Building a System vs. Buying a System

[Headbanger]

I've thought about doing my own build, but never had the money. Now that I have the money, I don't have too much time. The advantage that I would like with a homebuilt one vs a bought computer would be that it would take me less time removing software bloat by not installing it in the first place. So, I'm going with buying one.

Also, I found a wattage calculator that might help you. I haven't used it myself though. https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

[RobertX]

Just checked it: 231 Watts recommended. Not going to do a whole lot with gaming, especially with modern games. I might try playing with arcade emulators though.

Thanks, Headbanger, that link helped quite a lot.

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I don't think he is unsure as much as he's making a general statement based on the specifics you provided... If you had the exact info on what you were getting it would be easier to provide advice.

For example, when I had a desktop, I had an Nvidia something or other that tells you it requires a specific Power supply. I ended up buying a 700w PS.

I built a computer and thought it was cool as a learning experience, but now I can't be bothered with it. When this POS finally falls apart I'll just look for something in my realm. Another good thing about building is you can save a little more $$ if you do some savvy shopping.

Sorry, just missed your post.

There's nothing wrong with being unsure, after all, you said that I didn't tell him what I want to do.

That 700W power supply seems to pack a punch. Do you still have it?

And what made you baulk out from building another computer? Money? It's always about the money, isn't it?

[LZA]

Sorry, just missed your post.

There's nothing wrong with being unsure, after all, you said that I didn't tell him what I want to do.

That 700W power supply seems to pack a punch. Do you still have it?

And what made you baulk out from building another computer? Money? It's always about the money, isn't it?

My posts are easy to miss

No, unfortunately, my desktop is gone as my ex-wife destroyed it when we got divorced. Now that I'm remembering, I do know there was a min limit for a PS, but I maybe bought the 700w to be safe. I do know I had a 300w and the video card needed more than that.

Honestly, Laziness really. I did it once, maybe I'll do it again. But again, the laziness comes in part of not incorporating $$ in my budget to buy the stuff as I did before. Plus, I just watch movies and surf the web, I don't need all that computer for what I do. Patience and motivation now are keeping me from building another one.

[RobertX]

I won't have a video card; I'll be using onboard video provided by the Athlon 200GE processor, or at least that was my plan. Either that or I'm buying.

I've managed with 500W, and one of my computers are 230W, but that's more than ten years ago.

Long story short, I'm not looking to play bad ass games, just general purpose. I want to salvage everything that I've bought in the past as much as possible, and I won't stop doing that.

And about using that processor, I'll take that route when I decide not to build and buy refurbished stuff. I still haven't reached the conclusion of my plan.

Thanks, LZA.


And what kind of a bitch is that ex-wife of yours?

[dueda]

And what kind of a bitch is that ex-wife of yours?

"Technophobe" as most obsolete stereotype females.

I'm thinking on building my own, now that neither money nor import restrictions aren't issues, but just games and UV tubes on RGB fans just became boring...
As I grow older, a red convertible Mustang road trip sounds more fun than a ultra-expensive piece of programmed obsolescence environment damage.

I'd start with a PC Buyer Direct-something; good view case, basic gamer motherboard with plenty RAM slots to fill with ARGB modules, decent specs.
Then I'd move up to UV liquid cooling, plexi waterblocks, touch panels...

OR a basic slim case with 1070-class graphics, no fancies. Cheaper, easier, and lower depreciation / TCO. 
I strongly suggest waiting for USB 4 and PCIe 4, no point buying top tier now just to replace next year.

[RobertX]

Welcome back, dueda. Nice to see you again. I hope this message finds you well.

Well, I've decided to buy a pre-built computer, however, I am not giving up on building a makeshift system, the only difference being that this system will be donated to the office of the workplace I do voluntary work in. I've heard that they can use anything extra.

Thanks to all who contributed; I would like more input so the next guy who asks can find the answers here.

Bye now!

[dueda]

Just a reminder, if you're into volunteering, used/refurbished PCs may be a good choice. Plenty of those on Craigslist, Newegg, and others.

[RobertX]

Good point, but the purpose of continuing to build a PC is that the project won't be wasted.

If I just use another PC to give to the workplace I volunteer in, the purpose of building the computer would be defeated.

[dueda]

Good luck building!

[waregim]

For power supplies, I use Intec here. 500-650 watts seem fine for non-gaming.
Make sure that the PS comes with the right adaptors/plug sizes for the motherboard you intend to use.
Also make sure that the case you want is adaptable to the motherboard.

Dont make the same mistakes I did. This system is quite literally held together with cable ties. I didnt know Dell made their mobos back-asswards.

SATA hard drives suck. M$ has had problems with drivers (even newer ones), and the good high quality ones are cheap because they will fry if they do not have fans attached. Allow for plenty of extra fans/ventilation on anything you build. And make it easy to clean out heat sinks which *will* get filled with dust, and overheat.

The new RAM type hard drives are fast, but dreadful in that they will lose all data if powered down for a month or two. No for archival use!

The last desktop I bought new was in 1992, a 386SX. Since then either build it, or get it cheap at a country auction. Some of my XP systems cost $10. 8 years ago!

BTW- the Dell mobo cost $14. I reused the $6 chip, and cable tied the heatsink/fan to it. The only expense was the Intec power supply $40.

Putting the system together is actually quite easy, BUT:
You NEED to download the Motherboard manual, and should download the drivers for it also. Afterwards you should probably use the Jiffy driver suite to update (Windows) . A BIOS update is also advisable.
The fun part is determining whether the front panel of the case you are using is compatible with the mobo connectors. On one system I needed a seperate push-button switch to turn it on!

Advice: Go to a country auction, or craigslist, where can get a better system than this one for around $25 (make sure it has 4-8Gb of ram and is 64 bit). I have ideological reasons for sticking to the Intel E6000 series . Estate auctions may be another good spot. And if you drive, dont forget Garbage Day. Anything certified Win Vista or 7 should be good enough.
Dont pass up a good cheap Xp machine. It can still do wondrful things, like act as a file server. Run scripts. Hook up an Arduino and use it as alarm/sensor system. Even download torrents from TPB. The EIDE drives are smaller, but more durable than SATA!

Addendum: Be PARTICULARLY careful about SATA and POWER connectors. Make sure to get the Sata3 connectors, even if using a Sata2 system. The ones with the snap-on click sound. Always connect your main drives directly to the power connectors from the PS. You can connect the DVD and other things with power extenders, which may be necessary for things like extra fans and the like.

And ... check out Amazon reviews for any hardware under consideration (Mobo,psu, gpu, etc) and pay particular attention for any complaints about CAPACITORS. Cheap crap will use cheap (not tantalum or rare earth) capacitors, which will generally die or short out. And which can cause system failure of worse - component failure with no detectable causes. A *symptom* but not a sure sign on running systems is if the cap bloats outward from overheating. Never buy from that vendor again....