Navian
02-17-2006, 09:53 PM
I snagged this from a friend. (yes got his permission)
I trust his advice, he knows what he is doing, and has been doing it for years.
Thought I'd share, so here it is:
Parts
---
CASE:
Antec P180 Case $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154
That is an awesome case, actual steel, very roomy, and three 120mm fans. That means it'll be whisper quiet. Three 120mm fans is far, far better than six 80mm fans for both total air flow and for reducing the noise level, which should be about one fifth of what the 80mms will generate.
---
POWER SUPPLY:
Enermax Liberty 500W Power Supply $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194003
Enermax is a good budget power supply vendor. This particular model uses another 120mm fan for power exhaust, which again means it'll move a lot of air with almost no sound.
---
MOTHERBOARD:
Asus A8N32E Mainboard $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530
It's not a SLI rig. SLI is pretty expensive. It is probably the best non-SLI board you can get. Excellent overclocking features, onboard sound, networking, onboard RAID (4x sata) 4 memory slots for up to 4GB, plenty of PCI and PCI-E slots (1x 1x 4x 16x), good warranty, and good price.
---
CPU:
AMD Athlon X2 3800+ CPU (Dual Core 2GHz) $300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562
It'll still kick the crap out of any of Intel's fastest models, even if it is the slowest AMD dual core processor. The 4400+ and 4800+ have double the cache memory of this model, so if you are looking to one-up the CPU to a better model, the 4400+ is the one to get. It can easily be overclocked, particularly with that much cooling and that particular motherboard.
---
RAM:
Corsair 1GB (2x 512MB) DDR400 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
It's a good brand with lifetime warranty. One could always change this up for a 2GB set (2 x 1GB) for an extra $75. It should have enough legs for modest overclocking (~20%).
---
GRAPHICS CARD:
XFX Geforce 6600GT 128MB GPU $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150098
It isn't the fastest thing on the market, but it's got dual-DVI output on a budget and it'll perform pretty well in most graphical games and software. Certainly it can run any games out there right now quite well, though not on their best settings. You'd need a 6800 or better for that, and that's triple the price of this unit. These XFX models aren't bad, we've been using them in our dual-monitor workstations and they get the job done.
---
HARD DRIVE:
Seagate 250GB 7200RPM SATA HDD $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148065
Snappy, five year warranty, plenty of space. If you wanted to bump this up, you'd use Western Digital Raptors (the 36GB/72GB/150GB models) in RAID0 (trust me, I've got 4x 36GB in my home system and it screams). You could also go for the 300GB, 400GB, or 500GB Seagate models if you need more big drives.
====
That comes to $905 in total. It's a good deal for that much computing power and it's got plenty of room for future upgrades.
More Advice:
If you're thinking, why not change this motherboard in for a $80 model, or change that power supply for a thermaltake that's $30 cheaper and 50W more powerful, I'd like you to think again. I've built... hell, at least 1000 PCs by now with my own hands, and troubleshot many more than that. I read trade reviews (mostly the online kind) as part of my job, so I have a better idea than most people what brands are reliable and what brands are out to rip you off. Heck, just read the newegg reviews. Among the mass of newbies there are usually several good posts on any given item. It's not really hard to spot the crap products, all you need to do is look for crappy warranties, bad reviews in trade articles, or pissed off users.
Everything in that list above has a 5 year warranty or a lifetime warranty, and none of those companies (or Newegg) will give you the slightest hassle returning something if it fails. That computer also comes with peace of mind.
Feel free to fiddle with whatever parts you like, but please make sure of four things. There are four components that are far more important than any others when it comes to system stability and avoiding BSODs.
1. Power Supply - The best are by PC Power and Cooling (TurboCool), and Seasonic. The best budget models after that are Enermax and Antec, in that order. You take a big risk buying a power supply that is not from those vendors. This is not the place to skimp on cash.
2. Cooling. Most computer problems are due to excess heat. Make damn sure your case has plenty of cooling. Make sure your CPU has good thermal compunds and an excellent heatsink, preferably copper. The larger the fans, the quieter they are, so if you're looking for a quiet system, you want 120mm fans and lots of them, all running at slow speeds. Also, make damn sure there is a fan blowing directly on your hard disks. Heat is the number one enemy of disk longevity.
3. Motherboard - Perhaps not as critical as it used to be, but a bad chipset or buggy BIOS can still wreck your entire computing experience. Tyan and ASUS are by far the best mobo makers on the market, with all others a distant third. Gigabyte, Abit, Microstar, and Supermicro are also decent, but still have hit and miss problems from time to time. Be vary wary of any that aren't in that list. You could get a winner, or a board that bluescreens your OS twice a day.
4. Memory - Also not as critical as it once was, but a bad vendor can still wreck your day. Try to stick with Kingston and Corsair if possible. If you're planning to overclock, get some heat spreaders to cool your memory down, get a fan blowing on or near them, and buy memory that is a touch faster than what you really need (PC3800, for example, when you only need PC3200).
Stick with that and whatever you end up with won't cause you too much grief. Oh, and stay the hell away from Maxtor hard drives, no matter how good the price looks, unless you don't give a damn about the data you plan to put on them.
Optional changes:
OPTIONAL PARTS
CPU Fan $32
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118118
The stock CPU fan should get the job done, but if one wanted to change that up for a better model, the best replacement is the Zalman cooler.
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007
And if you're planning on overclocknig, you really need some Artic Silver to replace that crappy regular thermal paste that ships with most processors these days. It'll drop the temp by 5-15'C depending on your configuration.
Plextor DVD/CD Drives
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131354 - $70 no Dual layer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131352 - $150 with Dual Layer (and slot loading)
If you need a CDR/DVDR, there is only one brand to get, and that's Plextor. The model depends on if you want dual-layer DVD burning support or not.
--- EXCESSIVE
If you want to make this into a killer system, just make the following changes.
Upgrade the motherboard to an ASUS A8N32-SLI Premium $225
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568
Upgrade the CPU to an AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 for $1025 (ouch)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103608
Or maybe do what I did and just go with a 4400+ at $469 and overclock the hell out of it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103546
Pop in an eVGA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB for $490
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130237
You could also wait for the 7800 GTX 512MB to start shipping soon. Newegg hasn't got it listed yet. It's a killer card. With that mobo upgrade, buy one now, and one on a few months when the price drops to double your power.
You should also bump up the memory to the 2GB option for an extra $75.
Other Advice:
Oh, and if you've never built your own before, frankly, it's not that difficult. If you can assemble a PC chair, or a piece of modular furniture, you can certainly assemble the computer. The hard part is picking good parts, and I've given you all the pointers you need to do that.
If you need more help building a PC, there is a how-to video I have seen that isn't bad at all. It's from Tech TV, called "How to Build your own PC". They walk you through it very well.
I trust his advice, he knows what he is doing, and has been doing it for years.
Thought I'd share, so here it is:
Parts
---
CASE:
Antec P180 Case $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154
That is an awesome case, actual steel, very roomy, and three 120mm fans. That means it'll be whisper quiet. Three 120mm fans is far, far better than six 80mm fans for both total air flow and for reducing the noise level, which should be about one fifth of what the 80mms will generate.
---
POWER SUPPLY:
Enermax Liberty 500W Power Supply $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194003
Enermax is a good budget power supply vendor. This particular model uses another 120mm fan for power exhaust, which again means it'll move a lot of air with almost no sound.
---
MOTHERBOARD:
Asus A8N32E Mainboard $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530
It's not a SLI rig. SLI is pretty expensive. It is probably the best non-SLI board you can get. Excellent overclocking features, onboard sound, networking, onboard RAID (4x sata) 4 memory slots for up to 4GB, plenty of PCI and PCI-E slots (1x 1x 4x 16x), good warranty, and good price.
---
CPU:
AMD Athlon X2 3800+ CPU (Dual Core 2GHz) $300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562
It'll still kick the crap out of any of Intel's fastest models, even if it is the slowest AMD dual core processor. The 4400+ and 4800+ have double the cache memory of this model, so if you are looking to one-up the CPU to a better model, the 4400+ is the one to get. It can easily be overclocked, particularly with that much cooling and that particular motherboard.
---
RAM:
Corsair 1GB (2x 512MB) DDR400 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
It's a good brand with lifetime warranty. One could always change this up for a 2GB set (2 x 1GB) for an extra $75. It should have enough legs for modest overclocking (~20%).
---
GRAPHICS CARD:
XFX Geforce 6600GT 128MB GPU $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150098
It isn't the fastest thing on the market, but it's got dual-DVI output on a budget and it'll perform pretty well in most graphical games and software. Certainly it can run any games out there right now quite well, though not on their best settings. You'd need a 6800 or better for that, and that's triple the price of this unit. These XFX models aren't bad, we've been using them in our dual-monitor workstations and they get the job done.
---
HARD DRIVE:
Seagate 250GB 7200RPM SATA HDD $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148065
Snappy, five year warranty, plenty of space. If you wanted to bump this up, you'd use Western Digital Raptors (the 36GB/72GB/150GB models) in RAID0 (trust me, I've got 4x 36GB in my home system and it screams). You could also go for the 300GB, 400GB, or 500GB Seagate models if you need more big drives.
====
That comes to $905 in total. It's a good deal for that much computing power and it's got plenty of room for future upgrades.
More Advice:
If you're thinking, why not change this motherboard in for a $80 model, or change that power supply for a thermaltake that's $30 cheaper and 50W more powerful, I'd like you to think again. I've built... hell, at least 1000 PCs by now with my own hands, and troubleshot many more than that. I read trade reviews (mostly the online kind) as part of my job, so I have a better idea than most people what brands are reliable and what brands are out to rip you off. Heck, just read the newegg reviews. Among the mass of newbies there are usually several good posts on any given item. It's not really hard to spot the crap products, all you need to do is look for crappy warranties, bad reviews in trade articles, or pissed off users.
Everything in that list above has a 5 year warranty or a lifetime warranty, and none of those companies (or Newegg) will give you the slightest hassle returning something if it fails. That computer also comes with peace of mind.
Feel free to fiddle with whatever parts you like, but please make sure of four things. There are four components that are far more important than any others when it comes to system stability and avoiding BSODs.
1. Power Supply - The best are by PC Power and Cooling (TurboCool), and Seasonic. The best budget models after that are Enermax and Antec, in that order. You take a big risk buying a power supply that is not from those vendors. This is not the place to skimp on cash.
2. Cooling. Most computer problems are due to excess heat. Make damn sure your case has plenty of cooling. Make sure your CPU has good thermal compunds and an excellent heatsink, preferably copper. The larger the fans, the quieter they are, so if you're looking for a quiet system, you want 120mm fans and lots of them, all running at slow speeds. Also, make damn sure there is a fan blowing directly on your hard disks. Heat is the number one enemy of disk longevity.
3. Motherboard - Perhaps not as critical as it used to be, but a bad chipset or buggy BIOS can still wreck your entire computing experience. Tyan and ASUS are by far the best mobo makers on the market, with all others a distant third. Gigabyte, Abit, Microstar, and Supermicro are also decent, but still have hit and miss problems from time to time. Be vary wary of any that aren't in that list. You could get a winner, or a board that bluescreens your OS twice a day.
4. Memory - Also not as critical as it once was, but a bad vendor can still wreck your day. Try to stick with Kingston and Corsair if possible. If you're planning to overclock, get some heat spreaders to cool your memory down, get a fan blowing on or near them, and buy memory that is a touch faster than what you really need (PC3800, for example, when you only need PC3200).
Stick with that and whatever you end up with won't cause you too much grief. Oh, and stay the hell away from Maxtor hard drives, no matter how good the price looks, unless you don't give a damn about the data you plan to put on them.
Optional changes:
OPTIONAL PARTS
CPU Fan $32
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118118
The stock CPU fan should get the job done, but if one wanted to change that up for a better model, the best replacement is the Zalman cooler.
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007
And if you're planning on overclocknig, you really need some Artic Silver to replace that crappy regular thermal paste that ships with most processors these days. It'll drop the temp by 5-15'C depending on your configuration.
Plextor DVD/CD Drives
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131354 - $70 no Dual layer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131352 - $150 with Dual Layer (and slot loading)
If you need a CDR/DVDR, there is only one brand to get, and that's Plextor. The model depends on if you want dual-layer DVD burning support or not.
--- EXCESSIVE
If you want to make this into a killer system, just make the following changes.
Upgrade the motherboard to an ASUS A8N32-SLI Premium $225
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568
Upgrade the CPU to an AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 for $1025 (ouch)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103608
Or maybe do what I did and just go with a 4400+ at $469 and overclock the hell out of it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103546
Pop in an eVGA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB for $490
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130237
You could also wait for the 7800 GTX 512MB to start shipping soon. Newegg hasn't got it listed yet. It's a killer card. With that mobo upgrade, buy one now, and one on a few months when the price drops to double your power.
You should also bump up the memory to the 2GB option for an extra $75.
Other Advice:
Oh, and if you've never built your own before, frankly, it's not that difficult. If you can assemble a PC chair, or a piece of modular furniture, you can certainly assemble the computer. The hard part is picking good parts, and I've given you all the pointers you need to do that.
If you need more help building a PC, there is a how-to video I have seen that isn't bad at all. It's from Tech TV, called "How to Build your own PC". They walk you through it very well.