Good info sources/tuts for beginner builders?

[Turner]

I'm considering building in the next few months, but there are TOO MANY DARN PARTS to keep track of ;)

Actually, I'm not even sure where to start - processor, I guess...

Anyway, if anyone has any links to sites that are geared toward the beginner but may have enough technical information to allow the builder to make informed decisions I'd be really happy.

Thanks,
Andrew

[Timelessblur]

I had trouble find any really good places for being a first time builder.

What are you going to use it for?

DO you want to go AMD or intel? (dont let fan boys tell you what to do. Personly I like AMD and I desided from the beging I wanted AMD)
From there choosing a mobo just became a lot easier, Just go with a name brand

How big of a HD do you want? Then just choose a name brand HD that big and go with IDE since it easier to get going than SATA

At least 512 megs of ram pc3200 Name brand again


For the PSU get 350W and get a name brand again. dont cheap out on it.

Personly I say get 2 optical drives just make sure at least 1 of them is a burner. I would say get a DVD burner over a CD burner. 2nd opical drive if you choose to get one can just be a DVD-Rom drive

a 10 dollar floppy drive and you pretty much done.


Follow the mobo manual in plugging everything in. Maybe find a friend who built a computer before.

When I built mine in June I was overwhelmed and made it a lot harder than I though it would be. Turned out to be really easy to do and to put together.

Also if you can get a case with a removible Mobo tray it makes things a lot easier to set up

[SprySpectre]

Don't forget video card! Kinda hard to see anything without that...I'd recommend buying a step back from top of the line. It will still handle today's games and whatnot just fine, and will save you a hundred bucks or more. If you're a big fan of music/games, a sound card will be nice as well. Chances are your motherboard will come with integrated sound, but it's usually not that good. I've heard good things about the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz from the Audio forums...
In terms of ease, IDE is better for HD's, but SATA is a bit faster, and not as messy with cables. I did SATA my first time building and had no problems. Good luck, and if you need help choosing parts, this is the place to come. There are plenty of experienced people here who have used most of the parts you'll be looking at. If I had one valuable piece of advice, it would be to take a lot of time researching parts. Not only will you learn a lot, you'll hopefully build a more quality PC and have fewer hassles in the long run.

[zackbass]

Just pick out all the parts you'd like in the system and ask for someone to review the list over in General Hardware. They'll tell you what is incompatible and what you should replace to save money and get better performance. I highly suggest heading on over there and checking out what other people are building, there's always at least 3-4 active "check this parts list over for me" threads in General Hardware.

[Ancient One]

You should also think about your budget. Do you have $500.00, $1,000.00 or more to spend? The amount you have to spend will greatly affect what you purchase.

Check out the Sharky buyer's guides to get a feel for the type of equipment in the different price ranges. They are a good source of information on the different components you'll need.

[Turner]

Thanks all!

Andrew

[TAZTG]

Originally posted by Turner
I'm considering building in the next few months, but there are TOO MANY DARN PARTS to keep track of ;)

Actually, I'm not even sure where to start - processor, I guess...

Anyway, if anyone has any links to sites that are geared toward the beginner but may have enough technical information to allow the builder to make informed decisions I'd be really happy.

Thanks,
Andrew

First off you need to decide on CPU or Socket you want. Then you can even narrow it down by choosing a chipset that supports that Socket or CPU. Example: You want to build a rig with a AMD 3500. You need to find Socket 939 MOBO's and then decide what Chipset you want.
You need to visit Tomshardware or other sites and read reviews to help you decide. Your budget will determine what you can get.

Once you get all the parts together here's a pretty good How-To I found on Google.
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/