new user building computer

[Ridr4lfe96]

hey guys im new here and for the most part new to building computers. im looking to build a pc that will mainly be used for CAD purposes, along with entertainment. im looking for some suggestions about what components to use. im unsure how much i am willing to spend at this point but i do want this to work exceptionally well. so could you guys list what components you would use both on a tight budget and if the budget were much higher
thanks guys

 

[bmxfreakrider]

well, by any chance do you have a target price? also, do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers?

heres a list of parts that might work good for it:

Intel
Case (you pick)
motherboard - decent lga775 with 4sata, and at least 2 ddr2 ramslots/express 16 slot
ram - 2gb ddr2-800
hdd - 320gb or 500gb (depends on amount of money willing to spend)
cpu - c2d e6550
psu - 450w+
dvd - 20x dvd rw
os - XP Professional (unless you perfer vista)

AMD
case (you pick)
motherboard - decent AM2 with 4 sata, at least 2 ddr2 ramslots / 1 express 16 slot
ram - 2gb of ddr2-800
hdd - 320gb or 500gb (depends on amount of money wlling to spend)
cpu - x2 6400+
psu - 450w+
dvd - 20x dvd rw
os - XP Professional (unless you perfer vista)

price might be roughly about $800 (depends on components)

gotta go check on graphics cards

maybe this one?
Newegg.com - PNY VCQFX570-PCIE-PB Quadro FX570 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

also, do you live in the usa, canada, or .....? (will help us on choosing a site to look at parts)

 

[Ridr4lfe96]

well right now im just looking at internal components but yes all those will be added in the future as well. im looking to make this a dual monitor set up for CAD so i dunno if that affects what i need for a video card? i also plan on getting the maximum practical amount of RAM and hdd space as some files get quite large

 

[bmxfreakrider]

Ok, then maybe 4gb of ram might be best for you, but in order to utilize the full amount of ram, a 64bit operating system sounds like it might be best for you. I haven't worked with cad in a while, but i do remember they can be quite memory intensive, so you would be better off with xp as vista is a memory hog.

ill go check newegg and make a list.

 

[Ridr4lfe96]

memory hog as in RAM or as hdd? im new to all this stuff so im not quite sure what everything means lol. thanks for your help guys

 

[Ridr4lfe96]

and i would like to buy near top of the line so that i will be ahead of the curve and not have to upgrade in years to come(at least the next few years anyway, with todays technology)

 

[bmxfreakrider]

yeah RAM is also referred to as "Memory". A HDD is "Storage".

oh and btw

Welcome to Tech-Forums!

 

[nOcLuE98]

memory hog as in RAM or as hdd? im new to all this stuff so im not quite sure what everything means lol. thanks for your help guys

memory is RAM.

Were do you live? If you have a microcenter near you, go get a q6600 for $200. If not, you will have to pay 250 on newegg.

I suggest a q6600 over any other processor for your purposes. I will edit this in a minute with a list.

this is a higher budget build :
Newegg.com - ABIT IX38 Quad GT LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail -$220
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail -$70 bucks for 4gig, after MIR
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM -$119 1 or two of those depending on need
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Retail -$254 wherever you can find one cheap. (somewhere that has g0 stepping)
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail -$115 after mir
other psu would be fine, look at the PSU guide in STE's sig.

Then a videocard that matches the amount you want to spend. A case that you like, and a SATA optical drive.

 

[Ridr4lfe96]

thanks guys! yeah i have a microcenter about 20 minutes from where i live. what is the maximum RAM that can be put into a system as i am becoming a fan of vista and would like to use that if possible

 

[Invisible]

with 64-bit vista 4gb is good because you can get it for $80 nowdays and some games minimum requirements are 2gb