Help Making First PC

[chrissand1992]

ok so first off i dont want to make this a gaming pc but instead just have a minor upgrade from my current laptop.
which is here
http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Toshiba-Satellite-PSAG0U-02D00M-A305-S6858-Laptop-Refurbished/3555485/product.html?cid=123620

what i had in mind was this setup made by thx1138v2 in another thread (except the hdd and monitor):

Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 555 3.2GHz 80W Black RevC3 Boxed - 87.99
Motherboard:ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 2XDDR3 - 59.99
RAM:G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 - 37.99
Graphics Card: 780L On Board
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - 39.99
Case: Xigmatek Asgard II B/O CPC-T45UE-U01 - 29.99
Power Supply: Antec Green EA380D - 44.99
Cooling: Stock included with boxed CPU
DVD Burner: Lite-On 24x DVD Burner SATA iHAS 124-04 - 18.99
Monitor: Acer S201HLbd Black 20" 5ms LED-Backlight LCD monitor - 99.99


Screenshot-1 by chrissand1992, on Flickr
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my question is will all the components be included, such as wires or is that ordered separately as well?
if i am downgrading any aspect of my current laptop please let me know.
also if there are ways to save money also let me know.
but one thing i want is the ability to upgrade in a couple years. hence me getting rid of the laptop.

 

[manu 11]

change your processor to athlon ii x3 445 : 74$
if you want upgradibility, you have to choose a am3+ board for bulldozer future upgrade.
onboard gfx cannot game: note that
get a dedicated one if you can.

 

[al man]

You are getting a terrific upgrade chrissand1992!

Recomendation from manu 11 is also great, you'll get an extra execution core (it means getting things done faster).

Now your answers:

SATA cables will be included with your MB.
Power cables, with Case & Monitor.

If you want to upgrade a bit more, try to get an ATX MB
instead of a uATX, this means by far, chance of getting
some extra RAM, but keeping your current DIMMS
(This will save you some money in future), besides that,
some ATX ones usually are a bit tougher, because
they are expected to have Overclocking room (I'm not saying
u want to do that, I'm just bringing it up for making a point)
which meas more thermal room, voltage capacity & such...
required for higher CPU's.

Hope this helps!

 

[Zero_]

Since you are going for upgradability, I'd suggest getting a AM3+ motherboard, such as this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

However, it does cost a fair bit more for the future compatibility.

Go for the Athlon II X3 455 for around $75. It will give you more value for the money (not to mention the extra core). Or you can go for a cheap X2 245 for under $50, and replace it with a new Bulldozer CPU once they are out.

 

[chrissand1992]

i like the mother board zero_ recommended but does that mean i have to buy a video card, since it has no video chipset. trying to keep this cheap, limited funds.

so would this board work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128504

 

[shadow1942]

your not going to get the best results for gaming without a dedicated videocard, onboard sucks I bought a PC with onboard 256mb video and couldn't even run BF2 with just bots not online, in the end I had to upgrade my power supply and get a video card ended up spedning another $500.00 dollars to get it up to spec

 

[chrissand1992]

im not planning on using it for games but i do watch movies and rip and burn them. does this kind of use need a seperate video card or just a good processor?

 

[michxymi]

The ideal choice for you is an AMD LLano platform. Quad Core CPU along with the best onboard GPU in one chip. And all of that with very low power consumption. This is what I would buy!

Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX Computer Case w/ 1 x 120mm fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009

SeaSonic SS-300ES Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151085

AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz 4MB L2 Cache Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU AD3650WNGXBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943

MSI A75MA-G55 FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130605

Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104221

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233&cm_sp=Pers_StoreTopSeller-_-27-151-233_4_TS-_-1_10___

416$

 

[manu 11]

+1 for llano and mich

 

[chrissand1992]

i appreciate all the help ive been receiving. and really like the setup mich posted but money is really a constraint right now, with school almost starting. plus i also have to buy a monitor. (prolly craigslist it). and from my understanding i can always buy a video card and install it. but like i said graphics arent a big deal right now, i have an xbox for that.

i guess what i am looking for is a workstation. on my current laptop i can burn and rip dvds really well and it uses an onboard video chipset. so i think ill be fine without one.

here is what ive come up with

Processor: AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz Socket AM3 95W
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
RAM: G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
Graphics Card: On Board
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
Case: Xigmatek Asgard II B/O CPC-T45UE-U01
Power Supply: Antec Green EA380D
Cooling: Stock included with boxed CPU
DVD Burner: Lite-On 24x DVD Burner SATA iHAS 124-04

total after tax and shipping
333.91
and a $10 discount with the new customer coupon
plus a $10 mir, but those arent reliable
so $313 if i want to be technical

also where would i get a power cord? because the power supply doesnt include one.

 

[christoj]

I'm a bit confused by your post. You want a slight upgrade from your laptop. You have very little money to spend. Your laptop does everything you need?

I'm all for you supporting the economy and such, but why are you doing this? It seems like your laptop is able to do everything you need plus its portable! Why build a desktop model that is barely better then your laptop?

Again, your money, do as you please. Just seems odd to struggle to make a system thats a hair better then what you already have. I'd hold off, save up, and by something a bit more significant then what you are working with now. If you'd come to the table with $500-600 you could have something MUCH better then your laptop.

Just sayin...

 

[michxymi]

christoj is so true... Stay with your laptop for now and save some money. Buy a LLano System and a good Monitor (IPS Panel)

 

[chrissand1992]

good news i might be seeing a check coming my way. in which case i will definitely go the apu route.
energy efficient is a plus, and also the fact that i dont have to buy a graphics card is great.

i just have one worry. this being my first build i am worried that i might mess up the installation, so my question is are there any manuals or online videos that can guide me? and after it is assembled, i understand i have to set up the bios and whatnot. are the instructions in the manual for the motherboard?

 

[manu 11]

yes there are very easy newegg how to build a pc guides,
here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw&feature=relmfu

happy building

 

[michxymi]

You will love the APU! Only one note. Because this is a mATX build, you need to do a good job with zip ties and cables so you can have the best possible airflow! Happy building from me too!

 

[chrissand1992]

Best answer selected by chrissand1992.