Im buidling a computer for the first time. Any tips or hints?

Question

I consider myself a little knowledgeable about computers. Just looking for any insider knowledge. Thanks!

Answer 1

what kinda computer are you going to build

Intel or AMD

basic, mid, gamer, or enthusiast.

its really not hard there are lots of online guides that will even show you how to put them together.

If its dry 30% or less humidity, get an antistatic mat or wrist strap to keep you from frying you new parts.

if not touch something grounded to discharge any static then get to work.

before you install your OS if its Xp use another computer to slipstream all of the updates SP2 and the 170 post SP2 updates into the installer.

I recommend Vista Home premium. I beta tested Vista Its awsome.

before you install the mobo, install the cpu and ram.

If you havent chosen your parts yet and know a little about overclocking the Athlon 3600+ X2 is great bang for your buck

its only $95 at newegg and easily overclocks from 1.9 to 3.0Ghz performing nearly as well as the 6000 X2 or the Core2Duo E6600.

but if you have overclocking plans get corsair XMS memory at ddr2 800 and get a good mobo read the reviews at newegg.

Answer 2

Since compatibility issues often cause the most confusion, I recommend researching Bare-Bones kits that have most of the main components packaged together. If anything, you can gain understanding on some of the compatibility issues.

The components you need are based on what you will be doing with it.
Microprocessor: Basic stuff probably only requires a 2.8Ghz P4 uP or higher. Gaming obviously requires more power.
Memory: I recommend a minimum of 1gig of RAM.
Hard Drives: 40Gig minimum for basic stuff. A lot more if you rip music and play games. Also note that SATA 3.0 drives are faster if your mobo can handle them.
Video Card: I recommend getting a fairly good video card. It helps a lot. Again, gaming requires a much higher powered card.

From some of my misfortunes or misfortunes of folks I know, here are some basic cautions you may want to consider:
1) ESD (electrostatic discharge) - Not taking proper ESD precautions can lead to damaged electronics. Do some quick research on the net to understand this. Basically, you don't want to static zap your mobo, video cards, and memory, etc...
2) Power Supplies are more important than most folks think. Always err on the side of caution for the P/S size. You usually get what you pay for in this category.
3) Don't spend money for stuff you don't need then you'll have more money for the upgrades in the future. If you buy something you don't use, you will still have to upgrade later because computers become obsolete so quickly. It just isn't worth it.
4) Proper cooling is very important so consider an extra case fan and possibly a non OEM processor fan with more cooling power. (Maybe even two case fans.)
5) Caution must be used if installing Vista because of a lot of the aftermarket driver and program issues that are still being resolved. It might take a little more effort on your part to resolve some issues but this would certainly be good for gaining some additional experience ;)

Answer 3

Do install a second operating system. There are many free ones available.

My favourite is UBUNTU (or XUBUNTU if the computer has less than 256MB of RAM).

It's a free, reliable and up to date operating system.

You can explore it from the "LIVE CD".

It's easy to install and use. You can dual boot it with other operating systems.

Once you have it installed, you gain access to thousands of free programs created by the open source community. There is excellent support - see the WIKI starter guide, and the Linux forums.

Always back up your data before making changes to your computer.

Answer 4

Lucky you... many years back you would need to master the art of jumpers and settings and conflicting and matching......
Today pretty much anything that fits the right plug will work automatically just fine.
Generally you want to look out for generics. Generics are everywhere and if you want a little more boost to your system then my best advice is for you to purchase a good graphic card and a good amount of cached memory (CPU, hard drive, RAM, etc.)

Answer 5

this is the pc i plan to build. i like it.

p4 3.0 procesor or biger
3 gig of memory or biger
1 terabite hardive (you will require 2 500 and a controlar card)
super g wireless card with smart antena technology
512 vidio card
blue ray burner
dvd burner
usb 2.0 card
sound blaster live card
zip drive (since not alot of people use its more secure)
win xp with sp1 and 2 (vista still has problems)

Answer 6

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Answer 7

1 - Do plenty of research and make sure all your components are compatible
2 - Download one of many step by step instructions found on the web.
3 - Handle all components with care, making sure you stay grounded to the case

Answer 8

get a good psu and a roomy tower ...it really depends on where ur going with it ... performance or just a basic surfing machine ... if u want performance get all good quality parts ... get a board that supports raid and sli if ur into gaming ...

Answer 9

dont put vista on it and you'll be fine