Computer build guides

[Onkel Neal]

How to build a PC; A step-by-step guide to enthusiast system assembly

The 2008 PC Builder's Bible; If you can put together a bed from IKEA, you can build your own PC: Build it! guide

If you know of any others, post link here.

[gandalf71]

Didn´t you just order a complete PC from Dell?

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/

This site contains a huge pile of info concerning all aspects of PC hardware and also some interesting test reports.

br
Michael

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by gandalf71

Didn´t you just order a complete PC from Dell?

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/

This site contains a huge pile of info concerning all aspects of PC hardware and also some interesting test reports.

br
Michael

I did, this is for those adventurous souls

Those Builder's Bible sections, such as this one on CPUs, are fantastic!

[gandalf71]

Yes I totally agree, especially those market overviews are always very helpful.

For me as an electronic technician it´s not that big adventure to build a PC, I think the most difficult part today is to choose the right components for the respective purpose.
Even if you are deeply involved in that business over years, it´s almost impossible to understand intuitionally what Intel, AMD, NVidia and all others are hiding behind their obscure product names.

It is always easy to build the most powerful and expensive PC, but getting the best cost/performance ratio is much more challenging.

Cheers,
Michael

[Zachstar]

I completely agree.

Everyone's terms of "Value" are completely different. A buisness PC build at 500 USD would likely find more value in a strong CPU that can do Excel Spreadsheets faster than a home PC build at the same price that accepts a small drop in CPU performance in order to up the Video card.

But lets stick with some pretty simple rules.

Cheap Home Theater (AMD 45W or less) (This will change with Ion hits the scene)

Expensive Home Theater (Low power 45nm Core 2 duo)

Cheap Buisness (AMD Onboard Video and Mid range dual core AMD CPU to save power costs)

Expensive Buisness (Still the AMD on this one because the Value on the Phenom II tris and quads is higher than Core 2 at this range)

Cheap Home (AMD Dual Core (Kuma if its now or a 45nm dual core Athlon XP later)

Midrange Home (AMD Phenom II Tri Core has the most value here Save on the CPU to get atleast a 4850 if possible)

Expensive Home (Core i7 all the way! Core i7 kicks but because of the sheer number of transistors which means it can tear through ALOT more) This is a 1.5 Thousand dollar build atleast because after you spend so much for a quad core you WANT serious graphics and ram.

[NeonSamurai]

Hmm how come neither guide mentions the risks of electrostatic shock? I was trained to always ground before handling the motherboard and especially the memory to avoid damaging components with a static zap

[Bill Nichols]

Two books I am finding to be very helpful:

Build A PC: Build an SLI Dual Core Gamer for Under $599! By: Michael F Quarles

Build It. Fix It. Own It: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC. By: Paul McFedries

I got both from Amazon.

Another book I have on standby for when I get into trouble:

Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts: Troubleshooting PC Hardware Problems from Boot Failure to Poor Performance. By: Morris Rosenthal

[AVGWarhawk]

Another book that should be on stand by, "How to Use a Hammer When Things Do Not Work Out."

Neon is right, short yourself to ground before touching the components.