Building a PC
For a summer project I'd like to put together a PC piece by piece. It's been a long time -- more than five years -- since I've had to work with a Windows PC on anything more than a cursory basis, so I'm a babe in the woods and could use some advice.
Before you ask, I'm taking this project on because it looks like my Mac hardware needs have been satisfied for the time being. I'd really like a G5 but I've decided to wait a while longer before getting one; the first-generation models are already getting a bit long in the tooth and my experience has been that Apple's "sweet spot" for pro systems is often two or three revisions into each major model's introduction (a dual-processor 1GHz 2002 "QuickSilver" is my current machine, which I'm still very happy with).
Although I'm hoping to ultimately use the system more for online access and general application use, I'd like to build something that will be good enough to play games on, at least for a while. Not necessarily a no-holds-barred top of the line pro gamer's rig, but something good enough to get by on.
As far as requirements go, I have a few basic guidelines: I'd like it to have wireless networking capability, USB 2.0 and FireWire, and I want it to have DVI video capability and a DVD recordable drive as well. Otherwise, I'm pretty open to suggestions.
Am I better off just buying something factory-built, or can I get away with building my own for so much less that it's silly for me to buy a name brand?
Comments
Hmm, and I thought Corey had the definitive editorial on getting a Windows PC... http://www.macgamer.com/features/?id=1218
Posted by: Alphax | May 26, 2004 07:04 PM
I'm of two minds on buying a PC. When I first started working for Westlake, having a PC was a requirement, so I trucked on over to Fry's and bought the parts to build my own. In the short run, it was certainly cheaper, but I had too many configuration problems. The motherboard I bought had USB, but Windows wouldn't recognize it. It also frequently locked up while attempting to sleep. I could never get it to shut down properly either - it would always lock up.
Eventually, I upgraded the motherboard and CPU to support a P3/933. A year after doing so, the new Frankenstein locked up and I had to restart. Upon doing so, it wouldn't power on and I discovered the CPU had been fried. At this point, I discovered that no one sold P3/933s any more, so I was essentially forced to get a new motherboard and CPU combo, which also forced me to get new RAM as well.
Luckily, Beth had "switched" to the Mac by now, and I was able to inherit her Dell p3/933 from her, which had been running for 2 years without a hitch (relatively speaking). It's 3 years old now, and still going.
In retrospect, I don't think I'd build my own PC if I could afford a name-brand one. The hassles and mysteries of a non-standard configuration are too much of a time sink for me to worry about. I believe, especially with PCs, that you're better off following the herd and owning a popular, name-brand model. At least that way when something goes horribly wrong, you stand a fighting chance of either getting warranty work done or finding a solution on the 'net from other unfortunate souls.
Posted by: Brad Oliver | May 26, 2004 11:16 PM
I concur with Brad. Unless you're a PC expert, they're WAY more hassle than it's worth to piecemeal together yourself. Dude, just buy a Dell.
Posted by: lyssa | May 27, 2004 08:40 AM
I know exactly where you're coming from Peter - I have the same machine you do, and also have no desire to upgrade my Mac. Everything runs plenty fast for me, so I'm probably going to hold fast for another year or so.
As far as building a PC goes, I think what it boils down to is: Are you looking for a project or just a PC? I build my own PCs because I'm a tinkerer and a geek at heart, find the process interesting, and also don't trust Dell and co. to not install a bunch of crap. I (and most of my friends, with the exception of one who always cheaps out on hardware) really haven't had much in the way of problems - a few minor ones here and there, but the only major problem that I had was that about six months ago my PC was crashing randomly when not active. I couldn't find a solution, so I was basically forced to reinstall Windows and the problem has gone away. Windows itself, while still rather bad from an interface/design perspective, is rather stable in the latest incarnations, and is no longer the abhorrent POS that was prone to blue-screening every few hours in 95/98/ME. I think the key is to buy popular, name-brand hardware, and be aware of what drivers you install (use ATI/NVidia reference drivers whenever possible).
The question is - do you want to buy it and forget it, or does the process of researching, purchasing and assembling components appeal to you (and searching the web for solutions to problems that may crop up not disgust you)?
You should have my AIM account name - drop me a line if you have any questions.
Posted by: Rufo Sanchez | May 28, 2004 08:26 PM
Nowadays it has become INCREDIBLY easy to build your own PC. Apart from fact that you can now buy 'all in one' motherboards (processor, memory, graphics, modem etc etc all on contained on one board - known as an integrated board) the process of assembing a PC from components has really been reduced to the 'insert tab A into slot B' level of competence required.
Disappointingly in the UK, and I daresay in the US, there is a notable dearth of online component retailers. In the UK things have got so bad that the University of Manchester Technology department (UMIST) set up their own online store (www.aria.co.uk) which is now the leading supplier for enduser components.
Posted by: }{ellfire | May 29, 2004 08:09 AM