Need help on first build

J

JustinL

New Member
I'm going to need a new desktop soon, and I am completely new at building computers. I don't want to buy a pre-built one because it would be out of my budget.

Type of pc I want: I'm not big into gaming (I only have a few games that I like), but I do need a computer that will be able to handle photoshop cs2, iTunes, and a bunch of other programs (also watching movies, burning cd's) while multi-tasking. And I'm probably going to get dragon naturally-speaking speech recognition software...something that my pc is incompatible with.

Budget:$1600 at most...preferably lower.

I won't be doing any OCing either.

I want a c2d...E6600?

I have no clue about anything else to get, so if you have recommendations, that would help alot.

Also another question: My mom is scared that I'm going to screw everything up because of static electricity. How would I handle that?

Thanks,
Justin
 
JustinL said:
Also another question: My mom is scared that I'm going to screw everything up because of static electricity. How would I handle that?

Thanks,
Justin
Click to expand...

anti-static wristband. they're cheap and work good.

as fo the rest... i think your budget is very spacey for what you want. you may have room for a 6700 c2d. what you will be doing is very cpu and ram intensive, so that c2d and a solid 2gb of ram(this or this or similar) will do you up right. a midrange video card, solid mobo and a good power supply and you'l be set for under budget, mos likely a few hundred dollars.
 
Glad to see you are going to take plunge and build one yourself. It is very rewarding. Have fun. For Ideas look at my signature. I can't say enough good things about it, the whole setup with monitor was 1900.00 or there abouts. Although you could slightly downgrade the video card and if you have a monitor thats probably 300.00 off the budget so you will be good and can get the E6600.

As far as actual parts do you want people to make recommendations or actually hand select what they would personally build, or what they would build for you?

And as always I can't stress the importance of a good PSU and Case, they pay off in the long run in any instance.
 
ETSA said:
Glad to see you are going to take plunge and build one yourself. It is very rewarding. Have fun. For Ideas look at my signature. I can't say enough good things about it, the whole setup with monitor was 1900.00 or there abouts. Although you could slightly downgrade the video card and if you have a monitor thats probably 300.00 off the budget so you will be good and can get the E6600.

As far as actual parts do you want people to make recommendations or actually hand select what they would personally build, or what they would build for you?

And as always I can't stress the importance of a good PSU and Case, they pay off in the long run in any instance.
Click to expand...

Well, I just want to know what you guys would recommend. There is alot of hardware to choose from and it gets confusing for me to figure out a list of what I need. I like building things, so this should be fun for me. I like the flexibility there is in building a pc. Not only that, but it'll be cheaper for what I want.

And if it helps; Like I said, I'm not big in gaming and the games I have aren't really demanding as far as vid cards. I do use programs like MSN encarta, itunes, and photoshop (I'm very interested in graphic design). I take alot of pictures too and store alot on my pc right now.

Also, I am a high school student with a rigorous schedule with additional online classes and I have to type up about 15 pages per week. I have to do projects and research all the time. Everything needs to be reliable. I don't want to know what would happen if my computer crashed; it would be a nightmare.

The problem with my pc now is that it takes a long time to start programs and sometimes it will freeze up if I'm running too many at one time. I had helped my mom buy a laptop recently that has a dual-core processor and I like it alot. I know the core 2 duos are better, so I'm looking forward to that.

Some things I am having trouble with are; finding a good motherboard and picking out a good case (I think I'll go with the case in your sig, they seem to be popular) with a good power supply.

I want at least 2 GB of DDR2 ram with room to upgrade in the future.

And keep in mind...this will be my first time building a pc (I've been reading some books though), so I don't want things to get too complicated.

Thanks palmmann and ETSA for your help.

EDIT: Should I get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16899888207
 
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Yes, I think I have the identical one and have yet to fry my computer(s).

Well from the get go I would recoommend a core 2 duo like you said, I think this is a good place to save money however, an e6300 or e6400 would be more than enough unless you were really going to be punishing this computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103941
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128012
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130065

Thats 1221.00 right there with no optical drives(get a dvdrw and you will be able to read/write cd's and dvd's) no OS either, you could get to or get right under 1600.00 easy. I would recommend an aftermarket cooler though just to keep that beautiful cpu nice and cool. :-)

Hope I helped. BTW that case comes in black also.
 
If you don't need the computer for gaming, you should be able to build it for around 600.00.

Ummm...the above links to a Case and PS that are 250.00 - excessive for this application IMO. You've also got him spending 250.00 on a graphics card in a machine that is not a gaming machine.

For this application, I'd just get something like:

74.99 Raidmax case w/ 450 W Power Supply 20 rebate

207.99 Asus A8N SLI MB w/ AMD Athlon 64 3700+ CPU

39.99 Thermaltake Blue Orb CPU Cooler

129.99 1 GB Ultra PC3200 RAM 40 Rebate

109.99 Seagate 320GB SATA-300 Hard Drive

159.99 XFX GeForce 7600 GT 30 Rebate

54.99
Lite-on Super Allwrite SHM-165H6S / 16x8x16x DVD+RW / 16x6x16x DVD-RW / 5x DVD-RAM / 8x DVD+R DL / 4x DVD-R DL / 48x24x48x CD-RW / Black/Beige Faceplates / Internal / DVD Writer with LightScribe 15 Rebate

Total before shipping and rebates
777
-105 rebates
-----
672 after rebates.

Pretty good deal I think, and this should be a real nice performer.
 
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The one suggestion I would make to ETSA's list is replace the graphics card with a slower, passive one.

Why buy a noisy, high-end card when he doesnt need it. Maybe something like this.
 
Well I just figured if it was within his budget he might as well enjoy a little eye candy, but if he got the case I mentioned it would be whisper quite, I have an x1900xtx (known for noisiness) and 3 120mm tri cool fans on high and its still queiter than my wife's computer's single 80 mm fan. That why a 125.00 case is worth the extra dollar(s).
 
Loudliness doesn't matter that much. I have a Dell 8400 desktop and it is quiet enough for me (if that even helps at all).

And I'm allowed to spend up to $1600, so get as close to that amount as you can. :D

Now I just need to know what CD/DVD drives to get. What brands are reliable?

And what CPU cooler should I get? this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118223

BTW, recommend whatever vid card you want...as long as it stays within my budget.

And thanks again.
 
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That is an awesome cpu heatsink/fan but it is a pain to get on unless you have done it before. I have asus and lite-on drives, both I would recommend, both are quiet and fast.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106015

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827134012

I like to have both, It even outs the ware on each drive along with making dvd's and cd's accessible and you can burn both.

The dvd drive comes with nero burning software and it's only 6 dollars more than the OEM.

edit: also this would make a huge improvement to sound, also a cheaper alternative.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102002

I would at leats consider the cheaper upgrade, or wait and see the improvement after listening to the onboard sounds for awhile.
 
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