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"PC Building"

Ahh, my second new topic in 5 minutes, yep, I'm getting back into using my pc again. I'll be pestering people about the web site I'm working on soon if I'm not careful :^)


As a combination of cheapskate and wannabe nerd, a year ago I began to build myself a pc. I bought the case then bust my shoulder, had to leave my job and couldn't afford to continue.
Now I'm starting up again.

I have a reasonable idea of my way around a pc, I know all the internal bits I need (I think) - except cables maybe, but I should be able to figure that out when I try to put everything together...

So then there's putting everything together. I knew a guy who did it by trial and error - is that a good idea? Seemed a bit reckless to me.


Can anyone recommend a good how-to web guide?

And can I expect to have to fiddle around in bios with drivers and stuff for everything, or should the first start-up just be a matter of firing up an OS ?


Cheers

http://www.pcmech.com/article.php?cat=&id=282

There you go. Its a bit out of date (but not much) but is very extensive for the newbie PC builder.

Ebay is probably your best bet for cheap stuff.

I say don't my skimpy on the PSU, never ever purchase one of those damn Qtec ones either.

I was planning to go for a cheap one, £20ish - I don't use the pc for games, so it should be enough for now.

Anyway, I'm trying to keep the cost down, remember :^)


*Goes to look at ram*

You got a graphics card yet?

OCUK have an offer on leadtek 5900's for about £115-120. Flash it with the 5950 bios and you have a great little card for the money.

512Mb RAM is very cheap from some suppliers, try:
[URL]http://www.kelkoo.co.uk[/URL]

I dont think there will be a problem with the ram unless you intended to use dual channel functionality.

Go for 80 gig, the space is handy if you work with video files.

Neat and dinky would be fine.


Now, do I want:

80 Gig - £45
40 Gig - £35

I'm trying to be as cheap as possible and I don't think I'd ever use a full 40, but you never know...

And the ram question...

Help me!

Loquacious Duck wrote:
> Excellent :^)
>
> I had another look at my case today, and realised all the drive bays
> were surrounded by a nice shiney pal blue.
>
> Which will go well with all the white and beige components I've been
> looking at...
>
> Oh well, maybe I'll spray paint them or something.
>
>
> *Browsing some cheap pc stuff site*
> D'oh! I keep seeing beautiful mini barebone cases. I've already got a
> case and ordered my motherboard though.
> Oh well, that can be my next project :^)

Barebones are neat and dinky, but if you are a heavy user who wants the best from his hardware, they can be difficult to recommend.

Theres a good guide, www.tomshardwareguide.com i think that's it. If not google it.

Can I mix and match

DDR 226
with
DDR 333

ram in my future pc?

I'd like to start with cheap stuff, but move on to better gear later...