first pc build, completely clueless

B

bilbog

New Member
ok, i'm pretty much a complete nooby when it comes to building a computer. i'm just wanting to be able to surf the web, play some halo 1/older games, and not have my computer catch on fire and crash. right now i've got a few year old basic compaq...any suggestions on how to build a decent computer from the ground up? i talked to some people at micro center and they told me it'd cost about 600-700 dollars to achieve that...sounds a lil steep for surfin web and halo 1, but i've been wrong before...well, lay it on me, and i'm here to learn, so tell me the differences between various products, never hurts to actually know what to get AND why to get it, much appreciated
 
You can build a basic, low level AMD system for around $350.00 that will do that.

GIGABYTE GA-M61PME-S2P Micro ATX AMD Motherboard ($49.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128383

AMD 2.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210

OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 Memory ($43.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227362

Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive ($69.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

APEVIA 500W Power Supply ($39.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148027

Rosewill Mid Tower Computer Case ($26.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147110

EVGA GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB Video Card ($54.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130394

Grand Total: $340.93

Shipping would be around $30.
 
Bodaggit23 said:
EVGA GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB Video Card ($54.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130394

14-130-394-S01


Grand Total: $340.93

Shipping would be around $30.
Click to expand...

Here's a left field question about one of your recommended products. I notice it has 2 plug ins for the back of the computer. Is that so you can plug 2 monitors in to the same card? What's the reason for that - and does it demand more from your PC ( as in power supply or memory / otherwise )

Thanks

Greenhorn
 
It's actually got three outputs on the backside. Two DVI and one S-Video, and yes that is so that you can run multiple monitor's. For me, I use one of the DVI plugs for my monitor and I use the S-Video to hook up my TV to my computer (not having an HD TV, but that will be fixed soon :D). This allows me to watch movies off of my computer on my TV, while I still play my games using my monitor. And no, it doesn't really call for much more demand from your PC.
 
Bob692006 said:
This allows me to watch movies off of my computer on my TV, while I still play my games using my monitor. And no, it doesn't really call for much more demand from your PC.
Click to expand...

Hmm,

You can watch Television on your computer powering a monitor / TV - while using another monitor to run an application / or game from the same PC???

WOW - I didn't know that was possible? How do you pull that off? I'd be interesting in factoring that into my future PC build.

Thanks
 
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Well, there are TV tuner cards that you could add to your build that allow you to bring cable programming onto your computer but it's not really necessary. You can do it and use your computer like a DVR basically, but you would have to make sure you have the HDD space. However, you would be looking at spending at least $100 more on your build for a good TV tuner card, not to mention you'll have to make sure you have the system resources to run multiple programs, which with the setup Bodaggit suggested you wouldn't really have a problem with as long as your not trying to run system demanding software such as video editing and a game like Crysis.
 
Jamin43 said:
Hmm,

You can watch Television on your computer powering a monitor / TV - while using another monitor to run an application / or game from the same PC???

WOW - I didn't know that was possible? How do you pull that off? I'd be interesting in factoring that into my future PC build.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood. You can use the S-Video out to display your computer's graphics on a television.

It is possible to watch television on your computer with an appropriate tuner card as Bob692006 pointed out.
 
thats overkill for playing halo 1. i played halo 1 on a p4 and an x300 with decent framerates. they did slow down at times but an 8500gt would be more than enough.
 
bebopin64 said:
thats overkill for playing halo 1. i played halo 1 on a p4 and an x300 with decent framerates. they did slow down at times but an 8500gt would be more than enough.
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Overkill? It's a $55.00 card...

How much will he save by getting a 8500? lol
 
processor ram and gpu are overkill. i was saying even an 8500gt is too much. pick up an old 6800, athlon 64, and 1gig ram off ebay and it will run that game on high.
 
bebopin64 said:
processor ram and gpu are overkill. i was saying even an 8500gt is too much. pick up an old 6800, athlon 64, and 1gig ram off ebay and it will run that game on high.
Click to expand...
You must be joking. This is a $350.00 build.?

There's nothing "overkill" about it.
 
You could replace that 4GB with 2gb ddr2 800 (still overkill but useful), that x2 with an x2 4400, that psu with 380w w/ good reviews, and 9600 with 8400 512mb.

you save a hair under $100 and it will play halo 1 on max settings.
 
Direct from MS...

Minimum system requirements for Halo

* Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows XP.
* Computer/Processor: 733 megahertz (MHz) processor.
* DirectX: DirectX® 9.0 or later. (DirectX 9.0b is installed by Halo.)
* Memory: 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM.
* Hard Disk: 1.2 gigabytes (GB) of free hard disk space.
* Video card: 32 MB with 3D Transform and Lighting capable.
* CD: 8X.
* Sound: Sound card, speakers, or headphones with multiplayer play.
* *56.6 Kilobytes per second (KBps) modem or 10 MB network adapter. Multiplayer servers require broadband to run a server.
* *Additionally, you must have an Internet Service provider (ISP) or a Local Area Network (LAN), if you want to play multi-player games.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114068

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009136

Shouldn't need this but to each his own. It's a good cheap card...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133238
 
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The only issue with building a lower end system then what Bodaggit suggested is that the OP, if he's anything like the rest of us, will more than likely build said lower end system, realize how much more performance he could have gotten and be regretting his build. The system Bodaggit suggested is overkill for Halo but if your wanting to get into video capturing using a TV tuner card or if you think you might ever want to play newer games, stick with Bodaggit's suggested build.
 
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