Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Building a new PC

Jan 11, 2004 12:31PM PST

I'm going to try my hand at building a PC for the first time. I've upgraded and installed many of the components in my existing system but I've never actually built a computer from scratch. I do have a couple of friends who have some experience building PC's who are ready to help me. I've compiled a list of components from NewEgg.com. I'd love some feedback/suggestions. I'm most likely leaving something out or overlooking something. I am going to use my existing monitor and hard drives. I also plan to purchase a case from a local shop. Let me know what you think.

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishList.asp?position=current&submit=view

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
I take that back...
Jan 17, 2004 10:07AM PST

Those games stress the video card more than your 1.7GHz P4.

It would be interesting to see your current system with a latest ATI or Nvidia offering. I wish you could test-drive such a card.

Bob

- Collapse -
Re:I take that back...
Jan 17, 2004 10:42AM PST

So if i stick with the 8500LE, I'm not likely to see a significant performance improvement with the new computer?

- Collapse -
Re:Re:I take that back... It's like the 8-ball prediction.
Jan 17, 2004 12:43PM PST

"The outlook is cloudy."

In the case of these graphic games, it's a mix of CPU brawn, memory throughput and the GPU (the graphics card.) The games you listed really push the graphics card and you have the over 1GHz CPU and RDRAM (that's fast), so the piece that's behind the current technology is the graphics card.

I truly wish you could borrow a top-end card for a day to test if that alone will fix what you find lacking.

Bob

- Collapse -
Testing out a card
Jan 17, 2004 2:40PM PST

Unfortunately I don't think I know anyone with a Radeon 9800 Pro. I suppose I could always buy one from a local store and just return it.

- Collapse -
Re:Re:Re:Building a new PC = <br> <br>Asus 865P looks super.
Jan 23, 2004 3:06AM PST
- Collapse -
I'd get a new card.
Jan 23, 2004 3:37AM PST

All that work may be for naught if you don't bump the video card first.

Bob

- Collapse -
Re:I'd get a new card.
Jan 23, 2004 7:55AM PST

Actually I'm back to the original plan of getting the complete system, video card and all. So how about that mobo?

- Collapse -
Re:Re:I'd get a new card.
Jan 24, 2004 10:52AM PST
- Collapse -
350 Watt power supplies on 2+GHz designs?
Jan 24, 2004 11:02AM PST
- Collapse -
Re:Re:Re:I'd get a new card.
Jan 24, 2004 12:10PM PST

Sorry if I wasn't clear in my last post. What I was trying to ask was if I could remove the 350W power supply the case comes with and use the 450W psu I am planning on getting instead?

And any clue on the case color question?

- Collapse -
(NT) Yes. In such designs, it's a simple procedure to change the PSU.
Jan 24, 2004 10:12PM PST

.