My current computer is nearly 5 years old, and although it's still functioning quite well, I think it's time to move on. It's an AMD Athlon XP 2700+. Since I've had good luck with it, I plan on sticking with AMD.
My half-brother has built many computers for family and friends, and is willing to help me with the build, but he wants me to pick out the components as a learning exercise since I'm virtually computer retarded. I've been doing a lot of reading and scanning through various sites and I think I've got at least a partial list of what I'm going to need.
The computer will be used mostly for basic functions like web surfing and word processing. It's highly unlikely I'll be using it for any strenuous gaming, but I will be doing a lot of photography applications. The most important factor to me is reliability. My current computer was never upgraded in 5 years, and aside from replacing the power supply (twice), it's been very good. So I want to build something that I hopefully won't have to touch (unless I decide to).
Price is a consideration, but I'd rather pay more for a part from a reliable source than save a few dollars now.
Needless to say, I won't be doing any overclocking, or any after market tweaking.
So here's my ideas so far:
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+
Motherboard - ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe ATX AM2 Nforce 570 SLI
- While it's highly unlikely I'll be making use of the SLI, it seems to be a well-reviewed board.
Memory - Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-667 240PIN DIMM
- I know I want 4GB of RAM, but I'm open to any suggestions about getting the best value vs. performance
Video Card - EVGA E-GEFORCE 9600GT
- It's often suggested on these forums and seems to be a decent price.
Computer Cases - Compucase 6C28B ATX Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X.3.5INT W/ Front USB & Audio No PS
- There seems to thousands of virtually identical cases at a wide range of price points. Is there anything to look for specifically? I don't care about colour or see-through side panels, etc., etc.. Just functionality.
Power Supply - Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM
- Since the only problem my current computer has ever had has been (cheap) power supplies, I thought it would be best to get something a bit more robust. This seems like a popular choice.
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache
- My current drive is only 60GB and it's still 50% empty, so this is a huge jump. If I spend more on other components, I may drop it back to the 250 GB version.
DVD Writer - Samsung SH-S203B Black SATA DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 18X/12X INT DVD Writer
Flash Memory - nGear Flash Card Reader 3.5IN Internal USB Black CF/SM/SD/MMC/MS/XD 18IN Cable Seperated Connectors
- I want an internal Flash Card reader and was surprised to find that they were so cheap. This was just the first one I found.
So this is my initial list of components. Ideas? Suggestions? Criticisms?
Edit: Forgot something - Do I need a CPU Heatsink?
My half-brother has built many computers for family and friends, and is willing to help me with the build, but he wants me to pick out the components as a learning exercise since I'm virtually computer retarded. I've been doing a lot of reading and scanning through various sites and I think I've got at least a partial list of what I'm going to need.
The computer will be used mostly for basic functions like web surfing and word processing. It's highly unlikely I'll be using it for any strenuous gaming, but I will be doing a lot of photography applications. The most important factor to me is reliability. My current computer was never upgraded in 5 years, and aside from replacing the power supply (twice), it's been very good. So I want to build something that I hopefully won't have to touch (unless I decide to).
Price is a consideration, but I'd rather pay more for a part from a reliable source than save a few dollars now.
Needless to say, I won't be doing any overclocking, or any after market tweaking.
So here's my ideas so far:
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+
Motherboard - ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe ATX AM2 Nforce 570 SLI
- While it's highly unlikely I'll be making use of the SLI, it seems to be a well-reviewed board.
Memory - Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-667 240PIN DIMM
- I know I want 4GB of RAM, but I'm open to any suggestions about getting the best value vs. performance
Video Card - EVGA E-GEFORCE 9600GT
- It's often suggested on these forums and seems to be a decent price.
Computer Cases - Compucase 6C28B ATX Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X.3.5INT W/ Front USB & Audio No PS
- There seems to thousands of virtually identical cases at a wide range of price points. Is there anything to look for specifically? I don't care about colour or see-through side panels, etc., etc.. Just functionality.
Power Supply - Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM
- Since the only problem my current computer has ever had has been (cheap) power supplies, I thought it would be best to get something a bit more robust. This seems like a popular choice.
Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache
- My current drive is only 60GB and it's still 50% empty, so this is a huge jump. If I spend more on other components, I may drop it back to the 250 GB version.
DVD Writer - Samsung SH-S203B Black SATA DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 18X/12X INT DVD Writer
Flash Memory - nGear Flash Card Reader 3.5IN Internal USB Black CF/SM/SD/MMC/MS/XD 18IN Cable Seperated Connectors
- I want an internal Flash Card reader and was surprised to find that they were so cheap. This was just the first one I found.
So this is my initial list of components. Ideas? Suggestions? Criticisms?
Edit: Forgot something - Do I need a CPU Heatsink?
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