket AM3 will do this as good as any other socket currently on the market as they've already made much higher end processors for that socket.

Let me know and don't be hesitant to ask questions or opinions. I would consider any case, but not any power supply.

I use and would recommend Corsair Power Supplies. They routinely rate the best power supplies on the market and include a Five Year Warranty. Mine is whisper quiet, relatively small wattage wise for a PSU and powers my system without the slightest issue.

Mine is only 450 Watts and I believe that would be powerful enough for your system UNLESS you were to later upgrade to a high end video card that requires (2) PCI-E 6-pin power connections because this power supply only has one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

Then here are all the componets I would recommend for you Except for the Monitor which is not included. The total cost of these parts displays as $783.91 and it includes the hard drive and memory you previously selected for your build. If you do use these parts or at least the case I show there is also a $12 discount upon entering the code that would bring your total these parts to $771.91(Without a Monitor) The video card is a GeForce 9800 and I prefer ATI but this card appears to be a best value in the price range with great reviews.

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128398


EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103843

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231189

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

I also included the DVD burner you previously selected only for that reason. I don't know enough about them to go based on anything other than the reviews on Newegg and it had very good reviews.

Glad to hear it liljdoodoo,

That motherboard I recommended does have onboard graphics so if you wish you could make do with the onboard graphics and pick up a video card later. Actually it has HD graphics and the motherboard is identical to the one in my build.

The Corsair Power supply has long cables which makes assembling it and routing the wires much easier. If you selected that Antec 300 Illusion case you will be impressed. It looks much nicer in person than in the pictures and is of quality contruction.

Post back if you have any issues and always remember if anything appears broken or not functioning properly upon receipt it is a painless process to exhange within the first 30 days at Newegg. You can always use the warranty from each manufacturer but it wont be as simple or quick a process as getting an exchange from Newegg. Those are all quality parts so it's highly unlikely you will have such an issue, but anything manufactured can have problems from the factory.

liljdoodoo,

Just checking to ensure you got your system together without difficulty and are satisfied with its performance. Let me know how it went and how happy you are with it. Likewise if you have any issues or problems contact me to see if I can assist.