Anyone built their own computer? Little advice please..

[DessoThumbs]

Looking to build one in the Xmas time frame. Got around 600 budgeted.

I'm a speed freak, but I know a knock out gaming rig isn't possible. That's OK, when I do play it's on my 360.

My wishlist:

Intel I5 (the built in graphics are fine by me)
120 Gig SSD
Sata 6Gb/s, USB 3.0 Mother Board
8 Gigs Ram
Case/Pwr supply

I've got a blu-ray burner, 3.5Tbs storage, Monitor, etc.. already

ANY PITFALLS, things to look out for?? I'm assuming the actual assy won't be too bad, but this is my first attempt.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

[Insidious]

Make sure the power supply is atleast 750 watts, and that your motherboard is compatible with the i5. Also make sure you know how to mount the mb and cpu. I'm building a pretty nice one early december with an AMD 6 core, asus board, asus gts450 graphics, and some corshair ddr3

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[guidot]

Agreed. PSU is the most important part of the build.

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[Heywood]

Make sure its a quality power supply. Numbers on wattage don't always mean better if its built cheaply. Use Newegg to do your research, alot of tech minded folks use Newegg and leave reviews that matter. Anandtech forums have a great bunch of folks to help you out also.

Most importantly, take your time during assembly....check and double check as you go. Have fun, building your first PC is very rewarding

 

[DessoThumbs]

Thanks everyone!

Everywhere I go everyone says the same thing - don't skimp on the power supply. Will follow that advice for sure.

 

[SANhacker]

In addition to the power supply, don't go cheap on the MB. I've strayed from ASUS a few times but have always come back after being b***h slapped by lockups, lack of firmware fixes, etc. :icon_eek:

 

[dezymond]

I haven't built a pc in about 5 years, but back then PSU and MB were most important, so make sure you get quality parts. I taught my friend how to build a PC and he went cheap on the PSU and that ended up costing him the whole computer.

 

[tjk629]

What's the RAM?

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[DessoThumbs]

What's the RAM?

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What IS ram? or what is the ram I'm looking to buy?

?

 

[DessoThumbs]

In addition to the power supply, don't go cheap on the MB. I've strayed from ASUS a few times but have always come back after being b***h slapped by lockups, lack of firmware fixes, etc. :icon_eek:

Actually, the one I've picked out is an ASUS P8H67-M with USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. It has really good reviews on Newegg and is compatible with the I5 Sandy Bridge. (at least I'm learning some new lingo - LOL)

THANKS again.

 

[sc00by71]

A 750W Power supply will be more than adequate even if you overclock or throw in a mid range graphics card. I have built a few using the Corsair builder series and I am impressed by the build quality and price. Enermax also builds decent power supplies.
I agree on motherboard brand as well. Asus is always a good choice. Gigabyte and MSI are also reliable and feature packed.

Is there any reason you aren't considering a Z68 based motherboard ? It has SRT support where you can use a smaller SSD (max 64GB) as a cache for a larger spindle drive. It also has Virtu which if you add a graphics card down the road it will let you use it and the onboard Intel graphics
Overall should be a nice system. There are plenty of build guides around if you want to brush up before the build. Maximum PC has a few guides that I know of.
Food for thought anyhow, have fun with the build.

 

[tjk629]

What IS ram? or what is the ram I'm looking to buy?

?

What is the RAM you're looking at.

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[techyholic]

Processor
Video Card
Ram

Those 3 are the priority. Forget SSD's or Gaming cases bedecked in flashing lights.

 

[DessoThumbs]

What is the RAM you're looking at.

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I've added: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2 4s) DDR3 1333 to my "wishlist" $42.99

 

[sweeeeet]

im doing the same w g.skill 16gb (4x4gb) for $75

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