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First Build Advice, Basic!

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kyle2020

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Just thought I would create a small post to put many first time builders minds at ease.

Before any of this, please consider what you will be using this system for - if its for everyday home use, such as searching the internet or doing word processing, you wont need a top of the line graphics card, you can suffice on integrated. If yu plan on using programs such as photoshop and video editors often, youll be wanting higher ammounts of RAM, a more powerful processor and possible a mid level GFX card. Just consider this before purchasing parts!

Right, first things first, before you even consider looking up all those quad cores and 9 series Nvidia cards -

1. Your budget. Please please PLEASE set yourself a strict budget and stick by it, or else you could find yourself buying things that cause you to scrimp out on other, possibly more important items later on. e.g you spend an extra £20 - £30 on a graphics card, then end up cutting that £30 or so on a cheaper quality PSU. see? DONT RISK IT!

2. Do as much research as you possibly can - research until your keyboard works no longer if you must. Dont go head first into buying something, only to be dissapointed over compatability issues down the line. You can never do enough research, and the more you do, the more clued up youll be, and this will put your mind at ease BIG STYLE.

3. Price search - youll never begin to imagine the bargains you'll find if you hunt about, and everyone wants to save some pennys. Just think, if you find the RAM you where after for a tenner cheaper, you can put that towards a better CPU or something. Just dont go buying cheaper quality to save money, it'll cost more in the long run should something go wrong.

4. Ask around! not sure on a part, ask a friend who has more build knowledge or drop a thread on here - asking questions is free and can only help!

5. The build. Once you have researched, bargain hunted and HOPEFULLY stuck to your budget, the biggest part arives. actually, i shouldnt say that, because building a PC yourself is easy if you take your time. Just google "how to build a pc" and im 100% sure you will get an idiot proof guide. Or even better, get a computer thats of a similar setup to what you've purchased, rip the side off and have a poke about! I have just finished my first build and can personally say, that with NO help what so ever, i found the hardest part to be the Power Supply. Everything else just dropped into place from common sense. Take your time building, and you will get through it a'okay.

6. Once your confident your done, check everything is sat correctly, everything that needs juice from your power supply is getting it and that none of the cables are loose, and then take a deep breath. With any hope, you'll have finished building your rig and can stand back and think "I just did that myself". And allow the grin to spread across your face upon first boot up when Vista asks for your Language settings. :D Again, any problems arise, ring someone or drop a thread on here, im sure theres someone that can help!

This is a very very basic guide, but from the little help i had, im sure it will give reassurance to someone in my position. Just take your time, and enjoy the fruits of your labour:

YOUR FIRST BUILD!!!!

we salute you! :respect: haha.

(all feedback appreciated, be kind =D)

Oh, and remember, if i helped you in any way, remember to click thanks :D
 
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Very good post! When I built my own pc I thought I had done everything perfectly. I was very lucky in that after assembley the pc POSTED without problems, considering it was my very first build and I was so nervous I nearly had sweat dripping off my hands onto everything! :eek:

Sure I was correct (imo) as far as the processor and motherboard choices were concerned because I easily oc the proc to 3.2Ghz on the zalman and achieve benchmarks close to the 8400. I keep it on 3.0Ghz for day to day with speedstep so that it is 2.0Ghz while I'm not gaming.

However I realised my mistake of the 8600GTS a couple of months later. It's a very weak card but at least I managed to get some bucks for it from my dad by putting it in my brother's pc! The 8800 series were very out of my budget in early 2007.

Now, some months later I realise that my PSU isn't that powerful were I to upgrade...

But wait a second... it's true that I was lucky in that my E4300 overclocks well and keeps cool but then I realised that I had bought one of the lowest end core 2's on the market....

I also feel sorry that the P5B which I have doesn't support sli because that'd be a future investment, but at least it supports the new 45nm processors which means I still got something to look forward to.

However the new 45nm procs have an FSB of 1333Mhz which would then mean that my poor P5B would be maxed out hence no more overclocking adventures for me....

Sigh, I sooo wish I could keep ahead of technology.

If only I was filthy rich I'd get all the highest stuff and pwn even k|ngp|n....... :D That'd be nice!
 
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MKmods

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I would put as rule #1 the comps purpose. You really need to set a guideline for what the comp is gonna be used for.
Surfing the internet
Gaming
Video Editing
etc..
Once you know what its gonna do you can look for info on the parts ur gonna need.
Than Budget
than shop for deals

Very good thread idea, it would be nice to have a guideline to help people new to building.
 
K

kyle2020

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thank you panther! and as you said, im sure that if we could all be rich we would all keep bang on time with technology, but where would the excitement of waiting for a new upgrade be? ;)

MK, thanks for the reply, and i really didnt think about purpose, very good point! when you say guideline, do you mean structure a plan on what to buy if your after a home use system, or a budget gaming setup? if so i could include some other aspects.

The feedback is greatly appreciated! :D
 

MKmods

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I think if you add specific hardware it becomes too complicated.

Better to stick with things like Purpose, Budget,shopping for deals, ask friends and so on

(oh yea a new Rule #1, get a good PS first, lol)
 
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I would put as rule #1 the comps purpose. You really need to set a guideline for what the comp is gonna be used for.
Surfing the internet
Gaming
Video Editing
etc..
Once you know what its gonna do you can look for info on the parts ur gonna need.
Than Budget
than shop for deals

Very good thread idea, it would be nice to have a guideline to help people new to building.

Exactly. Nothing pi$$es me off more than having someone buy a computer unsuitable for one's needs. I'm sorry for being so blunt and :mad::banghead::mad: but I'm really irritated from personal experience.... my mum bought a Qosmio G20 in '05....... just for the reason that from the UK it was half the price that it is in my country. In Malta the price was $3000 and in the UK it was half the price.

Now at that time that laptop had a good gaming video card, a tv tuner, 2 HDD's in raid 0, a powerful processor.... you name it and it got it. High end for 3 years ago. When she came from the UK I had to teach her how to switch it on :ohwell:, and for the last 3 years she did nothing except browse the internet and chat on msn with relatives and send a couple of emails... :banghead: What a waste.... :cry:

(And yeah I've been begging her to sell it to me and she keeps refusing :banghead: ) :ohwell:
 
K

kyle2020

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i see where you're coming from, thanks for the feedback haha.

Bad experience with PSU's then? :laugh:
 
K

kyle2020

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Exactly. Nothing pi$$es me off more than having someone buy a computer unsuitable for one's needs. I'm sorry for being so blunt and :mad::banghead::mad: but I'm really irritated from personal experience.... my mum bought a Qosmio G20 in '05....... just for the reason that from the UK it was half the price that it is in my country. In Malta the price was $3000 and in the UK it was half the price.

Now at that time that laptop had a good gaming video card, a tv tuner, 2 HDD's in raid 0, a powerful processor.... you name it and it got it. High end for 3 years ago. When she came from the UK I had to teach her how to switch it on :ohwell:, and for the last 3 years she did nothing except browse the internet and chat on msn with relatives and send a couple of emails... :banghead: What a waste.... :cry:

(And yeah I've been begging her to sell it to me and she keeps refusing :banghead: ) :ohwell:



i totally agree! it seems to be something either the older generations will do or people with more money than sense! :banghead: A neighbour of mine recently purchased 2 laptops, one for himself and for his wife, both of whom are in their 70's. The poor guy didnt even understand how to set windows up. I sat him down for about an hour and taught him the UTTER BASICS, such as turning on / off, how to use the internet, copy&pasting, etc. A month down the line hes taught himself and is now very PC savvy for his age ;)
 
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i see where you're coming from, thanks for the feedback haha.

Bad experience with PSU's then? :laugh:

Not exactly because my PSU in my system specs is still serving me well so far. However I admit that I got a bit worried that it wasn't a very reputable brand especially when I got my 8800GT. It is 550W but I wondered if my dual +12V rails of 16A and 18A were sufficient to deal with the 26A required on the +12V rail for the 8800GT..... Now I know that they can.... *sigh of relief!*
 

Jimmy 2004

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Nice guide, short but informative. Thread stickied :)
 
K

kyle2020

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Not exactly because my PSU in my system specs is still serving me well so far. However I admit that I got a bit worried that it wasn't a very reputable brand especially when I got my 8800GT. It is 550W but I wondered if my dual +12V rails of 16A and 18A were sufficient to deal with the 26A required on the +12V rail for the 8800GT..... Now I know that they can.... *sigh of relief!*

Thats good then! i had the same worry, i purchased a 700W PSU from a company called EZ-Cool, after a reccomendation from a friend, but i had personally never heard of them. 2 months down the line, it hasnt skipped a beat. fingers crossed! =D
 
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kyle2020

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:) np....and your ava makes me hungry...i feel like a fully loaded...

haha! please dont, im hungry enough as it is . . . urgh, i might have to go to KFC tomorrow now, thanks alot! haha.
 

JrRacinFan

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Great guide Kyle. You may need to add as a rule of thumb though. Most important parts are your motherboard and power supply to base off of. From those items you can then consider which video cards, which processor, which ram .... etc.
 
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kyle2020

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Great guide Kyle. You may need to add as a rule of thumb though. Most important parts are your motherboard and power supply to base off of. From those items you can then consider which video cards, which processor, which ram .... etc.

good suggestions Jr, im currently writing a more comprehensive guide so ill keep that in mind. cheers!
 

saadzaman126

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sick post im trying to build a pc my self... yes i am a newbie firstimer... so u can imagine:confused::confused::confused:
 
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kyle2020

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sick post im trying to build a pc my self... yes i am a newbie firstimer... so u can imagine:confused::confused::confused:

i can haha, i was in your position 2 or so months ago. stick at it, and dont get scared off by fancy names and numbers, its really simple once your into it ;) if you need any help, just message me and ill be happy to assist!
 

saadzaman126

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thanx a lot, and don't worry i definitly will take u up on that offer
 
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please check my rig and tell me if it´s a good machine for gaming.

(right now i´m playing assasin´s creed with everithing maxed)

thank´s pal!

:toast:
 
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