Where to begin ...

[Aldraxis]

Hello Everyone.

I was referred to this site to answer some of my Questions.
I've got about a thousand of them ... and from what I've seen so far ... about 2 weeks of solid reading to catch up on the current state of affairs for Hardware.

I didn't want to step in and start firing off question after question however ... seems kinda rude.

But I could use some assistence in finding what I'm looking for on AnandTech ... and knowing how things work around here. So any suggestions would be appreciated.

For reference, I'm going to build myself a new Desktop in the upcoming weeks ... and while I used to build computers several years ago, it's been maybe 3+ years since I built my last one.

 

[Sheriff]

Welcome to the Forums and Fire away with the questions because there are many Knowledgable and Helpful Members here.

 

[gotensan01]

If you have a question about something (let's say you think your memory is bad), do a light search on key words like "bad memory", "memtest", etc. If you cannot find any previous threads on it, post a new topic and ask away. I wouldn't try to look to hard for a previous thread, just do a light search.

There are some topics that are beaten to a bloody pulp and you should be able to find a lot of info about such things. Some examples of extensively covered topics are "finding fps rate on Doom3", "choosing a case", blah blah blah. You'll often find stickies on some topics like this. There used to be a whole bunch more stickies but I dunno what happened to them...

 

[Nickel020]

Welcome to Anandtech!

To get a general idea about what's going on I would just read some of the most current CPU/motherboard and Video reviews. And if you have any questions just ask them in the forums.

 

[bendixG15]

Hey Al*******
Don't be shy
Just open one thread and ask away
Make sure you confirm answers

And in 2 weeks you'll be an expert (LOL)

 

[Aldraxis]

Thanks all.

How about this for a starter ...

I'd like this new Desktop to be able to last for a couple years at least ... maybe even 3 years if necessary.

Someone mentioned to me that I should really look into PCI Express. I did, but I don't know if this is something that I should seriously be considering or whether I won't have much use for it.

If I do have use for it, is it already available and useful?

 

[gotensan01]

Originally posted by: Aldraxis
Thanks all.

How about this for a starter ...

I'd like this new Desktop to be able to last for a couple years at least ... maybe even 3 years if necessary.

Someone mentioned to me that I should really look into PCI Express. I did, but I don't know if this is something that I should seriously be considering or whether I won't have much use for it.

If I do have use for it, is it already available and useful?

Hmm, you started with a tricky first question. The first thing you need to do is figure out which forum to post in. Seems like "General Hardware", "Video", and "Motherboards" would be the most suitable. Then start a new topic with a heading that summarizes your question. "building new comp, pci-express neccessary" might be a good subject line. Then just sit and hit refresh on the thread until you get a response . <-- I wouldn't actually do this part.

EDIT #1: Btw, the "Edit" option is great as you can fix errors in your original message, subject, or replies.

EDIT #2: A quick search under "pci-express" gave me two good threads. Here and here.

 

[Subhuman25]

Welcome to the AT forums Aldraxis!
You've stumbled onto the best place on the web to inform yourself of computer hardware!
My signature sports a decent system set-up I just built that will hold you over for that long easily.All bought through NewEgg.Preferences with some of the individual components may vary a bit from person to person,but you can use my listing as a starting point and then folks could chime in about any changes they'd make to it,if any at all

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Aldraxis
Hello Everyone.

I was referred to this site to answer some of my Questions.
I've got about a thousand of them ... and from what I've seen so far ... about 2 weeks of solid reading to catch up on the current state of affairs for Hardware.

I didn't want to step in and start firing off question after question however ... seems kinda rude.

But I could use some assistence in finding what I'm looking for on AnandTech ... and knowing how things work around here. So any suggestions would be appreciated.

For reference, I'm going to build myself a new Desktop in the upcoming weeks ... and while I used to build computers several years ago, it's been maybe 3+ years since I built my last one.

You might start off by posting for help with a new rig. State what you're gonna use it for and how much your budget is. Put it here in General hardware.

You should recieve a number of responses. Likely, there will be different options posted. Start researching the options that peeps posted. Ex. start with the cpu's or mobo's proposed. Look them up in their respective forums.

That way your "research" will be more efficient. You'll be learning about the things most relevant to you and your needs.


Fern

Oh, and Welcome to the forums!