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Stray Dog Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 21

this is my first time posting here. i read through some of the threads and you guys seem very educated. im 14 and i would like to build my first pc and i have about $500 us to do it with(includeing moniter) if you guys could give me adivice or maybe donate some un-used drives or something it would help me out a lot . any advice on bargains or how to assemble the comp. would be deeply appreciated. thank you.

Butt Sniffer Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 1168 Location: USA

check www.pricewatch.com they often have good deals on stuff...

Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2003 11:01 pm Post subject:

do you have any parts yet or do you need everything?

Oh! welcome to the forums. Smile

Butt Sniffer Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 1168 Location: USA

btw random... i dunno if i've told you, but i chuckle every time i see your sig...

Oh, and try www.newegg.comtoo they got deals at times also...

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 12:17 am Post subject:

I cringe saying this, but with your budget, you would be better off getting an eMachine. The T2341 dosen't look too bad for $399.99. It has an AMD 2300+ (never heared of that model, its an AMD special only offerered in eMachines according to this. Bunch of onboard crap, but it does have an AGP slot so you can toss in a nice video card further down the road when you have more money (I suggest mowing yards, its a great way of making money when you are too young to have an actual job). This computer only has 128mb of DDR RAM, so it's going to run slower than snot with Windows XP, I'd budget an extra $35.99 for some extra RAM. Toss in a HP 17" monitor for $100 after rebate. And you're set.

So lets review:

Computer - $399.99
RAM - $35.99
Monitor - $100
---------------
Total - $535.98

Not too bad for a complete system that is upgradeable.

However, if you are set on building a computer. Here's what I'd reccomend. Lets start with the basics. You'll need a case, here's a decent looking one with a 350watt power supply for $25 + $12 shipping. Next up, a motherboard, the MSI K7N2G-L is a pretty schpankity (lets do my best to harrass Steve) looking board that is available for $99.99 + $5 shipping. It utilizes the nForce2 chipset and has terrific onboard Sound, Lan, and Video. Well, decent Video anyways, it uses the Geforce4 MX for graphics, so it certaintly better than the crap on that eMachine. A benefit about this board is the fact that it has an AGP 8X slot, so you would be able to upgrade to the latest and greatest video card in the future, but for now, the onboard graphics are good enough, and they will handle most games fairly well. Now you need a CPU, the XP 2500+ Barton is my processor of choice right now, for $90 + $0 shipping it's cheap, and it overclocks fairly well. Seeing as how this is a retail package, you don't need to worry about buying a fan for it as well, which is a benefit for a beginner. Now we need to stick some ram in this thing, ideally you would want at least pc2700 because your processor runs at a 333mhz fsb, and since you are more than likely going to be Windows XP which is a pig when it comes to using memory, and finally you are going to be using onboard graphics, 512mb of memory is probably not a bad idea. So with this in mind, Corsair has something that will meet your needs for $72 + $0 shipping. And now for hard drive, a Western Digital 40gb 7200rpm for $58 + $0 shipping isn't too shabby. And now for an optical drive, I'd recommend a CDRW seeing as the HD is only a 40gb one, that way you can back stuff up, you could get a DVD drive if you want, but I still think it is much nicer to watch a movie in the comfort of the living room while on the couch. So, this 52x32x52x LiteOn for $43.99 + $0 shipping is the best CDRW on the market while still being cheap. And now for Mr. Floppy, god knows you'll probably never use it, but the one time you don't include it in a system build is the time that you'll end up needing it. Your standard floppy for $7 + $5 shipping.

And thats everything you would need to build a functional computer. So lets Review:

Case - $25 + $12 = $ 37
Motherboard - $99.99 + $5 = $104.99
CPU - $90 + $0 = $90
RAM - $72 + $0 = $72
Hard Drive - $58 + $0 = $58
CDRW - $43.99 + $0 = $43.99
Floppy - $7 + $5 = $12
--------------------------------------------
Total = $417.98

Now assuming that you don't have an install disc to an operating system on hand, you can add $93 + $4 shipping for XP Home.

You still need a monitor for this, so once again, the HP 17" monitor for $100 after rebate comes into play.

So if you want to build the computer and don't have an operating system it will cost you $417.98 for the computer $97 for the operating system and $100 for the monitor. The grand total would be $614.98. However, if you do have an operating system at your disposal, it would only be $517.98.

So, you have two options at your disposal here, do what you wish. I was actually surprised at how close the custom job was in price to the eMachine, I was expecting it to be at least $700. If you have an operating system on hand, it would actually be cheaper than the eMachine, and still be a much better computer. Hope this helps.

Big Dog Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 3448 Location: KERNOW

Both of my PCs were built for under £400 ('bout $650) but neither of those had monitors.

For certain, you want an AMD system, they are much cheaper than Intel, and offer similar/better performance. Don't worry about fancy cases/colour-coded hardware at this stage, get the cheapest case/mouse/keyboard possible and upgrade at a later date (Xmas/Birthday).

This is what I reckon (feel free to ammend/suggest other stuff, Dogs)

ECS K7S5A Pro $47.00
Athlon XP 2200 $68.00
HSF for above $10.00
Crucial Micron 512MB PC2100 $67.99
WD 40Gig 7200RPM $58.00
ATI OEM RADEON 7000 64MB DDR $40.00
Cheap-as-hell Speakers $03.00
Cheap-as-hell Keyboard $03.00
Cheap-as-hell Mouse $02.00
Floppy $06.00
CD-RW $50.00

That comes to $355.99, but that doesn't include delivery or a monitor, or an operating system.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 6:30 am Post subject:

I just picked up a working fdd at a boot sale for 50p Smile

After not having one for a good 6 months.

Stray Dog Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 21

thanks for the help on where to buy bargains and what a good system would be. i do need to buy an OS so ill have to work an extra week or two but what must be done must be done. well now that i have a check list for the comp anyone got some actual tips or know of a free online guide on how to actually assemble the computer? the biggest thing ive ever done was replace a cd-rw drive. so i reall need some help on the actual construction part. thank a lot for all the tips you guys gave though. Very Happy

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 10:08 am Post subject:

I would d/l Mandrake 9.1 and install it, then if you like it, you dont have to buy Windows Smile

Stray Dog Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 21

does mandrake 9.1 have a windows like interface? does it support games like mohaa and bf1942 and neverwinter nights? Question

Big Dog Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 3448 Location: KERNOW

Is Linux the best thing to get a beginner started on? Hmmm, I don't think so.

I'm not a Linux person, so I don't know muh about it i'm trying to get into it, but for a first PC, your best bet is to buy a copy of Win98se off a mate for a fiver or something, Windows 98 may be old but it is reasonably stable and will run really quickly on a new PC, and nearly everything will run in it.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:02 am Post subject:

TeTra The Pirate wrote:
does mandrake 9.1 have a windows like interface? does it support games like mohaa and bf1942 and neverwinter nights?

Yeah, it has a windows like interface, but no it dosen't run games. The only game I know of that runs under both linux and windows is Unreal Tournament 2003.

Stray Dog Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 21

all the tips on what to get are very helpfull now a need a guide or something that illastrates how to put the whole together. im really scared about installin the cpu my friend said when he installed the fan on his he accidently chipped it and powered oin the comp and fryed the whole mother board Confused

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2003 12:41 pm Post subject:

If you don't connect the power cord to the computer during construction, you won't accidently power on. wait until you have everything connected befor connecting the power cord. Make sure motherboard is properly grounded to the case.

Stray Dog Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Posts: 21

my friend ment to power up the computer for the first time and he fryed his motherboard

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TeTra The Pirate wrote: