Building a Computer

[ccgr]

Don't forget DDR3 memory!

Why not use this motherboard? It's cheaper and lets you use crossfire if you were so inclined

You can even get a tri core and unlock it!

http://us.msi.com/product/mb/870A-G46.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130591

heck if you got that board you can probably get this cpu and unlock it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103911

(successful per many of the newegg reviews)

[ArchAngel]

Looks good to me.
I'd suggest many going up to this motherboard. You can get faster RAM on it for little extra cost, and it has the AM3+ socket, which works on AM3 cpus and AM3+ cpus.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130620

Don't forget the RAM, though!
If you stick with your choice, look for 240 pin DDR3 1333
but if you upgrade to the link above, you can get 240 pin DDR3 1866. (faster )

I'd suggest 8 gigs now. (get 2 4gb RAM chips or 1 8gb chip, leaving extra slots open for later. You can save money now, and later on when you'd want more memory (and when they are cheaper) all you need to do is open the case and pop them in. Easiest upgrade ever.

I was trying to keep an eye out for a AMD motherboard that has PCI-E 3.0 slots, but I only saw intel ones with that.


As for OS, if you want to game, get Windows 7. There aren't a whole lot of games that port to Linux.

[ccgr]

edited my post above Archangel's with a cheaper cpu that you can probably unlock

[LegoFan560]

Don't forget DDR3 memory!

Why not use this motherboard? It's cheaper and lets you use crossfire if you were so inclined You can even get a tri core and unlock it!
http://us.msi.com/product/mb/870A-G46.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130591

heck if you got that board you can probably get this cpu and unlock it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103911
(successful per many of the newegg reviews)

Looks good to me. I'd suggest many going up to this motherboard. You can get faster RAM on it for little extra cost, and it has the AM3+ socket, which works on AM3 cpus and AM3+ cpus.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130620

Don't forget the RAM, though!
If you stick with your choice, look for 240 pin DDR3 1333, but if you upgrade to the link above, you can get 240 pin DDR3 1866. (faster )

I'd suggest 8 gigs now. (get 2 4gb RAM chips or 1 8gb chip, leaving extra slots open for later. You can save money now, and later on when you'd want more memory (and when they are cheaper) all you need to do is open the case and pop them in. Easiest upgrade ever.

I was trying to keep an eye out for a AMD motherboard that has PCI-E 3.0 slots, but I only saw intel ones with that.

ArchAngel: "Don't forget the RAM, though!"
CCGR: "Don't forget DDR3 memory!"
Are RAM and DDR3 memory the same thing?

What is unlocking another processing core? How do I do that? What are the advantages?

What if I did the following:
Motherboard - MSI
CPU - AMD Quad Core PhenomII
RAM/DDR3 (I think these are the same thing =P) - G.SKILL 2 x 4GB 1866

Or, I could do this for a little less:
Motherboard - MSI
CPU - AMD Triple Core AthlonII to unlock
RAM/DDR3 (I think these are the same thing =P) - G.SKILL 2 x 4GB 1333

Same for both:
SSD - Crucial 128GB
HDD - Western Digital 750GB
Graphics Card - HIS 2GB 7850 - from CCGR, unless it's already sold, in which case the 7770
Power Supply - Rosewill 630W

Thoughts?

[IBJamon]

You have to tell us how tight the budget is. If you can swing it get the better Phenom II + 990FX + 1866MHz RAM. There are some great prices on 970 chipset boards, like this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... SID=252885

which is kind of in between those two recommendations. Get the better stuff if you can swing it.

No case or DVD drive listed. I assume you are already good to go on keyboard/mouse/monitor/etc.? And yes you can use HDMI + TV; it depends on luck mostly how well it works. The problem is often that you can't see the BIOS or certain resolutions on cheaper TVs. It's a crapshoot.

IBJamon

[ccgr]

DDR3 is RAM

Unlocking a CPU is taking an AMD triple core and going into the bios and activating the disabled 4th core. AMD struggled with quad core cpu's at first and had to disable defective 4th cores. They have since improved the manufacturing process and purposely disable good 4th cores at a fraction of the price. If the bios unlocks the fourth core you've gotten yourself a cheap quadcore and a free upgrade. After unlocking the furth core I recommend running prime95 for about an hour to test all the cores and make sure its stable.

[LegoFan560]

You have to tell us how tight the budget is. If you can swing it get the better Phenom II + 990FX + 1866MHz RAM. There are some great prices on 970 chipset boards, like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... SID=252885
which is kind of in between those two recommendations. Get the better stuff if you can swing it.

No case or DVD drive listed. I assume you are already good to go on keyboard/mouse/monitor/etc.? And yes you can use HDMI + TV; it depends on luck mostly how well it works. The problem is often that you can't see the BIOS or certain resolutions on cheaper TVs. It's a crapshoot.

IBJamon

The budget: pretty small. Really, I don't have an official budget. What I would like to do is buy parts that will allow for expansion in the future, if possible. That's one reason I considered Ubuntu. I could use Ubuntu at the beginning, and then later, I could put all my files on a drive and replace it with Win7. I'm pretty sure I can get a case/keyboard/mouse/monitor for free, and we have an extra USB DVD drive I can use. What is BIOS? I have connected the computer I'm using now to the TV with HDMI before with no problems, so I think that means the TV would probably work.

DDR3 is RAM

Unlocking a CPU is taking an AMD triple core and going into the bios and activating the disabled 4th core. AMD struggled with quad core cpu's at first and had to disable defective 4th cores. They have since improved the manufacturing process and purposely disable good 4th cores at a fraction of the price. If the bios unlocks the fourth core you've gotten yourself a cheap quadcore and a free upgrade. After unlocking the furth core I recommend running prime95 for about an hour to test all the cores and make sure its stable.

Ok, thanks. That's probably what I'll do, then.


Motherboard - MSI
CPU - AMD Triple Core AthlonII to unlock
RAM - G.SKILL 2 x 4GB 1866
SSD - Crucial 128GB
HDD - Western Digital 750GB
Graphics Card - HIS 2GB 7850 - from CCGR
Power Supply - Rosewill 630W
Case, monitor, DVD drive, speakers/headphones, mouse, and keyboard I can get for free or we already have one.
Operating System - start with Ubuntu, later replace with Win7?
Internet - probably via wire, possibly USB dongle

[ccgr]

the bios is on the motherboard so as long as the motherboard allows you to do so, you're set

that motherboard you selected has mixed reviews

[LegoFan560]

the bios is on the motherboard so as long as the motherboard allows you to do so, you're set

that motherboard you selected has mixed reviews

Oh, thanks. I didn't really look at it. What about this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130637

[ccgr]

that one it can unlock the hidden core or the one Jay recommended looks good, never owned an ASrock but they get good reviews.

[LegoFan560]

Soooo, after I had my computer figured out, I priced it, and it ended up being $800, no case, no monitor, no drive, etc. I kinda gave up.

This week especially, the computer I usually play on is so slow I can barely play Minecraft. I'm even running Optifine with everything set to the fastest possible.

I don't want to spend much money, so I'm looking into barebone kits. Like I said a while ago - I'm not sure what to look for. My plan is to get a barebones kit and SSD and then buy parts when I see them on deals sites and replace stuff.

Thoughts? Recommendations? Corrections?

[ArchAngel]

Can you slowly upgrade your own computer? Is that an option?
Then at some point, migrate to new case/mobo/proc?

Also, for your current computer, how are you maintaining the software?
What do you use to scan for malware, spyware and viruses?
What OS and version are you running?

What's your current machine's hardware? (and is it yours, or a family machine?)

[LegoFan560]

It's a family computer. So, not really.

Maintenance-wise, it's a Windows 7 Home Premium Dell desktop computer. One or two years old.
We use Bsecure for antivirus, etc. I think it uses McAfee's security.

Not sure about the hardware, but I know it should be plenty. I don't know why it's running slowly.

[ArchAngel]

Hmmm, family computer. Hard get stuff done with that, and parents tend to not like people changing around the anti-virus.
It also looks like bSecure isn't an anti-virus, but a filter and monitoring system. Certainly not good for performance, but I doubt your parents will want to remove it.

If you have McAfee, I'd suggest getting rid of it and replace it with Microsoft Security Essentials. Better and free.
Also, get MalwareBytes and do at least a quick scan with it. Might be able to find some malware that's slowing your system down.

I also suggest going through your program and features and removing programs you don't want. Some of these will run in the background and use up valuable system resources (not all, of course, but you might be able to tell which is what, and if you don't know, google away). Many times manufacturers will install bloatware (HP is notorious for this) and it just instantly makes your new computer feel old and it's almost always more of a pain than the OS's standard features. I don't know how many HP Wireless Utilities I had to disable to fix people's internet connections back when I did IT. Usually first on the list to go, for me.

Also, run msconfig and go through the startup list. Unselect anything you don't want running when you start up your computer. A lot these programs will start up when you need it, so it will almost never break your computer. (and if it "breaks", just reselect it)

Also, if your browsers are sluggish, try uninstalling any plugin, extension, or toolbar you don't need.

This is, of course, provided that you are allowed to do these.
Also, granted, you might be doing some of this sort of maintenance all along.
But, if the computer sorely needed it, it might just give a whole brand new jump in your it's step.

[Flame_Assault]

DEFINATLEY DO IT
ITS WAY BETTER THEN BUYING ONE YOU GET IT FOR HALF THE PRICE!
ITS SUPER FUN JUST CONNECT A TO B AND ALL PARTS COME WITH MANUALES SO DONT WORRY\
AND MOST COMPUTER STORES GIVE SUPPORT FOR FREEE
HERES MY SET UP I BUILT TOOK ME ABOUT A HOUR TO BUILD 24 TO UPDATE.....
COST ME 2.3K SHOPS COST (MOST DONT EVEN HAVE....) 5K
Keep In Mind I Worked To Get The Top Of The Line Stuff You Can All ways Go Cheaper
I Live In Australia Though But Heres The Store I Brought From: http://www.msy.com.au/index.jsp

Processor: Intel I7 2600k 3.3gh
OS:Windows 7 Home Premium
Motherboard: Gigabyte GAZ77X-UD5H (1155 Pin)
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB Kit 2x8GB DDR3
HDD: Western Digital Black 7200 RPM 2TB
Back Up HDD: Seagate Green 7200 RPM 2TB
Power Supply Unit: Corsair TX-850w
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-207BK Blu-Ray Writer
Case: Thermaltake VN700M1W2N Overseer RX-I Full Tower with Docking
Graphics Card ATM:Inno 3D GTX 520
Graphics Card Getting: Nividia GeForce GTX 690 4GB LINK:http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-69