Assembling a new computer

New year, new computer. That's the plan.

I want to assemble a new Windows computer that can at least run most of the games (MapleStory! lol) and whatnot (cool shyt like Eclipse) that are available today and 6 months beyond without complications, and preferably smoothly too. I'm willing to spend over $500 for this, but I'll not go over $1000.

To put this bluntly, I don't have very good hardware knowledge (wtp is RAID for exactly) and my shopping skillz are even worse. But I believe that newegg.com is probably the best bet I have. So if you guys and gals will give me recommendations and good price guidelines for the various computer parts that I need, that would be great =) A few more things:
--Would I need to buy a new OS? I don't exactly have a copy of Windows in any form, except for a manufacturer's original settings reinstallation CD for my lappy. Forget that I mentioned that, actually >_>
--Monitors are plenty in supply. None of them "OMG DATS BEAUTIFUL" good, but I don't particularly care too much.
--I don't care too much about a great sound system either. I might be able to scavenge for one from my various friends and family.
--Try to avoid craptastic incompatible shyt like eMachine. But I guess you wouldn't be thinking that anyways.
--How exactly does overclocking work? I know it's a hazardous thing to attempt, which is why I'm asking whether it is okay to push my new computer or not.
--Providing video input to television sets and sound system is something I would want, but it is optional.

And one last catch: I need this computer pretty dam soon before my laptop gives out (it's got a bad HD sector that can potentially fk over the whole system repeatedly, as well as a few other signs of age like a noisy rattling fan). But I don't want to get suckered into another computer that my parents decide are good for me. About the only thing they would object to my own project is a high-end graphics card, which they would almost certainly deny me, so this can be a bit craptastic until later on. I plan to sneak that in.


Thanks in advance to all that respond =)

--Would I need to buy a new OS? I don't exactly have a copy of Windows in any form, except for a manufacturer's original settings reinstallation CD for my lappy. Forget that I mentioned that, actually >_>
Recovery disc for a lappy won't work for a new computer that you get. Recovery discs are specifically tied to a specific system because they include many drivers which work for the given PC configuration. If you want to get a new computer and build it yourself, buying an OS is really the only thing you could do. Of course, there's always the questionable *cough* approach. Regardless, you will need a new OS for your computer.

--Monitors are plenty in supply. None of them "OMG DATS BEAUTIFUL" good, but I don't particularly care too much.
Does this mean you want a monitor? Personally, I have a SyncMaster 932BW Plus and I'm happy with it. It's a low-mid range monitor. It's not glossy or beautiful by any means, but it gets the job done.

--I don't care too much about a great sound system either. I might be able to scavenge for one from my various friends and family.
I've been using headphones for over four years now instead of using speakers. I prefer it now.

--Try to avoid craptastic incompatible shyt like eMachine. But I guess you wouldn't be thinking that anyways.
Prebuilt stuff has their place in the market. Until you hit the $1000 price point or so, it's generally cheaper to go with a prebuilt machine because the cost of the OS is heavily subsidized with the cost of the system.

--How exactly does overclocking work? I know it's a hazardous thing to attempt, which is why I'm asking whether it is okay to push my new computer or not.
Overclocking is not a dangerous procedure given the vast improvement in motherboards with regards to overclocking in the past decade. The theory of overclocking is very simple - making any given piece of hardware run faster than the original manufacturer intended. It's pretty hard to blow a motherboard or CPU these days. If you overclock without adjusting voltages (your mobo will likely call it "vCore", which means "voltage to the Core (CPU)"), chances are very, very slim of hurting anything. Traditional light overclocking on air cooling without adjusting vCore is in the realm of 10 - 15% performance increase on the CPU.

There are a few more things you might want to consider:

- You probably have information on your laptop you want to move to your desktop after you make the purchase. If your HDD could blow at any minute, it might be worth your while to purchase a 4 - 8 GB thumb drive to get all of your important stuff now before it blows.
- What spare parts do you have laying around that you think you could use for your new computer?
- Running Maplestory requires very little resources - you'd only have to spend $50 - 100 on a graphics card to get great performance on Maple. It sounds like running Crysis on 2560 x 1900 with max settings and DX11 isn't something you're looking for.

Ah, the memories of compiling a shopping list for a desktop I was never able to build

Basic suggestions; 4 Gigs of RAM (DDR2 or DDR3, DDR3 may be slightly more costly, along with the MOBO and possibly Proc supporting it).
Sound is extremely cheap. You can easily find card to fit your needs (movies, games, headphones or 8 ch audio system) for between 20 and 50 bucks.
If your TV has HDMI or DVI hook ups, look for a graphics card that would be able to hook up to it as well. Ya never know when you would want to play that newly downloaded movie on it.

I may just for the fun of it return tomorrow with a list of items that may be good. For newegg.com, my best suggestion is to read the reviews. Everything ive ever thought of buying was mainly based on others reviews posted on the site.

One other little tip: once you find everything you want to buy, look up each exact product you want to buy on tigerdirect.com, as well. I can't begin to tell you about all the times I could've saved money. Chances are they are the same price, but you could save a tidy bit just by doing your research.

Another option that I've taken is to purchase a barebones computer (case, mobo, CPU, Mem, PSU, sometimes bundled accessories), and then buy all the other accessories (OS, HDD, Mouse, Keyboard, Aftermarket coolers, monitor, GPU) elsewhere. Like this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...u=B69-0160

Sure, it's yesterday's parts, but I'm sure it's better than what you have, and it affords you $400 for accessories.

--Would I need to buy a new OS? I don't exactly have a copy of Windows in any form, except for a manufacturer's original settings reinstallation CD for my lappy. Forget that I mentioned that, actually >_>
Recovery disc for a lappy won't work for a new computer that you get. Recovery discs are specifically tied to a specific system because they include many drivers which work for the given PC configuration. If you want to get a new computer and build it yourself, buying an OS is really the only thing you could do. Of course, there's always the questionable *cough* approach. Regardless, you will need a new OS for your computer.

Darn, I was afraid of that. And I'm definitely not going for pirated, I want insurance =P

--Monitors are plenty in supply. None of them "OMG DATS BEAUTIFUL" good, but I don't particularly care too much.
Does this mean you want a monitor? Personally, I have a SyncMaster 932BW Plus and I'm happy with it. It's a low-mid range monitor. It's not glossy or beautiful by any means, but it gets the job done.

I don't need a new monitor, basically.

--I don't care too much about a great sound system either. I might be able to scavenge for one from my various friends and family.
I've been using headphones for over four years now instead of using speakers. I prefer it now.

Eww headphones x_X Good for if roommates are around and such, but otherwise I despise them, and not just because of potential hearing damage either.

--Try to avoid craptastic incompatible shyt like eMachine. But I guess you wouldn't be thinking that anyways.
Prebuilt stuff has their place in the market. Until you hit the $1000 price point or so, it's generally cheaper to go with a prebuilt machine because the cost of the OS is heavily subsidized with the cost of the system.

I see. It would be nice if I could tell which parts were interchangeable with what for the future though. Call it paranoia if you will, but using my approach, hopefully I'll learn about the more basic operating levels of computers, with a sprinkle of motivation (no motivation = it'll never get done).

--How exactly does overclocking work? I know it's a hazardous thing to attempt, which is why I'm asking whether it is okay to push my new computer or not.
Overclocking is not a dangerous procedure given the vast improvement in motherboards with regards to overclocking in the past decade. The theory of overclocking is very simple - making any given piece of hardware run faster than the original manufacturer intended. It's pretty hard to blow a motherboard or CPU these days. If you overclock without adjusting voltages (your mobo will likely call it "vCore", which means "voltage to the Core (CPU)"), chances are very, very slim of hurting anything. Traditional light overclocking on air cooling without adjusting vCore is in the realm of 10 - 15% performance increase on the CPU.

Ah, the wonders of technological advances xD I wasn't expecting explosions or w/e, but just damage to the hardware in general. I asked about this because sometimes when I'm running my lappy very hot, I start to smell burning dust. I don't know how burning dust would affect my hardware in other areas, but I generally take it as a sign that my lappy's going to overheat pretty soon.

There are a few more things you might want to consider:

- You probably have information on your laptop you want to move to your desktop after you make the purchase. If your HDD could blow at any minute, it might be worth your while to purchase a 4 - 8 GB thumb drive to get all of your important stuff now before it blows.
- What spare parts do you have laying around that you think you could use for your new computer?
- Running Maplestory requires very little resources - you'd only have to spend $50 - 100 on a graphics card to get great performance on Maple. It sounds like running Crysis on 2560 x 1900 with max settings and DX11 isn't something you're looking for.

External HD already covers that. The problem is going without a reliable computer for the duration should my lappy go splat, since my alternatives are my mom's ancient XP desktop (it's so old in fact, and she's so negligent of malware and updating her computer, that Microsoft no longer recognizes her OS as "genuine"), her MAC book (yuk), my dad's Vista lappy (I have no idea what it's doing half the time, plus lots of questionable chinese software), and my brother's ancient desktop that has trouble booting up.
I might be able to cannibalise my brother's desktop for a few things, but knowing that it's most likely out of my standards... still, it's an option. I could definitely use the power connections if I end up getting compatible stuff. Other than that, just a bunch of cords that do various stuff, like S-Video cables.
Lol Crysis, mmm graphical overkill xD My lappy's graphics card must be so craptastic because it has issues even doing regular grinding on my LOLPALLY. 1 death per level on average is the best I can hope for, due to occasional massive frame skippage (oh hey Windows has new updates available! Also, I'ma fk you over now have a nice day!). You'd have to kinda see it first-hand to know what I'm talking about =/ I die in zruns a good 40% of the time now, and I even employ as many tricks as possible such as precaching skill images.

Ah, the memories of compiling a shopping list for a desktop I was never able to build

Basic suggestions; 4 Gigs of RAM (DDR2 or DDR3, DDR3 may be slightly more costly, along with the MOBO and possibly Proc supporting it).
Sound is extremely cheap. You can easily find card to fit your needs (movies, games, headphones or 8 ch audio system) for between 20 and 50 bucks.
If your TV has HDMI or DVI hook ups, look for a graphics card that would be able to hook up to it as well. Ya never know when you would want to play that newly downloaded movie on it.

I may just for the fun of it return tomorrow with a list of items that may be good. For newegg.com, my best suggestion is to read the reviews. Everything ive ever thought of buying was mainly based on others reviews posted on the site.

Thanks for the sound stuff price range =) And I'll be sure to keep the TV suggestions in mind.

One other little tip: once you find everything you want to buy, look up each exact product you want to buy on tigerdirect.com, as well. I can't begin to tell you about all the times I could've saved money. Chances are they are the same price, but you could save a tidy bit just by doing your research.

I was told by many that tigerdirect.com wasn't as cheap as newegg.com. But I suppose it doesn't hurt to check out and compare between the two.

Another option that I've taken is to purchase a barebones computer (case, mobo, CPU, Mem, PSU, sometimes bundled accessories), and then buy all the other accessories (OS, HDD, Mouse, Keyboard, Aftermarket coolers, monitor, GPU) elsewhere. Like this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...u=B69-0160

Sure, it's yesterday's parts, but I'm sure it's better than what you have, and it affords you $400 for accessories.

I suppose I should look at package deals for milestone markers. See the second last uncolored response to your first post.

Okay, regarding pre-built - what is compatible and what isn't. Assume a Dell computer here:

Case - Uses a non-standard case. The screwholes are in all of the wrong locations for the ATX standard.
Motherboard - Screw mounts and backplate are in the wrong places according to the ATX standard to support the non-standard case. The regular ATX screwholes are not present either.
PSU - This is also non-standard because of the different screwholes it uses for the back.
BIOS - Dell utilizes their own customized, restricted BIOS which does not allow you to change any voltages, timings, or clock speeds of any components. The BIOS also performs other finicky operations such as preventing you from installing certain operating systems (I've read about versions which do not let you install XP on it anymore - this is supposedly to help Dell improve customer support)

If you try to buy another PSU, they're gonna charge you at least $100 - 150 for it. If you try to buy a new motherboard or case, they will try to sell you on a new computer.

What is compatible:

- All ports, slots, and plugs are compatible (PCI-E, SATA, SATAII, Floppy, PCI, ATX 20/24 pin, CPU socket, DIMM slots, power plug)
- Case uses standard screwholes and slots for 2.5" and 3.5" drive bays (many Dell desktops have drive cages)

.

good references here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/syst...,2509.html

good references here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/syst...,2509.html

Jackpot! I'm going to get real busy tonight it seems xD

Offtopic: that girl in your siggy looks kinda like Eos iirc o.O