My First Computer AKA I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Pinchy]

Hmmm why an X2?

I recently built a C2D computer, with AUSTRALIAN prices (a LOT more expensive) for less than $1k AUD (our currency exchange is also higher). Sure, the vid card wasnt as good as an X1950GT, but thats because our prices are higher . Also, i had a crossfire mobo.

But still the fact remains clear as water. You WILL lose performance under Vista, no matter how you look at it.

I speak from experience, and from common knowledge.

Ive actually gotten a performance increase in Vista on my new computer. Although on my brothers laptop, it runs a lot worse than xp, on a newer comp with c2d/2gb ram/good video card, it actually runs a lot better.

 

[Pinchy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128042

$100 for C2D mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115013

$115 for C2D CPU

$215 all up; $54 more than the 3800+ and the X2 mobo, but once overclocked with that 800Mhz RAM...you wont reget it

Personally, id rather get a better CPU than GPU, because the GPU is the part of the system that you will probably upgrade most. So what im saying, if you cant afford the $55 extra then get a worse GPU and upgrade it later (also, that mobo supports core 2 quad, so if u ever want to upgrade it...)

I reckon an X1650XT with a C2D would be better than the X2 and X1950GT.

X1650XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814142090)

Just my input

 

[tkpenalty]

Um 1k for that system? You serial? Something like that from australia would cost around 1k.

 

[ex_reven]

Tell your dad that HE's the amateur.
The cheapest parts are usually located online. And its only ever noobs that get ripped off by websites and scams. Huge online sites are always associated with a store, warehouse etc anyway. Tell him newegg is the microsoft of the American hardware market

 

[ArabTanksta]

Hah, Dell may be cheap. But their components are kind of shit, For starters most their Basic computers feature RUBBISH On-Board Graphics, If your thinking of gaming, You'd need to spend quite a bit, I'd recommend a Core 2 Duo CPU and Like a Ati Radeon X1950 or Nivdia 8800 GTX for extreme gaming . Maybe even a Intel QX6800, Depending on how much your serious about gaming, Bear in mind what ever CPU you choose you'll probably want something that overclocks well.

 

[NewbieBuilder]

Thank you for all your replies...It convinced my mom, yet to hear from my dad though...

Also, yeah well, it may be expensive and unreasonably priced but it's still better than what I can get at retail for the same price so I'm O.K with that.

Maybe once I get a lot better at stuff like this, I'll be able to save a bit more money...

 

[zekrahminator]

I dare your father to argue with five different companies (TrustE, Verisign, BBB, ATW, and Inc500) that verify the authenticity and security of Newegg.

I have easily spent at least one thousand dollars at Newegg over the past two years, and would not be surprised at all if I have spent more. I've gotten everything I've paid for within THREE business days of ordering it. And when something dies? Assuming it wasn't my fault, I could ship it back to Newegg, and they would either give me a full refund or a brand new part (or it's equivalent).

And if your father claims all those security companies are BS? I'd like him to explain how the likes of Amazon.com (or .co.uk, depending on where you live), Barnesandnoble.com, and Ebay get millions (perhaps billions) of satisfied customers and dollars in profit every year.

Verisign is the company that ALL banks featuring online banking have to get certified by.


Sorry if I sound a little angry/defensive, I do not like being called an amateur after I've built three computers.

 

[zekrahminator]

One more thing. Once you get that widescreen monitor of yours, and you start gaming, things might look a wee bit stretched.

If you want a frequently updated guide on how to keep all your games looking kick-ass and wide-screen, then take a look at Widescreengamingforum.com.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

I've bought over $2000 worth of PC stuff off of newegg. ALL OF IT WAS GOOD and ARRIVED WITHING 3 days (business). Your dad needs to do his research, he is wrong. There is a chance things come DOA, but that happens everywhere.

And I agree with Zek's vista recommendation, futuretech = good. *for steam games meh

 

[Ketxxx]

Motherboard - Intel® BOXDG965WHMKR Intel® G965 Express
Socket LGA775 ATX Motherboard - $134

CPU -
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E4300 - HH80557PG0332M - Tray CPU - Socket LGA775 - $120

Power Supply - Antec SmartPower 2.0 500W Power Supply - $70

Graphics Card -
Umm, looking.

Sound Card -
Scrapped

Case - Thermaltake Mambo Mid Tower Case - $40


Memory - MAXTOR 200GB SERIAL ATA/150 HARD DRIVE - 6L200M0 - $70

Ram - DDR2 1GB Dual Channel (2x512MB) PC2-6400 800MHz (4-4-4-12) Low Latency Non-ECC Unbuffered. 240-Pin with aluminum heat shields - $70

PCI Adapter - Netgear GA311 Gigabit PCI Adapter - $30

Operating System - Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition - $90

Mobo: Gigabyte DS3 (if you want to stick with the 965 chipset and want to OC) or the Abit AW9D MAX if you want a good all-rounder and have unofficial support for SLi. IMO the Abit is the better choice, clocks well, uses only solid state capacitors (MUCH more reliable) and will OC rather nice too.

CPU: E4400, same as the E4300, only it uses a 10x multiplier, which is much more favourable

RAM: GEIL 2x1GB DDR2-800. 4-4-4 timings as standard, and you can run up to 2.4v through them. Cheap as chips @ $104 and this kit will OC rather nicely.

Graphics: minimum a X1950Pro

PSU: 600w Rosewill very solid and reliable unit with a good spec for its price.

Sound: use onboard, its not THAT bad 70-80% of the time these days, a good set of speakers make a much more noticable difference.

HDD: WD Caviar 250GB Awesome HDD, fast, reliable, NCQ, 16MB cache, SATA2, a true swiss army knife in the HDD world.

OS: Get XP Pro, XP Home sucks.

That should set you right

 

[Pinchy]

lol Ket he has a budget ...

 

[Ketxxx]

That stuff isnt that expensive plus he said himself he wants to game, and he cant game on shit besides, go to the egg and total my spec up, its not that much more

 

[Pinchy]

yeah i know, but when you only got 1k, you only got 1k

Im just saying the "extra" stuff that isnt worth it...like the E4400 over the E4300, not worth it when your on a budget ...id rather get the E4300 and get a better graphics card

BUT, i do agree with ur RAM/Mobo/GFX choice


DS3 mobo, that 4-4-4 GEIL RAM (need good RAM to OC a conroe ) and the X1950GT/PRO or better

 

[Ketxxx]

Ahh but the E4400 is worth it over the E4300, as it costs very little extra, is a bit faster, has that 10x multi over the E43 9x multi, and the higher multi allows a lower FSB and RAM clock to attain a faster OC without actually pushing the mobo and RAM so much to breaking point

eg: 400x10 = 4GHz on the E44, 400x9 on the E43 only nets you 3.6GHz, meaning you would need to run a rather high FSB and RAM clock, and basically bepushing the mobo and possibly RAM to breaking point to get 4GHz, where the 10x multi on the E44 actually gives a realistic shot @ 4GHz.

 

[Pinchy]

How big is the price diff over in the USA? Its almost a $50 over here in Australia, thats why I dont think its worth it, even for the extra multi.

 

[Ketxxx]

Diff is like £10 in the UK between the two, so in the US the diff is probably like $15

 

[Pinchy]

Ahh fair enough...that would be worth it

 

[NewbieBuilder]

Thanks zekrah for the extra help, I'm going to start building 3-4 weeks from now =D...

And, Ket, I probably will switch the PSU, HDD and Ram...

The ram that zekrah chose for me apparently doesn't work if you don't set the voltage to 1.9 (which I don't want to experiment with). =D

And the PSU is a nice bargain, I just hope I know what I'm doing by getting 50 more watts, and 10 dollars less than the mushy. The HDD is 10 dollars more with 90 more gb...Nice flip flop O-o...

 

[zekrahminator]

The G.Skill RAM works with that motherboard I reccomended without issue, if it didn't, my main computer wouldn't be working .

 

[bruins004]

If you need help with a new build just take a look here http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=30822

Should help get you started.

 

[dstaiti]

Convincing Your Father

Also, tell you father that if he is an American Express card holder, he get extra protection. American Express will warrenty electronic purchases (like those made on Newegg) and they will take refunds if there is defective merchandise.

If your father is worried that they are a non-reputable company, American Express also has the added benefit of having THE best fraud protection and customer-biased dispute resolution anywhere.

I personally am an amateur builder and 35 years old. If it helps credibility with your father, I'm also a vascular surgeon! I bought ALL of my components on Newegg about a month ago and they were 100% safe. In addition, I'm an amateur builder but I got EXPERT level advice, help and suggestions from the people on this site.

Now that I've found this site and built a computer on my own, I would NEVER buy retail again. ALSO, if you ever have a problem with the computer once you build it, the tech support you can find on this site is 20x better then what you'll get for $80 a call to Dell.

This site is fantastic and Newegg is great.

 

[kwchang007]

Also, tell you father that if he is an American Express card holder, he get extra protection. American Express will warrenty electronic purchases (like those made on Newegg) and they will take refunds if there is defective merchandise.

If your father is worried that they are a non-reputable company, American Express also has the added benefit of having THE best fraud protection and customer-biased dispute resolution anywhere.

I personally am an amateur builder and 35 years old. If it helps credibility with your father, I'm also a vascular surgeon! I bought ALL of my components on Newegg about a month ago and they were 100% safe. In addition, I'm an amateur builder but I got EXPERT level advice, help and suggestions from the people on this site.

Now that I've found this site and built a computer on my own, I would NEVER buy retail again. ALSO, if you ever have a problem with the computer once you build it, the tech support you can find on this site is 20x better then what you'll get for $80 a call to Dell.

This site is fantastic and Newegg is great.

AMEX is just awsome. my mom's credit card number got stolen once (google checkout sucks btw) and AMEX instantly gave her a new card number, and dealt with google themself. also, i haven't hard anything about newegg's checkout either.

 

[dstaiti]

American Express is KING

For you young and old posters alike, while I know that this isn't a credit card review site, you should all know that AMEX is the best.

I carry a Visa card which I only use at retail stores who don't accept Amex. The reason they are as great as they are is that they charge merchants a higher per transaction fee then Visa or Master. For the consumer, the benefit is that you get unparalleled customer service. I too had my Amex number compromised once. They issued a new card and number and overnighted the new cards to me at their cost. When travelling to a conference, I ran out of cash and my atm card wouldn't work. I called Amex -- "no problem sir, just go to any atm machine and use the following pin number and you can withdraw cash... because you are a valued customer we will also waive the transaction fee"

The extra warrenty is great for anybody on this site. You have to pay your amex bill every month, which ensures you won't spend $$$ you don't have, but it should be your primary card!

 

[zekrahminator]

Oh, and quick thing Ket...

This guy is looking for long-term operating power and gaming stability, having a focus on overclocking isn't exactly the best approach, especially at $1200 .

 

[Flamingsupernova]

and it's hard to argue with free shipping on Rosewill cases, which are surprisingly well built.

lol, did you just get a job for promoting rosewill cases