So who out there builds PCs?

[Captain]

Well with both Christmas and Brendan's 5th birthday coming, I have been thinking about replacing his computer.  It is an old hand-me-down Pentium 1 that does not have enough memory to handle many of the educational games that are available these days. :(

I was thinking of building him a PC, but I am not sure where to shop.  I've bought upgrades like memory, CD-ROMs, sound cards, modems ETC before and installed them but never built from the ground up.

Any advice on where to shop or how to find a local source for parts and probably some advice?? :P

Captain

[Pete J]

I'd start looking for a vendor near you.

http://www.coganfairs.com/computer-fair-vendors.htm

Kevin cuts wood for the biggest dealer in CT. He runs a place called PC's International and has an outlet store called Kaplan computers. Cheap prices and good stuff.

[DextorDee]

Gonna be hard to build one for less than what some of the new systems are selling for now.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/

[fstedy]

 8) 8) 8) This site will explain the basics to you.
http://www.waterwheel.com/Build_A_PC/build_PC.htm

Buy quality parts Antec Cases 350 watt power supply and 3 0r more case fans, Asus mother boards 800 mz front side bus with hyperthreading this uses a Pentium 4 chip. If you buy the bulk parts they don't come with cables most of the time the consumer box is better they do have cables. I have another site bookmarked with sources and will repost that later. Have fun with the build.  8) 8) 8)

[fstedy]

 8) 8) 8) Here is the other link for parts.
http://www.muzzle-nose.com/GREATDEALS

Price Watch is the parts search engine I prefer just watch the lowball prices use good rated companies such as Newegg, Tiger Direct, Zip Zoom and Accupc.

[whitepe]

I have used TigerDirect for some motherboards with good success but it was
about  5 or 6 years ago.  I  used to buy from
MicroXperts and had great success but they disappeared
from the scene. I built systems for our church, a few friends,
my in-laws, and myself.   After a while I found that
the cost difference between a totally integrated system and what I can buy components for is only a few bucks so I
finally stopped doing it.  When I buy a system, I look into it's expandability.  Can I add more memory, a second hard drive a CD - RW drive etc.

[Jason_WI]

I have built two PC's recently. I have had good luck with Asus motherboards and Enermax cases and power supplies. I will usually stick to the name brand stuff like Sony CDRW/DVD drives, ATI graphic cards, Zoom modem and such.

Alot of the really cheap stuff that Dell, HP/Compac, and Gateway sells have all of the stuff integrated on the mother board. Upgrades can be a hassle especially if the BIOS is limited.

The last PC I built all the stuff came from:

 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Home.jsp

I know other people have had good luck with Amazon.com.

For a 5 year old a Celeron would be plenty of HP. 500 Mb of ram min with Xtra Problems (XP) and a 64 Mb video card unless he's a hard core game'r  : ;D. 17 flat panel LCD monitor are cheap nowadays and are easier on the eyes.

Jason

[Jeff]

Ianab does! Do you want it to fit in a cigarette pack or a paper cup?

I'll let him find his pictures.

[Ianab]

The local guys have better ideas on local parts sources than I have, so go with their recomendations.
You may not save a lot building your own PC, but you do get the exact specs and components that you want, often better quality than the budget PCs.
Check warranty details, individual componants may only have a 12 month warranty, where a complete system you may get a 3 year warranty?
The PCs I build are because I want something different...


That little baby is a 9 inch cube, made of rimu timber and smoked perspex. Not everyones cup of tea, but it gets a few comments.



Ian

[GHRoberts]

Captain ---

I build systems for my wife's business.

It costs more than buying premade systems, but I can repair them.

I buy parts at a local place that builds PCs, repairs PC, and sells parts. Except for LCDs they have reasonable prices and you an get in and out quickly.

Any local repair place should have parts cheap enough.

[flatsawyer]

I have built several  computers over the years and I use www.newegg.com.

[rebocardo]

I bought my last board from a local VAR, though I have bought components from both Tiger Direct and Dartek and are happy with the service.

The big thing is buying a good motherboard and are you going to buy one with the audio and video already installed and what kind of memory are you going to use.

[WoodSmith]

I have built quit a few systems.I have attached a list of parts from NEWEGG.com to build a complete system. Sometimes its cheaper to buy one from a company like Gateway, Dell, or your local computer store.

       
              Enlight Beige Mid-Tower ATX Case with 350W SATA Power Supply, Model "EN-7250-OXZ" -RETAIL Specifications: Case Type: Mid Tower Color: Beige Material: Steel Drive Bays: 5.25" x 4/0, 3.5" x 2/1 (external/internal) Expansion Slots: 7 Front Ports: 2 x USB2.0 Power Supply: Enlight 350W Cooling System: 1 x 80mm rear fan, air guide Motherboard Compatibility: ATX - 12" x 9.6" Dimensions: 7.5" x 16.8" x 18.8" (WxHxD) more info->       N82E16811116171       $53.00      $53.00      
 

              Shuttle "AV49VN" P4X400 Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL Specifications: Supported CPU: Socket 478 Intel Pentium 4/Celeron Processors Chipset: VIA P4X400 + VIA VT8235 FSB: 400/533MHz RAM: 3x DIMM for DDR400/333/266/200 Max 3GB(1 DIMM to support DDR400) IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI Ports: 2xPS2,1xCOM,1xLPT,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xLAN,1xGAME,Audio Ports Onboard Audio: 2-Channel AC97 Audio Onboard LAN: VIA VT6103 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet Form Factor: ATX more info->       N82E16813150051       $46.00      $46.00      
 

              ATI RADEON 9000 Video Card, 64MB DDR, TV-Out, 4X AGP, -OEMSpecifications:Chipset: ATI Radeon 9000Memory: 64MB DDRBUS: AGP 4XPorts: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out(S-Video Out)Support 3D API: DirectX 8, OpenGL 1.3Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536Cable/Accessories: Driver CDOEM Bundle (See pics for details) more info->       N82E16814102386       $39.00      $39.00      
 

              Intel Pentium 4/ 2.26 GHz 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 Cache Processor - OEMSpecifications:Model: Intel Pentium 4Core: NorthwoodOperating Frequency: 2.26GHzFSB: 533MHzCache: L1/12K+8K; L2/512KVoltage: 1.5VProcess: 0.13MicronSocket: Socket 478Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2Packaging: OEM(Processor Only) more info->       N82E16819116142       $109.00      $109.00      
 

              Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2100 - OEMSpecifications:Manufacturer: KingstonSpeed: DDR266(PC2100)Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAMError Checking: Non-ECCRegistered/Unbuffered: UnbufferedCas Latency: 2.5Support Voltage: 2.5VBandwidth: 2.1GB/sOrganization: 64M x 64 -BitWarranty: Lifetime more info->       N82E16820144001       $75.27      $75.27      
 

              Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD800JB, OEM Drive OnlySpecifications:Capacity: 80GBAverage Seek Time: 8.9 msBuffer: 8MBRotational Speed: 7200 RPMInterface: IDE ULTRA ATA100Features: High-performance with 8MB BufferManufacturer Warranty: 3 yearsPackaging: OEM Drive Only more info->       N82E16822144122       $58.00      $58.00      
 

              Logitech Internet Keyboard & Mouse Bundle - OEM Specifications: Interface: PS/2 Number Of Keys: 104 keys + 7 Function keysWireless Technology: N/A Mouse included: SBF69 Optical Wheel Mouse Palm Rest: detachable Features: An ideal solution for browsing the web. Keyboard features seven hot keys that give users one-touch access to everyday Internet functions from accessing the web to searching for specific information to viewing email, file search and multimedia commands. *Must be purchased with Hardware!* more info->       N82E16823126130       $20.00      $20.00      
 

              ViewSonic E70 17" CRT Monitor -RETAILSpecifications:CRT Type: 17"(16.0" viewable), Shadow Mask CRTDot Pitch: 0.23mm horizontal, 0.27mm diagonalMax / Optimal resolution: 1280x1024 @ 66Hz / 1024x768 @ 87Hz Frequency / Bandwidth: fh: 30~70kHz; fv: 50~160Hz / 120MHzFeatures: Anti-static, anti-reflection screenDimensions & Weight: 15.7" x 15.8" x 16.7" (WxHxD), 32.7 lbsManufacturer's Warranty / Phone No.: 3 year limited warranty on CRT, parts and labor / 800-688-6688 more info->       N82E16824116157       $113.99      $113.99      
 

              Samsung 12X DVD±RW, Model TS-H542A/WBCH Black, OEMSpecifications:Write Speed: 12X DVD+R, 4X DVD+RW, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD-RW, 40X CD-R, 24X CD-RWRead Speed: 40X CD-ROM, 12X DVD-ROMInterface: ATAPI / E-IDEBuffer: 2MBOS Support: Windows XP/ 2000/ ME/ 98SEFeatures: Buffer Under Run Free TechnologyPackaging: OEM more info->       N82E16827151204       $54.99      $54.99      
 


 
Subtotal »      $569.25       

Hope this helps
 

[WoodSmith]

Ianab,
I am a Computer/Network Specialist for our local school district.
I like your wood cube PC
 looks alot nicer than the one that Apple puts together.
How do you mount the components?
That is a great gift idea. 8)
Do you have a P4 and a 7200 rpm drive in there? If so, do you have any problems with heat?
I would like to build one of those sometime.
Do you have a home network?
Also thanks for the assistance with the pics, there are still somethings about technology that I just can't get my brain to wrap around. :-[

[Ianab]

Hi Woodsmith

Umm.... A P4 and its PSU and cooling might be a bit much for that poor little case
It uses a VIA C3 CPU, current version run at 1.2ghz. Advantage is they are cheap and the whole all in one system board draws about 20 watts. It has a 40gb 5400 drive in there, but cooling is no problem, it has 4 small CPU sized fans on the back panel moving air in and out. It's not a high power PC but it will run windows, internet, MS Office and DVD player fine.
Actual construction is in 3 layers inside the case.
A stripped ATX power supply and the hard drive are screwed to the base board. The system board is mounted on a perspex shelf that sits in the middle of the case. The DVD drive is mounted on brackets from the wooden case top. Thats all thats in there really. The extra blue LEDs lighting up the interior are optional.

More info at http://www.mini-itx.com

PCs built into toasters, model aircraft carriers, cigar humidors, logs cabins, gingerbread cakes, lego models... well you name it...

No more Beige Boxes  8) 8)

Ian
P.S.  Yes I do have a 5 PC network at home  ;)

[WoodSmith]

Next thing coming down the technology highway is bio-technology. thats where they plant a micro sized computer on the back of your hand so that big brother can keep track of you.
 

then when you double click your right fingers "Scottie" will beam you up"!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

Ian, Thanks for the link to the mini site. I think I'm gonna order one o them.

[SwampDonkey]

Ah Mini-itx

I've been following those, especillay on another non-windows platform. I seen some pc mini-itx computers made from the windows XP cardboard box. :D :D

Click-ity Click

;)

[SwampDonkey]

You can compare shop at http://www.nextag.com

[Engineer]

Well, nobody's mentioned my favorites yet:

www.jncs.com

www.compuplus.com

Also visit www.pricewatch.com to get the best deals once you find what you want.

I have not bought a complete PC since I had an old Tandy 1000 from Radio Hack in 1986.  Every one since then has been built from either a barebones system or from the case up.  Right now I'm running three PC's in my office, all different configurations.  The thing I seem to usually have the most problems with are CD and CD-RW drives.  They are just cheap and don't last.  Most of the software for them stinks too.

My preferences are ASUS or ABIT motherboards, Antec or Enlight cases, Western Digital hard drives, Samsung monitors, ATI video, and everything else is whatever I can get.  A lot of new mobos have the sound and video built right in, and unless you have special need for advanced sound or video options, those boards are fine.  Jam as much memory as you can into the machine, go for a middle-of-the-road processor (bang for the buck), largest hard drive you can afford, and the largest monitor you can afford.  There's no reason not to have 1 Mb of memory, a 200 Gb HD, and a 19" monitor.

[SwampDonkey]

Engineer,

Have you used Nero Burning ROM or Adaptec's EasyCD/DVD Creator or Toast (Mac)? I use Nero on my Yamaha CD-RW and have no troubles. Yamaha is my choice of CDR/DVD-R drives. Avoid HP, they can only make scanners and printers. ;)