PC Build Tutorial

Note: This page is still under construction

So you’ve decided to build a new PC or even upgrade an existing one. First thing to decide is whether or not you are going to keep any existing components from your current system. This can save you time and money but it also has the negative effect of having sometimes outdated hardware which can slow your PC down. At the moment this tutorial will not be suggesting particular setups as this is only a framework for everyone start with, it will just be more a guide for questions you need to ask. I am sure this will change over time.

This is a crucial question. There’s no point having a flash PC if you are only going to check your email, browse the internet or use instant messaging. However you would want a higher spec system if you were using your PC for applications such as web design, graphic or video editing, and even gaming. Or are you planning to over clock in the future? This determines what components are best for your needs.

Another thing you need to decide is what your budget is. It’s alright saying “I want this really fast PC, but I want it to be cheap as possible”. Be realistic. For an average gaming machine look to spend anywhere from $1500 - $2500 (also depends what components you decide to keep from your old system, if any)

NOTE

• They will be the box only and WILL NOT include monitors or other peripherals such as keyboards and mice or operating system.

• All prices are the cheapest from www.pricespy.co.nz and freight is not included and are subject to change without notice.

• Where overclocking is required it will be noted.

• I will try to update this on a monthly basis, but please remember I am doing this in my own spare time.

AMD

• Case: $85.00 Raidmax Elite 208 Case (Black),420W
• Powersupply: Suplied with case
• Motherboard: $80.00 Asustek M2N MX (with onboard 6100 gfx chipset)
• CPU: $90.00 Athlon 64 X2 3800+
• RAM: $78.00 Transcend JETRAM DDR2 2GB PC2 5300 2x1GB
• Graphics Card: Integrated
• DVD $80.00 Western Digital 160GB 7200rpm Serial ATA
• Hard Drive $45.00 Pioneer DVR-112D 18x Dual Layer DVD

INTEL

• Case:
• Powersupply:
• Motherboard:
• CPU:
• RAM:
• Graphics Card:
• DVD
• Hard Drive

AMD

• Case: About $150-$200 for a case of your choice.
• Powersupply: Silverstone ST50EF: Its 500W, 80% efficiency and stable as heck. It run very cooler than other 500W rated PSUs and gives enough headroom for future components. $140
• Motherboard: The DFI Infinity NF UltraII-M2 is a full featured motherboard with plenty of “oomph”, great for anyone needing to upgrade or replace their system. Equipped with an AMD socket AM2, suitable for Athlon 64 processors, including the X2 and FX series, it can manage anything you have room for! Using the Nvidia nForce 4 Ultra chipset, it can hold up to 4GB of DDR2 memory to give you powerful support for memory intensive applications. It also includes a gigabit Ethernet port, 7.1 channel onboard sound, and 4 SATA ports. Costs around $170
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+, dual core, socket AM2, 3GHz. These are the best “bang for buck” AMD cpu’s at the moment costing around $240
• RAM: If you aren’t going to overclock, Adata 2x1GB for about $100 is pretty damn good value. For slightly better bang, head towards the axeram, or the supertalent CL4 for $140.
• Graphics Card: The Nvidia 8800GT 512Mb has arrived! A good steal retailing around $440 it is a must for any build.
• DVD: They are all pretty much the same, so look to spend around $60
• Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB, 16mb Buffer. $135

INTEL

• Case: About $150-$200 for a case of your choice.
• Powersupply: Silverstone ST50EF: Its 500W, 80% efficiency and stable as heck. It run very cooler than other 500W rated PSUs and gives enough headroom for future components. $140
• Motherboard: Asus P5K - This board has had many raves all over the internet as being a solid overclocker and keeps very cool under those conditions, with a sweet as BIOS to match. If you ain’t going to overclock, you can look at getting the cheaper P35 variation boards such as the GA-P35-S3. The P5K is about $200, the S3 is about $150.
• CPU: E6550/E6750 - Pretty much the sweet point in terms of CPU at the moment. Can be overclocked to 3.6Ghz easy just on air, and pretty much the grunt to run everything a gamer would need to run. If you are poor right now, get a E2160 and save up for the 45m coming out in a couple of months. The E2160 will set you back $130, the E6550/E6750 will be $250-$300
• RAM: If you aren’t going to overclock, Adata 2x1GB for about $100 is pretty damn good value. For slightly better bang, head towards the axeram, or the supertalent CL4 for $140.
• Graphics Card: 8800GTS 320mb - Although expensive for a video card, this card will run everything that is on the market at the moment with absolute ease. With the 8800GT coming out in a week, I would recommend holding back for that card as the performance increase over the 8800GTS is about 10-15%, and for about the same price or less and single slot, you really can’t go wrong. If you are on a budget, look out for a 2nd hand 8800GTS when the 8800GT hit the market. Current 8800GTS are about $470-$500, I’d expect the 8800GT to be about $420. So if you can wait, its worth it.
• DVD: They are all pretty much the same, I bought an Asus one for $50 and it runs great. So budget about $60.
• Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB, 16mb Buffer. $135

AMD

• Case:
• Powersupply:
• Motherboard:
• CPU:
• RAM:
• Graphics Card:
• DVD
• Hard Drive

INTEL

• Case:
• Powersupply:
• Motherboard:
• CPU:
• RAM:
• Graphics Card:
• DVD
• Hard Drive

Before you buy components, be sure that they are supported by the operating system you plan to use. Almost all current, commonly available PC devices have drivers available for current versions of Windows (generally, anything 2000, XP, Vista, or newer); if you want to run an alternative operating system, you’ll have to do some research; many alternatives have extensive ‘Hardware Compatibility Lists’ as well as software compatibility.

Windows XP supports most processors and motherboards based on the i386 (x86; 32-bit) or x86_64 (AMD64/EM64T; 64-bit) architectures. Put simply, all available consumer processors (especially from AMD or Intel) will work with the Windows XP operating system. There are five versions of XP and can be compared on Microsofts website

Vista is Microsoft’s most recent operating. With DirectX 10, Windows Vista has ushered in a new architectural foundation for Microsoft’s DirectX API, and it’s clear that this is just a launching point for Microsoft’s development team, with discussion of Directx 11 already being in the works. Vista is available in different versions, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate. You can compare each version using Microsofts Comparison Chart However be warned, alot of older games have trouble running under Vista so you may wish to stick with Windows XP for a little while yet.

There are also alot of alternative open source operating systems available too. One example of this is Linux. It comes in a variety of flavours, some more advanced than others. For simplicy I would recommend not using these as your main OS, unless you feel comfortable compiling kernels

So your feeling game and want to assemble your own PC? I am not going to spend my time writing a guide as I have come across a good one on wikipedia.

Point your browser here for instructions