Building a desktop

[PhoHammer]

So I'm contemplating/planning the building of a desktop computer.

I want it to be reasonably priced when all is said and done (<$750 for the whole gig, including monitor) and
I want it to be GNU/Linux friendly (ubuntu will probably reside in it for the most part).

Do you guys have any tips on this friendliness towards Linux? Any "must have's" or "stear clear of's" that
I should consider before diving in at newegg?

I just saw this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1090108) as I came to post this so I'll take another gander at your rigs here in a bit.

Oh and this is my first build, so I have some research to do on every piece of hardware first:)

[Merps]

as an alternative to the usual amd intel nvidia gear, why not try looking at the alternatives of Via C7 with OCZ ram, sun/solar sparc, and ibm power.

[Skripka]

So I'm contemplating/planning the building of a desktop computer.

I want it to be reasonably priced when all is said and done (<$750 for the whole gig, including monitor) and
I want it to be GNU/Linux friendly (ubuntu will probably reside in it for the most part).

Do you guys have any tips on this friendliness towards Linux? Any "must have's" or "stear clear of's" that
I should consider before diving in at newegg?

I just saw this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1090108) as I came to post this so I'll take another gander at your rigs here in a bit.

Oh and this is my first build, so I have some research to do on every piece of hardware first:)

How big or small a monitor are you prepared to go with? This will be the single most expensive individual item to buy in all liklihood. Look at reviews-every monitor is different in how accurately renders color.


CPU and motherboard are the next most expensive individual items-but are the most critical in determining how everything else works.
DDR3 memory is probably too expensive to worry about getting for your budget....you can look at NewEgg deals for combo-you never know. DDR2 is on clearance as are LGA775 and AM2.


The last expensive component is GPU....Nvidia versus ATi...also unless you're doing gaming-you can get away fine with something current but not powerful and save a great deal of coin. GPU can go anywhere in terms of cost...you don't NECESSARILY need one and can use integrated graphics.

2 components where you do NOT want to skimp are your case and power supply. Get a PSU rated for 80%+. Get a quality case. A crappy case is a pain to work as it is cramped, it also has poor ventilation, and or construction. Bewarned you're probably better off buying the 2 seperately.

Storage is cheap . As are CD/DVD burners.

Get a nice keyboard and mouse...these will annoy you directly.

Without knowing what you want to do it is hard to say more. Think through lots of options-and consider where you'll be placing your bottlenecks and why. Think through where you're skimping and why.

[T.J.]

That's a pretty big question, with vague answers.

As with all things, you get what you pay for. Everyone has an opinion, so here is mine. No flames, please gentlemen. We are here to try to help, not argue. Everyone has favorites.

I'd stick with mainstream maker of Intel or AMD certified chipsets on the motherboard - just so you know that the onboard chips will work without a hassle.

Processor: At the present time - Intel processors seem to give you more bang for the buck, but AMD's are dirt cheap (slower, hotter, and draw more power - but okay if you are on a tight budget).

Video cards: I'd seriously go Nvidia and save yourself a lot of pain later. NVidia doesn't make an open driver for Linux, but the quality of their proprietary driver is top notch - on par or better than their Windows releases.

ATI/AMD's video cards are okay, but their Linux support can be lackluster. I've found ATI's proprietary drivers to be more trouble than they are worth - often buggy and lacking key features. (The open driver isn't really ready yet.) AMD announced recently that they are dropping support for entire generations of Radeon cards (chipsets R300-R500) on Linux, so keep that in mind. A rule of thumb for future sanity might be don't consider any ATI/AMD card that doesn't say Sapphire and HD in the name.



I wish you the best of luck, and I hope your gear will work splendidly.

[PhoHammer]

How big or small a monitor are you prepared to go with? This will be the single most expensive individual item to buy in all liklihood. Look at reviews-every monitor is different in how accurately renders color.

I would like a 22"+ monitor, probably 24"...
Here's a link to a photobucket screenshot of my wishlist on newegg :http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii451/magnatecha/pcbuild-1.png (apparently it's really difficult to share these for some reason, outside of emailing them)

Some of these components may not jive with one another, but I'm still learning. Feel free to point out my mistakes;)

[tuskenraider]

I would like a 22"+ monitor, probably 24"...
Here's a link to a photobucket screenshot of my wishlist on newegg :http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii451/magnatecha/pcbuild-1.png (apparently it's really difficult to share these for some reason, outside of emailing them)
Some of these components may not jive with one another, but I'm still learning. Feel free to point out my mistakes;)

This is what i bought from newegg.. less than a month ago...
for your uses... i would nix the quadcore... perhaps down to a faster dual core.. and of course nix the bighonking graphics card... that was a big chunk of money for me...
but the rest of the stuff is top notch and i have had very few BSOD's in windows and ubuntu runs on it better than i could ask.

also... you could probably nix the big powersupply.. i needed it for the graphics card.. but id still go thermaltake.
but OCZ ram (super cheap like 65 bucks for 4gb) and the gigabyte MOBO are have to haves... that motherboard is great.. like 30 usb 2.0 connections.. lol dual gigabit lan connections esata port overclock ablilty if your into that.. im not.. i like stability.. i can buy faster procs if i want... and 775 will be around for years... so its upgradeable.. but thats my 2cents.
the newegg wish list...
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14503407

1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA
1 OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
1 ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core
3 KINGWIN 15.74" SATA Data & Power combo cable Model SAC-04 -
1 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -
1 GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
1 Thermaltake W0106RU 700W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12v
1 EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB


also... to share wishlists with people... share your wish list.. err make it public...and then search for your wish list in the title... and then copy the link... thats what worked for me... but you were right they are a pain to share with people... and btw.. i wasnt able to see your wish list im at work and un able to see photobucket stuff... damn webfilters.. lol

pm me if i can help you any further...

tusken

[PhoHammer]

This is what i bought from newegg.. less than a month ago...
for your uses... i would nix the quadcore... perhaps down to a faster dual core.. and of course nix the bighonking graphics card... that was a big chunk of money for me...
but the rest of the stuff is top notch and i have had very few BSOD's in windows and ubuntu runs on it better than i could ask.

also... you could probably nix the big powersupply.. i needed it for the graphics card.. but id still go thermaltake.
but OCZ ram (super cheap like 65 bucks for 4gb) and the gigabyte MOBO are have to haves... that motherboard is great.. like 30 usb 2.0 connections.. lol dual gigabit lan connections esata port overclock ablilty if your into that.. im not.. i like stability.. i can buy faster procs if i want... and 775 will be around for years... so its upgradeable.. but thats my 2cents.
the newegg wish list...
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14503407

1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA
1 OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
1 ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core
3 KINGWIN 15.74" SATA Data & Power combo cable Model SAC-04 -
1 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -
1 GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel
1 Thermaltake W0106RU 700W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12v
1 EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB


also... to share wishlists with people... share your wish list.. err make it public...and then search for your wish list in the title... and then copy the link... thats what worked for me... but you were right they are a pain to share with people... and btw.. i wasnt able to see your wish list im at work and un able to see photobucket stuff... damn webfilters.. lol

pm me if i can help you any further...

tusken

Okay, so here is the rough draft:

1 RAIDMAX Ares ATX-801WB Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #:ATX-801WB

1 GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #:GA-MA78GM-US2H

1 BFG Tech BFGE94512GTE GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card - Retail Model #:BFGE94512GTE

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail Model #:CMPSU-400CX

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 Brisbane 2.9GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5600DOBOX

2 G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6S-2GBMQ

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #:ST31000333AS

1 ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Model #:VW246H

1 SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM Model #:SH-S222A



It total's at $730 right now, but I might downsize the monitor and I also have to get cables, I assume. I think the case comes with fans, but I might upgrade the case a bit (it was on the cheap side)

My list is public, but I don't think newegg instantly updates, so it's not searchable yet.

Also, I'm not really interested in gaming at all ( maybe the occasational foray into a game on the graphical level of a PS1, tops) so should I downgrade the video card?

Edit: that G.skill RAM is only $46 for 4 GB (2x2GB)... Is OCZ really cheaper?

Edit 2: Went down to these:
1 ASUS VW202NR 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Model #:VW202NR
1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #:ST3500418AS
(I didn't need 1 TB of space;), I've been living on 100GB internal laptop drive and 250GB external and can't even fill those) This brought the price down to $570

[Skripka]

Okay, so here is the rough draft:

1 RAIDMAX Ares ATX-801WB Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #:ATX-801WB

1 GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #:GA-MA78GM-US2H

1 BFG Tech BFGE94512GTE GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card - Retail Model #:BFGE94512GTE

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail Model #:CMPSU-400CX

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 Brisbane 2.9GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5600DOBOX

2 G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6S-2GBMQ

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #:ST31000333AS

1 ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Model #:VW246H

1 SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM Model #:SH-S222A



It total's at $730 right now, but I might downsize the monitor and I also have to get cables, I assume. I think the case comes with fans, but I might upgrade the case a bit (it was on the cheap side)

My list is public, but I don't think newegg instantly updates, so it's not searchable yet.

Also, I'm not really interested in gaming at all ( maybe the occasational foray into a game on the graphical level of a PS1, tops) so should I downgrade the video card?

Edit: that G.skill RAM is only $46 for 4 GB (2x2GB)... Is OCZ really cheaper?

5 things that jump out at me.

1) Why microATX?

2) ASUS monitors are not known for good color reproduction. My box drives a ASUS VW222U 22" montior...it is big....but it does not do that great a job rendering reds-and calibrating it better is a pain.

3) I'd consider something other than a RAIDMAX case. I ordered one from NewEgg-and the idiots wired the front panel completely wrong-wrong wire colors, wrong connector labels, even completely wrong connectors (they put a fan cannector on LED leads). Also, doors are neat and look clean-but they tend to either break or get annoying....it also can impede airflow through the front fan. I always recommend Lian-Li cases-they are pricey-but are great quality and easy to work inside. NewEgg was GREAT about taking back and exchanging my b0rked RAIDMAX, even though their warranty has no terms allowing such, once I explained the idiotic QC screwups.

4) You'll probably be wanting a CD/DVD burner...they're cheap

5) Don't forget keyboard/mouse.

[PhoHammer]

4 things that jump out at me.

1) Why microATX?

Yes, the micro ATX is a mistake. It was late when I chose that haha!



2) ASUS monitors are not known for good color reproduction. My box drives a ASUS VW222U 22" montior...it is big....but it does not do that great a job rendering reds-and calibrating it better is a pain.

Hmmm.. maybe more research into monitors...



3) I'd consider something other than a RAIDMAX case. I ordered one from NewEgg-and the idiots wired the front panel completely wrong-wrong wire colors, wrong connector labels, even completely wrong connectors (they put a fan cannector on LED leads). Also, doors are neat and look clean-but they tend to either break or get annoying....it also can impede airflow through the front fan. I always recommend Lian-Li cases-they are pricey-but are great quality and easy to work inside. NewEgg was GREAT about taking back and exchanging my b0rked RAIDMAX, even though their warranty has no terms allowing such, once I explained the idiotic QC screwups.

Yes, it was quite cheap, I'll have to look into this, also.



4) You'll probably be wanting a CD/DVD burner...they're cheap


I assumed since my choice could burn DVD's it would be able to burn CDs, no?

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone!

[fistfullofroses]

as an alternative to the usual amd intel nvidia gear, why not try looking at the alternatives of Via C7 with OCZ ram, sun/solar sparc, and ibm power.

reasonable pricing rules out Sun and IBM. However, Via matches the request.

[Skripka]

I assumed since my choice could burn DVD's it would be able to burn CDs, no?

Thanks for the advice so far, everyone!

That is called me needing more caffiene. Whooops. ;)

The monitor color thing is only important if you go into retouching photos, or photo editing and want/need fairly accurate color.

[fistfullofroses]

I recently built a machine, and chose MSI board that was on sale for 50 bucks. It came with an nvidia chipset, hypertransport, am2/am2+ socket, and all of the other expected bells and whistles. I then chose to grab ddr2 800mhz ram, and 4gigs of it. I used the processor I already had, which is an AMD Sempron 2200. Not much to speak of. I am using a 100gb SATA HD that I already had, and my zip100 and dvd+rw drives that I already had. I am using a b43 wireless chipset. My rig is very modest. For linux, you don't need much, and as long as your hardware is extremely common, it will work with Linux (although random and extremely obscure stuff has a tendency to work as well).

[mips]

...

Do you have any idea how hard it is to read your post? Try using paragraphs & sentences.

[PhoHammer]

Update:
XCLIO Coolbox Advanced Fully Black Finish 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #:Coolbox Advanced

1 GIGABYTE GA-MA780G-UD3H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:GA-MA780G-UD3H

1 BFG Tech BFGE94512GTE GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card - Retail Model #:BFGE94512GTE

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail Model #:CMPSU-400CX

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 Brisbane 2.9GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5600DOBOX

2 G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6S-2GBMQ

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Model #:ST3500418AS

1 ASUS VW202NR 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Model #:VW202NR

LITE-ON Combo Black SATA Model DH-52C2S-04 – OEM Model #: dH-52C2S-04 (cd/dvd burner)


I changed the CD/DVD drive, case and mobo. I'm still wondering if I need a video card like that.

One thing I forgot to mention is I like energy efficiency. The PSU is 80+, but do I need 400W? Or can I go smaller?

So what should I do about wireless? I need it and I know it can be a bit painful with Linux (although to a lesser extent nowadays). Any suggestions for that?


The monitor color thing is only important if you go into retouching photos, or photo editing and want/need fairly accurate color.
Yeah, I won't be doing any of that, so as long as the resolution is nice and orange looks ~orange, I will live;)

[Skripka]

A PSU rated at "400W" almost always means *at peak* and NOT sustained. I hesitate going below 400W even with 80%+....meaning that PSU is rated for 80% of 400W sustained output...which ain't that much-only a wee bit over 300W.

A thought to throw out there too...I checked my cache of computer parts and I have a spare AMD4200+ (as well as a few AMD stock coolers) and an ASUS built NVIDIA 8500GT TOP laying around mi casa unused. If you're interested and in the US, a deal can be made and I can ship. Leftovers from upgrade-itis, in good order.

[PhoHammer]

A PSU rated at "400W" almost always means *at peak* and NOT sustained. I hesitate going below 400W even with 80%+....meaning that PSU is rated for 80% of 400W sustained output...which ain't that much-only a wee bit over 300W.
Do you think 400 W is enough?



A thought to throw out there too...I checked my cache of computer parts and I have a spare AMD4200+ (as well as a few AMD stock coolers) and an ASUS built NVIDIA 8500GT TOP laying around mi casa unused. If you're interested and in the US, a deal can be made and I can ship. Leftovers from upgrade-itis, in good order.

Oh, I'm just in the *planning* stages and there is much left to do (such as coming to terms with how much this will cost me:) and settling on exactly what I want). I kind of want to go all-new, but if I change my mind I'll definitely look into hitting you up for those spare gems.

[PhoHammer]

So here's another angle to view this situation:

I now have only a laptop, an HP pavilion dv6809wm

Specs for this beast are:
CPU Type AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 2.0G
Screen 15.4" WXGA
Memory Size 3GB DDR2
Hard Disk 120GB
Optical Drive DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce 7150M
Video Memory shared memory
Communication Modem, LAN and WLAN
Wireless Atheros AR5009 802.11 a/b/g

I'm happy with everything on this except the HDD. I fgured I would
just upgrade a bit on a few things (monitor, processor, HDD, RAM)
when I build my desktop. And hopefully leave a little room to grow
(in the RAM/processor areas). Do you think my current wishlist (posted above) does the job?

As a side note, what do you guys think about SSDs currently on the
market? It looks like their capacities are a bit low for the price right
now. Do they really provide any bang for their technology yet, or is
software still catching up?

[rotwang888]

So what should I do about wireless? I need it and I know it can be a bit painful with Linux (although to a lesser extent nowadays). Any suggestions for that?

I just built a system with one of these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041 No problems in Ubuntu, good signal, cheap.

[PhoHammer]

I just built a system with one of these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315041 No problems in Ubuntu, good signal, cheap.

Okay, we added one of those beasts ^^^ to the list and here we are:

1 XCLIO Coolbox Advanced Fully Black Finish 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Model #:Coolbox Advanced

1 GIGABYTE GA-MA780G-UD3H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:GA-MA780G-UD3H

1 BFG Tech BFGE94512GTE GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card - Retail Model #:BFGE94512GTE

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail Model #:CMPSU-400CX

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 Brisbane 2.9GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5600DOBOX

2 G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6S-2GBMQ

1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM Model #:ST3250310AS

1 SAMSUNG 2043SWX 20" 5ms LCD Monitor – Retail Model #:2043SWX

1 LITE-ON Combo Black SATA Model DH-52C2S-04 – OEM Model #: DH-52C2S-04 (cd/dvd burner)

1 OCZ OALKBELX2US USB Wired Slim Alchemy Series Elixir II Keyboard - Retail
Model #:OALKBELX2US

1 Rosewill RM-1600L Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB 1600 dpi Laser Mouse - Retail
Model #:RM-1600L

1 Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate – Retail Model #:RCR-IC001

1 EDIMAX EW-7128G PCI Wireless Card – Retail Model #:EW-7128G

Total price is $640.86 and I'm feeling good about it!!

[mips]

I find Samsung optical drives noisy. I have a Samsung & Sony (Lite-On mechanism) and the Sony is much quiter and also seems less finicky with burning some media. In future I will not buy Samsung again, I'll go with any Lite-On drive.

[PhoHammer]

So the mobo I picked says it has an ATI Radeon HD 3200 video chipset on it. Will I still need to buy a seperate video card if
I don't plan on gaming?

Oh and my wishlist finally showed up in the public wishlists, you can
see my selections in their full glory here: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9339705 :P

[Dr Small]

So the mobo I picked says it has an ATI Radeon HD 3200 video chipset on it. Will I still need to buy a seperate video card if
I don't plan on gaming?

Oh and my wishlist finally showed up in the public wishlists, you can
see my selections in their full glory here: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9339705 :P
So long as the motherboard has an onboard video chipset, you won't need a video card.

[pparks1]

You don't want the optical drive you picked. You want to go back to your first choice......A DVD burner will burn CD's. What you have now is a DVD reader and a cd-burner.

You want to go with this instead;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106287

And that mobo does have built in video. So I would start with that and see how it works out. If you are not happy with performance, you can always add a dedicated card later.

I would also go with a larger hard drive with more cache for better performance. For $30 more, you can get a 640GB Seagate with 32MB cache. Files just get larger and larger and you never know. It's easy to eat up a hard drive if you start playing with virtual machines, or ripping movies, etc.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148335

[PhoHammer]

You don't want the optical drive you picked. You want to go back to your first choice......A DVD burner will burn CD's. What you have now is a DVD reader and a cd-burner.

You want to go with this instead;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106287



Okay I switched that.



And that mobo does have built in video. So I would start with that and see how it works out. If you are not happy with performance, you can always add a dedicated card later.


Good that will hopefully save me some money for now...




I would also go with a larger hard drive with more cache for better
performance. For $30 more, you can get a 640GB Seagate with 32MB cache.
Files just get larger and larger and you never know. It's easy to eat
up a hard drive if you start playing with virtual machines, or ripping
movies, etc.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148335

Yes, I remember looking into cache sizes when I bought my external. Do
they make a noticable difference in performance? I think the first one I
had on there just had 8MB so would 32MB be a big difference?

[mips]

Yes, I remember looking into cache sizes when I bought my external. Do
they make a noticable difference in performance? I think the first one I
had on there just had 8MB so would 32MB be a big difference?

Yes, the more cache the better.
Cache is not really that important on a external usb drive as usb is the bottleneck.

[3rdalbum]

Everyone is weighing in with their opinions :-)

I'm probably the resident authority on DVD burners... my computer has three of them. I haven't tried Lite-On, but I know that my Pioneer burner is fast and reliable. It was about $10 more expensive but worth it.

I haven't heard of the brand of case you're using, and the earlier poster's report of bad quality control with that brand would make me wary of choosing it. I'd recommend Antec, Thermaltake or CoolerMaster. The Antec ones tend to be good value because they often include an Antec Earthwatts power supply (which achieves an 80+ efficiency rating). I mean, the Corsair is good too, I'm using a Corsair PSU at the moment, but if you can get a brand-name PSU with a brand-name case everyone's happy!

If you're not going to be gaming, the ATI integrated graphics should work fine for you. I'm not sure but they might be supported for some basic 3D out-of-the-box with the open-source ati driver? And if the ATI graphics aren't good enough, you can always take a look at an Nvidia card somewhere down the track. Hopefully once Nvidia has sorted out its naming, so you don't get confused.

[PhoHammer]

I haven't heard of the brand of case you're using, and the earlier poster's report of bad quality control with that brand would make me wary of choosing it. I'd recommend Antec, Thermaltake or CoolerMaster. The Antec ones tend to be good value because they often include an Antec Earthwatts power supply (which achieves an 80+ efficiency rating). I mean, the Corsair is good too, I'm using a Corsair PSU at the moment, but if you can get a brand-name PSU with a brand-name case everyone's happy!


Good point! I now I have an antec case with 430W 80+ psu and it
saves me $25! I've heard great things about antec, so I'm happy
with that and the previous psu i had on there was only 400W. I was a bit worried about being underpowered, so adding 30W
could help a bit maybe;)...

Edit: I've calculated my PSU needs-even exaggerating USB device usage- (http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine) and I should only be
using a little over 300W, so I think the 430W PSU will keep me powered for now... Also, reading reviews on newegg I saw many people loading this
psu with all kinds of hardware I wouldn't be using (multiple optical drives and HDDs) so it should be a good fit for me.


I'm impressed by what I could put together for under $600. I think this is definitely a better deal than prebuilt, especially
since this wishlist includes the 20" monitor...
And it will be great fun putting this beast together!

[PhoHammer]

So I've been looking at processors and I see that I could get a triple-
core phenom for less than $20 more than the dual-core athlon...

Here's a comparison of the two on newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010340343%2050001028%201266316752&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16819103234%2CN82E16819103253

One question I have, besides whether a triple-core cpu will be much
different in use, is what does the step up to 95W mean? Does this mean
it will suck more electricity than the 65W dual-core?

[chris200x9]

as an alternative to the usual amd intel nvidia gear, why not try looking at the alternatives of Via C7 with OCZ ram, sun/solar sparc, and ibm power.

can you even buy power/sparc parts?

[PhenixRising]

This is def a good thread. I will need to build a new computer with in the year. I will have a 26" to 32" monitor/tv or two 19" Dell LCDs. I play a lot of poker. In anycase the screen(s) won't be included in the costs at all. My computer is currently 6-7 years old so its time for a new one. I'll probably try to find a motherboard combo since I messed up my first build.

I'll add the Seagate 640 GB 32 Cache to my wish list.

I doubt I'll need a graphics card. The most graphically instense thing I use is Battle for Wesnoth or possibly PokerStars. Pokerstars may be more graphnically instense.

Any suggestions for motherboard combos? I will upgrade the heatsink so that it's quiter but I really don't want to play with the processor much. I'm worried I'll kill another one.

Other than that I think I'll be fine. I have an old Antec Case. I'll check the power suppy but I doubt I'll upgrade. I like this one. Its easy to work in, clean, and has plenty of ventilation.

Thanks for the wishlists I'll make my own.

[mips]

I have an old Antec Case. I'll check the power suppy but I doubt I'll upgrade. I like this one. Its easy to work in, clean, and has plenty of ventilation.


+1 on Antec. I also have one. The worst that could happen is that you need to get a newer Antec PSU.

[sabre2th]

One minor word of caution about the ATI HD3200 graphics: while it works fine for desktop stuff, I had issues playing video when running Compiz. Videos and Compiz are both fine if you don't combine them. You can do some light gaming with the HD3200, depending on your desktop resolution, though it's limited. Your mileage may vary, but that's been my experience.

DVD burners... I've had a couple of Samsungs and a Lite-on in the last few years. I don't burn a ton of stuff, but I couldn't tell the difference. In fact, I don't even remember which one is in which box at this point. They're fast and no louder than any drive I've used in the past.

As far as the rest of the hardware, I haven't come across a computer yet that doesn't run Ubuntu. My rule of thumb: Stick with relatively mainstream stuff and you should be fine. To be safe, post everything here once you've picked it out (and/or search) to make sure there are no nasty surprises. Not much to it, really.


+1 on Antec. I also have one. The worst that could happen is that you need to get a newer Antec PSU.
I bought an Antec case several years ago. It was a dream to work with and the power supply has never given me the tiniest bit of trouble. I'm using a Coolermaster now and it's been great too, though maybe slightly more difficult to work in than the Antec. I don't think you can go wrong with either of those brands.