Thinking About First Time Build

[Blowndakrt]

Hey everyone. I have been reading on this forum for a few weeks to try and soak up as much info as I can. But figured I would sign up to ask some questions.

I am gonna be in the market for a new computer in the next few months and have really been leaning towards building my own.

I really have no clue what I will need or even want. And reading threads with recommendations and advice is almost overwhelming. I realize everyone has different opinions and not every system will work for the next guy. But it adds a bit to my confusion. LOL. So think maybe buying one already built is my only ticket.

For one, the lingo and terms used are way above my head. I have always used pre built computers and just went with whatever was recommended to me by the sales person after I told him what I would be doing with it. But with money being tighter this time around, the cost savings of building one myself really has me wanting more info.

I do have a few questions though.

Can someone explain the correlation between RAM and CPU? I mean, are the two directly related to helping each other, or is the RAM going to work with some other component to determine computer speed?

In the past I just went with the higher processor speed and the most RAM I could afford in the prebuilts. But after reading on this forum, it might have been money wasted. Some recommend only going with 4-6 Gig of RAM, as that would be sufficient for most computing activities.

So how does one know when they are not going to get any benefits from adding more RAM?

I had always been under the impression that the more RAM you had, the faster the computer would be opening programs, and performing functions in those programs.

The computer I want to build will be mainly for home and business use. I run an inventory/point of sale program, as well as picture editing, video editing (not full movies), spreadsheet programs. I also use it for my I Pod and music storage.

I am not too worried about a monitor,keyboard, mouse setup as those are easy to decide on and get. Its more of the actual CPU itself that I need help on. I don't really do any large gaming, but if its something I wanted to do later on, it would be nice to have something that I could upgrade to. As far as places I would buy, I am open to that advice as well. I haven't really searched all that hard for sites as I don't even know what I want to be looking for yet. The main ones I go to look are tigerdirect and newegg. Price wise, I am not 100% set on a price yet. Would like to keep it in the 1000 to 1500 range, but if I can come in cheaper, I am all for that as well. LOL.

Any advice or input would be great.

Thanks

Shawn

 

[bomberboysk]

More ram does not correlate to a faster computer, the most important things are CPU model and speed, GPU is also important if you are running games, CAD work, or some video editing programs. Also what is important is the speed of the memory(ram) and timings for it. I could help you out with a parts list, but $1000-1500 is a pretty broad range. It doesnt sound like the programs you are running will be all that intensive other than video editing, so with that i am wondering what video editing program you will be using?

 

[Blowndakrt]

I would say my video editing is not super complicated. I mainly use it for breaking down videos, cutting down, etc for use on my Ipod.

I sometimes put small vids together to make one video. Most of the time its adding music, pictures, etc to little vids I shoot of peoples cars, motorcycles, etc. I use a few different programs. I have a Nero video editor, can't remember which one exactly it is. I also use Sony Vegas, Windows Movie Maker, and might be going with something better later on down the road.

As far as being a broad price range, I am really not sure what the going rate for things are. I don't want to say 1200 if for a couple hundred more I can get a much better option, so figure the range will allow the option to make some upgrades as I build. If I can build a great system for less than 1000, that would be great. But if I need to step up to different components to be able to acheive my computer goals, I don't want to have a set budget and not be willing to go over that.

Another thing I would really like to be able to do, and not sure if it matters as much when building or choosing components, is the ability to run 2 monitors. That way I can keep my point of sale program up and running, and be able to use another screen to show customers pictures or info on another monitor. It would also help to be able to use the monitors to have different data on each to make it easier to look and compare.

Thanks

Shawn

 

[G25r8cer]

Nearly all dedicated gpu's support 2 monitors. You may want to consider a 5xxx series ati card as they support up to 3 monitors

Edit: Yes you could build a GREAT pc for $1000

 

[bomberboysk]

I would say my video editing is not super complicated. I mainly use it for breaking down videos, cutting down, etc for use on my Ipod.

I sometimes put small vids together to make one video. Most of the time its adding music, pictures, etc to little vids I shoot of peoples cars, motorcycles, etc. I use a few different programs. I have a Nero video editor, can't remember which one exactly it is. I also use Sony Vegas, Windows Movie Maker, and might be going with something better later on down the road.

As far as being a broad price range, I am really not sure what the going rate for things are. I don't want to say 1200 if for a couple hundred more I can get a much better option, so figure the range will allow the option to make some upgrades as I build. If I can build a great system for less than 1000, that would be great. But if I need to step up to different components to be able to acheive my computer goals, I don't want to have a set budget and not be willing to go over that.

Another thing I would really like to be able to do, and not sure if it matters as much when building or choosing components, is the ability to run 2 monitors. That way I can keep my point of sale program up and running, and be able to use another screen to show customers pictures or info on another monitor. It would also help to be able to use the monitors to have different data on each to make it easier to look and compare.

Thanks

Shawn

$1000, that would include mouse/keyboard/display(s) or just the tower itself? You can build one heck of a rig for $1000 if your talking tower only.

 

[Jamin43]

For $1,000 computer - definitely worth it to build your own. Both for price - getting the PC tweaked to spend where you'd most benefit from it - and the knowledge you gain from building it.

In the end - you'll learn that computers aren't really that complicated - and will be able to know later if / when / where to upgrade - rather than having to buy a whole new PC later on.

May want to be as descriptive of what you'd use it for and where your priorities lie. Do you want a PC with ultimate gaming experience ( what kindof games do you want to play ) / or mostly focused on video editing / Media PC - heavy multi-tasking - dual monitors or single - etc. Then back your budget into parts that best fit your need.

Then - how flexible is your budget up or down / and does it include monitors / keyboards / etc.

 

[Blowndakrt]

Nearly all dedicated gpu's support 2 monitors. You may want to consider a 5xxx series ati card as they support up to 3 monitors

Edit: Yes you could build a GREAT pc for $1000

Well not sure I would have a need for 3 monitors. LOL. I could see if I was doing severe video or picture editing that it would be useful. But not sure I would need something like that.

$1000, that would include mouse/keyboard/display(s) or just the tower itself? You can build one heck of a rig for $1000 if your talking tower only.

I am figuring for tower only. Monitors, Keyboards etc will come down to more personal preference and not cost.

For $1,000 computer - definitely worth it to build your own. Both for price - getting the PC tweaked to spend where you'd most benefit from it - and the knowledge you gain from building it.

In the end - you'll learn that computers aren't really that complicated - and will be able to know later if / when / where to upgrade - rather than having to buy a whole new PC later on.

May want to be as descriptive of what you'd use it for and where your priorities lie. Do you want a PC with ultimate gaming experience ( what kindof games do you want to play ) / or mostly focused on video editing / Media PC - heavy multi-tasking - dual monitors or single - etc. Then back your budget into parts that best fit your need.

Then - how flexible is your budget up or down / and does it include monitors / keyboards / etc.

Well learning more about computers is another thing that draws me to build my own. I will know what each part is and what it does. That way when I want to change and upgrade later on, I won't look into the case and wonder what this does. Haha.

Like I said in my first post, I am not really a gamer. I might want to dabble in that later on, but really just wanting a nice desktop that will let me do my personal stuff as well as business. I do some minor video editing and picture editing.

I am just looking at the tower for right now. And that is where my budget is from $1000 to $1500. If I can build a really nice tower that will do everything I want it to for less than $1000, I am ok with that. But don't want to limit myself on the build by going cheap.

Keep in mind, I am wanting something dependable, reliable, and can hold me over for at least 2 years. This will be used at my business, so can't have it crashing when I am working with a customer.

Thanks for the input guys.

Shawn

 

[Jamin43]

Like I said in my first post, I am not really a gamer. I might want to dabble in that later on, but really just wanting a nice desktop that will let me do my personal stuff as well as business. I do some minor video editing and picture editing.

My last PC was a Pentium 4 - not a gamer when I built my first PC < listed in sig below > - and wasn't sure I'd be interested. My gaming was limited to flash games online

For my build - I gave myself the option - I got an entry level - or - mid range gaming card for today's games - and got a free game with my video card ( Call of Duty World at War ) - and became addicted. I'm not buying the new $60.00 games when they come out - but picked up a couple year old games from Newegg that have good graphics and gameplay when they went on sale for 8 bucks - and am slowly accumulating a few I really enjoy. Might buy a new driving game DIRT 2 - for current prices - but haven't decided on that yet. The Demo is pretty cool though.

 

[bomberboysk]

Something like this would present an idea setup for your needs(and then some):

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

Hard Drive:(1TB should be plenty...if you need more however you could get two of them)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433

GPU:

This would suffice for decent framerates in most games on medium settings, if you get into gaming this could always be upgraded
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127448

or if you want to spend the extra on something like this, will get you into gaming pretty nicely:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448

PSU:You have a few options in this area...

Standard unit that will handle your needs fine, as well as provide room if you want to upgrade gpu or such in the future:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341023

or a higher effeciency model such as:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341036

or a modular unit such as this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037


Case: (Best case for the price, excellent airflow, roomy, free shipping, and low cost at the moment)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137&Tpk=rc%20690

ODD: (Basic SATA dvd burner, unless your wanting to watch bluray movies this will be plenty)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Heatsink: (The V8 isnt the best out there, however for $45 and not overclocking, its a pretty decent price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055

OS: In reality, nobody needs higher than home premium for pretty much all usage
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

In total your looking at ~$900 for the above(depending on which psu and gpu you choose)

 

[Blowndakrt]

Excellent. Thank You.

So this is pretty much all I will need?

Also, I am guessing I can change around dvd burner or even add another one if I so wish?

I realize it is personal opinion, but why did you pick the i5-750 over the i7-860? Or am I in the mentality that the more expensive, the better it is?

Also, as far as the RAM. Would I be wanting to purchase 4 total of these? I seen the link you posted comes in a pair, so was thinking too pair. I seen the motherboard has 4 slots available, or is this not really needed?

Not questioning your advice, just trying to get an understanding of why you chose the things you did. I realize that being a novice, I have the mindset that I need more of this or more of that, which may or not be necessary.

Thanks. I really appreciate the help.

Shawn

 

[bomberboysk]

Excellent. Thank You.

So this is pretty much all I will need?

Also, I am guessing I can change around dvd burner or even add another one if I so wish?

I realize it is personal opinion, but why did you pick the i5-750 over the i7-860? Or am I in the mentality that the more expensive, the better it is?

Also, as far as the RAM. Would I be wanting to purchase 4 total of these? I seen the link you posted comes in a pair, so was thinking too pair. I seen the motherboard has 4 slots available, or is this not really needed?

Not questioning your advice, just trying to get an understanding of why you chose the things you did. I realize that being a novice, I have the mindset that I need more of this or more of that, which may or not be necessary.

Thanks. I really appreciate the help.

Shawn

The i7 860 is a better CPU, however from your usage it doesnt seem that you will fully utilize the power of an i5, let alone an i7. When the cpu isnt being fully utilized to start with, you really arent going to see a large jump in performance. Spending the extra $100 on an i7 860 just isnt worth it for your current usage(in my opinion). HOWEVER, with that said. If you have a microcenter close, you can get an i7 860 for $229.99, which then it is worth it(microcenter sells them cheap in hope people will purchase higher priced products such as motherboards and memory from them). However, with that same logic, an i5 750 is $149.99 at microcenter, which i would highly consider since again, the i7 just seems to be a bit, well, overkill. If you really want the i7 however, pick it up from microcenter(if you have one close that is).

As far as memory, 4gb is really all that is needed at this point in time, and if you ever start to need more you can purchase another 4gb kit of memory.

DVD burner is the same way, yes you can switch it to any other model out there or get two. My personal preference is the sony optiarc drives as they tend to be the best quality(that drive has an NEC chipset in it).

 

[Jamin43]

Excellent. Thank You.

So this is pretty much all I will need?

Also, I am guessing I can change around dvd burner or even add another one if I so wish?

Yeah, pretty much.

I realize it is personal opinion, but why did you pick the i5-750 over the i7-860? Or am I in the mentality that the more expensive, the better it is?

Yes, the core i7 is a better CPU. a bit faster, with hyperthreading ( performs like a simulated 8 core cpu running 8 threads instead of 4 that most quad core cpu's run. The core i5 is a 4 core / 4 thread cpu - core i7 4 core 8 threads ) that will multitask better - and handle current and future applications that take advantage of multi-threaded capacity faster than the core i5.

Hardware technology leads the software side of the industry though ( b/c software is written for the most people to be able to use ) - and the core i7 multi-threaded arthitecture has only been out for a year or so. So the actual performance benefit you would have wouldn't be used or noticed by you in most cases. Core i7 might probably be more future proof though.

Also, as far as the RAM. Would I be wanting to purchase 4 total of these? I seen the link you posted comes in a pair, so was thinking too pair. I seen the motherboard has 4 slots available, or is this not really needed?

There's no need to fill all 4 slots. They run in pairs - and 4GB should cover your needs just fine. If you find you need more RAM later, you can add 2 or 4 GB to the open channels when you need them.

Not questioning your advice, just trying to get an understanding of why you chose the things you did. I realize that being a novice, I have the mindset that I need more of this or more of that, which may or not be necessary.

Thanks. I really appreciate the help.

Shawn

Questions are always good - the more you know - the better decisions ya make. Learn as much as you can askin questions and ultimately make a decision. I could have gotten by just fine for a little less without the core i7 in my build - but ultimately I wanted it

Bomber knows more about PC's than I do - so I'll let him tell you why he chose each parts in his build - Just trying to add some perspective from another voice.

 

[Blowndakrt]

The i7 860 is a better CPU, however from your usage it doesnt seem that you will fully utilize the power of an i5, let alone an i7. When the cpu isnt being fully utilized to start with, you really arent going to see a large jump in performance. Spending the extra $100 on an i7 860 just isnt worth it for your current usage(in my opinion). HOWEVER, with that said. If you have a microcenter close, you can get an i7 860 for $229.99, which then it is worth it(microcenter sells them cheap in hope people will purchase higher priced products such as motherboards and memory from them). However, with that same logic, an i5 750 is $149.99 at microcenter, which i would highly consider since again, the i7 just seems to be a bit, well, overkill. If you really want the i7 however, pick it up from microcenter(if you have one close that is).

As far as memory, 4gb is really all that is needed at this point in time, and if you ever start to need more you can purchase another 4gb kit of memory.

DVD burner is the same way, yes you can switch it to any other model out there or get two. My personal preference is the sony optiarc drives as they tend to be the best quality(that drive has an NEC chipset in it).

So what sort of usage would be required to get the i7-860? I am just thinking that if its something I might need in the future, it might be better to do it when I build it.

Shawn

 

[Blowndakrt]

Yeah, pretty much.


Yes, the core i7 is a better CPU. a bit faster, with hyperthreading ( performs like a simulated 8 core cpu running 8 threads instead of 4 that most quad core cpu's run. The core i5 is a 4 core / 4 thread cpu - core i7 4 core 8 threads ) that will multitask better - and handle current and future applications that take advantage of multi-threaded capacity faster than the core i5.

Hardware technology leads the software side of the industry though ( b/c software is written for the most people to be able to use ) - and the core i7 multi-threaded arthitecture has only been out for a year or so. So the actual performance benefit you would have wouldn't be used or noticed by you in most cases. Core i7 might probably be more future proof though.



There's no need to fill all 4 slots. They run in pairs - and 4GB should cover your needs just fine. If you find you need more RAM later, you can add 2 or 4 GB to the open channels when you need them.



Questions are always good - the more you know - the better decisions ya make. Learn as much as you can askin questions and ultimately make a decision. I could have gotten by just fine for a little less without the core i7 in my build - but ultimately I wanted it

Bomber knows more about PC's than I do - so I'll let him tell you why he chose each parts in his build - Just trying to add some perspective from another voice.

I appreciate feedback from anyone. At this point, I just want to soak up as much info as I can to allow me to make decisions based on facts and not what a salesman tells me.

I do some multitasking, but probably not what you guys would consider multitasking. LOL. I usually have 2-3 programs open at all times. And being a business computer, I know it was have at least that if not more running at one time. But we are talking about my inventory program running,a spread sheet, a few windows open on the internet, email, and maybe updating my Ipod.

I just want to make sure that most everything I will throw at it, it will be ok.

If I do play games on it, its probably gonna be simple online flash games to kill time time in between customers. I know I won't be in the middle of a game like Halo or COD at my business. LOL. And if my employees do, well then I have bigger issues.

Shawn

 

[bomberboysk]

So what sort of usage would be required to get the i7-860? I am just thinking that if its something I might need in the future, it might be better to do it when I build it.

Shawn

Heavy Photoshop or CAD work, heavy HD video editing, etc. If you have a microcenter close, its hard to beat $149.99 for the i5 750.

I appreciate feedback from anyone. At this point, I just want to soak up as much info as I can to allow me to make decisions based on facts and not what a salesman tells me.

I do some multitasking, but probably not what you guys would consider multitasking. LOL. I usually have 2-3 programs open at all times. And being a business computer, I know it was have at least that if not more running at one time. But we are talking about my inventory program running,a spread sheet, a few windows open on the internet, email, and maybe updating my Ipod.

I just want to make sure that most everything I will throw at it, it will be ok.

If I do play games on it, its probably gonna be simple online flash games to kill time time in between customers. I know I won't be in the middle of a game like Halo or COD at my business. LOL. And if my employees do, well then I have bigger issues.

Shawn

Stick with a lower card like the 4670 than for the GPU, or even drop to something like a 4350 because flash games arent gpu intensive like call of duty and such.

 

[Blowndakrt]

Heavy Photoshop or CAD work, heavy HD video editing, etc. If you have a microcenter close, its hard to beat $149.99 for the i5 750.



Stick with a lower card like the 4670 than for the GPU, or even drop to something like a 4350 because flash games arent gpu intensive like call of duty and such.

It looks like the closest microcenter is about 3 hours away. So probably best to just buy it online for me.

Are there any good write ups about what you once it you get it all put together? Or do you basically throw in the windows cd and start it?

Shawn

 

[Jamin43]

Are there any good write ups about what you once it you get it all put together? Or do you basically throw in the windows cd and start it?

Shawn

Just pop in the Windows 7 DVD - it pretty much walks you through the setup and gets all the drivers for you. If you get any RAM more than 1333, you'll have to set the timing / voltage in the BIOS - but that's pretty simple.

Tech Report Computer Build writeup covers this on their last page - scroll to bottom of page.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671/5