how to buy a pc for dummies!

[new kid]

Hi everyone;

I’m looking to buy new PC. My problem is I don’t know much about it more can tell between (THIS….. and THAT…..) so what I need is “the list” you chose the case and everything goes in it for me. I’ll use this PC for lots of digital photos, general purpose (e mail, interneting, and some gaming and also like to be able to watch TV on the pc. I want a good system and I’m willing to spend up to $2000.00. can anyone give me the LIST to take to the local pc shop and ask them to build it for me.

Thanks.

 

[rgeist554]

$2,000 is wayyyy high unless you're into extreme gaming. Can you define "some gaming" though? Also, BS and pretend that you know about hardware or they may rip you off. Someone posted the other day about going to a PC shop and wanted a PC that would be good for 5 years w/ a budget of $2500... and the sales guy basically gave him a Q6600 and the rest was crap. Maybe a $500-600 total in hardware and software. Also, building a computer that will be good for 5 years is not reasonable. Think more in the 2-3 year range.

Anyways, decent list off the top of my head:

CPU: Q6600 ($279-300's) or E6750 ($189-200's)
MOBO: Gigabyte P35-D series (Abit, ASUS P5, and MSI also work fine) - (~$90-120)
RAM: 2x 1GB DDR2 PC6400 (Crucial, Geil, Mushkin, Patriot, and OCZ are all good brands) - (~$50-90)
GPU: Nvidia 8800GT or ATI3870 ~ the same price and a great value - (~$240-270)
PSU: 550 Watt PSU (OCZ, Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, and Silverstone are all recommended brandes) - ($84-100's) I strongly suggest you don't cheap out on the PSU like many people do.
Case: Really a matter of personal preference. (Just about anything from Thermaltake, Coolermaster, or Antec)
Optical Drives: Samsung and Lite-On are pretty good, reliable burners / ROM drives.
Monitor (if needed): 17-22" Samsung or Viewsonic. I'd try to steer clear of Westinghouse, but they're not terrible for their price.
OS: If you don't game much, I'd say go for the Vista if you really like it.... otherwise I'd stick with XP

Anyways, that should get you off to a good start.

*edited to fix type*

 

[akhilles]

I strongly suggest you know cheap out on the PSU like many people do.

I think you mean don't cheap out. Agreed. People don't treat power supplies seriously like you don't treat their computers seriously (spreading malware, etc.).

Q6600
GA-P35-DS3R
2X1GB or 2X2GB PC2-6400 800MHZ RAM (4 gigs if you run 64-bit XP/Vista)
8800GT this week or 512MB 8800GTS next week
500-600W PSU (see above brands)
Antec 900 or 182B
500GB SATAII harddisk (if Seagate, get 7200.11)

For the rest, see above.

 

[new kid]

Thanks guys; it helped a lot. This will be the “LIST” for everybody to go by to buy a good PC. Please modify the “LIST” if you can think of anything else.

 

[bc4]

for watching tv you will need a separate video input card and I would suggest getting Vista Premium (for the media center) or if you are stuck with xp, get xp MCE.

Hopefully, someone with more experience can point you in the right direction as far as a good capture card. Maybe post the OS you choose and what type of TV you have (cable, HD, or Over the Air)

 

[new kid]

Mainly cable TV.

Thanks

 

[akhilles]

Hauppauge is a popular choice for video input & output. It also does PVR.

 

[cbtaylor]

My friend is an amazing computer expert. He wrote this great article that explains all the new computer lingo and how to select what you want in your new computer based on what you plan to use your computer for. I'm a computer dummy myself, and it was great resource for me.

http://www.churchtrac.com/knowledgebase/buying_a_new_computer.htm

 

[cbtaylor]

I forgot to add that I realize that this thread is old - 2007. But the article I posted was written just a few months ago in June 2011. So the information reflects current technology (and pricing) that is now available. So hopefully, it will help newcomers who read this thread to have the most current information on the topic. And best of all, it is easy to understand (and a little funny.)