Getting the scoop on building a computer

September 17, 2006 1:30 PM

What is a good forum to go to if I'm interested in building my own simple Athlon computer system and want to learn before I shop?

My long-range goal is just to build a simple Athlon-based computer system that uses a quality motherboard, a quality chip set, and is well-supported by quality drivers and well-written specs.

I've been down the path of buying a cheap computer on eBay, only to find myself troubleshooting blue screens of death and combing mystery chipset drivers on Taiwanese manufacturer sites. And I don't think I'm necessarily getting the best hardware buying the $500 budget model at Fry's (and we know what a PITA warranty service is). I want my next computer to be a quality job done by me.

Most of what I've Googled are forums where people are trying to overclock, watercool, and do case mods... not quite on par with what I'm doing.

posted by zek to computers & internet (20 comments total)

Spend some time reading [H]ard|Forum.
posted by knave at 1:36 PM on September 17, 2006

I'm not a super tweaker, but I try to pay attention to what I've bought over the years. What's been reliable, what hasn't. I'll quickly summarize the brands that I have positive experiences with:

CPU: Both Intel and AMD are very reliable
Motherboard: Abit and Asus
Memory: Crucial, Kingston
Hard drive: Seagate, Western Digital
Optical storage: Lite-On (very cheap brand, but for some reason, they're good), NEC
Chassis, power supply: Antec Antec Antec

I'm not sure what you mean by quality drivers and well-written specs. What operating system do you plan to run?

Anyway, my feeling is if you build a system using parts from the above manufacturers (and others will recommend more), you will be just fine. Read the user reviews on Newegg for any part you're considering buying.
posted by knave at 1:40 PM on September 17, 2006

I'm not sure what you mean by quality drivers and well-written specs. What operating system do you plan to run?

Windows 2000/XP. I'm not doing anything odd... my main intent is to avoid crappy/obsolete/obscure drivers and go with something I won't regret.

posted by zek at 1:49 PM on September 17, 2006

Ars Techica's System Guide describes the components you need to build a Budget Box, Hot Rod, and God Box. Updated frequently.

DJ Bernstein gives instructions for how to build a standard workstation. Updated occasionally.

WikiBooks has a more general guide on how to build a computer.
posted by blue grama at 1:59 PM on September 17, 2006

Read the user reviews on Newegg for any part you're considering buying.

In general, i've found this to be good advice. You can look at Tigerdirect.com too, but i've found those reviews to be a bit less helpful. There's usually more to see at newegg.com. My plan of attack would be to decide what processor you're interested in buying first. Don't spend too much money on any one indiviudal component of your PC. If you blow everything on the cpu, you won't be able to afford hardware that can keep up. When you find a reasonable processor at a good speed with decent cache and bus speed, you'll know what options for compatible motherboards you have. Repeat the process again. Look for a good motherboard with the right slots, etc. If you buy hardware that's capable of keeping up with each other, you shouldn't have any crappy weak links. I'm not an expert at this per se, so feel free to enlighten me. This practice has worked for me thus far.
posted by theantikitty at 2:41 PM on September 17, 2006

combing mystery chipset drivers on Taiwanese manufacturer sites.

i'm not sure you can buy an amd motherboard without dealing with the taiwanese mystery chipset drivers

whatever you do, don't expect to save money these days ... you used to be able to, but there really isn't a lot of markup on computer systems these days ... what you can get is the exact configuration you want, flexibility when upgrading and good components
posted by pyramid termite at 2:45 PM on September 17, 2006

Another vote for the Ars Techinca System Guide. I've been following it religiously for years and it's never let me down.
posted by chrismear at 3:18 PM on September 17, 2006

I am a huge proponent of DFI motherboards for a couple of reasons. First, all their capacitors are Japanese-made, so you don't have to worry about this. But more importantly—much more importantly—they have an online forum where real employees respond to questions from customers. I spent hours going over their FAQ's before finally deciding on my current system (AMD Opteron, DFI Lanparty 4, many bells and whistles). The website is DFI-Street.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:22 PM on September 17, 2006

Other good sources: Tom's Hardware Guide, Anandtech, Tech Report

And Newegg.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:22 PM on September 17, 2006

By the way, the two easiest ways to screw up a homebuilt system are to use too small a power supply, and to undercool the system.

Oh, and I really enjoy Dan's reviews just because they're written so well, but he doesn't come close to comprehensively covering the industry. However, he has been doing a fair number of case reviews lately, which could be useful to you.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:25 PM on September 17, 2006

Two simple tips:

1) Before you buy a component, make sure you already have a good source for manuals, drivers, etc. If you can't find these things on the manufacturer's site, pick a different manufacturer/model. There's a lot of information out there, so just make sure you've found enough to satisfy you before you buy something.

2) You can often get drivers from the chipset manufacturer, instead of the board manufacturer. For example, if you buy a motherboard with an Nvidia chipset, you can generally use drivers directly from Nvidia. Same for graphics cards and sound cards. For graphics cards, especially, you could use whatever you find on the board manufacturer's site, but often the standard ATI/Nvidia drivers will work perfectly and be updated more often.
posted by whatnotever at 4:21 PM on September 17, 2006

Here's a 40-page, richly illustrated, downloadable-as-pdf guide on building an Athlon socket 939 PC that I used last year when I built mine.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:55 PM on September 17, 2006

Though it may not matter to you, it should probably be pointed out that Socket 939 is obsolescent. AMD's latest processors are not compatible with Socket 939.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:21 PM on September 17, 2006

That is technically correct. AMD is still releasing new processors on 939 (EOL is December), although it is indeed being phased out in favour of socket AM2. Socket 754 (the previous one) I would call obsolescent.

Which means that you can get some very good deals buying 939 parts now, if money is an issue.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:46 PM on September 17, 2006

another vote for ars technica.
posted by crunchland at 6:57 PM on September 17, 2006

Second on Anandtech.

And nobody beats NewEgg on price, speed and service.

Also, I've built two such systems in the last two years (one for me, one for my wife), so I'd be happy to help you out with the shopping or putting what with what.
posted by grabbingsand at 7:46 PM on September 17, 2006

Yet another vote for Ars Technica.
posted by RussHy at 3:35 AM on September 18, 2006

Second the suggestion on [H]ard Forums. There's a lot of useful information on that site.

Second the suggestion on NewEgg. No hassle, no bullshit. If something's defective, they will do you right, as opposed to most other e-tailers.

939 parts are an absolute bargain right now, and close if not on par with their AM2 cousins. Intel makes good stuff too, but bang for your buck is still in AMD's corner.

When buying your board, save yourself some hassle, and get an NVidia or ATI chipset board, if your worried about obscure taiwanese drivers.

Best of luck and of course, happy building!
posted by richter_x at 7:57 AM on September 18, 2006

When I built my last computer (admittedly, a year or two ago), I compared prices between NewEgg and Zipzoomfly.com ... I remember that they were pretty comparable, but that Zipzoomfly was slightly cheaper.

I also suggest that you purchase your heavier items locally to save on the shipping costs. This would definitely include the computer case, and also, possibly, the monitor (esp if you aren't going with an LCD). When I put my PC together, both NewEgg and Zipzoomfly were offering free shipping on everything but the computer case, and since it's heavy, it seemed pretty expensive. (Though, I guess, I did go with a pretty huge server case instead of a regular desktop, so your mileage might vary.)

Microcenter and CompUSA both sell most of the major PC cases you'd want to buy anyway, and though the retail price might be a couple dollars more there, you'll make it up and then some by saving on the shipping.
posted by crunchland at 9:31 AM on September 18, 2006

On the off chance that someone is still reading this, you may consider starting with a barebones machine for your first build. My current PC is a Shuttle SN25P which includes a case, motherboard and cooling system. It's never going to be a screamer, but it's no slouch either.

This way some of the irritating parts are done for you but you still get hands-dirty experience of the installation. A plus is that the nforce-4 mobo that's included is pretty standard and well-supported by nvidia.

Getting the outgoing generation's parts will (probably) get you more bang for your buck, but upgrading will be harder or impossible.

Also, arstechnica++
posted by Skorgu at 2:52 PM on September 18, 2006