Author Topic: The Computer Megathread (Read 402591 times)

Ethan · October 16, 2011, 06:18:35 PM

Welcome to the Computer Megathread. Here, you will find all the information you need on buying a new system, upgrading your current system, or just problems you are experiencing with your current system.

Table of Contents:

What is a computer?
- Purpose-built computers
Components
- Cases/chassis
   - Power supplies
   - Motherboards
   - CPUs (processors)
   - RAM (memory)
   - Hard drives
   - Video cards
   - Optical drives
   - Operating system
   - Other
Prebuilts
- Pros
   - Cons
Custom builds
- Pros
   - Cons
Suggestions
- $300
   - $400
   - $500
   - $600
   - $700
   - $800
   - $900
   - $1000
   - $1200
   - $1500
   - $2000
   - Custom
   - Other
   - How to Build
Conclusion
What this thread can do for you
Additional Reading - How to fix a Blue Screen of Death

What is a computer?

A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer

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Purpose-built computers

There are many different types of computers based on what you wish to do with them. The one you are most likely familiar with is the personal computer, your laptop or desktop. If you are building a system, you will need to decide what you are going to do with your system so you can work out which solution best suits your needs. Some examples are:

Gaming Computers

These computers are a pack-load of power to deliver high-quality graphics and smooth gameplay. This is probably the computer you (would/want to) use.

Emphasized hardware:

Graphics Card: The gamer's best friend, the graphics card is pretty much the heart of making the game look pretty and run fluidly.
Processor: Delivers the power than games can run on.
Computer Monitor: There's no use in investing in monster graphics cards and CPUs when you have a tiny little monitor to look at. Larger monitors fill up your vision more (and may seldomly allow some increased area of vision!) Remember that the bigger the screen, the more work your graphics card has to perform.

Workstation Computers

Workstation computers are built for productivity and are the most used computers in businesses.

Emphasized hardware:

Processor: This dictates the amount of data it can work through, so quite often workstation computers will have 2 separate processors each with their own socket and cores etc.
RAM: RAM would allow the computer to "remember" more things going on at once. This allows multiple programs to be run at a single time, and more data to be remembered in a single application, perfect for productivity programs like video editing or illustration.
Graphics Card: The graphics cards in workstation computers are super expensive, but super powerful.

Server Computers

These computers are used to host internet content, such as web pages or gaming services.

Emphasized hardware:

Internet Connection: Faster and higher-quality internet connections allow users to access your stuff faster. Outdated dial-up connections will probably never be sufficient, while cable broadband systems suit the job way better.
Hard Drives: If you're hosting large amounts of files and data, it's good to know you always have extra space on hand.
RAM: Especially useful for gaming servers where all the game data has to be loaded on to the RAM for faster access and less lag for the end user.
Thanks to QuantumEagle.

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There are a number of components that go into making a complete computer system, some compulsory for the working of the computer system, some are optional for extra features.

Some great places to shop for parts are Newegg or NCIX US.

Below, the main components are listed and briefly explained.

Cases/chassis

The case of the computer holds all the parts within, in a tidy, manageable, easy-to-build way. It is necessary for part structure, avoiding static charges, and good airflow, as well as looking good.

Typically there are a few brands of computer cases that are built better than the rest and offer more features and better airflow as a rule; some of these are Cooler Master, Thermaltake, NZXT, Silverstone and Antec.

When choosing a computer case, if possible I will always choose a mid ATX tower sized case. This provides lots of room for big video cards and CPU heatsinks and good airflow. I try to stay away from mATX cases due to the cramped insides with not much room for the components and no room for a full sized ATX motherboard.

Even for a cheap computer build I'd recommend keeping over $50 for your case. This will make sure you are provided with a decent quality case if you don't know for sure which one to choose. Feel free to ask me in this thread for my opinion on a case and/or my suggestion for you for a case.

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Power supplies

The power supply unit is arguably the most vital part of the computer. While the CPU is the brain, the PSU is the beating heart, providing juice to the entire system. One that isn't good enough quality or enough wattage for your system's needs will often end up failing and frying some of your components with it.

When choosing a power supply, once again I try and stay with brands that are known to have good products. A few of these are XFX, Cooler Master, Corsair, OCZ and Antec.

Recently a nifty PSU rating system was introduced, called 80 plus. Each power supply is now tested and rated based on its quality. If possible always keep to the power supplies that are rated with at least a 80+ sticker. Strive to get the 80+ bronze sticker instead if you can, and for high budget systems, go the extra mile with a 80+ silver, 80+ gold, or 80+ platinum PSU.

And as always, make sure that you have enough power connectors to power each of your components.

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Motherboards

Motherboards are the boards that everything in your system plugs in to, in one way or another. It provides the routing between your components so they can communicate, so therefore a high quality one is vital. It also provides the socket for your CPU to plug in to, as well as a few other technology limitations, for example, the RAM, or the chipset may not support 2 nVidia video cards working together, but may support 2 AMD video cards working together. For this reason it is quite hard for a beginner in the field to pick a good motherboard, and more often than not, a beginner will usually have at least one incompatibility in their system, usually pertaining to the motherboard.

Some of the good brands I like to keep with are MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock and EVGA. ASRock provides a great balance between quality and price.

As for the chipset, I like to always strive to get the latest chipset on a motherboard, however due to price, this isn't always a good option. The good chipsets I recommend are 970, 990X and 990FX for AMD boards, and Z68 for Intel boards.

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CPUs (processor)

This is the brain of the computer. Any information running through the computer must be 'processed' by this first. Picking a fast one is always recommended because if you don't, it will limit the information throughput, slowing down the computer.

There isn't really a quality factor with these, and there is only 2 big brands, AMD and Intel.

AMD makes reasonably powerful processors that are cheaper than Intels processors by quite a margin. AMD just released a octo-core (8 core) processor for a really cheap and reasonable price, that can overclock quite easily to 4.5GHz.

However it still doesn't perform as good as Intels latest offerings, the Sandy Bridge lot. These offer amazing performance for $200 or $300, whether or not you want 4 or 8 theoretical cores.

Make sure your motherboard has the right socket for your processor.

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RAM (memory)

This is storage for your computer, but differs from a hard drive. Whilst the hard drive has huge storage and is slow, the RAM is smaller but super fast. It is used as temporary storage for the things you use most while on your computer, such as the operating system and your web browser, so that they are launched faster.

Some good quality brands are Mushkin, Corsair, G-Skill, OCZ, and most of all, Kingston.

The speed of the RAM doesn't really matter above DDR3-1600, as this is kind of the top point that most motherboards/cpus can support effectively. The new AMD 8-cores can support DDR3-1866 though.

For size, a small budget (< $600) I tend to go for 4GB, as that is ample, but anything over, I recommend 8GB at least.

If you are using the computer for productivity, eg music production, photo editing or video editing, you'd want to maybe go for 12gb or 16gb.

Once again, make sure it's compatible with your motherboard :)

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Hard Drives

These are the main storage of your computer and contain everything, including your operating system. These can pretty much be changed around to your liking, depending on how much storage you want/need.

Most current hard drives use the same technology to connect to the motherboard and to the power supply so they are for the most part the easiest component to install if you ever want more storage.

Some good brands are Western Digital (Caviar Black or Caviar Blue, try to stay away from Green), Seagate, and Samsung.

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Video Cards

Often called Graphics Cards, these do all the rendering to achieve what you see on your monitor. If you are an avid gamer, it is crucial to have a good one of these. If you are doing photo editing, illustration or especially 3d modelling, it is crucial to have a good one of these. You don't really have to get a good one if you are only going to be browsing the internet.

It's also recommended to get a good one/multiple good ones if you are going to be using more than one monitor.

Generally they scale with the price, however it can also be misleading.

Most of the brands are good, but there are a few cheaper ones to keep away from if possible, although no major difference if it can't be avoided. Keep in mind that the graphics processor underneath is built by the same 2 brands AMD and nVidia, only the cooler/pcb it is kept on is changed.

Video cards slot straight in to the expansion ports on your motherboard, mostly the PCI-E 16x slot. Sometimes they will need extra power from the power supply, but only on high end cards.

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Optical Drives

These are the CD or DVD drives in your computer. Not really much difference in them, mostly just the speeds, but they all hover around $20. Quite often I won't include these in a new system configuration, because they are cheap, universal and quite often people have them in their older computers that they can use.

If you have a big budget you may wish to go for a blu-ray reader or even a blu-ray writer.

Some features to look out for here are LightScribe and LabelFlash, both are technologies where you can 'burn' a label on to the top side of the CD straight from the CD drive.

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Operating Systems

Pretty much Windows, Linux and Macintosh. I recommend Windows 7, however if you don't have the $100 for an OEM version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, then maybe you could install a version of Linux until you can afford Windows. Up to you.

Make sure to keep with the 64-bit versions of your desired operating system to support all your RAM.

There are also free versions of Microsoft Server available for free download off DreamSpark if you are a student:

https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=12
https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=16
https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=17
Suggested by Wedge.

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Other

Other things such as TV cards, wireless adapters, modems that are completely optional but up to the user to install if they want those extra features. These slot in to the expansion ports on the motherboard.

This image made by Wedge shows the location of the components of a PC inside a PC case:

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These are the majority of computers. They come pre-assembled and often bundled with monitors and a bunch of unnecessary software trials installed.

Pros

   - Pre-assembled, no hassle for the user
   - No need to have to worry with a parts list and making sure the parts are compatible

Quite frankly that's where the pros end though.

Cons

   - Expensive. Quite often you can achieve equal specs, at about 2/3rds of the price. Maybe even more.
   - Build quality. Most prebuilt brands use cheaper components such as the motherboard and PSU.

There are a few good prebuilt companies. Two that offer good price to performance ratios are iBuyPower and CyberPowerPC.
MSI and Asus have really nice laptops for sale.
If you really have a lot of money, I recommend a Falcon Northwest for build quality and raw power, however they do cost a lot.

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These are computers you build yourself. This is what I recommend. You can get much more for your money, and you can get a computer where every single bit you like, from aesthetics to how many USB ports you want.

Pros

   - Cheaper
   - More quality parts are used (if you pick properly)
   - Totally customizable
   - Upgradeability in the future

Cons

   - Inconvenient. Unless you are like me and enjoy building/tinkering with computers, you may find it a nuisance.

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Ethan · October 16, 2011, 06:19:15 PM

In conclusion, you can see that it is better to build your own, however not completely necessary if you don't feel comfortable with.

What this thread can do for you

Please feel free to post any questions, that's what the thread is for. Also, like I have stated above, you can request a custom build at any point. I find pleasure in computers and enjoy helping :)

People who want to help maintain thread and help others:

   - Ethan
   - HerpaDerp
   -

If you wish to contribute and/or help people with configurations or questions, I can add you to the list.

Thank-you for reading, and I hope this helped you in some way.

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Additional Reading - How to fix a Blue Screen of Death

Complete with pictures for the clueless.

Oh stuff!

The typical end-user believes that a "STOP" screen (more commonly referred to the Blue Screen of Death, abbreviated to BSoD) is the end of their computer. Contrary to popular belief, this is not true. Most can be resolved just by restarting, while some others, such as driver issues and registry errors, need action before the BSoD will stop occurring. This post will teach you how to solve them.

Uninstall any drivers and programs you have recently installed
The majority of BSoDs are caused by improper installation/selection of drivers and programs, and can be fixed easily. Start by loading Windows in Safe Mode (that's a link!) This will ensure that only primary drivers and programs are loaded for a less-than-proper operating environment, and will allow the uninstall to go without error, as the program service or driver would not be loaded during the starting of Windows.
To uninstall a program, enter the Control Panel. Click one of the following icons corresponding to the version of Windows that you have installed.

Windows XP:

Windows Vista and 7:

From these icons, a list will appear of all the software you've installed on your computer. Gathering the list may take a minute or two, be patient. From here, you click one of the recently installed programs/drivers and click "Change/Remove", "Change", or "Remove." Follow the on-screen instructions after selecting to uninstall the program. Afterwards, restart your computer and check to see if the problem occurs. Repeat if necessary.

Run System Restore to a point where you could use your computer
This would have to be one of the easiest methods to fix a recurring BSoD ever. Pick the method corresponding to your version of Windows.

Windows XP:

Follow the on-screen instructions when the window comes up.
Windows Vista and 7:
Click on "System Protection"

This button may be greyed out if you don't have a restore point.

Afterwards, follow the on-screen instructions.

Look up the "STOP" error code
This is a general "do-me-first" for experienced users. The "STOP" error code is the sequence that appears whenever a BSoD occurs (example, 0x000000E2.) For Windows Vista and 7 users, it's as easy as clicking a button to get the error code during your next startup.

Add the BCCode onto "0x00000000", whereas the BCCode would be 541, you'd have a "STOP" code of "0x00000541"

However, if you're using XP or 2000, you'll have to write down the error code. If the screen restarts too fast, or you're too scared and just reset your computer, you're going to have to change system failure and recovery options. Here's a guide with pictures on how to do so:

Open the Control Panel, then you will open "System".

Head over to the "Advanced" tab.

Click the "Settings" button on the following

Turn off "Automatically Restart" on System Failure

For Vista and 7 users who would like to do the same:

Click on "Advanced system settings"

Then, follow the last 2 steps of the XP method.

You can look up "STOP (code)" on Google, or the Microsoft Support website. Whichever one you use is pure choice. From here, there should be a guide on how to fix the issue you're having.

My computer won't boot Windows in Safe Mode!
Provided you have the Operating System disk, you can Repair the system. Should you not, where I am, it is legal to download the disk, provided you have a license for the product. Insert the disk into your drive, watch when your computer starts up for "Press F8 to launch BBS", "F12 Boot Menu" or similar messages. When it appears, select "CD-ROM drive" or something with the name "DVD" or "CD" in it. Should you be using XP, do not use the recovery console if you have no idea what you're doing. The recovery console is for more experienced Windows users who know what the issue is, and it's generally not recommended to play around in it. Follow the on-screen instructions after you've initiated the repair process. Generally the only thing you'll lose is modified system files, the rest of them should be fine after the repair process. If it doesn't detect any disks, ensure the hard drive is powered on, plugged into the SATA/IDE port, and is enabled in the BIOS (consult your manual that came with the computer for more information.) Should it not be detected by your BIOS, your hard drive may be dysfunctional. Test it in another system to verify.

Credits to KoopaScooper for his great section on the BSOD.