Hardware Questions

[DrMobius]

I am writing a research paper for my Composition class.  My topic is on building a computer.  I figured that I may as well learn something that I can get some good use out of.  I know that a lot of you know a crap load about computers.  So I was hoping that you may be able to give me some recommendations on a few things like specs or brands to look for or watch out for.  I am looking at PCs.  If I have overlooked something, let me know.  I don't actually know a whole lot about this.  That is why I'm researching it.

• Build or Buy?, reasons
• CPU - AMD or Intel?,  Cooling?
• RAM - How much is good?
• Hard Drive - Speed and space?
• Motherboard - What exactly am I looking for?
• Video Cards - Specs, brands, and uses.
• Sound Cards and Speakers - What's good?
• Case - Educate me please...
• Power Supply - Educate me please...
• Disk Drives - CD, DVD, Blu-ray?  What's good and worth it?
• Needed tools?
• What are good US locations or sites to go for these things
• Anything else I should know?

Thanks for the help.

Edit: I hate lists now.

[Ad Bot]

[Miga]

Build - Costs less.
CPU - Intel, Core i7.
RAM - 4 GB Minimum, 12 GB Maximum.
HDD - 1.5 TB, 7200 RPM.
Motherboard - ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 (socket)
Video Card - ASUS ATi Radeon HD 5870 (1 GB)
Sound Cards - Motherboard will have a sound card integrated.
Case - Antec Nine Hundred Two case - Has a good amount of space and airflow
Power Supply - 750 Watt CORSAIR, so that you have enough power for now and the future upgrades.
Disk Drives - DVD+RW drive, unless you plan on burning Blu-Ray's. DVD+RW drives should only cost about $30.
Needed Tools - Philips and Flathead screwdrivers, that's about it.
Sites - TigerDirect and Newegg

[DrMobius]

Also, what about CPU cooling?

[Miga]

A ThermalTake SpinQ Performance Series cooler should do nicely.

[DrMobius]

Thanks Miga.  Anyone else have suggestions?

[Righteous One]

I am writing a research paper for my Composition class.  My topic is on building a computer.  I figured that I may as well learn something that I can get some good use out of.  I know that a lot of you know a crap load about computers.  So I was hoping that you may be able to give me some recommendations on a few things like specs or brands to look for or watch out for.  I am looking at PCs.  If I have overlooked something, let me know.  I don't actually know a whole lot about this.  That is why I'm researching it.

• Build or Buy?, reasons

Building is generally cheaper and better.

• CPU - AMD or Intel?,  Cooling?

The Intel Core i7 series is the fastest processor right now but the i9 will be released soon.

• RAM - How much is good?

A good amount of ram is 4GB. The main thing to watch out for is what speed is it. Corsair, Kingston, and G. Skill are some of the major brands.

• Hard Drive - Speed and space?

An average speed for a harddrive is around 7200rpm. The average person will probably need 500GB. There is also a more recent technology called "Solid State" The SSD discs are incredibly fast but very expensive.

• Motherboard - What exactly am I looking for?

There is no real thing to look for although you will at least want these things: DDR3 ram support, suitable north and south bridges, several Serial ATA ports, Several PCI-E ports and socket that supports are recent processor.

• Video Cards - Specs, brands, and uses.

Video cards really depend on the usage. The two chipset producers are ATI and Nvidia. There are ALOT of smaller companies that sell the cards although some major brands are: XFX, EVGA, and PNY. Video cards are needed to support a display. Think of them as a second computer that handles the pretty pictures.

• Sound Cards and audio equipment - Brands and specs again.

?

• Case - Educate me please...

Cases house the motherboard, powersupply, and many every other component. Cases have many sizes and variations. When building a computer you will want either an ATX Mid-tower or a ATX full tower case. Cases are also needed to cool the internal components. Therefore, cases with better airflow, more fans, and better looks are what you should look out for. Cases can range between $50 and $500.

• Power Supply - Educate me please...

Power supplies power the system. Their power is measured in watts. An average user will probably need a 500w power supply while a gamer or professional may need a 1200w. A power supplies' wattage is vital to performance as some motherboards, processors, and graphics cards need more power than others.

• Disk Drives - CD, DVD, Blu-ray?  What's good and worth it?

Blue rays are the newer and more expensive technology. Blurays aren't necessary unless the user intend to watch HD movies, Burn LOTS of high capacity disks, or something else. Almost all of the ODD's (optical disc drives) today include both CD and DVD readers and writers. Most of those also include a technology called lightscribe which can engrave labels and whatnot onto discs.

• Needed tools?

Most computers these days have toolless operation. Although for alot of computers you may want the following: PSU tester, Static wrist bands, and multiple sizes of Phillips screwdrivers.

• What are good US locations or sites to go for these things

Some of the more popular sites are: Newegg, Tigerdirect, and micro center.

• Anything else I should know?

Something very, very important to do when building a computer is to ground yourself. The components of a computer are very fragile when it comes to opposing forces of electricity. If your motherboard or other component takes a static shock it may short out and die forever. To prevent this you can A: Use static wristbands or B: Ground yourself by working on or touching a metal surface.
[/list]

Thanks for the help.

Edit: I hate lists now.

[Righteous One]

Whew, that took forever. I'm sure that there are some typos

[Otis Da HousKat]

How long do you have to work on this paper? I have some issues with some of the information provided above (although most of Liam Wolff's information is reliable) and would like to help, but I'm tired and going to bed very soon.

[Visage]

After Reactor Worker(I think) dissed me on talking about ram speed, I did some extensive research and my own testing and determined ram speed means almost nothing, you just want to make sure you have enough ram because if an app runs out of ram it uses HD which is slower than any possible ram. 4 gigs of 667 mhz ram would actually outperform 3 gigs of 1k+ ram if the 1k+ ram were to run out, and if it didn't run out it would only add 1-4 FPS. The only time expensive ram is important is you want tri-channel ram with the i7 as the tri-channel ram is needed to maximize the i7 power.

[Otis Da HousKat]

RAM speed rating = Ya we could clock it this high while remaining in this range of stability.

edit: Depending on your BIOS settings, your RAM may not even be clocked to it's rated speed. In most cases, your functional RAM speed is double the speed of your front side bus' (assuming your CPU has this still).

[TicTac]

Build - Costs less.
CPU - Intel, Core i7.
RAM - 4 GB Minimum, 12 GB Maximum.
HDD - 1.5 TB, 7200 RPM.
Motherboard - ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 (socket)
Video Card - ASUS ATi Radeon HD 5870 (1 GB)
Sound Cards - Motherboard will have a sound card integrated.
Case - Antec Nine Hundred Two case - Has a good amount of space and airflow
Power Supply - 750 Watt CORSAIR, so that you have enough power for now and the future upgrades.
Disk Drives - DVD+RW drive, unless you plan on burning Blu-Ray's. DVD+RW drives should only cost about $30.
Needed Tools - Philips and Flathead screwdrivers, that's about it.
Sites - TigerDirect and Newegg

I would suggest an i5 and an Antec 900.

[Otis Da HousKat]

I would suggest an i5 and an Antec 900.

He's not asking what parts to get for a computer build. He wants to know the process behind picking these parts.

[TapeDeck]

If you wanted to you could include OS

[Visage]

All you really have to do when building a computer is check user reviews on each part and also make sure 100% that your parts are all compatible and they will all fit in your case. The most important thing is to get a mobo with your CPU socket, get ram that works best with your cpu, and get a PSU that can take on the power of your entire comp. I also would note that it isn't wise to crossfire/sli cards unless they are the exact same.

[TapeDeck]

Also your mobo has to support SLI and/or crossfire.  Some only support one or the other