Poll: Can you build a PC?

[masticina]

I moved to laptops and game consoles but yes in the past I would choose my own hardware and of course put it all together.

Good days they we're! Now as put above I only have a few older pc's around besides my laptop and consoles.

An old PIII 1,4Ghz
I belief over 512Mbyte memory
I still have to buy a HDD to I can start it up again
An old Geforce 4ti You know those.. good work horses.

Not sure what to do with it really it is a bit to slow for some things. I guess with the right software it could became a NAS + DVD ripper.

Hell last pc I put together had a AMD 64 3200+ Yup one of the first dual cores. Even did upgrade the video card to a don't laugh 7800 something. Just to get HDR

Good times but well you know I am older now so yeah less time more money to spend unto those things. Funny how that goes! I mean you have more money..but also allot more bills.

 

[SofaEater]

ahhhh, serveral times, I love making it....

but now I'm in college can't afford to make a new one. gotta get a whole new system you see. I have a DDR2 motherboard and crap, and an 8800 GT.


Oh money, I spend so much of you in hopes that one day you can't elude me there after......

 

[Throwitawaynow]

-snip-

Here's your solution: buy the parts from a local computer shop and pay them to put it together and you should get a warranty on the parts and labour. In a prebuilt computer you are paying extra money for generic, bad quality parts. I honestly can't say this enough: You are paying extra money for shit. Buying a prebuilt computer means you are almost always getting ripped off.

There is no local place that sells parts we got 2 best buys on either side of town. I had to order my parts through newegg. And I got the RAM from a circus like place an hour away where you have as good a chance of finding gold as you are the piece that makes it a bomb it's so bad.

 

[Griffolion]

Yeah I have built a number of PCs. It's very easy, a lot easier than some put it out to be.

My main PC uses are for gaming, PC gaming is by far the best kind, consoles really annoy me because there's nothing 'next gen' about them.

I currently have an I5 @ 3.7 Ghz, ATI 5970, 4 GB 1600 MHz Corsair Dominator RAM all on an Asus Maximus III.

P.S - If anyone needs any help to do with PC's, PM me or find me on Toms Hardware, i'm always happy to help.

 

[ToxicPiranah]

As its my job to, yes I have built a few, though not one for myself yet. Damn budget constraints.

 

[DSK-]

I've stripped many computers down and re-built them. I'm so sick of it nowadays that when I upgrade I simply buy decent barebones PC's and either transfer stuff over from the old one or buy a few new essentials (like a graphics card).

 

[Varrdy]

Considering I know next to bugger-all about the inner-workings of PC's and am flummoxed by all the tech-talk, I do know enough to know what does what and what goes where.

In other words, yes I can and yes I have.

Although it wasn't done in one hit, my PC is now 100% built by my own fairly useless hands and so far it hasn't exploded. While I am sure some of you "hardcore" types would dismiss the specs as "intermediate", it does what I want it to do and it copes with everything I throw at it on a day-to-day basis.

Not bad for around £500 all in!

Here's the specs as I can recall them:

- Biostar G31-M7 TE motherboard
- E8400 Intel Core 2 Duo 3.00Ghz
- 4GB Team Elite 800Mhz DDR2 RAM
- nVidia GeForce 9600GT graphics card
- Evo Labs 650w switching ATX PSU
- CoolMaster case with 2x12" LED fans
- Bog-standard 150GB SATA HDD (Shut up! It's only about half-full so it's plenty big enough!)

If I wanted to upgrade further, I'd have to start with a new motherboard as it's now full to capacity. There is one spare PCI slot but, thanks to the close proximity of the PCI-E slot (and the size of the 9600GT that's slotted into it), it's physically inaccessible. So far it's not proving to be a real issue...

Wardy

 

[triggahappyhaza]

Yeah have built something along the lines of 200-300Pcs. My current one is my pride and joy!

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58A-UD5
Processor: Intel i7 930 @ 3.6GHz
RAM: OCZ 4GB (2x2gb would have had my 8GB but 2 sticks died on me somehow.)
PSU: Antec 900W PSU
Video: ATI Radeon 5970 2GB
HDD: 300GB Velociraptor Drive 3X1TB 7200RPM drives and a 500GB 5000RPM drive
ODD: 22x SATA DVD Burner
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit
Case: Coolermaster HAF X

 

[CrystalShadow]

Yes, and I've done it with most of the desktop systems where I actually had a say in what the computer was like. (and I've taken apart and modified just about every PC I've ever owned. I've even repeatedly upgraded my laptop, insofar as that's possible)

Aside from which I worked at laptop repairs for a while, so I can rebuild one of those from the ground up too. (Not that there's much point; Most laptop components are not standardised, so you can't upgrade them.)

My current PC is custom-built. (my previous computer is a laptop, but the previous desktop system I've owned is also custom-built.)

It's just what I do.

New PC? Oh, I'll build it myself.

 

[Wintermoot]

sort-off I switched my case,HDD(twice!),OS(twice!),PSU and video card its mobo,RAM and processor are from the original Compaq presario in a certain sense its a self built
after I switched the case I had roubles booting it because I put the RAM back in upside-down its MOBO is also installed upside down and is screwed to the case with only two or three screws
PS specs:
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo (2,53GHZ)
RAM: DDR2 3GB (1X1GB 1X2GB)(two slots)
OS: Windows 7 64bit OEM
HDD: 2X 1TB
case: Antec 300 (partialy painted metallic blue)
video card: ATI Radeon 5600(?) 2GB
PSU: Dolphix 350 watt (?)
optic drive: OEM
MOBO: stock Compaq Pressario MOBO
cooling: air cooled (the two fans provided with the case and the stock CPU cooling)
planning to get a factory built one and rebuild this one from scratch (DDR2 memory is rare!)
PS
I also build a similair PC for my mom its also build from a Pressario but a AMD model) its specs are similair but its mainly build from junk

 

[twaddle]

i can but i need to look up some stuff

 

[Woodsey]

Mostly, if I tried.

 

[Steve Fidler]

I can build a PC from the ground up with my eyes closed, literally, I've done it.

But the first time I built a PC, I didn't see the package of hexagonal spacing pegs for the motherboard and mounted the motherboard straight to the case, causing it to bend near the external ports which actually made one of the two PCI-E expansion slots break. I wasn't happy, but since I was only running one card and everything else worked fine I stuck with it.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I know how to build a PC and helped my father (who really knows what he's doing, since he's a software engineer) build one, but I'm not that knowledgeable about it and it's not a skill I use that often because I move around so much I really need to use a laptop as my main computer (this is also why I'm not that heavily in to PC gaming). It's amazing how much money I saved building a desktop system, though. I'm definitely never buying one off the shelf again.

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

Built this one myself:

Cpu: core i7 950 @ 3.6ghz
Motherboard: Gigabyte Ga-X58a_Ud3r with usb 3.0 and sata 3.0.
Ram: Kingston 6gb ddr3 @ 1600mhz
Grpahics Card: Radeon Hd 5870
Power Supply: Coolermaster 650 watt.
Harddrive: Some piece of soon-to-be-replaced crap.
Dvd Rom: also to be replaced piece of crap.
Os: Windows 7 ultimate 64bit.

 

[Isaac The Grape]

Yup, I also volunteer at a computer recycling organisation every now and then.

In fact, that place has helped me get so many parts that half my computer is free.

Lets start:

Gigabyte MoBo of unknown model. (Free from work)

Intel E5200 Dual-Core CPU @ 2.5 Ghz (Overclocking to 3.2 Ghz caused errors on POST. Sadface). ($149 online)

2GB RamBo DRR2 @ 800Mhz. ($30)

512MB of unknown DDR2 Ram. (Free from work)

Generic 430W 24-pin PSU. (Free from work)

Nvidia 8600GT (256MD version with passive cooling.) ($88 from Ebay. Sat on a shelf for a year and a half before I assembled the rest of the parts.)

Multiple HDDs ranging from 40GB IDE models to 80GB SATA's. (Free from work. Currently running one 40GB IED as OS drive with 80GB SATA as file storage. AKA "Steam drive")

Windows XP with SP3 and Office 2003. (Free from work)

Case. (Salvaged from old PC)

Copper core CPU fan and heatsink. (Free from work)

X2 extraction fans. (Free from work)

Unfortunately, as I write this on the six year old Dell laptop that was free from work, my copy of XP has bitten the dust, again (curse you Need For Speed and your computer wreaking tendencies), and I will need to either reinstall XP or upgrade. Hopefully I will have enough money to pay for Windows 7 and a nice, new 1TB HDD.

EDIT I: Optical drives (Dvd burners). (Free from work)

EDIT II: I Live in Australia BTW.

 

[bam13302]

2 rigs of mine, 2 for other people
Azza Solano - my main gaming machine
-MSI nf980-g45
-MSI GTX 480
-AMD phenom II x4 955
-Gskill ripjaw 2x4GB 1600 ram
-Rosewill 950W PSU
-3x seagate 200GB hard drives (got for free from someone else, in raid 5, install my games onto this)
-seagate 320gb hard drive (data backup)
-OCZ agility 2 60GB ssd (OS drive, first ssd, kinda wanted a fast drive for my os on my primary comp)
-Zalman CNP9900 NT heatsink and fan
-Rosewill RNX-N180PCe wireless card
-windows 7 64 bit

Rosewill R379-M -my mini computer, original design as a (windows 7) steam server, currently a portable machine for digital architecture design (namely sketchup)
-ASrock H55m-LE
-i5-760
-MSI nv210-MD512 geforce 210
-corsair xms 2x2 1333 ram
-(300W psu built into the case)
-intel x25-m ssdsa2mh120g2k5 120gb ssd (this machine often is transported in vehicles, needed a solid state drive, less for the speed, more because it is stable with little risk of damage during transport)
-stock heatsink/fan
-windows 7 32 bit, windows 7 64 bit (on a different hdd), Ubuntu 10.10

Spoiler: intel vs amd

just a note, the i5-760 and the phenom II x4 955 have almost exactly the same performance with only -tiny- variances, i got that specific i5 to compare it to the phenom II x4 955
each has exactly 4 cores (the i5 i have does not have hyperthreading, this was intentional), the i5 is clocked at 2.8Ghz, the phenom II x4 at 3.2, i wanted to see the difference in stepping capabilities of the 2 processors, i know intel has better stepping, i just didnt know how much of a difference that made, it gave it about a 10-15% boost in performance per core
the amd processor costs $60 (about 30%) less for the same raw power

the intel high end processors are more powerful then amd high end processors (and several times as expensive)
intels hyperthreading can help dramatically when multitasking, however, when running a single application, it can be a hinderance, or even, if the program does not support multiple processors, be a significant drawback compared to a standard processor of the same Ghz

the i5-760 is a lower wattage proc than the phenom 2 x4 (about 30 watts less or 25% less)
the i5-760 about 15 degrees hotter than the phenom II x4 (this is a biased statement, my phenom II is in a much better setup for staying cool, in a large case with lots of airflow and a good heatsink, whereas the intel has just the default heatsink and is in a small case)

there are 3 (and growing) intel sockets on the market that are still being commonly sold (1156, 1366, 1155), it is a high possibility that the 'new intel proc' needs a new motherboard too
there is 1 amd socket common on the market (AM3) and it is still being supported (and should be for a while), the 'new amd proc' will probably be released on this, meaning u can upgrade your processor without buying a new motherboard as well

if u like multitasking (having several aplications open at once) or need a ****load of power, go intel, otherwise, amd may be the better choice, especially if you plan on upgrading u proc later on

 

[mew4ever23]

I know how to, but I've never done it.

 

[HentMas]

its not that hard, all you need is plug all the parts toguether and make sure each thing supports each other

as for building stuff, give me all the tools and materials and i can build you anything, i love building... maybe a little too much

 

[Isaac The Grape]

2 rigs of mine, 2 for other people
Azza Solano - my main gaming machine
-MSI nf980-g45
-MSI GTX 480
-AMD phenom II x4 955
-Gskill ripjaw 2x4GB 1600 ram
-Rosewill 950W PSU
-3x seagate 200GB hard drives (got for free from someone else, in raid 5, install my games onto this)
-seagate 320gb hard drive (data backup)
-OCZ agility 2 60GB ssd (OS drive, first ssd, kinda wanted a fast drive for my os on my primary comp)
-Zalman CNP9900 NT heatsink and fan
-Rosewill RNX-N180PCe wireless card
-windows 7 64 bit

Rosewill R379-M -my mini computer, original design as a (windows 7) steam server, currently a portable machine for digital architecture design (namely sketchup)
-ASrock H55m-LE
-i5-760
-MSI nv210-MD512 geforce 210
-corsair xms 2x2 1333 ram
-(300W psu built into the case)
-intel x25-m ssdsa2mh120g2k5 120gb ssd (this machine often is transported in vehicles, needed a solid state drive, less for the speed, more because it is stable with little risk of damage during transport)
-stock heatsink/fan
-windows 7 32 bit, windows 7 64 bit (on a different hdd), Ubuntu 10.10

Spoiler: intel vs amd

just a note, the i5-760 and the phenom II x4 955 have almost exactly the same performance with only -tiny- variances, i got that specific i5 to compare it to the phenom II x4 955
each has exactly 4 cores (the i5 i have does not have hyperthreading, this was intentional), the i5 is clocked at 2.8Ghz, the phenom II x4 at 3.2, i wanted to see the difference in stepping capabilities of the 2 processors, i know intel has better stepping, i just didnt know how much of a difference that made, it gave it about a 10-15% boost in performance per core
the amd processor costs $60 (about 30%) less for the same raw power

the intel high end processors are more powerful then amd high end processors (and several times as expensive)
intels hyperthreading can help dramatically when multitasking, however, when running a single application, it can be a hinderance, or even, if the program does not support multiple processors, be a significant drawback compared to a standard processor of the same Ghz

the i5-760 is a lower wattage proc than the phenom 2 x4 (about 30 watts less or 25% less)
the i5-760 about 15 degrees hotter than the phenom II x4 (this is a biased statement, my phenom II is in a much better setup for staying cool, in a large case with lots of airflow and a good heatsink, whereas the intel has just the default heatsink and is in a small case)

there are 3 (and growing) intel sockets on the market that are still being commonly sold (1156, 1366, 1155), it is a high possibility that the 'new intel proc' needs a new motherboard too
there is 1 amd socket common on the market (AM3) and it is still being supported (and should be for a while), the 'new amd proc' will probably be released on this, meaning u can upgrade your processor without buying a new motherboard as well

if u like multitasking (having several aplications open at once) or need a ****load of power, go intel, otherwise, amd may be the better choice, especially if you plan on upgrading u proc later on

In the budget sector Intel still sells LG775 CPUs and LG775 MoBo's are still being made.

EDIT: Regarding Ubuntu. Have you considered running Fedora? Or better yet Arch? Arch is exceptionally technical but exceptionally powerful. I have a friend who uses a cluster of 34 Pent III machines running Arch to generate Rainbow Tables in 2-3 hours.