info on building 1st computer

[smileypie]

Hello, I have been mulling over the idea of building my own computer. I do multitrack recording on my computer and my old Compaq P200mmx 64mb ram is a dog. I can do a few tracks then add one effect and she bogs down and gets real choppy.

I would love the challenge of building one. I know I can get decent computers for pretty good price now but from my lurking here it seems that building one is the only way to get exactly what I want.

Now here is my problem I don't have much money up-front but I could scrounge up 100-200 a month to buy components piece by piece. DO you all think something like that may work? I have some exp with computers not much though. I have installed my HD, cd rom, cd burners, ram and the like. Do you think that would be enough exp to start?

Could any one suggest some required reading for this kinda thing.

any info would be cool.
thanks
dave

does anyone know much about the Power Leap http://plpadmin.tempdomainname.com/index1.html stuff? They have PL-ProMMX 400 for $89.95 that they say will install in my current pc. I was thinking of doing that and upping my ram while I was building the new pc. Whatcha think?
thanks again

[John Prophet]

Welcome to the forum!

scrounging up piece by piece could take a while.

The powerleap stuff is ok from what I hear, but it can only do so much..in other words the rest of the components are still slowish so usually you would just put the money into something better.

There a Dell deal right now for $499 which is a 2.2ghz comp with a 15"lcd monitor..if you want it without monitor it is only $399...that really hard to beat. Its here http://www.gotapex.com/deals.php under deals for july 8th.

Doesnt come with a modem or speakers, or floppy at that price, but you could use your old stuff, use your burner...or wait till some good deals on speakers come up, etc.

Good Luck, JP

[daveleau]

You would get a very minimal upgrade by going with the PowerLeap product. I would highly suggest not doing this. The processor is the least of your problems in regards to speed. Hard drive (abbreviated hdd) space and disk speed is a major factor. RAM (memory) speed, size and capacity is another huge factor.

I would highly suggest getting parts over the next few months to build a system. You would be much better served in doing so. You can get a good motherboard (abbreviated mobo) for less than $100 easily and a great processor for under $50. A new hdd would be under $100. Video is the least of your worries, since you do audio stuff mostly, but a video card could run less than $100 to $150. The audio card is where you can significantly increase your performance. You can reuse the CD and burner and the hdd, but I would suggest getting another hdd later on because they are cheap and faster. Hdd speed and size will increase the performance of your audio applications.

The best places to start are www.pricewatch.com (you MUST cross reference vendors on pricewatch at www.resellerratings.com because many of the vendors there are not good businessmen.) Another good place, if you buy several pieces at one time is www.newegg.com . Yet another good one is www.mwave.com .

If you can, try to buy everything at one time. IE: save your money for the next few months and buy all at once and from one vendor like newegg or mwave. You'll save at least $50 to $100 in shipping charges if you do this.

Anyone can build a PC. It is not rocket science. The hardest part is installing the operating system. Mobos of today are easy to configure and parts rarely conflict. Just ask us before you buy and we will give you the ok on it.

Dave

Welcome to TechIMO!!!

Well, if ya want something that will be quicker and last a while, I'd stay away for a PowerLeap upgrade. The bases subsystem of the Pentium you have will be a bottleneck for any speed the CPU might have.

So, my suggsetions would be to save up, and buy a bit at a time, and build yourself one. You'll need a new case as well (as I assume the Compaq is an AT case), but could use your drives (including floppy) if you want to cannabalise them outa the Compaq.

And you are in the right place for good advice on building a PC!

Welcome to TechIMO!!

Cheers
Mick

[Redwolf]

Building a PC is rather easy. If you've installed cards and CD droves before, and know how to work a screwdriver, you can do it easily. Just read the mobo manual to seewhere everything plugs into, make sure you plug in the LEDs right (they only go one way, unlike switches and speakers; no damage will be done if you plug them in wrong, they just wion't work until you reverse it). Make sure you also know how to confgiure drives for PRimary/secondary. A good rule of tumb:

Pri Master - ALWAYS the hard drive youy are putting the OS on
Pri Slave - Either your CD Drive (if you copy alot of CDs to your burner) or your old HDD
Sec Master - Your Cd Burner
Sec Slave - The device you didn't plug into your Pri Slave.

Do you plan on getting a new OS or do you have a Retail/OEM disc for one that you plan to use? Which OS is it?

[smileypie]

Wow that was fast!
I have a new hdd Samsung 40gig run in limited capacity to 32gig but my puter only see it as 8gig.
I will be using some more high end audio cards maybe maudio or the echco stuff not quite sure on this yet still reading a bunch of reviews. I have installed OS on a few different machines before.
I am not sure what OS to go with I was told that 98se was a good one and cross compatable with older programs but I do not know if that matters much to me. I do mostly audio but may score some of my friends movies in the future. Any suggestions on OS?

I know dell has some great stuff for cheap and I apreciate the reply, but that is not the only reason for wanting to do this. I love tweaking on stuff and this sounds perfect (next to my vw's)

thanks for the replies this place is great!
dave

I do have a new windows98 disk (not upgrade) ebay has just about every OS for bid. I currently run98 and was told it wouldn't run any USB and the keyboard Iwas looking at is USB

Dunno about audio, but the NT core windozes like 2000 and XP are much more stable than the 9x ones.

If you are serious about your audio, PM a member here by the name of Tomteriffic. He'll load you up with so much info you'll think all your Christmases have come at once!!

Cheers
Mick

[Idigguns]

Welcome to TechIMO!

Very easy to build a PC, and a good experience. I recommend it. The Dell could be a good place to start and upgrade from there. Only problem is, sometimes they make Dell's hard to upgrade. They'll put proprietary components in so if you change one part, you have to change another. Still, not a bad way to go though for that price. Otherwise, I also,would suggest saving up a couple months of money to get you started. After that, you can add on a little at a time. You picked the right place to come for advice. We'll be glad to help you in building your PC. For now, I would suggest doing some reading. You can do a Google search and find plenty of articles on building a PC. Or you can go to your local Barnes & Noble or Borders book store, get a cup of coffee and glance through their magazines and books. If you find something good, buy it and put it in your "Referrence Library". One excellent book is called "Upgrading and Repairing PC's" by Scott Mueller. The 14th edition should be out in about September, so you may want to hold out on buying it. It's not cheap, I think about $60. It's a great book, though. Good luck.

[jerrygarcia]

Here is a quick 'How to build a PC' reference from Tom's Hardware Guide.

Part I

http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/index.html

Part II

http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020918/index.html

Welcome to TechIMO!

[JPMiller]

For your application I would suggest saving money on things like the case and video ...here is a list of places and products to save on...
Case no power supply
Power supply
I believe this deal is still good but has gone up to $50...still good deal...I ordered 2 sticks!
Memory
Video card
Now this is just a possible suggestion...if you wanted to save some money you could go with a refurbished Mobo that has onboard graphics equal to the afforementioned cards and save $25 off the retail price (of the board) and save the $50+ on the video card.....
http://www.newegg.com/app/Viewproduc...&srchFor=M7NCG
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...tion=MK79G%2DN

80 Gig Western Digital HD 7200RPM $77 with ship
Or...
shahani is a great guy to do business with