Building a computer for the first time

[j5tar]

Around spring I am going to build my first computer and I have a hand full of questions:
-How difficult is it??
-How long does it take??
-What kind of cooling should I buy for a CPU?? I am planning to get an i7 core. Is liquid cooling really hard to install?
-Do I have to worry about buying wires and everything or do they usually come with the case?
-What kind of special screw drivers should I get??
-Should I buy a anti static device and use latex gloves to handle the parts?
My budget is $2500 so it should be more than enough right??

I've been using a Pentium 4 2.0GHz, Geforce 5500fx, 748mb game since 2001. :down:

Any precaution or tips??? Thanks a bunch!!

[JIMINATOR]

ok, $2500 is tons of cash for a computer, you might just want to buy an alienware and not worry about it. If you do want to put together your own, you should be able to make a killer system for probably $1500. A basic system is not hard, about 2-3 hours putting it together (much less for experienced) and then 1 hour installing operating system and software. If you don't plan to overclock the system then you don't need any special cooling. Water is good for a couple of years, then corrosion starts setting in if you are not maintaining the system regularly. And installing it can be a pain, depending on the type of water system you get. There are some all in one packages that are really easy, performance wise however look to spend a few hundred bucks if you want top of the line. Again, don't bother unless you are serious about overclocking. some of the massive air coolers can do almost as good a job, and they are MUCH simpler to install and maintain. The case will only include wires to connect the front leds(power/hdd) + power/reset/speakers. The leds have a polarity, so if they are not lighting up at boot time then reverse the one that doesn't work. The powersupplies have the wires for everything, except maybe the sata drives. Don't get a power supply with a case, those power supplies are usually garbage, you probably want 700 to 800 watts and it should be heavy like a brick. Look up reviews or ask for recommendations. The power supply will include all the wires you need. If you are going dual video cards then you probably will want to ensure it is compatible and has the additional necessary connectors. if it doesn't it is a POS, move on to another unit. You only need a philips head screwdriver, magnetic/and or an automatic screw holder is best. You don't really need antistatic precautions. If you start by plugging in the powersupply (not turning it on) that will ground the rest of the case and touching it will discharge any static electricity. The memory and cpu can be sensitive, but not if you take reasonable precautions, like grounding yourself on the psu before touching them. You can do a preinstall test of the motherboard before installing it. Put the board on top of the antistatic plastic bag it came in. Install the memory, cpu and cooler, video card (it is fine for this test) and monitor and then plug in the motherboard connector. There are two pins on the board for powersupply. short them with a screwdriver and the computer should try to boot. It will fail, but you should see the computer trying to boot on the monitor. That will probably mean that you are golden as regards install problems. Anyway when you are ready to install the board place it in the case and align it over the screw holes. Use a sharpie through the motherboard screw holes to mark the holes in the case. Remove the board and install the standoffs into the case on those markings. Count the number of standoffs you install and make sure when you install the board you use the same amount of screws. Everything else is fairly easy, just installing the other components and a bunch of cables. Any other questions, just ask. Lots here can help.

[Gun Element]

Around spring I am going to build my first computer and I have a hand full of questions:
-How difficult is it??
-How long does it take??
-What kind of cooling should I buy for a CPU?? I am planning to get an i7 core. Is liquid cooling really hard to install?
-Do I have to worry about buying wires and everything or do they usually come with the case?
-What kind of special screw drivers should I get??
-Should I buy a anti static device and use latex gloves to handle the parts?
My budget is $2500 so it should be more than enough right??

I've been using a Pentium 4 2.0GHz, Geforce 5500fx, 748mb game since 2001. :down:

Any precaution or tips??? Thanks a bunch!!

wow.... $2500 seriously? You my friend are gonna have one hell of a computer.

Im not gonna say much, but building a computer is fun, very fun. Time depends on your experience. My first time took about 2 hours to put everything, wiring cables and making it look clean using the velcrow straps and stuff. I also had my dad help me through it when I needed help, so I had person to person teachings on how to put it together.

Man, getting the new 4870 makes me want to upgrade my ram and my cpu, but I dont want to just "throw" away my current rig cuz it WAS expensive and runs fricken amazing, just slightly outdated now :( Anyone interested in my current setup :P

Or do you wanna give me 350 from that 2500? Its all I need! :P

[ME BIGGD01]

Spend 800 bucks and call it a day. Everything else is just a waste of money.

Even with 800 bucks you will have an ultimate system.

[He Is Legend]

Spend the 2g's homes

you wouldn't have to upgrade for a whizile

[ME BIGGD01]

MAN i knew u were gonna say something like that!

spend the whole 2 grand homes!

Well, unless you are loaded and money means nothing, I promise I could build a system for 800 bucks that will match the performance of ove for 2500.00. When I say match I mean performance difference owuld not be noticed. It really is a waste to spend that much on a computer today. It use to be respected years ago to have suck a machine but today most enthusiasts will shake their head and say you wasted your money.

[Gun Element]

Well, unless you are loaded and money means nothing, I promise I could build a system for 800 bucks that will match the performance of ove for 2500.00. When I say match I mean performance difference owuld not be noticed. It really is a waste to spend that much on a computer today. It use to be respected years ago to have suck a machine but today most enthusiasts will shake their head and say you wasted your money.

I agree with Bigg, spend around a grand I'd say and in a way "keep" the 1500 or so left for upgrading or replacing parts after a year has passed if you want to keep up with having an "up to date" computer. That way you get parts that are better in the future for the same price as obsolete parts you buy today.

:)

[JIMINATOR]

yeah, for 2500 you could get a sli 280gtx system, but really just one card is overkill for todays games and will put a big smile on your face. put some of the extra in a big lcd monitor. the price of everything else has come down a lot (and likely will continue to drop). I read somewhere that i7 is only selling for 1% of systems, that means that prices are too high and the technology has a ways to go before it is adopted on a big scale. not to say it isn't worth it, but....

[JIMINATOR]

the soundcard is a POS, it is a rebranded audigy, the xfi on this card is software based, also have to question the board and processor, no question that amd is coming back, but they are not there yet. some of the the 2ms lcd screens use the cheap panels and suffer from lack of color depth, i'd want to read more reviews before picking up one of those.

[Slay]

my new rig I just put together cost about a grand. I'm plenty happy with it. :)

[He Is Legend]

the soundcard is a POS, it is a rebranded audigy, the xfi on this card is software based, also have to question the board and processor, no question that amd is coming back, but they are not there yet. some of the the 2ms lcd screens use the cheap panels and suffer from lack of color depth, i'd want to read more reviews before picking up one of those.

So negative

Read the reviews !

[j5tar]

Thanks a lot guys! :D That was very informative Jim :thumbs: However, I don't get the part when you said I have to short-circuit the pins with the screwdriver :confused: .
Yeah I am looking for something top of the line, particularly triple SLI because I don't plan to upgrade for a while and overclocking.

Some more questions:
-What kind of case is good enough for 3 video cards and enough room for air??? SHould I go for a medium size or the largest?
-Is installing the OS really straightforward? Because I use to buy brand name computers that usually came with the OS preinstalled.
-I heard Microsoft is abandoning Windows Vista and releasing Windows 7. So should I wait till they release Windows 7 or are they going to give free upgrades for Vista users?
-Is it true that if I use Intel i7 Core Processors, I need to buy DDR3 memory instead of DDR2??? What are the differences? Since i7 is new, are they good for gaming?
-Should I get a Quad Core or i7 Core???

[JIMINATOR]

So negative

Read the reviews !
if you have different experiences, post them, otherwise...

[JIMINATOR]

mid atx is fine, it will fit 4 cdrom size drives and usually another 4 internal drives. the full atx give additional room for more drives, maybe watercooling units, etc. installing OS is very easy, only thing complex will be to insert the motherboard disk and install various drivers, and that is easy also. about shorting the pins, that was only in reference to testing the board before installing, you can ignore that. i7 requires DDR3, in theory it is faster, although reality is it probably needs a year to reach full potential. DDR2 works about as well and is dirt cheap. Either the penryns or the i7s all work great for gaming. you get more for your money with the penryns, because everything is established and stable the components are inexpensive and reliable and lots to choose from. You don't have the variety with i7.

[Grimmy]

Some more questions:
-What kind of case is good enough for 3 video cards and enough room for air??? SHould I go for a medium size or the largest?
-Is installing the OS really straightforward? Because I use to buy brand name computers that usually came with the OS preinstalled.
-I heard Microsoft is abandoning Windows Vista and releasing Windows 7. So should I wait till they release Windows 7 or are they going to give free upgrades for Vista users?
-Is it true that if I use Intel i7 Core Processors, I need to buy DDR3 memory instead of DDR2??? What are the differences? Since i7 is new, are they good for gaming?
-Should I get a Quad Core or i7 Core???

1) Tri-sli is a waste of money. Current programs don't even utilize SLI. Save your money. If anything, if you want 3 vid cards, get to good cards, SLI them, and use the 3rd for phyx (sp?)

2) yes and no. Are you installing raid setup? Vista is pretty straight forward, but it's vista. I am still an XP user, and will be that way for a while after WIN7 is out. I've heard win7 is just a glorified vista, but runs better.

3) Check your motherboard is you use i7 to make sure. I am pretty sure though that if you use i7 proc, you will need ddr3 memory. I haven't heard how well they game. I know I have heard a lot of people say that they aren't for gaming, but I've seen some benchmarks where they performed fairly well. You could save some money by getting a quad core, rather then an i7 (i7=ddr3 and new mobo, quad core=older mobo, ddr2 (some will use ddr2 or ddr3)

Difference from ddr2 and 3 are speeds. Bigg as said that they haven't quite fixed ddr3 though (maybe he has a link to be more specific).

Also, if you are worried about cooling for your proc, I'd highly suggest a thermal electric cooler for your processor. Not sure if you read my thread on the one that I have, but I love it!! Easy as installing a heatsink, but performs like a watercooled system (but not like those that go overboard and have a chilled watercooled system). I know they make them for the new i7 procs now as well.

[j5tar]

Yeah, maybe two video cards is enough. Only use I find it for is running Crysis on very high. About the OS, what is "raid setup"? Should I buy 64 bit or 32 bit OS?? Also, do I need to buy thermal paste for the CPU or any other hardware?
Btw, I think I am going to stick with i7 and a newer motherboard because I want something "future-proof" I know DDR3 is going to be a hundred bucks more but it feels good to know I won't have to end up buying a new motherboard in a few years and building it again.

[j5tar]

So far, I found these:
cpu: Core i7 920
mob: Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
ram: Newegg.com - G.SKILL PI Black 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
PSU: Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
HD: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
CASE:Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
DVD: Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - CD / DVD Burners

Do you guys think this is good for $1300 or do you recommend other parts? I never heard of G.Skill memory but are they really good?

All I have left is buying 2 video cards (SLI) and a OS what do you think I should get?
I don't know to spend $200 on Vista or XP knowing Microsoft is going to release Windows 7 soon. Do you think I am able to use the Windows 7 beta as my OS??? Then upgrade to the full version when it comes out?

[Grimmy]

I'd get some artic silver thermal paste. I just don't like the stuff they give you. It's up to you though.

One thing I will warn you about the new cards, make sure you do your research on cases. These cards are very long and require a lot of room. I personally have the Thermaltake Xaser VI full size case, and I have tons of room, but the case is HUGE and takes up a lot of space. The case has 2 fans on the bottom, which was my selling point, cause my 2x GTX280's tend to run warm. Having the fans on the bottom help the cards breathe.

As for the OS, tough call there. Since you are going with the i7, it is a 64 bit proc. I would say the biggest thing is how much memory you getting? XP doesn't see over 3.5G, whereas the 64 bit OS will use more then that. There are memory kits available in 3GB and 6GB. By your post, you are thinking of getting 6GB. Up to you there on the OS.

I haven't read anything on G.Skill. I've used nothing buy Corsair, and never had a problem with them. I have read in my maximumpc that you do want to get name brand memory.

On your PS, I wouldn't go any lower then 750W. Depending on the cards you choose, the newer cards are power hungry. The bigger you go now, the less you will have to get if/when you upgrade. I'd do some research on some reviews on the things you are choosing and that should give you a general consensus