Building a PC [Archive] - MacRumors Forums

papadopolis1024

Sep 11, 2007, 12:09 AM

Yes is know a PC but just for fun... Anyway I was wondering if you very smart people here at macrumors could tell me really what I need for my project. I dont need a power house as it will prob just collect dust... But I would like something that could handle tasks well. It may become a folding @ home comp for me so low power would be a plus if it is always going to be running. So really what I need to know is what I need.

Thank you,
Papadopolis

contoursvt

Sep 11, 2007, 04:33 PM

So what will you be doing on it other than folding? Will it do any games or will you be using it for alternate operating systems other than windows? Does it have to be small or a regular sized PC will do?

Yes is know a PC but just for fun... Anyway I was wondering if you very smart people here at macrumors could tell me really what I need for my project. I dont need a power house as it will prob just collect dust... But I would like something that could handle tasks well. It may become a folding @ home comp for me so low power would be a plus if it is always going to be running. So really what I need to know is what I need.

Thank you,
Papadopolis

papadopolis1024

Sep 11, 2007, 04:40 PM

I will prob do some light web browsing on it but that will be it. And I will most likely just put linux on it for the time being.

papadopolis1024

Sep 11, 2007, 05:00 PM

contoursvt

Sep 11, 2007, 05:30 PM

I'm 99% sure it will but honestly, I think spending the extra $30 to get a 1.6Ghz Core2 Duo (2140 is the model I think) is a better move. It doesnt use much more electricity and has more folding power.

Osarkon

Sep 11, 2007, 06:00 PM

Hey I actually have almost everything figured out. But I was wondering if this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116040) processor supports this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121078) motherboard.

Thanks!

I don't think it does. The motherboard supports dual core processors, that Celeron you've linked is only single core. I might well be wrong, but I'd try and find a Celeron D or Pentium D (both of which are dual core) for that.

papadopolis1024

Sep 11, 2007, 06:14 PM

I don't think it does. The motherboard supports dual core processors, that Celeron you've linked is only single core. I might well be wrong, but I'd try and find a Celeron D or Pentium D (both of which are dual core) for that.

Thanks for the save. But which would you recommend for folding?

Eidorian

Sep 11, 2007, 06:15 PM

Get an E4xx Series or Pentium Dual-Core at least.

Hell, even AMD.

contoursvt

Sep 12, 2007, 01:34 AM

Ya even the E2140 I suggested earlier (while being only 1.6Ghz like the celeron he chose) should be tons better for folding and general usage :)

Now if it was me and I was on a very tight budget but wanted a very solid setup that was still very fast and responsive, I'd do this:

Gigabyte GA-P35 board $90
http://www.ncixus.com/products/25369/GA-P35-DS3L/Gigabyte/

Intel E2160 Core2 1.8Ghz 1MB Cache $80
http://www.ncixus.com/products/24577/BX80557E2160/Intel/

Nvidia 7300GT 256MB $80
http://www.ncixus.com/products/18938/PVT73EUDJ3/XFX/

Seagate 80GB SATA2 $47
http://www.ncixus.com/products/23267/ST380815AS/Seagate/

2x 1GB Crucial DDR2 667 RAM $28 each piece
http://www.ncixus.com/products/18727/RM12864AA667/CRUCIAL%20TECHNOLOGY/

Antec NSK 4480 case with 380W PSU $75
http://www.ncixus.com/products/25840/NSK4480/ANTEC/

Pioneer burner $32
http://www.ncixus.com/products/22862/DVR-112DBK/Pioneer/

...so all in all the computer would be about $460 or so which may be beyond the budget but it would be able to handle most anything tossed at it and all the parts are very decent. The video card would handle some gaming and have no problems in Vista with Aero or Ubuntu and Beryl for example. Nice this is that down the road the board could handle the core2 quad as well.

Get an E4xx Series or Pentium Dual-Core at least.

Hell, even AMD.

Eidorian

Sep 12, 2007, 01:42 AM

I'd get a cheaper motherboard with integrated graphics. No reason to spend money on a video card if you're just folding and trying out Linux.

Fry's Electronics has some good offers with 945G/G33 based motherboards and the E4500 for around $150. As much as I like NewEgg, I'd give a look at MWave's (http://www.mwave.com) bundles as well.

contoursvt

Sep 12, 2007, 01:52 AM

True, but it is also more limiting for someone that might decide to play around or try new things beyond what they originally thought. Usually does happen if someone is venturing into some new territory. Beryl for example is fairly graphics intensive and may really put the hurt on onboard vid. Also onboard vid does use up some of teh sytem ram but not that much I guess.

Now if the OP wanted to save more money, he could get an nvidia 7200gs for like $35 instead of a 7300GT for $80, but it would really cut out all possible gaming but will still be better than onboard vid. Also the majority of boards only have onboard video via VGA and not DVI - if thats a consideration at all.

I'd get a cheaper motherboard with integrated graphics. No reason to spend money on a video card if you're just folding and trying out Linux.

Fry's Electronics has some good offers with 945G/G33 based motherboards and the E4500 for around $150. As much as I like NewEgg, I'd give a look at MWave's (http://www.mwave.com) bundles as well.

Eidorian

Sep 12, 2007, 01:54 AM

The GMA950 and X3100 can handle that just fine short of gaming. It's not like there isn't a x16 PCI-Express slot there. :rolleyes:

You can find DVI on a motherboard as well if you look.

contoursvt

Sep 12, 2007, 03:47 AM

I guess... Dont know. I've built quite a few systems with onboard video and they always felt a little more sluggish for some reason even though I was not doing anything intensive.

I recall one case especially where I built two nearly identical systems but one based on an intel 945p and one on a 945g (both asus boards). At the time they both had 1GB RAM and a dual core 2.8Ghz cpu (Pentium D) but when I was using them, the one with onboard video felt more dopey. I ran Sandra for memory bandwidth and it was about 10% lower. They had the same brand and size ram and in the bios both set to auto and seeingly detected the same but for some reason one was slower.

Now maybe that case being so extreme was isolated or maybe the board was defective...who knows. Just felt slower and I decided no more integrated video boards for me. I will spend the extra $30 or $40 and get a board that has no integrated video and just add a dedicated video card. Wonder if memory bandwidth to the CPU is affected a little since the onboard video must read/write to the same RAM. Wonder if it goes through the same memory controller. That might explain a bit of the slowdowns... maybe.

...

The GMA950 and X3100 can handle that just fine short of gaming. It's not like there isn't a x16 PCI-Express slot there. :rolleyes:

You can find DVI on a motherboard as well if you look.

papadopolis1024

Sep 12, 2007, 01:06 PM

My current budget for the case, motherboard and processor is around 200$ and I have around 100 for the HDD and the optical drive and then I will prob go with a half a gig or a gig or RAM. So that is my budget (IT IS THESE BILLS!).

Eidorian

Sep 12, 2007, 01:09 PM

Is there a Fry's Electronics nearby?

papadopolis1024

Sep 12, 2007, 01:29 PM

That is a negative. At least I dont thing so... for the most part I live in middle of nowhere. All we have is a staples and a wal*mart. We have a local computer company.

Is there a Fry's Electronics nearby?

mc68k

Sep 12, 2007, 01:53 PM

http://newegg.com is a good place to buy parts

if ur not in CA then the tax is free too

mc68k

Sep 12, 2007, 02:07 PM

heres an up to date guide

just came out 2 days ago

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/10/the_500_gaming_machine_2007_edition/

Eidorian

Sep 12, 2007, 02:19 PM

http://newegg.com is a good place to buy parts

if ur not in CA then the tax is free tooI've found MWave to have slightly better pricing on motherboards and processors.

The only issue is paying shipping from two different stores.

ReanimationLP

Sep 14, 2007, 02:52 AM

Seagate 80GB SATA2 $47
http://www.ncixus.com/products/23267/ST380815AS/Seagate/

2x 1GB Crucial DDR2 667 RAM $28 each piece
http://www.ncixus.com/products/18727/RM12864AA667/CRUCIAL%20TECHNOLOGY/

Antec NSK 4480 case with 380W PSU $75
http://www.ncixus.com/products/25840/NSK4480/ANTEC/

Pioneer burner $32
http://www.ncixus.com/products/22862/DVR-112DBK/Pioneer/

Great burner, beautiful and wellbuilt case, I have both. RAM is decent, but 80GB HD? For 13 bucks more on average, you can get a 250GB. Which is 3 times the size.

Oh, and podopolis, at your sig, thats not Kayne West, thats Daft Punk. Kayne just paid Daft Punk to dub over their excellent song, Harder Better Faster Stronger.

papadopolis1024

Sep 14, 2007, 11:59 PM

Oh, and podopolis, at your sig, thats not Kayne West, thats Daft Punk. Kayne just paid Daft Punk to dub over their excellent song, Harder Better Faster Stronger.

I did not know that thanks!
I like kanyes version better.

Anyway back on topic.

1. Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121078)
2. Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819112205)
3. HDD Western Digital 160 GB SATA 3 GB/s
4. Optical Drive Samsung DVD-RW
5. RAM 256 MBs x 2
6. Case and PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147054)

This is what I went with I also got Windows XP SP2 no linux for me, for now. I will be upgrading the RAM to 2 GBs before the year is up, and also getting a Video card very soon. Next year or so I will upgrade to Core 2 Duo (When was the last price drop on these April? When do you think they will get the next price drop?)

Eidorian

Sep 15, 2007, 12:08 AM

I strongly suggest you get at least a Pentium Dual Core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116037) or an AMD processor and motherboard.

papadopolis1024

Sep 15, 2007, 12:21 AM

Is it compatable with the motherboard I got? It has the same socket type.

4JNA

Sep 15, 2007, 09:50 AM

Is it compatable with the motherboard I got? It has the same socket type.

yes, the intel MB you linked above will run it. not a good overclocking board, but rock stable. good luck!

papadopolis1024

Sep 15, 2007, 09:54 AM

yes, the intel MB you linked above will run it. not a good overclocking board, but rock stable. good luck!

Well that works out fine for me cause I do not plan to over clock.

simie

Sep 15, 2007, 03:06 PM

You should choose either this DFI LANPARTY UT NF680i LT SLI-T2R (http://www.dfi.com.tw/Product/xx_product_spec_details_r_us.jsp?PAGE_TYPE=US&PRODUCT_ID=5277&SITE=US) motherboard or if want a board that offers even more overclocking then try the P5B Premium Vista Edition (http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=307&model=1558&modelmenu=1)

Lanparty review here (http://www.hothardware.com/articles/DFI_LANParty_UT_NF680i_LT_SLIT2R_nForce_680i_LT/?page=11)

Asus review here (http://www.overclockers.co.nz/ocnz/review.php?id=07boardintel965asustek0p5bprem00105)

Eidorian

Sep 15, 2007, 03:09 PM

you should choose this DFI LANPARTY UT NF680i LT SLI-T2R (http://www.dfi.com.tw/Product/xx_product_spec_details_r_us.jsp?PAGE_TYPE=US&PRODUCT_ID=5277&SITE=US) motherboard.

review here (http://www.hothardware.com/articles/DFI_LANParty_UT_NF680i_LT_SLIT2R_nForce_680i_LT/?page=11)Right...

They're not going to overclock or want a gaming rig. The 680i is definitely the choice.

simie

Sep 15, 2007, 03:22 PM

Why not use an Intel Mac Mini with Bootcamp and then their choice of Microsoft Windows, and get the best of both worlds.

papadopolis1024

Sep 16, 2007, 01:37 AM

My final question is what OS should I go with, XP SP2 or Vista Home Edition?

Eidorian

Sep 16, 2007, 02:43 AM

My final question is what OS should I go with, XP SP2 or Vista Home Edition?Go with XP.

papadopolis1024

Sep 16, 2007, 04:28 PM

I talked to my local computer store owner and he said he can sell me a XP media edition for 150. Is this a good deal? I think I have read somewhere that it needs a GPU (I think I heard that it requires a RADION 9) to work is this true?

Eidorian

Sep 16, 2007, 05:07 PM

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116056)

It'll work using generic VGA drivers until you have the official ones for the hardware installed.

ChrisA

Sep 20, 2007, 03:30 PM

Yes is know a PC but just for fun...

Go get a copy of VMware Fusion. Then you can set up any number of PCs all running different OSes. Fusion suports Linux, Windows and Solaris. I actually use all three of those.

If you must have a real hardware system and money is an issue and you already have a mac running OS X you can save a bundle. Get just the CPU, RAM and M/B and skip the cdrom, hard disk and graphic card. Have the new PC boot off the network. It's not hard to set up your mac as a boot server. Then after booting, the linux system NFS mounts disk space off the Mac. You can set it up so your home directory is (mostly) shared on both systems. You don't need a monitor or keyboard/muse for the Linux system. Use either X11 or VNC from the Mac. Both are very fast on a gigabit Ethernet.

What I need is a machine that uses less power so I can leave it on 24x7. I'm doing this now with a Linux powered Pentium 4 and I figure it costs me 5 cents per hour to run or $1.20 per day which is almost $40 per month. I plan to replace it with a G4 mini. Maybe even let the G4 sleep with "wake on LAN" enabled.

contoursvt

Sep 25, 2007, 12:06 AM

Probably XP SP2 for folding and just tinkering. If the computer is semi hefty, then Vista should be fine :)

My final question is what OS should I go with, XP SP2 or Vista Home Edition?

contoursvt

Sep 25, 2007, 12:07 AM

I thought the fans wont work right in XP and that you have to set them in OSX with SMC fan control... seems like it would be a pain if everytime the machine went into XP after a reboot, the fans didnt work right until you go into OSX and set it.... or maybe I'm wrong about this?

Why not use an Intel Mac Mini with Bootcamp and then their choice of Microsoft Windows, and get the best of both worlds.

Eidorian

Sep 25, 2007, 12:09 AM

RichP

Sep 27, 2007, 10:53 AM

If you can, definitely be in the "core" series of processors, and dual-or quad core chip. Yes, it cost more, but the amount of processing power you get, per dollar, is dramatically more.

I would go integrated graphics as well, if you arent gaming, the money is better spent on the processor. Also should use a little less energy by not powering a vid card and a possible fan on that card.