Newbie that needs help building first PC....

[Smitty_]

Well fellas,

I've been hemming and hawing over buying a new system that I can use for editing video from my digital camcorder. (Home videos and such)

A new PC is LONG over-due as I'm currently still using my old P2 233Mhz from about 6 years ago!! (Browsing and email is all it's good for)

I've been looking now for about 3 months and decided I'm just gonna build myself, as I really need to make this as INEXPENSIVE as possible.

What do you suggest as far as a starting point? I was thinking a barebones system with motherboard, case, fans, and perhaps HD. Specs?

Can you make suggestions for other components?? These are the general specs I was thinking about....



1.) P4 2.0 Ghz (I would actually like to go with an AMD equivalent, as I understand they are much cheaper. Which model would you suggest?)

2.) 80 GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM? Suggestions?)

3.) 256 MB RAM (What kind of RAM? Do I need to upgrade to 512 MB?)

4.) Video Card (I have no idea here. What would be a minimum for video editing? 64 MB? I'm not much of a gamer)

5.) Sound card (I would really like 5.1 Dolby Digital capability. What is 7.1?)

6.) Firewire card (Aren't these included on some sound cards?)

7.) USB 2.0 ports? (Will I need these eventually?)

8.) Attractive case

9.) Cheap DVD-ROM (I already have a CD-RW I will install in it)



What am I leaving out?


Now the big question. Can this be done for under $500





(In the future, I'll be watching gotapex.com for a deal on a DVD-RW, and will purchase later)



Thanks ahead of time for your help, and you willingness to instruct a newbie!!


Smitty_

[mcs328]

I wanted to say buy the XPC series from Shuttle but not for under $500. The series has built in USB and Firewire ports and AGP slot. Only room for you'r cd-burner unless you get dvd-rom/cd burner combo.

The Shuttle barebone cost like 300-350 and it includes the case, motherboard with onboard video, sound, lan, firewire, usb and 1 AGP and 1 PCI slot. The case is nice and small. You would just need a hard drive, memory and cd-burner/dvd-rom in the 1 available 5.25 external bay.

Check it out at www.shuttle.com or search for shuttle barebones at newegg.com or tigerdirect.com

[Showtime]

Frys always has some cpu/motherboard combo on sale.

Some mobo's have onboard video. If not you have to buy a video card too. Some have a nic built in. Most have onboard sound that is fine for most users.

OS? You need an operating system. At least win98 IMO.

If I were you, I'd pick what hw I wanted and look for sales.

Dell also has great deals. Many of them give more bang for the buck than any home built system. That could be a better deal for ya.

good luck
-jel:halo:

[Smitty_]

I've got a copy of Windows 2000 that I'll use for it. I wouldn't mind also adding a partition with Redhat, but I'll decide on that later.


For now, I'm concentrating on hardware. I guess I was under the assumption that on-board sound and video wont give the same performance as seperate sound and video cards. Am I wrong here?


And I'm looking at those shuttle boxes, but I think 2 * 5.25 bays is going to be a nessecity.

What is frys???

[i6s1]

Onboard video and sound usually do give worse performance in gaming, but they work fine for video editing. Some onboard sound is actually pretty good now. The most important things for video editing are the CPU, Memory, and Harddrive(s). Going with AMD will save you some money.

Start by finding a board you like. Yours should have onboard video, sound, and firewire. LAN/Modem would be a bonus, but you may already have the one you need in your current computer.

USB 2 is a nice feature, but if you don't need it now, don't worry about it. Buy it when you need it. You may not need it until your next upgrade.

[Smitty_]

Better yet, i6s1, can you recommend a motherboard with....

on-board video
on-board sound (5.1 DD)
on-board firewire
on-board lan (optional, as I have one I can throw in there if need be)



This would give me a good starting point for researching motherboards. I will go with an Athlon processor, but I'm not sure which one.

I was looking at the FIC AT31, but I don't think it has firewire, does it?

[Cantacuzene]

First, get 512 megs of ram. 256 will not cut it anymore.

Get http://www.leadtek.com/motherboards/nforce2/k7ncr18d-pro/k7ncr18d-pro.htm this mobo and this http://www.sapphiretech.com/8500/8500-149-0A.htm 3d card.

Then just buy an AMD 2000+ and any ATX case you like and you're good to go.

[Smitty_]

Well I found the WinFast K7NCR18D-Pro at

http://www.buyxtremegear.com/k7ncr18d.html

For $114 shipped. Good price?

[CynJon]

Originally posted by Smitty_
Well I found the WinFast K7NCR18D-Pro at

http://www.buyxtremegear.com/k7ncr18d.html

For $114 shipped. Good price?

Good price, but always check Reseller Ratings (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2753.html) or a similar site before ordering. buyxtremegear has a fairly mediocre rating, 4.89, with quite a few unhappy customers. So, you take your chances.

On the other hand, NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=K7NCR18D) has it for the same price, and they are a ROCK SOLID company... Even if it was a few dollars more, I'd buy from NewEgg.

[sbp]

Don't say BuyXtremeGear.com around Bires
http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45375

[i6s1]

EPoX 8RDA+ - 124 (onboard sound, firewire, USB2, lan, good overclocker)
WD 80GIG SE w/ 8 meg cache - 109
Kingston 512 Ram - 126
Case ??? - ~50
Athlon XP 2100 retail - 103
ATI 8500LE - 72
DVD retail 16X Liteon - $42

Comes to $626.

To get it under 500,
Drop 8500LE to original 32meg Radeon, save 43.
drop Athlon 2100 to 1800, save 32.
Drop Ram to 256, save 59

Total comes to $492.

All prices from newegg.

[Smitty_]

i6s1-

I found this combo at aicmicro.com (good reseller rating), what do you think?

Custom System:
MOTHERBOARD COMBO-AMD DDR400 BUNDLE

CPU/Processor: AMD Athlon XP Socket A 2000+ CPU OEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard: Epox EP-8RDA+ nForce2 ATA 133 W/Audio, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 & LAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU Fan: Thermaltake Volcano 6 CU Heatsink & Cooling Fan (AMD Approved)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test & Assemble: Test Only




Is this a good fan??? There were other options, but I didn't know which to choose....

Total price $193

[Bires]

Is noise an issue? Some of the TT Volcanos can be noisy because they spin wicked fast. If noise isn't a problem...go for it. The onboard firewire is a nice touch.

[Smitty_]

Here are my fan options.....I think I would like it more on the quiet side if possible:

Thermaltake Volcano 9 Highest Performance Smart & Silent Cooler

Thermaltake Volcano 7 Variable Heatsink & Cooling Fan Speed Control

AOC CUD715 Copper Heatsink & Cooling Fan For Intel Pentium III & AthlonXP

Thermaltake Slim Volcano 8 SE Highest Performance Cooler

Thermaltake Volcano 6 CU Heatsink & Cooling Fan (AMD Approved)

AOC ND15 Aluminum Heatsink & Cooling Fan For Intel Pentium III & AthlonXP

AOC ND12 Heatsink & Cooling Fan For AMD Athlon XP, K7 Thunderbird & Duron CPU


All between $9 and $25.....Recommendations?

[i6s1]

That seems like a pretty good price, just make sure it's still cheaper after shipping.

Quiet fans aren't really my forte. I would just get the cheapest one if you're not planning on overclocking. If you really want quiet, look up the dbs on the manufacturers sites, but take them with a grain of salt. Besides, the difference between a quiet cpu fan and a normal (retail or cheap) fan is probably not that much in a realworld situation. Save the $5 for lunch and stick a peice of carpet in your case. (joke)

[Smitty_]

Thanks for all the help.

Here's my config so far....



AMD Athlon XP Socket A 2100+ CPU OEM

Epox EP-8RDA+ nForce2 ATA 133 W/Audio, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 & LAN

Thermaltake Volcano 6 CU Heatsink & Cooling Fan (AMD Approved)

Kingston PC2700 512MB RAM

Western Digital 7200RPM 80 GB Hard Drive

ATI Raedon 8500 LE



Total comes to $526 Shipped thru Newegg.com and AICMicro.com



All that's left is the case. I'm looking for a stylish one under $50 shipped. Is this possible? I'm not finding many options....

[Cantacuzene]

Get a Cheiftec case from newegg. They look like alienware cases and cost like 60$

[Smitty_]

I guess I should have stated, with a power supply.

Is 300W good enough?

[Cantacuzene]

I would get at least a 350. Many cheiftec cases come with 450w supplies and you get them under $80.

[Smitty_]

I like this case, but it has no Power Supply.

AHANIX ROMEO (BLUE) 11-BAY MID TOWER PC CASE - RETAIL
Stylish High-Tech user friendly case w/Entire Sliding Motherboard Tray, Cards and All. Tool-Less side panel, 11 Bays, and the Romeo comes in Four Vibrant Colors.
Specifications:
Driver Bays: External 4 X 5.25" - 1 X 3.5" Internal 6 X 3.5"
System Board: Flex, Micro, Full ATX
Expansion Slot: 7 Slots
Optional Fans: 1 X 80mm (front) 1 X 80mm (rear)
Dimensions: 19.75" (L) X 8" (W) X 17" (H) ***No Power Supply***

What should I look for? 350-400W, but anything else? Does every PS fir in every case????

And because it has fans, does this mean I don't need to get the Volcano??

Thanks

[Smitty_]

This may be a stupid question, but hey, I'm a beginner...:)

I'm looking at this Ahanix case and my Epox 8RDA+. Look at the way the USB, LAN, and audio ports are set on this motherboard. Will it fit neatly in the place designed for it on this case. It looks to me like the arrangement is different. Is thi something I should be worried about?


http://images2.newegg.com/productimage/11-126-104-09.JPG

http://img.hexus.net/EpoxNF2/Back.jpg

Here is the face. I like the look:)



Thanks for the help, once again!http://images2.newegg.com/productimage/11-126-104-04.JPG

[Cantacuzene]

Really nice, if overpriced, case.

[Smitty_]

Cantacuzene-

Do you think the mobo will lineup properly??

Yep, I sacraficed $20 for a little style. Oh well.

[Cantacuzene]

If its an atx case it will fit.

[CynJon]

Originally posted by Smitty_
Do you think the mobo will lineup properly??


Do you see the plate that is laying inside the case in the side view? That is the "generic" plate that comes with the case.

Your motherboard will come with its own plate, seen here:

http://www.lemonizer.com/uploads/EpoxAccessories.jpg

All you do is put the Epox plate in your case...:)


And because it has fans, does this mean I don't need to get the Volcano??

No, you need a Heatsink/fan for your processor no matter what (unless you use water cooling). The case fans keep the inside of the case cooler...It looks like the case doesn't come with fans, they are optional. You should pick up a couple of quiet, inexpensive 80mm fans to keep your case nice and cool. Good luck!

[GraingerGuy]

Originally posted by Smitty_
What should I look for? 350-400W, but anything else? Does every PS fir in every case????


Yes....any PS will fit in any case. I would suggest getting the Antec Trupower 380W. It's quite a nice PS....I have the TruPower 430W and it's not done me wrong yet.

[Smitty_]

Thank you all very much!!!!