$700 build

[Zawicki]

I'm planning on building myself my first computer with the help of my friends. Right now the parts come out to $650 and with shipping its $690. I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm also not quite sure if everythings works together, but from what o've researched it looks like it should all be good.

Case
Apevia X-Plorer $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144106

PSU
Rosewill 600W Stallion Series $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182087

Mobo
BIOSTAR A770 $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138106

CPU
AMD 64 X2 6000 3.1GHz $73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103272

Video Card
EVGA 9800GT Superclocked edition $125 (with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130377

Hard Drive
Samsung SpinPoint T Series 500GB $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152052

RAM
Crucial Ballistix 2x2GB DDR2 800 $58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148212

DVD Drive
DVD+-R Burner SATA $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

OS
Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Total $650

Is there anything else i need besides what i've put up. Again this is my first comp build, my friends have made their own before though. Also, whats the difference between the retail and OEM OS? Thanks for any feedback.

[The Wise Monkey]

Check out the Budget Build Plus - just click on the Budget Build link in my signature and scroll to the bottom. :)

[zburns]

Your question, OEM vs Retail on the OS. All recommendations I have seen on this forum have been OEM, period, versus Retail. Before I purchased Vista OEM, I did check out the size of the instruction book that came with Retail; if I recall correctly it was 160 pages, which I did not think was a lot of info. Moreover, the biggest consideration about "a retail instruction book" is when it was printed, and, what is not in it regards "all updates" since the book was published. No real logic in buying Retail as far as I was concerned. When you buy OEM, it is licensed to your CPU, so to speak; you cannot use it on other computers, etc. Some limitations there.

When you install OEM Vista, you essentially put the disc in, do some interaction; you reach a point where Windows Update (including SP1) takes over and installs in excess of 100 updates. This is the way I see it; given all this I have no reason not to use OEM.

[Zawicki]

It may just be my noobishness, but the builds seem practically the same. The Video card and processor clocks on mine seem a bit higher, but other than that its about the same for everything. I really like the case picked out because it looks nice (at least to me it does) and the Antec Sonata seems a little bland. I think i may stick with my build, the comp just seems a little more mine that way if you nknow what i mean.

So all the retail version of vista adds is a manual. Seems like quite a lot for some instructions.

[chunkylover53]

It may just be my noobishness, but the builds seem practically the same. The Video card and processor clocks on mine seem a bit higher, but other than that its about the same for everything. I really like the case picked out because it looks nice (at least to me it does) and the Antec Sonata seems a little bland. I think i may stick with my build, the comp just seems a little more mine that way if you nknow what i mean.

It totally makes sense to go with what you feel most comfortable with, but that also applies to what we recommend. I've never used a Biostar board, but that's not to say it won't work fine. I've never used a Rosewill PSU either, but that one might be great. Everything you picked fits together, but since I haven't used the brands you chose, so I don't want to comment one way or the other.

One thought on the case... The Sonata case is bland, I agree. But the one thing I would recommend for your case is that you look at the number of reviews on Newegg and the date it was last reviewed. Could mean nothing, but no reviews since September? At the same time, that could be becasue it is unique. Most gamer cases these days seem black & blue like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144151


So all the retail version of vista adds is a manual. Seems like quite a lot for some instructions.
Not really. Retail Vista can be installed on any number of computers as long as it is only installed on one (1) computer at a time. Therefore, you can move it to a new PC.

An OEM copy can only be used on the first computer it is installed on. The License Agreement does not allow the OEM System Builder copy of Vista to be transfered to a new computer. When you register the OEM copy, Microsoft takes a snapshot of your hardware. If you try to load it on another PC, it won't let you register it. If you upgrade something significant, like your motherboard or processor, Microsoft will deactivate it at your next windows update. There are some folks that have had success calling Microsoft and telling them their motherboard died (etc), but there are just as many that were SOL. There are a lot of great articles out there that explain it better than I have.

[Zawicki]

I googled OEM vs. retail vista. And from what i found i can still upgrade everything in my comp, I just may have to call MS and get a new activation code. Is this right?

[chunkylover53]

All kidding aside, I think it depends on who picks up the phone on the other end.

As for me, I'll take my chances. I've read more examples of people that had no problem than I have read people that got skunked. I just upgraded my motherboard, and I didn't even have to call. It just deactivated, asked me to reactivate, I pushed a button and voila. Not even a phonecall.

[Zawicki]

I was reading around a bit, and i found this case from RAIDMAX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156180

I was thinking about using this one instead. I would just swap out the PSU, and it's $10 less than the one i listed previously. I also like that it has front audio ports. I usually constantly plug my mic in and out. My only question is do i have to do anything speacial to use them. Do i need a speacial sound card or mobo, or will the ports work with everything i have already listed.

Both cases look nice. I read the reviews for this one and a lot of them say it's a bit flimsy. The other cases reviews said it was nice and sturdy, although, the first case had less than 40, and this one has nearly 200. Also they said that the pci xpansion slots just pop out. Is there anyway to put them back on or close up the case if you switch things around?

Please give me some thoughts as to which case seems like a beter deal. I might be able to get a better video card or mobo with the extra 10$ too (like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143137).

[zburns]

Zawicki: Some suggestions and comments. Please do not misinterpret what I am saying here. Your main post prior to this one is about your black screen monitor and your HP Pavilion comp.. I applaud your decision to build your own computer. I am sure your goals are to learn as much as possible about the process and the internal workings, etc. of computers. This is a excellent site to learn from, the forum members are very helpful, excellent knowledge here, etc..

However, to take advantage of all this you need to follow within some bounds the recommendations. For example, Wise Monkey's budget build is based on his experience and "seconded" by others on the forum. If you follow his budget build and have problems, you will probably be able to get excellent help in figuring them out and solving them.

If you have components of your own choosing, if you are new to this process, if you then have problems, you must communicate those problems based on components you have to people on the forum that are unfamilar with your components; there is also the question of the accuracy of your communication.

If you are working with "familiar" components then your communication requirements are hopefully "lessened" in that the forum member you are talking with "knows the system you are working with". It gives the forum member more confidence in the direction of his own "diagnosis" on your behalf.

I will give you an example. The wrist strap. You determined you could get by without one; Ricky Tick said he did not use one and to be careful. Well he may know how to be careful, and you may not. In the process of building you run the risk of destroying your mobo, CPU etc. without knowing it; then you go thru the process of figuring out what is wrong, etc., returning parts, reinstalling them, maybe making the same mistake again, etc.. By the way, the wrist strap is 100% mandatory; why risk hundreds of dollars in components to damage, to some electrical phenomena you cannot see or know it "has" occurred.

I read on another forum about a year ago, the quote went something like this; probably 95% of all boards returned to Newegg, and others like them, were damaged by static, etc. but "claimed" defective by the purchaser, etc..

Rob provides hundreds of pages of instructions; however, his "Build" instructions may be "in flux" right now because he has changed to Intel processors and Gigabyte mobos, etc.. Nevertheless, his instructions can be used as a guideline, and they should be used by everyone; at a minimum they are a good "common communication tool". Rob also speaks "strongly" about the use of the wrist strap.

Summing up in a simple manner. It is best to be working with components that some on this forum have experience with to give you the best possible experience and the most efficient experience in building your own computer.

[The Wise Monkey]

I didn't realise this was your first build Zawicki; as such, I really would suggest purchasing an anti-static wrist strap. Better to be safe than sorry, no matter how clichéd that phrase is.

I agree with what you say zburns, but everyone has the right to choose whatever components they want - it is their computer after all. In addition, we are not all-knowing so someone may have heard good things about a different motherboard or CPU that we haven't.

All we can do is offer our advice and try and help if things don't go as planned. :)

[chunkylover53]

Both cases look nice. I read the reviews for this one and a lot of them say it's a bit flimsy. The other cases reviews said it was nice and sturdy, although, the first case had less than 40, and this one has nearly 200. Also they said that the pci xpansion slots just pop out. Is there anyway to put them back on or close up the case if you switch things around?

I don't know anything about either case, so I can't really say. I like the idea that you would swap out the PSU on the second one, cause I'm not sure I could trust the psu in an $89. My point on the reviews of the first case was less about the number of reviews, and more about the fact that it hasn't been reviewed since September. If the 26 reviews were all in the last 4-5 months, then it wouldn't be a concern.

That said, having ZERO firsthand experience with either and ignoring the review point I just made, I like the first one. Both cases are light on flexibility for case fan cooling, since they both seem to max out at 2. But the Apeiva has 1 less 5.25 bay and 1 more 3.5 bay (which I prefer), and it can accommodate standard ATX and Micro if you make changes down the road.

PS. Judge all of your final case choices against this case as the benchmark. There's a reason why it is a dominant choice for gamers. It may not be as stylish as you are looking for, but it is the best mid-range case out there. Up to 4 big fans, 6 internal 3.5" bays, etc. It's truly substance over style. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

[zburns]

I agree with Wise Monkey's comments about my post 100%. However, Zawicki, has already gone thru some frustration with his monitor problems; my feeling in my post was to suggest a way to "maximize" the odds of a good experience on his first build while trying to minimize the chances for mistakes. I followed Rob's recomendations to the letter except for Vista. Had a really good experience on the build and I attribute my experience to following the comments I made in my post. I really wanted him just to consider another option.

Edit, 4:45pm See my Thread, today, under Mobo BIOS Knowledge for more on this topic.

[Zawicki]

actually, i think i may have fixed the other comp. After a lot more digging around on the hp website i found their tech support for the comp model i had used. Turns out that my problem was in there and they suggested resetting the BIOS. So i did and lo and behold i got a display. I'm still not sure if that display will stay if i restart, but it worked nonetheless.

I would actually get the ANTEC 900. But can't find a way to fit it into my budget along with a PSU.

And even though this is my first build. I have a few friends who have been doing this for a few years now, and they know the ins and outs of a computer. My only real expierence with the hardware stuff is adding in a video card and some RAM. I'll probably end up buying a strap since its like pocket change.

[The Wise Monkey]

Do whatever you feel comfortable with, and enjoy doing it. :D

Glad you got that display thing sorted - does that PC have onboard graphics?

[Zawicki]

Yeah the card is onboard.

[The Wise Monkey]

The BIOS may have been set to boot from a PCI-E card first, or something like that.