Building a new computer: First time questions

[Ender]

I've decided that i am going to take the time (and save soem money) by actually building a new computer myself, but this is going to be the first time i've ever done anything like this. I haven't even added a new HDD to my computer before, so i'm not sure if i should put the components at risk like this. Last time i took a computer apart (very old computer at college), it took ages to get working, and i wasn't entirely sure what leads went where and stuff like that, so do you have any guides i can use to be completely sure if i do decide to build my computer.

Other than actually plucking up the courage to build my own computer, i need to think about what components i want to use. I know nothing about what HDD's are the best to use, what memory i should use, the best motherboard to use, etc. I want a fairly high-spec computer, for about £600-700 (maybe more), and i want to know what everyone here would recommend i purchase for this. Information for what i want is below.

256-512MB DDR RAM (I want good Dynamic RAM, at the moment i'm on ordinary SDRAM, so i want something that will get this computer moving)
At least 3GHz Processor (AMD vs Intel is my current dilema, AMD is so much more powerful, but costs a lot more, so is it really worth it?)
Good Graphics Card
I dunno about Sound card, because spending lots of money on one isn't going to dramatically change the sound of things, right?
Very large HDD

I intend to use this computer for games, graphic design, media, etc, so i need some pretty high-spec stuff. Is all this going to be too expensive? I'll probably have more questions later on, but it's best to get these sorted out first.

[Lazgoat]

Hi Ender, do you intend on getting everything for £600, ie monitor, keyboard,speakers, mouse etc or is that just for a Tower?

You want 3Ghz Processor then you will have to go with Intel and pay more for the CPU. Whatever you do dont fall into the Celeron bear trap!
Personally I'd recommend going AMD, they are FAR FAR cheaper and you will get fantastic performance. If you do go AMD you have two options, good'ol Socket A or new A64.
As its your first build I'd opt for Socket A, it'll be cheaper to replace if things go wrong and will be good practice when you upgrade

Your shopping list could look like this:
Motherboard: Abit NF7-S v2 or DFI Lanparty (£60-90)
CPU: AMD XP-M2500 with SLK-900U cooler (£65+30)
RAM: 2x256MB TwinMos PC3200 DDR RAM (£60-80)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar JB 160GB IDE Drive(£60)
Optical Drive: 8X DVD RW (£50-60)
Graphics Card: Radeon 9800 Pro (£130)
Case: (£30)


Laz.

[Ender]

The one problem i had with going AMD is that the speed is almost halfed (if that's the way it works), since you won't get a 3GHz AMD processor, and eventually when games and stuff are going to need around 2GHz, i'm gonna need a new one. I dunno if i'm right about all this stuff, so correct me if i'm wrong. Also i'll probably go for a HDD that size for now, then go for the largest HDD i can find, like a 250GB one. Also i want a DVD Writer, so would i be able to watch DVD's and write them with the same drive, or am i going to need two?

[Pitch]

Look at it this way.

The AMD can get more done per cycle than the Intel, however, the Intel cycles more quickly than the AMD.

Nowadays MHz doesn't = MHz (makes sense??)

Bottom line is that a 2.2 GHz AMD will perfrom just as well as a 3GHz Intel. Both have thier advantages and disadvantages, but Laz was right in recommending a Socket A build.

Originally Posted by Lazgoat

Your shopping list could look like this:
Motherboard: Abit NF7-S v2 or DFI Lanparty (£60-90)
CPU: AMD XP-M2500 with SLK-900U cooler (£30)
RAM: 2x256MB TwinMos PC3200 DDR RAM (£60-80)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar JB 160GB IDE Drive(£60)
Optical Drive: 8X DVD RW (£50-60)
Graphics Card: Radeon 9800 Pro (£130)
Case: (£30)

I would agree with this mainly, the NF7 is a very good board and coupled with a 2500M, you will have a very nice overclock (if you plan to)

512 Ram is pretty much minium now, 256 just won't cut it.

For a HDD, I would personally stretch to a S-ATA drive.

The 9800Pro has the most bang for the buck at the moment. for ~£130, you will get a very good card.

Originally Posted by Ender

Also i want a DVD Writer, so would i be able to watch DVD's and write them with the same drive, or am i going to need two?

No.

[Ender]

I think i see where you're going, so an AMD processor will have the same kind of power as an Intel processor, even if the Intel processor has a higher speed? Also a few mmore questions, what's the difference between an IDE drive and a S-ATA drive? and which would be the best graphics card to go for, ATI or nVidia, because i hear mixed things.

[Pitch]

The ATI 9800pro is your best bet.

IDE HDD's have a max transfer rate of 133MB/s, SATA HDD's have a transfer rate of 150MB/S.

Also IDE drives tend to have a cache of 2MB, whereas SATA typically have a cache of 8MB. This can differ from manufacture to manufacture but the above specs are pretty much standard.

[sasrob]

i got all this from www.ebuyer.com i think it cost me around 800 pounds back in april
i had no problams getting this up and running!!!!!!

case-JNC 4JA H7650 Blue Type 3 ATX Midi Tower
qtec-450W twin fan gold
EP-8KRA2+ (400FSB)
amd3200xp
1gig kingstons hyperX ddr3200 (400MHz)
fx5950ultra
74gig wd74ogd10000rpm sata

[LP]

I am going to be tearing down a tower next week and building another one.
I'll take some pics and do a little "how to" and post it.

[mookydooky]

If you have apps that can take advantage of HT, then you might be better off on building an Intel system. Also, on a percentage basis, Intel will OC much higher.

A recommendation:

Mobo: 865PE board like Abit AI7, about $80
CPU: P4E 2.8Ghz, if you're lucky, you might be able to get as much as 3.7Ghz. About $175
CPU Cooler: Thermalright 948 or SP94 or XP-120 About $40-60
Memory: 2X 256MB Crucial 3200. About $85
HD: 2X SATA 80GB for RAID. About $120
DVD/CD: An 8X DVD Burner. About $80 Combo DVD-ROM and CD Burner. About $60
Video Card: ATI 9800. About $180
PSU: Antec TruePower 430. About $77
Case: One that suits your fancy. About $50

A couple additional comments about Intel systems. You can run memory at 5/4 async. The performance penalty is no where near as bad as in a AMD system. Since Intel FSB is quad pumped, there is less memory bottleneck. Although the Prescott runs hot, it can deal with it. People are running at 70C with no problems. If you want to go really high end, you can get better quality memory from Corsair or OCZ and run the memory sync with the CPU. You can also get WD Raptor drives and run them in RAID. It'll be loud though. You will probably want a larger size case with a couple of fans in them to keep everything as cool as possible.

[alexkerhead]

Nice Recommendations there Mooky....

[SteveI]

Intel vs. AMD..... Very subjective.

Both socket 478 and socket A are at the end of their productive lives.

2 of my main systems are:

P4 NW @3.2ghz and Barton @ 2.3ghz.

I have to admit, I can't say for sure which is better. Each is superior at certain things. The P4 has hyperthread and the wide memory bandwidth. The barton just seems to crunch through data a bit better.

Overall, since both are 'mature' technologies, I would tend to want to pay less and go for the barton... Much cheaper.

[alexkerhead]

The P4 3.2GHz does not compete with the Socket A barton, it competes with the a64s..
Well, at least in my eyes, cuz I have not seen a Socket a outperform a P4 with HT

[SteveI]

Originally Posted by alexkerhead

The P4 3.2GHz does not compete with the Socket A barton, it competes with the a64s..
Well, at least in my eyes, cuz I have not seen a Socket a outperform a P4 with HT

All things are relative... and subjective.

[Pitch]

They only compete in Price.

[Lazgoat]

Bearing in mind that this is your first build, I'd opt for the cheaper Socket A option. You wont be sacrificing any significant performance vs the Intel and you will gain valuable experience when you get to overclocking the XP-M2500+. If you decide to upgrade later on to say A64 or Intel you will only have to change the Mobo and CPU.
A decent XP-M2500+ from CPU City should get you to 2.4Ghz or more, and for £65 its a bargain compared to a PIV 2.8Ghz that costs £130.

just my £0.02 worth.

Laz.

[danrok]

I would say a XP-M2500+ with an NF7 motherboard would be good. The NF7 is quite an easy board to work with and the mobile type AMD CPUs give lots of power for the money.

[alexkerhead]

AHHHH!!!
Let him get somthing everyone else does NOT have..lol

[Pitch]

That set up is tried and tested. I guess if you are new to computers (Shame on you) then it helps to have the same build as others. That way, if you have a problem theres a very good chance someone else has had it and knows how to rectify it.

[alexkerhead]

But he will not be unique..
Oh well, that is what I strive to be..lol
I have a CPU many have, but not many did the tweaks i have..

[Pitch]

Make Intel proud