Building my own computer-- pointers? Information? Any and all help appreciated.

Alright, so going into Senior year of high school next year, I'm deciding to build myself a desktop. I'm hoping to start getting parts for it in June. Right now I'm doing mainly research. I've never been one for buying online, though. Is there anything I should buy online, or is it fine to just go to a Best Buy or Circut City? Any pointers or tips that anyone's heard, or anything to suggest from a previous building experience? I'm trying to find out everything that I can before I start building, all help appreciated.

Processorwise, I think I'm waiting for the Pentium 4 6xx series to become readily available, 64 bit processors, 2 MB L2 Cache, etc... seems to be a good deal, and a good processor.

RAM, what should I go for? Is RD-RAM really worth getting? I'm on a budget here, and if I can deal with a gig or three of SD-RAM instead of RD-RAM, I might wanna go that route.

Probably will be starting out with a DVD-ROM drive until I can get a burner, building it up gradually.

Anything specific to look for in cases?

AGP and PCI graphic cards, is there that great a difference? Would a 128 AGP, or 256 PCI be better, for example?

I'll probably have more questions, again, thank you for your input. If there's something I didn't ask, but you think I should know, please post it too, couldn't hurt.

I dont know if there is a difference between AGP and PCI GPU's, i think thats all down to what motherboard you put in it, as the AGP and the PCI are the slots that you slot the card into. so that depends on your motherboard.

And ypu probably know dude, but make sure you ground yourself before handling PC components, as static electricity can destroy them. You can either buy your self an anti-static strap, which clips onto a non-painted metal part of the casing, or if you cant get one, just hold onto a non-painted metal part of the case, this will help prevent static shock to your beloved components.

hope that helped a bit!

Heres what I was planning on doing, untill i realized I had no money.
First pick up the Newest PC gamer.
Then go to where it say what you would need for a "Dream system"
Now you can cross off the unnessasary crap that you allready have.
Monitor, Mouse, Speakers, CD burner ect.
look for nessesitys like processer, graphics card, momory and such
then add up the prices and start saving your pennies..
Good luck and im jealous!

make sure you get a good power supply.. graphics cards these days leech large amounts of voltage directly from it

All I have to say is: Well Done!

You've made the smart choice to make your own computer. As Great Teacher Largo says:

If it i$ j00r own computer, it i$ an extension of j00r l33tn3ss

make sure you get a PCI-Express motherboard seeing how Video Cards are going back to PCI

If your a Gamer get minumim 512 RAM, 120 GB HDD

I built my own computer last year...it was a really really enjoyable experience because you learn a lot.

I recommend using the internet to find tutorials and stuff. Hooking in the hardware is pretty easy.

You seem to have a pretty firm grasp of what you want in a processor, and the new Pentium's sound sweet.

For Ram, I would just stick with SD. Try getting a hold of some PC3200. I have 2 gigs in my computer and I run seemless in both my games, and in running multiple applications. One gig was good, but there is a difference between 1 gig and 2 gig.

Also, if you're running a beefy graphic card...which no doubt you will be doing, I would recommend a power supply that is good and strong. I run a 550 but you could probably go as low as 450. 500 being most ideal.

If you aren't ready to step up and buy a DVD-Burner, then I would just pick a somewhat high end CD-Burner that is capable of playing DVDs. Actually...most CD Burners do this now adays...so it's really a matter of picking the speed you want most. Mine's fast, I think it's 72x or 56x. All i know is i can burn a complete CD in a minute and a half.

I can't really recommend a particular case because it's really a matter of what you find most attractive. The reason I bought my case was because it came with 7 blue LED lit fans and the 550v power supply. That case only cost me like $120. Which for some is expensive, but considering what came with it...i found it to be a great deal.

Graphics cards are a b!tch now adays. I believe ummm....the 6200, 9700, and 800x are all pretty top of the line. Which company sells what...is beyond me. I recommend dumping a little extra into this card so hopefully you won't find yourself upgrading in the very near future.

One note id like to add on the case and gizmos...

i dont really know much about them, apart from my friend built his own PC, with neon lights and all that stuff, and his computer used to overheat regulaly because of it.

Id say if you want that flashy crap, buy a few more fans.

Or you could do what the same friend did, and buy 4 high powered fans and attached them to a fan controller unit, seems pointless to me but he is enjoying it!

build one with a laser and machine gun, and treads like on a bulldozer, you could ride it to work and blow up all the slow moving traffic

Yea um I bought parts and built it with no guides but the guides that came with some parts... this shit is easy man, no worries.

The only thing you gotta remember is: www.newegg.com

Originally posted by ChickinMeat
One note id like to add on the case and gizmos...

i dont really know much about them, apart from my friend built his own PC, with neon lights and all that stuff, and his computer used to overheat regulaly because of it.

Id say if you want that flashy crap, buy a few more fans.

Or you could do what the same friend did, and buy 4 high powered fans and attached them to a fan controller unit, seems pointless to me but he is enjoying it!

CM's right, my computer runs much cooler when the lights aren't plugged in...

it's got a digital temperature display for the harddrive and processor

http://pricewatch.com is a nice site to find stuff online or to atleast compare prices.. and computer show and sales are actually really sweet i got a lot of my stuff there when i built my desktop.

How's this look for a case? Yes, it has bubble lights. No, I don't need them. But it looks like a pretty good case, so why not?

Click here to see specs and such... 500 Watts. Bid goes out in two days, so not sure if link will work after then.

That's a bad ass looking case.

It's really just a matter of what you like when it comes to cases.

buy one of those anti-static bracelets. If you pass one just one single spark to the motherboard, it's over.

If anybody needs some money or items email me at [email][email protected] no passwords needed just tell me your user name 😱

OH YEAH JUST TELL ME WHT YOU WANT AND IM GOING TO ASK YOU YOUR BEST FREINDS NAME AND YOUR YOUR DADS MIDDLE NAME
SO I HAVE A PROFILE FOR THE HACK

I KNOW WHAT YOUR THINKING 😮 SHOULD I DO IT ?YOU CAN SCAN ME IM SAFE NO VIRUSES AT ALL !

one of those liquid nitrogen coolant systems. That should be the first thing on your list. Running a Pc at negative degree's is always choice for peak performance