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Questions about building own computer


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#1
dancingcleo

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Hi, I have a few questions to ask about computer building and it'd be great if some of you could give me a hand.

1. Is it worth buying a SATA hard drive? If so how do you set one up? Do you have to buy different CD/DVD drives than other hard drives?

2. Can anybody recommend a good video card for me? I'm planning on spending only $100 or so on this part, although after looking around I realise I may have to spend a bit more. I'll be playing some games that will need a good card, but I'm not fussed if the quality's not top notch.

3. What good mobos are there? Could anyone recommend 2 motherboards that will suit AMD or intel processors. I know very little about mobos so any suggestions are useful. If I went for an AMD processor which one would be best for under $360 and are AMD CPUs significantly better than intel CPUs?

Anymore tips for my first build would be great. Thanks for your help!
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#2
hudihoo

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don't know about hard drive thing but video card you can get a 128mb ati 9200(pretty good can play most newer games) for about 80 on amazon.com go to microcenter.com to look for processors and mobos
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#3
Hemal

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Sata drives in my opinion are worth it and are very simple to set up, just a simple cable that needs to be plugged in really...for your motherboard, do you plan to use AMD or Intel?
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#4
Rockster2U

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My two cents on real value without compromising performance. Abit NF7S motherboard - the $82 one not the $50 G2. Athlon Mobile 2600+ (will run 11 or 12x200 easy). Samsung PC3200 two 256MB modules - works fine in dual channel. Samsung SATA drives - 80Gig w/8mb w/3 year warranty. 256MB FX5600 NVidia.

For building on a budget, this recipe sizzles.

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#5
audioboy

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SATA is definitely worth it, it is the new standard, is faster, and doesnt cost any more.
you dont need to buy different CD/DVD drives, they still run on the standard IDE technology.
there are CD drives now available with SATA interface, but they are high end, expensive items. and I dont think they offer a large increase in performance compared to IDE.

looks like rockster gave you a pretty guide right there! :tazz:
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#6
dancingcleo

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Hey, thanks everyone that gives me pretty much all the answers I need and the guide for a budget pc seems around what I'm lookin for. So, do you guys reckon that amd gives better value and performance? Oh and Soxrok I'm lookin at amd and intel at the moment, so any suggestions for either would be helpful.

Edited by dancingcleo, 24 May 2005 - 03:26 PM.

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#7
audioboy

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that AMD that rockster mentioned, sounds like he is talking about possibly overclocking it some to achieve a higher cpu speed. I looked at the specs on the mobo he suggested, and it received high praise for overclocking ability.
a comparable intel (to the overclocked amd) would be a 2.4GHz processor. since you said you want to do some gaming, avoid celeron. they lack the multimedia acceleration, so wouldnt serve you well. celeron is targeted for business desktop machines, nothing fancy at all.

as always, correct me if Im wrong, guys!

all my builds have been intel, so I cant offer good advice on amd. from what I hear and read, amd performs well, and is much more overclocking friendly. soxrok and rockster will guide you well if you want to take that route.

either way is fine, and puts you a comfortable amount above the mimimum specs of todays games (you would actually meet the recommended specs of HL2). its a matter of what works for you!

Edited by audioboy, 24 May 2005 - 02:59 AM.

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#8
dancingcleo

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Thanks everyone.

Edited by dancingcleo, 25 May 2005 - 09:02 AM.

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