Comp. Techies.. give me some help here.

[Preacher]

Ok.

So I am back to the place where I am going to have to buy a new computer.

I have a few choices... However, here is one I am seriously thinking about.


Building my own computer. I have never done it before. I have installed memory and also installed a video card before.

I have done a little research concerning CPU's, Motherboards, etc, and want 1333FBS at the minimum and what may be a quad 2 or an I7 chip, however, as I have read around, I am not too impressed with the I7's yet.

I also want a 10,000 RPM hard drive (willing to have smaller drive for the speed as I have about 3 external hardrives laying around that I can attach for secondary files).

Lastly, I am looking at a 3 monitor flat screen setup.

Now, I know that I can build it, but I want to hear from those of you who know hardware. . . is it worth building it, or should I buy a prebuilt one? After all, I am going to have to buy windows for it as well, including Office. I can't budge on that as I need the OS for some of the work I do at school.

So what do you think? Is it worth it? and how inexpensive do you think I can build this things sans monitors.

[MasterOfPuppets]

I have installed memory and also installed a video card before.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Preacher]

Originally Posted by MasterOfPuppets

[IMG][/IMG]

[Steelman16]

@ pic


Building your own computer is the best way to go IMO. I built mine, and you get more quality for less money than the pre-built package systems. (except maybe alienware)

The two most important questions though, are;

1. What is your budget?
2. What do you plan on using the computer for...gaming, audio/video editing, graphic editing, etc?

[GBMelBlount]

Good luck Preach!

Computers are such a commodity these days. Personally I would only consider doing that if I really enjoyed it and had the time........or didn't sleep a lot....

Also, if you have component compatibility issues, is it possible tech support could be more problematic? Could one component manufacturer blame a compatibility problem on the other component manufacturers and not help you?

Also, will your software be more expensive if it isn't bundled with a plug & play computer?

That being said, it sounds like it could REALLY be a lot of fun!

Again, good luck and keep us posted!

[X-Terminator]

Originally Posted by Preacher

Ok.

So I am back to the place where I am going to have to buy a new computer.

I have a few choices... However, here is one I am seriously thinking about.


Building my own computer. I have never done it before. I have installed memory and also installed a video card before.

I have done a little research concerning CPU's, Motherboards, etc, and want 1333FBS at the minimum and what may be a quad 2 or an I7 chip, however, as I have read around, I am not too impressed with the I7's yet.

I also want a 10,000 RPM hard drive (willing to have smaller drive for the speed as I have about 3 external hardrives laying around that I can attach for secondary files).

Lastly, I am looking at a 3 monitor flat screen setup.

Now, I know that I can build it, but I want to hear from those of you who know hardware. . . is it worth building it, or should I buy a prebuilt one? After all, I am going to have to buy windows for it as well, including Office. I can't budge on that as I need the OS for some of the work I do at school.

So what do you think? Is it worth it? and how inexpensive do you think I can build this things sans monitors.

It would be cheaper to build it yourself, no question, especially for the setup you described. Plus, you have the added benefit of putting exactly what you want on the PC as far as software and not be stuck with a bunch of preloaded crap and no included copy of the OS in some cases. I'd recommend www.pricewatch.com to look for good deals. There are tons of vendors there based in CA, so that'll be good for you. If you do buy from there, pay close attention to the ratings and feedback - never buy from a vendor with less than a 4-star rating. It's similar to eBay and never buying from anyone with less than a 98% positive rating. If you don't want to go that route and prefer a nationally-known vendor, I'd give Newegg.com or tigerdirect.com a shot. Since you want a 10,000 RPM drive, most run on SCSI, but they do make them for the SATA 300 interface as well. And they're relatively inexpensive to boot. It will cost you a little bit of money because you need a motherboard capable of running 2 dual-port video cards and the video cards themselves, but it'll still be way cheaper to build it yourself.

Also, I'd recommend the Core 2 Quad processor - I'm not all that impressed with the i7's either.

[MACH1]

Here's a couple places to checkout for pieces and parts. Lots of stuff to choose from at reasonable prices. And I think they have a "how to" section.

Mwave

directron

[SteelersinCA]

Building a PC is easy, it's so plug n play now. I built 3 PCs this year for myself and various other people. Never ahd done it before, but it was no problem. I recommend newegg.com. I was really happy with their service and prices.

Of the 3 I built 2 were Core 2 extreme and mine was an i7. I love the i7, great processor. I have an evga mb with SLI'd vid cards on the i7 and it flies. It's OC'd to 3.8 on air cooling, that alone is good enough for an i7 to me.

[pitt]

tigerdirect.com will probably have all the components you need. I've bought alot of computer parts from them.

[DoubleSh0t]

Build your own. These two sites are the best place to get parts:

www.newegg.com
www.tigerdirect.com