Building a new computer

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averyroberson

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Jul 18, 2007
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What does it matter having a better PSU? how do i know which to buy and which will work with my computer? same with a case guys how am i supposed to have any idea what kind to buy since this will be my first built pc.
 
A good PSU matters, because a PSU failure is the one thing that can actually destroy every single component in your PC. It's rare, but it does happen. If price is the single most important concern then don't go with the least expensive you can buy. Look for something in average price range at the very least. Once you make a list of PC components and the amount of money you want to spend we can point you in the right direction. We'll also tell you if you need to spend more.

The case dictate what type of motherboard and power supply you can stick in it. Many cases do come with a PSU already installed, but at best they should be used a paper weight. A m-ATX (m = micro) case can only fit a m-ATX motherboard and in most cases, a m-ATX PSU. Then there's the standard full size case and full size PSU.

Which case is right for depends on personal taste, price and any specific features you are looking for.

You should go to Newegg.com to look for a case that may interest you:

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=7&name=Computer-Cases

Once you put a list of components together people will be able to give you more detail help.
 
It may be difficult for a new builder to know which PSU is good, it takes a lot of reading to tell which are the good manufacturers, but PSU is the single MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT of your system, it is after all the heart and soul of your computer.

I can tell you right off the bat that my favorite PSUs are the Antec NeoHE 500/550, Seasonic S12 550/650, Corsair 520/620, and PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610/750 (750 for SLI setups, a whooping 60A in a single 12V+ rail).

You can also use this list as your guide, an amazing thing to have on your bookmark.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

When choosing a PSU I would strongly advice against choosing anything under Tier 2 from that list (meaning to Tier 3 or down).
 
yeah its for gaming i want it to be able to run Age of Conan when its released in october.

im only gonna have about $400 to spend on building a new computer. i wanna use all the parts i can outta my Dell P4 1.6Ghz geforce fx 5200.

I want something that is easily upgradable and will last awhile. i dont mind only have 1gig of ram whatever is cheapest since its easily upgradable. i already have a geforce 7600 gt pci-express im putting in it(bought it awhile back). i dont mind having not the fastest processor as long as its upgradable later on. i only play wow right now so insane performance isn't a big deal yet until Age of conan comes out.

can i use the cd-rom and harddrive from my dell? like im not sure what all i can use from it, thats another thing i need help with.

heres my current computer layout.

My goal is to get something that will last awhile that i can just keep upgrading over the next couple of years to met my needs.

thanks guys
 
I'll get you started...

Here is a random, inexpensive PC I selected:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154078

11-154-078-15.jpg


This is an Apex TU-377-C Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case selling for $50 + shipping

-It is a mid tower ATX case that will fit an ATX motherboard or the smaller m-ATX motherboard.

-It has a side window 'cause some people like to show off their components and install lights as well. I don't

-Some people like having doors on their PC. Most does swings open left or right. This case has a door that lifts up and is push back on top of the case. See the pictures in the link. I don't like doors.

-You need to buy an ATX PSU.

-Having two front USB ports comes in handy, but they are located at the bottom of the case. This is typical.

-It has many bays for lots of hard drives.

-The case is only 16.5" long so there may or may not be space to install a large video card like the nVidia 8800GTX.

-The rear fan is only 90mm and there is no front intake fan; there are cases that uses the larger 120mm fans. This could lead to higher than desired temps inside the case especially if you install power hungry components like an Athlon X2 6000+ or an Intel quad core Q6600 along with an ATI 2900XT or nVidia 8800GTX (if they can fit). But the case has side vents for the heat to escape.

Those are some of the things you must consider when choosing a case.
 
so can i use my 40gig harddrive lol, and my cd-rom. they both are like 5 years old but they work. and ive never filled up this harddrive so why buy a bigger one yet
 
Okay so $400 for everything except for the hard drive, CD-ROM and I assume you have the keyboard, mouse and floppy drive too.

After some time consuming search, here's my suggestion:

ASUS M2N-X Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 520 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard = $63 + $6 shipping = $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131179

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+(65W) Windsor 2.0GHz = $66 + Free shipping = $66
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103068

COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black = $40 + 16 shipping = $56
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119115

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) = $89 + $5 shipping = $94
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820231098

SAPPHIRE 100199L Radeon X1950GT 256MB = $130 + 6 shipping - $20 mail in rebate = $116
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102034

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN ATX12V 450W Power Supply = $58 + $8 shipping = $64
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817104954


After rebates and including shipping, that works out to $465. If you can scrape up another $65, then this system will give you a significant boost to your current system.

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If $400 is your strict limit for everything including shipping then I would suggest the following which comes with a significant decrease in performance:

HIS Hightech H165Q512N-R Radeon X1650 512MB = $80 + $6 shipping - $15 mail in rebate = $71
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161083

FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP400-60THN ATX2.0 400W Power Supply = $42 + $7 = $49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104032

MSI K9N4 Ultra-F Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 500 Ultra = $57 + $6 shipping = $63
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130063

Okay, swapping out the GPU, PSU and the Mobo will bring down the price to $399

You will probably feel the need to replace the video card sooner rather than later with this lower price configuration. So spending the extra $65 now could mean you can postpone the purchase of a new video card for another year or two. Thus saving you money in the long run. The choice is yours.
 
You know what? I missed the part where you stated that you already have a 7600GT. If you can sell the 7600GT for $65 then you'll hit the $400 mark.

A new 7600GT costs $90 so it is possible to sell it for $65. The X1950GT will put the 7600GT to shame.

You can simply remove the X1950GT from my list and call it a day. That will drop the total build cost down to about $349.

You can use that extra $51 to buy a faster CPU.

 
Man. thanks so much for the help, im actually not gonna be ordering stuff for about 1-2 weeks waiting on a check to come in. and im hearing that the cpu's are gonna be cheaper in like 4 days so that will work out well. i dont have any idea where i could sell teh 7600 GT because its used and still being used atm.
 
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