PC component packages

[RobDavies]

I'm up for "building" my own PC using what I've already got and some updated new stuff.

Is there anywhere that you can buy a package of gear that all fits together and works?

I've looked at Dabs but it would appear that some RAM isn't compatible with some motherboards and some motherboards aren't compatible with certain processors.

I really don't understand a lot of all the techie stuff so I want it all to be as simple as possible!

[Grunfeld.]

I've been in the same boat of wanting to assemble a PC from parts but not really sure what's what sometimes -- where it can be a bit hit and miss.

One of the easiest ways to do it is just get a barebones system like this:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/barebones.html

and go from there.

That way you've got the board and processor fitted already to the case, which probably isn't that difficult but which has been the bit which I've stuffed up in the past.

Another way I did it once was to pay a bloke to fit a new mobo and processor in a box I already had. Only cost £15 labour iirc. And then I fitted the rest myself.


Oli

[Sporky_McGuffin]

What do you want in the pack?

http://www.scan.co.uk/todayonly/ has a bundle near the top that might be worth a look.

[RobDavies]

Originally Posted by Sporky_McGuffin

What do you want in the pack?

.

I guess I'm looking at a motherboard, proccessor and RAM? That seems to be the complicated stuff.

Originally Posted by Grunfeld.

I've been in the same boat of wanting to assemble a PC from parts but not really sure what's what sometimes -- where it can be a bit hit and miss.

One of the easiest ways to do it is just get a barebones system like this:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/barebones.html

and go from there.



Oli

Cheers Oli.

That looks to be the sort of thing I'm after - presumably you just need to add the DVD drive and hard drives etc?

[scrumhalf]

Do you have any computer fairs held near where you live?

Even if you don't buy stuff there (and I have found them to be generally cheaper than shops in the high street or online) you can have a look at the options and talk to people who have an idea of what you are looking for and how to achieve it.

[ianpdq]

look here http://www.britishcomputerfairs.com/

[Grunfeld.]

Originally Posted by RobDavies

I guess I'm looking at a motherboard, proccessor and RAM? That seems to be the complicated stuff.
Cheers Oli.

That looks to be the sort of thing I'm after - presumably you just need to add the DVD drive and hard drives etc?

Yep. I've never had any problems assembling and adding stuff like this. The only exception to that is power supply units where the last couple that I've used had cables that were too short to reach some of the components in the case. There's always a work around but that's the only minor pain in the arse.

So yep, fit a couple of DVD re-writers and a few hard drives and you're sorted!


O

[digitalscream]

Quite honestly, if you're going to be building a PC, you're likely to end up in a bit of trouble if you don't know what you're putting in it. Your best course of action depends on why you're doing this in the first place....

If you're doing it to save money and you're not interested in what goes on in the guts of the machine, just pay your local geek a bit to chuck one together for you (and advise you on what should be in there).

If you're doing it to learn, then research is the name of the game. Ask questions in forums, read articles etc.

To get you started...as to the RAM question, there are two types that you're going to be concerned with - DDR2 and DDR3. DDR3 is faster in some situations (although not necessarily all), but considerably more expensive. Your best bet would be to find a motherboard that supports your chosen CPU and DDR2 memory (very common, and always listed in the specs), then decide how much RAM you want - 2GB would probably be fine for most stuff. Check out how many slots the motherboard has, and buy accordingly. I'd usually go for 2 sticks of 1GB RAM each - that will allow you to use two channels of memory at the same time (which is faster), while remaining cheap.

There's a lot more to it than that (like the 3.2GB or so limit on 32-bit operating systems), but that's probably a bit more than you should be concerned with at the moment unless you have a specific requirement for the machine.

[tehLORD]

First couple of questions to ask yourself is what do you want to use it for (games, just web browsing etc, audio or all the above?).

Second is how much you want to spend.


Buying all the components and building them yourself is quite easy. I built the first PC I ever owned and have never bought a pre made one since.