looking at parts to build my computer, need some help?

Question

what are some things i need to look for when building a pc. i have been looking at amd, cause there cheaper, but what is 90nm and 65nm and whats the difference. whats the difference between brisbane and windsor. and what is L1 and L2 cache and what is a good amount of cache. how do you determine what is a good heat sink and fan. also what should i look for in mother boards. thanx for any help.

Answer 1

The 90nm indicates the "process" that AMD used to produce the CPU. Usually the smaller number indicates that the CPU is newer, will be faster, and use less power because the transistors and the distance between them is smaller.

I would go with the 1MB cache (or 1MB per core if you are going with a dual core CPU). I noticed a difference between the 512KB and the 1MB cache, but there will be a point where larger cache will rarely help. I don't believe that a 4MB cache in the Intel parts is even twice as good as 1MB - there is a point of diminishing return when it comes to cache since software isn't usually a giant loop that keeps running again and again - it jumps some where and the cache is flushed.

I have been using the stock AMD heatsinks and have been very happy with them. If you want something really nice, go to eBay and buy a new oem AMD heatsink that was intended for the really fast CPUs that have the 4 heat tubes - these are fantastic and are still AMD oem parts which will not void your warranty.

Motherboards are all about what other features you want and what RAM, Hard drives, etc you already have that you want to use. If you already have some PC3200 RAM, go with a 939 board. If you are going to buy new RAM anyway, go with a AM2 board. I like Asus, Abit, and MSI the best and some of the new boards DO NOT have a fan on the chipset that can fail - they have heat tubes to carry the heat to a heatsink next to the CPU fan - very nice.

Answer 2

Hi,
I think Terry M has some great points and I'm firmly in the "build it yourself" camp. Here's a site that has(though dated) some great info on DIY: http://www.mysuperpc.com/

His "supercomputer" is only a 3400 and there are certainly faster chips but there is a ton of good information there.

And do not build it yourself without going to www.extremetech.com's build it site at:
http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,1695,644478,00.asp
Then really do yourself a favor. When you are starting to make a list of the parts you want to buy or suggestions head on over to http://www.newegg.com and check out the user reviews. Immensely helpful. Have fun and don't be intimidated, your new machine will rock!

Answer 3

You really dont need to try this on your own. Find a friend or family member to advise you. There are many concerns when building from scratch. Compatibility can be a ***** too. Talk to someone locally to help you. The internet is a bad place to ask.