ADVICE for a perosn new to computing and building a computer for first time

sagarshah

sagarshah

sagarshah

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to some of you this thread might be a waste of time but to those of you who are freindly and willing to help i thank you in advance.

hi, i'm 15 and planning to build my very own computer for the first time. I am new to the whole computer modding and PC gaming scene but now im in to it and I LOVE IT (even though im still a noob :D:confused:)

basically, my computer at the moment is crap and as i now play games often, for my birthday im going to build a new computer. my current specs are:

[IMPORTANT STUFF STARTS HERE:]

Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
Hewlett-Packard HP Compaq dc5800 Microtower
3.00 gigahertz Intel Core2 Duo
Board: Hewlett-Packard 2820h
750.14 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
2022 Megabytes Installed Memory
Intel(R) Q33 Express Chipset Family
SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio
Intel(R) 82566DM Gigabit Network Connection
case: 37.72 x 17.65 x 42.8 cm
300-watt passive PFC

i am going to scrap everything (sell it or keep as spares) EXCEPT the core2 due proccessor and the hard drives (one 220gb internal and one 500gb external), and the optical CD/DVD drive....

the things that i think i want for the new PC are: (all from this website because it is awesome ;) )

case: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-017-NX&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=35
motherboard: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-159-GI

i am going to purchase windows 7 home edition and dual-boot it with my windows XP (is this possible :confused:)

RAM, Graphics card, PSU and cooling and still completely undecided which is where i need HELP!!

all the things i mentioned here are changeable if you think that i've picked the wrong stuff or need better stuff then don't hesitaste to tell me what else to get and why...+ if you need any other information about my PC just ask and please tell me how/where to get it as i might not be sure :)

BTW: my budget is set around £400 but this is mildly flexible and any way i can cut costs is appreciated. Also, if there's any new technology that i should wait for please tell me.

THANKS IN ADVANCE
 
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Hello and welcome to the forums :)

The motherboard you have chosen will not work with your current cpu.
Your Windows installation will be oem which is tied to the motherboard and under the T&C'S can not be transfered to a new system legally.

I will have ago at finding a board ect.
 
GX-102-PC_60.jpg
Powercolor ATI Radeon HD 4890 PCS+ BattleForge Edition 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £149.98
(£130.42) £149.98
(£130.42)
MB-119-GI_60.jpg
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS5 Intel X48 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £94.99
(£82.60) £94.99
(£82.60)
CA-017-NX_60.jpg
NZXT Apollo Gaming Case - Black (No PSU) £59.98
(£52.16) £59.98
(£52.16)
CA-031-OC_60.jpg
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600w Silent SLI Ready Modular Power Supply £56.99
(£49.56) £56.99
(£49.56)
MY-039-KS_60.jpg
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel (KHX8500D2K2/4G) £41.99
(£36.51) £41.99
(£36.51) Sub Total : £351.25 Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.75 VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £54.45 Total : £417.45
 
it all sounds really good except for the grafix card....a friend of mine said that i should stick with Nvidia and not ATI because apperently ATI nearly went out of business and are having financial problems....is this true? otherwise i think this setup should be amazing...and should i get an i7 or i5 and just get a new mthrbrd? THANKS!
 
sagarshah said:
it all sounds really good except for the grafix card....a friend of mine said that i should stick with Nvidia and not ATI because apperently ATI nearly went out of business and are having financial problems....is this true? otherwise i think this setup should be amazing...and should i get an i7 or i5 and just get a new mthrbrd? THANKS!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't listen to your friend, but I prefer Nvidia too.

The best value (IMO) is a GTX260 if you go down the Nvidia route
 
the 4890 is a bit faster than the gtx260 i believe as the gtx275 was bought out to compete with the 4890. the 4890 is averagely a bit more expensive than the 260 but only by about 20 quid by the look of it - so you might as well go for that.

if you want to go down the i5/i7 route the rig may last longer without the need to upgrade as games get more multithreaded, but it would cost you more than 400 quid but may save you money when you wish to upgrade as socket 775 is kind of dying out though you could upgrade to maybe a core 2 quad later with socket 775 though. Since the processor in a rig is the thing that generally goes out of date last that could still last you a long time, even if there is no new processors for socket 775.
 
Think you sho9uld get someone who knows about hardware to help you build the system or your gonna be chucking money downt he drain, get it specd up correctly here and get someone with experience to make it.
 
Case wise I think you should go for the Antec 300. For only £45 its a bargain. Its well built and aesthetically pleasing and offers all you will need. Please don't go down the chrome, load of blue LEDs and tacky stuff route, you will regret it :D

Make sure you read through my build guide sticky before you start ;)
 
greywolf said:
Case wise I think you should go for the Antec 300. For only £45 its a bargain. Its well built and aesthetically pleasing and offers all you will need. Please don't go down the chrome, load of blue LEDs and tacky stuff route, you will regret it :D

Make sure you read through my build guide sticky before you start ;)
Click to expand...

This wolf talks sense.
 
iNPUt said:
Think you sho9uld get someone who knows about hardware to help you build the system or your gonna be chucking money downt he drain, get it specd up correctly here and get someone with experience to make it.
Click to expand...

There are a good few hundred people on this forum who will happily spec him up correctly, and in terms of building it it's easy if you follow a guide. I'm not the most technically minded person in the world but built my first PC just over two years ago now without any help and had no hitches at all.

In terms of the case, it's really down to personal preference - I wouldn't go too cheap, as you start to notice things such as build quality and noise levels after a couple of months - my current case cost me £40 and I regret not spending a little more. I've tried numerous different fans and it's still loud, and whenever I nudge my desk the door rattles.

For the money this looks like a fantastic case, but there are others from Antec and Coolermaster which look very good as well.

Graphics card wise, go for the 4890; it's the best bang-for-buck card out there at this moment in time, although you could do worse than to wait 24 hours for pricing news on ATI's new cards.

In terms of motherboard, there's really not a great need to spend more than £80 or so (and often spending less will do you just as well) unless you are a super high-end user. Something like this would do you fine.

Next up, it's important to get a good power supply - never scrimp on the PSU, it's the heartbeat of your system, and if it goes pop it has the capacity to take out other components.

Finally, the OS; you won't be able to re-use that XP install, as it will not be a retail copy (I doubt - unless you bought it seperately from your PC?). There shouldn't be any reason why Windows 7 won't do the job alone though.

Here's what I'd do in your position:

r1zss8.jpg
 
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Go with the modular 600W PSU from OCZ. It'll allow for better air flow when you disconnect all the cables you don't need, it allows room for upgrading and it's cheaper than the corsair 550W when it's not on offer. But it's just started an offer so is even cheaper than usual! Bargain!

I'd also go with the antec 300
 
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Deific said:
Go with the modular 600W PSU from OCZ. It'll allow for better air flow when you disconnect all the cables you don't need, it allows room for upgrading and it's cheaper than the corsair 550W when it's not on offer. But it's just started an offer so is even cheaper than usual! Bargain!

I'd also go with the antec 300
Click to expand...

I'm a bit of a stickler with the PSU to be honest...don't buy anything but Corsair, Tagan, Seasonic or PC Power and Cooling. The OCZ looks decent for the money though. However, when buying a bang for buck PSU you may literally end up with that :D In all seriousness the OCZ is probably fine, but personally I'd spend the extra money.

And I can't stand the Antec 300, although it gets very good press so if you like the look of it then go for it :D
 
I have seen the mods on here say they get less returns on the OCZ PSUs than the Corsairs. Ive used 4 of them in the past year and they are worth the money.

I too hate the Antec 300. It feels and looks cheap. Much better cases for the money out there imo.

What cooler is there currently on the CPU ? would be surprised if you couldnt transfer it but I have seen some HP's with a heatsink that uses the case and a plastic cover for airflow.

My 2c :
Untitled-1-18.jpg
 
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manic111 said:
I'm a bit of a stickler with the PSU to be honest...don't buy anything but Corsair, Tagan, Seasonic or PC Power and Cooling. The OCZ looks decent for the money though. However, when buying a bang for buck PSU you may literally end up with that :D In all seriousness the OCZ is probably fine, but personally I'd spend the extra money.

And I can't stand the Antec 300, although it gets very good press so if you like the look of it then go for it :D
Click to expand...


Just mod a window into it like I'm going to :D - as far as cooling goes you wont find a case in the same price range that cools as efficiently.

Btw you know OCZ make the PC power and cooling PSUs?
 
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BIGBC said:
I have seen the mods on here say they get less returns on the OCZ PSUs than the Corsairs. Ive used 4 of them in the past year and they are worth the money.
Click to expand...

I'd be willing to bet that they also sell fewer as well though, making that stat pretty worthless ;)

Anyway, like I say it's personal preference. I don't tend to buy a PSU unless it's from a manufacturer who've been at the top of the PSU game for a good while.

Deific said:
Just mod a window into it like I'm going to :D - as far as cooling goes you wont find a case in the same price range that cools as efficiently.
Click to expand...

It's neither the lack of a window nor the cooling that I dislike...I'm just not a fan of the case - its aesthetics don't please me, and the build quality isn't fantastic, although you can't expect that for the price. Cases completely come down to the individual's stylistic choice, and what they need in terms of design, noise, cooling etc. The 300 isn't for me, but as I've said it is for many, and get's good press on the whole. If you like it, buy it. I personally don't like it.
 
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