A few questions :)

[fnf99]

Hi, new to the forums . Have a few questions.

I have had the same laptop for about 4 years. A P4 2.4ghz, 1gig ram, geforce 420 go 32mb (yep 32mb! Hehe)

I have never tried to build my own desktop computer but I assume I can. Is it all just snapping things together and screws? No soldering and such I hope? No special tools?

Well I have a low budget, approx $600. A friend will give me his old 19inch crt monitor.

Also I have a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 6Y120P0 120GB Ultra ATA/133 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer. Its about 2 years old. Don't know much about HDs but I assume its ok enough for a new system for starters? Its currently being used as an external storage with an enclosure.

I want a nice base system, something I can build off of over time. I can live with an ok-low end vid card, as long as I can put a nice one in later with no problems. Really anything is an improvement off of what I have now. I play WoW and have hopes to play Warhammer when it comes out.

Stupid question but… do you “have” to buy windows? No way to use an old disc? I would rather not waste 100 bucks .

 

[peterhuang913]

a1: Yes, building a computer is like putting parts together. No soldering or such, but instead like legos.

a2: $600 is considered a mid-range budget. It can make you a fairly good computer.

a3: That hard drive is perfect for a new system if you want to use it.

a4: Once again, $600 is more than a base system

a5: What old disc? Old windows xp? Did you buy it before or did it come in a bundle from a company (dell, hp, etc.)? If you have bought windows once, you can install it on as many computers as you want. It just involves a little lying on the phone.

Tips for other posters: A new rig with e6600, p35ds3r, 7 series card, and 2gb of crucial. Thats pretty much all he needs.

Also, do you have a monitor? speakers? mouse? keyboard?


Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
total: $466.97
thats like $150 left for other parts.

 

[fnf99]

I have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers... all from same guy, they are all a few years old but all work just fine.

I will need a Case and power supply and all that though. All of which i know little about .

I do have a disc that was bought separately.

 

[peterhuang913]

Disc bought seperately comes in a folder with a label on the back correct? That's all you need.

Newegg.com - XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CUL, TUV, CB, VDE, FIMKO, DEMKO, NEMKO, SEMKO - Retail
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Newegg.com - EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Total is a little over $600 but you'll be proud and glad you've spent the money. Don't buy yet though, wait for other's feedbacks.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Since this is another budget build, I'm going to stay away from Intel and go with AMD this time. It's a different setup, but just pick what you like:

This comes out very close to $600 maybe a little more.

Newegg.com - ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail

Newegg.com - MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC GeForce 8600GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM

Newegg.com - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail

 

[fnf99]

A few more random questions

With either of these setups, will I be able to play most games? Is BioShock even a possibility? Hehe

What is the basic difference between AMD and Intel? Am I losing something going AMD?

What I want to do is get a nice starting system, and every little while upgrade a part. So say in 5 months I want to buy a $300 vid card… Is that idea going to work with either of these setups?

Just need a system I can build off of for as long as possible .

 

[b1gapl]

Yes, that system is good enough for Bioshock to be playable.

The main difference between AMD and Intel, is that AMD has a memory controller integrated into it's CPUs, while Intel doesn't. But Intels usually overclock further. Currently Intel's current processors are better. But each has it's own advantage and disadvantages. You're not losing anything, with going AMD. Besides, your motherboard will support the upcoming AMD Phenom processors, which should be awesome.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

Now the Phenom is suppose to be the so called "Intel killer", but I wouldn't go to the extreme here, lol. They have integrated on-die true dual core while Intel will still use the FSB interconnect for their two separate cores.