Building Your Own PC

[Elston]

I have always spent a lot of time on my computer: I use it for practically everything. I don't watch TV (not on a television), I don't have any consoles, I don't have a badass sound system...I do all that stuff on my computer. And recently I was struck with the conviction that I needed to get a new one. A good one. One that doesn't suck, or lag terribly when I boot it up, that lets me play modern games on it.

After scrounging around on the internet it seemed like the best option was to build your own PC. So I spent a few days reading about how the different parts of a computer work and then shopping online for good deals. Needles to say, about a week later I am now typing to you on my first built PC! And I am so glad I decided to do this. Naturally I was very apprehensive because I didn't know anything about the inner workings of a computer. But really, it's not that complicated. The hardest part for me was putting it all together. Appararently that's suppose to be fun? Yeah right, more like hard, tiring, confusing work! The first time at least.

Anyway, the point is is that if anyone is serious about computers (ie uses them daily...that should be most of you) and cares about money & quality you should consider building your next PC (assuming it's a desktop...I don't know anything about laptops.) You save money, get a better system, and now you know how a computer works! (on the surface that is...)

[telefunker]

congrats

a lot of truth in that.. no need for tv with a big widescreen monitor, hd graphics card and broadband connection.. and most stereo systems would fail miserably compared to a decent audio setup like mine.. fuck, no need for a landline phone either if you got voip!

amazingly, i've never actually built my own by hand and i'm 10 years deep in this pc game!

i do get them custom made though (i.e select the components myself and have them assembled by someone else) and i do sometimes add/remove pci cards and the like..

the one i'm on right now i use primarily for music/audio demoing and is nearly 2 (early adulthood in computing terms methinks!) and this is the spec:

motherboard: asus p5k pro
processor: intel core 2 duo: 2 x 3ghz (1333mhz fsb)
ram: 4gb corsair ddr2
hd1: 250gb maxtor
h2: 320gb maxtor
graphics: 512mb ati radeon

and, most importantly..

audio/midi interface: tascam fw-1884
speakers: 2 x wharfedale diamond pro 8.2a
mic: rode nt1000

would be interested to hear the details of your new setup..
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no fat chicks

[Elston]

that's not a bad rig...not at all..I went AMD because I'm cheap ; D

AMD Athlon x2 245 processor, 2.9 Ghz, 2MB Cache (Dual Core 1MB/1MB)
Gigabyte Motherboard
Corsair DDR2 800 Mhz (lol we have the same RAM haha)
GeForce 9600 GT 512 MB, 256-bit memory interface, 800 Mhz Core clock
500 GB HD
DVD Writer
Nice big ATX case
120 mm Cooling Fan
19" Widescreen Monitor (16:10)

First thing I didafter I booted it up & installed windows, was listen to some music. I put on some Lisa Germano and it never sounded so beautiful. I think it comes with a stock Hi-Definition sound card (which probably isn't very good) but is WAY better than my old.

Getting it custom made is def. a good way to go, assuming they don't charge you an arm and a leg. I imagine it beats buying retail.

[albummaster]

If you want a fast computer, the last thing I'd do is put Windows on it (especially not Vista at any rate). The difference in speed between a Mac and Windows PC with the same spec is unbelievable. Windows 7 might be different to Vista, but I'm not brave enough to try that before the first service pack comes out.

I use a MacBook Pro for home and for work, a HP Pavilion. I must admit, I prefer laptops to desktops, great for working in bed but not much you can do to customize them apart from adding memory or disk space.

[Elston]

Macs are generally a waste of money. You can do so much more with a PC, even if it is a little bit slower. I'm running windows XP.

[albummaster]

I've got nothing against Windows (or Microsoft), I program on the Windows platform for a living and spend 50% of my time on each platform. The Mac that I now own is the first I've ever bought.

You can do pretty much the same things on both platforms (but using different applications). There are more games available for PC, but the Mac is pretty hard to beat for creative programs.

Macs are definitely more expensive than a PC equivalent, but personally speaking, I've been pleased with the build quality and don't feel like I've wasted any cash.

Windows XP is probably the best OS Microsoft ever wrote and Windows 7 will probably be what Vista should have been if they had waited a couple of extra years before releasing it.

[RFNAPLES]

At iBUYPOWER Gaming PC - Gaming Computers and Gaming notebooks you can customize a computer to your heart's delight. Just like building your own but without the hassles.

At Costco you can get a prebuilt system from the same people:

iBuypower S915i Gaming Desktop PC
Core i7 920 (2.66GHz)
NVIDIA GTS 250
Windows 7
22x DVD+/-RW
Liquid Cooled Processor
Item # 477693

Rated 5 out of 5
2 of 2 (100%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.

$1,299.99 Shipping & Handling included

Dominate gaming with award-winning iBUYPOWER Gaming PCs. Built in the USA, iBUYPOWER systems have been empowering gamers for over 10 years.

Processor:

Intel Core i7 920 CPU (Maximize your gaming and multitasking!)
CPU Speed: 2.66Ghz
Intel Turbo Mode
CPU Cores: 4
CPU Threads: 8
L3 Cache size: 8MB

Processor Cooling:

Liquid Cooled
120MM Radiator
Entirely Sealed
Zero Maintenance

Memory:

DDR3-1333 (PC3 10666) (Double the memory bandwidth of DDR3)
12GB (2GB x 6) Triple Channel (Run more, with no more slowdowns!)
Triple Channel (Maximum memory bandwidth)
Upgradable up to 24GB

Motherboard:

Intel x58 Chipset
South Bridge: ICH10R
Socket 1366

Graphics:

Nvidia GTS 250
1GB GDDR3 Memory
Nvidia CUDA Technology
Nvidia PhysX Technology

Hard Drive:

Capacity: 1TB
Speed: 7,200 RPM
Interface: SATA II

Optical Drive:

22x DVDRW
Double Layer Support

Network:

10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet Port

Audio:

Realtek High Definition 8 Channels

Keyboard & Mouse:

iBUYPOWER Keyboard (104 Standard Keys and 18 Multimedia Keys)
iBUYPOWER Optical Mouse (Includes Scroll, Forward, Backwards buttons)

Expandability:

4 x 5.25" drive bays (external) (3 available)
1 x 3.5" drive bays (external) (0 available)
7 x 3.5" drive bays (internal for hard drive) (3 available)
3 x PCIe x16 (2 available) (Crossfire Ready, SLI Ready)
2 x PCIe x1 (1 available)
2 x PCI

Ports:

8x USB 2.0 (2x on Front, 6x on rear)
2 x Front Audio Jacks
6x Rear Audio Jacks
1 x Optical S/PDIF Audio
2 x PS/2 (keyboard and mouse)
1 x eSATA 3Gb/s Port
1 x IEEE 1394a (FireWire)
1 x RJ-45 (Ethernet)

Operating System and Software:

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Additional Information:

700-watt power supply
Dimensions: 17.75" H x 20.5" D x 8" W

Warranty and Support:

Hardware Warranty: 2-year limited hardware parts and labor from date of purchase
Email: techsupport@ibuypower.com
Phone Toll Free: 1(888) 618-6040

I am not affiliated with Costco or iBUYPOWER. I am a member/customer of Costco but have not purchased a computer from either source. But it looks good!
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Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by RFNAPLES
Bubbling Under The Top 100 Greatest Mus...y RFNAPLES

[brohio]

Hey Nips... could you repeat that?
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Oh, my hair is getting good in the back!

[maxxy]

If you don't know already, buy everything you need from newegg.com. I got a 100-foot cat 6 ethernet cable for my xbox for 10 bucks and you can get a Biostar 128M ATX AMD Motherboard for about 70, and most graphics cards are easily under 50.

On a related note, I am currently fixing my xbox red ring of death by taking it apart and replacing the thermal compound and x-clamps and all that shit....if anyone's done this already, advice would be good. I do know basically what I'm doing, but any advice would be appreciated.
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"I'm so ugly but that's OK cause so are you"

[Elston]

Don't have an xbox so no advice to give : (.

As for newegg, I've never used it. I use TigerDirect, which has lots of great deals. I might have to check out newegg next time I buy something. I just bought 100 dvds from TigerDirect for $11 Canadian. Not bad.