I need recommendations, help would be appreciated.

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ShadyNinjaMan1

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#1 ShadyNinjaMan1
Member since 2007 • 1448 Posts

I'm not sure how to put this, but I don't want to take up your time, so I'll try and make it simple. I want to learn more about how my computer works, how to upgrade it, what does what, how much it would cost to upgrade, etc., you know what I'm getting at.

Where's the best place to find this information?

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kidkit

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#2 kidkit
Member since 2005 • 2783 Posts
This is old but useful as a start.. Corsair Memory System Build
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kidkit

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#3 kidkit
Member since 2005 • 2783 Posts
I'm no expert so i'm sure half my notes will get torn to shreds, but 'too the best of my knowledge'.... Case: $50 - $300 Dollars, usually comes with a power supply, for a higher end machine you get one without, and buy the Power Supply After Power Supply: It's important to get enough power to your hardware, 500 Watts from a good brand is a good base. if you want multiple video cards running for example you probably want a bigger Powersupply (650+). Also, Amps are more important that Watts... but that's another story. Cpu: Intel has the slight advantage at the moment. there is an expected price drop after July 22nd. A good CPU is the E6420 or E6600. These are about $200 right now i think? Dual Core vs. Quad core: Personally i feel you get better gaming value out of a dual core. it may be a little while still before we see a huge advantage from using quad core processors. Overclocking: If you want to overclock your cpu you probably want some cooling peripherals and extra fans, I don't think you want to get into this with your first custom pc. Ram: DDR2 ram is on top right now. For gaming, look at 800mhz to start, there is faster ram available on the market though. DDR2 works best in pairs. you will often see 2 packs (2 x 1gig) of ram for about $100 - 150. motherboard: look for something that; supports your CPU, supports as many hard drives / etc as you want, that DOES NOT have built in video, and supports ram at the speed you want to be buying. If you plan on overclocking buy something a little pricier, they have better cooling (look for a heat pipe [small metal tube]). Good companys are Asus, Gigabyte. Expect to spend $120 - $200. Graphics Card: First Choice, Nvidia or Ati. If we are talking about dx10 cards Nvidia is the choice today, but after ATIs drivers mature I'm sure it will be hard to choose one over the other. Personally, i Never buy the bleeding edge. The best video cards right now are the Nvidia 8800 GTX or Ultra... but if you spend much less, you get close to the same performance from the GTS. SLI and Crossfire technology (2 cards in parallel) should be left the rich and extremists. That's the important stuff... As far as audio is concerned all Motherboards these days come with good built in sound. If you have Excellent speakers you may want to invest in a high end sound card. Peripherals like keyboard and mice are just a preference, but note that more expensive mice are more customizable and have better response times. I like the logitech G5. Edit: Corrections as per notes below.
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Runningflame570

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#4 Runningflame570
Member since 2005 • 10388 Posts

Hmm, that post seems to have all the basics down for the current environment even if some of your terminology (such as calling the 8800 Ultra the "Ultimate") and some of your pricings are off (such as the RAM pricings, unless you are talking about brick and morton stores) the information seems to be pretty much spot on.

If theres more detailed things you need to know OP feel free..and oh, you better go ahead and buy an anti-static wrist strap, you can get them online for $5-10 or buy them along with everything else you may need from Best Buy for around $30-40 (AESW, Screwdriver, screws, wirestrippers, ect.).

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kodex1717

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#5 kodex1717
Member since 2005 • 5925 Posts
I learned a lot of what I know from watching shows on TechTV like Call for Help and The Screen Savers. What sucks is that in 2004 TechTV was bought out by G4 and all the great shows dissapeared. Don't bother watching G4 while trying to learn something, it's all tailored to the interests of 14 year old boys. Anyway, a lot of the people from TechTV went on to form Revision3 and This Week In Tech. I'd suggest that you listen to the newer shows on twit.tv and when a term comes up that you don't understand, pause the audio and type it into Google. Google has always been my best friend in figuring out what some new acronym or device is. When you're done, just resume the audio and keep on listening. It will be confusing at first but you should come to some sort of a basic understanding, at least.
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mastershake575

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#6 mastershake575
Member since 2007 • 8574 Posts

heres some guides

new http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=78237&sid=1

kinda old http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=12472&sid=1

really old http://computer.howstuffworks.com/build-a-computer.htm

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