EPT
I firmly belive that the best route is building your own. OEM computers are usually more expensive or contains lesser parts. I'm not saying they are useless. The fact is that most users will do just fine with a dell or compaq computer, but I belive that you can build better computers yourself. It is fun thing to do, and it is surprisingly easy. It takes me about 20 minutes to put a computer together and making sure everything is right.
Part 1 : Choosing your parts
A general rule of thumb is : go mid-range. Don't buy the absolutely fastest video card (Right now the 8800 ULTRA), or the latest memory (DDR3 atm) because it is not worth it. These components are usually pushed to the limit, are overpriced, will be the best untill the next generation arrives and will not give the performance increase you'd expect.
There are 3 parts that you should never skimp on. These are the motherboard, the power supply (psu) and the memory (ram). The rest you can save on. Now lets get into individual parts.
1: CPU
Chosing your cpu is the easiest task these days. AMD is lagging behind with outdated technology and is not showing any signs of surging ahead. Expect them at most to break even. So, go with Intel. You'd want a core2duo or even a Quad core. The Q6600 is a great buy these days. Don't read to much into clock speeds, but mind the cache. You want at least 4 mb, stay away from the 2mb core2 variants.
Compare current CPU speeds here
1.1 Overclocking
I will mention this, because the latest intel cpu's overclock to high heavens due to their advanced manufacturing process, the nice low temperature and the fact that every core2duo cpu is made exactly the same. I really see no reason not overclock a intel cpu these days, if only like 25%. I won't go into the technical details, but remember if you want to overclock you need a motherboard to deal with it. The P35 should be supergood for this. A few links showcasing what is possible:
$89 Pentium Dual Core that Runs at 3.2 GHz
Extreme FSB 2: The Quad-Core Advantage?
Extreme FSB: Taking the E6750 Beyond 4 GHz
2: Motherboard
Now this is a hard thing to pick. First, for the intel cpu you need a Socket 775 motherboard. There are currently 4 different chipsets - the 965, the 975, the P35 and the X38. The X38 is the enthusiast choice, but you really don't need it today. I'd go with the p35 because it is a good mainstream solution. The 965 is also great, stay away from the semi-failiure that is the 775 platform. Oh and also the nvidia chipsets are pretty good, but also older than the new fancy P35/X38. The mobo market is in constant movement, so pick one that has all the features you need and then spend some time reading up on it.
Go with a name brand but stay away from "gaming" offerings. Usually not worth it. I could talk about chosing a motherboard forever, but a better way to chose it to check out a good site like Tom's Hardware.
Eight P35-DDR2 Motherboards Compared
3: Memory
RAM is important. These days the standard is 2 gb. You'll need a 64-bit system to use 4gb-plus systems. Don't. DDR3 is here, but it is expensive and not really worth the money yet. A good choice here is going with DDR2-6400. Not very expensive and fast enough. A good offering is Wintec AMPO PC2-6400, you can find 2 1gb sticks for as little as $80. Don't buy the really really cheap stuff.
4: Power Supply (PSU)
The PSU is very important. You want one that is silent, so look at the ones with a large 120mm fan on the bottom. There are a lot of different versions today, but make sure you get one with plenty of connectors, and at least 3-4 sata connections. It should give plenty of power, 500w is excellent, 400w is usually enough. A good brand is Fortron, they make durable and affordable psu's. I would not splurge on one of those 500w+ offerings, you don't need them. My current computer has a 500w psu, 5 or six hard drives, dvd-rom and a hungry gfx card, and it has plenty of power. Be prepared to pay at least $60-$70 on this. I spent $150 on mine and it is well worth it.
EDIT: I'm gonna change my mind a bit here. If you are planning on some serious overclocking, a state-of-the-art video card and a mass of other things in your case a 500w+ PSU should be considered.
Anandtech: PSU/Cooler/Case reviews. Many psu's here.
5: Hard Drive
Very boring thing to chose. I use Segate and Western Digital. Buy a SATA-II drive. 320gb are a good buy because of the price per gb.
Harddrives charts, including price/performance chart
6: Video Card
Horribly boring marked these days. If you are a gamer you buy the Nvidia 8800, the flavor depends on your need. The 8800GTS 320gb is a great buy for the money. ATI is not worth buying nowadays, simply because they don't keep up despite their lineup being 6 months newer. The smaller cards are okai, the Nvidia 8600GT being decent but lacks the raw speed of its big brother. I'm not a gamer anymore so I usually get by with an old 6800 card. I can still play most games.
Compare vide cards here
+ Show Spoiler [maleorderbride's thoughts] +
I am not an AMD or ATI fan boy, but the HD2900PRO 512MB Video card is actually a very nice buy. That said, if you dont see a sale the 8800GTS 320 is the obvious choice.
If you find a good deal on it you get it for about $10 more than the 8800GTS 320. However, the 2900PRO overclocks amazingly well (~30% )and gets damn close to the GTX in terms of performance. The 8800GTS 320 only overclocks about 5-10%.
Rivatuner is a great program that is incredibly easy to use to overclock most video cards.
If you find a good deal on it you get it for about $10 more than the 8800GTS 320. However, the 2900PRO overclocks amazingly well (~30% )and gets damn close to the GTX in terms of performance. The 8800GTS 320 only overclocks about 5-10%.
Rivatuner is a great program that is incredibly easy to use to overclock most video cards.
7: Case
This one is a thinker. On the one side, you can get away with the cheapest case you can find. But it will be heavy, it will rattle now and then, it will have bad airflow and possibly annoying build qualities. A good case should have the following: place for fans in front and back, slots for at least 3 hard drives, 2 cd-roms and a solid build quality. My favorites are Lian Li and Cooler Master. I don't like ones with a lot of light or windows because they annoy me, but pick one that fits your taste.
8: Fans, cooling
You should make sure to have good airflow in your computer. 120mm fans are excellent because they are quiet and efficient. One in the front and one in the back, one sucking and one blowing is usually sufficiant. You might want to look into a cpu fan as well. The bundled ones are pretty good these days, but they tend to be a bit noisy. Talking about noise, the standard video card fans usually are. Consider a replacement.
9: The rest of the stuff
DVD-Burners are all the same imho, just make sure you get a SATA drive. As for monitor I'm a big fan of the latest generation 22-inch lcd's. They are fast, pretty and big. I usually spend some money on keyboard, mice, speakers, monitor and mice mat, because these are the things you touch and use every day, and they should be comfortable. The onboard sound cards are pretty good as well, but of course the standalone ones are better.
I think that is it. A lot of text and rambling, but it might help those curious ones. If you have different ideas, think I'm horribly wrong or just have something to ask - ask. Part 2 will include pretty pictures of me building a computer, or at least taking one apart and putting it back together.
- tkwl
