I have the knowledge.. I live in Hawaii and do not have direct access to the mainland stores. What are some of the recommended parts? Please be specific as to the brand and model. I do not need the latest hardware. The best and most specific answerer will get the 10 points!
2007-08-30 16:41:24 · 10 answers · asked by BigWashSr 7 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Monitor> Any LG LCD monitor will be good
Keyboard and mouse> Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 110
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboards/keyboard_mice_combos/devices/154&cl=us,en
CPU case> the cheapest case in the store will be working good
Power supply>cooler master eXtreme Power 500W
http://www.coolermaster.com/products/product.php?act=detail&tbcate=22&id=59
Mainboard>Abit nf-m2s
Processor> AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800
RAM> Corsair 1GB Value Ram.
2007-08-30 17:29:03 · answer #1 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As Albert Hall indicated and you are probably already well aware, shipping and handling to Hawaii can add significantly to your costs.
There are many online vendors that usually have better prices than the local retail outlets, but don't necessarily rule them out. They sometimes run some pretty good sales and most have online sites as well. Some of the online vendors that I have had good results with are:
www.newegg.com
www.tigedirect.com
www.jr.com
www.buy.com
The rule of thumb in building your own computer is to buy the very best components that you can afford.
The first thing that you need to decide upon is which processor will best fit your needs. Intel is the current performance leader by a relatively slim margin that may be subject to change very soon. AMD remains the price leader however. For your budget, I would recommend starting with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 series socket AM2 processor. They will run 32-bit software as well as 64-bit.
Once you decide on a processor, then you will need the following:
1. Motherboard: Select a socket AM2 ATX form factor motherboard. I would definitely recommend ones with one or two PCI-Express x16 slots. There are several good brands. Personally, I prefer Asus with the nForce chipset, but I have had good results in the past with MSI and Gigabyte as well. I have had poor results with ECS and FIC boards.
2. Case: An ATX form factor case with plenty of room for expansion. With the newer processors and video cards you need good cooling, so get a case that comes with large fans (120mm to 140mm). There are many good brands. My preferences are Antec, CoolerMaster and Thermaltake,
3. PSU: The power supply unit is a vital component that one should be neither cheap or skimpy. PSUs are not all made alike even though the published specifications may look very similar. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. They tend to have light-weight, short-lived parts; especially when it comes to heat sinks and fans. Stick with such brands as Antec, CoolerMaster, EnerMax, Fortron, Rosewill, Thermaltake or Zalman with plenty of power. 500 watts is about the minimum for todays components.
4. Memory: Check the motherboard's manual for the supported memory and get as much as you can afford. Start off with at least 1 GB and add to that as you can. Such brands as Corsair, Crucial, Geil, Micron, Mushkin, or OCZ are some of the better brands. I cannot recommend Kingston or PNY. I just had too many problems with them in the past.
5. Video Card: Again, get the best that you can afford. An AMD/ATI Radeon XT or PRO series or nVidia GeForce FX -GT or -GTX series or better is recommended for gaming. Good name brands are BFG, EVGA, HIS, Sterling, XFX.
6. Hard disk drive [either IEDE/ATA or SATA (faster)]: One that will fit your budget and still provide sufficient storage for your programs and files.
7. Optical Drive: Preferably one that will handle both DVDs and CDs, and will both read and write to them.
8. Operating System: Windows XP, Vista (don't get the Vista Home Basic version, it is crap) or Linux.
These are the basics to build a PC. You may be able to transfer some of your existing components to the new machine to save some money. If you do not already have them, you will also need such things as a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, thermal grease, a surge suppressor, modem, a non-magnetic screwdriver (usually Phillips head) and any number of other add-on periphreals.
Happy shopping and building.
2007-08-30 18:02:08 · answer #2 · answered by Oddjob 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can find parts to build a generic computer from online stores such as www.geeks.com or www.newegg.com. The parts you will need are as follows:
Computer case (ATX style is typical. You will need to ensure the system board type matches the case type)
Power Supply (at least a 300W power supply should be useful)
Mother Board (Some call it a system board, ATX styles will have all of the I/O ports you should need (e.g. USB ports, Printer port, mouse port, video port, Network Interface Card (NIC) port)
A Central Processing Unit (CPU) that matches the Mother Board CPU socket.
Memory modules (today at least 1Gb of memory would be wise with the current operating and application requirements)
Hard disk drive (make sure the hard drive is compatible with the drive controller on the mother board. SATA drives are popular today)
A DVD RW/CD RW drive is a must
1.44 Mb disk drive (Some may argue the need for this based on the use of CD drives, USB drives etc...
Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor (Flat Panel displays are best but more pricey than a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) type)
On operating system (You will need to purchase a legitimate licencesed operating system to be legal.)
That should take care of the minimum requirements to build a system from parts. Other peripherals are optional (e.g. Printer, Scanner, etc...)
2007-08-30 17:02:44 · answer #3 · answered by learn2btech 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can try newegg and TigerDirect. They both offer good deals on this kind of things. Both sites will offer you a great deal of help on what to buy. You should buy something that fits your needs though, therefore, it is hard to pinpoint specific details. With 800USD you can probably get a good Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, a pair of SATA HDDs, a good ATX motherboard, a 600W power supply and of course, the bare bone kit to put it all in. This is disregarding the OS, for which I will suggest you GNU/Linux, instead of Windows.
2007-08-30 16:50:25 · answer #4 · answered by TRON 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can buy parts to build a computer almost anywhere.
For Example:
Best Buy
Comp Usa
Circutcity
Radio Shack
(Most computer parts Only Online)
You can find the parts online under:
Computers:PC Componants
2007-08-30 16:48:50 · answer #5 · answered by Yoyo 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A great site for finding hardware within your price range is http://www.pricewatch.com Plenty of the items have free shipping [Not sure if that includes HI]. I used this to upgrade my computer. Also, check out http://www.tigerdirect.com and http://www.newegg.com
Parts you'll need: Motherboard, CPU, Video card, hard drive, RAM, power supply, cooling system [fans, etc], Tower case. It all depends on what type of computer you are looking to build. For just general easy-going home use, you don't want to waste money on gaming/high productivity [digital design, multitasking, etc] parts; And if you want to do gaming/high productivity, you don't want to waste money on lesser parts.
2007-08-30 16:56:11 · answer #6 · answered by Anuolf 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
800$ will buy a ton of great hardware.
You can make an almost cutting edge machine.
Unfortunately you will have to pay much more for shipping, but you can still get good deals.
2007-08-30 16:47:07 · answer #7 · answered by Albert Hall 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
$800 will buy you a new computer and save you the headache.
2007-08-30 16:50:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
try www.newegg.com
i built my computer from scratch for less than $800.
i bought everything from newegg...
2007-08-30 16:49:51 · answer #9 · answered by kdrizzle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have used newegg.com it is good part and they will work with your budget highly recommend or geeks.com
2007-08-30 16:49:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋