I'D Like To Build My Own Computer

[MaiDong]

I was going to buy my wife a computer but after looking around in the shops near us I couldn't see anything in my original price range, I decided that I'll just give mer my perfectly good PC and build my own, I think I'll be able to do it, it can't be that hard, can it?

I don't play games, I do want fair performance though as I use multiple applications and my current computer struggles slightly sometimes, it is a couple of years old so that is to be expected.

I've watched some videos online and they make it look very easy, I understand there may be some complications if I was to try it for the first time.

I've also read a few threads on thaivisa and some people have said it's better to go to pantip or similar with your specifications, buy the components and have the PC built whilst you wait, I'd like this option best as I'd be able to watch what's going on and learn a little at the same time.

If I was to do this what price could I expect to pay for a system with mid-range(??) specifications?

I'd love a breakdown of components I would need if someone has the time and patience

Thanks in advance, MD

[MaiDong]

I understand this may have been discussed several times but I'd really appreciate some up-to-date info if possible, I've done a little research and I believe these are the components I require, any recommendations, compatibility & prices would be appreciated;

Case with power supply

Motherboard(possibly with video, sound & network card(s))

CPU & cooler that is compatible with motherboard

RAM that is compatible with motherboard

Video card(unless it comes with MB)

Sound card(unless it comes with MB)

Hard drive

DVD drive

I also believe that all the relevant cables will either come with the components or can be bought at the shop where I decide to buy components from.

Have I forgotten anything?(except skill & know-how)

[Tywais]

I've built all my own systems and just rebuilt my home computer this weekend. Took most of the day due to complications such as mechanical fitting, wiring complexity due to the mainboard/case/large video card and a faulty Win7 DVD. It's the unexpected 'complications' that can make it pain. However, if you really would like to do it yourself for the learning as opposed to saving money than I encourage it.

A shop can put one together with your specs for a few hundred baht. An alternative is to do the build yourself then have someone who is skilled at it take a look at your work before lighting it up.

Minimal list of items needed:

• Case
  
• Power Supply
  
• Mainboard (CPU will dictate which board type needed)
  
• Processor (CPU) (decision on Intel or AMD needs to be decided)
  
• Memory - also, type determined by mainboard.
  
• Video Card
  
• Hard drive
  
• DVD Drive
  
• Video Monitor
  
• Keyboard/mouse
  

Here is a link to a system I built several years ago and put together a webpage for it. Unfortunately I lost the original page with descriptions. It will give you an idea as to what you will be dealing with.

My computer build

My recent build is probably a little more high end than you are looking for.

OCZ Vertex 3 Solid state drive

2 Samsung F3 hardrives (already had)

ATI Radeon 4890 (already had)

Asus P8P67 (R3) mainboard

Intel i7-2600K cpu

Dell U2410 - 24" monitor

Coolermaster Case

Coolermaster 550VA True Power power supply

the rest I already had (keyboard/mouse/etc)

[dave_boo]

Right now I'd recommend going with Intel's Sandybridge processor, a good motherboard and 8 GB of ram.

Since you don't sound as you're looking to game, a Core i5 2500 would be great. Way faster than anything from 2 years ago and easy on the wallet. Also should keep your machine going for quite some time.

Of the motherboards widely available in LOS I would reommend Asus brand. There are several different chipsets for Sandbridge processors, but perhaps a P8H61-M LE would be good? This means that you can get by on the Intel integrated graphics which now-a-days are as good as Nvidia/ATI(AMD) lower midrange cards.

I recommend 2x 4GB sticks of RAM. It's cheap and it will make sure your programmes have plenty of breathing room.

For me, cases are an instance where form follows function. A cheaper case that houses everything and has good airflow is all I'd build with. Cooler Master Elite 360 would definitely suffice.

That means that a power supply is necessary though. A smaller one will do the trick since you aren't running discrete graphics and hard drive arrays. Cooler Master's eXtreme Power Plus at 460 watts will do ya.

Only you know the size of HDD you need, so I just added the cheapest one I could find; a Segate 250GB jobbie.

CD/DVD drive can be moved over into the machine from your old machine to install your OS. I rarely use CD/DVD anymore and find few reasons that anyone would have to especially if they have another machine with one (I.E., grab the files off the CD/DVD from the wife's machine, drop them on a thumbdrive and take it to your machine).

• Processor 6850 THB
• Motherboard 2750 THB
• RAM 2900 THB
• Case 1050 THB
• PSU 1690 THB
• HDD 1240 THB
• Total 16480 THB

Don't know how that compares to your budget, but it's a machine that will last you quite a few years and be much quicker than anything you're had. It's cheaper than a similiar machine(same processor, unknown motherboard, less ram, bigger hdd and keyboard/mouse) and you get the satisifaction of building your own.

[Spoonman]

Since you don't sound as you're looking to game, a Core i5 2500 would be great. Way faster than anything from 2 years ago and easy on the wallet. Also should keep your machine going for quite some time.

I beg to differ, my CarPc has an i5 2500 and it is but a mere shadow of my main desktop pc running a old "quadcore".

[Tywais]

I beg to differ, my CarPc has an i5 2500 and it is but a mere shadow of my main desktop pc running a old "quadcore".

Have to agree with you there. I have an i5 at the office and the system I just replaced at home was an E6600 (which is a few years old) and the E6600 was considerably faster. Of course there are a lot of other variables that dictate that though.

[Tywais]

I recommend 2x 4GB sticks of RAM.

Just a comment on this. If you are planning on a 64-bit Windows or a Linux system, I fully agree. If not, than you will have 5 GB of memory doing nothing.

[MaiDong]

Thanks for those excellent and detailed replies, I feared I had asked a boring old question but you proved me wrong!

I'm wondering about the processor now though, I understand there's going to be varying experiences, is there a processor that everybody can agree on?

[dave_boo]

Do you think that he's looking at building a mid-range system now, but is coming off a high mid to a high range system? I suppose that is possible, but comparing the Core i5 2500 (quad core with the same speed, improved instructions, etc) to the E6600 is kinda of kilter isn't it? Perhaps there's not that much of a performance leap in single threaded programmes, but who still runs those?

[Tywais]

I'm wondering about the processor now though, I understand there's going to be varying experiences, is there a processor that everybody can agree on?

An important question in the decision process is what is your budget? That will steer us to more specific answers.

[dave_boo]

I recommend 2x 4GB sticks of RAM.

Just a comment on this. If you are planning on a 64-bit Windows or a Linux system, I fully agree. If not, than you will have 5 GB of memory doing nothing.

True. I'll ask who still uses non-64 bit OS though on a new Vista or 7 install (or SuSE )

Thanks for those excellent and detailed replies, I feared I had asked a boring old question but you proved me wrong!

I'm wondering about the processor now though, I understand there's going to be varying experiences, is there a processor that everybody can agree on?

For an extra 300 THB you can get the unlocked 2500K which would allow you to overclock it...unfortunately not with the motherboard I recommended. You'd have to go up to the Z68 chipset to have both video out capabilities and overclocking.

[Supernova]

I recommend 2x 4GB sticks of RAM. It's cheap and it will make sure your programmes have plenty of breathing room.

Instead of getting 8GB RAM, go for 4GB and use the extra cash to invest in good quality memory instead.

If you do settle on 4GB, make sure you buy 2x2GB modules instead of a single 4GB stick. It's cheaper, plus you'll get the added benefit of running 4 gigs of DDR3 in "dual channel" mode. Corsair and G.Skill are top brands that are known for their high performance RAM.

[MaiDong]

<br />

I recommend 2x 4GB sticks of RAM.

<br /><br />Just a comment on this.  If you are planning on a 64-bit Windows or a Linux system, I fully agree.  If not, than you will have 5 GB of memory doing nothing.  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

I don't think I need 64-bit, I'm using 32-bit at the moment and although I think it's fine for my usage, it could be part of the problem of my PC sometimes struggling with the load I put it under, what are the benefits of having 64-bit? If I don't need it then I suppose 2x2GB RAM is adequate?

[MaiDong]

<br />

<br />I'm wondering about the processor now though, I understand there's going to be varying experiences, is there a processor that everybody can agree on?<br />

<br />An important question in the decision process is what is your budget? That will steer us to more specific answers.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I am looking at B12-16,000, the less the better!

[MaiDong]

These screen shots are my current specs and performance...

[Tywais]

These screen shots are my current specs and performance...

I'm sorry but I'm just showing off now with my new rig.

[MaiDong]

<br /><br />For me, cases are an instance where form follows function.  A cheaper case that houses everything and has good airflow is all I'd build with. Master Elite 360 would definitely suffice</a>.<br /><br />That means that a power supply is necessary though.  A smaller one will do the trick since you aren't running discrete graphics and hard drive arrays.  </font><br />

<br /><br /><br />

I'm a stickler for form, unfortunately, would you say this case will be ok? http://www.thanni.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=220&products_id=5388

[MaiDong]

<br />

<br />These screen shots are my current specs and performance...<br />

<br />I'm sorry but I'm just showing off now with my new rig.  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <br /><br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Nice, I bet photoshop doesn't take 15 minutes to open 40 images with THAT rating

[MaiDong]

Why do I keep on getting '<b r /><b r /><b r />' after every quote??

[Tywais]

Why do I keep on getting '<b r /><b r /><b r />' after every quote??

Looks like you are using the Rich Text Editor. Change to the standard one should fix it.

[Tywais]

I'm a stickler for form, unfortunately, would you say this case will be ok? http://www.thanni.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=220&products_id=5388

Personally I would go with this one which is very similar to what I have now. Lot's of room and 'tool less' construction. Though I found the tool less part not 100% as you can see from my website photos.

[MaiDong]

So, as for processors we're undecided but dave_boo recomends this a Core i5 2500

Motherboard - Asus. a P8H61-M LE would be good

RAM - 2x 4GB sticks of RAM

Case - like I said, I like the way things look, as long as you agree it's ok to use this one - http://www.thanni.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=220&products_id=5388

Power supply - will this be compatible with my preferred case? Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 460 watts.

HDD - I'll work that out later, I use an Acer 1TB external in addition to my 500GB HDD

CD/DVD - I might need it in future, it's best to have just in case isn't it, any recommendations?

[MaiDong]

I'm a stickler for form, unfortunately, would you say this case will be ok? http://www.thanni.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=220&products_id=5388

Personally I would go with this one which is very similar to what I have now. Lot's of room and 'tool less' construction. Though I found the tool less part not 100% as you can see from my website photos.

I don't like the way it looks

Is my preferred one unsuitable?

[Tywais]

I don't like the way it looks

Is my preferred one unsuitable?

I sometimes forget about personal tastes. It looks fine in terms of the features spelled out in the specs. I just have always gone with Cooler Master models as they are well thought out internally. I would go to the website of that company to look at more details, specifically the internal layout. Details here.

I just looked at it and personally I don't like the drive bay arrangement. The Cooler Master, and probably others such as Thermaltake, have side mounted 3.5" drive bays making it very easy to add or remove drives.

[Spoonman]

Asus P8P67 (R3) mainboard

Intel i7-2600K cpu

I bought the same today except I have the "evo" board, whats your thought on the mobo on CPU ?

[wolf5370]

OK - do you really want to build a new system? In your post you say your 2 year old one is struggling, in the first instance, have you tried rebuilding that one? If you are not a gamer (as you posted) then it is likely to be memory of disk space that is the issue as to speed - 2 years ago machines were still pretty fast!

One thing to do is make sure your machine is not overheating - this can seriously reduce the machine's "power". Give it a good clean - including the fans and heat sinks (be careful!!!). Download a free utility like CPUID and check the fans are working (fan speed) - and CPU temp (anything over 60 degrees is getting hot - if its upwards on 70 then the chips will be suffering - over 100 and the machine should cut out) it will also show voltages, check that they are not too low (i.e. 1.5V line is around 1.4 drawn and 12v is probably upwards of 8v drawn) - this could show problems in the PSU (which is a cheap replacement and tend to go well before anything else on the machine).

Personally, unless you are adamant you want a shiny new piece of plastic in the corner, then I would:

- Backup HDD files etc you want to keep / Format HDD and install the OS (maybe going up to 64bit if you are on 32bit and your main board has a capacity to take more than 3GB of memory) / install products you use and restore any files you need from the backup.

- Up the memory (if you have 2GB or less - or you are doing a lot of multitasking or heavy apps)

- A second drive is useful as swap (VM) file etc can be placed there as can files and back ups.

- Upgrade your graphics card if it is main board graphics (i.e. built in and not a separate board) or is very old (which is doubtful in a 2 yo system) - note expensive graphics cards are for gamers and graphics artists, a standard 256mb board will be fine for most apps.

It is not difficult to build a machine from scratch these days (used to be much harder what with dip switches and matching cards to ports and CPUs etc) - its like Lego - everything is pretty much plug and play! BIOS settings are straight forward as much of it is pre-set or automatic these days.

//Edit: Oh ad I would go for a 600W PSU - they last longer (not being run at full power all day in Thailand temperatures) and have spare load if you add peripherals (USB powered and internal HDD/DVD/CD/graphics boards/fans - and get good fans, decent thermal paste for the CPU heatsink (and a heatsink over 2 inches if you can fit one in your case)

[MaiDong]

I don't like the way it looks

Is my preferred one unsuitable?

I sometimes forget about personal tastes. It looks fine in terms of the features spelled out in the specs. I just have always gone with Cooler Master models as they are well thought out internally. I would go to the website of that company to look at more details, specifically the internal layout. Details here.

I just looked at it and personally I don't like the drive bay arrangement. The Cooler Master, and probably others such as Thermaltake, have side mounted 3.5" drive bays making it very easy to add or remove drives.

Thanks for your honest opinion Tywais, I don't mind a little bit of awkwardness if things look right in my eyes So apart from the lack of side mountings everything else seems fine?

[Tywais]

Asus P8P67 (R3) mainboard

Intel i7-2600K cpu

I bought the same today except I have the "evo" board, whats your thought on the mobo on CPU ?

You saw my Experience data. So far, quite happy with it - but it's been only one day. No complications and started up right away. The biggest complaint I would have with the main board is that the 8 SATA connectors are all on the front edge of the board and at 90 degree angles making it a real pain to put the cables due to the case drive bays. Might want to put the cables on before inserting the board if you are tight up front.

The other thing, it takes a bit of getting used to to the new GUI BIOS. It looks like a running program with full mouse and keyboard control. I ran into one odd behavior I'm trying to figure out and that is if I have my portable flash drive plugged in, the BIOS just keeps restarting. Will be looking at some forums as to what that is all about but it is a minor quirk.

[MaiDong]

OK - do you really want to build a new system? In your post you say your 2 year old one is struggling, in the first instance, have you tried rebuilding that one? If you are not a gamer (as you posted) then it is likely to be memory of disk space that is the issue as to speed - 2 years ago machines were still pretty fast!

One thing to do is make sure your machine is not overheating - this can seriously reduce the machine's "power". Give it a good clean - including the fans and heat sinks (be careful!!!). Download a free utility like CPUID and check the fans are working (fan speed) - and CPU temp (anything over 60 degrees is getting hot - if its upwards on 70 then the chips will be suffering - over 100 and the machine should cut out) it will also show voltages, check that they are not too low (i.e. 1.5V line is around 1.4 drawn and 12v is probably upwards of 8v drawn) - this could show problems in the PSU (which is a cheap replacement and tend to go well before anything else on the machine).

Personally, unless you are adamant you want a shiny new piece of plastic in the corner, then I would:

- Backup HDD files etc you want to keep / Format HDD and install the OS (maybe going up to 64bit if you are on 32bit and your main board has a capacity to take more than 3GB of memory) / install products you use and restore any files you need from the backup.

- Up the memory (if you have 2GB or less - or you are doing a lot of multitasking or heavy apps)

- A second drive is useful as swap (VM) file etc can be placed there as can files and back ups.

- Upgrade your graphics card if it is main board graphics (i.e. built in and not a separate board) or is very old (which is doubtful in a 2 yo system) - note expensive graphics cards are for gamers and graphics artists, a standard 256mb board will be fine for most apps.

It is not difficult to build a machine from scratch these days (used to be much harder what with dip switches and matching cards to ports and CPUs etc) - its like Lego - everything is pretty much plug and play! BIOS settings are straight forward as much of it is pre-set or automatic these days.

Great post, I really appreciate your points!

I need to provide a computer for my wife anyway so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone, it's pretty hot in my office and the heat could be part of the problem, I haven't opened it for a clean since I bought it so I'm sure it's full of dust etc, it's much cooler downstairs where it will be used by my wife so I'll give it a good clean then.

I've got my heart set on a shiny new piece of plastic TBH

[Tywais]

OK - do you really want to build a new system? In your post you say your 2 year old one is struggling, in the first instance, have you tried rebuilding that one? If you are not a gamer (as you posted) then it is likely to be memory of disk space that is the issue as to speed - 2 years ago machines were still pretty fast!

That's a good point and I managed to ignore it. Perhaps the OP can give the full spec of the machine - CPU/Mainboard/Memory amount/Hard drive model & size. Video card can bring a machine down to its knees also.

I suspect he has his heart set on a new system though now and his wife may be none too happy to lose her 'new' computer.

//edit - looks like I read the OP's mind.