some advice would be great...

[mallett]

hi, im looking to get a new computer but im not sure what to do...

i have a bit of experience wiht computers so was thinking about building my own system, i have done loads of research and come up with all the different parts reading reviews so i know that the parts work well on there own, but have no idea if they will work well together

this is all the components that i have chosen:
Antec P180 case
Gigabyte GA-8N-SLI motherboard
Pentium D 930 CPU
Artic Cooling freezer 7 pro fan
Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 HDD
Samsung SH-W163A DVD writer
Corsair Value Select 1GB PC2-4200 RAM
Seasonic 430W S12-430 PSU
XFX 7600GT 256Mb graphics
Iiyama 19" PLE483S screen
and Logitech keyboard mouse

however i have never built a computer before so was also looking down the route of buying a system from Mesh comps. Have found a good bearbones system with an AMD 4600+ 64 X2 AM2 chip in it, however this will cost a little more then i want to pay...

a bit of advise on weather to go for the Mesh AMD comp or to build my own would be really greatfull

cheers,
Jason

[windog]

Well I spent the first 40 odd years of my life being completely "computer illiterate, and I have managed 4 self builds!

A little care, a little logic, alot of forum lurking, and stupid question asking = simple self build!

[Curly]

Theres nothing like the satisfaction of doing it yourself with the knowledge of haveing the spec/build just as you want it, there should be plenty of guides/help on the interweb and various forums such as here, read the manuals, maybe have a look at the one you have and how thats put together and you should be ok.......... oh.and once you start, you just can't stop good luck

Curly

[Madafwo]

I second the tinkering motion.

Once I did my first self build I haven't stopped playing with ti since, adding bits here and there, changing the way things looks. There are a couple of guides on how to build a system for the first time on the internet, I followed one from a magazine when I did mine although I knew how it went anyways, always nice to have a bit of a guide to follow.

As long as the system you have will do what you want it to do and save you some cash then build your own. no need to get someone else to do it when you feel confident enough to do it yourself.

[trojan698]

Here's an excellent beginners guide to start with. If possible you might want to consider waiting a few weeks for the Intel core 2 duo processors as they're much more efficient and powerful than any of the current range. Your current selection will work together though, nice case too

[amjedm]

According to some on the forums of www.silentpcreview.com the Seasonic S12 430 cables are tight fit in the P180.

There is a new version of the S12 with longer cables but it's not available in the UK yet - afaik.

[Inferi]

If own builds, u can choose brand/model whereas sellers often build to cost so have to cut something somewhere.

Tricky part is matching up components e.g. AMD AM2 CPUs require DDR2, not DDR. You don't need an SLI board for one graphics card, though you can if you wish (can cost more).

Since you're not speccing the ultra PC, I'd guess that AMD x2 CPU is OTT. Example, AMD 3800 single core has same clock speed as 4600 x2, so for current single thread games, its basically the same performance for less money. If you do lots of multi-tasking, then x2 will be better.

What are you going to use the PC for ?

PS I own an XFX gfx card which has died within warranty period. Maybe I've been unlucky but their support does not impress me. Would have to think long and hard before I bought another one.

[mallett]

hey, thanks everyone for the advise its been very welcome!

amjedm - thanks for the heads up on the cable problem, iv been looking at the reviews and think i may be ok with the cables because of the position of the connections on the mobo iv choosen but it may still be tight with the 24-pin
if it is very tight, does anyone know where i can get a cable extension kit, thats if such a thing exists...

inferi - im gonna be using it most for gaming but not the latest games for now, but in the future i will be, thats why i would like to have a SLI mobo so thaty i have an easy upgrade later. as for the CPU, im now thinking about taking your advise and geting a single core AMD AM2 socket and haveing the option of getting a X2 later on to try and save some money now and spend it later when i have it

cheers for your help
jason

[amjedm]

hey, thanks everyone for the advise its been very welcome!

amjedm - thanks for the heads up on the cable problem, iv been looking at the reviews and think i may be ok with the cables because of the position of the connections on the mobo iv choosen but it may still be tight with the 24-pin
if it is very tight, does anyone know where i can get a cable extension kit, thats if such a thing exists...

Cable extension are availble from Scan, Kustompcs - they both do a Silverstone kit which includes 24pin to 24/20pin extension + 12v extension.

Both also do the main ATX extensions on there own, I think.

[ajones]

im gonna be using it most for gaming but not the latest games for now, but in the future i will be, thats why i would like to have a SLI mobo so thaty i have an easy upgrade later

To be honest, you would probably be better off just replacing the gfx card when you upgrade. I bought my mobo with SLI for exactly the same reason and dropped a 6800GT onto it. When I felt like time to upgrade the gfx sub, it was more cost effective to get a 7800GTX than to SLI the 6800, especially after I flogged the GT.

I always feel like we're playing catch up with gfx cards and that unless you go ubah and get SLI cards off the bat, there's little point in it. Just my 2-penneth

[nvening]

Whats your overal buget for the tower? Including windows if you need/want it.

[mallett]

To be honest, you would probably be better off just replacing the gfx card when you upgrade. I bought my mobo with SLI for exactly the same reason and dropped a 6800GT onto it. When I felt like time to upgrade the gfx sub, it was more cost effective to get a 7800GTX than to SLI the 6800, especially after I flogged the GT.

i guess that would prob be the best option as it wont be till way down the line i upgrade the graphics as the card now is pretty good

Whats your overal buget for the tower? Including windows if you need/want it.

i was looking at spending around £600 on the tower and another £200 on the screen, and the current spec that i was thinking bout is just under that, but now im looking to get a core 2 duo instead and thats gonna bump up the price a bit, but i havent done any researchon it as of yet...
also not needing an OS as i got a recover cd for XP pro that i had for my laptop, i guess i can use this as i cant use the laptop now as it broke, which is why im looking at this new comp here

[Inferi]

I don't give advice as IANAL, just info - you decide what to do :-)

If you are really looking in dual core CPUs, rumour mill says AMD are going to slash prices this month, especially for x2 chips. I don't have the URL, but one page showed (leaked?) AMD prices and from memory, 4600 x2 will be $300 (dollars). UK prices may not be 1:1 but this may help your budget/better spec. Can you wait and find out?

[mallett]

If you are really looking in dual core CPUs, rumour mill says AMD are going to slash prices this month, especially for x2 chips. I don't have the URL, but one page showed (leaked?) AMD prices and from memory, 4600 x2 will be $300 (dollars). UK prices may not be 1:1 but this may help your budget/better spec. Can you wait and find out?

yeah i can wait, and from what iv been seeing on here, its best to have a good look beging of august as i could either go down the route of a slashed price AMD X2 on a AM2 skt or go for the new core 2 duo that can out do the AMDs for the same price, only time will tell but i seem to tending towards the intel

[kalniel]

Good idea

If you're very price conscious it's worth considering the cost of the motherboard and ram as well - at the moment the 'old' socket 939 has the cheapest motherboards around, though this will hopefully change overtime as well. August is a good time to look