Building my own PC - Suggestions?

I want to build my own PC, mainly for the learning experience.
It will be a high end system, based on Intel 3.0 mhz or higher, with the 875 mhz chip set.

Here is where you come in: I'm seeking advice on which MB to use, graphics card (I want a hot rod!) power supply, HD (at least 80 gig) and other components.

If you could suggest brand names, model #s, that would be a good start. For example, there must be dozens & dozens of mother boards to select from. It's hard to know what to buy.

Also, If you know of any good web sites that show how to build your own PC, let me know.

http://motherboards.org/
http://www.tomshardware.com/

I think you mean an intel 3.0GHz not MHz, the original gameboy ran at 3MHz I think.

I myself like ASUS and MSI mobos. I'm an AMD guy, so my opinions may not be good for an Intel. I love the nForce chipset that nVidia makes. It is awesome. I've had two SiS-based mobos and I like them as well. I also tried a Via, but I hated it. Graphics card depends, if you want games to go really fast, get a Radeon 9800 Pro, if you want them to run at decent speed and look really good, get a GeForce FX 5900 Ultra. There are so many opinions on this, but IMHO I like nVidia cards a lot better than ATI cards. For your HD, get a Maxtor. I've had several Maxtors over the years and never have any of them crashed. Get at least a 7200 RPM, unless you want a killer HD, there are some out there that are actually past 10000 RPM. Power supply really isn't too important, just buy something from a brand you know. I would recommend getting > 400 watt. Oh, and pretty neon lights in the PSU are cool :p.

Cool that baby well. Get some intakes AND outtake fans. Get a good CPU fan. On my computer I cut a vent in the side right around where my CPU is, and I stuck another outtake fan on it. Get a good case with CPU temp monitoring. Mod the sucker out too. That is the funnest part of computer building :D. I've seen a lot of people put fans on top of their cases, I've never tried this, so I don't know how effective this really is. If you get a HDD that is faster than a 7200 RPM, or you have a lot of heat around where the HDD is, get a HDD fan. Don't worry about it getting too loud, it's an Intel machine, it'll be a heck of a lot quieter than an AMD. Even so, you can get acoustic absorbers really cheap.

Make sure the mobo you get has at least 4 PCI's and a 8x AGP slot. Try and make use of your Intel's FSB power, don't get PC2700 DDR, get something faster. Get at least 512MB of it too.

This will cost ya' a lot, but you said high-end. If you have enough money to buy a Intel with > 3GHz, you might as well make the rest of the computer good as well. The CPU you plan on buying will probably cost more money than my whole computer costs alone.

My goof, I mean Ghz.

Thanks for the great suggestions, it really gets me started in the right direction. I'l consider the HDD fan, too.

I've been using my 450 MHZ (yes, MHZ) clone PC for almost 4 yrs now. I figure, what the heck, might as well spent some $$$ and build a high end system. I know it's cheaper to buy a ready built PC, but I want the satisfaction and learning experience of building one myself. Also, by building it myself, I can control the configuration and component quality.

And thanks, salem for the web sites. Very helpful.

747ken
I buy all my stuff here:
www.tigerdirect.com
About the lowest prices on most any brand you want....
I agree with most of what frenchfry said.......at Tigerdirect I've been able to put together systems like frenchfry described at around $800-$1000.......IF I need to cut cost I would do it in things like refurbished monitors...maybe you don't do alot of photo printing so you don't need an expensive printer, BUT DON'T cut cost on the internals......and like frenchfry said cool, cool, cool
I have to say I've also been using AMD processors and I find them equal ( some reports have shown them better) to intel. They're cheaper too!
Anyway .... I'm by no means an expert, but have fun and building your own IS a great learning experience......... ;)

dont forget about:
http://www.newegg.com
http://www.crucial.com
http://www.harddrive.com

Thanks, everyone, for the updated info.

What do you think about buying components from computer swap-meets? Do the vendors stand behind their products?
Just an idea.

I've never bought anything at a swap-meet, but I have bought things at computer shows. I know at computer shows they usually give you a sheet with contact information and junk whenever you buy anything. It is quite useful, because I had to return a GeForce 3 back in my old Compaq (yes, I know, I was only 11 and I didn't know how to build computers back then) because I didn't know that my computer didn't have an AGP slot. Darn pre-made computers. They love to not put AGP on their mainboards and put on-board graphics on there.

Oh, and I agree with teeyester, AMD is great. My last two computers have been AMD (Currently I use a Athlon XP 2000+ and my last computer was a K6-2 500MHz). The only thing I have to say is if you go AMD keep it nice and cool. They aren't as bad as people say they are, but they get HOT. My dream computer would have an Athlon XP 3200+.

I can't wait until the Athlon64 comes out.

http://www.directron.com

yes, computer shows is what I had in mind.

I've found these sites that are useful:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1230439,00.asp

http://www.extremetech.com/category2...,644478,00.asp

both show how to build a PC.

Now, with your suggestions I'll be ready to begin the building process. Get ready to burn $$$$$$$$$$!

Quote:

---

Originally posted by frenchfry164
I can't wait until the Athlon64 comes out.

---

Athlon 64 has been out for nearly an entire month ;) :p

>>Don't worry about it getting too loud, it's an Intel machine, it'll be a heck of a lot quieter than an AMD.

I call BS on that one.

to 747ken:
if you go intel, stay away from rambus ram. I've only heard bad things. I think the other guys pretty much covered everything...except that I think you should buy a second hdd. It doesnt' have to be as big, 20gb is plenty. On that drive put weekly backups of windows (2000/xp have builtin backup features). It'll save you big headaches.

Waldo, that sounds like an interesting idea, a 2nd hdd. 20 gig hdd's aren't very expensive. On my current 450 mhz pc I'm using 100mb zip disks for backups, which is "old school" by todays standards.

I believe dual channel DDR memory is the latest & greatest.
From what I've read, it's superior to rambus.

> the original gameboy ran at 3MHz I think.
Actually, it was 4.194mhz.

E-Buyer
Excellent customer service... if you need it!

Just don't touch touch the 'E-buyer' RAM.