After reading the article Do-it-yourself PC system, reading other reviews on this site, and reviews on some other sites I have a vague idea of what I want to put into my computer (I'm not decided on alot of things). This will be my first time building a computer and I would appreciate some input if you can think of better components to meet my needs.
Foremost I want a computer with a good price to performance ratio. This is not the only factor though. A good price/performance ratio considering all the stuff I want. It should be easy to work with, upgradable, overclockable, have quality accesories, and be stylish. I don't have a excedingly big budget to do this. So, the price would need to be under $1,500 after purchashing a operating system, monitor and printer (including shipping and handling and tax if I go to a local store). These are all costs that have not been included in the $995 total for the Do-it-yourself pc. So far this is what I'm considering getting along with an eloboration on my choice (elobrations are from reviews I've read) and some questions on it.
motherboard: IWILL KK266 or IWILL KK266-R
It has excellent overclocking abilites, 6 PCI slots (for uprgradeability), decent integrated sound (it dosen't drain the processor like AC97 sound), and a better price/performance ratio then the Asus A7V.
I wonder if it would be worth it to spend a bit more to get the IWILL board with RAID? From what I've heard it seems questionable. With RAID level 0 and 2 hard-drives I can get better performance at the cost of reliability. As far as I know RAID 1 gives better reliabity but no improvement in performance. It works by using redundant information meaning it makes 2 copies of information, one on each hard drive. This would effectively double the cost per megabyte of storage (bad). I don't know what benifit RAID level 10 would have so tell me if you know.
CPU: AMD Athlon 850MHz
Last time I checked this had the best price to performance ratio. Have the recent price drops become widely available yet? Is there a copper version available at this speed? Should I get OEM or retail boxed version considering my needs? I've read that OEM's are suppose to be of lower quality but they are much cheaper. Any suggestions?
System Memory: 256MB PC 133 SDRAM
What brands are know for reliablity and good pricing?
Case: AMK 292-3333 ($99)
I know this case is more expensive then the standard ATX Mid Tower that was suggested but it has alot of features that seem worth it. It's built for overclocking with 4 internal 3 inch fans. It also has alot of user friendly features (like no sharp edges to cut your hands on). Finally it looks cool with the transparent black borders around the drives. I have a big black computer desk so it will match with it. Visit http://www.amkcomputers.bc.ca/custom_case.htm to find out what I mean.
Monitor: Optiquest Q95 (about $250)
Optiquest is an OEM of Viewsonic with 19" viewable, .26dpi and 1600x1200 max. resolution.
Miscellenous:
I also plan on getting a generic $8 floppy drive, $55 Microsoft natural keyboard pro, and a $10-$20 (OEM) Microsoft intellimouse.
That's basically what I have a idea on getting. For any other components I'll just default to what was recommended in the do-it-yourself article for now (for the ones listed there that is). I will buy some parts locally (here in Milwaukee Wisconsin) so I dont have to wait for it to ship to my house and so I know for sure what I'm getting. I know that for online purchases I should try to purchase as many components as possible from one store in order to save on shipping costs. Is their any other tips you have for me? I would appreciate some input on the system I'm planning on building.
~Richieaok
Foremost I want a computer with a good price to performance ratio. This is not the only factor though. A good price/performance ratio considering all the stuff I want. It should be easy to work with, upgradable, overclockable, have quality accesories, and be stylish. I don't have a excedingly big budget to do this. So, the price would need to be under $1,500 after purchashing a operating system, monitor and printer (including shipping and handling and tax if I go to a local store). These are all costs that have not been included in the $995 total for the Do-it-yourself pc. So far this is what I'm considering getting along with an eloboration on my choice (elobrations are from reviews I've read) and some questions on it.
motherboard: IWILL KK266 or IWILL KK266-R
It has excellent overclocking abilites, 6 PCI slots (for uprgradeability), decent integrated sound (it dosen't drain the processor like AC97 sound), and a better price/performance ratio then the Asus A7V.
I wonder if it would be worth it to spend a bit more to get the IWILL board with RAID? From what I've heard it seems questionable. With RAID level 0 and 2 hard-drives I can get better performance at the cost of reliability. As far as I know RAID 1 gives better reliabity but no improvement in performance. It works by using redundant information meaning it makes 2 copies of information, one on each hard drive. This would effectively double the cost per megabyte of storage (bad). I don't know what benifit RAID level 10 would have so tell me if you know.
CPU: AMD Athlon 850MHz
Last time I checked this had the best price to performance ratio. Have the recent price drops become widely available yet? Is there a copper version available at this speed? Should I get OEM or retail boxed version considering my needs? I've read that OEM's are suppose to be of lower quality but they are much cheaper. Any suggestions?
System Memory: 256MB PC 133 SDRAM
What brands are know for reliablity and good pricing?
Case: AMK 292-3333 ($99)
I know this case is more expensive then the standard ATX Mid Tower that was suggested but it has alot of features that seem worth it. It's built for overclocking with 4 internal 3 inch fans. It also has alot of user friendly features (like no sharp edges to cut your hands on). Finally it looks cool with the transparent black borders around the drives. I have a big black computer desk so it will match with it. Visit http://www.amkcomputers.bc.ca/custom_case.htm to find out what I mean.
Monitor: Optiquest Q95 (about $250)
Optiquest is an OEM of Viewsonic with 19" viewable, .26dpi and 1600x1200 max. resolution.
Miscellenous:
I also plan on getting a generic $8 floppy drive, $55 Microsoft natural keyboard pro, and a $10-$20 (OEM) Microsoft intellimouse.
That's basically what I have a idea on getting. For any other components I'll just default to what was recommended in the do-it-yourself article for now (for the ones listed there that is). I will buy some parts locally (here in Milwaukee Wisconsin) so I dont have to wait for it to ship to my house and so I know for sure what I'm getting. I know that for online purchases I should try to purchase as many components as possible from one store in order to save on shipping costs. Is their any other tips you have for me? I would appreciate some input on the system I'm planning on building.
~Richieaok