Learning how to build a computer

[Irrelevant]

I was wondering if someone could point in the right direction in learning how the differents parts of a computer work and how to tell which ones are better than others; I have some disposable income and I want to spend it in building my own computer.

[mkreku]

It's generally pretty easy to determine which parts are better: price. Computer parts is a relatively honest branch where you most often get what you pay for, although at the very top end you'll be paying a hefty premium for little performance increase.

 

When building a new computer, I usually spend a lot of money on the things that are keepers or difficult to change. For example, the computer case and the power supply unit (PSU) are keepers. If you buy a good (expensive) case, you can keep it for several generations of computer builds. The ATX standard (the size of the motherboard) hasn't changed since it was introduced so in theory, you could still build computer using 20 year old chassis. Same with the PSU, but with a few slight changes. With the shift from IDE to SATA (hard drive interfaces), the power supply cables changed standard. But it's not really a problem as there are adapters to fix that problem. Another PSU problem is that computers have begun demanding an awful lot of power in recent years so old PSU's are usually too weak to work with newer equipment.

 

The parts that are difficult to change is the motherboard. The motherboard houses all of the other parts of the computer and connects them with each other. Changing a motherboard means removing all the other parts, which is usually a hassle.

 

Other than that, building a computer is like building LEGO: the parts are even colour coded nowadays to it's virtually impossible to make mistakes (again with a few exceptions).

 

Anyhow, the order in which I choose parts for my system:

 

1. Computer case (buy the one you want, regardless of price, you'll be keeping it for a long time)

2. Power supply unit (buy a trusted brand, buy slightly more watts than you'll need for future proofing)

3. Motherboard (this is where I usually spend most of my money, on a high-end part, with the very latest technology)

4. CPU and RAM (go with what your budget allows, minimum 4 GB of memory)

5. GPU (video card, again go with what your budget allow; the more expensive, the more performance)

6. Hard drives (buy whatever, you'll probably change them within two-three years anyhow)

 

For CPU's there are two major brands: Intel and AMD. Intel holds the performance crown but are expensive. AMD is more bang for your buck but can't compete with the high-end Intel processors.

For GPU's there are also two major brands: Nvidia and ATI. Nvidia is usually considered the more stable of the brands (more driver support), while ATI usually brings more performance per dollar.

 

Anyhow, feel free to specify if you have any more questions. Your original post was a little.. vague.

[Spider]

Also, if you have a set budget (with a few other details, such as what the purpose of the computer is), you can post it here and some members will probably help you to pick parts that will suit you.

 

Other than that, I pretty agree with mkreku above. Do not cheap out on the case. It's worth buying a really good one, because they last. The problem is that the really good ones cost twice as much as a decent one, so it can sometimes be hard to spend so much on something that doesn't give an immediate performance increase (although it helps a lot to keep your stuff cool and quiet, two things you really want).

 

I usually don't spend quite as much on the motherboard as mkreku does, though. An expensive motherboard is mostly useful if you're going to overclock your system, something I rarely do. For me, the single component I spend the most on is the graphics card (but my computer is mostly used for gaming).

[Irrelevant]

Thanks for the help.

Sorry for being so vauge; I made this topic because I was trying to learn how to buy these parts on my own; I learned a little but there was not anything like: "Here are the different parts of a GPU, this part does this and this part does that,ect." and how they would apply to helping one purchase something.

I'm looking for a gaming computer that I wont have to worry about upgrading for a couple of years, hopefully on the cheap, I don't really care about graphics but from what I understand if I buying a high end graphics card from one or two years ago is about the same as buying a mid or low range graphics card today. noise isn't a big issue either since I will be using headphones.

Aside from that is there a monitor that will allow me to plug in my consoles to it?(I think I saw one on Newegg but it did not show a picture of the connectors on the back.)

Edited June 14, 2010 by Irrelevant

[Spider]

A more specific budget would help.

 

as for the monitor, doesn't consoles use hdmi (apart from the Wii). Most modern monitors have hdmi these days, so that should be easy to come by.

[LadyCrimson]

Thanks for the help.

Sorry for being so vauge; I made this topic because I was trying to learn how to buy these parts on my own; I learned a little but there was not anything like: "Here are the different parts of a GPU, this part does this and this part does that,ect." and how they would apply to helping one purchase something.

Most 'how to build a pc' stuff out there is going to focus on what's the best hardware for your buck & then how to connect pieces together.

 

For the average person, what you're going to want to be more knowledgeable in are the features of the hardware that make them desirable. For example, why more RAM is useful than less, or why you need 64-bit operating systems if you want over a certain amount of RAM, or which graphic card has better performance benchmarks for the uses you're going to be doing. Unless you're a serious tech curious sort, don't worry much about what physical part makes something go...just look at performance. Think of it like buying a car. Most people barely know how an engine & its surroundings works...but they do look at brand reliability, performance, & features when buying an auto.

 

Don't have much to add to what mkreku & Spider are saying...although I will mention that, in terms of the computer case, make sure it's going to be "long" enough inside to fit the graphic card you want to put into it. Some current cards are really long and won't fit into certain cases, sometimes even when the case seems biggish on the outside. Can depend how they have the drive bay section/motherboard area set up inside.

 

 

Oh and in terms of Xbox/monitor....it can work, but I think if the monitor itself has no built-in speakers or an audio-out jack for external speakers, you may not get any sound. Many pc monitors don't have audio ports on them, since they assume you're using soundcards....solvable, but may require a bit more than plugging in the HDMI cable. That's just what I read tho, I have no actual experience with Xbox's whatsoever.

Edited June 14, 2010 by LadyCrimson

[Irrelevant]

A more specific budget would help.

 

as for the monitor, doesn't consoles use hdmi (apart from the Wii). Most modern monitors have hdmi these days, so that should be easy to come by.

Damn, I can't access Newegg(speaking of which, are there any other sites like these?)

Budget would be 600-1200(peripherals not included) as in, why are the components in the $1200 computer better than the components in the $600 computer?

I don't care about HD when it comes to the monitor thing, as long as I can hook up the composite cables plus the audio+ a headphone jack its good.(if its too much trouble then I'll live with just my tv.)

I'm interested in learning both performance plus how it works(I want to be self-sufficient when it comes to this)

[Oblarg]

A more specific budget would help.

 

as for the monitor, doesn't consoles use hdmi (apart from the Wii). Most modern monitors have hdmi these days, so that should be easy to come by.

Damn, I can't access Newegg(speaking of which, are there any other sites like these?)

Budget would be 600-1200(peripherals not included) as in, why are the components in the $1200 computer better than the components in the $600 computer?

I don't care about HD when it comes to the monitor thing, as long as I can hook up the composite cables plus the audio+ a headphone jack its good.(if its too much trouble then I'll live with just my tv.)

I'm interested in learning both performance plus how it works(I want to be self-sufficient when it comes to this)

 

The components in the $1200 computer are better because you had more money to spend on good components. Better parts are, for the most part, more expensive. That's not to say you should judge quality of hardware completely on price, as there are always good deals and bad deals.

 

Anyway, building a computer is very easy. If you can use a screwdriver and have some common sense, it's pretty much nothing more than choosing the correct parts and putting them in the proper place. The "hard" (and I use the term hard very loosely) part is choosing parts that are compatible and then configuring the BIOS to get all your hardware performing optimally (usually all you have to do for that is set the RAM timing). The computer I'm using now is homebuilt, it was the first one I ever made and it has held up for two and a half years with not much more than minor problems.

 

Here are the components of your basic computer:

Case

Power Supply

Motherboard

Processor

Video Card (possibly integrated on the motherboard, if you aren't going to be doing anything video-intensive like gaming)

Sound Card (possibly integrated on the motherboard)

Hard Drive

RAM

Edited June 15, 2010 by Oblarg

[Oblarg]

For GPU's there are also two major brands: Nvidia and ATI. Nvidia is usually considered the more stable of the brands (more driver support), while ATI usually brings more performance per dollar.

 

Nvidia driver support? Ha...hahahaha...ha...ha.......ha...

 

The thought that ATI could be worse is pretty scary, actually.

[Gorth]

For what it's worth, the only "compatibility" problems I have is with ATI is old, really old, games, like Icewind Dale and Disciples II. I need to disable a few features to make the flickering go away. But once you create a normal everyday profile and an old games profile and save for easy switching, it's no biggie.

[mkreku]

...why are the components in the $1200 computer better than the components in the $600 computer?

 

I'm interested in learning both performance plus how it works(I want to be self-sufficient when it comes to this)

In short:

 

Case: The more expensive cases often have more space inside, a better airflow through the case (important for high end parts) and little special details that are more convenient than anything. Like, rubber holds for the hard drives (to reduce sound from vibrations), detachable hard drive cages (for easy access), soft rubber feet (to not transfer vibration sounds to your floor), hinged insides, etc. The more you pay, the more extra features like that you get, unless you buy a design case.. then you may pay premium to have your case formed like a skull. Not recommended.

 

Motherboard: Very difficult part to choose, even for us who are interested in this. You have to weigh your needs with your budget and try to plan ahead of whatever happens to be the next fad in the computer industry. Right now there's USB3, SATA3 and a few other things coming up. I overclock my equipment heavily so I'm probably not the best advisor on this, but make sure you don't buy the cheapest board available and buy a trusted brand. Just make sure it supports whatever CPU and RAM you choose and then pick out one with the features you think you'll need (built in sound? built in Wi-Fi? support for SLI/Crossfire? USB3? dual BIOS?)

 

RAM: Three things to think about when it comes to memory: speed, amount and latency. Speed is measured in MHz and is how fast your processor can communicate with your memory. Amount is just how much RAM you're getting, usually measured in GB (gigabytes). Latency is a bit special, but the short version is: lower is better. It's basically how many clock cycles it takes for a certain memory address to be fetched by the CPU, so it's measured in CL7, CL8 and so on. Higher MHz, more GB and lower CL is more costly (and gives better performance) than low MHz, few GB and high CL. I'd recommend at least 4 GB of 1600 DDR3. Don't worry about CL, but if you can afford CL8 or lower, go for it.

 

Processor: Again three things to think about when it comes to processors: speed, cores and cache. Speed is the frequency with which the internal clock in the CPU operates. Higher is better (and more expensive). A core is a processor. To improve performance without raising the clock speed (increasing clock speed generates more heat), manufacturers add more processors on the same chip. So a 2 core CPU is actually two CPU's bundled into one. 4 cores is four CPU's in one, and so on. Cache is an extremely fast memory that's directly connected to the CPU. The CPU uses it to "guess" which code it will re-use over and over. The more it can use cache instead of fetching stuff from RAM (or even worse, hard drive), the faster it goes, thus more cache most often equals better performance (to a certain limit). So, higher speed, more cores and bigger cache will be more expensive and faster than lower speed, fewer cores and little cache. I'd recommend a 4 core processor from either AMD or Intel.

 

GPU: This is the hardest part to determine the performance in. You used to be able to get a certain hint from the name of the GPU, like the Radeon 9800 was generation 9, 8 meant it was the high end and the double zero.. stood for nothing. Problems arose when they went for X800 for the next iteration (generation 10) and then 1800 (which should logically have been 11800 since it was generation 11..). Right now they're at 5870 (and 5970) which is generation 15, the 8 for high end single GPU card, the 70 for the highest clocked single GPU.. it's not very logical or transparent. Nvidia is even worse, as they've rebranded old generations of cards to new generation names and mixed it up with actual new generation parts. It's a mess.

 

There are a few things to think of though: price and amount of RAM. The price is actually your best hint as to what is faster and what is slower. If it's the latest generation of cards (4XX from Nvidia and 5XXX from ATI right now), you WILL get better performance the more money you spend. Just don't think that the amount of RAM is somehow connected to performance! You need massive resolutions to get any tangible increase when going above 1 GB RAM on your video card. I can't give you any unbiased advice in this regard as I am still in love with my ATI Radeon 5870, but get an expensive card with at least 1 GB RAM and you'll be set.

 

Hard drive: Two types available, SSD and platter based. Platter based offers gigantic amounts of storage for almost no money. SSD (solid state disk) offers enormous performance but at ten times the cost of the platter based hard drive. My suggestion would be to get a small SSD and one huge platter based hard drive. Maybe an 80 GB SSD and a 2 TB (2000 GB) hard drive? Something like that. That way you'll get fantastic performance and massive storage all at once, as long as you don't want to have ALL your games installed at once (80 GB fills up in like 15 minutes..).

[Oblarg]

...why are the components in the $1200 computer better than the components in the $600 computer?

 

I'm interested in learning both performance plus how it works(I want to be self-sufficient when it comes to this)

In short:

 

Case: The more expensive cases often have more space inside, a better airflow through the case (important for high end parts) and little special details that are more convenient than anything. Like, rubber holds for the hard drives (to reduce sound from vibrations), detachable hard drive cages (for easy access), soft rubber feet (to not transfer vibration sounds to your floor), hinged insides, etc. The more you pay, the more extra features like that you get, unless you buy a design case.. then you may pay premium to have your case formed like a skull. Not recommended.

 

Motherboard: Very difficult part to choose, even for us who are interested in this. You have to weigh your needs with your budget and try to plan ahead of whatever happens to be the next fad in the computer industry. Right now there's USB3, SATA3 and a few other things coming up. I overclock my equipment heavily so I'm probably not the best advisor on this, but make sure you don't buy the cheapest board available and buy a trusted brand. Just make sure it supports whatever CPU and RAM you choose and then pick out one with the features you think you'll need (built in sound? built in Wi-Fi? support for SLI/Crossfire? USB3? dual BIOS?)

 

RAM: Three things to think about when it comes to memory: speed, amount and latency. Speed is measured in MHz and is how fast your processor can communicate with your memory. Amount is just how much RAM you're getting, usually measured in GB (gigabytes). Latency is a bit special, but the short version is: lower is better. It's basically how many clock cycles it takes for a certain memory address to be fetched by the CPU, so it's measured in CL7, CL8 and so on. Higher MHz, more GB and lower CL is more costly (and gives better performance) than low MHz, few GB and high CL. I'd recommend at least 4 GB of 1600 DDR3. Don't worry about CL, but if you can afford CL8 or lower, go for it.

 

Processor: Again three things to think about when it comes to processors: speed, cores and cache. Speed is the frequency with which the internal clock in the CPU operates. Higher is better (and more expensive). A core is a processor. To improve performance without raising the clock speed (increasing clock speed generates more heat), manufacturers add more processors on the same chip. So a 2 core CPU is actually two CPU's bundled into one. 4 cores is four CPU's in one, and so on. Cache is an extremely fast memory that's directly connected to the CPU. The CPU uses it to "guess" which code it will re-use over and over. The more it can use cache instead of fetching stuff from RAM (or even worse, hard drive), the faster it goes, thus more cache most often equals better performance (to a certain limit). So, higher speed, more cores and bigger cache will be more expensive and faster than lower speed, fewer cores and little cache. I'd recommend a 4 core processor from either AMD or Intel.

 

GPU: This is the hardest part to determine the performance in. You used to be able to get a certain hint from the name of the GPU, like the Radeon 9800 was generation 9, 8 meant it was the high end and the double zero.. stood for nothing. Problems arose when they went for X800 for the next iteration (generation 10) and then 1800 (which should logically have been 11800 since it was generation 11..). Right now they're at 5870 (and 5970) which is generation 15, the 8 for high end single GPU card, the 70 for the highest clocked single GPU.. it's not very logical or transparent. Nvidia is even worse, as they've rebranded old generations of cards to new generation names and mixed it up with actual new generation parts. It's a mess.

 

There are a few things to think of though: price and amount of RAM. The price is actually your best hint as to what is faster and what is slower. If it's the latest generation of cards (4XX from Nvidia and 5XXX from ATI right now), you WILL get better performance the more money you spend. Just don't think that the amount of RAM is somehow connected to performance! You need massive resolutions to get any tangible increase when going above 1 GB RAM on your video card. I can't give you any unbiased advice in this regard as I am still in love with my ATI Radeon 5870, but get an expensive card with at least 1 GB RAM and you'll be set.

 

Hard drive: Two types available, SSD and platter based. Platter based offers gigantic amounts of storage for almost no money. SSD (solid state disk) offers enormous performance but at ten times the cost of the platter based hard drive. My suggestion would be to get a small SSD and one huge platter based hard drive. Maybe an 80 GB SSD and a 2 TB (2000 GB) hard drive? Something like that. That way you'll get fantastic performance and massive storage all at once, as long as you don't want to have ALL your games installed at once (80 GB fills up in like 15 minutes..).

 

You're going a bit too in-depth for a first time computer builder. Really, you don't need a SSD, hard drives are almost never performance bottlenecks, and 80gb is TINY. Don't worry too much about RAM latency, just make sure you're getting RAM with decent speed (value RAM is underclocked). Buy an ASUS motherboard, and you won't have to worry about anything - they're stable as hell, even the cheap ones (the one I'm using in this rig only cost $80 and I've had no problems with it to speak of).

 

As for video cards, the best thing you can do to determine what card to buy is google search for some benchmark tests with recent models. That will give you a pretty good idea of how each card performs, and you can make a decision on which card to buy accordingly.

[mkreku]

You're going a bit too in-depth for a first time computer builder.

I'm pretty sure the original poster can decide that for himself.

[Oblarg]

You're going a bit too in-depth for a first time computer builder.

I'm pretty sure the original poster can decide that for himself.

 

Using both a SSD and a standard hard drive is pretty tech-geeky, and not at all something that is usually done.

[Irrelevant]

Thank you very much for your help, this is exactly what I wanted.

Case: I think I will defer this to you guys, what about getting a big case with more than enough space than I need?

Motherboard: What advantages are there to running dual BIOS? Would SLI/Crossfire be the best option because I can simply one midrange card now and then in the future buy the same card?(crap I din't even think about Wi-Fi) Are there upgradeable motherboards? Lets say USB3 comes out, its used for some critical game application and I don't have it, will I have to get a new motherboard? What exactly is SATA? from what I have read it just a new standard for hardrives(I think)

RAM: At what point does the MHz/GB per dollar increase significantly? I think whatever RAM sticks are available in this range would be best.

Proccessor: Is there any point to having more than one core what will I notice between 1-2 cores and 4 cores?(Is there a motherboard that has built-in extra cache for the proccessor?)

GPU: what expensive 1GB card would you

[Irrelevant]

Recommend? compatible with SLI/Crossfire would be nice(also, lets say I have 2 500mb DX9 cards if I put them on SLI/Crossfire will DX10/11 suddenly become available to me?) Oh man, I remenber reading articles on the naming conventions ATI and Nvidia used, they've actually managed to make it worse?(Oh, technology...)

Hardrive: what has better performance? an 2TB HDD by itself or an SSD coupled with an external drive(I have all of my music/movies/low memory applications in the external drive and when I want to play I game I move it from the external onto the SSD, disconnect the External drive and start playing)

Edited June 15, 2010 by Irrelevant

[Spider]

I'd get a sli or crossfire motherboard, but I'd also get a high-end graphics card, like the 5850. the reasoning being that it will be enough for all games now, and when it's not you can easily get another.

 

If you go with a midlevel card now you'll need a second one much sooner and will get need to upgrade sooner.

 

I'm recommending the 5850 because it is currently the most value for your money. If your budget allows, you can look at the 5870 instead, which will make it last even longer.

 

Also, I'd stay away from nvidia in this generation, at least unless they lower prices. In the price/performance rate they're currently outclassed even though teir cards do perform.

 

As for case, I personally have a Silverstone Fortress R2. It's expensive but I'll recommend it in a heartbeat. It's a fantastic case.

[mkreku]

Recommend? compatible with SLI/Crossfire would be nice(also, lets say I have 2 500mb DX9 cards if I put them on SLI/Crossfire will DX10/11 suddenly become available to me?)

No. The hardware will still be designed for DirectX 9, even if you add more performance to it. You need a DirectX 11 compatible card to get DirectX 11, something which only the very latest generation of video cards from both major brands do (again Nvidia 4XX and ATI 5XXX).

 

Hardrive: what has better performance? an 2TB HDD by itself or an SSD coupled with an external drive(I have all of my music/movies/low memory applications in the external drive and when I want to play I game I move it from the external onto the SSD, disconnect the External drive and start playing)

Depends. If your external hard drive supports e-SATA, you'll get the same performance as an internal hard drive. If it only supports USB, the internal drive will be much faster.

 

SSD's blow all of the other solutions straight out of the water when it comes to performance. And price, unfortunately.

 

I can't whole-heartedly recommend SSD's.. yet. They're still at the point where the cost is really too high to justify the price. But some people are insane enough to pay a huge premium to get that performance advantage (me).

[mkreku]

Thank you very much for your help, this is exactly what I wanted.

Case: I think I will defer this to you guys, what about getting a big case with more than enough space than I need?

Motherboard: What advantages are there to running dual BIOS? Would SLI/Crossfire be the best option because I can simply one midrange card now and then in the future buy the same card?(crap I din't even think about Wi-Fi) Are there upgradeable motherboards? Lets say USB3 comes out, its used for some critical game application and I don't have it, will I have to get a new motherboard? What exactly is SATA? from what I have read it just a new standard for hardrives(I think)

RAM: At what point does the MHz/GB per dollar increase significantly? I think whatever RAM sticks are available in this range would be best.

Proccessor: Is there any point to having more than one core what will I notice between 1-2 cores and 4 cores?(Is there a motherboard that has built-in extra cache for the proccessor?)

GPU: what expensive 1GB card would you

Oops, missed this post!

 

Yes, I'd recommend getting a big case. Except for it taking up half of your mum's basement, there are really no disadvantages in having a huge case. Except if you're going to drag it along on LAN parties..

 

The dual BIOS is a safety precaution, mostly used by overclockers. Sometimes when you overclock your equipment to the point of it breaking, you can actually destroy your BIOS! A single-BIOS motherboard with a broken BIOS is basically worthless, or bricked. To prevent this from happening, some motherboard manufacturers ship their high end motherboards with two BIOS memories, in case the one you're messing with breaks. If it happens, you just overwrite the broken one with the saved non-faulty one. Very neat feature.

 

Yes, SLI and Crossfire are worth it, exactly because of the situation you describe. If you buy a midrange card, you can upgrade it to high end performance by just adding another similar card. Also, almost every motherboard sold these days comes with either SLI or Crossfire.. and if you buy the high end Intel based motherboards, both! Just make sure your PSU also supports SLI/Crossfire though. Two cards demand a lot of power (and cables).

 

USB3 will not be used for anything critical in years to come so don't worry about it. It's just a faster interface for peripherals, nothing else. Same with SATA3, don't worry about it. It's a faster interface for hard drives, but since not even SSD's have topped out the existing SATA2 interface, there's no rush in getting SATA3. If you DO get a motherboard that supports these features, you will probably be future proofed for a pretty long while (hopefully).

 

The point where MHz/GB per dollar increases steeply is constantly changing. But right now I would argue that getting 4 GB of 1600 MHz RAM is the most value for your dollar. It will change though and this tip won't be accurate in one month's time.

 

I don't think you can get a single core processor anymore (unless you're shopping for netbooks), but the advantage of having more cores is that because of the Xbox 360/PS3, more and more games are being developed with multi-cores in mind. In fact, most new games demand that you have at least 2 cores or more to even start up! Having 4 cores gives you extra performance in all applications that support multi-cores, and since that's the direction development is going (parallel computing) it's also more future-proof.

 

I would recommend the Radeon 5770, the Radeon 5850 and the Radeon 5870, depending on your budget. They all give great performance per dollar. Oh, and unless you have three or more monitors, stay away from the Eyefinity versions of these cards. Totally not worth it.

[Irrelevant]

Hmm, ok, I will go to the library tommorrow to see what parts I should get, also, Do I need to get Vista or 7? I do not see the point, is there any game that won't run on XP? (I heard that Halo 2 was but that was patched pretty fast) Based on Mrekus' suggestion on RAM, should I just get 1 four gig stick, or 2 three gig sticks? (2 four gig sticks?) Also, how the hell does hardware manage to break software?

[Spider]

You don't need to get Win 7. But I personally think you should want to. I know mkreku is not as much of a fan.

 

As far as memory is concerned, it depends on your processor. if you're getting a processor that supports tri-channel memory, you want three memory sticks. if it only has dual channel, you want two (afaik all modern processors support on or the other). At a minimum you want 4GB, which in a dual channel configuration would be 2x2GB and in tri-channel 3x2GB. It's not the increase in memory your primary after in tri-channel, rather the increased performance.

 

That being said, it won't hurt to get more memory either. If your budget allows 8 or 12 GB is not wrong by any means. the thing about memory is that it's relatively cheap and easy to upgrade. if you have free memory slots, you can just plug in extra sticks. So you can always get 4GB/6GB now and double up if the need arises.

 

Another thing to note, is that the memory sticks need to be the same size for them to work in tri or dual channel. Or the ones in the same channel does. So in a dual channel setup you can have 2x2GB sticks and 2x4GB sticks, as long as each channel has one 2GB and one 4GB.

 

Hardware rarely breaks software. but what mkreku is talking about is the BIOS, which is sort of software encoded in the hardware. If you experiment too much with your hardware, you can accidentally corrupt your BIOS: Or fry the circuits that holds it. if you don't do advanced overclocking the chances of this happening are slim to none. this is also why mkreku and I have somewhat different views on what motherboards to get. I don't do much overclocking, so I for instance have no use at all for dual-bios.

[LadyCrimson]

If you like XP, no reason to run out and get Win7 until something you really want to run actually demands it. Or you can keep the old pc to run older favorite XP programs and make the new one Win7.

If you want to have loads of system RAM and don't have XP-64, then getting Win7-64 for new build might be worthwhile since you'd need a 64bit os anyway.

[Purkake]

If you like XP, no reason to run out and get Win7 until something you really want to run actually demands it. Or you can keep the old pc to run older favorite XP programs and make the new one Win7.

If you want to have loads of system RAM and don't have XP-64, then getting Win7-64 for new build might be worthwhile since you'd need a 64bit os anyway.

I haven't had any compatibility issues with older games on Win7 64-bit, actually.

[LadyCrimson]

I couldn't get DungeonSiege 1 working & Diablo2 ran but gave me error hiccups, but other than that, only games I've had trouble with are ones like Dungeon Keeper (not surprising)...but I also haven't tried to install that many 3-5 year old games on Win7. I won't try until I want to play them & haven't wanted to play much so...

[Irrelevant]

Sorry, library is still closed, I'll do this from work then, sorry for the delay.