Some newbie ideas

[Sailavie]

First, let me start by saying that this is a great site and completely in the spirit of what internet sharing is all about. So, thank you for offering your knowledge and maintaining such a great site.

Being that I am not a techie, I’m looking at the possibility of building my own pc from a bit of a different angle. Although this site is a great resource for how to put together various components, it does not appear to offer a user friendly approach to picking the right combination of components for a specific end result (perhaps I missed some areas – it’s a vast site).

What I mean is that it would be nice to have a “menu” of potential pc builds which are geared toward specific uses. So, for example, if the primary use is an all around family pc where basic everyday computing will take place (email, pictures, documents, etc…) then a list of latest components could be given that would achieve that purpose. Then, as a side recommendation, a separate menu of items could be suggested. So, say that the pc is a family pc, but may at times need to edit and burn video to DVD. This task I imagine would require something a bit different than your basic email and picture type machine.

I mention all this because to me the most confusing and daunting task is not the actual assembly (I’m very mechanically and electronically capable), but rather the correct selection of components that will build a machine to my expectations and also function without component conflict.

This type of info would be very helpful to people like me. I realize that not every user scenario could be detailed, but a handful of general types would not be a stretch. Perhaps you could have headings like “Gaming”, “Video Editing”, “Picture Processing”, “General Use”, etc… Then, for each category, give a list of compatible components (as of a certain date) best suited for that job. In addition, you could take this a step further and divide the components into good; better, best categories where good will work great for budget conscious users, but best would be as good as it gets for those wanting the highest performing machine.

My current scenario is that I have 2 pc’s that are limping along. One is a 5 yo Sony Vaio that is used as a family pc for emails, surfing, and fairly basic tasks. The other is my pc which is 5+ yo and was custom built for me as a video editing workstation. It was fairly cutting edge then (costing @ $5K), but it crashed 2 years ago. I replaced the main drive and power supply (which was the 1st faulty item that went unnoticed until the drive which did not have enough power to spin at the right speed finally gave out) to get it working until today. It has 2 additional removable drives which 1 has just become faulty. So, the writing is on the wall and I’m going to need a new machine. I will want the fastest and best machine I can get to process video, but also surf the net and do all other basic office tasks without conflict. I don’t play pc games, but will be using HD cams and possibly Blue Ray format. I definitely will not be spending $5K on my next one!

The other aspect that worries me is that Vista seems to be the new OS of choice in pre-configured machines, but my whole system including peripherals is based on XP. Will my wireless laser printer, router, external drives, etc, still work with a Vista OS? Will my system become obsolete too quickly if I choose to stay with XP?

These are some of the concerns and suggestions I have based on what I’ve read on your site so far. In a nut shell, I would like to look up components for a pc that matches my intended use or provide my intended use and have someone give a complete listing of best suitable components for the intended result.

I look forward to all input and comments. Thanks in advance!

[RickyTick]

Welcome.

That was a great first post. I like your ideas.

When I was considering buying/building my latest pc, I had similar confusions. What's the best processor for my needs? What't the best mother board? So on, and so on.

For me, I spent hours reading reviews and forum posts. What makes it difficult is that one Review might recommend and particular component as their "Editor's Choice" or something like that, and yet a different Review will pick something totally different. Its maddening.

Even on this forum, there's no unanimous choice on the best components for a build. :eek:

So, I guess I'm not offering an answer to you questions, rather I'm only continuing the discussion. I like where this seems to be going.

[Rob]

I like your ideas, too. For now, the next best thing seems to be what others are doing - which is to post their planned components and invite others to comment.

As far as Windows XP is concerned, it still has quite a bit of life in it, but there will come a time - I think - when Windows Vista is a comfortable choice. Windows XP went through the same growing pains - many were reluctant to let go of Windows 98 SE.

[Sailavie]

Rob, that's part of the problem. I don't know enough to even start picking components. It would all be a random mess. That's where my "menu" suggestion comes into play. I suppose it's somewhat like shopping a Dell, where they start you out with a basic (or not so basic) package and then you can add or delete items toward the final product.

Dells system is a step in the right direction, but to someone like me still doesn't make any sense. I need to know that the components I pick will perform certain tasks as best as possible and still work compatibly with the rest of the package. I don't know a ram from a ddr or whatever, just tell me that it's the best thing going and it installs in slot A of component Z and I'm happy!

I will undoubtedly continue my research and education on this hobby, but I don't expect to gain the kind of knowledge necessary to expertly pick the right parts for the best application results.

Perhaps my pc can be the guinea pig into this new way of thinking...

Thanks for your thoughts!

Pat
Charlotte, NC

[shyster]

Well I do not want to speak for Rob since he is the one who maintains this site, but keeping a system up to date like you suggest would take considerable work. It would really be up to how much skill Rob has with CSS HTML coding as well as the time to implement it all.

Secondly many people post the components they think they want, in the build your own pc forums and we try to give suggestions in general and also in what people tell us they want their computers to do.

So in this sense if you post a well constructed post like your first one on the build your own pc forum, even if you have no parts in mind, if you tell us the programs you are using and the planned use of the end computer we can do our best to suggest the parts you will want/need, giving a budget also helps as it gives us "wiggle" room or an idea on what price we need to work in given your end requirements.

Our resident expert on video editing and encoding would probably be Chunky and he is very knowledgeable about the parts that are required for a person building such a computer. We also have our resident all around experts Wisemonkey and Jaime.

So with that said, I am looking forward to your post in the "build your own pc forum" explaining what you are looking for, what programs you plan to use, and your budget.

Hope this was helpful.

[Rob]

Nicely said, Shyster.

[Sailavie]

Thanks again for the input. I really do look forward to utilizing this sites info and the counsel of its members. Incidentally, please do not look at my first post as criticism of the site. I was just making suggestions as to how it would better serve someone like me. It is truly a great place to share info and ideas.

It looks like what I need to do now is figure out exactly what I want in a pc! I'll give that some thought and re-post my "dream" machine (or at least what I want it to do) in the forum mentioned by Shyster. I think, since I need 2 pc's, I'll start with the basic one. That should be fairly simple. For the more complicated one, would there be any value in listing what I currently have? Is that useful in figuring what may be needed in the next one or should I just start from scratch?

Thanks a bunch!
P

[chunkylover53]

Yes, when you start your new post include current components (Brand and model if you can get them), because we should be able to harvest something. Also, when you give us your budget, tell us what that budget needs to include (monitor, keyboard, etc.). Finally, and most importantly, we need to know if video editing is your hobby or your livelihood. Per Shyster's comment, the type of software you need to run will dictate what video card you need, and that can range from ($150 to $450).

My POV is build your new workstation first. It won't be that much more complicated, just different components. That way, you will be up and running and you might be able to use a few of the components from your old one on the family machine.