Which computer parts to buy

[Guest]

Hi...
Im thinking of self assembling a new com and Im having a difficult time deciding what parts to buy as I have no idea about com stuff. My budget is around $1500, can somebody pls advice to me what hardware should I get for my com? Pls help..... Thanks in advance!

[cheapcaragent]

for gaming, concentrate on graphic card.

Example : P4 3000, 1GB ram, using Gefore4 MX , loading my games "total war" 40sec to main menu, from main menu to game, 56 sec.

P4 2.0, 512 mb , using ATI X700, loading same game to main menu, 28 to 30 sec. to game another 34 sec.

see the different?

[cheapcaragent]

add on:
there must be some reason that graphic card is more expensive then CPU+motherboard

a high end graphic card, can reach S$800 or more

[doctorpc]

Hi...
Im thinking of self assembling a new com and Im having a difficult time deciding what parts to buy as I have no idea about com stuff. My budget is around $1500, can somebody pls advice to me what hardware should I get for my com? Pls help..... Thanks in advance!

Wait.

Do you prefer to buy a beautiful assembled car or assemble a beautiful car?

Do you prefer to call fuss-free support or fix by yourself when the car runs abnormally?

Replace the "car" above with "PC" and ask yourself again.

What's your take?

[riversandlakes]

it's a no-brainer once you get used to it.

my first dayjob for 2 years was assembling hundreds and hundreds of PCs.

but without any know-how whatsoever (as from your post), would you have the time to learn?

1. CPU - get an AMD; cheaper. Pentiums will cost in the thousands
2. motherboard - any will do. ensure warranty is there.
3. HDD - - any will do. ensure warranty is there.
4. sound/graphic card - get a motherboard with these built in
5. modem/network card - get a motherboard with these built in
6. monitor - up to ya. LCD or CRT
7. speakers - up to ya budget
8. casing - very affordable

that's it! about assembling, you'll find that computer components go only one way and it's NOT confusing at all!

for assistance, i'm online at [email protected]

[Guest]

Thanks for all the replies! Im thinking of assembling a PC myself, but having trouble thinking what parts to get.

[ksl]

Hi...
Im thinking of self assembling a new com and Im having a difficult time deciding what parts to buy as I have no idea about com stuff. My budget is around $1500, can somebody pls advice to me what hardware should I get for my com? Pls help..... Thanks in advance!

Wait.

Do you prefer to buy a beautiful assembled car or assemble a beautiful car?

Do you prefer to call fuss-free support or fix by yourself when the car runs abnormally?

Replace the "car" above with "PC" and ask yourself again.

What's your take?

Nice try doc! But like anything else, if he/she doesn't try, they will never learn. If they are anything like myself, I do everything, from mechanics, computers, building work, floor laying, roofing, home decoration, and I enjoy it, while learning and better still saving money.

You only have to take your car to a garage for a service to find out why, you should do it yourself.

But yes you are right in many ways, so why don't you run a course for 4 or 5 people at a time, to self build their own computers, under your supervision. Guide them through it, their are probably many poor unfortunate youngsters, that cannot afford an education. So you would earn a little and be helping someone at the same time.

For the OP, first decide what you need your Computer for.

There is no point in buying a rolls royce, when you only need a mini.

gameing machines and multimedia are demanding and need fast components, like memory chips, HDD, 5200 or 7200, AMD is always cheaper, but not always the best. Celerons are limited in there ability, and don't forget, the computer is only as fast as the slowest components. meaning compatibility is a skilled job.

Anyone can bang a machine together, but to get it running fluidly is another matter. and no matter what you buy today, I've not yet seen a machine that can deal with Multitasking effectively today, software is more demanding and security feature are more demanding, from adware and viruses. So don't expect a great deal, if your a internet surfer, multimedia player, and gamer all in one go.

Must applications load and run in the background, which is a pain in the arse, because the most you need, yet the synchronisation and power is lacking, due to the bang em together and throw em on the street, the consumer knows nothing anyway, and if they bring it back, they can always be convinced of someother problem, they have caused.

[Psycho-Kinetic Hyper-Geek]

it's a no-brainer once you get used to it.

my first dayjob for 2 years was assembling hundreds and hundreds of PCs.

but without any know-how whatsoever (as from your post), would you have the time to learn?

1. CPU - get an AMD; cheaper. Pentiums will cost in the thousands
2. motherboard - any will do. ensure warranty is there.
3. HDD - - any will do. ensure warranty is there.
4. sound/graphic card - get a motherboard with these built in
5. modem/network card - get a motherboard with these built in
6. monitor - up to ya. LCD or CRT
7. speakers - up to ya budget
8. casing - very affordable

that's it! about assembling, you'll find that computer components go only one way and it's NOT confusing at all!

for assistance, i'm online at [email protected]

Hahahha. If you do that you won't be able to play any games. And Pentiums DO NOT cost in the thousands. Pentiums are better for applications while AMD's are better for gaming. Please... What you are suggesting is the lowest of the low.

I suggest you read this guide. http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/

[riversandlakes]

Buddy, the OP's budget is $1500 ler...

so how much for Pentiums here in Singapore? In KL, it's RM2,000+ for a P4.

[Bremen]

Buddy, the OP's budget is $1500 ler...

so how much for Pentiums here in Singapore? In KL, it's RM2,000+ for a P4.

I recommend:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ & Abit A8N-Ultra ~ $499
Kingston PC3200 DDR400 1GB (2X512MB) ~ $162
PowerColour X800GT PCI Express ~ $295
Hitachi T7K250 SATAII 160GB 8MB 7200RPM ~ $141
BenQ DW1640 16X DVD±RW ~ $88
Antec True Power 2.0 350 W ~ $99
Lian-Li PC7A+ ~ $135

Total ~ $1419

Just add in a monitor.


To look at prices, go here:

http://sg.hardwarezone.com/priceguide/

To see some recommended PC specs, look here:

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1093205


FYI: AMD chips run cooler and faster, and for games can be up to 20% faster than a P4. See here:

http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdo ... i=2456&p=6

[riversandlakes]

Say, you guys have contacts or cheap P2 laptops to sell at $150-300?

[Bremen]

Say, you guys have contacts or cheap P2 laptops to sell at $150-300?

Those are hard to find... Try the 4th floor backlane shops at Sim Lim Square, there's lots of older 2nd-hand stuff there.