First build. Advice please.

A

AbramsV13

New Member
Hello everyone, im a newb to building computers and computer hardware but have a basic knowledge of things. I am in the US Army and stationed in South Korea. I am getting a little bored and would like to occupy my time doing somethng that interests me. I just need some advice on the components ive picked out and to make sure they're compatable. I would greatly appreciate some help. Thanks in advance.

Oh I should tell you that I won't be using this computer for gaming, it will be used everyday to watch movies from and surf the internet. Also a lot of downloading and will be running Windows 7. Since I am in Korea I use my current laptop for keeping up to date on movies and TV shows so there will be a lot of video playing. The computer will be hooked up to my 42" plasma. Let me know if you need more info thanks..

So for a case i found this that I like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

There is also a combo deal with that case that comes with this power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036&Tpk=cooler%20master%20silent%20pro%20m600%20rs-600-amba-d3%20600w
The combo price is $144.98.

Next for a CPU, I like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
Now there is also two combo's that come with this CPU that offer a Motherboard as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.762363
And this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.762364
So is there a major difference in these? Is the first one worth the extra $30 or so dollars?

Next, is the memory, I'm not sure about these I've choosen 3 based on good reviews, here they are:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188&Tpk=adata%204gb%20240%20pin%20ddr2%20sdram

And now for the hard drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136939
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148321&Tpk=seagate%20st310005n1a1%20as-rk

So thats all I've got so far, some adive on those components would be great and also I'm pretty positive I need a video card and maybe a sound card. Any suggestions on those would be great. As I'm sure you can tell I am on a budget and would like to keep it as cheap as possible without sacrificing performance so if there are parts that you think are cheaper and better that would be awesome.

Does it make sense to make this computer wifi capable? Or just hardwire it? Oh and since I'm using my TV as the moniter i would need a HDMI port. I saw that the Motherboard has an HDMI port on it, is that what I need for it to be able to hook up to my TV?

Sorry I have so many questions I just get really excited when I try to do new things. Again, thanks in advance everyone.
 
I was just thinking that I can get a smaller HDD to save money because I currently have a 2TB external HD that I use with my laptop. Also already have a wireless keyboard and mouse I use with my laptop.
 
I wouldn't worry about a video card or sound card. The onboard video and sound is good enough for video and surfing the web. If you feel like you need more, then you can always upgrade later.

Both the motherboards you listed only use DDR3, so you can only use the first ones you posted:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...na&AID=10521304&PID=4169961&SID=1hum9ap85mkfb

For hard drive, if you already have a 2TB external, that's plenty. I would recommend a solid state drive for your setup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220602
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227737
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233193
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249009

Yes, they are very small capacity, but they are easily 10x faster than a conventional hard drive. Will make loading the computer and programs blazing fast.

And then you'll need a copy of windows 7, which would be $100, unless you're planning on using linux, which would be the free option.
 
Thanks Claptonman, very helpful. So if I go with SSD the computer will transfer data faster? If I decided I would want a large HDD later could I add it and the two would be compatable?

I forgot CD drives earliar, I was looking at this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

That drive can read and write correct? So I can just get two of those and be good and able to rip and burn CD's and they can read installation discs and what not?

So to clear this up a bit, if I get:

-case/power supply combo
-CPU/Motherboard combo
-first memory I linked
-SSD
-2 CD/DVD drives

Then I can order them and build a computer??? How exciting ha, can you let me know if I am forgetting anything, like the small things? I know the tools I need and the static strap and some paste, anything else? Thanks again.
 
I'm not too sure about the transfers from the SSD to another HDD, but all around loading times and performance would be high. From the login screen to my internet is literally 2 seconds.

Yes, you can just add another hard drive and use it as a secondary drive, like I have setup in my rig.

Really, you only need one drive, you'll just have to take out the CD that you ripped and replace it with a CD-R, but if you would prefer 2 drives, they're dirt cheap, so it wouldn't be a problem.

After taking a closer look, your MoBo doesn't support that fast of RAM. Try these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231425

You wouldn't notice a difference between the two.

And yes, that's all you need, except a disc for win7, otherwise you'll have no operating system on it.
 
Thanks again man.

So I'm going to be getting:

-Cooler Master Storm Scout Mid Tower Case combo'd with the Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 600W Power Supply,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.761977

-AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition 3.4 GHz Quad Core Processor combo'd with the ASUS M4A88TD-V Motherboard,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.762363

-G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB Memory,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231425

-Crucial M4 2.5" 64GB SSD,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

-ASUS 24X DVD Burner,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Which all totals up to $536.93 + other random small things and shipping. Is that a decent price for a system with these specs or is that overpriced for what I have here? Want to say thanks again Claptonman.
 
That's a pretty good price. And if down the road you wanna get more RAM or a dedicated video card, it would still be a nice budget build.
 
Well I appreciate all the advice and corrections my man, you helpped a lot. Oh one more thing, is that HDMI port on the Mobo going to be where I plug my TV into?
 
Not nearly that much cpu, or even the 955, is needed for movies and internet. An Athlon II x3 @$78 would be plenty. But if you think you might use the extra processing power...this is same price as the 965.
AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ970FBGMBOX

These motherboards have the latest socket, which will be needed if the cpu is ever upgraded to Bulldozer and above. Besides that, might as well get the latest tech.
ASUS M5A88-V EVO AM3+ AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
or mATX
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

The Crucial m4 is a good drive. This one is a bit higher end and has better speeds + a mir.
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F60GBGT-BK 2.5" 60GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Altho there may not be any real noticable difference between the 2 for this use, there's only a few bucks difference between 1333 and 1600. 1600 will increase the pc's value by more than the cost difference. It will also install and run at 1333 by defualt but the mb will support higher speeds than 1333 so you could easily set the RAM to 1600.

8GB memory isn't mandatory, but it's a good idea w/any SSD. More data in RAM means it isn't being written to and from the drive, and improves system performance.
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR

Speaking of which...really should have an internal HDD to accompany your ssd. It will be faster and you'll want to remap some folder destinations to it. Your external can play a role but the internal is a needed partner. Here's a little read on it.
Setup and Manage SSD
 
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