How difficult is it to build your own computer?

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 8:23 pm

How difficult is it to build your own computer?

I would like to learn more about how to build my next Pulsar System, my Pentium III 550 it’s getting real small by now... I’m not ready for it though. I don’t have the money to do it yet but I would like to be learning before the day is arrived for a new computer to be built.

Is it possible for a guy like myself, without any knowledge about computer hardware to build a computer completely by himself? All I have done is to put some Ram sticks into an empty slot… I’m not very skilled we could say…

If this is possible, where to start? What would you do to start learning about it?

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:08 pm

Learning all the new tech words and architecture names might take some time, but all that assists in making the decision of what parts to buy. That kind of knowledge you'll find alot, right here.

Putting together the PC?
I've been building my own PCs since I was 6th grade so I don't think it's much of a challenge. All you have to do is carefully take apart a PC, and then learn to put it back. I learned it back when I had a 486 DX-2 and they're not much different these days..

Post by **garyb** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:22 pm

easy...as kensuguro sez,the hardest part is knowing which parts to get!

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:22 pm

You make me feel it’s easy Ken,

I hope so. I think no body could do it better than yourself, cos you can choose the exact components you need for a perfect system. I was thinking about that cos I’ve read the information in the Infinite Vortex website. They give you an idea of what you need to build your onw system and i have read quite a lot of the Tech Tolk here, in the Z.

How much do we need speaking in American dollars, to build a nice computer, thinking you already have Pulsar? I don't mean the best, but a nice one?

Cheers...

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:25 pm

But Garyb, can’t we just get a clear picture in the Tech Talk itself? Isn’t that enough? Do I need many more things that are not discussed and listed in there?

at0m · Post by **at0m** » Sat Oct 19, 2002 9:39 pm

Yes, I think it contains enough info. But you can still present your system or propose he

Price will depend on how recent you want your computer, local availability of parts, on what components you can or want to recycle, ie. video card, monitor, drives... I never take the latest and greatest, it's too expensive and hasn't prooven anything. You'll probably need new motherboard/CPU/memory. To give you an idea, I paid 250€ per processor, 500€/512MB CL2 (CL3 was about half the price) memory, 100€ for the motherboard. A decent AGP (ie. Matrox G550)card will cost about 250€, G450's can be found very cheap on ebay.

[ This Message was edited by: at0mic on 2002-10-19 22:40 ]

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 12:39 am

Sorry atOmic, but your money simbols do not appear in the screen... are you talking about American dollars?

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:00 am

he's talking about euros.
The prices are pretty understandable these days.. you can get a very nice computer for around 1400$ I think.. (if you get everything, including the box) And a while back, you had to pay around 2500$ for a flagship machine..

I think my computer would go at 1500$ or so.. maybe even cheaper..

Post by **garyb** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:28 am

i think that's about right for a top notch machine.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:31 am

Ufffff… that’s a lot of money for me! I was thinking to spend perhaps 700$ next year, is this too little?

I’m completely out of the market prices and so on, cos I have been with the same computer for about 4 years and a half, so I’m lost about how much they cost.

BTW, which is the most powerful of them all at present? Which is the biggest beast out there? Perhaps P4 4GHs?

Post by **garyb** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 2:03 am

well,you may be able to use a lot of parts from your old machine.drives,case,video card and maybe even the power supply could still be used,depending on what they were......

spoimala · Post by **spoimala** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 2:15 am

Nestor, yes, it is easy. You definately can DIY, and in case you have problems, you always have friends here

About the prices, you know, the more you pay the better you'll get. I don't know about exact prices there so won't give any comment about that.

About myself, I've built all of my computers, except the last one, myself without any major problems. (if we don't count the one, that I forgot to put the CPU cooler and was wondering why the computer freezes after a few minutes of running

. But it wasn't my fault, the cooler wasn't supplied with the machine ).
Today, I don't have the energy to build the computer myself. As, at least here in Finland, the cost of having the computer assembled for you costs about 20euros or so... and it always takes at least one hour or more... so, what's the point of building it yourself?
Of course, this means that you have to buy all the parts from the same place.
Anyway, I NEVER buy (or suggest anyone to buy) a ready-made computer. I always decide what components have to be in. And as someone already said, it is the most difficult job...

edit: oh garyb, posted his message almost the same time

Yes, indeed, you can use some old components. But I wouldn't suggested using Hard Drive, as it is the bottleneck (the slowest part) of your system anyway. And the new drives tend to be faster.
But display adapter, why not (I hope you have an AGP one?), power supply, case, monitor, mouse, keyboard, network adapter...
In my next update I will only buy : motherboard, CPU, RAM and HD. (Well, is this "only"

)

[ This Message was edited by: spoimala on 2002-10-20 03:21 ]

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 2:21 am

I'm not sure about the local prices, but 700$ sounds like a CPU+Motherboard combo to me. You'll need a way to get some RAM too.. cuz there's been alot of movement in that area. (so the RAM you're using right now can't be reused) But everything else can probably be reused in one way or the other. I'd recommend getting a new HD though, cuz theyr'e like really fast these days. And a 80gig, or maybe 100gig would go at around 300$. (or cheaper? naaah can't be..)

But anyway, it''s been quite a while, and there's been changes in architecture for almost every part in the PC.... So I'd say, save up a little more, and get a total upgrade. (CPU+MB+RAM) It's one of those things where it's cheap to upgrade constantly, but once you fall behind, it's very expensive to get up to date....

The biggest problem I can think of right now... is that you'll probably have to replace the powerbox. Cuz P4 uses a different kind. If I remember correctly. When I upgraded from a dual PIII, I needed to get a new powerbox. And it's a total drag to be searching for powerboxes. Not that they're hard to find... but it sucks to be spending time on such a boring component... heh, the powerbox... But they're not too expensive anyway so you can worry about that later. (unless you decide to get a super quite, super powerful, does all the dishes for you model)

OT: man.. am I all over the forum today!

[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2002-10-20 03:31 ]

petal · Post by **petal** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 6:04 am

I'd recommend you get together with a friend of yours (in the flesh). One that knows how to build a computer, and ask him over for coffee one day. Then you disassemble and reassemble your old computer with your friend supervising you. If I didn't know what I was doing, I wouldn't trust myself enough to assemble all those expensive bit's for my new computer without a trained eye.

When you get out there and buy your new computer, be prepared to pay a little extra to get a silent one! New computer's get's hotter than they did just a few years ago (AMD's more than Intel) and therefore they need a lot of cooling. And the standard cooling is very noisy, and you don't want that when making music on your computer, or doing anything else for that matter.

Just my 2 cents...
Thomas

[ This Message was edited by: Petal on 2002-10-20 07:06 ]

krizrox · Post by **krizrox** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 8:21 am

I’ve got plenty of experience in this matter myself. Here’s a few observations/tips/suggestions:

• Disassembling and reassembling a working PC is not a bad idea to gain some experience. If you can successfully put the whole thing back together (I mean every nut and bolt) and make it work, and your head hasn’t exploded, then you at least have proven to yourself that you can tackle the bigger challenge. If you think this is beyond your expertise, enlist the aid of someone who has experience.

• EBay is a great way to save a few bucks but be careful about what you buy and from whom you buy. There are many Ebay retailers selling brand new components and you can get some good deals there. Avoid buying from people with little or no positive feedback. I got ripped off on a motherboard from what appeared to be a reputable seller. Lost around $150. I wrote it off as bad judgment on my part.

• DirtCheapDrives dot com is a good place to find many components all under one roof (not the cheapest on-line retailer in spite of their name but they have a lot to choose from). And I like TCComputers dot com for my motherboards but there are others as well.

• There are many, many, many websites that explain how to build a computer from scratch. Explore and read as much as you can on the subject. Print out the pages and create a book of knowledge for yourself before you begin. Nothing better than having a paper resource at your side when construction begins.

• Be careful about static. Choose a workplace that has good lighting and sufficient room. I usually work on the kitchen sink when installing static sensative parts and then move to another room for the rest.

• Find out as much as you can about BIOS configuration – and this may be difficult. In all my projects, the BIOS was always the scariest because the documentation that comes with the mobo usually doesn’t explain in sufficient detail what each option does.

• As far as using old parts – well, it sounds great on paper but in reality, it probably won’t mean anything if you’re buying a new mobo that doesn’t support the older technology. My advice: buy as much new as you can stand. You’ll thank me for it later.

• Buying OEM parts: a good way to save a few bucks but otherwise I’d say avoid it. You typically won’t get documentation or various mounting parts that may be necessary. Stick with retail packaged parts since they will likely contain docs, software and mounting hardware. You’ll pay a little more but it will be worth it in the long run.

• Don’t put the cover on until you’ve turned the unit on and checked all the functions. Make sure the drive lights and such work correctly.

• The more experience you have, the better, when it comes to installing the software and configuring everything. This will probably be your most frustrating part of the job. Screwing things together is the easy part if you ask me.

Good luck!

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 9:29 am

I order parts via http://www.shopper.com

I would think you could put together a great system for $800 minus the monitor. I buy motherboards at motherboards.com.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Sun Oct 20, 2002 4:32 pm

Thanks very much to everybody for the tips and advices.

Well I see there are many of you building their own systems, never thought you were as many as that and I’m going to join the lot too.

A few years ago it was difficult to get to know what to choose from, nowadays it’s almost impossible cos MOBOs, Ram, HDs, etc., have multiplied themselves to the infinite, far too many technologies to choose from. I’ll start reading from the link here given and let’s see how difficult may it be.

BTW, good idea to ask a friend I have a friend studding computing here, so he may probably help me.

Chill69 · Post by **Chill69** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 1:41 am

I built my Luna's system for around 700$ US. I agree with what everyone has said here about not needing to purchase the latest and greatest chips. More often than not, if you get an older technology, (something older than 6 months) the prices are much lower for not much less performance.

Here were some of the prices on my equipment:
1) P4 / 2.4Ghz 533 bus @ 210$
2) 512Mb 333DDR @105$
3) 80Gb Maxtor HDD @ 100$ (now my audio drive)
4) Case with 400w PS @ 45$
5) Asus P4/533 with Sis645DX chipset @ 105$

I reused my graphic card (a 32Mb TNT/2 M64), my lan card, my old HDD to be the system drive, and a few other odds and ends, but the total bill was under 700$ US. I bought them from local stores, some near wholesale, some on scratch and bang, and some on rebate. Smart shopping will help emensely.

For a good idea on current market price, check out:

http://www.pricewatch.com/

As always, research ahead of time and know what you want to purchase before you go to the store. I really wanted an Intel 845G mainboard, but after reading the posts here, I think I saved almost 80$ just from not buying it. The 645DX chipset I have now is working flawlessly (4 MV with mixer on a Luna), and at 105$, I can afford to upgrade to a newer mainboard later on (one that supports DDR400+) in a year or two.

Honestly Nestor, if I were you, I'd hunt up a Northwood P4 (any Skt 478 P4 from 1.6A Ghz or higher, you want the 512Kb cache), and a good DDR mainboard. The CPU, Mainboard, and DDR would probably run you about 350$ US, add on a better powersupply, and for around $400 US, you'd have a fast, new computer.

And don't worry so much about the building. Computers have changed so much from when the first 8088's and X86's appeared, everything now-a-days has it's own plug slot. Manuals are also very clear and concise, becuase more and more people are learning how to build their own computers. I have faith in you, and if you get lost, I'm sure you know a few buddies that you could call on for answers if you were unsure (here or the tech forum are great examples).

One more thing, always remember it's never a good idea to upgrade ANYTHING unless you are going to at least TRIPLE what you already have (eg, since you have a 500Mhz pc, you should look for something in the 1.6Ghz range - Ram and storage size don't apply to this rule, but Ram speed does. Eg, you have PC100 SDRAM now, you should look at least DDR266 if not DDR333 for the new board).

Good luck!

Chris

Post by **garyb** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 1:47 am

the hardest part is the patience......

Michu · Post by **Michu** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 3:51 am

as others said,
you can probably re-use case with power supply, hard disks, video card and sound cards

Also monitor, unless you want bigger one.
So you would need new mobo, CPU and RAM.
Rest is just f&*(ing with small screws in hardly accesible places and wires you are not sure where to connect

[ This Message was edited by: Michu on 2002-10-21 04:52 ]