Topic: Like everyone else: Building My First PC

[Sandra]

 I stare at those screens all day. So I need the sharpest brightest images, coupled with sharp text, hence I run Dell badged Trinitons.

The main reason is that hes an old fart and is too tight to get a decent pair of glasses so that he can see an ordinary screen  

[Flanjeuk]

Thanks for that Dack, I feel a bit more confident now!

[Flanjeuk]

Thanks a lot Tony, I just won that Monitor on eBay, got it for £21 (+£12 P&P) Great deal, hope it's worth it  

That's one less thing I have to worry about now!

[Sandra]

Well as Tony says " Its cheaper than paying for an optician"  

[Tony]

Well as Tony says " Its cheaper than paying for an optician"  

 :bitch:  

Well done Flanje,

I'll tell you this I bought a brand new CTX 17" Shadow Mask supposebly flat screen CRT Executive Model. It was not as good as my 6 year old Dell Trinitons. So I sent it back and bought one of those you have just won. The sellers name is Damian, you'll have no problems there, just look at his feed back he has sold loads of that model of monitor.

Before I bought mine I actually emailed one guy who had been back three times to buy three of them. He turned out to be an ex TV engineer, so he knows a good monitor when he see's one, you will not be disappointed

[Dack]

Just thought I'd mention that the heatsink on the Athlon64 is quite a beast on initial viewing - just take your time in working out how it actually locks into place and you'll find it's very easy

BTW a good place to pick up graphics cards at a reasonable price is:
http://www.lowestonweb.com/Products/ProductList.asp?e=52E363C7-D0F7-4642-9DA2-0B185DE1E835

And for 16 shouldn't you be in bed by this time

[Flanjeuk]

This website seems to have everything cheaper than Ebuyer, do you think I should get it all from there instead?
Or is the website only good for graphics cards?

Thanks for the advice on the heatsink!

One more little question:
I've been looking at loads of cases, how do I know if my mobo will fit, and does the power supply make any difference - they all seem to be 300W or 350W?

[TR]

Well as Tony says " Its cheaper than paying for an optician"  

 :bitch:  

Well done Flanje,

I'll tell you this I bought a brand new CTX 17" Shadow Mask supposebly flat screen CRT Executive Model. It was not as good as my 6 year old Dell Trinitons. So I sent it back and bought one of those you have just won. The sellers name is Damian, you'll have no problems there, just look at his feed back he has sold loads of that model of monitor.

Before I bought mine I actually emailed one guy who had been back three times to buy three of them. He turned out to be an ex TV engineer, so he knows a good monitor when he see's one, you will not be disappointed

Commision  

[Tony]

Hooky My Boy,

you know we are all here to help if we can.......or take the p**s......

Flanje, well he appealed to my better nature, him being so young and all.

Now as for the Pendle Witch  

[Flanjeuk]

I just read somthing about the different Socket types on the AMD64 Processors, so i decided I will get the AMD64 3000+ 939 Socket version

Because it is supposed to be better, and all the newer AMD64 processors use it, so i will be able to easily upgrade, without replacing the mobo, I found this one which suites my needs, there is nothing else that does everything this does for the same money:

MSI MS-7025 K8N Neo2 Platinum Motherboard: £80

[Dack]

  This website seems to have everything cheaper than Ebuyer, do you think I should get it all from there instead?
Or is the website only good for graphics cards?

Thanks for the advice on the heatsink!

One more little question:
I've been looking at loads of cases, how do I know if my mobo will fit, and does the power supply make any difference - they all seem to be 300W or 350W?

Lowestonweb are better known as Evesham micros - some things good, some bad. Another place usually worth looking at is:
www.komplett.co.uk - their upgrade kits could save you a bit e.g. the Athlon 64 @ 3200, 512 Ram, Motherboard and heatsink would be £287 plus postage, you'd need the Drives, case, graphics card, Keyboard and mouse,  and CD/DVD drive to complete the system though.

What I usually do when building a machine is put a spreadsheet up of all the components I want and then put the costs for each supplier I intend looking at - including their postage charges as that can make a heck of a difference. I then populate it with all the parts and try and minimise the cost.

If you are looking at spending £400-£500 you should be able to get an Athlon 64 @3000 system with good graphics card very easily.

As to the socket Athlons 64s use there are 3 types 754, 939 and 940 - 754 is going to be lower end (and the Ebuyer one you specified earlier was 754) while the 939 seems to be the way the high end will progress. 940 would seem to be pretty much dead at the moment.

http://www.explosivelabs.com/reviews/s754roundup/
will give you a bit of a heads up as to the differences.

Not sure how much of a premium those extra pins will add - some manufacturers are now shipping an upgradable board that will handle both 754 and 939 processors.
e.g. http://www.asrock.com/product/product_K8Upgrade-760GX.htm

As to the power supply/case issue - usual rule is get the case with the biggest power supply you can (I usually get 350-400W these days). All normal motherboards should fit your case  (unless either of them are small form factor). All that differs is the mounting points and the layout of the connectors at the back of the case.

[Dack]

While out shopping today I came across a bit of an appropriate bargain in Staples.

Athlon 64 @3200
512 Ram
DVD Writer
200G hard drive
Geforce 5500 Graphics card 128M
XP Home
Few bits of software

Make is Acer and cost is £549 for the base unit. HOWEVER IIRC you get 10% discount if a student so that would make it £500 and give you full warranty. (If not a student then find a friendly one to buy it for you)

[Flanjeuk]

Yeah I'm in 6th form, doing VCE ICT! So I think that makes me a student!


Thank's but.... I think that £500 is a bit steep for that set up, I cud get a smaller HDD and save some money - I only need 80GB, I already have XP Home and who know's what mobo is hidden away in there!

[Flanjeuk]

I'm Back!

Finally ordered it all today:

AMD64 3500+ (Newcastle)
Corsair TwinX 1024MB (2x512DDR400)
Ebuyer Dracula Case with Side Window
80GB Barracuda HDD
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum S939
500W PSU
etc...

Can't wait to build it!!

[Simon]

Excellent news!!  Let's hope your avatar doesn't change to this:-  

But seriously, let us know how you get on, and be prepared for the worst, then hopefully it won't happen.