Computer building

Aight, so my sister's computer broke down recently and she took my laptop for herself. My parents didn't care enough to tell her to get it back, so they told me that they wouldn't buy me a computer unless i decided i could build it from the different parts. I have absolutely no idea what is in a computer or what parts you need to build one. So, I was just wondering if anyone could sort of teach me through the important things of a computer and what parts I should buy to build a decently fast computer that can play the more recent games.

I also wanted to know if buying Vista now would be a good idea or just getting Windows XP Pro for the new computer. I have a couple Home edition cds around and after reading that thing about multiple activationa dns tuff, am sort of afraid of using them.

Oh ya, I have a budget of around 1000 bucks so anything around there or even below it would be awesome. Thanks much.

I have a couple of dell computers lying around, so i could use their cd drives and such. I also have a monitors, speakers, mouses, and keyboards, so those are unnecessary.

I also happen to have a store bought Windows XP Home Edition.

[Talon87]

If you're going to go through with this, my number one advice is WATCH OUT FOR STATIC. When I put together my Linux Box in the summer of 2006 (using really junk parts from two computers I got for free), I noobishly put my fingers all over the "teeth" of one of the ram sticks. My friend saw me do this and, even though it was already too late, cried out and said "Put it down!" So I put it down, right onto my carpeted floor. Two huge mistakes, one dead stick of 16 MB ram, and one lesson learned the hard way.

So I pass it along to you ... do not touch ANY of the electrical components if you don't know for certain that you are grounded relative to them. (And even then, it's a good idea to still not touch them and to just touch the sides of the cards, the plastic encasings, etc. etc.) Assemble your computer not on a carpeted floor but (if possible) on some sort of cloth which is not staticky or (if possible) at a clean worker's bench with no dust or anything that could conduct electricity if it were to fall onto the components (cat hair, dog hair, etc).

Dami knows it best, but here is what I would say you need, given that I just built one myself ...

What you need just to have a tower that is operational:
- a hard drive
- a CPU
- a motherboard
- a stick of RAM
- a graphics card if there is none onboard
- an audio card if there is none onboard (~0% odds, it will be onboard ¬¬)
- a CD-ROM drive (for installing drivers and other software that may be included with your hardware)
- a power supply (if none comes with your case)
- a case with enough bays to accomplish your needs

What you'll also need to actually get anything out of the tower:
- a keyboard
- a mouse
- a monitor
- speakers (offers audio feedback, very useful if having monitor troubles)

If you have multiple computers lying around and your budget is capped at $1000, it might be advisable to just pay for a new motherboard, CPU, and set of RAM while importing everything else (CD drive, graphics, audio, PSU, case, everything else) from another machine. If you're sad that the machine's hard drive is really tiny, so what, you can upgrade to a larger size in a few months if you get money for your birthday or Christmas with which to buy a larger hard drive.

Someone recommended these specs for me with my budget.

Core2Duo CPU, $183: E6550, 2.33ghz, 1333mhz FSB, 4MB cache (available 7/22)

G33 based Mobo, $100: MSI G33M-FI, 6 ch audio, firewire, eSATA http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... e=10005976

2GB DDR2-800 RAM, $99: OCZ Gold Gamer eXtreme 2GB kit ($30 rebate) http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... Code=85236

DX-10 Graphics, $169: EVGA geForce 8600 GTS ($15 rebate) http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... ode=321211

320GB Hard Drive, $80: Western Digital WD3200KS 320GB SATA, 16MB buffer http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... =101253-12

20X DVD-RW, $37: Liteon 20x DVD-RW w/software
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... ode=175518

500W Power Supply, $40: Coolermaster eXtreme Power 550W
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... e=10005495

Case, $45: Coolermaster Elite 330
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe ... ode=141815

whoa, and thanks for the specs too dami.

hmm. Now I have sort of an idea on what items I need to buy.

Ok, so to sort of finalize the final draft, which processor should I use. I'm leaning towards the AMD one, but I'm not very familiar with comparing CPU's and motherboards, so a more expert approach would be extremely helpful.

Also, what parts of the old computers can I make use of again?

Wow, thanks for all the support Dami. I may actually be able to do this now!

Ok, so my final questions are:

What difference does FSB make in a Processor?

Should I buy Vista now or just use my XP OEM?

[Talon87]

Which would you say is better: upgrading from Windows XP Pro to Vista Pro or wiping a Windows XP Pro system clean and doing a fresh install of Vista and re-installing all previous data, apps, codecs, etc.? I can purchase Windows Vista this year from Purdue, but I was planning on keeping XP for four years until reading your DirectX comment. I am not much of a gamer and have not built a gaming machine (just something which can handle H-games and similar visual novels and homebrew PC games in Japan), but if those games require DirectX 10 to run, then I'll be in a pickle, won't I? So ... what do you know about the requirement of DirectX 10 for any particular platform?

[Talon87]

Thanks for the answers. (By the way, correct me if I am wrong, but I am interpreting your answer to #1 to mean that a Vista-compliant system is by NO MEANS a DirectX 10-capable system. a.k.a. my family's Dell which is running Vista and we purchased for $1500 in February 2007 is very likely not equipped with a graphics card of any particular merit)

The GPU is pretty decent. I like how it interprets and outputs data compared to the onboard nVidia I had (subtle but very nice differences), and I finally got DVI Port 1 to work (and am currently plugged into it), so I'll probably keep it and upgrade to a better graphics card later. IF I am going to be in the neighborhood of Fischers, Indiana (which is where our Fry's is located), then I might run in to try and exchange it, but otherwise, I think I'm happy.

Actually, after some more investigation, Intel is having a price drop in their CPU's and releasing new 1333mhz FSB series. I am currently eyeing the Intel Core2duo E6750, which for only $186, gets me a 2.66ghz, 4mb cache, and 1333mhz FSB. Also, anandtech had some charts comparing the processors and it seemed to be running very nicely for its price. I might wait a week to get this thing.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/in ... =3038&p=15