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Journal pythorlh's Journal: Ask a subset of /. - Build a PC 10

Journal by pythorlh

I'm hoping to put together a new PC. I'm hoping to build it myself, mostly because I want to have an upgrade path available, and I hate trying to fit my big hands into those tiny little cases you get from Dell and HP. I'm am, however, more interested in power than upgradability, so if I get a big increase in power for my cash, I could conceivably go with a pre-built system.
 

What I'd really like to find is a good website that can help me plan the system. I don't follow this stuff closely enough to know all the ins and outs of compatibility. I know I need a motherboard that matches my chosen CPU. I know I need to match my video card and memory to my motherboard. I need a case that will fit all that, and either has a power supply beefy enough to run it all, or get myself a seperate power supply.

My big problem is that every time I try this, I'll pick a CPU, then find that motherboards to match it are too expensive, so I'll pick a motherboard, and then not be able to find a CPU. I need help mapping it all out. Even a good guide on how to pick what I want without getting lost in circular dependencies would help out.

So. Any suggestions: Web site, systems, or just general hardware? I prefer AMD to Intel, but mostly because of price/performance ratios. I've got a 250GB IDE HD I'll be moving over, but nothing else that won't be new. I want to be able to experiment with Linux without losing my ability to surf the web, but that's way down on my list of priorities, and WinXP will be the primary OS.

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Ask a subset of /. - Build a PC More

Ask a subset of /. - Build a PC

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  • aka Outpost.com . They've got prebuilts in several stages- by examining their prebuilt deals (such as motherboard with packaged processor deals), you can get a good idea of both the state of the art, and pointers where to go.

    • Nothing to say on the original subject, just I MISS FRY'S.

      Best Buy is starting to become more Fry's like, with the food and magazines near the register, the line to multiple checkouts, but it's not Fry's. I can't go in and look for breadboards and capacitors at Best Buy. I can't find the same insanity. :(

      • I feel your pain. I moved from Tempe, AZ, where a Fry's was within semi-reasonable walking distance (but not back... I can't carry all that stuff and walk a mile and a half, too!) to the southernmost part of South Carolina where the nearest Fry's is in Dallas.

        Don't it always seem to go
        That you don't know what you've got
        Til it's gone?

        • *sigh* We moved from Escondido (near San Diego) where there are 2 in driving distance (San Diego and San Marcos), one really new and themed, to Colorado Springs, where... well, I have to either go to AZ or NV.

          It doesn't help that previously, we both lived in "Silicon Valley" (he in Cupertino, yes, where Apple's 1 infinite loop is, me in San Jose proper) and had 4 to choose from (Campbell, Palo Alto, San Jose and Sunnyvale). Ah, the Sunnyvale Fry's...

          Outpost says there's a Fry's in Duluth, GA. That's *gotta*

          • "Outpost says there's a Fry's in Duluth, GA. That's *gotta* be closer than Texas. :)"

            REALLY?! Wow! That must be new, or I missed it before, or I just saw "Duluth" and my brain said "Minnesota".

            Thatkyouthankyouthankyou! You are my new bestest friend! :-D

            "What town in SC? My aunt lived in Beaufort for a while. I grew up in Columbia/Irmo and then lived in GA."

            Bluffton, about 20 miles south of Beaufort, and 10 miles west of Hilton Head. My mother-in-law lives in Irmo.

    • Alas, there are no Fry's stores in NY. I'll checkout the website, though.
  • You should take a look at Ars Technica's system guide [arstechnica.com]. Various suggested configurations for the DIY builder, customized for work, gaming, L33T SuP3RB0X, or low-cost.

    Now, when recommending products, you've got to take two main factors into account: available funds and performance. Some lucky bastards have unlimited funds; some have to pinch every penny. Most of us are somewhere in between. So, when you say something is the "best thing out there," it's important to ask, "Best for whom?" In recognition of thi

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