So I've decided to take the plunge and build my own PC. I'm a far cry from being tech-savvy, so I've been spending the day looking up guides on PC building and the basics of the components. I've been following this guide from DriverHeaven.net, and have been perusing NewEgg.com to find what I want. My first concern is the compatibility of all of the hardware I've chosen; I've spent a good hour of googling with each product to make sure it works with everything else, but a "real" confirmation would still put me at ease the most. Here's what I've got so far: Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...14&cm_re=intel_core_i7-_-19-115-214-_-Product Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409 Memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=CORSAIR_XMS3_6GB-_-20-145-258-_-Product Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162032 Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283 Optical Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118031 The second hump I've hit right now is the power supply; I have no idea what abbreviations to look for in the above hardware to see what connectors they need (and if every single one needs one for that matter [the processor?] ), and since I'm a newby at this I don't know any reliable brands. What I do know is that I want the best possible overload-protection from my PSU. Last but not least (I think) is the casing. Similar questions to the PSU; what do I look for as far as measurements/dimensions go, and is there a preferred brand I should try to get?
I don't know much about this, but I'd get a case that's bigger then you actually need it to be. The more space you have left, the better the air flow. And if you want to have a really silent pc, look for a case where you can use those rubber mats and rubber screws. The mats dampen the noise, and rubber screws prevent the (metal) case from vibrating to much, which also causes noise. Really helps a lot, from what I've heard. Literally. And if you can afford a solid state drive: get one. Windows 7 has pretty good support for them. And I've read in several computer magazines that it significantly increases your pc's boot time. I'd post links, but only know Dutch sites. And as it's already really late, it would probably be a bad idea to find new links. Need sleep...
First question, are you going for quality or reasonably priced? If somewhere in between what is your price range? In the spoiler is a computer I built in September it is about 1 step lower in quality than your initial thoughts and it came out to a little less than 900$ (with some combos of course). So far the only the problem with it was one of the sticks of RAM had an error and needed to be RMAed beyond that it's worked perfectly. If you want to use it as a starting point it seems to be close to what your aiming for (obviously change Vista to Win 7). Spoiler 1 x Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 1 x ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 1 x SAPPHIRE 100256HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail 1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 1 x Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM 1 x HP 24X Multiformat DVD Writer Black SATA Model 1260i - Retail 1 x OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1333LV4GK - Retail 1 x Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM 1 x Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Retail 1 x Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail As for the parts you have linked so far you either should change the RAM your getting or the CPU and Motherboard. That i7 is only has two channels for RAM so your going to want an even number of sticks of RAM. The Motherboard doesn't list 1600 as a supported RAm speed so it would leave me a little concerned (it may just be a typo) also the Motherboard doesn't list it's x16 slots as being x16 2.0 which may be a cause for concern with your graphics card (again may be a typo), beyond that I don't see any problems with the parts you have listed. As for the rest of the parts I would look around for combos (either with the parts you already have or with other parts your missing) and then check the customer reviews of the items to make sure they are good quality (and like Aurora said make sure the case is big enough and supports an ATX Motherboard).
You realize that processor will be tremendous amounts of overkill for the next 3 or so years, right? Juss sayin.
Well if he/she wants to kill an ant with a bazooka let him/her. I say he/she etc. cause I don't know if your a dude or a chick Kaaraa.
Its a good thign to have over-kill in the Pc world fenix, because everythign will become obsolete in four or so years.
Which is exactly why I went for the i5 it's 80$ cheaper than tthe cheapest i7 but it has the architecture and power advantages of being one of he newest processors on the market.
That setup actually looked very close to what I'm gunning for. Thanks, Kerwyn! I may end up bumping this thread when I actually put the thing together and install Windows 7 and everything else, but for now I have everything I need. Thanks everyone!
Just as a disclaimer, Karaa I don't know how much of what I gave your going to use but I am not an expert nor a professional in the realm of computer hardware. All I did was look for what appeared to be (and I hope are) quality parts around my price range and made sure they were compatable.
