I built a desktop!

ceiling_fan

ceiling_fan

8,707
United States
Utah
ceiling_fan
I'm thinking of building a desktop PC... but I have no idea of where to begin. Basically I would like something good for processor-intensive tasks (like 3D modeling) and gaming. It doesn't have to be super high end though. I figure I'll have a Vista partition as well as an XP SP3 partition. I already have a monitor, but no keyboard or mouse etc. Budget is ~$1800 US. I also have an external sound card, if that matters.
 
Before Cody:

tomshardware.com

or

newegg.com

Good luck! :) You can build a hell of a computer for 2 grand.
 
Don't buy a 8800GTS. A 8800GT is faster AND cheaper.

The faster your graphics card is, the faster you can render 3D images
 
The 8800GT card is the best bang for the buck right now. With your budget I would get this processor.
http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA1938460
Make sure you get the Go stepping version. It can take higher temps than the other Q6600. As for the motherboard, I have a Ga P35C-DS3R. Works great for me. I know many others that like the Abit IP35 pro. I would get either the Abit or the Ga P35-DS3R. Also, to cool the Quad get the Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Heatsink. Its the best you can get for air cooling.
For ram I would get this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565
And for the PSU I would get a Corsair unit like this.
http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA6200026
Putting together your own computer isn't very hard. I'll never buy a prebuilt one ever again. Good luck.
 
These are the various parts I need, right?

Processor
Memory --2 GB minimum
Motherboard
Hard Drive
Optical Drive --would like two of these
Video Card
Audio Card -- I have this, bought on the Trading Post from menomena. :)
Operating System -- Vista and XP
Mouse
Keyboard
Casing
Cooling
Power Supply

Any glaring omissions? :dunce:

I will fill out this list as I find parts to put in.
 
As far as I'm concerned, I think the biggest decisions are going to be over the processor and the video card, maybe the operating system as well. It really all depends on what you want I suppose (in terms of power, flexibility, etc), but I'm more of a value-oriented guy who likes to buy his computers so they last a long, long time with minimal upgrades.

The whole AMD vs Intel thing is a bit silly, so thats pretty much up in the air. I went with the AMD 64 X2 6000+ in mine, seems to have enough juice to power me through the next four years or so, and that has been paired up with a nVidia 8500GT for some fairly basic DX10 support in Vista Home Premium. I think the Vista/DX10 support is tough to ignore, particularly if you are planning on gaming in the future, so make sure you're getting enough BHP to run things properly. Updates are always easy to make, but I'd rather invest now than spend later.
 
Get a Core 2 Duo + a 8800GT/GTS for the video card. For motherboards, ASUS and Gigabyte are the brands I'd choose, their P35 offerings are pretty good.
 
YSSMAN
The whole AMD vs Intel thing is a bit silly, so thats pretty much up in the air. I went with the AMD 64 X2 6000+ in mine, seems to have enough juice to power me through the next four years or so, and that has been paired up with a nVidia 8500GT for some fairly basic DX10 support in Vista Home Premium.
Click to expand...
I was looking at the 6000+, being cheaper than most of the faster Core 2 Duo's. But AMD have turned to the old Intel tactic of simply ramping up clock speeds with their Athlon X2s lately. Basically, the 6000+ just uses too much power and runs too hot, whereas a Core 2 E6550 or E6750 for a little more uses much less power, runs cooler and overclocks like a champ.

ceiling_fan
Yeah. I'm going to fill in Vista and XP for OS choice.
Click to expand...
Why Vista and XP? Isn't one or the other enough?

Anyway, on the video card front, if you want great value for money the ATI HD38xx cards are awesome (apparently). The HD3870 is slightly less powerful than the 8800GT, but it and the 3850 are the only DX10.1/PCIe2.0 cards on the market at the moment, and they're also less expensive than the 8800's. I just bought a HD3850 myself, but it hasn't arrived yet.

And don't even bother with SLi/Crossfire. Unless you're going to shell out for two video cards now, it's pointless. By the the time you realise you need a second video card to beef up your performance, you'll be better off just buying a whole card.
 
I like how you have to contemplate whether or not to use Microsoft’s latest OS or their 6 year old OS. Only Microsoft could present that dilemma.

I currently have the same dilemma, actually…
 
Well, being relatively unfamiliar with Windows, I have heard that XP (for the moment at least) does most things faster and easier and has much, much higher compatibility. On the other hand Vista has DirectX 10, which is apparently very good for gaming and such.

And plus, Jordan does it too. :P
 
ceiling_fan
Well, being relatively unfamiliar with Windows, I have heard that XP (for the moment at least) does most things faster and easier and has much, much higher compatibility. On the other hand Vista has DirectX 10, which is apparently very good for gaming and such.

And plus, Jordan does it too. :P
Click to expand...

But the performance deficit it games makes games even slower. DX10+slower already = really slow
 
^Not sure that PSU can handle a good video card like a 8800GT for instance. It requires at least a 500W power supply.
 
Shannon
I was looking at the 6000+, being cheaper than most of the faster Core 2 Duo's. But AMD have turned to the old Intel tactic of simply ramping up clock speeds with their Athlon X2s lately. Basically, the 6000+ just uses too much power and runs too hot, whereas a Core 2 E6550 or E6750 for a little more uses much less power, runs cooler and overclocks like a champ.


Why Vista and XP? Isn't one or the other enough?

Anyway, on the video card front, if you want great value for money the ATI HD38xx cards are awesome (apparently). The HD3870 is slightly less powerful than the 8800GT, but it and the 3850 are the only DX10.1/PCIe2.0 cards on the market at the moment, and they're also less expensive than the 8800's. I just bought a HD3850 myself, but it hasn't arrived yet.

And don't even bother with SLi/Crossfire. Unless you're going to shell out for two video cards now, it's pointless. By the the time you realise you need a second video card to beef up your performance, you'll be better off just buying a whole card.
Click to expand...

Kind of off topic here but holy crap Shannon I haven't seen you online in ages (probably because I don't look in the music forum).

Yeah look out for the new Penryns, they're pretty awesome and also the new 8800GT is currently pretty great value for money, and when the new GTS comes out (if it isn't already) that will be even more powerful.
Just get Vista Home Premium, the DX10 support will be worth it.

And don't use tomshardware, I'm pretty sure they're no good anymore as they got bought out quite a while ago (and the review quality has dropped significantly).
 
No, I haven't forgot about this thread. I've just been a bit low on funds and stuff.

Here's an extremely preliminary list of what I would like. I'm trying to keep this less than $1500 US.

Processor

How would you guys compare similarly priced AMD and Intel processors? Must be at least dual core, do professional programs support Quad core? And 8-core is out of the question price wise.

Memory

I don't know crap about memory, I would assume certain brands and types are better, I require at least 2 gigs.

Motherboard

I know even less about motherboards, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hard Drive

Do I need to buy one? I already have 2x500GB and 2x200GB externals... The 200GB externals are actually internal drives in external enclosures by the way.

Optical Drive

Nothing fancy required here, though I would like 2 with 1 having a Dual-layer DVD burner. Don't need Blu-Ray or nuttin', I gots a PS3.

Video Card

Probably the most important component for me, the previous posts in this thread point towards an 8800GT, are there better options now? I would be doing Photoshop, Maya, and maybe Unreal work on it, as well as gaming. This part has the highest individual budget for parts too.

Audio Card

I have an M-Audio 5.1 card, that should work right?

Operating System

XP SP3
Ubuntu possibly

Mouse

Nothing super fancy needed here

Keyboard

Nothing super fancy needed here, either

Monitor

I have a Dell 2007WFP (20") that works great. I can actually run PS2, PS3 and X360 without changing any cables! :dopey:

Casing

Don't know what exactly I'm looking for here...

Cooling

Will probably decide when I decide what CPU/GPU to get.

Power Supply

opendriver19a said earlier in this thread that the 8800GT requires at least a 500W power supply...

Misc.

If I could get a FireWire 800 port that would be great.
I would really appreciate any help you guys can give.
 
On the processor choice I would go for an Intel right now, because even with AMD being a bit cheaper the C2D and C2Q run much cooler, which allows for a bigger over clock if needed.

As for the optical drive I recommend Pioneer. Not sure what brands are popular in the US but over here it's mostly LG, Sony and Pioneer drives, and Pioneer has a better quality and last longer than the other two.
 

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