Building a PC.....need some serious help.

Post by **turbolegs** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:41 pm

Hi guys,

Im looking to build my own PC, more as a project than for anything in particular. It doesn't need to be anything fancy as I have a nice laptop which can handle most things i throw at it.

I would like to be able to play some games on it, nothing more intense than Far Cry though. I was thinking about a cheap graphics card (any suggestions?), integrated sound, basic case with a dvd-rom drive, no need for a burner. I just wanted some rough help with choosing components and price guidline for what i should be expecting to pay. Oh yeah, and i would like to have the option to upgrade in the future if i need to.

Any help would be appreciated!

Post by **philipofmacedon** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:24 pm

I'd check out http://www.techreport.com/ for some starting ideas. Go to the systems section and click on the latest system guide for their recommendations on parts and configurations.

It all really comes down to how much money you are willing to spend and your needs.

Post by **turbolegs** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:53 pm

Thanks for the link, the article on thier was really interesting, it seems i picked a good time to start building.

I also got thinking about maybe upgrading my old desktop PC. However it needs a bit of an overhaul and im unsure as to how i would go about seeing what components on the market now would be suitable for things like my old motherboard.

At the moment it only has 256MB of RAM, an AMD Athlon 1.6GHz processor and a Geforce 2 MX400. Do you guys think it would be cheaper to upgrade than to build a new system?

Post by **fox099** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:06 pm

look at frys or newegg for a board and chip deal. the boards are cheap, but unless you are hadcore, i say take what you can. i built a system for less than 200 with the specs. the graphics was 100 (half the cost!), but i think it is cheaper now:

System
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Manufacturer ECS-USA
Model GeForce6100PM-M2
Total amount of system memory 2.00 GB RAM
System type 64-bit operating system
Number of processor cores 2

Storage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total size of hard disk(s) 149 GB
Disk partition (C:) 90 GB Free (149 GB Total)
Media drive (D:) CD/DVD

Graphics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Display adapter type ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series
Total available graphics memory 1279 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 512 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 767 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.512.0.0
Primary monitor resolution 1280x1024
DirectX version DirectX 10

Network
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Network Adapter NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller
Network Adapter Microsoft Tun Miniport Adapter

Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:09 pm

A couple more useful links:
http://www.tomshardware.com
http://www.newegg.com

For what you described I bet you could spend a couple hundred dollars and be fine. Check out Tom's Hardware's guide on video cards, they do a best for the money article every month, however I think even the ones that they list could blow Far Cry out of the water. Just for comparison I have a 9600XT in my old computer and it will run Far Cry just fine, that video card is so old that they don't even make it anymore, so spending $30 or so should get you a 256mb card that should serve your purposes pretty decently.

Post by **turbolegs** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:42 pm

Thanks for all your help! It looks as if $200 is about the price, which is great for me. I thought it was gonna cost an arm and a leg. Now i'm just a little worried about breaking any of the components. I just know im gonna forget to ground myself and break the cpu or something. Any building tips?

Post by **fastbilly1** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:22 pm

I suggest keeping an eye on slickdeals, occasionally worthwhile setups pop up on there for fairly cheap.

Post by **HoboJoe** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:26 pm

I have never grounded myself when working on computers....as long as you weren't rubbing your socks up against your carpet about 3 seconds ago, there's really no need to be concerned. When i was first taught about building computers I wasn't even taught about grounding myself (that was when I was like 8 or 9 or something). Just make sure the computer is unplugged or if it's on a power strip make sure the strip is turned off, then just hold the power button for 10-20 seconds and that drains any remaining power.

Post by **Niode** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:24 am

Don't listen to HoboJoe.

If you aren't going to bother grounding yourself then the least thing you can do is switch off your power supply (while keeping it plugged into the wall) and keep a hand on the metal case at all times when touching components in your case (it's easy to do, just keep your pinky on the case and it gives you enough mobility to fiddle with things)

Unplugging the cable is the worst thing you can do as the computer is not grounded at all.

Do you Americans have a separate ground on your plugs? I don't know i've never been to America. Not sure if this applies. If you don't have grounding plugs then you should just work on your computer while touching a radiator or something else that is metal and grounded.

Or you could just risk it and then come complain on here that the stuff you bought doesn't work because you fried it through ESD.

Post by **HoboJoe** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:35 am

Yes our comp plugs do have ground wires. And if you feel like wasting your time grounding yourself, be my guest, but it's pointless unless you know your charged.