(advice?) I'm contemplating on building a new PC

I know that some items can be found online for a bit cheaper, but I don't trust shipping. If something were to break, I'd have to ship it back and make the process of actually receiving what I want alot longer.

There is a local computer shop here in SA that has some good deals. This is what I found. Now, I am not too knowledgable when it comes to what can actually be compatable with what. I guess that's why I'm asking for advice.
Computer specs:

(case , mouse, keyboard, and speakers) 5IN1 COMBO-CS/KB/MS/SP+SUB BLK&SLV 400W- $79.97
(power supply) ATX 550W BLACK OKIA- $25.56
(hard drive) 2.5" 80G 5400RPM 8MG- $99
(mobo and processor) MSI K8MM-V Motherboard w/AMD 2800 Sempron 754P Processor and Fan- $117
(ram) DDR PC3200 1GB DIMM 400MHz- $101.75
(vid card) AGP 256MG FX 6200- $65
(optical drive) DVD+/-RW 16X LITE-ON BLACK W/SW BULK- $45
(floppy drive) 3.5" BLACK MITSUMI- $9.18
(OS) MS-WINDOWS XP HOME SP2- $93.34

Total- $635.80


(monitor) Acer AL1916Ab 19" Flat Panel- $219.50

 

Don't scrimp on the power supply is my first tip, if it blows you could take out your whole motherboard or worse.

If you intend to make a gaming machine, get a PCI-Express motherboard and graphics card (in fact, I would only go this route, not AGP. You'll not be able to upgrade much further than the card you are buying in the future otherwise). Also, pay a bit more for a brand name RAM.

Buying online is a bit more of a hastle on returns, but it is much cheaper in my experience and if you get branded goods then they are much less likely to be faulty anyway. You'll also be able to save a bit on the operating system by getting an OEM disc, which is exactly the same as a normal retail box except about $40-50 cheaper and without the fancy box. They are legit versions but designed for system builders.

I heard newegg.com is a good place to shop, but I haven't used them myself.

For the hard drive, get a 3.5" Serial ATA hard drive, not 2.5". 2.5" are designed for laptops, chiefly.

 

you could easily save 93.34$ if you wanted to.

 

Ah I see. What would you recommend? My limit as of now is about $700 for the CPU alone. Honestly, I want this Pc to be nice for gaming, but also good for running multiple applications being that I do alot of audio processing. I usually have to run 2 programs (one for mixing and the other for mastering or editing) that take alot out of it. I want to learn about building my own pc, but it seems there are so many options it drives me nuts.

 

How would I go about doing that? I know that there are plenty of pirate copies of XP, but I'm trying to take the honest route this time :shrug:

 

I'm looking at building a new system too, probably based around the following:
Core 2 (I'm going for the 2.4GHz, but they're all fantastic processors)
Geforce 7600 (the mid range card - they're normally the sweet spot)
2gb RAM

Then I'm going mad and buying a load of pricey things, like a WD Raptor and an expensive mobo. Could probably be built around your price range though, but you may need to cut the RAM to 1gb. Those prices do seem quite expensive, why not just see how much it would cost to buy online and take a chance :thumbsup:

 

when was the last time anyone here actually used a floppy drive? I built my current computer in 2004 from parts from newegg (very good company) and can't even remember the last time i used a floppy disk.

also, you may want to consider waiting a week or 2 to buy parts as intels new conroe is coming out and amd is doing massive price cuts across the board.

Definitely consider a faster processor in your current set up than a 2800 i would say, and you'd most likely want a better graphics card too if you want your system to remain capable years down the road.

 

True, floppy drives are pretty ridiculous. I suppose I'll pass on it. Maybe I should put in a zip drive...;-)

I hear that the prices will drop significantly. I don't play on buying this computer during the month of July. It will take me a while to save up $700 to blow on JUST a pc. I give it until the end of august or october.

 

didn't necesarly meant using a pirate copy of windows. :banghead:

'nayway. The only thing i could tell you is to spend on your mobo. Try to take a PCI-E mobo by exemple, since PCI-E is getting cheaper than AGP, and is the future. Try to think with updrage in mind, not just the mobo that costs the less.

 

About a week ago, and I wouldn't have been able to install XP without it. Bloody SATA RAID drivers - XP will *only* look at a floppy drive for them when you're installing. I'd keep the floppy if I were you, for $9 it may save you a lot of hassle one day.

If you're not buying until october most of this is irrelevant anyway, but I'll back up Taucias and say: a $25 PSU is asking for trouble. Spend at least twice that. Skimp on your PSU now and in 12 months time you might have to replace everything bar the case.

Also, if you're doing audio processing, you'll probably want a nice sound card. On-board sound cards have poor signal/noise ratios and are just crap in general. I suppose if you're doing audio stuff you've got something set up already, though.

 

If you can stretch to it an ASUS motherboard would be worthwhile, I especially recommend the ones with N-Force4 Chips onboard (if you take the AMD processor route). In terms of multiple programs running at once, look into Intel Pentium D dual core processors. These offer very impressive performance and are not too expensive if you go for a lower clock speed (which will not impact on performance too much for the average user).

I used to be an AMD customer, but recently Intel have made some impressive products that are worth a look.

e.g.: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=50001157+2010340343+1050716915&Submit=ENE&Subcategory=343

 

Before I got rid of most of my equipment, I was using an M-Audio Delta 1010 as a sound card. It was able to record at 31 bit/92khz. That's pretty darn good if you ask me. Can you believe I started recording when my PC was 800mhz? Oh jesus was that a nightmare.

 

Because I am bored, I made up a similar (but more powerful, I hope everyone will agree) system using potentially more reliable components for roughly the same cost. The only thing missing is the floppy drive and the case/keyboard/mouse (these are usually personal taste, depending on need for quality etc).

SAMSUNG 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With 5X DVD-RAM Write and LightScribe Black ATA/ATAPI Model SH-S162L/BEBN - OEM - $32.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3Gb/s ST3160812AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $57.99 ($5 saving) You could pick a smaller sized drive and save some money, and pick IDE if it makes you feel more comfortable.

BFG Tech BFGR73256GSOCE Geforce 7300GS Supporting 512MB(256MB on board) GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $75

Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - OEM - $27.99

Rosewill RP550V2-D-SL 550W Power Supply - Retail - $58.99 (SLI compatible - if you want to get another Geforce card later)

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GB533D2 - Retail - $76.99

ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 4 SLI Intel Edition ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $87.99 (you could save money by changing this, without much of a performance hit perhaps)

Intel Pentium D 805 Smithfield 533MHz FSB LGA 775 Dual Core,EM64T Processor Model BX80551PE2666FN - Retail - $116.99

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM $89.99 (boo, thought it would be cheaper)

With shipping and tax to NJ, that comes to $694.40. Obviously you have to add in the case, keyboard, mouse etc. but you could cut the price of a few items to find that cash, for example the motherboard, DVD drive and the soundcard (which you could buy later). Shipping would be in 3 days guaranteed via UPS.

That should give you an idea of what is available online and for what price. You would get a much more powerful system overall if you took that route.

 

Taucias you da man. That helps a ton!

 

I'm not up to date with graphics cards, mind, so maybe someone else can suggest something more powerful for a better price, but in terms of performance I think the one I listed is a good deal. Also note: that graphics card does not support SLI (where you connect two graphics cards together for more performance), but unless you are a real hardcore gamer it's not very cost effective to run SLI anyway, IMHO.

In terms of the sound card, you could pay more and get one that has an interface board that gives you professional sound ports and sockets for Midi etc. that would plug into one of the 5 1/2" bays at the front of the computer case. They aren't dirt cheap, but it's a possible upgrade route when you get more cash in the future.

Everyone else please pick at my system and improve on it ;-)

 

That is a good list, however, my experience with the nforce4 chipset and seagate SATA hdds were all sour. I kept getting SMART status errors ONLY on the chipset, regardless of whether it is Epox brand motheboard or Asus. But this might just be only with the AMD line, not the Intel line. I recommend you get an Intel board that does not have SLI, but also has PCI Express VGA slot on it.

If you want to play games that recently came out very well, then get a 7600 series video card.

Upgrade to 2gigs of RAM as you will notice a nice improvement when you're working on your audio software.

Get 2 hard drives instead of just one. Get two HDDs of the same manufacturer and brand and set them up on the motherboard BIOS as RAID1 array. That way you have an instant back up of your data incase one HDD goes bad

Since I recommend you don't get an SLI motherboard. If you decide not to, then you can buy a less expensive PSU that is not SLI ready but gives enough juice for your components and is very reliable. Look for a PSU that has PFC . I recommend it if you plan on keeping your computer on for days, even weeks and never turn it off. PFC makes the PSU much more efficient than one without it. Look into the SilverStone PSUs as those have PFC and cost about the same as the Rosewill. But if you don't want SLI and want to save a lot of money on the PSU, then get a Thermaltake brand powersupply.

Also, since y ou are not into gaming, then don't get a sound card. The onboard sound will be just enough for the games you plan on playing but if it is important, then get an Audigy 2. Only these sound cards are recommended if you are into gaming, that's it. Otherwise, just stick with the onboard audio.

 

Will onboard audio be good enough for his music making activities though? Indeed, by picking non SLI ready equipment you will save some cash and be able to tweak other components like an extra 1GB stick of RAM.

 

If you go AGP, ive got a great deal going on one of the best AGP cards out there XD The setup looks like itll be alright for low-mid end gaming as it is

 

Yes. It isn't like ProTools requires a special DSP, etc. Using a Sound Blaster 16 will be sufficient enough. It all depends what exactly he does with audio. If he uses programs like Fruit Loops or something not that expensive then he's ok with onboard. But if he uses ProTools and anything high end then he should look into a sound card that is made for professional applications, not a gamer sound card.

 

you should get conroe~!