Jump to content

Building a new PC one piece at a time


Jumjalum

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

After having ditched my plans to spend a fortune on an all-singing, all-dancing Alienware behemoth I'm now planning on taking the cheaper route and building a new PC in installments. My plan is hopefully to buy a case and power supply, a good new mobo, a nice video card and a decent TFT screen and then shove all my old components into the box until I can afford new ones. I don't have a lot of experience in building PCs though...is this kind of thing going to work or will it just be a headache? I think everything I have other than my vid card (it's AGP) should be easily migrated...if they can't then my plan is screwed and I'll have to spend the next half a year saving money. Are there any online guides for this kind of thing?

We now bring you live footage from the World Championship Staring Final.

 

staringcontest8og.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Putting together a computer by yourself is no more complicated than building LEGO, easier even. All you need is a screwdriver.

 

 

What you need to buy in one go is the "core" of your system, the motherboard, CPU and Graphics card(since your old one is AGP). RAM can usually be migrated so thats not an issue.

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am in the process of upgrading my system myself. I have an AGP GPU, DDR RAM and a Socket A CPU. My new system is going to be PCI-E for the GPU, DDR2 RAM and SOcket 775 (Intel) for the CPU. That means nothing is migratable! I have to buy all the internal stuff at once, or I'll have either loose parts lying around for ages, or a nonfunctioning computer until I get the last part. It sucks.

 

At least I can keep my Antec P180 case and my Cooltek 600W PSU.

Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There aren't any socket 775 motherboards with DDR1 slots?

"My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian tourist
I am Dan Quayle of the Romans.
I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.
Heja Sverige!!
Everyone should cuffawkle more.
The wrench is your friend. :bat:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There aren't any socket 775 motherboards with DDR1 slots?

 

There are - but none that support Core 2 Duo (the main reason for an upgrade today)

 

Main parts that can be migrated from an older system to a bleeding-edge rig (Core 2 Duo, Intel 965X/975X chipset) today are:

Case

Power Supply (if you have the 20+4 main power connector)

CPU (if you have a LGA 775 "Socket T" CPU)

Graphics Card (if you have PCI-E VGA)

DVD/CD ROM/RW

HDD

FDD

 

I've been shopping for a new PC to build for the past few months ... the price has been pretty steady since Core 2 Duo was released ... my new rig's specs: Mobo: 975X, CPU: C2D 6700, VGA: X1900XT (I'm waiting until DX10 comes out to see what 2-card options are available then), RAM: 2GB DDR2, HDD: 2x WD Caviar RE 250 GB (for a RAID-0), 16X DVD D/W ... current price: about $1700-1800 (with a new case and power supply)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

clickie

 

AMD has been showing off its 65nm wafers for a few months now, which means the Rev G core is on its way. Even if the DDR2 memory controller which arrived with the Rev F only had a small performance benefit, Rev G has a few more improvements than just the die shrink. The latter will enable higher clock speeds and a lower price, plus allow AMD to compete on an equal playing field to Intel, which has been manufacturing 65nm processors since the Pentium XE 955 at the end of 2005. Spyshots of the new processor revision also show it has some extra Level 2 circuitry, which allegedly includes redesigned branch predictors and prefetchers

OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS

ingsoc.gif

OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Building your own PC is fun...unless you get a friend motherboard and have to wait until another one is sent to you. But when everything works, you get a real sense of accomplishment...and a much cheaper rig.

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

 

- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

 

"I have also been slowly coming to the realisation that knowledge and happiness are not necessarily coincident, and quite often mutually exclusive" - meta

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember reading on Tom's hardware guide that you could salvage ram and CPU in most cases, but you really want a PCI express system with the latest frills, not some AGP combover that doesen't have DDR2

 

Thats my problem too, unless I choose some outlandish intel mobo with integrated graphics I can't make the transition. Sucks big time.

Na na  na na  na na  ...

greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER.

That is all.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... unless I choose some outlandish intel mobo with integrated graphics I can't make the transition. Sucks big time.

You're better off going with a mid-range mobo and low-mid (i.e.: $100) new VGA rather than integrated graphics.

 

Shop around - you can find pretty good deals online on ATI X### or nVidia 6### cards which are generally "good enough" for now (and a significant improvement over integrated graphics).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm thinking i'll make a clean brake after I extend the shelf life of my box with a year or so with one last AGP card. It's still going to be servicable if not impressive for a long time, so I can always use the old box for LAN battling.

Edited by Gorgon

Na na  na na  na na  ...

greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER.

That is all.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots of overclocking features, lots of onboard goodies, good performance. That's what I look for in a motherboard, and which is why I chose the Abit AW9-MAX, even though it was ridiculously expensive.

Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What makes a "good" mobo?

One that lets the components work to their potential ... all the "top end" Core 2 Duo compatible motherboards haven't got all the components together yet (Northbridge, Southbridge, etc).

 

They'll get it together shortly ... hopefully the new Quad Core will be able to use the same mobos, too, because I think I'll wait for them ... :ermm:)

OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS

ingsoc.gif

OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only need a new motherboard, CPU and case to finish my new system. Just got a BFG PSU 650 watt put into my system. It dropped my video card temp by 10 degrees celius. I guess the 250 watt just wasn't meant for a X1900 series card for some odd reason.

Murphy's Law of Computer Gaming: The listed minimum specifications written on the box by the publisher are not the minimum specifications of the game set by the developer.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ - "Because you're a bizzare strange deranged human?"

Walsingham- "Sand - always rushing around, stirring up apathy."

Joseph Bulock - "Another headache, courtesy of Sand"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, hence the needed power supply upgrade. :lol:

Murphy's Law of Computer Gaming: The listed minimum specifications written on the box by the publisher are not the minimum specifications of the game set by the developer.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ - "Because you're a bizzare strange deranged human?"

Walsingham- "Sand - always rushing around, stirring up apathy."

Joseph Bulock - "Another headache, courtesy of Sand"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, my mistake. It was a 300. Still needed that upgrade though.

Murphy's Law of Computer Gaming: The listed minimum specifications written on the box by the publisher are not the minimum specifications of the game set by the developer.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ - "Because you're a bizzare strange deranged human?"

Walsingham- "Sand - always rushing around, stirring up apathy."

Joseph Bulock - "Another headache, courtesy of Sand"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, and you need to check the specific performance of the PSU aswell. You need one that can push around +20Ampere at 12volts to be able to run GFX's reliably

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are - but none that support Core 2 Duo (the main reason for an upgrade today)

 

I wish I had held out like one more month to upgrade mine. Spent 800 bucks on an upgrade only to have the Core 2 Duos come out a month later, making my upgrades obsolete.

The area between the balls and the butt is a hotbed of terrorist activity.

Devastatorsig.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, and you need to check the specific performance of the PSU aswell. You need one that can push around +20Ampere at 12volts to be able to run GFX's reliably

 

I believe the BFG PSU does so. It is also dual rails, whatever that means.

Murphy's Law of Computer Gaming: The listed minimum specifications written on the box by the publisher are not the minimum specifications of the game set by the developer.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ - "Because you're a bizzare strange deranged human?"

Walsingham- "Sand - always rushing around, stirring up apathy."

Joseph Bulock - "Another headache, courtesy of Sand"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a good thing then. My little $300 machine is now worth well over $1000 in parts and accessories. I just wish I had just one more PCI slot.

Edited by Sand

Murphy's Law of Computer Gaming: The listed minimum specifications written on the box by the publisher are not the minimum specifications of the game set by the developer.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ - "Because you're a bizzare strange deranged human?"

Walsingham- "Sand - always rushing around, stirring up apathy."

Joseph Bulock - "Another headache, courtesy of Sand"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...