Novice PC buyer getting barebones PC kit: need advice on motherboard, etc

[Coroloro]

It has come to the time where I will be looking to get a new PC, however since I still have some good parts in my old one I have decided to get a bare bones PC and fill it in. I'm going to use a company found through Pricewatch (pcinfinity.net), unless you have any recomendations, and I am aiming for a nicer AMD processor, perhaps an Athlon XP 2000. I know i could get a better buy buying different parts from different companies, but I want to try to stick to one place to not complicate things. Also, if they assemble what I do buy for me, that is less difficulty on my end. My main question is on the motherboard: the company I am looking at offers a few options, and as I have heard good things about Asus I think I will focus on them. But there is a large range, and I fear my computer knowledge doesn't extend far enough for me to be able to decide wisely just by looking at all the technical specs. I plan to try to get a full tower case, with a 300w power supply, and I want the ability to upgrade fairly well with accessories. I will not need a dual processor ability, though. I'm not really sure where to begin in deciding this.

Also, I have no experience in buying PC kits. Do they usually arrive assembled (ie: if you buy a kit with a case, processor, motherboard, etc... are all the parts you buy already put together?). Or does it depend on the company? I have experience with installing parts, but I'm wanting to buy a kit because I don't want to have to handle a motherboard installation and configuration. Any assistance you guys can offer would be much appreciated.

-Patrick

[Budfred]

You might want to check this before buying from pcinfinity:

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1890.html

A lot of companies will assemble a bare bones system for you, usually for a small fee. I am not sure what Newegg does with this, but they are a good company so you might want to check. I would look for more than 300 watts in a power supply, especially if you want expandibility in the future.

http://www.newegg.com/app/catalog.asp?DEPA=1

I would look for a company that scores well on the ResellersRatings to avoid future headaches.

Budfred

[ranchdog]

Support after the purchase

has got to be the Key.

;)



RD.

[saphalline]

I know i could get a better buy buying different parts from different companies, but I want to try to stick to one place to not complicate things.
Newegg is one-stop shopping at its best! Service and shipping practices are top-notch, and so is customer I hear but I've never needed to use it. As far as prices are concerned, Newegg has very competitive prices in every area (as opposed to "other" vendors who sell one part for cheap and dig deep into your wallet on everything else), and they often have the latest available hardware. I've ordered close to $2000 in computer parts from them and I have yet to be disappointed. Everything still works great! :D

IMO, you should really, really try the challenge of buying these new parts separately (from Newegg ;) ) and putting them together yourself. What will be the role of this new PC of yours? Your main PC? Your only PC? If so, know that most barebones and kits use, shall we say, "sub-par" parts. Not the best in reliability or performance, which is key for a motherboard. I have seen the occasional assembled barebones PC that uses higher quality parts, but they often cost 30% more than the parts would cost separately. Don't be too afraid of the rather daunting task of installing a mobo - it may be touch-and-go at times but it's not terribly difficult for someone with patience and the proper precautions. Max time: 20 minutes your first time, maybe 30 if something doesn't fit quite right.

Keep in mind also that modern mobo's are largely or entirely set-up in the BIOS. In other words, after installing the processor and RAM, you really don't have to touch anything else. The processor speed and amount of RAM are recognized automatically, and you've been inside a BIOS before, right? The toughest part is picking a mobo, the next toughest is installing it. Once you've done that, the rest of the computer is a breeze!

If you don't quite feel confortable doing that yet, I understand. But then you'll have to be all the more careful with your selection of barebones/kit to get the best mobo for your money. This Asus board you were looking at, did it say something like NForce2 or KT400? Look for these chipset names.

[Autoeng]

ss

[joea64]

For my own part, I don't really do much parts buying online (though I did get a brand-new Western Digital HD off eBay last week at an outstanding price) because I'm the kind of guy who prefers to eyeball and poke at the merchandise before buying. I generally buy from local indie dealers known to me from previous transactions (either at their stores or at their computer-show booths), from the local Micro Center superstore, or occasionally from Best Buy. My current system is essentially a collection of parts all bought separately over the period of a year and a quarter; I started out with a hand-me-down Pentium II 300 system with a 3 GB HD and have transformed it into an T-Bird 1.4 Ghz system with 160 GB HD space and all the trimmings. Cost more money than it would have getting one of those neatly boxed-up barebones, but I for one think the satisfaction was a lot more in the long run.

-Joe-

[sleddog]

Coroloro, a few points:

1. Don't be intimidated by a motherboard installation. It is not complicated; a quality motherboard (like Asus) comes with a detailed manual; there are excellent supplementary resources like page at pcguide.com; and the good people here are available to offer a word of advice.

2. More difficult (IMO) than installing the motherboard is *correctly* mounting the heatsink on the CPU. But again, lots of advice and help is available. I would strongly look at purchasing separately a *quality* heatsink and fan instead of using a 'generic' one that might be bundled with a package deal.

3. Regards to which motherboard you select (from, for example, the lineup offered by Asus) that depends on the features and performance you want. Some motherboards have various items "on-board" (meaning built-in) like video, audio & networking -- so you don't need separate cards for those functions. The latest and greatest models provide support for the highest speeds, but to obtain those speeds your RAM and processor must also support them. Unless you're looking for a real top-end system, I'd suggest you look at support for 266MHx FSB in your motherboard, RAM and processor. And I'd recommend staying away from "on-board" features, though that is, again, a personal preference.

4. I would second Budford in recommending more than a 300 watt power supply. A 350 watt one would do nicely.

5. Pay attention to case cooling, an often-overlooked part of the system. A case should (again, IMO) have -- in addition to the power suppply fan -- an exhaust fan at the top-rear and an intake fan at the bottom-front.

So I guess I also second saphalline in saying that you can do it yourself :) But before your buy, keep refining your selection of hardware and keep asking questions.

[I can't offer an opinion on the quality of items or the service from NewEgg. They don't ship to Canada so it's not an option for me. My favourite Canadian online store is http://www.pccanada.com/inventory.asp -- I'd be interested to hear how people think their prices compare. But remember to convert as everything is in Canadian dollars -- http://www.xe.com/ucc/ ]

[joea64]

Personally, as far as power supplies go, after some bad experiences last summer with no-name 350W power supplies that just couldn't keep up with a newly upgraded Athlon-based system, I'm an Antec convert; I use a TruePower 430W ATX PS. That brand is expensive compared to most other brands of PS'es, but you'll find that an Antec more than pays for itself. (Interestingly enough, I also remember reading somewhere recently that in buying a power supply, the weight of the unit really does mean something, because heavier units are likely to have more and better insulation and sturdier, more durable parts.)

-Joe-

[no-mbr]

From original post---- I have experience with installing parts, but I'm wanting to buy a kit because I don't want to have to handle a motherboard installation and configuration. Any assistance you guys can offer would be much appreciated ------

Guess it's "fun" to build things, but if you don't have specific PC need , it's hard to beat the integrated systems from the big "3", Dell, Compaq or HP. They all provide a copy of XP built into their price.

Unless you want a particular video or sound capability their $600 PC can't be beat.....or can they?

[saphalline]

Unless you want a particular video or sound capability their $600 PC can't be beat.....or can they?
First time you build your own PC, no those $600 PC's can't be beat. The reason is that the first time you build your own, you're starting from scratch. Unless you have another PC-building friend or contact, you'll be buying everything the first time - from the case fans to the motherboard, from the IDE cables to WindowsXP - it all has to be factored into the total cost.

After the first time, it's just a continual process of upgrading! :D Bigger hard drive, better graphics card, add a DVD writer, maybe another case fan or two, processor & mobo upgrades, etc. Every few years you have to replace a broken monitor or move to a bigger case or whatever, but you always have a few parts that can be carried over to the "new PC". Eventually you find that you have upraded everything, but not all at once - this is what makes it cheaper in the long run.

But the first time, yeah, I spent about $1300. Most of that won't be re-spent for several years. 19" monitor? Good for a few years. Server-size case? Plenty of expansion and sturdy enough to outlast the ATX standard! DVD drive? Good until IDE is no longer supported. ;) Case fans? Heheh, when they break I'll buy new ones, case fans will likely be the same for another decade!

The only parts that need constant upgrading (and I use that phrase loosely) are the CPU, mobo, and RAM - and to lesser extents the graphics card, sound card, and hard drive.