Several Questions About PC Building

[Slingaa]

Hello, I have several questions about PC building. First of all, would it be possible for a teenager to build one? I am 14 and I have no PC-building experience of any sort and I was wondering if it would be possible for me to build one myself, without any help.

 

I would like to build a PC, but I have no knowledge of what parts are which and which parts clash with eachother etc. Could anyone find me a build that can at least play: (on Windows XP)

 

The Sims 3

Oblivion

The Settlers VI

and

Sim City 4

 

My budget is around £500, not including a monitor, mouse, keyboard or any accessories. I'll pick up some cheap ones.

 

Thanks in advance.

[yoječ]

Yes, you'll build a PC by yourself without any problem. It's not hard.

 

Three setups for you:

 

£103,47 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Socket AM3 3.2 GHz 6MB L3

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190673

 

£143,78 XFX HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI DP Out PCI-E Graphics Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/248887

 

£49,00 MSI 870-C45 AMD 770 Socket AM3 GB LAN 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/241003

 

£29,99 Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252

 

£34,49 G-Skill 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ripjaws Memory Module CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226283

 

£39,21 XFX 450W Core Edition Pro PSU

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/264381

 

£14,60 LG GH22NS50 22x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA Optical Drive - OEM Black

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169683

 

£33,58 Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower Case

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/233740

 

£27,23 Arctic Freezer 13 Pro High Performance CPU Cooler

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/263744

 

= £475,35

 

Fast four core CPU, decent graphics card, proper motherboard (with upcoming FX/Bulldozer CPUs support), fast 500GB HDD, 4GBs of RAM, proper quality power supply, DVD recorder and a good computer case. And a CPU cooler.

 

Second setup:

 

£148,98 Intel Core i5 2400 3.1GHz Socket LGA 1155 6MB L3 Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251595

 

£143,78 XFX HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI DP Out PCI-E Graphics Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/248887

 

£94,70 MSI P67A-C45 (B3) P67 Socket 1155 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/261291

 

£29,99 Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252

 

£34,49 G-Skill 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ripjaws Memory Module CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226283

 

£39,21 XFX 450W Core Edition Pro PSU

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/264381

 

£14,60 LG GH22NS50 22x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA Optical Drive - OEM Black

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169683

 

£33,58 Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower Case

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/233740

 

= £539,33

 

Slightly over budget, but with a much better CPU.

 

£148,98 Intel Core i5 2400 3.1GHz Socket LGA 1155 6MB L3 Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251595

 

£120,50 XFX HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Mini Display Port Out Graphics Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244473

 

£94,70 MSI P67A-C45 (B3) P67 Socket 1155 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/261291

 

£29,99 Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252

 

£34,49 G-Skill 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ripjaws Memory Module CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226283

 

£39,21 XFX 450W Core Edition Pro PSU

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/264381

 

£14,60 LG GH22NS50 22x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA Optical Drive - OEM Black

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169683

 

£33,58 Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower Case

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/233740

 

= £516,05

 

Almost in budget. Changed the GPU to a cheaper one.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

If you can read instructions and follow them well then sure you should be able to build a PC yourself without issue.

[Slingaa]

£148,98 Intel Core i5 2400 3.1GHz Socket LGA 1155 6MB L3 Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251595

 

£120,50 XFX HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Mini Display Port Out Graphics Card

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/244473

 

£94,70 MSI P67A-C45 (B3) P67 Socket 1155 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/261291

 

£29,99 Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252

 

£34,49 G-Skill 4GB DDR3 1333MHz Ripjaws Memory Module CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/226283

 

£39,21 XFX 450W Core Edition Pro PSU

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/264381

 

£14,60 LG GH22NS50 22x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA Optical Drive - OEM Black

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169683

 

£33,58 Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower Case

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/233740

 

= £516,05

 

Almost in budget. Changed the GPU to a cheaper one.

Thanks mate, I've gone with this option and now saving up for it.

 

Picked this keyboard, this OS and this monitor.

 

Also, what sites do you recommend for guides and tips on PC Building?

[Wolf68k]

Don't waste your money on Windows XP, unless for some strange reason you absolutely have to have XP.

Get Windows 7.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168373

Now for less than the XP you linked to you can get Win7 Home Premium OEM 64-bit however that product key will be locked to THAT mobo. This means if you upgrade the mobo you're screwed. If you do quick enough you'll be ok, might have to talk to someone on the phone and explain things but other wise ok. Now you can however replace the mobo with one that is the exact same and still be ok but if has to be exact.

With the retail and upgrade (and the upgrade can be installed as a fresh/clean install just like the retail with only a couple minor hoops to jump through) you can upgrade the mobo or build a whole new system, whatever and still use the same disc to install...which I do believe ends up canceling the key on the previous mobo but that's fine since you won't be using it anyway.

And yes I know the one I linked is about £20 more than the XP, but it is the retail version. If you look in there more you should be able to find the Upgrade version which some be some where between 70 and 100.

 

The other and bigger reason to get Windows 7; 64-bit. You picked out a parts list that includes 4GB of RAM. With XP 32-bit you'll only be able to use 3GB or a slight maybe 3.5GB of RAM and it's completely possible that if you use the onboard ethernet that you'll lose 512MB meaning that all you'll see is 2.5GB...I've been there. With 64-bit OS you'll see all 4GB plus which you can add more later and use that as well.

 

 

Here you go, even better.

Windows 7 Pro Upgrade for £93

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175072

I know, still about £20 more than the XP but you get all of the benefits of the Retail, with a couple extra steps to make the fresh install work, a nice cheaper price than than the full Retail but without all of the limitations of the OEM. Plus which if you really really really wanted to for some strange reason, you can install the 32-bit instead of 64-bit which are both on the same disc anyway.

[Slingaa]

Don't waste your money on Windows XP, unless for some strange reason you absolutely have to have XP.

Get Windows 7.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168373

Now for less than the XP you linked to you can get Win7 Home Premium OEM 64-bit however that product key will be locked to THAT mobo. This means if you upgrade the mobo you're screwed. If you do quick enough you'll be ok, might have to talk to someone on the phone and explain things but other wise ok. Now you can however replace the mobo with one that is the exact same and still be ok but if has to be exact.

With the retail and upgrade (and the upgrade can be installed as a fresh/clean install just like the retail with only a couple minor hoops to jump through) you can upgrade the mobo or build a whole new system, whatever and still use the same disc to install...which I do believe ends up canceling the key on the previous mobo but that's fine since you won't be using it anyway.

And yes I know the one I linked is about £20 more than the XP, but it is the retail version. If you look in there more you should be able to find the Upgrade version which some be some where between 70 and 100.

 

The other and bigger reason to get Windows 7; 64-bit. You picked out a parts list that includes 4GB of RAM. With XP 32-bit you'll only be able to use 3GB or a slight maybe 3.5GB of RAM and it's completely possible that if you use the onboard ethernet that you'll lose 512MB meaning that all you'll see is 2.5GB...I've been there. With 64-bit OS you'll see all 4GB plus which you can add more later and use that as well.

 

 

Here you go, even better.

Windows 7 Pro Upgrade for £93

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175072

I know, still about £20 more than the XP but you get all of the benefits of the Retail, with a couple extra steps to make the fresh install work, a nice cheaper price than than the full Retail but without all of the limitations of the OEM. Plus which if you really really really wanted to for some strange reason, you can install the 32-bit instead of 64-bit which are both on the same disc anyway.

I've heard Windows XP is much better for gaming. Also, quite a few older games aren't compatible with Windows 7.

[d0mm2k8]

 

I've heard Windows XP is much better for gaming. Also, quite a few older games aren't compatible with Windows 7

Old games been incompatible with Windows 7 is bull. I can still play GTA 1, Fallout 1, AVP2 and plenty of other old games on my Win 7 PC with little to no problems at all.

Windows XP isn't better for gaming either, especially since games are starting not to support it (Just Cause 2, Battlefield 3).

 

 

On a slightly off-topic note, judging by your sig you're a Fallout: NV fan and I'd recommend getting it for this PC you're buying. It's crashes less, has mods, console command cheats (for messing around with or fixing bugs, of which there are less of) and better graphics, depending on the system you get.

 

Just some advice

[Wolf68k]

I've had little to no problems with my games so far.

Battlefield 1942, yes I still play it some times, does need to be set in compatibility mode but other than that no problems.

I had an issue with Saints Row 2 wanting to run in 7, but then I had stutter issues even in XP. I later found that running the game in window mode fixed both issues at once, can't argue that.

Most likely what ever games you have that Win7 won't play normally can be set in compatibility mode and then play just fine. Anything that doesn't is most likely so old that it was made for 95 or 98 which means it past the time to move on, if you ask me.

 

What games do you play that you are that worried about? Maybe I can find the answer or show you were you can get the help you need, if any, to get it to run.

 

Other games I have actually play better in 7 than on XP.

 

 

 

/edit

@d0mm2k8

There are some games, check out Steam, that are not supported in Win7 and some not even in Vista.

I can't remember which ones off hand though.

[GTA3Freak-2001]

And whatever old games that don't work on Win 7 there is usually some kind of patch or fix if its a game that was/is popular. Really you'd have to be very unlucky or have terrible taste in games to find one that won't work at all.

[YankeesPwnMets]

 

Don't waste your money on Windows XP, unless for some strange reason you absolutely have to have XP.

Get Windows 7.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168373

Now for less than the XP you linked to you can get Win7 Home Premium OEM 64-bit however that product key will be locked to THAT mobo. This means if you upgrade the mobo you're screwed. If you do quick enough you'll be ok, might have to talk to someone on the phone and explain things but other wise ok. Now you can however replace the mobo with one that is the exact same and still be ok but if has to be exact.

With the retail and upgrade (and the upgrade can be installed as a fresh/clean install just like the retail with only a couple minor hoops to jump through) you can upgrade the mobo or build a whole new system, whatever and still use the same disc to install...which I do believe ends up canceling the key on the previous mobo but that's fine since you won't be using it anyway.

And yes I know the one I linked is about £20 more than the XP, but it is the retail version. If you look in there more you should be able to find the Upgrade version which some be some where between 70 and 100.

 

The other and bigger reason to get Windows 7; 64-bit. You picked out a parts list that includes 4GB of RAM. With XP 32-bit you'll only be able to use 3GB or a slight maybe 3.5GB of RAM and it's completely possible that if you use the onboard ethernet that you'll lose 512MB meaning that all you'll see is 2.5GB...I've been there. With 64-bit OS you'll see all 4GB plus which you can add more later and use that as well. 

 

 

Here you go, even better.

Windows 7 Pro Upgrade for £93

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175072

I know, still about £20 more than the XP but you get all of the benefits of the Retail, with a couple extra steps to make the fresh install work, a nice cheaper price than than the full Retail but without all of the limitations of the OEM. Plus which if you really really really wanted to for some strange reason, you can install the 32-bit instead of 64-bit which are both on the same disc anyway.

I've heard Windows XP is much better for gaming. Also, quite a few older games aren't compatible with Windows 7.

XP is going to be phased out in 2014. Your really just wasting your money by buying that. Also, that is a 32 bit edition of XP, which makes the 4GB of RAM in your system useless. Windows 7 runs games just as well as XP does, and all the games you listed support Se7en.

 

Buy XP now, very soon, the new games you want won't support it. XP is phasing out and will die out soon.

[Wolf68k]

It's as possible that if you get Win7 Pro or better that you can get the games to work in VPC.

 

@YankeesPwnMets

32-bit doesn't make 4GB of RAM useless, it just makes 1GB of the 4 useless which isn't too bad. Now if it was more than 4 then yeah that's when things starts to get really useless and a waste of money.

[yoječ]

Actually this 1GB excess RAM is not fully useless - as far as I know you can for example make a RAMDisk out of it.

[Suction Testicle Man]

Windows XP isn't better for gaming either, especially since games are starting not to support it (Just Cause 2, Battlefield 3).

*starting to not support DX9. Though I believe there is a DX10 port to XP, and failing that the Wine project is planning on implementing newer DX versions (and since it's open source there's no reason these can't be implemented on XP). Granted, Win7 will always have new DX versions first, but hopefully further adoption of OpenGL (and therefore other platforms) might balance the playing field (thought's a whole other thing). I'm not saying Win7 is less compatible or anything (I don't use it so I don't know), but it's gonna take more than new DX versions to kill off XP.

[sivispacem]

Windows XP isn't better for gaming either, especially since games are starting not to support it (Just Cause 2, Battlefield 3).

*starting to not support DX9. Though I believe there is a DX10 port to XP, and failing that the Wine project is planning on implementing newer DX versions (and since it's open source there's no reason these can't be implemented on XP). Granted, Win7 will always have new DX versions first, but hopefully further adoption of OpenGL (and therefore other platforms) might balance the playing field (thought's a whole other thing). I'm not saying Win7 is less compatible or anything (I don't use it so I don't know), but it's gonna take more than new DX versions to kill off XP.

How about the impending lack of any customer or update support from Microsoft?

[Wolf68k]

MS plans to stop supporting XP in 2014

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/hk/windows/produc...sxp/future.mspx