Discussion
Its mechanicaly quite simple & there are guides on the internet to do so, depending on what kit you get.
But you do have to get the right parts & they have to work together, any problems and your warrenty is with each part, not the machine as a whole (so you have to fault find the bad part).
Biggest issue is usualy when you screw the case together before you start software install, there will always be something wrong if you do that...
But you do have to get the right parts & they have to work together, any problems and your warrenty is with each part, not the machine as a whole (so you have to fault find the bad part).
Biggest issue is usualy when you screw the case together before you start software install, there will always be something wrong if you do that...
Ross_328i_sport said:
So where is the cheapest place to buy the components i need and how do i find out if they are compatible with each other. Does the installation software come with each component or does it have to be sourced from the internet?
Regards
Ross
Regards
Ross
Theres tons of places to buy components, either of teh innerweb or local, local is prolly better if you live close to somewhere like scan, microdirect or CCL, otherwise try dabs or whoever.
Hardware often comes with drives (motherbioard, vid card, sound card etc), sometimes you need them (motherboard SATA drivers) , most times windows will have one already when you install, and your usualy always best updating them from the internet when you get it up and running anyhow.
Ho Ho Ho,
Self build eh. Just finished two, one ran like a dream the other ballsed up on the O/s installation. Took me a whole day and a very large headache to find the problem which was a faulty RAM module. To be honest it sound like you currently dont have enough experience/knowledge to have a go yourself. Its not the buying or putting together the parts as there are a hundred places where you can get that info and advice from its what do you do when you put it all together and it doesnt work? You worry that you havent assembled it correctly when you have. You then have to try and work out which part is faulty and unless you have some spare parts lying around to swap in and out then that will be hard. For example what if you think the hard disk is faulty do you have a spare hard disk that is also compatible to put in and test that it works or do you send the part back to the manufacturer for a test (possible weeks wait and charges)? You can of course get individual items tested down at PCworld or maybe your local store but this will cost you, probably your sanity.
Self build eh. Just finished two, one ran like a dream the other ballsed up on the O/s installation. Took me a whole day and a very large headache to find the problem which was a faulty RAM module. To be honest it sound like you currently dont have enough experience/knowledge to have a go yourself. Its not the buying or putting together the parts as there are a hundred places where you can get that info and advice from its what do you do when you put it all together and it doesnt work? You worry that you havent assembled it correctly when you have. You then have to try and work out which part is faulty and unless you have some spare parts lying around to swap in and out then that will be hard. For example what if you think the hard disk is faulty do you have a spare hard disk that is also compatible to put in and test that it works or do you send the part back to the manufacturer for a test (possible weeks wait and charges)? You can of course get individual items tested down at PCworld or maybe your local store but this will cost you, probably your sanity.
Buying the parts that are compatible is just a case of knowing roughly what you're after, a bit of google research & checking with the company you're buying from. Plugging them together is pretty simple - just make sure you're antistatic & you follow any instructions you get: eg plugging twinned memory into optimal slots.
I think that for anyone inexperienced with PC's, you may run into problems with configuration: setting RAM speed & bus clock speeds up in your BIOS, installing correct drivers for chipset, processors, cards etc etc. And as mentioned, if you get a faulty component, isolating it & realising thats the problem & its not just something daft you've done (or visa versa).
However, one of the main benefits of a self build is that you know exactly what you've made & you will have a much better idea of how it works. Its a learning experience. You will know exactly how you've configured everything so that if you have a problem in the future (virus, weird performance) or need to update something (software driver, OS, hardware) then you'll probably know what to do.
In my experience, the first machine I built wasn't bad but I made a few hardware buying mistakes (wrong memory speed, crap gfx card) which was down to poor research. The second machine wasn't bad but once again I didn't research the implications of certain hardware: motherboard size vs case size(!), power supply & had issues with OS installs & drivers. The most recent 2 have been decent - I've learnt from previous mistakes - though I have run into problems due to working on them at weekends after a few beers
I think that for anyone inexperienced with PC's, you may run into problems with configuration: setting RAM speed & bus clock speeds up in your BIOS, installing correct drivers for chipset, processors, cards etc etc. And as mentioned, if you get a faulty component, isolating it & realising thats the problem & its not just something daft you've done (or visa versa).
However, one of the main benefits of a self build is that you know exactly what you've made & you will have a much better idea of how it works. Its a learning experience. You will know exactly how you've configured everything so that if you have a problem in the future (virus, weird performance) or need to update something (software driver, OS, hardware) then you'll probably know what to do.
In my experience, the first machine I built wasn't bad but I made a few hardware buying mistakes (wrong memory speed, crap gfx card) which was down to poor research. The second machine wasn't bad but once again I didn't research the implications of certain hardware: motherboard size vs case size(!), power supply & had issues with OS installs & drivers. The most recent 2 have been decent - I've learnt from previous mistakes - though I have run into problems due to working on them at weekends after a few beers
Have a look at http://tomshardware.co.uk/howto/ There are a series of guides on building a machine from choosing the bits to putting it all together.
I built my last machine and made a moderate saving over buying it in the shops but I didn't have it loaded with all the rubbish that shop stuff comes with and I got exactly the components I wanted.
I built my last machine and made a moderate saving over buying it in the shops but I didn't have it loaded with all the rubbish that shop stuff comes with and I got exactly the components I wanted.
I have built literally 100's of machines since the early 1990s, and worked for a local computer shop too.
Nowadays I would buy a pc off the shelf.
IMHO, the savings for building a single pc, by the time you pay petrol, postage, VAT, returns and the hassle if it goes wrong just aren't worth it any more.
Nowadays I would buy a pc off the shelf.
IMHO, the savings for building a single pc, by the time you pay petrol, postage, VAT, returns and the hassle if it goes wrong just aren't worth it any more.
OK, here is a question ... my self-build PC is running Win 2K, as it is the only OS disk I have.
Win XP is rather better, but I don't have a disk. I'm sure that I had one somewhere but have just mislaid it ... would anyone have a spare they could lend me, or send me a copy of <cough, wink>.
(My laptop (IBM X31) has XP, but this is installed on a protected partition in the root directory, so there is no way of installing it on another machine.)
Oli.
Win XP is rather better, but I don't have a disk. I'm sure that I had one somewhere but have just mislaid it ... would anyone have a spare they could lend me, or send me a copy of <cough, wink>.
(My laptop (IBM X31) has XP, but this is installed on a protected partition in the root directory, so there is no way of installing it on another machine.)
Oli.
zcacogp said:
OK, here is a question ... my self-build PC is running Win 2K, as it is the only OS disk I have.
Win XP is rather better, but I don't have a disk. I'm sure that I had one somewhere but have just mislaid it ... would anyone have a spare they could lend me, or send me a copy of <cough, wink>.
(My laptop (IBM X31) has XP, but this is installed on a protected partition in the root directory, so there is no way of installing it on another machine.)
Oli.
Win XP is rather better, but I don't have a disk. I'm sure that I had one somewhere but have just mislaid it ... would anyone have a spare they could lend me, or send me a copy of <cough, wink>.
(My laptop (IBM X31) has XP, but this is installed on a protected partition in the root directory, so there is no way of installing it on another machine.)
Oli.
If you were so inclined I am sure you could find an ISO of the disk on the various torrents sites.
The Licensing is a little harder to overcome - XP requires activation after first installation. There are plenty of cracks to get around this though.
You can get XP from Aria for about £50-60 and it includes an upgrade voucher for Vista.
Ross_328i_sport said:
Hi, i am thinking of building a machine and presently do not have any experience in slefbuilding computers. Is It very hard or can i find the information i need from the internet or books if so any advice ?
Regards
Ross
Regards
Ross
What do you intend to use the PC for? If it is gaming then build it yourself. If you want something more stylish then build it yourself. If it is an office box then buy a Dell.
I always build my own as I go for high spec gaming rigs. I have put together a Shuttle HTPC recently, though, as a media centre (the second Shuttle I've put together) and they go together like a dream.
rsvmilly said:
If you were so inclined I am sure you could find an ISO of the disk on the various torrents sites.
The Licensing is a little harder to overcome - XP requires activation after first installation. There are plenty of cracks to get around this though.
You can get XP from Aria for about £50-60 and it includes an upgrade voucher for Vista.
I'm guessing that "an ISO of the disk" is effectively the disk contents, for download? The Licensing is a little harder to overcome - XP requires activation after first installation. There are plenty of cracks to get around this though.
You can get XP from Aria for about £50-60 and it includes an upgrade voucher for Vista.
What's the difficulty with the licensing - don't you just type in the activation code?
Oli.
mcflurry said:
I have built literally 100's of machines since the early 1990s, and worked for a local computer shop too.
Nowadays I would buy a pc off the shelf.
IMHO, the savings for building a single pc, by the time you pay petrol, postage, VAT, returns and the hassle if it goes wrong just aren't worth it any more.
Nowadays I would buy a pc off the shelf.
IMHO, the savings for building a single pc, by the time you pay petrol, postage, VAT, returns and the hassle if it goes wrong just aren't worth it any more.
In a similar boat - build literally hundreds of PC's... if not thousands over the years... and I'd go for off the shelf for MOST home use applications, especially if you're not experienced at tinkering.
Quinny said:
The trouble with buying one off the shelf is, you don't always get what you want, but you usually get a load of stuff you don't want.
If you want somthing a bit more specific, the self build is a good way of getting it without paying over the odds
If you want somthing a bit more specific, the self build is a good way of getting it without paying over the odds
So many places allow you to customise these days, it's not so much of an issue IMO. Yes, they'll always be specific stuff that requires a dedicated build, but generally off the shelf suffices.
zcacogp said:
rsvmilly said:
If you were so inclined I am sure you could find an ISO of the disk on the various torrents sites.
The Licensing is a little harder to overcome - XP requires activation after first installation. There are plenty of cracks to get around this though.
You can get XP from Aria for about £50-60 and it includes an upgrade voucher for Vista.
I'm guessing that "an ISO of the disk" is effectively the disk contents, for download? The Licensing is a little harder to overcome - XP requires activation after first installation. There are plenty of cracks to get around this though.
You can get XP from Aria for about £50-60 and it includes an upgrade voucher for Vista.
What's the difficulty with the licensing - don't you just type in the activation code?
Oli.
ISO is the image file that Nero etc can then burn to a writable disk. It is a snapshot of the entire original disk.
The difference with the code in 2000 is that you can use the same code to install the OS on several machines. There is no checking of the codes by Microsoft.
XP requires you to enter the serial no during installation, as 2000, except you are then required to activate the copy of XP. This can be done online or over the telephone. Online means XP takes a profile of your PC and sends that to Microsoft. It checks that the serial no is legitimate and has not been used elsewhere.
www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article03-200
rsvmilly said:
ISO is the image file that Nero etc can then burn to a writable disk. It is a snapshot of the entire original disk.
The difference with the code in 2000 is that you can use the same code to install the OS on several machines. There is no checking of the codes by Microsoft.
XP requires you to enter the serial no during installation, as 2000, except you are then required to activate the copy of XP. This can be done online or over the telephone. Online means XP takes a profile of your PC and sends that to Microsoft. It checks that the serial no is legitimate and has not been used elsewhere.
www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article03-200
Interesting, and helpful, thanks. The difference with the code in 2000 is that you can use the same code to install the OS on several machines. There is no checking of the codes by Microsoft.
XP requires you to enter the serial no during installation, as 2000, except you are then required to activate the copy of XP. This can be done online or over the telephone. Online means XP takes a profile of your PC and sends that to Microsoft. It checks that the serial no is legitimate and has not been used elsewhere.
www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article03-200
How much better than Win2K is WinXP? The version I have running on my lappie has been 100% bulletproof, without exception. My desktop machine (Win2K) seems to fairly often have problems.
Is it worth upgrading? How hard is it to make these 'cracks' work (ahem)?
Oli.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff