New Computer + Guy Who Doesn't Know Jack About It = *Groan*

So I'm looking into getting a new computer. But I'm pretty uninformed as to what I should get.

I'm running a laptop right now, and the memory/video card/processor aren't allowing me to do things I'd like to be doing. And this laptop is very limited in what I can upgrade. Plus I wouldn't mind having a proper box for once. And can delegate this laptop to basic software and use it for travelling.

I want to build my own system on a website and have them make it. Giving me the most flexibility with my decisions. Can you recommend a site? I've been looking at tigerdirect.com so far (I used to order parts from them ages ago).

They have things called barebones kits. They seem like they are customizable, but what is bare bones? Just a processor? Duh... I'm clueless with this stuff.

So ideally I'd like a suggestion for a good computer store online where I can build my dream machine.

And I'd also like to hear what I should put in it as far as all the parts go (RAM, processor, video card, etc etc).

Also... Last night my girlfriend was playing a RPG on her PC and had finally (after many, many tries) beaten this foe. She cheered, looked at me, and then all of a sudden, the room went dark. We'd lost power. I had to LOL a little bit, because the timing was just hilarious.

While the power was off, my laptop was still running because of the battery. Obviously her computer went dead. Is there a device you can attach to a desktop computer that works like a laptop? (IE- If power fails, the computer will stay on and let you save, etc).

Am I being obvious when I say a duel processor would be ideal over a single one? Or is it not what it would seem?

Pentium, AMD, what the heck do I put in it. What's a good processor.

RAM I can figure out for the most part. I'll put in as much as I can get. Highest I've seen so far is 2gs of it.

Video card: Need lots of help here. The cards available to put in the machine at tiger direct were much better than mine, but don't seem like the 'latest'. Is the newest version of a video card not always the best?

And which kind. ATI Radeon, GeForce, or something else?

And what about a fan. I read all kinds of horror stories about Vcards overheating and things going bad. My laptop gets hot as hell sometimes. But it has survived so far. So I take it a good fan is important. What do I ask for?

So there are some questions. I'm sure I'm overlooking something in my pure stupidity when it comes to this stuff. So if you can think of anything I should keep in mind (plus offer a suggestion about it), don't hold back.

Help!

I'm totally

Thanks.

It's called a UPS. The price depends on how long you want power to be available.



I think what you mean are the ones called Dual Core that are basically 2 processors on one chip. There is some debate on whether it's all that great yet. Some software has no problems with those, but some games require you setting an "affinity" for one of the cores to run correctly. Games haven't caught up just yet with dual cores.



Thats also a price decision. Both make good Single and Dual Core CPU's. There are pros & cons to each. I go with AMD for now. I usually get better prices on 'em.



2 Gigs is good. If you go with Intel's CPU's you can use DDR2. AMD, as far as I know, is still DDR RAM.



Try Newegg for more computer parts. Their selection & prices are most of the time better than Tigerdirect. I've ordered from both.

With video cards it's a matter of who you favor. I went with Nvidia, got the SLI video cards (2 cards linked together running as one)



This also depends how "deep" you want to go. Air, water or Phase Change Cooling. Air is the cheapest. Phase Change is the most frickin' expensive ($800+). Usually I have 1 fan on the front sucking in, 1 on the side sucking in to cool the cards etc, and one in the back blowing out. Before buying fans, make sure they're quiet enough. 20 decibels is like whispering heard from 5 feet away, so that should give an indication of noise level. The lower the decibels the better.

Also, for a heatsink on the processor, you can get a much better After Market one. I've been hearing good things about the copper ones with Heat Pipes. Just be sure if you get one, that the motherboard will support the weight.

And, barebones kits are usually just the case, motherboard and processor. Maybe a keyboard & mouse thrown in. The rest is up to you to buy > RAM, Video Card, Hard Drives, CD/DVD drives.

I normally start choosing stuff in this sequence with a maximum budget in mind.

Processor
There is no difference in terms of functionality between those from Intel or AMD. It boils down to performance and price. If the computer is going to be used mainly for games, then I try to get something more mainstream and less pricey. Which usually is a midrange AMD. The money saved here normally goes to buying a better graphics card. High end dual core processors and dual processors are great for 3D rendering, video editing and other processor intensive work, but may not do enough to justify their added cost for games.

Motherboard
You have to make sure the above processor matches the socket on the motherboard. The vendors should be able to tell you more, since they can't actually piece the computer together if the socket is wrong. Absolutely do not skimp money on the motherboard. It may seem like the motherboard does nothing much, but its the most important kit in the box.

Secondly, decide on whether you will eventually use two graphics cards. Newer motherboards allow two graphics cards to work together to share the graphics load, as Tod mentioned. Very often, motherboards come with a built-in sound processor. You don't need to get a dedicated soundcard if you aren't doing anything serious related to music or high quality sound playback. Even if you do, you can add it in later.

Avoid motherboards with built-in graphics. These are normally based on the Intel graphics chip, which works very unhappily with SL. Or doesn't work at all.

Graphics Card
These days, its just choosing between two GPU brands. Personally, I've been going for Nvidia cards, since they seem more stable for both games and also other 3D applications. I've experienced artifacts and glitches running ATi ones on 3D apps. But this is unproven, so the choice is yours. For gamers and especially if you end up in SL quite often, try and pamper yourself here and get the best or at least the second best there is. The recent cards run on an interface called PCI-Express. The older one is called AGP. The interface must match the motherboard that you choose above. The latest models for Nvidia are the 7800 and 7300 series.

Hard Disk
You can skimp on this a little but go no lower than 80Gb. The newest interface for hard disks is called SATA II. Older ones called IDE. SATA drives are slightly trickier to install, but since you are getting the vendor to do it for you, get the SATA drives. You can add a few more drives later when the need arises.

Power Supply
This poor guy is always overlooked. Quite often it comes with the casing. The ones that normally come with the casing is the absolute cheapest and nastiest available and can be the root to many problems later. There have been many cases where the unstable supply damaged several other components in the PC. Try and get a good one separately that is rated at least 400W or more. The one that comes with the casing might also be rated 400W, but the label always lie. You know its lieing when it says there 'superior quality'.

Cooling Fans
Adding a couple of normal fans to the back portion of the PC should suffice. These are pretty economical and the PC casings normally have holes for them at the back already. The exotic cooling methods tend to cost quite a bit and could be better spent elsewhere unless you're a hardcore gamer. Whats more important, make sure your PC has enough space around it for ventilation and is not obstructed by household garbage.

Mouse
This is a very important piece of equipment. Avoid el cheapo mice if possible. Most of us touch our mice far longer than we touch our loved ones in a day. My favourite now is the Logitech G5.

Monitor
While LCD monitors are common nowadays, and in so many ways better, I still go for the old CRTs. The colour range or gamut is wider and the fonts don't need any filtering to look good. The colour also doesnt shift if you look at it from a different direction. For CRTs, get something at least 19". For LCD's, around 17". They are measured differently, but end up about the same size.


The other sundry stuff you should be able to figure out.
Hope that helps a little.

Introvert's first rule of purchasing computer components: the really cool uber-component from 6 months ago will cost half as much and yield almost identical performance to this week's model and will be less flaky.

Awesome write ups Tod69 and Cottonteil! And Introvert: So true, and very wise.

Thank you all for responding. I'll be using this information when I go to buy my new setup! Excited!

If you really have the $$$, and just want to buy a system, Have you seen Dell's XPS 600? OY! I'd LOVE to try it out!! FOUR video cards running in SLI mode!!! *drooling* The catch is, when they come out, expect to pay btween $4000-$7000 for it.

I'd still rather build 'em.

Gladius, I recently got a new computer for use with SL. I had price+performance in mind. I wrote about it on my blog if you're curious. Best of hope on your new system!

I have seen the Dell's. While I was waiting for responses here, I toyed around on their website. Specifically the gaming computers. After adding (what I thought would be good) to it, the total for my order was well over 7k dollars, LOL

Keeping them in mind, as there was a great deal I could customize on 'em. But yeah, expensive!

Awesome, I'm gonna check that out now. Many thanks, Torley.