A friend of mine recently bought a new harddrive to replace her old one which crashed a while back. Unfortunately (from what I can gather) her motherboard appears to be old and has an IDE connector for the harddrive. I think she's using a Dell desktop that's probably about 7-8 years old. This is...
I built my first system about a year ago. I was nervous about it, but with help from this forum I did it and it was a big success. I got a great value, my machine still works great, and I had fun making it.
Now I am going to advise a friend of mine how to do the same thing. Despite one...
I ended up with the E2180 Allendale. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819116052
It seems pretty nice so far, though after the lowish CPU scores from 3DMark, I am still reserving judgment on it. It was quite cheap though. With that change my whole rig clocked in at under $700 after...
The power supply was the 500W Antec Earthwatts. It came preinstalled in the case, which is why I bought the case -- the total price for the case and PSU after rebate was a good value when I bought it. The PSU has seemed quite nice so far.
I'm not using any third party cooling solution. I may...
Just an update: I built this PC and everything worked out really well. It was easy and fun, and I'm posting from it now as I get the finishing touches of my set up complete. The biggest snag was that my motherboard only came with one SATA cable, and I needed two for the two OEM drives. This...
I recently got advice for a build here, and it was great. A friend of mine wanted to try a similar build and I advised him to post here. He couldn't manage to get registered properly, so I told him I would post for him. His post is copied below.
-----
I'm trying to build a budget gaming...
Thanks for the advice about thermal paste and cooling. Is that a decision I need to make when I build the PC, or could I decide to buy and use it later on if I decide I need it? It's possible I would consider overclocking at some point in the future.
I'll probably buy the rest of these parts...
Thanks for the reply Cozumel.
The E2180 seems like a nice value and inside my budget.
Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail ($85)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819116052
Also, here is the SATA version of the DVD...
I'm using a Dell that is several years old. I'm screwing up the courage to build my own PC, but I would really appreciate some feedback on my choices so that I can make this experience as painless as possible. I've tried to read a lot of reviews (and forum posts) about my choices, but due to...
Thanks a lot for your advice. I was hoping to buy most of it from Dell just for the safety and simplicity, but I see your point. At your advice I have pieced together a possible build. I am unsure about how to select parts for a compatible system though, and I'm really hoping to make this be as...
I read an article about "overclocking for newbies" and to be honest it sounds beyond me. Just building the computer myself seems kind of like pushing the envelope. I suppose I might reconsider overclocking if I build a computer that actually works, but for now it is not in the plans. What does...
Thanks. My main concern was that someone told me that one or both of those graphics cards may require a special connection directly to the power supply in order to get enough power, and that not all PSUs have an extra connector for graphics cards. I am not sure if either of these PSUs have such...
Thank you for the advice. How would I *know* if the RAM and motherboard play nice together? I don't mind doing the legwork to check, but I don't really have any idea what to look for that might make them not work together.
That's really my major concern with all of this, that I might buy it...
I am considering trying to build my own PC. I am not an idiot, but I am not very informed about PC hardware and it makes me kind of nervous to try. I am especially worried about getting compatible components so that everything works properly once I snap it in. Could I please get some feedback on...
Thank you all for your help, especially Zap.
Talking to some people about this, they told me that only the 3850/3870 or the 8800 GT graphics cards are currently worth buying. I was considering trying the 3850 or the upcoming 256 MB version of the 8800 GT, hoping for a price point around $150...
I learned that that 512 card I linked was GDDR2 (which someone told me doesn't matter) and has a slower memory bandwidth... 1160 as opposed to 1600 on the 256 card. So it seems the 256 card wins that matchup!
However I also had a different card recommended to me. So now I am wondering about...
Thanks very much for the replies. I was surprised by them because I had been reading some guides that said there was a pretty big difference between GDDR2 and GDDR3 cards. But everyone seems to agree that the 512 is worse, so good to know!
I'd also read a lot of posts about what a great value...
Hello, all.
I am looking at two graphics cards to put into a Dell Vostro 200 tower.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150229
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150247
They are both XFX GeForce 8600 GTs. The first is a 256 MB card with GDDR3. The second is...
Thank you for the great reply, Zap. I'd appreciate any other comments people have before I commit to this. I also have two more questions.
1) The graphics card I linked was http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150229 but since then I have discovered...
I have a 4 year old machine that I don't stress very much, and which I would like to replace with a more modern machine that can handle some moderate gaming. I got a discount through a professional association on some Dell machines, which lead to me browsing around their "small business"...
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.