First computer

[smurph2009]

After a few years of putting up with my old computer i have decided to make my very first computer. Its main purpose is for gaming and i have gone through and selected all the parts in need (atleast i think i did) but i do not know how to tell if either will be compatible together. I have been able to get compatible motherboards and CPU but the little stuff i am not sure about like power supply, graphics card, and the case. So if someone could help me or look at my items to see if they would work that would be great.

case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144151

motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128075

graphics card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130085

power supply -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103235

Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

Harddrive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136131

[RickyTick]

If the main purpose is gaming, then you'll be disappointed with that video card.

For a better card in the same price range, look at this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792

If you can fit it into your budget, look at this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747

You may also want to look at some faster ram, like DDR2 800.

[smurph2009]

thanks for the tip and also dont know if the motherboard i found was good or not so if anyone could tell me thanks.


also i am trying to decide between :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136131

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

and i need to keep the price in mind.

[Damlite]

You've linked the same hard drives. The WD7500AAKS looks like a good buy though, especially with that rebate.

[smurph2009]

ops. its updated now with the correct links

Also with all these items will i be able to run windows vista and what windows vista should i get for gaming needs?

[RickyTick]

You can run Vista just fine. I would recommend Vista Home Premium.

Here's a terrific motherboard.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128090

The 640gb hard drive gets better reviews than the 750, and is faster too.

[smurph2009]

You can run Vista just fine. I would recommend Vista Home Premium.

Here's a terrific motherboard.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128090

The 640gb hard drive gets better reviews than the 750, and is faster too.

about the motherboard, since it has a built in graphics card does that mean i wouldn't buy a separate one because i have heard built in cards are not as good.

also i am trying to find a cheaper CPU and don't know what to choose since there r like 100 but i find this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103211

but im sure there r better but i would like one under 80 and is a AMD

[RickyTick]

This processor is much better and still under $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

For gaming, you must have a dedicated video card like the one I linked to before.

[smurph2009]

This processor is much better and still under $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

For gaming, you must have a dedicated video card like the one I linked to before.

So the mother board you linked me would work and i would still get a dedicated video card even though there is a built in one?

Also I just realized I need to get a CD Drive don't I

[RickyTick]

All motherboards have onboard video. The video card is actually a 3d accelerator ( I think its called). In order to play 3d video games like Call of Duty and such, you must have dedicated video card.

And yes, you'll need an optical drive for DVD's and CD's. You can get those for around $35 easily.

[smurph2009]

So after suggestions and some searching I have come up with a final list:

Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609218

CD/DVD Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827101131

Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144151

Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128090

Graphics - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792

Power supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Also, if anyone could tell me how to make sure everything will work together and stuff like the power supply, case, graphics card etc. that would be great.

[Khapheen]

Hi there,

I jumped into this thread a bit late, but with Vista you might be sure you're getting a 64 bit version (if you order OEM) so you can use all that RAM. Hope that helps.

[RickyTick]

That's going to make a terrific computer. In the near future, you could save up and upgrade that graphics card to the 4870, and it'll be awesome.

[smurph2009]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, and i hope to start buying the parts soon but unfortunately it may take some time to get the money but i plan to buy some parts by next week.

[smurph2009]

I have been collecting enought money to where i have bought most of the parts but i was wondering if i should get Vista because i have an old XP disc and was thinking of just puting that on it so any feedback.

Also will putting the parts together be hard?

[Damlite]

OS choice is purely personal preference, if you're looking at Vista vs XP, there's a general reputation for Vista to be very incompotent. I've never had any errors with either system, apart from a few compatibility issues with a Home Basic version, but Home Premium on my other computer, and Ultimate on my laptop work fine.

Go to your friends place and test out vista, then flip back to XP and get a feel of the two because the interface and interaction has changed a bit in Vista, after that its just a matter of choice and knowing your OS well to optimize its use.

[smurph2009]

well my computer is going to be mainly for gaming so i figured i might save some money and just not get vista

[Damlite]

Lol, and, if you have the right software and tweaking knowledge, you can tweak your OS to look pretty much however you want it to anyway, since the only real benefit of vista is looks, interface and dx10.

this is my XP SP2.
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/9098/desktopsk9.th.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desktopsk9.jpg)http://img257.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)

[smurph2009]

so really the only difference is the looks

[RickyTick]

There is one HUGE difference between XP and VISTA, security. There are other differences, but security alone is a big reason to go with Vista.

[The Wise Monkey]

As Ricky said, security is a lot better in Vista than in XP. The major change is the randomisation of the memory space.

[nerdy section]
In XP, the memory space available for running programs was allocated contiguously i.e. one after the other. Because the stack for a program grows "upwards" through the memory space, it is possible to overwrite a memory address that hasn't been allocated to the currently executing code. This is prevented in Vista by randomising the entire memory space, thus cutting out this particular genre of attacks.
[/nerdy section]

[smurph2009]

would this be a good OS for gaming

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

and i do not understand what it means by "intended for pre-installation on a new personal computer for resale"

[RickyTick]

That would be fine. Its a System Builders version.

[smurph2009]

what does that mean though do i have to do something special to put it on or does it simply mean its for someone who is like me who is building their own computer?

[RickyTick]

Nothing special. Just load it up.

[smurph2009]

so its not something that i have to program

[RickyTick]

No, you're not programing anything. At first boot, you will tell the BIOS to boot from disc. You will have the Operating System disc in there and it will boot from that and install it.

[zburns]

I just want to "second" the other comments. Suggest you get Vista, you will love it!!

In my case, 32bit Vista; would go 64 bit based on what comments I have seen in this forum over the last 3-4 months. As Ricky Tick says, just drop in the disc and it will take over. I assume SP 1 is now part of the OEM disc; if it is not, you will be prompted to download updates as part of the installation and SP 1 will be one of the updates.

I have had no problems since installation; others in this forum will say the same thing. Hope this helps.

[smurph2009]

I anyone could help me figure something out that would be helpful. So i got my motherboard today i was looking at it and now i am not sure if the CPU i had planned to get will be compatible so if someone could help me that would be great and if they are not compatible if someone could suggest a good CPU i would appreciate it.

Motherboard- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128090

CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

[RickyTick]

They are both AM2. They will work fine.

[smurph2009]

For my CPU do i need to buy a cooler and thermal grease or whatever?