Building Computers

[YakuzaIce]

Since this board doesn't have much I wanted to make a thread on whether you have built a computer, but I figured it wouldn't get much traffic so I added a poll.

So who here has built a pc and if you have give the specs. I am working on one right now (mostly because I can't play BF2 on mine).

[kjb434]

I've built of couple of PCs. It's not that hard. You just have to take your time and follow the all the instructions.

My next computer will be water cooled, so I'm going to have it built for me. I don't trust myself with about $2500 worth of equipment and I ruin it by getting water on it.

[sevfiv]

i'm intrigued - a friend of mine apparently overclocks parts of his pc, and has installed an extra fan and heat sink. i might point him in this direction...

edit - this has some general how to's: cnet weekend project

[YakuzaIce]

I was considering putting a water cooling system in mine, but I felt it wasn't worth the risk of frying my system. I do oc some of my parts, but that can be compensated with as you said fans and heat sinks. It is just louder.

[ssullivan]

I've built my last three PCs and have saved a ton of money doing so. And all three have turned out to be extremely reliable machines.

[editor]

I built my first five or six computers. It started when I was in elementary school and allowed to raid the spare parts room at RKO Broadcasting and RKO Radio Pictures (the King Kong people). Over the course of a couple of weeks I was able to haul away enough parts to build my own computer. It was sweet -- A 4.77MHz IBM XT with 320kb of RAM, an MDA monitor (green, text only) and two ten-megabyte full-height drives. I had a 160k floppy that connected through a long ribbon cable hanging out the back.

Eventually I added all sorts of things to it -- an SDLC card because of the pretty lights (just in case a mainframe happened to fall out of the sky), 640megs of RAM (each chip lovingly hand inserted into a full-length board), a 10mb HardCard, etc... By 1989 I managed to sneak off with an IBM QuietWriter printer -- the quietest, best quality printer I've ever seen. It made a noise like a cricket in the night when it was printing and used regular copier paper, which was practially unheard of at the time.

Before RKO went out of business I managed to score a GRiD Compass (originally issued to the Secret Service, but ended up in one of the executive's offices), and an IBM Convertable -- my first laptop.

Building computers has gotten both easier and harder over the years. Easier because there are better standards for things to talk to each other. Harder because the components have gotten so cheap in both price and quality. You can get two pieces that SHOULD talk to each other because they're both labeled as adhering to the same standard, but one or both will be so poorly made that it just won't work.

Over the years I upgraded that XT over and over again. By the time I dumped it in 2003 it was a 1.5GHz beast with 512 megs of RAM, a DVD ROM, CD-RW, a 40 gig drive, a 30 gig drive, and a 20 gig drive. Upgrading computers was fun when I had more time, but now I'm older and have better things to do and don't have the space to maintain a vast inventory of parts and things. I bought a laptop that suits my needs and I never looked back.

[TJones]

I've built of couple of PCs. It's not that hard. You just have to take your time and follow the all the instructions.

My next computer will be water cooled, so I'm going to have it built for me. I don't trust myself with about $2500 worth of equipment and I ruin it by getting water on it.

Just a reminder, Water + Electricty = BOOM !!! see you in the emergency room.

[editor]

Don't they have some kind of non-conductive thermal transfer flud?

Failing that, I seem to recall that some Thinkpads and Powerbooks have some kind of a metal in a tube that melts when it gets hot, but when the computer is off and cool returns to a solid state.

[TJones]

Don't they have some kind of non-conductive thermal transfer flud?

Failing that, I seem to recall that some Thinkpads and Powerbooks have some kind of a metal in a tube that melts when it gets hot, but when the computer is off and cool returns to a solid state.

I think you are right, it is a "gel" and then reverts back to solid form. How Sci-Fi. I remember seeing something about that, Dracula computers uses them, and I think some Alienwares do also,it clicked when you put that post on. Cheers !

[kjb434]

Yeah,

They work really well, but I'd rather get an expert to put it together with a warranty. Building it yourself leaves little warranty other than you know what you are doing.

I have about 6 fans and a massive heat sink. I also found a little gem that helps filter inflowing air. This helps keep dust out of the system. I don't know where I found it though.

Water cooling was first really implemented in lab tops since they don't get much airflow to cool off. The use in destops was for novelty and overclocking. It thing it may become more mainstream in several years especially since the watercooling will allow for more efficient cooling.

[editor]

Yeah,

They work really well, but I'd rather get an expert to put it together with a warranty. Building it yourself leaves little warranty other than you know what you are doing.

I have about 6 fans and a massive heat sink. I also found a little gem that helps filter inflowing air. This helps keep dust out of the system. I don't know where I found it though.

Water cooling was first really implemented in lab tops since they don't get much airflow to cool off. The use in destops was for novelty and overclocking. It thing it may become more mainstream in several years especially since the watercooling will allow for more efficient cooling.

I believe Apple's G5 computers all come with water cooling built-in.

Yep. Found it.

[TJones]

I believe Apple's G5 computers all come with water cooling built-in.

Yep. Found it.

That is a relief, You can't read half of the websites on the internet, but you got a cool gizmo to cool your paperweight. SWEET !

[editor]

That is a relief, You can't read half of the websites on the internet, but you got a cool gizmo to cool your paperweight. SWEET !

Ummm... I don't get it. Maybe another Windows virus or piece of spyware is causing your problems reading web sites.

[jmancuso]

^ he's not a mac fan i take it.

as for me, i built the one on i'm on now.

[editor]

If I ever have a need for another Wintel box, I might build it myself. My preferred option would be to buy something from IBM or Alienware. But I don't think I'd go the Dell/HP/eMachines route. I just don't trust the quality of those machines. I know they're very popular, and I don't mean to criticize anyone's purchasing decision. But in order to sell a machine for $299, you've got to cut some serious corners.

[Jeebus]

Alienware boxes are pretty nice, but appropriately over priced.

[kjb434]

Alienware's appeal is the customization, warranty, and customer service.

You pay a little more to get excactly what you want.

There plenty of custom vendors that come and go like Alienware. They've seem to hit the market right and are staying strong.

I've seen some others that are about the same or a little cheaper.

I like cyberpowerinc.com, they offer a lot of options at a good price. You can get exactly what you want.

[PCfixit]

The Dell/HP/eMachines that are priced at $299.00 are normally put together with average hardware, meaning they bought 50,000 motherboards sold 10,000 and have to find some marketing stratgey to pawn off the other 40,000 that are sitting in their warehouse. So they take those motherboards marry them with your average Celeron processor ( Celerons are alot cheaper than Pentium 4's ) throw in whatever memory they have stocked up, add a cheap power supply, Hard Drive and a CD-RW, slap a logo on the front and ship it.

If you buy a $299.00 computer thats what your getting the bottom of the barrel, technology is much more advanced than that, just like cars, you get what you pay for. That dosen't mean you need a computer that costs $3000.00 sitting on your desk. If you know what your wanting to do with your computer, now and in the future, you can purchase parts that can be easily upgraded ( as parts become cheaper ) so that instead of buying a dinosaur, you can buy something that will last for many years to come.

Anyone can build a computer, I've built plenty, even helped a friend over the phone long distance that only knew where the on button was, to build one. Now he is going to build one for his wife, one for his observatory and one for a friend. All the computer companys use the same parts on the inside, they just want people to think there computer is better. These are the exact same parts that anyone can buy them self at any parts place on the internet (cheap).

[TJones]

^ he's not a mac fan i take it.

as for me, i built the one on i'm on now.

I'm a little late with the reply here, but mancuso got it. Thanks man.

I would say that the Dell/emachine is equivalent to a DAEWOO in the car world. Alienware, would be your Ferrari. Alienware is mainly for gamer usage though. Don't need all that computer to look around on the internet, and download your favorite porn,(cough cough) not that I'd know about such things. That's just what I've heard.

[segovia]

I used to build systems back in the mid 1990's. http://www.tomshardware.com/index.html is an excellent website for product reviews. I have not build a system in years. My IT job is mostly programming and administration work with databases. I remember builting 386, 486, and the early pentium models during college. My biggest advice...don't go cheap...you will regret it.

[ssullivan]

I'm a little late with the reply here, but mancuso got it. Thanks man.

I would say that the Dell/emachine is equivalent to a DAEWOO in the car world. Alienware, would be your Ferrari. Alienware is mainly for gamer usage though. Don't need all that computer to look around on the internet, and download your favorite porn,(cough cough) not that I'd know about such things. That's just what I've heard.

I agree on the cheap Dell machines targeted to home users. They are pretty cheaply built. But there's a HUGE difference between those machines and the business class machines Dell builds. My company uses those exclusively and they are extremely reliable, well-built computers. They also cost a lot more -- Dell sells laptops for under $1,000 but the one I carry around is a $3,000+ model that's been dropped twice and never missed a beat. So it really depends on the class of computer you're buying. Sure there are the cheap, basic computers targeted for consumers who are mainly buying on price, and then there are the business class computers built for reliability and performance. These cost a lot more, but they are built to last and to handle much heavier day-to-day usage.

[PCfixit]

I agree on the cheap Dell machines targeted to home users. They are pretty cheaply built. But there's a HUGE difference between those machines and the business class machines Dell builds. My company uses those exclusively and they are extremely reliable, well-built computers. They also cost a lot more -- Dell sells laptops for under $1,000 but the one I carry around is a $3,000+ model that's been dropped twice and never missed a beat. So it really depends on the class of computer you're buying. Sure there are the cheap, basic computers targeted for consumers who are mainly buying on price, and then there are the business class computers built for reliability and performance. These cost a lot more, but they are built to last and to handle much heavier day-to-day usage.

I worked 11 years in test engineering in manufacturing at Compaq and the only difference between there Presario (consumer) and there Proliant (commercial) products, was the case in which they put everthing in. We built all the motherboards with all the same parts pulled from the warehouse. Computer manufacturers would like everyone to believe they are getting a better built machine (business class) thats how they can charge the big bucks for them. The difference between a normal $1000.00 laptop and a well-built $3000.00 laptop would be a titanium case instead of plastic. They are all built to the same standards, manufacturers all have reliability labs to ensure this. Your actually paying for upgraded parts: Pentium 4 instead of a Celeron, faster processor, more memory, larger hard drive, bigger LCD screen size, and more bells and whistles. Which you could get on consumer computers also, they would just cost more, but theres no difference in reliabilty or performance. Consumer products are geared more for multimedia, sound and audio.

[editor]

I used to build systems back in the mid 1990's. http://www.tomshardware.com/index.html

Cue the obligatory Tom's Hardware joke...

I really

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love that

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web site called

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Tom's

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Hardware!

All joking aside, Tom's is widely recognized as one of the best of the bunch, no matter how many pages you have to click through to read even a short article.

[foxmulder]

I built my own desktops. I love building...It's easy as heck i had NO experience i just hooked up the wires. and it worked. I have plenty of xp copies to use. School edition. Most parts are gutted from old computers. HD/DVD drives. It takes no time at all. I can get graphic cards cheap. If something breaks than it's an excuse to get something better.

[houstonmacbro]

Not sure I'd WANT to build a computer.

[memebag]

Not sure I'd WANT to build a computer.

I usually build all my computers, but I tried buying one pre-built. It was a nightmare. The motherboard fried under warranty, but the replacement motherboard was different and confused all of the OEM software so that it refused to run. The power supply couldn't handle a bigger graphics card, so I had to buy a new power supply. The power supply form factor was non-standard, so I had to buy a new case. It didn't come with documentation for the motherboard, so it was a pain in the ass trying to figure out where the front USB port was for the new case.

Building computers is trivial. I'll never buy one pre-built again.

[houstonmacbro]

I usually build all my computers, but I tried buying one pre-built. It was a nightmare. The motherboard fried under warranty, but the replacement motherboard was different and confused all of the OEM software so that it refused to run. The power supply couldn't handle a bigger graphics card, so I had to buy a new power supply. The power supply form factor was non-standard, so I had to buy a new case. It didn't come with documentation for the motherboard, so it was a pain in the ass trying to figure out where the front USB port was for the new case.

Building computers is trivial. I'll never buy one pre-built again.

That may be, but I still do not wish to MAKE my own computer. Same as making a cake or buttermilk. I am sure both are easy (trivial as you call it), but I have no DESIRE to build a computer.

[ricco67]

Than have someone build a computer FOR you.

I've owned dozens of computers in the past, but I've only owned one "brand" and that was a Compaq desktop. It was a nightmare and ran as slow as molasses. Had to work like a madman to get rid of all the crap that put in there.

Of course, this was a bit before the software was able to adjust to the individual machines.

I'll always have a clone. Until I figure out a way build a laptop, that is the only computer I will buy off the rack.

[sevfiv]

Several months ago I opted to build (with help, but now i know how) rather than purchase a new factory setup.

Kept old drives, but new motherboard, processor, cabinet - and it was custom and cheaper.

Out of laziness i reloaded XP, but i am still thinking of going Linux

[houstonmacbro]

Well, that's fine for those who want to build one. More power to you.

I don't want to do that (and besides I use a Mac so I can't build one myself).

But I don't want to build one any how.