Tips on building computers (what to look for, how they work together)

[McBumLuv]

Well, while I'm still waiting on my new job, I thought I'd research into what to look for when building a computer. While I was at first scared that newegg wouldn't ship to Canada, there's a Newegg.ca, so I'm covered with that

Now, I want something quite up-to-date, and that can last me for a while. What should I be looking for when I browse possible hardware to put in? I think I'll have a roughly 2k budget, more or less. I really don't expect to get it anytime soon, but I'd like to know a bit more of what I should be looking for when I build it.

EDIT:

Current hopeful list:

WD 640 Gb HDD
Newegg.ca - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Sapphire Radeaon HD 4870 1 gig Graphics card
Newegg.ca - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Intel Core Duo E8400 3.0 Ghz
Newegg.ca - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Asus 23 inch 1920x1080 LCD Monitor
Newegg.ca - ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built in Speakers - LCD Monitors

Lian Li Lancool PC Case
Newegg.ca - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Sony Optiarc 18x DVD Reader
Newegg.ca - Sony Optiarc Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1678A - CD / DVD Drives

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Motherboard
Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

G.Skill 4 gb DDR2 1066
Newegg.ca - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Desktop Memory

Corsair 650W PSU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817139005

Zalman 110mm CPU cooler
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16835118019


Total ~1,300 $

[SocketMan]

Well motherboard is always the key,people really underestimate it's importance.
The mother part is there for a good reason
You'll need to decide first if you want to go Intel or AMD (in terms of cpu)
Then pick the motherboard.Can pick one with integrated video,then get a dedicated
VGA card later on.This way you don't have to spend it all at once.

[McBumLuv]

I'm interested in looking into an i7 CPU. Anything I should look for whe purchasing it? I've read a few reviews saying it gets hot easily.

[SocketMan]

Originally Posted by McLuv

gets hot easily.

so do I,

I think a few people here have i7,and I am not one of them

[MonkeySoldier]

Well, look first what you're going to use the PC for. Usually it's divided into three sections:
- Internet (office) PC
- Photoshop/ Video-editing
- Gaming

I assume you will be using it for gaming. (correct me if I'm wrong)

CPU
Usually most people go for dual-core CPU's, which are currently still the fastest when it comes to games. But, since you want it to be future-proof for a couple of years, I would recommend a quad-core. But then comes the next question, which one?
Currently the AMD Phenom series has a good bang for buck. But I don't know whether you want a very expensive high end system, or just the best bang for buck.

GPU
As for graphics card, this is totally up to the person himself how much he wants to spend on it. Some people prefer the best price/ performance ratio, others only want the best of the best. Decide for yourself, look for what's available in that price class, and ask for advice of people who got knowledge of it. Also be sure you get a graphics card from a manufacturer which has a good costumer service. EVGA has superb costumer service, while I'm still having nightmares from the one of ASUS.

RAM
DDR2 RAM is very cheap nowadays. 4GB (4096MB) is recommended, since it doesn't cost very much, and it's worth it's money compared to 2GB. Some things that are essential to know are:
- The Intel socket 775 series need atleast DDR2 667Mhz RAM. Otherwise it won't run.
- The Intel Core i7 series need atleast DDR3 1333Mhz RAM. Not sure with 1066Mhz, but it certainly does work with DDR3 1333Mhz.
- The AMD AM2/ AM2+ series need atleast DDR2 800Mhz RAM. Otherwise it won't run.

Also, only get NON-ECC RAM, because ECC RAM is only used in servers. (self correcting RAM)

HDD - Hard Disk Drive
The standard is 7200RPM HDD's. The Western Digital Caviar Green/Blue/Black are currently very good HDD's that are available on the market. Same thing with the Samsung SpinPoints, although there was some trouble with those, since they tend to crash. I don't know whether that's been fixed or not.

Case
Search for one that's functional (screwless cases for example) and isn't too fugly. Also make sure it has a good airflow, by looking how many fans the case can hold and what size they are. (atleast 120mm fans) Usually:
- Antec,
- Cooler Master
got some good cases, while Lian Li is basically the best (and most expensive) there is.

PSU - Power Supply Unit
VERY IMPORTANT! If you don't get a good, stable, PSU you might get problems with your whole system. Usually look for the one's of the more familiar branches, like:
- Antec,
- OCZ,
- Corsair,
- Cooler Master.
If you're not sure which one you should get, ask for advice. 500 Watt is enough for most low/ mid-end pc's. If you have a high-end PC, or you're going to put 2, 3 or 4 cards in SLI/ CrossFire(X), make sure you get atleast 600 Watt. And in the extreme cases, get even more. (Quad SLI for example)

DVD Drive
The one's from:
- Samsung,
- LG
are good quality one's. I'd recommend you avoid NEC, despite the fact they're doing their job, they are really noisy. (got one myself)

Mainboard
Really important to get a good one. Your whole computer is connected to this board, so get one from one of the better manufacturers like:
- Gigabyte
- MSI
- ASUS (yes, their costumer service ain't the best, but they got good quality stuff)

These three are the market leaders when it comes to mainboards, so try to pick a mainboard from one of these three manufacturers. Also search for some reviews of the mainboard you picked/ got advised, so you're sure it's a good one. Make sure that in case you're CPU has a TDP of 125 Watt the mainboard is able to handle that amount of Watt.
- AM3 CPU's are backward compatible with AM2+ mainboards. (note the '+', normal AM2 mainboards can't handle AM3 CPU's) AM2 Mainboards can handle up to DDR2 1066Mhz. If you want an AM3 CPU with DDR3 RAM, you need to get an AM3 mainboard in order to get everything running. AM2+ mainboards can't handle DDR3 RAM.

Casefans
- Antec,
- Cooler Master,
- Noctua,
- Nexus,
- Scythe
Are the one's I'd recommend to get a casefan from. Be aware of the RPM, because the higher it get's, the louder it'll sound in your case.

Soundcards
Only get one when you got a really good soundset/ headset. You won't notice a real difference when you got a very expensive soundcard and a crappy soundset/ headset. A soundset/ headset from Logitech is recommended, but Sennheiser and Zalman also have some really good headsets.

CPU coolers
You usually (unless you picked an OEM version) get a CPU cooler delivered together with your CPU. It does it's job, and that's about it. They're usually not really quiet, and don't cool always very good. Usually:
- OCZ
- Arctic
- Scythe
- Cooler Master
are having some real good CPU-coolers. But always search for several reviews of the CPU-cooler you're planning to buy.

Well, I guess that's about everything you should know. Let me know if I forgot some manufacturers or some important components.

- Monkey.

[PFunk]

i7 is mostly an enthusiast chip. Its expense is really not justified for its performance. You're best off going the e8400/q6600/q8200 etc route which leaves you in the nice comfortable $180-250 range.

[General_J0k3r]

Q6600 is cheap and easily runs at 3GHz without modifications to voltage n stuff.

i recommend gigabyte for the board.

with regards to the gfx card: i wouldn't go for the top chips but one or two classes lower. more bang for the buck and it will still be ok for ~1-2 years.

+ basically what monkeysoldier said only that i would add chieftec to the producers of good cases.

[Noobofthenight]

Originally Posted by MonkeySoldier

GPU


RAM

- The AMD AM2/ AM2+ series need atleast DDR2 800Mhz RAM. Otherwise it won't run.

Just want to point out, that is not true. I've got 667 ram on an AM2 4800+ X2, and it does run.




Soundcards
Only get one when you got a really good soundset/ headset. You won't notice a real difference when you got a very expensive soundcard and a crappy soundset/ headset. A soundset/ headset from Logitech is recommended, but Sennheiser and Zalman also have some really good headsets.

Also, I think a cheapo Xfi card is definately worth it, I've only got £80 surround sound 7.1, but it makes a HUGE difference. Especially the 3D sound emulation on headsets (Yes, it really does turn stereo headphones into a surround sound system in your brain)

- Monkey.

Apart from that, he is right on the money

[MonkeySoldier]

@ Noobofthenight,

Yep, you're right.

Maybe the Core i5 could be an option McLuv, if the Core i7 would be too expensive.

[McBumLuv]

Not known at the moment, though I'm looking at a budget of 2000 Dollars (CAN). Any significant difference between the three i7 core models? How does the lower 920 compare?