In need of advice/direction please.

[Fin_Ack]

Hello All,

I'm on a tight budget right now and mainly in the research phase. I'm way behind the times knowledge wise and need some direction. I'm somewhat computer savvy but like 1998 computer savvy. Which basically amounts to not knowing diddly squat nowadays.

I want to build a PC that allows:

• 
  [*:667130f90f]True Multi-Tasking. Watch dvd movies, web surfing, emailing and compiling code all at the same time. That's the general idea.
  
  [*:667130f90f]A Mobo that allows for Hardware/Upgrade expansion when I start to make enough money to upgrade.
  
  [*:667130f90f]A mobo chipset that compliments the CPU, Vid card and memory.
  
  [*:667130f90f]A board with PCIe and enough room for a gig or two of ram and SATA capable. From what I've seen so far this looks to be generally almost mainstream now.
  
  What I would really like is something similiar to my comments below so I can do some real research and learning and then come back to this list if I have any questions which I'm sure I will.
  
  I thought that I remember Tom's Hardware site having some links that had a kindof A+ Hardware type tutorial approach that walked people through how the Mobo, Cpu and Memory work together. Something that started out really basic and then progressivly got advanced to the point where one would have a general idea of what hardware to get for the type of system that they had in mind.
  
  Any links to other sites that have that type of learning approach is much appreciated.
  
  Thanks,
  JB

 

[sandmannight]

We need to know how much money you got?

 

[The_Prophecy]

Well I don't know what your budget is yet, but here are my first suggestions. This desgin is based on the assumption that there won't be much or any gaming involved (since you didn't mention it in your post)

CPU: Intel Pentium D 930

Mobo: Asus P5WD2-E Premium

RAM: OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800

Video: eVGA Geforce 7600GT

 

[Fin_Ack]

We need to know how much money you got?

Around $400-$500. But this isn't how much I have. This is how much I will be able to get together over the next 2 mnths.


If you know of any links that I was inquiring about, that would be great.


Thanks for the reply,
JB

 

[Fin_Ack]

Well I don't know what your budget is yet, but here are my first suggestions. This desgin is based on the assumption that there won't be much or any gaming involved (since you didn't mention it in your post)

CPU: Intel Pentium D 930

Mobo: Asus P5WD2-E Premium

RAM: OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2-800

Video: eVGA Geforce 7600GT

Thanks. Gaming is something that I would definitely like to do. I luv eye candy in general. But I'm not an Extreem gamer. I was hoping for a PCIe card that would have hardware dvd built in possibly. I'm willing to shell out good money for the Vid card but I don't need to go overboard. Not to be to general but a vid card that is not super highend or super lowend. Something preferrably that isn't very loud. All the video cards I've ever had have been way to noisy.

Thanks for the links. I'll check them out. I guess right now the main thing I have in mind is that I defintely want a CPU that will do True multi-tasking and that looks to be a cpu that does Hyperthreading from what I can tell.

For right now I need to research on the technology that's out there. I'm having a hard time finding a site that tie's these components together so that I have a clearer picture of how.. IE... If I buy this cpu then I need to make sure that I have this type of Mobo. If I want this type of Mem then I need to make sure that the cpu and mobo will all work together efficiently.
I see DDR, DDR2 that work at such and such MHz and MOBO's that bus's work at such and such MHz and then the cpu that is IE 2.6 MHz with a front side bus of 800 or 1000 MHz... Its that type of stuff that I'm trying to sort out and learn. Right now I feel overwhelmed with all the acronyms...

I'm slowly learning but I'm not finding a site that ties all this stuff together in one tutorial. That's my biggest stumbling block right now. I thought that this site had this a while back but I can't seem to find those links anymore. This was ofcourse like 5 yrs ago tho.

Thanks again for your response and links. I'll check those out.

JB

 

[Frank_M]

Around $400-$500. But this isn't how much I have. This is how much I will be able to get together over the next 2 mnths.

Then you have some more saving up to do.

For multi-threading, a dual-core cpu and 2 gigs of ram are recommended for best results.
Mobos with 2-4-8 gigs or ram and sata and pcie are all over the place.
For upgradeability, go with either lga775 or am2.