can someone tell me the best way to build a desktop never done it before

[dreaderus]

i need some help.

which sites should i buy form? (i would like to buy from all sites)

I have never "built" a computer before but am not an idiot, i could do it but is there any major advantage disadvantage?

should i consider a pre-built computer? with everything in it? some of these deals we are seeing it seems like a good idea to just start ordering the parts.

Can someone break down "what I need" exactly. I have a ati 1800 256k card so i think thats gtg there.

what else?

thanks guys

[goofball]

You need to order a pre-built, or talk to someone who will build it for you.

If you have to ask what you "need", you're probably better off letting someone else build it for you. Find a friend who knows how to do this, and ask him if they would do this together with you so you can learn.

[ImprezaSTi]

I would rather build my own computer. You pay the same price or less and you get the parts you want. IMO, I would rather buy parts at a retail store because if anything goes wrong (especially computers and electronics), you can easily return the product to the retail store.

Which stores you should go to depends on where you live.

[Sash[DSL]]

I would rather build my own computer. You pay the same price or less and you get the parts you want. IMO, I would rather buy parts at a retail store because if anything goes wrong (especially computers and electronics), you can easily return the product to the retail store.

Which stores you should go to depends on where you live.

for that exact reason it is much better to buy a pre-built PC. If something goes wrong you font have to figure out what happened and how to fix it, just return the whole thing.

To the OP: unless you're up to invest tons of time/money into learning how to build PCs on your own don't bother. I learned the skill in my time thinking it would save me money but in the long run screw-ups(which are inevitable when u're learning) offset any possible gains and if I was to account for time spent, I would probably be in negatives as far as value goes.
There was a time when all dell PCs were Intel and if you wanted a fancy case with lighting and watercooling and soundproofing you had to do it all yourself. Believe, PCs manufacturers really caught onto demands of customers in recent years and usually you can't get much more value out of a hand-built PC than a pre-built one with all the sales and clearances going on. Only if you REALLY indulge into deal-hunting and skimping out on parts like PSU, cooling and case.

[Deals Deals Deals]

The prices of computers just keeps dropping.

[Riffer]

First, I don't know if this is the best forum to post this question.

Second - are you comfortable with swapping components in and out of your current computer? Have you wiped your hard drive and reloaded the operating system? Have you added a hard drive?

If so, you might be a candidate for building your own computer.

[board123]

i need some help.

which sites should i buy form? (i would like to buy from all sites)

I have never "built" a computer before but am not an idiot, i could do it but is there any major advantage disadvantage?

should i consider a pre-built computer? with everything in it? some of these deals we are seeing it seems like a good idea to just start ordering the parts.

Can someone break down "what I need" exactly. I have a ati 1800 256k card so i think thats gtg there.

what else?

thanks guys
The impression I get from your post is that you simply aren't knowledgeable enough, at this point, to go and build your own computer. You don't need to know every little detail about computers but you do need some basic knowledge, which I don't think you have.

Computer forums are good places to start learning. Just read other people's posts.

[Keas]

well basically you have to ask how comfortable you are even exchanging parts in your machine. like someone asked have you ever changed anythign such as a hard drive or video card? the hardest parts are the cpu and mb with the psu being 3rd only for the ammount of cables you have to get to places that can be difficult to get too.

if you are comfortable enough inside your current comp or you can take the time to take it apart and put it together again and see how well you do and your willing to read up on computer forums for help and advice on the best proceedures then you can do it.

as for buying everythign from a retail store you might as well buy premade. the cost will be twice as high as it would be from custom computer stores that sell mostly oem parts and if you screw up you will be in the same shape. retail stores have about the same policy for eternal parts but charge alot more and ussually not as good as warantees.

most people that end up building thier own machine started by first upgrading parts here and there and basically took the jump when they felt comfortable inside the computer. so that is the main question - how comfortable are you?

[dreaderus]

The impression I get from your post is that you simply aren't knowledgeable enough, at this point, to go and build your own computer. You don't need to know every little detail about computers but you do need some basic knowledge, which I don't think you have.

Computer forums are good places to start learning. Just read other people's posts.

lols thats quite a bit of assumption on your part.

Cheers

Dreaderus

[matkun]

lols thats quite a bit of assumption on your part.

It does seem to be valid.. Really, if you haven't exchanged parts in your computer often and are completely comfortable doing that, then I would say your chances of destroying the cpu while mounting it are quite high. Not to even mention hooking everything up correctly, and troubleshooting.

I've built about 10 machines now from scratch, and still occasionally I hook cables up incorrectly or forget to do something and need to troubleshoot when the PC doesn't start up.

[vrus]

ti's best to research every single piece of hardware you're going to be using, esp low/mid range system because there can be quite a few incompatibility issues confilcting between hardware. When I built my machine, I saw people on the net with the exact same specs and hardware having problems. I just happened to get lucky :) . As long as you've done a little tinkering and upgrading here and there you should be fine.

[anabeces]

just buy the parts and then take it to a local computer shop to get them to put it together for you the 1st time. the important thing is to find a shop that willl let you watch them as they work. i did this once to learn how to put it together and how to install winxp and since then i troubleshoot everything computer related myself.

[DuDe1411]

read customer reviews. there's nothing better than customer reviews for each and every product. if you see too many negative comment, it's most likely it suck.

first you need to know what you want so, write down what is your min criteria for your new computer. a Budget is always important.

once you have a list. look for price. have them all priced individually. whichever store you feel confortable buying from. it doesnt matter if it's from 20 different store.

you have price for all your components. you can go to a store and get a quota from them and see if it's any cheaper to what you have.

[akito925]

learn by taking a part your old computer, and piece it back together again. this way if you break something, you will know better to be very carful with a new one.

[ppl4golf]

I like building from scratch...my personna would not allow any bloated crap from OEM on my computers :~)

But for most, it is probably better to get an HP of something Dell when they have fire sale.

I currently have 3 AM2 systems to switch parts around, I can say I minimized my chance for incompatibility but there are some mobos that are duds out there.

Take it as a hobby...self-built is often not cheaper...certainly a lot more fun.

[sxz]

Don't let previous posters discourage you! It's not that difficult, as some people make it sound, to build a computer now-a-days. The most important aspect is to research, research, research. If you don't think you would enjoy reading up on all the different parts of a computer and how it all comes together as well as the potential problems you could run into, you would probably be better off getting a prebuilt one from a respectable company (note respectable, so no MDG). Building your own computer is less of a money-saving thing as it is more of a hobby and something which you enjoy doing.

It's a very rewarding experience if you build your first computer and get it up and running, trust me. Just be prepared to spend about twice as much time debugging/solving problems that arise than actually putting it together. Good luck!

To get you started here's a pretty good (albeit old and a bit outdated) guide: http://www.mysuperpc.com/ Good for reference!

Edit: here's the actual step by step guide: http://www.mysuperpc.com/build/pc_parts_list.shtml

[googoo]

"I've built about 10 machines now from scratch, and still occasionally I hook cables up incorrectly or forget to do something and need to troubleshoot when the PC doesn't start up."

I've replaced CPUs on my computer 6 times now, and it wasn't until the last time that I forgot to lift the lever for the ZIF socket .... man did I feellike a noobie when I tried tol install the fan!

bRENT

[abu_sme]

If you are really that concerned I would recommend buying a "bare-bones" PC. I has the motherboard and CPU in place and already in a case. After that is in place the rest is really easy. I have never built a computer from the ground up, but I have done it from bare-bones and for a first timer I would recommend it.

[rabbit]

Second - are you comfortable with swapping components in and out of your current computer? Have you wiped your hard drive and reloaded the operating system? Have you added a hard drive?

If so, you might be a candidate for building your own computer.


Ditto to this.

Building your own guarantees that you get all the extra screws and cables that come with the components :).

[Spor 13]

Building a computer isn't that hard...planning it is the harder part...for me anyways. Once you choose a CPU and a compatible motherboard, just goto the product site for it and keep it open. Then choose all your components making sure that the mobo will support all the options that you want (RAM, SATA, front panel connections, onboard sound/video etc etc). Of course at first, you may not know which mobo's are good and reliable, just make it easy for yourself and stick to Asus.

As for building a computer, if you're not totally sure how to install the CPU and heatsink, just take a look at the instructions. The retail packages explain it and you can even reference the motherboard manual. After that, its kinda intuitive. Components usually only fit in one type of connector. So, if you're trying to install something and it just won't go in, it's prolly not meant for that connector. I find learning by trial and error works good....just be patient.

Why not just take a day and take apart your current computer, like everything...unscrew the mobo and take it out of the case and see how the risers are put in...then put it all back together and if it doesn't work the way it should after (aside from toasting the mobo or cpu)...then you also get a lesson in troubleshooting :)

Alternatively, if you know a friend that knows how to build computers, ask him/her to plan out all the components to whatever you want. Then when you decide to put it together, just have your friend watch over whatever you do and give you some tips.

[ppl4golf]

"I've built about 10 machines now from scratch, and still occasionally I hook cables up incorrectly or forget to do something and need to troubleshoot when the PC doesn't start up."

I've replaced CPUs on my computer 6 times now, and it wasn't until the last time that I forgot to lift the lever for the ZIF socket .... man did I feellike a noobie when I tried tol install the fan!

bRENT

That's it...putting in the CPU is nothing, most HSF go in pretty easy.
It is taking off the HSF that's the difficult part :~) That's when accidents can happen.
The part I hate the most is to connect the little wires for audio and front panel controls, but you can't break anything there. Never reverse USB and Firewire. Cable management requires some thinking.
The most tedious part then is installing Windows/drivers/softwares etc.

[Keas]

I like building from scratch...my personna would not allow any bloated crap from OEM on my computers :~)

But for most, it is probably better to get an HP of something Dell when they have fire sale.



not sure exactly what you mean by oem unless you think dell and hp and alike are oem. oem is the best way to go when building a computer.

retail purchases for build it yourself
cpu (better warantee than oem and less chance of them screwing you)
mb
psu (oem power supplies are ussually crap.
Video card (can also be oem since they reduced warantee)
soundcard (also can go oem if you dont want platinum series or use onboard)
Oem products best to buy oem for newest models and lower prices.
Hard drive (cheaper,faster,bigger and ussually longer warantee than same drive retail)
Sound card (just as good as the card marked gamer or whatever -ussually creative labs)
dvd burner (half the cost if not more and ussually newest models)
Operating system
Windows xp or Vista - oem without bloat at lower than what alot of upgrades cost.

Oem is the way to go. big name brand computers are what bloats a comp not oem.

[ppl4golf]

I meant to say what was installed on the hard disk by Dell/HP or the like.
PS - Do you play golf ??


not sure exactly what you mean by oem unless you think dell and hp and alike are oem. oem is the best way to go when building a computer.

retail purchases for build it yourself
cpu (better warantee than oem and less chance of them screwing you)
mb
psu (oem power supplies are ussually crap.
Video card (can also be oem since they reduced warantee)
soundcard (also can go oem if you dont want platinum series or use onboard)
Oem products best to buy oem for newest models and lower prices.
Hard drive (cheaper,faster,bigger and ussually longer warantee than same drive retail)
Sound card (just as good as the card marked gamer or whatever -ussually creative sound)
dvd burner (half the cost if not more and ussually newest models)
Operating system
Windows xp or Vista - oem without bloat at lower than what alot of upgrades cost.

Oem is the way to go. big name brand computers are what bloats a comp not oem.

[jcoltage]

just buy the parts and then take it to a local computer shop to get them to put it together for you the 1st time. the important thing is to find a shop that willl let you watch them as they work. i did this once to learn how to put it together and how to install winxp and since then i troubleshoot everything computer related myself.

The important fact is that this shop not be MDG cause then you are just fu*ked LOL:D

[Keas]

I meant to say what was installed on the hard disk by Dell/HP or the like.
PS - Do you play golf ??

was that for me about golf?

i did but havent in years since i lived in southern california. i suck at it though ;P

[ItemFinder]

1. Buy all your parts
2. Host an RFD barbecue
3. Build your computer as a community

Problem solved.

[Bazooka Joe]

Even buying parts can sometimes be tricky, especially different parts from different stores. There are many different types of incompatible ram, motherboards, processors, video cards, and even hard drives and optical drives.

Spend a TON of research figuring out what all the standards are for all the different equipment, then you'll be well on your way.

However, learning to put together computers is very trial-and-error process. It helps to have a few boxes of old parts kicking around for when things go wrong (which they will). You will destroy components, it just happens (RIP brand spanking new TI4200, RIP).

If you want to learn the physical assembly, I'd suggest picking up a couple of old computers from a second hand store (should be able to get them for $50 each) and try mixing and matching components. Install a few operating systems on them. Get to know beep codes. Learn how to test ram.

There's so much to it that it's tough to describe to someone over the internet where to begin, but this should be a decent start.

Edit: Find out what risers are and don't forget to use them... yes, I've fried a mobo by not using risers.

[ppl4golf]

was that for me about golf?

i did but havent in years since i lived in southern california. i suck at it though ;P

I just wonder if you have heard of the perennial debate about Component vs OEM in golf clubs :-)

OEM as in big brand name like callaway, Titleist, Ping, etc...
Components as in clubhead, shaft, grips purchased separately to be assembled.

That's why I equated OEM as prebuilt with a name.

[Keas]

ok ;)

as for oem - in years back (2000 and before) oem had a bad rep for parts that werent as good as the retail stuff and yea some of the major brands were called oem. oem is also known as whitebox becuase basically you dont get a pretty box ussually with the cool pictures all over it and software that people never use.
Also specifically video cards were made of cheaper stuff than thier branded namesakes. ussually lower speeds and memory so it was a buyer beware. soundcards also tended to be made of lower quality parts.

when people started to get into building thier own, modding and overclocking the oem parts became better or just as good depending on what kind of item it was. Hard drives in particular were a must a to buy oem if you wanted the newest,fastest thing out there.

Now there is something else besides oem that people should be aware of. generic parts, ussually the most often generic item nowadays is memory which can be have the brand names of samsung and infinity and others that i forget. you can tell generic ussually by a short warantee and if you buy it it will come in a static bag instead of a small case that most non generic companies use. in the past generic was great to use especially the samsung but since dual channel came out and the major brands offering value ram it isnt worth it since you really dont know what your buying unless your building a very cheap system as a secondary.
Computer cases also have alot of generics around but those can be anywhere from great to bleeding bad.

anyway i wrote that for the guy who is building for the first time and might want to know more about oem and generic parts.