[Robert Palmer]

Hey Guys,

I'm new here, so nice to meet ya all.

I'm into graphics and website design. I have an old compaq presario 7360. Upgraded to win2000Pro.
I installed two 80gig HD, upgraded my memory to 512(max), graphics, and sound card. added a cd burner also... I recently bought a new Sony17"LCD (I know I said graphics, but 17" was all I could afford at the time"). So, thats the most I've-doneas far as working on my computer. Never built one from the ground up!

Talking to a co-worker about building one a bit at a time. He suggested I start with a good box, 450 watt
power supply, and a good AMD motherboard and processor. This way it would be upgradeable for some time.

I want to make a wish list, so I can buy a piece at a time. Can anyone suggest some good parts, where to buy them, keeping
in mind I run graphics software, etc?

[Advertisements]

well... since your into graphics you should get a ATI grahpics card... some cheap ones are for like $59.99 at COMPUSA or like CIRCUIT CITY..... but cheap ones wont be very good for gaming... i think you should get a card thats at least like $100.00 and with 128 MB RAM card.
yea... graphics are BIG in memory... i mean BIG... im into graphics myself... i suggest you get a external hard drive with liek 300GB or a internal hard drive with 500GB(internal drives are cheaper then external). yea.... also if your planing on running graphics software like ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 then you'll need at least 1GB RAM..... i mean it.... i have 512MB on my COMP and i use CS2... and its SLOW... and its not the COMP..... yea........ thats all i can come up with right now.... ill think of more parts for you!!!!

P.S. my email is edited out email for security...unless you like spam don't post your email on an open forum email me if you need help!

P.P.S. by the way.... im only 12..... lol

Edited by dsenette, 14 August 2006 - 01:09 PM.

[Rocknrollcows]

well... since your into graphics you should get a ATI grahpics card... some cheap ones are for like $59.99 at COMPUSA or like CIRCUIT CITY..... but cheap ones wont be very good for gaming... i think you should get a card thats at least like $100.00 and with 128 MB RAM card.
yea... graphics are BIG in memory... i mean BIG... im into graphics myself... i suggest you get a external hard drive with liek 300GB or a internal hard drive with 500GB(internal drives are cheaper then external). yea.... also if your planing on running graphics software like ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS2 then you'll need at least 1GB RAM..... i mean it.... i have 512MB on my COMP and i use CS2... and its SLOW... and its not the COMP..... yea........ thats all i can come up with right now.... ill think of more parts for you!!!!

P.S. my email is edited out email for security...unless you like spam don't post your email on an open forum email me if you need help!

P.P.S. by the way.... im only 12..... lol

Edited by dsenette, 14 August 2006 - 01:09 PM.

[Rocknrollcows]

I think this case might be cool: http://www.compusa.c...diator_ATX_Case

Try this graphics card: http://www.bestbuy.c...d=1093468042109

Edited by Rocknrollcows, 02 August 2006 - 07:39 PM.

[Robert Palmer]

P.P.S. by the way.... im only 12..... lol

Hey,

Well, I'm 47 and have a daughter thats 14. LOL

Well, I know what you mean about memory. I use primarily Photoshop7.0, but I have Flash MX 2004, and
I also use Camtasia Studio 3, plus a few more. Talk about slow...

Oh, and I have almost 5000 fonts installed too.

I was figuring on 2gig of memory. 2-160-250 HD's min. and I need it to have a good cooling system. The compaq
over heats alot. Probably a processor atleast 3.0gig or so.

[Rocknrollcows]

yea... a 2gig might be good... your comp overheats??? you might want to get a case fan a a better CPU fan... also.. they also have HARD DRIVE fans now too....

[Robert Palmer]

I think this case might be cool: http://www.compusa.c...diator_ATX_Case

Try this graphics card: http://www.bestbuy.c...d=1093468042109

LOL, I see you are a gamer.

[Rocknrollcows]

I do some gaming... not alot.... yea... do you like those parts??

[Rocknrollcows]

Anyways..... im the computer person in my house.... i currently working on a new desktop for my mom.... im also building some computers for ppls from my church.... yea... me HEART computer

[Rocknrollcows]

im watching SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE so if i dont respond within 5 min.... then that means im watching it...

[Robert Palmer]

yea... a 2gig might be good... your comp overheats??? you might want to get a case fan a a better CPU fan... also.. they also have HARD DRIVE fans now too....

Well, mine is like 8 or 9 yrs old, so I'm just going to stick with my house fan for now.

I hate to get rid of this one. I'm very attached to it.

My wife is watching that show! Arrrg

[Rocknrollcows]

so.... what do u plan to do with your computer besides website and graphics????

[MNOB07]

Hey Robert

For your needs this system is going to blow away your old Compaq Presario. Athlon 64 3500+ (It would be fair to compare this processor to a Pentium 4 at 3.5Ghz), 2GB RAM, 320GB harddrive, 450 watt PSU system. Minimalistic but very capable, and has plenty of room for upgrades if you decide later on.

These are all off of Newegg, one of the best computer hardware vendors. If you can't order from them (they only ship to the states) then we can try somewhere else.

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Orleans 2000MHz HT 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103633

SAMSUNG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe - OEM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151118

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119068

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148140

BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX RoHs compliant AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813138027

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817104954

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231051

$569.20 shipped. $559.20 after the $10 MIR on the case.

I picked a mobo with a GeForce 6100 integrated graphics processor to save money on a seperate video card. It's pretty good for integrated, and to the best of my knowledge it's plenty for the apps you're working with but I may be wrong. If it proves inadequate, the motherboard has a PCI-E x16 slot which will work with any modern graphics card for some time.

There is no added cooling, however stock cooling, the case design, and included case fans will be plenty since the component giving off the large majority of heat will be the cpu which runs pretty cool anyway.

I hope that helps.

Edited by MNOB07, 03 August 2006 - 01:55 AM.

[Robert Palmer]

Hey Robert

For your needs this system is going to blow away your old Compaq Presario. Athlon 64 3500+ (It would be fair to compare this processor to a Pentium 4 at 3.5Ghz), 2GB RAM, 320GB harddrive, 450 watt PSU system. Minimalistic but very capable, and has plenty of room for upgrades if you decide later on.
---------------------------
I picked a mobo with a GeForce 6100 integrated graphics processor to save money on a seperate video card. It's pretty good for integrated, and to the best of my knowledge it's plenty for the apps you're working with but I may be wrong. If it proves inadequate, the motherboard has a PCI-E x16 slot which will work with any modern graphics card for some time.

There is no added cooling, however stock cooling, the case design, and included case fans will be plenty since the component giving off the large majority of heat will be the cpu which runs pretty cool anyway.

I hope that helps.

Hey, So far it sounds good. I'll make sure to save this, so I can have my friend see what he thinks of the manufacturers. I know he buys alot of stuff from newegg.com. Theres also a good site for cases which has a wharehouse local called FrozenCPU.com, but they are a bit expensive.

Sounds a lot cheaper than I expected too, which is all good. But then again, I have to get the full version of
Windows XP. My wife has XP home edition, and I have 2000 Pro. I"m really used to it though.

Thanks for taking the time to do this for me!

PS: Does any of this come with cables?

[mrdrphil007]

Yes, all of that stuff is great. You will notice a serious improvement over your compaq. And you can change the theme of XP back to classic windows style if that bugs you. That's what I do to save on system memory.

All of the cables you will need come with your motherboard.

Frozencpu.com is more of a performance/tweaking/case mod store for computers. If you need extreme cooling supplies you will find them there.

And one more thing,

[/quote=rocknrollcows] if your into graphics then you want ATI[/quote]

This is absolute nonsense. Your other choice for graphics is nVidia, who make GPUs that are just fine. I would say nvidia and ATI are about equal in graphics quality depending on what you pay. Ultimately, for the consumer, you will get good graphics if you pay for them. Obviously I could see that are new to computer hardware and building, and I didn't want the word of one person to sway your judgement of who makes a better GPU.

Edited by mrdrphil007, 04 August 2006 - 07:50 PM.

[Robert Palmer]

[quote name='mrdrphil007' date='Aug 4 2006, 09:47 PM' post='751366']

[/quote=rocknrollcows] if your into graphics then you want ATI[/quote]

This is absolute nonsense. Your other choice for graphics is nVidia, who make GPUs that are just fine. I would say nvidia and ATI are about equal in graphics quality depending on what you pay. Ultimately, for the consumer, you will get good graphics if you pay for them. Obviously I could see that are new to computer hardware and building, and I didn't want the word of one person to sway your judgement of who makes a better GPU.
[/quote]

Hey, No problem.

One thing is that my eyes will hardly tell the difference from one to another, but going with a quality manufacturer is the key in many cases. The highest priced item on that whole list was the memory.

Seeing as my presario is 500mhz, anything will be better. I have some people say you should replace your
pc once a year, but I like to get my use out of it. So, being that I don't know too much about building pc's
etc... I wanted to make sure it will be upgradeable for some time. My old memory boards are no longer
being manufactured, so replacing one can be 3-5 times the price now.

I bought my wife a refurb HP, with a AMD motherboard (3.0 gig), and 3 months after- the lcd went (recall)
then- the power supply went (180watt if you believe that one), then at 6 months the DVD burner rom drive
went.... Didn't purchase an extended warranty, so I was out of luck.

Now, I want to build one, as I don't have to put all the crap into it, that the big boys do.

I always appreciate everyones opinion.