Post your first ever build.....

[88keys]

Built in 2003


APEVIA Mid Tower Case.... Was POS lol

Vantec Thermaflow 92mm Fan for Heatsink

Albatron KX18D PRO II... Wish they were still making mobos

HIS ATi Radeon 9800 PRO

AMD Duron 1.6GHz Applebred... Unlocked L2 Cache, and OCed to 2.4GHz

Thermalright SLK 900.

LITE ON DVDRW

Antec TruePower 430.. Still runs to this day

Apollo 56K Modem

PQI Turbo PC3200 DDR

IIRC I had some POS Maxtor HDD that I got from Wal Mart lol

God do I miss the days when you could buy a $50 chip and OC it to a $300 chip...

 

[DSF]

Well if you want to get technical, my first build was for my then-girlfriend, now-wife, and it was made up of parts I got at a yard sale for $50 or so.

My first build that I actually designed myself is still doing full-time duty as my main gaming/surfing/work rig.

Case: Antec SOLO
PSU: Corsair 520HX
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
CPU: Intel E4500 OC'ed to 2.93 GHz
Cooler: ZeroTherm BTF90
RAM: 2x2GB SuperTalent DDR2-800
GPU: MSI GTX460 (was XFX 8800GT)
HDD : Samsung Spinpoint 500GB
Scythe fans (1x Slipstream exhaust, 1x Kaze-Jyu intake)

Was just under $1000 thanks to some sweet deals.

 

[Durvelle27]

Built 2006

APEVIA ATX288KL-BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

ASUS P4P800SE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131484

Intel Pentium 4 2.8 Northwood 2.8GHz Socket 478
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116188

VisionTek VTK X1300256AGP Radeon X1300 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129065

2x Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L080P0 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA133 / ATA-7 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144233

Lite-On IDE DVDRW

diabotek 380W

4x Samsung 1GB DDR 400

video card later upgraded to a ASUS HD 3650 AGP 8x
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121260

 

[88keys]

I used to have a P4P800, they were really nice boards.

 

[Durvelle27]

I used to have a P4P800, they were really nice boards.

i actually still use that pc for light gaming and web surfing

 

[88keys]

I think the P4P800 is in my Mom's PC with the Antec TruePower430. I remember being such a noob and using the PSU that came with the case. I think it lasted a week lol. That case wasnt too great either IIRC.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Heathkit H89
It came as a bag of parts. NOTHING was assembled. Had to solder chips onto the pcb, build the frame, build the keyboard and, build the panelized case. It took me about three weeks to put it together. I tested circuits as I went with an oscilloscope.

 

[SKORPI0]

IBM PC-XT/AT Clone. Used to assemble this (early '80s-mid '80s) for clients, most of the parts came from Hong Kong. Todays computers are just too easy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBtmT8ByFqg&feature=related

 

[88keys]

I've often toyed with the idea of buying the chassis to one of these on eBay and putting modern PC components in it.

 

[Cerb]

1997?

Enlight AT case
??? PSU
??? AT mainboard (probably a Shuttle or MSI with an AMD chipset, but not sure).
K6-II 333 or 350
128MB RAM (later 192)
2x HDD, but I don't recall what sizes.
S3 Virge 4MB
??? CD-ROM Drive (probably Panasonic, maybe Creative)
??? soundcard (Yamaha? I recall it was not Creative, but could be used as an Awe in games)
Teac 3.5" floppy

 

[dave_the_nerd]

This was in 2001 or so:

Biostar M7VIB, 1Ghz "Thunderbird" Athlon, Volcano II HSF, 256 PC2100, 15GB, CD/Floppy, Riva TNT2 M64. Generic case and PSU from Directron.

I overspent because OMG BLACK COMPUTERS ARE KEWL!!!

Played Mechwarrior 4 like a dream, which was the point. But the HDD did the cradle death thing, the GPU had artifacting problems in any game not published my Microsoft (No, seriously) and Windows Me was a dog.

I learned a lot of stuff the hard way. Then a big power surge happened and fried half my computer equipment. By early 2003 it was:

Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra, XP 2400+ @ 200FSB/2.2GHz, Swiftech MCX462U + Vantec Tornado (80mm) running on 7v, 512MB PC2700, 60/120GB HDD, DVD/Floppy, Antec 420w PSU of some kind, a Radeon 8500LE & Win2k.

That rig got a 9600XT, a replacement motherboard (it died) and more RAM but was otherwise unchanged until fall 2006. I still use the case. The MB/CPU/RAM/GPU went to a friend who is fishing gear rich and cash poor. I think it's his kids' computer now though.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I've often toyed with the idea of buying the chassis to one of these on eBay and putting modern PC components in it.

You are my new favorite person and I'm stealing the HELL out of that idea.

 

[redfoot12]

Built in 1999...
CPU--Pentium III 500 MHz
Intel Motherboard (440 BX, I think)
HDD--Western Digital 13.6 GB
128 MB RAM
Creative Riva TNT 2 (32 MB)
Some variation of Creative Sound Blaster Live
Creative DVD-ROM 5x (came with some PCI card)
Some generic white case with PSU (300W?)
Sony 19" Trinitron Multiscan 400 GS

 

[balane]

I can't remember all the specifics but the CPU was a 486SX25 with some kind of socket thing that went in between it and the actual socket which turned it into a DX50 that had a math coprocessor. That thing was just awesome. I think it had 4MB of RAM, which was expensive as hell and a 128mb hard drive. Windows 3.1 and later OS2 Warp. I had that thing just to play Doom on a 14" CRT monitor, spent more money than I actually had to spend. The case was some generic beige thing that came with a power supply, we didn't care about wattage or quality then. The GPU was whatever was on the motherboard but it could display 256 colors and had 256k of its own memory. I lived alone at the time, in an RV, and loved that computer with all my heart for a good year spending 100% of my free time on it. Oh yeah, I added some spendy ass sound card. It was the age of chat rooms on BBS's and AOL was just coming out. I had no idea how awful it was at the time but I definitely enjoyed every second.

 

[Meghan54]

My first was an Intel 8088-based thing. About all I remember about it are the 5.25" floppies, DIP switches, and the turbo button...and lotsa DOS.

Next was an AMD 386DX-40 computer. Can't remember everything since then, been too long, but what a ride!

 

[Raincity]

1995 or 96 not really sure these days. Soyo P55+ motherboard, Intel pentium 166, 2MB of Simm memory. 3DFX Voodo 1. Sound Blaster AWE 32. Conner hard drive dont remember the size bit it was too small. Supermicro case with Enlight 250 power supply. Toshiba CD rom with Myst included. 15" monitor genernic. Us Robotics 33K external modem. Windows 3.1 Generic keyboard and Logitech Dexa mouse. Teac floppies 3.5 and 5.25. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $4000. All ordered using AMEX and A copy of the computer shopper.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

1995 or 96 not really sure these days. Soyo P55+ motherboard, Intel pentium 166, 2MB of Simm memory. 3DFX Voodo 1. Sound Blaster AWE 32. Conner hard drive dont remember the size bit it was too small. Supermicro case with Enlight 250 power supply. Toshiba CD rom with Myst included. 15" monitor genernic. Us Robotics 33K external modem. Windows 3.1 Generic keyboard and Logitech Dexa mouse. Teac floppies 3.5 and 5.25. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $4000. All ordered using AMEX and A copy of the computer shopper.

2MB of SIMMs? That doesn't sound right for the rest of that machine - my 386 had 7MBs.

32 maybe?

 

[azeem40]

Built in April 2012:
Intel Core i5-2500k Processor OCed to 4.4 GHz @ 1.3v
Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H
Sapphire Radeon 7950 OCed to 1150 MHz
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB Solid-State Drive
WD Caviar Blue 500GB Hard Drive
Corsair Carbide 500R Gaming Case
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK 950W Power Supply
8GB DDR3 RAM

 

[greenhawk]

First I hand built? about 97/98

Was a Pentium 166 MMX, Aopen case, aopen motherboard, NFI ram (32MB or 64MB), ET6000 video card (4MB) with a voodoo 1.

lashed out soon after and got a 17" Acer trinitron tube monitor that I still have kicking around.

 

[mfenn]

Built in April 2012:
Intel Core i5-2500k Processor OCed to 4.4 GHz @ 1.3v
Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H
Sapphire Radeon 7950 OCed to 1150 MHz
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB Solid-State Drive
WD Caviar Blue 500GB Hard Drive
Corsair Carbide 500R Gaming Case
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK 950W Power Supply
8GB DDR3 RAM

Noob. :awe:

Also, some interesting posts in this thread.

 

[PCTC2]

First build I built was probably around early 2005. Don't laugh at its age, even at that time. It was all used parts I scavenged.

Pentium III 800MHz Socket 370
Intel 815 Motherboard (Red PCB, can't remember manufacturer)
512MB RAM
80GB IDE HDD
DVD-ROM IDE
Antec Full-Tower Case (80mm fans)
Non-descript PSU

The first I built new was in December 2006.
Intel Core2Duo E6400 (2.13GHz) with Zalman 9700 (Upgraded to Q6600 and Thermalright Ultra-120 in May 2007)
eVGA 680i SLI
2GB DDR2 Corsair Dominators (Upgraded to 4GB May 2007)
Dual eVGA 7950GT 512MB SC
Antec 900 Case
Thermaltake ToughPower 700W PSU
IDE DVD-RW
Seagate 500GB SATA HDD

 

[PuppettMaster001]

1999-ish

AMD K6-2 450Mhz
FIC PA-2013
128MB RAM
Voodoo3 2000 PCI
Maxtor 40GB 4200RPM Hard Drive

Loved this thing but I really regret not jumping on the Celeron 300A bandwagon at the time.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Must've been 1999 or so... during Shopss.com fiasco.
Paid $298 for a barebones which included a Lucky Star 6ABX2V mobo, a 8MB ATI graphics card, 100MB Panasonic Zip drive, 64MB RAM (yay!), CD-ROM, floppy, 13 GB HDD.
I installed a SB Live Platinum in it, and a PIII@500 (or was it 667 MHz? can't remember)

 

[JackMDS]

1980 played for a year with with RS Color Computer ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer ).

I was in Graduate school and it was the least expensive workable solution at the time.

I needed to developed special training Apps, as strange as it might sound the BASIC programming capacity of the Color Computer was much better than the Applle II+ one.

By 1981 the IBM PC came out and I switched to it.

Then walked through the whole "gruesome" process as described by some posts above, moving through the chain of PC upgrades process (86-286-386-etc.- etc.) to i5 (I have No i7 since at the moment it is to expensive to what it can offer).

P.S. The original IBM PC was the first and the last Desktop that I ever bought as a one commercial unit, since then it is all self-Builds.

 

[Fardringle]

8086 with a massive 10 MB hard drive and 640K RAM (because nobody would ever use more than 640K).

I had an old RS Color as well, but I didn't actually build that one..