To Build It...?

I hope I've picked the correct forum for this, if not, I'm sure someone will let me know......

I am interested in building a machine. Without mention of brands/brand names/etc. (without "debate"), I am looking for suggestions, opinions & advice, on some of the basic first steps to building a "fast" (I know, I know - depends on my definition of "fast") "secure" machine...mostly just for internet surfing and to play the occasional game (well, the games would actually be for my son).

I am not into aesthetics (how the things looks), and "noise" is a real "secondary" type of issue for me as well (I actually sorta LIKE to hear my machines run - does that make me wEiRd??).

I hope to put something together that is a good blend, balance, mix/compromise of speed and security.

I mean, what I REALLY want to do here with this post/thread, is to learn all the "basics" NOW, and of course during the build I will learn more about certain aspects or details of the build itself ... as I go-along on this journey.

For instance, I'm used to (only ever owned) "32-bit" systems - so I'm wondering: Am I going to start with a 64-bit system, and if so, is this to do more with security, or does 64-bit add anything (at all) speed-wise (performance-wise)?

As you can see, I really don't know much of anything about what I'm Hoping to create - but that's why I've come here - to you folks .

I am not made of money (so many decisions will simply come-down to practical-affordability/reality, for me), and I'm going to take my time with this project (I'm in no rush to get it done - and I am sure the end-result will be better this way too).

So lemme have it gang - where do I start? I have an old case that I "think" I'd like to use (?), it's from 1997 or `98, and was used in a business application (law firm) - I think the brand name on it (and here we go...I just said I was hoping to keep band names OUT of this), but anyway, I think it was produced by "NEC"...does that sound right? I think it will give me a good bit of room to work with, especially as all the "guts" (internal parts) seem to get smaller and smaller as time goes-by.

Thanks for reading and thanks (to whomever might be up for this) in advance,
g...

 

Hmm, so after all that typing of yours, so what's the budget like? You mentioned your son playing games, which ones as the choice of a video card could cost more than the rest of the system and forget about surfing and e-mail as constricting factors as they are negligible in the big scheme of things, namely games.

These days, choice of video card is paramount as to motherboard, CPU and power supply choices. You might be able to re-use your old NEC case if it's ATX compatible but I'd just spend the bucks on a new case, new clothes do make a difference. A new innards will generate more heat than anything from 12 years ago so the cooling in there will be woefully inadequate.

Oh, sorry man but this is in the wrong forum. You want hardware. Hopefully some mod moves it.

I made request to move this.

 

Here is a pretty good place to start.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/build-a-computer.htm

when you decide how much you want to spend and how fast you want it to run Augie and i are builders plus there are many more on here that will give you the help you need or help with the choice of components.

Building is fun so enjoy your self.

 

Thanks BILLMCC66 AND Auggie ... I apologize for my delay in getting back to this thread (though I did try to emphasize that I'm not in a "rush" with this...as I just simply can not be - for several reasons)...and, just about as quickly as Augie asked about the "budget" for this project, well, "the budget" had a set-back of about a month (car troubleS - plural).

I GREATLY appreciate the time and interest offered here ... this is meant to be a PLEASURABLE experience, this project. Something now tells me it SHALL be!

Thanks again - I will return here as I am able (as I can "afford" - haha).

Best,
g......

 

Hi David - EXCELLENT - Thank you, but it's 2AM here...I will have to catch-up to this hopefully tomorrow night...long day/drive tomorrow morning (actually, THIS morning! ) - g'nite...

 

Well I apologize for letting this sit for so long...unfortunately there have been MAJOR roadblocks ($$ shortages) thrown-up on this deal for me, so for now, I am going to begin looking into beefing-up this PC that I'm typing on right now.

I suppose I'll put the current specs of this machine here now, and we'll see where I might be able to go, from there.

This is all "stock" (factory) except for 2 GB of added RAM

Dell 531 (desktop)
Vista Home/Basic ~ 32-Bit OS
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+ 2.10 GHz
250 GB HD (+ 160 GB External)
3 GB Ram
NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430

Not sure what else might be relevant, except that I know the RAM is not "matching" ... I forget at the moment whether I have two (2) or three (3) different brands of RAM(?).

Thanks again in advance, and I apologize again for the delay in getting back to this thread (the money shortfall has been completely out of my control)...

 

Hi grc, the only thing lacking there is a decent video card. Maybe a 9800GT or at least an 8800GT but these things are becoming rare. Another consideration is your power supply. Does it have a 6-pin connector? How many watts? Dell is pretty stingy on power supplies when one goes out of spec, you may have to get more power. Again, the budget rears its ugly head. Sorry.

 

Hey thank you very much for your response here Augie-d ...

As far as my budget and a desire to upgrade, well, "it is what it is" ... I really would like to do as much as I can (including likely going-away from Vista).

Can ya break-it-down for me (a bit, please?), I mean, with a rough estimate on approximately what it might cost to do the upgrades you're speaking of?

I'm not exactly sure how to check for a "6-pin connector" (the whole "Power Supply" thing is something I have only recently become aware of, inadvertently, by reading a bit about it somewhere) ... my head has always been CHOCK-FULL trying to comprehend Processors and RAM and such, now I'm looking into Power Supply info (whew-sheesh!) - also not exactly sure where to find my wattage info (that you referenced)?.

Lastly, can you elaborate on "these things are becoming rare"

Thanks !

 

Hi

As far as the rarity reference, I believe augie's referring to them not being sold as much anymore (probably the 8800s). Here's a link for a 9800GT that's about $125:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/PNY+-+N...Card/8968094.p?id=1218006355798&skuId=8968094

As far as your power supply goes, the actual power supply housing SHOULD have the watts listed on it (you will probably have to look inside the case). The six pin connector is for the graphics card... it looks like the left picture here:

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/pcie6.jpg

If you do not have one of these, or your power supply is insufficient to handle the better graphics card, you're looking at buying another power supply, which will probably set you back an additional $60+.

 

Beautiful - thanks! So about $200 so far...that's not bad. At that rate I think I could even afford to upgrade to WIN7 ...

I will peek in the case in the morning, to get the wattage, and to see how many "pins" the connector for the power supply is...

Thanks again......

 

Hi

Again as far as your power supply goes, it has MANY connectors (to the motherboard, the hard drives, etc.). The 6 pin connector is a PCI-E connector (and graphics cards go in the PCI-E slot), so while it may have extra connectors lying around, be sure it has the 6 pin connector.

Also, Windows 7 Home Premium can be had for around $100. Check this link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...windows_7_home_premium-_-32-116-754-_-Product

 

Well, I know you 'hate' Vista but is it really worth $100 to you? You can always turn UAC off if that's the issue. I would put that money towards a better video card but that's just me as I love fast hardware.

 

Well thank you again, but would turning UAC "off" really do much for Vista? (in other words I don't really understand how that would have an impact?). Would it be tantamount to reverting my system to an "XP state" (which might not be a bad idea for me)??

And just for the record, I removed the "H"-word from my vocab years ago ... however, and that said, I do LOATHE the "issues" that I've had - and CONTINUE to have - with Vista. rolleyesyum:cry:-o

 

Heh, I'd rather use onboard graphics with Windows 7 than have my Fermi with Vista... but that's just me. Vista is worse than ME ever could have been. It's like having a 2010 model sedan with a 4 cylinder 2.0L engine and electric everything/sunroof/navigation/iPod connectivity/etc. or a 1985 model station wagon with a V8 5.0L station wagon and roll up/down windows, no AC, and two of the doors don't open. Power's great, but usability is much better IMO.

 

Sorry to hear that and I obviously can't comment on your issues, maybe start a thread in software and see what others can suggest. As to UAC, that only controls your security and disabling it will get rid of the annoying pop-ups asking you 'Do you want to continue etc.' As long as you have proper security set up then it's as safe as anything else IMO. Have you checked for updated drivers? Perhaps your issues have a BIOS update?

LOL that bad eh?:-D I can't comment on the Fermi/Vista combo as I just got my GTX470 and I'm running W7 Ult(I got it free). I don't know why some folks are having problems as it ran everything that I threw at it. There was a time in the early days when hardware sellers put Vista on barely capable machines to get rid of old stock but that's not the case with grc123.

 

So, mcsmc, what OS are you using, if I may ask, please?

And Augie, I've had almost a 3-year roller-coaster ride with Vista - and somehow or other it seems to always be headed "DOWN"??

Anyway, the latest is that about 2 or 3 months ago, I wiped it off my machine (uninstalled) and reinstalled it...was good for a couple/few weeks, and then some of the old "issues" began to return...the latest was just last night, when I received a blue-screen shutdown over something called a "BAD_POOL_CALL" ... (memory issues?). I DO like "some" things about Vista, but overall it just hasn't worked well for me, personally.

As to diver updates, that's always a bit scary when one is not "exactly certain" what one is looking for - correct? Are you suggesting I check Dell's site for the possibility of a BIOS update for my machine/system - please?

 

First off, my GTX 465 seems to have gone bad a while back (I had a work trip shortly after it went downhill), I'm in the process of trying to RMA it with MSI. Meanwhile, I got a Gigabyte Nvidia 470 that looks to be better... speaking of which, if I CAN'T get a refund for the 465, would running the 470 and 465 in SLI work well, or not?

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, best OS that Microsoft has ever come out with, period. I use Windows 7 32-bit on my laptop. Both of my computers are aging somewhat, but Windows 7 runs faster and uses less resources than Windows Vista.

 

Ya, bad pool call could be memory. You can use Vista's built in memory checker by tapping F8 to get into the menu when booting, then either F1 or F8, I'd use the advanced. It could also be bad drivers so go to Dell, type in your serial# and download the latest chipset drivers and install them and then any other drivers that may be there after but not the BIOS, not yet. Another complicating factor could be Windows updates so turn that off for now except for security updates and never install Microsoft drivers.

I'm not sure though I have my 470 running fine with my GTX260 but not SLI'd and I don't game, it's for 'Distributed Computing'.