Building my first pc need help

famguy80

Ok so im 16 and im in 5th year and i need a new pc.I have never built a pc before and I was wondering how much would you need to know about pcs to be able to build one.Also if I was going to build one I would need help choosing parts and i will be getting these parts for christmas and the limit would be max 600 and I would have to pay for a bit of that aswell so thats definetly the max. I would be using this pc for gaming and video editing.So thanks for the help.

Tea_Bag

follow the link in my signature and copy paste the questions (and your answers!) into this thread.

building a PC is very easy. you just need a screw driver. loads of us will throw in a hand if you have any trouble shooting to do but there rarely is a problem and they're usually easily solved. there is a thread here with people willing to call over and talk you through it. if you're in limerick ill talk you through everything for a cup of tea. alternatively, some websites will do it for you for a fee of €20.

Serephucus

I'd wait a month or two to be honest. There are a few new things coming out between now and Christmas, and once they're out prices on other stuff will drop (along with a torrent of stuff appearing on Adverts. :P) and you'll probably be able to pick up better parts cheap that way.

consolima

i dont know much either about computers but there are a good few things you will need to know before you buy anny upgrades,the first is that the main thing youll need is mostly ram for your computer speed,ram makes the computer run faster and partially games too,ram can be cheap ranging from 10 to 100 euros max for good enough ram,ebay is a great site and will sell you allot of ram for cheap price,the standard ammount of ram youll need for video editing and gaming is 4gb (giggabites) or more,you will allso have to find what type of ram you motherboard and how much it supports,to do this look up on how to find it out,im sure it will be all over the web,ram can be different types,just as an example mine is "ddr2" and i have a really bad motherboard and with only 2 gigs of ram which i need to upgrade too...
the next thing is a graphics card,like ram graphics cards need to support you motherboard,and graphics cards are mainly for gaming and getting all of those amazing looks in the game your playing,and allso reduces lag depending on how good it is,graphics cards can range from a price of 20 to 50000 euros,BUT remember:the best isent allways the most expensive,you can get a really good graphics card for about 50 euros and will support your motherboard,if you dont want to go trough all the hassle of trying to find out what type of ram you need and what type of graphics card you need,then just get the latest or a good motherboard installed and your good to buy the rest,there is allot of other things that can speed up your gaming like a new cpu and if you do video editing as you would probably know "rendering".a cpu speeds up rendering allot more depending on how good it is...
but remember this is all i know about computers and thats what i recomend,allso if your max is 600 you dont have to worry because you would probably never go over that limit with upgrades for your computer,they arent that expenive after all.

alex.

famguy80

Its a new computer i will be building not upgrading and i dont live in limerick and i would be waiting till christmas before im getting them or would the price cuts be after christmas

Serephucus

consolima wrote: »

[ snip ]

Jesus man, paragraphs.

@ OP, I would ignore that to be honest. There are nuggets of truth in there, but...

Anyway, I don't have time to link you stuff, but you're probably looking at an i5 2400 processor with a 6850 graphics card, 4GB of RAM, and probably a 1TB hard drive - actually, there's a much better reason to wait. A bunch of hard drive factories were recently flooded, so a 1TB hard drive is €30 more expensive than it should be at the moment. Anyway... Don't expect miracles; it'll be a good machine, but it's not going to max out every game out there.

RE: your last post, depends. Some sites have great Christmas sales, some have great New Years sales. It's up to you really.

PseudoFamous

consolima wrote: »

giggabites

This alone should be flashing lights and sirens.

kingsley16

Building a PC is VERY easy... I'm currently studying Computer Network and Maintenance in college and just built a PC as part of my assignment.
My advice is to do as much research as you can, because the hard part isn't building, but choosing the right components. Your Motherboard, Processor, RAM etc have to match. So research is vital!

IN MY OPINION THESE ARE THE TOP 5 VITAL COMPONENTS YOU NEED TO RESEARCH ON WELL:
1. Case - I recommend a mid-tower case that supports ATX Motherboards. ATX cases usually support micro ATX motherboards also. but mini tower case don't support ATX boards.

2. Motherboard - This is probably the most important because it's linked with all other components. I recommend an LGA1155 socket motherboard, i think thats the latest and get an ATX. make sure it matches your processor, case, RAM and graphics card.

3. Processor - I think you should go for an Intel 2500K Processor for an 1155 socket motherboard. It would be perfect for gaming and not so expensive

4. RAM - Get at least 4GB RAM look up on the specs to match everything

5. Graphics card - Choosing your graphics card is all down to you, the type of games you'll play, applications you'll run etc. you do the research. as for the makes, I prefer NVIDIA graphics card to AMD'S ATI graphics card.

oh and your PSU (power supply unit) is also important. for gaming i recommend a 600watt and above modular PSU. you can add up how much power you might need. Asus have a wattage calculator on their site.

I'm planning on building a PC suitable for gaming, video editing etc. I'll be doing that for my birthday February next year.
I'll be getting my parts from http://www.dabs.ie/ they're quite cheap and i've bought many gadgets off them in the past. fast delivery and well packaged.

you should watch this tutorial on computer building from neweggs. its very helpful for beginners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw&list=FL4WSqG4g_K3QhtEHSh4gc5w&index=3

famguy80

Serephucus wrote: »

you're probably looking at an i5 2400 processor with a 6850 graphics card


Im just after looking upp the 6850 http://shop.amd.com/UK/_layouts/shop/shop-amd.aspx?csquery=radeon%206850 is this what your talking about? and if it is what are the differences between them bar the bus type?

Sandpup

Hi Famguy80,
To be honest it's all about what you want to spend.. If your budget is low then your performance will be low-ish and likewise if your budget is high then your performance will be high. I've been working in I.T. for 15 years now so I do know a little bit ;-).
A good pc budget if you are a gamer is about €800 -900
If you only want to use it for school Facebook etc. then just by a netbook for about the €300 mark.
If you want a gamers pc then take account of the following
1. You'll need a case (€50 up to €300 plus) try to pick one with good air flow instead of lots of lights. If it comes with inflow and exhaust fans of 80mm+ that would be a great bonus as you will not need to buy extras. Also try to get a case with dust filters as it does make a difference. Something else worth noting is space for cabling, it always worth youtubing the case name to see what the reviews are before spending your money. As a matter of a fact YouTube everything there are tonnes of reviews out there.
2. You’ll need a power supply (€50 or €60) unless you are going to buy some major hardware a good Corsair or Antec 500Watt PS will do just dandy
3. Motherboard is next. You’ll need to decide which processor type you want. I would suggest AMD because they are cheaper but personally I prefer Intel. You’ll have to research which processor fits which motherboard but an Intel rule of thumb would be 755 chips is going to be fairly new and pretty good. You’ll also need to make sure the case you buy will fit your motherboard so another rule of thumb it only buy ATX type motherboards and case
4. Processor: Hard one to call but the Intel i3 is a good budget processor. I would recommend the i5 if you have the money. Again please ensure your MB will go with your kit.
5. Processor cooler. This is an absolute must. The better this is the better for you. Stay away from external water cooler systems; buy a built in enclosed water-cooled system,which is no risk high yield cooling. I recommend ANTEC KUHLER H2O 620 about €50
6. Next up Ram. Ram can be very confusing. I would recommend 2X 4GB DDR3’s 1600. I would not worry too much right now about clock speeds and the like. Over clocking your memory and processor ETC will come later. Just ensure your motherboard will accept the Ram you buy. I recommend Corsair Vengeance Ram About the €50 for 4Gb
7. Hard disk is next. SATA all the way here and if you can afford it Solid state disks, these are expensive but well worth the money. Otherwise watch your disk spin times; 7200rpm is the minimum you should think of. If it’s any less forget it.
8. VGA Graphics is all that’s left really. I’m an ATI man but Nvidia are really good too. Just ensure if it’s a gamer your after than you spend about the €250 on a solid 2GB card otherwise it’s a waste of time.
Think that’s about it. I’m in the middle of a rebuild myself so if you’ve any questions let me know

Sanders

CapBean

I'm thinking of upgrading or replacing my PC at the moment.
My wishlist is the following,

Case - Cooler Master Elite 310 - Mid tower - ATX - no psu - €36.00

PSU - A-Data HM-650 - 650 Watt - ATX - €69.95

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3- Socket 1155 - ATX - €92.95

Processor - Intel Core i5 2500K / 3.3 GHz - €193.00

Graphics Card - Sapphire RADEON HD 6870-1GB- PCI-E - €164.00

Memory - Corsair Vengeance - Memory - 8 GB : 2 x 4 GB -
DIMM 240-pin - DDR3 - 1600 MHz / PC3-12800 - CL8 - €79.95

DVD drive - Sony Optiarc DVD±RW AD-7280S SATA - €26.95

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64 bit OEM UK - €98.95

Total cost = €761.75 on Komplett.ie.

If your unsure how to build your own pc, Komplett do a course to show you how.
Easons has plenty of books on how to build pc's as well.
PC for Dummies is a good one as it uses easily understood language and pictures.

Hope this helps.
CapBean.

IrishMetalhead

CapBean wrote: »

I'm thinking of upgrading or replacing my PC at the moment.
My wishlist is the following,

Case - Cooler Master Elite 310 - Mid tower - ATX - no psu - €36.00

PSU - A-Data HM-650 - 650 Watt - ATX - €69.95

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3- Socket 1155 - ATX - €92.95

Processor - Intel Core i5 2500K / 3.3 GHz - €193.00

Graphics Card - Sapphire RADEON HD 6870-1GB- PCI-E - €164.00

Memory - Corsair Vengeance - Memory - 8 GB : 2 x 4 GB -
DIMM 240-pin - DDR3 - 1600 MHz / PC3-12800 - CL8 - €79.95

DVD drive - Sony Optiarc DVD±RW AD-7280S SATA - €26.95

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64 bit OEM UK - €98.95

Total cost = €761.75 on Komplett.ie.

If your unsure how to build your own pc, Komplett do a course to show you how.
Easons has plenty of books on how to build pc's as well.
PC for Dummies is a good one as it uses easily understood language and pictures.

Hope this helps.
CapBean.

I wouldn't be buying from komplett if i were you, there lack of stock and high prices are just shocking, should spec out the same pc on hardwareversand.de, you'll be shocked how much more veriaty and how much more cheaper it is

IrishMetalhead

btw famguy what do you need exactly? just the computer? or do you need a monitor and all aswell?

famguy80

just the pc

Serephucus

I take it you'll need Windows with that as well?

famguy80

Serephucus wrote: »

I take it you'll need Windows with that as well?

Well yes but leave that out of the price

IrishMetalhead

ok well heres two examples of what you could get but prices will change considerably coming up to christmas and you should be able to afford a 1TB HDD rather then a 750GB.
Anyways the difference between the two builds is one has a AMD processor which means a slower processor then the intel but it's cheaper which means you can get a faster graphics card and 8GB of RAM plus a slightly nicer case (plus a few nicer goodies).
The Intel build means you'll have a much faster processor but a slower graphics card, more basic motherboard and 4GB of RAM, so if your looking for a machine purely for gaming i'd go with the AMD because of the faster graphics card but if you need to multi-task aswell as game I'd go with the intel because of the faster CPU:

AMD:
Total build cost: €567.02 + €30 shipping
LG GH22NS50/70 bare schwarz €16.68
Antec One Hundred, ATX, ohne Netzteil €47.93
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Box, Sockel AM3 €106.56
ASRock 870 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX €67.31
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W €68.94
8GB-Kit G.Skill RipJaws-X PC3-12800U CL9 €43.34
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCI-E DL-DVI-I+SL-DVI-D / HDMI / DP €143.14
Seagate Barracuda Green 7200.12 750GB SATA 3 6GB/s €48.99
Arctic Freezer xtreme Rev 2.0, alle Sockel €24.13

Intel:
Total build cost: €566.01 + €30 shipping
LG GH22NS50/70 bare schwarz €16.68
BitFenix Merc Alpha €33.56
Intel Core i5-2400 Box, LGA1155 €163.61
MSI PH61A-P35 (B3), Intel H61, ATX, DDR3 €61.91
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W €68.94
4GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 PC3-12800U CL9 €26.08
XFX RADEON HD 6850 800M 1GB DDR5 DP HDMI DUAL DVI PCI-E XXX €128.98
Seagate Barracuda Green 7200.12 750GB SATA 3 6GB/s €48.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 (Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2 +/AM3/AM3+/FM1) €17.26

gaius c

1. What is your budget? €800 or so but might go higher and spread the cost out over a few months.

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming. Shogun 2 Total War, Assassins Creed and other games as they come out. Been waiting to have a go at Crysis 2, etc.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yeah I would. My old Dell Dimension 9200 (nearly 5 yrs old) is still running XP SP2.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Will probably only re-use screen, keyboard, speakers and mouse.

5. Do you need a monitor? Can re-use my current monitor for now. Will upgrade it later.

5a. If yes, what size do you need. N/A

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? Haven't a notion.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.] No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? The extent of my experience is changing the RAM so I might if it doesn't sound too intimidating.

8. How can you pay? CC

9. When are you purchasing? In no hurry but I see that Intel are playing silly buggers with chip prices.

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? Dublin city but I'm going to have a go at doing this myself. Main worry is putting the chip on the motorboard and sorting out cooling.

IrishMetalhead

well theres loads of us here willing to help you put the thing together for free if you have confidence issues but it really is dead simple, it's like a big expensive lego kit, anyways i went €40 over your €800 budget but it would be well worth it, plus your better off waiting a few weeks for the hdd prices to come back down so you can get a 1TB rather then a 750GB for the same price, plus english versions of windows out currnetly out of stock:

Total build cost: €809.13 + €30 shipping
LG GH22NS50/70 bare schwarz €16.68
Antec One Hundred, ATX, ohne Netzteil €47.93
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 €187.25
ASRock P67 Pro3 (B3), Sockel 1155, ATX €85.67
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W €68.94
8GB-Kit G.Skill RipJaws-X PC3-12800U CL9 €43.34
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti OC, 1024MB GDDR5, PCI-Express €195.66
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch €85.89
Seagate Barracuda Green 7200.12 750GB SATA 3 6GB/s €48.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro CO (Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1) €28.78

BTW I see you put creditcard as you form of payment but hardwareversand only take bank transfers but trust me your better off buying from them, there so much cheaper

gaius c

IrishMetalhead wrote: »

well theres loads of us here willing to help you put the thing together for free if you have confidence issues but it really is dead simple, it's like a big expensive lego kit, anyways i went €40 over your €800 budget but it would be well worth it, plus your better off waiting a few weeks for the hdd prices to come back down so you can get a 1TB rather then a 750GB for the same price, plus english versions of windows out currnetly out of stock:

Total build cost: €809.13 + €30 shipping
LG GH22NS50/70 bare schwarz €16.68
Antec One Hundred, ATX, ohne Netzteil €47.93
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 €187.25
ASRock P67 Pro3 (B3), Sockel 1155, ATX €85.67
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W €68.94
8GB-Kit G.Skill RipJaws-X PC3-12800U CL9 €43.34
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti OC, 1024MB GDDR5, PCI-Express €195.66
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch €85.89
Seagate Barracuda Green 7200.12 750GB SATA 3 6GB/s €48.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 13 Pro CO (Sockel 775/1155/1156/1366/754/939/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1) €28.78

BTW I see you put creditcard as you form of payment but hardwareversand only take bank transfers but trust me your better off buying from them, there so much cheaper

Thanks for that mate.
There's 4 RAM slots on the motherboard. Could I put in another 8 gigs if I wanted to?
Will 650W be enough?
Didn't realise hardwareversand only took bank transfers. Will amend that asap :-)

Serephucus

Yes, and yes. You can use 4x4GB. RE PSU: See my spec.

IrishMetalhead

you could but there be no point, games only use at most 4gb so 8gb should be enough to keep you future proofed.
650 watts is more then enough to run this system with plenty of breathing room so no need to worry about that at all

famguy80

I was looking up some tutorials and it seems like its easier to build an amd rather than inte would that be true?

PseudoFamous

famguy80 wrote: »

I was looking up some tutorials and it seems like its easier to build an amd rather than inte would that be true?

You won't notice a difference in building, tbh. Although, I thoroughly recommend getting an Intel build if possible, as AMD haven't exactly been stellar in comparison with Intel lately.

Serephucus

What Pseudo said. Physically, they're basically the same. Performance-wise, Intel murders AMD right now.

famguy80

So should i wait till intel release there new one and then the prices will go down for the others

PseudoFamous

famguy80 wrote: »

So should i wait till intel release there new one and then the prices will go down for the others

Depends how much you want the computer.