Any computer experts?

[E-Tx Surveyor]

I'm am completely naive when it comes to anything more than performing media tasks on a computer, I'm hoping maybe a few of you have more expertise in this area.

I'm interested in getting back into World Of Warcraft to play with some friends and co-workers. The computer I have now won't run it, plus this laptop belongs to my wife and she doesn't want my WoW time cutting into her FB time:rolleyes:.

I'm interested in building my own machine because I hear it can be done relatively easier and far cheaper with better specs compared to a store bought system.

I jumped on Newegg and went to looking at things like video cards, motherboards, and processors. The problem is, it all might as well be written in Mandorin Chinese.

Does anyone have a link to a guide that can explain some basics to me, or another forum with a newbie section so I can start reading up?

Thanks so much.

[acarr]

http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,2843,2279634,00.asp

This site has everything.

[dunng]

You should check out Maximum PC, they usually have an issue where they build a few different machines... :tu

[waffle]

lol, well the question becomes... strictly WoW or other things, budget minded or balls out amazing... gimmie some of that info and we'll guide you along... also if you can give us a price range, that would help... you could also check out tom's hardware, the do a write about high end, midrange, and budget builds about ever 2 months... those have some good jumping off points... feel free to pm or leave msgs in here and I'll see what I can do to help.

[Mugen910]

Tom's hardware :tu
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[E-Tx Surveyor]

I'll be on a budget for sure. I would like to keep it under $1,000. I will probably start collecting parts in a month or two and it will probably take me that long to purchase everything I need.

It will be primarily for WoW, I don't need it set up for high end raiding, just casual gameplay and PvP arenas for end game. Of course standard internet usage thrown in.

One thing I'm interested in doing is being able to use my TV (52" Sony Bravia) as a monitor on certain occasions.

Any help would be appreciated, I have Tom's open in another tab as a I type this.

[icehog3]

Tom's hardware :tu


Aw shucks.....thanks Bao. :)

[colinb913]

Donot skimp on your video card. Thats what I did and was pissed when I had to buy a new one.
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[JE3146]

Most important component in the entire system is the power supply. Do not skimp on the power supply. And don't assume one that comes with a case is a decent one either.

Take that from a person who has assembled many many many computers.

My brand of choice is Corsair. A 450W should do you fine depending on your graphics card.

[Chingas]

All good info so far. Just as Jordan has, ive built almost every computer I've owned and built for many family and friends. You need any specifics, let us know. Building a computer the first time can be very daunting at first but is actualy quite easy once you understand what plays well with each other.

Take it in steps. Make a parts list. Then by the stuff. Then we can give you guidence toward the actual build.

It's very easy to get caught up in the "this model is only $35 more and has 250 more GB of onboard memory" syndrome. Understand what your getting your parts for and select thru lab tests on te sites mentioned to get the appropriate models for your needs.

Sorry for blabbing on and on. I'll stop now.

[ridenlive]

I'll be on a budget for sure. I would like to keep it under $1,000.
Thats relatively an easy price goal to keep under. I wish allot of my clients when i was building computers would have given me that range, but you should be able to build a pretty cool system for that much. I would check around pricewatch.com for prices on hardware and even software.

[kgoings]

Building computers is fun!

[wayner123]

Check out this site for building gaming computers at different amounts of $$.

http://www.hardware-revolution.com/budget-gaming-pc/

I used a good deal of components of the $400 system and my PC screams!

As far as where to begin, you can look up tutorial videos on youtube. There are bunch of different vids that can show you exact steps to take and tips. Just do searches for things like:

install a motherboard
install a power supply (or PSU)
build computer tutorial

[markem]

I'm interested in getting back into World Of Warcraft to play with some friends and co-workers. The computer I have now won't run it, plus this laptop belongs to my wife and she doesn't want my WoW time cutting into her FB time:rolleyes:.

As an aside, a friend is part of the closed beta testing for the new version of WoW. One test character is a werewolf who wears a top hat :r

[E-Tx Surveyor]

I found several websites that have outlines different machines for different price ranges. Everyone here has been a huge help.

I've started price shopping already, hoping to pick up a few things on special so I'm going to try and maintain patience ;)

I think I will go with a $750 system so I have some play room for a monitor. I would still really like to be able to play on my big screen TV but it seems I would need a very high end video card.

[Chingas]

I would still really like to be able to play on my big screen TV but it seems I would need a very high end video card.

Not necessarily. Adapters brother. Of course the resolution will be scales down to the tv. But most tv's have an analog connected for PC's. VGA. They are by standard, blue.

If not, some have DVI connectors, white. And almost all tv's these days have HDMI ports. You can adapt to your video card or look for one that has a native connector as your tv and use it as an extended display.

Unfortunately, you won't be getting the 1600 x 1200 on your tv if your tv is only 1080. It may even get scaled to 600 x 480 but it can be done none the less.

Don't forget to comp your prices. Ive bought a majority of all my parts from Newegg and ZipZoomFly.

Good luck brother.

[XTRazzer]

Frys, Micro Center, MWave, NewEgg, and ZipZoomFly are all good vendors.

As already stated don't skimp on the power supply. Although I would go with a minimum of 650w because of today's graphics cards.

Case is important too. Better quality cases have better cooling flow and there aren't sharp edges on the steel inside. Bigger fans can be run slower and therefore quieter. Cases usually incur higher shipping charges, so buy locally when on sale.

You might save some money going with AMD over Intel for the processor. For motherboards I prefer ASUS and Gigabyte because they seem to be the most reliable. As far as motherboard features, having an onboard graphics is nice should you ever have concerns about the video card. Otherwise the onboard graphics is disabled when using the video card.

I recommend that most people buy the motherboard with the CPU installed and bench tested (MWave does this and I'm told Micro Center can do this). This avoids the potential for damage when the processor is set or having a motherboard that's dead-on-arrival.

Picking the components is the hardest part. The rest is pretty much reading instructions and assembling.

[RGD.]

. . . I hear it can be done relatively easier and far cheaper with better specs compared to a store bought system.
. . .

Better specs, Yes. Far cheaper, No.


. . . I think I will go with a $750 system . . . a very high end video card.

Some video cards alone can run that much - :D

. . .
Don't forget to comp your prices. Ive bought a majority of all my parts from Newegg and ZipZoomFly.

Good luck brother.

:tu


. . . As already stated don't skimp on the power supply. Although I would go with a minimum of 650w because of today's graphics cards.

Case is important too. Better quality cases have better cooling flow and there aren't sharp edges on the steel inside. Bigger fans can be run slower and therefore quieter. Cases usually incur higher shipping charges, so buy locally when on sale.

I actually found my last case on Buy.com, saved a few hundred and got free shipping. Keep them in mind after you select your parts for price checking.


. . . . Picking the components is the hardest part. The rest is pretty much reading instructions and assembling.

Once you select your motherboard - see what they recommend for the memory chips and go with it. Don't just select any ole memory based on price, etc.

Good luck with it and let us know what you end up with!


Ron

[JE3146]

I'll also put in my recommendation to pick up a 3$ static strap for piece of mind. Odds are you won't zap something, but it's just always been easier for me to wear an ESD strap. Personally I just wear ones that slip over my shoe rather than the wrist ones, but I get those from work.

[ucubed]

The easiest things is to buy a barebones kit which pretty much gives you everything or almost everything and you can then put it together yourself. You can try tigerdirect.com or geeks.com. Otherwise need to start with the motherboard get the correct processing chip and to see if it's an AGP or PCI slot the rest of your peripherals, then ram, then hard drive, video card, sound card, ethernet card/wireless card, cooling/fans, power supply/case (make sure the power supply is enough for everything).

[JE3146]

The easiest things is to buy a barebones kit which pretty much gives you everything or almost everything and you can then put it together yourself. You can try tigerdirect.com or geeks.com. Otherwise need to start with the motherboard get the correct processing chip and to see if it's an AGP or PCI slot the rest of your peripherals, then ram, then hard drive, video card, sound card, ethernet card/wireless card, cooling/fans, power supply/case (make sure the power supply is enough for everything).

Barebones kits often suck :D

And building a comp nowadays is trivial. Just match part for port. Half of them are even color coded now.

[XTRazzer]

.....
Once you select your motherboard - see what they recommend for the memory chips and go with it. Don't just select any ole memory based on price, etc.
...


Very good point. And a good double check is to browse forums like Anandtech or Tom's Hardware to see what other people are using.

On a related note, unless you keep current on the computer market, expect to take a month or so doing research to select parts.

[mosesbotbol]

There's not much to gain by building your own PC in this day and age. Hardware sells for a slim margain, so customizing an online PC or at your local super store will be darn close to you doing it by yourself.

5-10 years, my answer would be much difference.

If you do decide to build your own. Start off with a good case the opens/closes easy.

[bsmokin]

There's not much to gain by building your own PC in this day and age. Hardware sells for a slim margain, so customizing an online PC or at your local super store will be darn close to you doing it by yourself.

5-10 years, my answer would be much difference.

If you do decide to build your own. Start off with a good case the opens/closes easy.

I have built several PCs in the past and I would agree with this statement. You can buy a good, manufactured computer for so cheap now, building your own really doesn't pay anymore... :2

[nofeardiver]

sometime you can get a package deal with motherboard, processor, memory, and such, all you would have to do is buy your case... I have to agree with earlier post, dont skip on the power supply or the video card... They other this is if you can go with say a 10,000 rpm drive compared to 7,200, that will make a difference too... The only other thing i would say is more memory, i would say get 4 GB over say 1 GB, will make a huge difference, especially if you are going to run windows 7.... Just my 2 cents... Good luck

[JE3146]

I have built several PCs in the past and I would agree with this statement. You can buy a good, manufactured computer for so cheap now, building your own really doesn't pay anymore... :2

You're gaining quality components that you hand pick and a clean OS installation that's free of bloatware.

There could be 5 other reasons, but those 2 alone make it worth building a computer every time to me.

[mosesbotbol]

The only other thing i would say is more memory, i would say get 4 GB over say 1 GB, will make a huge difference, especially if you are going to run windows 7.... Just my 2 cents... Good luck

If going to Win7 and building a new PC. I'd put at least 15 GB of RAM. Why not, RAM is cheap? The OS can support it and if a few years will be closer to the norm. You have buy any laptop/desktop with a lifecycle in mind and think "how useful will this PC be in 4-5 years time". Having the RAM now will make it a better PC for a longer time.

You're right about a good power supply too. I would also recommend round cables instead of the ribbon ones for better cooling.

[JE3146]

4x4GB is somewhere in the neighborhood of 600$ for decent stuff. Far cry from 'cheap'

[XTRazzer]

You're gaining quality components that you hand pick and a clean OS installation that's free of bloatware....

Exactly the same reasons I build my desktops. With the added bonus that I go with a bigger than required power supply to permit future upgrades.

Many manufacturers put the minimum power supply required to run the computer when it leaves the factory. So, when you want a new video card in two years you'll also be buying a new power supply. If you really hit bad luck you'll also be buying adapters for the proprietary motherboard connectors.

I bought an HP laptop a few years back and spent at least 12 hours removing the factory-installed junk that I didn't want. Using this example with a rate of $20/hour for my time, that gives me an extra $240 to justify building a desktop.

[mosesbotbol]

I bought an HP laptop a few years back and spent at least 12 hours removing the factory-installed junk that I didn't want. Using this example with a rate of $20/hour for my time, that gives me an extra $240 to justify building a desktop.

If you want to "know" your PC, you should format it and install all the drivers from scratch whether it is home built or a big name. It can be involved as manufacturers are not keen on supplying OS on disk. As long as the cab files are there, you should be able reinstall the OS via WinPE.

[mosesbotbol]

4x4GB is somewhere in the neighborhood of 600$ for decent stuff. Far cry from 'cheap'

That's $38 a GB; sounds cheap to me.

[JE3146]

So if you're gonna format it the day you get it anyway... What's the point of even buying a big brand pc?

[JE3146]

That's $38 a GB; sounds cheap to me.

His target budget was what 750-1000?

common sense here folks...

[mosesbotbol]

So if you're gonna format it the day you get it anyway... What's the point of even buying a big brand pc?

It's assembled, you know the drivers will work, has warantee, and is easy to get.

[JaKaacH]

There's not much to gain by building your own PC in this day and age. Hardware sells for a slim margain, so customizing an online PC or at your local super store will be darn close to you doing it by yourself.

5-10 years, my answer would be much difference.

If you do decide to build your own. Start off with a good case the opens/closes easy.

I have built several PCs in the past and I would agree with this statement. You can buy a good, manufactured computer for so cheap now, building your own really doesn't pay anymore... :2

:tpd::tu
Just buy one that meets your needs and go!

[JE3146]

It's assembled, you know the drivers will work, has warantee, and is easy to get.

Most components (as long as you stay retail and not OEM) have a better warranty than most prefab warranties. Also I can have parts to my doorstep in 3 days. My last work Dell order took 5 weeks.

And easy to get isn't really an argument when I can fill a shopping cart with parts and have it delivered just as easy as a custom pc order from dell or HP. in store easy? I question why anyone would buy a computer in store where you have absolutely no ability to customize...

[dunng]

Dell FastShips are great for business desktops or laptops... For a gaming rig, I would build it but be ready to troubleshoot issues! As noted before, go big on the PS, RAM, and video card... :tu

[XTRazzer]

If you want to "know" your PC, you should format it and install all the drivers from scratch whether it is home built or a big name. It can be involved as manufacturers are not keen on supplying OS on disk. As long as the cab files are there, you should be able reinstall the OS via WinPE.

I'm not familiar with WinPE but will look into the idea. Some reasons I went the hard route were the lack of an O/S disc and that I bought an extended warranty. I know the pros/cons to extended warranties on laptops but in this case the price of the computer and warranty package worked out right.

[XTRazzer]

On an idea to related to the original poster's questions, what are people doing about "burning in" systems?

If memory serves right I used Prime95 on my last build.

[mosesbotbol]

I'm not familiar with WinPE but will look into the idea. Some reasons I went the hard route were the lack of an O/S disc and that I bought an extended warranty. I know the pros/cons to extended warranties on laptops but in this case the price of the computer and warranty package worked out right.

WinPE is a free tool from Microsoft that allow an OS to be loaded on the PC from a CD or thumb drive.

It is the industry standard for booting off of CD's and is a great tool for virus repair or manipulating files that would normally be locked or in use. It can edit the registry without the registry being loaded.

In general, I think the extended warranty is worth it, especially on laptops. One trick for desktop is to tape the warranty, disks, and all the manuals to the inside cover of the case; you'll never go hunting for them.

[mosesbotbol]

I question why anyone would buy a computer in store where you have absolutely no ability to customize...

Show me one Dell, Lenovo, HP that has absolutely no customization available upon ordering.

[JE3146]

Show me one Dell, Lenovo, HP that has absolutely no customization available upon ordering.

Reread that one ;) And please quote all of my post if you're going to quote it.

keywords "in store". IE @ Best Buy. There is no ability to customize an HP @ Best Buy... in store.

I did not say it was that way online, in fact just the opposite one line above.

[JaKaacH]

I found several websites that have outlines different machines for different price ranges. Everyone here has been a huge help.

I've started price shopping already, hoping to pick up a few things on special so I'm going to try and maintain patience ;)

I think I will go with a $750 system so I have some play room for a monitor. I would still really like to be able to play on my big screen TV but it seems I would need a very high end video card.

How far are you from the Micro Center store in Richardson, TX?
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/richardson.html
Micro Center stores are the best. IMO