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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> First DIY PC build /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1419701364 Message started by savskad on 12/27/14 at 09:29:24 |
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Title: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 12/27/14 at 09:29:24 Hey everyone! I'm going to be buying parts to build my first DIY desktop PC. I was wondering if any one here has some tips or advice for me. I'm reading up on it as much as I can, but still completely new to it. Budget is ~ $350. I mainly want this to be a starter computer. Eventually I will drop like $1000 to build a super computer, but just looking for a good machine to do stuff like run AutoCAD, do some video editing, Android Studio, ArcGIS. To be able to run all those programs without lag or any issues. Eventually I may want to do some gaming on it so I may upgrade it with a graphics card or something later on. I was looking on newegg and saw these "supercombos" not sure which one would end up being the better deal: Combo #1: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1416411 Combo #2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1622702 Combo #3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1916718 Open to any advice! Thanks in advance! -Savskad |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/27/14 at 09:45:44 Generally, this is a motorcycle kinda joint,BUT, we do have a few who have some computer savvy and at least one who I consider fully fluent. Someone will be along with guidance.. but I am not the guy you need.. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 12/27/14 at 09:59:47 I figured we had at least one or 2 here. So far, this is my favorite forum out of all the forums I've ever used because people here are much friendlier and WAY more helpful. Plus it's not super crowded so threads don't get pushed away in 15 minutes. Figured I'd see what would turn up on here. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by verslagen1 on 12/27/14 at 10:05:59 Things are much easier than they used to be. I remember pouring over the manual to figure out how the power cable was oriented. And forget about the dern indicators and alarms. now everything is polarized and keyed. spend your time upfront, research the components. anything will go together for a basic, but if you want a super your gonna have to do some work. anything on sale probably ain't a super. personally, I always bought yesteryears stuff at rock bottom prices cause I could do that every couple of years. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/27/14 at 10:18:56 Surely you have seen Oldfeller and the stuff he posts. He stays up with all kinda tech stuff. If anyone here can help,, he's da mayun. As for the general tone, friendly,helpful, yes, and on These bikes, I don't believe there is a greater base of knowledge anywhere. Guys have punched them out, had cylinders treated, swapped to chain, solved all kinds of problems.. And we have seen dealerships destroy engines doing an oil change. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 12/27/14 at 10:40:49 Justin o guy, I have seen one or 2 of them, the most recent being the navigation apps. he was one of the "techies" i had in mind that i was hoping might see this thread. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 12/27/14 at 10:41:26 and thanks for the advice Verslagen! |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by engineer on 12/27/14 at 18:20:47 I've built quite a few computers through the years and it is easier now. At one time you had to set bus speeds with jumper pins etc. but now all you have to do is buy components that are matched. Of the three combo sets you listed I would go for either 2 or 3. No. 2 has the advantage of an Intel processor. But combo no. 3 has a DVD burner which you will need and the hard drive is a Western Digital which is a good drive. Combo no.3 is better except for the processor, that's how they evened up the price. The combos you have picked out will produce a machine that is capable of doing almost all tasks but will not have lightning fast graphics nor will it be a quick gaming machine. Personally I would go with an Intel I5 processor with 4 cores and would upgrade everything to match. Name brand power supplies are also worth the investment with large slow turning variable speed cooling fans etc. for quiet operation. Budget power supplies sometimes die in a couple years. All that will jack the cost up considerably but over time it is worth it. But if you are only looking to run the machine a couple years and then upgrade you'll probably be happy with any of those combos. Bringing it back to motorcycles, those particular combos are 250cc Honda Rebels, with an I5 we're looking at a 650 Savage. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 12/28/14 at 14:16:05 Thanks engineer. I started riding on a Suzuki gn125, then a nighthawk 250, after a few other bikes ended up on my savage. Walk before you can run right? O think I'll start with one of these combos and after owning I'll have a better idea of what I want out of a computer as far as performance goes. Thanks |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by engineer on 12/28/14 at 18:49:55 Good approach Savskad, those combos will make perfectly good PCs, as good or better than most in the stores. The bonus is that down the road you can use some of the components again, like the case, DVD drive, case fans, etc. After you build a few you'll have lots of parts and will be able to build or upgrade for less money. A static strap for the wrist is a good idea, especially in the winter. You don't want a spark jumping from the processor or a memory chip to the board as you push it into the socket. They are inexpensive or you can make one for next to nothing. Good luck on your project and let me know how it turns out. I love the 250 Nighthawk, the sweetest handling bike I've ever ridden. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by old_rider on 12/28/14 at 19:22:47 At first glance I would also agree with the Intel setup.... 22nm vrs 32nm, we can't see the difference but the system can and will use it to optimize the software. The first choice does not have a cpu/gpu, it only has a cpu meaning you would also have to buy a video card. I have never personally built one for about 10 years and don't know the quality of the systems now days, I just stuck with AMD because back in the day they made the best motherboards. The new CPU/GPU chips are a different breed also, haven't had the opportunity to build or use a system with these installed. Also not sure how one of these chips would handle a CAD program, I always used mid to high range video cards with their own memory and fan. Cases... number three has 3 each 120mm fans.... you will need lots of cooling. number two comes with 2 each 120mm fans.... I have always found that when building with a medium to large standup case... a minimum of 4 fans is best. You can buy and add fans really cheap.... The other thing, memory, now days at least 8gb of ram.... both 2 & 3 have that... Power supplies.... sigh... see if you can get something bigger put in the deal, you can call and swap I think.... I would go no less than 500w, 650w being minimum if you later want to add more hard drives or cd drives (think backup drive). Both of the HD's are minimal ... for a system now days... 1tb will fill up rather fast with programs as large as CAD and some of the more graphic Games, speed wise... there are faster ... and Solid State I think is better, but to keep it low priced stay with what they offer for now, and maybe later add a solid state for other programs... Like I said, I haven't even thought about building one since laptops dropped into the $400 dollar range.... So for a better grip on the newer chip sets.... someone else will have to "chip" in LOL :) But the intel looks about the best.... all you have to do is add a couple fans and a dvd r/w... and if you have one already in a computer around the house... (I have like 4 old PC's in the spare bedroom and garage) take a dvd r/w one out and put in your new system. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by Pine on 12/29/14 at 09:28:27 I hope I ma not to late to the game. I have built every PC I have since 1996. However, I will say right off I am an AMD "fanboi". So all of them have been AMD. ( my last Intel was a 486SX) Building PC's even gaming rigs is very easy, and to me loads of fun. First off .. lets drop the third option as it use the APU. An APU is a combined CPU and GPU, though if the unit is to be a "throwaway" it may be ok. I prever to have a real CPU and then buy a GPU, which I upgrade more often than I do CPU's. I would also say that the uses you listed are NOT for a weak system!!! Vid editing is a special case and CAD is as well. You did start by stating the most important thing first.. how you will use the PC. I LOVE Newegg, and 100% of my PC's.. TVs, cameras and all things electronic come from them. That said ... I do notl ike nor trust their combo packs. AS you can see the savings are not that big ( $60). A good start would be be with looking at what your software NEEDS and wants. Get enough ram and enough GPU (GPU is video card). Then choose a flavor of CPU ( Intel or AMD) them find matching memory, then size the PSU ( power supply). Pick a case you like. My case is now about 10 years old and was $80 back then. Now they are $50... and its still a hoss of a case. Also by picking parks one at a time and watching for sales I am sure you can beat the $60 for the combo. That leaves drives. I am no longer a fan of internal CD/DVD drives. They just are not that useful and prefer to have an external ( USB) DVD burner. Then I like to have a GOOD but not too big main ( aka C) drive. Personally I still use the old spinning platter aka HDD, but many are happy with a GOOD quality SSD ( soilid state disk). Then I get second internal drive for data... and in my case a third drive ( SSD) for programs. Yes that is three drives ( 4 with the DVD). The slowest point for any data is from disk (esp. HDD). So by having different types of data on different drives this speeds up overall performance. Drives: Main drive HDD or SSD of 240GB to 500GB Program drive SSD 60GB to 240GB Data drive 800GB to 3TB Do not use an extrenal (USB) for data as it is wayyyyyy too slow. In my case: Main drive: WD Raptor 300GB ( this is the fastest HDD around 3.5 format Program Drive: Kingston SDD Now 60GB - cheapest SSD, but so what it is dies I only lose program data which is sitting on a DVD somewhere anyway Data Drive: WD red 1TB 3.5" A newer drive by good ole WD Note: Video editing needs a drive that does not interrupt writes, as most HDD do. WD (and others) make SPECIAL drives known as AV drives that will not interrupt the writes. ( I think WD calls them purple) PSU- pay extra and get a GOOD one. Watts do not tell the entire story. I bought a 450 watt PSU that had all the Amps on the CPU. Leaving only about 80 watts for the GPU and HDD. It was a gimick. The PSU was no good for anything. Personally I love PC Power and Cooling. Mine is 750 watts. It has and will drive 4 vid cards... an 8 core CPU and 6 HDD all at once! Memory.. it use to be that anything over 4GB was kinda wasted and VERY expensive. Not anymore with 64bit OS newer programs are starting to use the larger memory space that is offered. 8GB is not too expensive and 12 or 16 might be useful if your CAD program use it. Now have FUN!!!! 8-) |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by TrevorKlein on 12/29/14 at 10:20:57 I would say this>>>>>> Combo #3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1916718 It is good but the graphice card aint good coz I am no fan of amd I love Nvidia but both are good But do have a look at here http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/AMD+Radeon+HD+7660D/review |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 12/30/14 at 12:36:32 Thank you everyone for your feedback. I have decided to go with Combo #3. My reason being this is to an extent a "throwaway" computer. I plan on doing a major upgrade hopefully within the next year or two. I won't be doing MAJOR video editing, just for motovlogs and stuff. Whenever I'm running CAD, that will most likely be the only thing I'm doing, unless I'm using Google Chrome on the side or something. My laptop, a 2011 Sony Vaio with a dual core (intel?) 2.4ghz, 4gb ram, will run CAD, just not very quickly or smoothly. The thing I like about this computer is the motherboard seems capable of doing up to 3 screens at once. Only cons people mentioned were many came DOA, that is a gamble, but if it happens, I'll contact newegg about swapping it out for a functional one. Any reviews for it that weren't "DOA" were quite positive. I mainly want to test the waters with DIY pc building so I'll know what I want from a computer. Like you need to own more than one motorcycle to realize what you want out of a bike. Obviously some people love GSXR 1000's for their lighting fast speeds, some of us prefer the more modest bikes like the Savage. <-- I don't know if that's a good analogy or not, but it makes sense to me. I will eventually have like $1000 to drop on a solid machine, that's why I'm not investing now. Plus, this is actually a "christmas present" from my parents, I don't wanna abuse their kindness anymore than $350. I'll keep y'all updated on it as I get it and put it together. Thanks again! |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by Yonuh Adisi FSO on 01/03/15 at 07:07:40 The first PC I ever built was made up of components canabalized from five differant junk machines. It only had a 150mhz processor and 90meg of ram rinning Windows ME. For the longest time it was actually the most stable machine in the house. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by T.Claiborne13 on 01/06/15 at 14:03:38 What are you wanting to use it for? |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 01/07/15 at 17:47:35 091E1E323F2F3C6C6E5D0 wrote:
Programs like AutoCAD, Android Studio, ESRI's ArcGIS, possibly windows movie maker, not too much gaming. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by Jeff71 on 01/07/15 at 18:18:35 What version of AutoCAD are you running? I'm still on 2012. Jeff |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 01/07/15 at 23:32:39 06292A2A7B7D4C0 wrote:
I don't know, I will be taking an intro to Cad class at the local community college. So whatever they want us to use. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by savskad on 01/15/15 at 15:44:06 UPDATE: Got the parts in on Monday, finally built it last night after watching Newegg's "How to build a Computer Part I" about 5 times to make sure I didn't screw anything up when I was assembling it. Here are some pics I took with my phone, I took a few other ones, better ones with my camera but haven't had the chance to upload them. Haven't gotten an opportunity to try it out yet and see how fast it runs. Will post more updates later on. So far this experience has been a blast, and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it. It was actually way simpler than I thought, Just had to do it once to learn on my own. Thanks for any feed back you may have given. More pictures to come... Everything but the tower: http://i.imgur.com/Two4Kq7l.jpg Everything: http://i.imgur.com/rzKwOUrl.jpg Assembled and fired up: http://i.imgur.com/M9BnSPvl.jpg Another angle of assembled: http://i.imgur.com/PxIXoVHl.jpg Everything all buttoned up: http://i.imgur.com/pNoFLYwl.jpg |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by old_rider on 01/15/15 at 23:42:22 Yeah... you should have been trying to build them back in the 80's... LOL... motherboards had to be pinned, hard drives had to be pinned.. cables were color coded differently. You had to assign the ports for each card... oh joy.... then the software recognition settings.... yup... bundle of fun... And the modem strings... recognition handshake settings.... man oh man... My brother-in-law and I were getting so we called boca modems and us robotics so often that they were asking us what settings we had for the games that were coming out...LOL...:) Those were the days....sigh.... But Plug n' Play is king now! Good stuff.... Nice work, hope your experimental system works... and you get enough knowledge to build your own HAL... for CAD work. |
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Title: Re: First DIY PC build Post by KiwiGeek on 02/15/15 at 02:18:26 7B7870667D707166140 wrote:
Indeed, those were the days. Setting the jumpers just right for the memory could be ummmm..... fun :) My first PC had a massive 6Mb. 2 Mb on the motherboard and two Intel AboveBoards populated with 2Mb each, running Windows 3.1 on a 127Mb HD on it's seperate FDD/HDD controller. Fun times :) Quote:
What's the update? |
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