VarLordahl
Baseband Member
- Messages
- 48
Hi everyone, IÂ’m new here.
I am setting out to build my very first computer. This may not be a big deal to many of you, but to me, itÂ’s a new project
I currently have a laptop (Dell 5150) that is 25 months old. ItÂ’s specs are Dell 5150/Intel P4 3.06GHz non-HT w/400mhz FSB/512MB ram/60GB 5400 rpm HD/1600x1200 UXGA 15inch screen/Radeon 6400(I think, I know nothing about video cards) 64MB 3-d card./9 cell battery that lasts 5 hours.
In reality, my laptop is still pretty powerful (I bought it when the P-4 3.06 Ghz chip first was released - it cost a fortune back then) However, the laptop runs hotter than hell, it frequently overheats and shuts off (IÂ’m sending it back to dell soon to rectify the problem), and IÂ’m getting sick of squinting at a 15 inch 1600x1200 screen. You say I could lower the res on the screen, but I paid $400 for that upgrade, and I love the sharpness of images on it and the ability to multi-task in side by side windows.
I originally planned to upgrade the laptop to 1GB of ram ($$ since both dimms are currently filled), buy a large external monitor, have a builtin-wireless card installed, add an external hardrive, etc.. However, IÂ’m sick of using multiple USB hubs, I donÂ’t want all kinds of external garbage (like the harddrive), etc...
IÂ’ve always wanted to build a computer myself. I figured that now is the perfect time, seeing as I was going to spend $800 or so upgrading and buying new peripherals for my laptop, why not make a project out of this, learn something, and build a newer, faster, computer for a little more $.
So my budget is $1200. I want to build a system that is faster, cooler-running, and has a 19 inch LCD monitor. I do SOME gaming, but no FPS shooters or other high framerate super-graphic-intensive stuff. However, I do do some video editing, and I play some games like Age of Mythology that do require some graphic card oomph. Also, I do many tasks that require lots and lots of heavy programs open at once. My laptop sometimes slows down in this scenario. Also, I have about 10GB of photos, and almost 40gb of music. Essentially, I want to render my laptop simply as a note-taking and research device that I can carry with me to law school, and have my desktop be a RELIABLE media center.
Here are the parts IÂ’ve compiled through lots and lots of research. IÂ’ve attempted to do this with as little help as possible because I want to learn. Now I just need opinions. Thanks guys, sorry for the long novel of a story.
See below post for updated parts list
Will all these parts work together? Is there anything I need? Do I need a sound card? The mother board I picked has 5.1 audio built-in. However, this computer will be hooked up to my 5.1 surround system, so will the motherboard sound card be good enough? Also, again, for my uses, is the video card good enough? Thanks so much guys![
I am setting out to build my very first computer. This may not be a big deal to many of you, but to me, itÂ’s a new project
I currently have a laptop (Dell 5150) that is 25 months old. ItÂ’s specs are Dell 5150/Intel P4 3.06GHz non-HT w/400mhz FSB/512MB ram/60GB 5400 rpm HD/1600x1200 UXGA 15inch screen/Radeon 6400(I think, I know nothing about video cards) 64MB 3-d card./9 cell battery that lasts 5 hours.
In reality, my laptop is still pretty powerful (I bought it when the P-4 3.06 Ghz chip first was released - it cost a fortune back then) However, the laptop runs hotter than hell, it frequently overheats and shuts off (IÂ’m sending it back to dell soon to rectify the problem), and IÂ’m getting sick of squinting at a 15 inch 1600x1200 screen. You say I could lower the res on the screen, but I paid $400 for that upgrade, and I love the sharpness of images on it and the ability to multi-task in side by side windows.
I originally planned to upgrade the laptop to 1GB of ram ($$ since both dimms are currently filled), buy a large external monitor, have a builtin-wireless card installed, add an external hardrive, etc.. However, IÂ’m sick of using multiple USB hubs, I donÂ’t want all kinds of external garbage (like the harddrive), etc...
IÂ’ve always wanted to build a computer myself. I figured that now is the perfect time, seeing as I was going to spend $800 or so upgrading and buying new peripherals for my laptop, why not make a project out of this, learn something, and build a newer, faster, computer for a little more $.
So my budget is $1200. I want to build a system that is faster, cooler-running, and has a 19 inch LCD monitor. I do SOME gaming, but no FPS shooters or other high framerate super-graphic-intensive stuff. However, I do do some video editing, and I play some games like Age of Mythology that do require some graphic card oomph. Also, I do many tasks that require lots and lots of heavy programs open at once. My laptop sometimes slows down in this scenario. Also, I have about 10GB of photos, and almost 40gb of music. Essentially, I want to render my laptop simply as a note-taking and research device that I can carry with me to law school, and have my desktop be a RELIABLE media center.
Here are the parts IÂ’ve compiled through lots and lots of research. IÂ’ve attempted to do this with as little help as possible because I want to learn. Now I just need opinions. Thanks guys, sorry for the long novel of a story.
See below post for updated parts list
Will all these parts work together? Is there anything I need? Do I need a sound card? The mother board I picked has 5.1 audio built-in. However, this computer will be hooked up to my 5.1 surround system, so will the motherboard sound card be good enough? Also, again, for my uses, is the video card good enough? Thanks so much guys![