bighoo93
04-29-2008, 11:24 PM
I wanted to post some lessons learned, or maybe my idea of best practices in preparing for a new computer build. This community was indispensible to me in helping me to build my system, so I hope to lurk around and offer any help that I might be able to, although I will leave most of that to the experts who helped me. Here is my quick background story. I have always been fairly tech-savvy, but have always bought my computers from Dell. I haven't been afraid to tinker and add video cards, RAM, or even change out the motherboard, but researching and putting together components entirely from scratch was daunting. I love to play computer games, but have very little time for it. So to be honest with myself, my most demanding power need was for video editing. I wanted to spend no more than $800 if possible. Here is my system and cost, which includes all costs, discounts and rebates.
Case/PSU: Antec Sonata III - $99.95
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $214.00
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX - $96.99
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $29
Video Card: EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 - $49.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM - $89.99
CD/DVD burner: Lite-On DVD/CD burner with LightScribe - 32.99
OS: Vista Home Premium - $92.72
Total, including rebates and shipping: $705.63
Lesson #1: Do your homework. Read user reviews at NewEgg. And Amazon. And anywhere else. Any one review can be discounted, but reading many you'll notice trends. Read all the threads on these forums, at least recent ones. You'll again pretty quickly figure out a handful of components that are the best fit for you, as well as what might be on the horizon. There are a seemingly limitless number of different components and manufacturers, but you can narrow them down effectively by doing your homework. Then ask questions, posting sufficient information about your needs to get tailored advice. The experts here know a lot, are very helpful and friendly enough to give you great advice just for asking. RickyTick ended up giving me the most specific advice on my build, but it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for all the other questions I had posed and threads I had read with answers from the other experts.
Lesson #2: Have long-term patience: There are so many benefits to this. I started thinking about building a system over a year ago. With little homework other than reading Rob's excellent guide, I put together a proposed system. I then priced it out using pricegrabber.com for the best prices at trustworthy retailers. Here is what I would have bought on March 19, 2007:
Case/PSU: Antec Sonata II - $112
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz - $109
Motherboard: MSI K9N SLI Platinum Socket AM2- $122.99
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) - $189.99
Video Card: Did not pick one. Maybe thought I would recycle my 6600GT, I don't remember - $0
Hard Drive: WD Caviar SE 250GB Hard Drive - $69.99
CD/DVD burner: Sony DRU-830A Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer - 69.98
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition w/ SP2 - $87.99
Total, including rebates and shipping: $761.94, with no video card.
Now just behold that for a moment. The cost is higher, it doesn't even include a video card, and virtually every component is a quantum leap below the system I built. Some components are now a full release ahead (XP to Vista, Sonata II to III). The price of HD dropped, and memory prices absolutely plunged. Now, maybe I will be able to say the same thing next year about my current system. But that is part of the point. At some point you have to take the plunge, but if you can have a little patience, you can really get a much better system for the same or less money. Also this goes back to the homework point. After learning a lot more about the different components, I ended up going with Intel, I ended up putting more money into the processor and less into the motherboard, etc. All better choices for me.
Another thing I did was fairly actively track prices and upgrade my proposed build throughout the year. I didn't have a particular schedule for this, but just using an excel spreadsheet, I would create a new tab about every 3-4 weeks, and re-price all my components. If the technology seemed to have moved up, or I could upgrade at the same price, then sometimes I would do that. Then I would also keep track of the total cost for the full build. This helped me to not only refine my system, but to get a really good feel for how the prices could vary over time for all the components, and an understanding of what the best price I could really get for each one was, as well as what a full system should cost. I would encourage everyone to do this. And, when pricing, include the total cost of shipping and rebates. Because that's what matters to you, the total money going out of your wallet, and you will see places play around with all the different levers (list price, discounts, rebates, shipping) to modulate the price. The composition of each is meaningless, but the total price matters. So get an idea of what you will have to pay.
Lesson #3: Have near-term patience. Once you've decided just what you want, and you have tracked prices for a long time, begin actively tracking prices regularly (maybe daily) for your build, and pounce when they hit the sweet spot. Its best to buy them all together, but if you see a great deal on Vista, there is no reason to wait. In my example, I posted first that I was going to wait at least a month until my tax rebate came in. Then I saw some prices start to drop. Then I saw the price of the 8600GT video card just crater to $49.99. Then rebates came out for the Sonata III, pushing it below my target low price of $100. Then every single component except the motherboard qualified for free shipping, and I had to move on it even though my rebate still hasn't come in. I paid $7 shipping on a $700 build. You could easily have paid 10 times that in shipping. But I knew what prices I was looking for, knew what I wanted, and was prepared to pounce. I didn't care if the price dropped due to rebates, discounts or free shipping, I just concerned myself with the total cost.
I know I am not an expert so I can't offer a lot of technical advice. But I hope sharing some of these thoughts, even if many are obvious or common, will help people in preparing to build and optimize the perfect system for them.
Case/PSU: Antec Sonata III - $99.95
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $214.00
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX - $96.99
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $29
Video Card: EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 - $49.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM - $89.99
CD/DVD burner: Lite-On DVD/CD burner with LightScribe - 32.99
OS: Vista Home Premium - $92.72
Total, including rebates and shipping: $705.63
Lesson #1: Do your homework. Read user reviews at NewEgg. And Amazon. And anywhere else. Any one review can be discounted, but reading many you'll notice trends. Read all the threads on these forums, at least recent ones. You'll again pretty quickly figure out a handful of components that are the best fit for you, as well as what might be on the horizon. There are a seemingly limitless number of different components and manufacturers, but you can narrow them down effectively by doing your homework. Then ask questions, posting sufficient information about your needs to get tailored advice. The experts here know a lot, are very helpful and friendly enough to give you great advice just for asking. RickyTick ended up giving me the most specific advice on my build, but it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for all the other questions I had posed and threads I had read with answers from the other experts.
Lesson #2: Have long-term patience: There are so many benefits to this. I started thinking about building a system over a year ago. With little homework other than reading Rob's excellent guide, I put together a proposed system. I then priced it out using pricegrabber.com for the best prices at trustworthy retailers. Here is what I would have bought on March 19, 2007:
Case/PSU: Antec Sonata II - $112
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz - $109
Motherboard: MSI K9N SLI Platinum Socket AM2- $122.99
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) - $189.99
Video Card: Did not pick one. Maybe thought I would recycle my 6600GT, I don't remember - $0
Hard Drive: WD Caviar SE 250GB Hard Drive - $69.99
CD/DVD burner: Sony DRU-830A Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer - 69.98
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition w/ SP2 - $87.99
Total, including rebates and shipping: $761.94, with no video card.
Now just behold that for a moment. The cost is higher, it doesn't even include a video card, and virtually every component is a quantum leap below the system I built. Some components are now a full release ahead (XP to Vista, Sonata II to III). The price of HD dropped, and memory prices absolutely plunged. Now, maybe I will be able to say the same thing next year about my current system. But that is part of the point. At some point you have to take the plunge, but if you can have a little patience, you can really get a much better system for the same or less money. Also this goes back to the homework point. After learning a lot more about the different components, I ended up going with Intel, I ended up putting more money into the processor and less into the motherboard, etc. All better choices for me.
Another thing I did was fairly actively track prices and upgrade my proposed build throughout the year. I didn't have a particular schedule for this, but just using an excel spreadsheet, I would create a new tab about every 3-4 weeks, and re-price all my components. If the technology seemed to have moved up, or I could upgrade at the same price, then sometimes I would do that. Then I would also keep track of the total cost for the full build. This helped me to not only refine my system, but to get a really good feel for how the prices could vary over time for all the components, and an understanding of what the best price I could really get for each one was, as well as what a full system should cost. I would encourage everyone to do this. And, when pricing, include the total cost of shipping and rebates. Because that's what matters to you, the total money going out of your wallet, and you will see places play around with all the different levers (list price, discounts, rebates, shipping) to modulate the price. The composition of each is meaningless, but the total price matters. So get an idea of what you will have to pay.
Lesson #3: Have near-term patience. Once you've decided just what you want, and you have tracked prices for a long time, begin actively tracking prices regularly (maybe daily) for your build, and pounce when they hit the sweet spot. Its best to buy them all together, but if you see a great deal on Vista, there is no reason to wait. In my example, I posted first that I was going to wait at least a month until my tax rebate came in. Then I saw some prices start to drop. Then I saw the price of the 8600GT video card just crater to $49.99. Then rebates came out for the Sonata III, pushing it below my target low price of $100. Then every single component except the motherboard qualified for free shipping, and I had to move on it even though my rebate still hasn't come in. I paid $7 shipping on a $700 build. You could easily have paid 10 times that in shipping. But I knew what prices I was looking for, knew what I wanted, and was prepared to pounce. I didn't care if the price dropped due to rebates, discounts or free shipping, I just concerned myself with the total cost.
I know I am not an expert so I can't offer a lot of technical advice. But I hope sharing some of these thoughts, even if many are obvious or common, will help people in preparing to build and optimize the perfect system for them.