View Single Post - 1st Time Building

vileguy · Rated PG-13

I currently have my own PC, an HP734n. It's been pretty good to me but I've regretted not building my own computer for a long time; however, I'm determined to this time. I feel pretty comfortable putting everything in a case though I've never done it before, but I'm not sure of everything I need nor what the best place to buy it all is.

My old computer was upgraded with an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro and a new Sound Blaster Card which I just recently got, as well as Logitech USB Mouse and Keyboard, all of which aside from the video card I plan on moving to my new computer. As far as I know PCI-Express is ideal but I haven't done enough research to be assured.

So I plan on buying a case...the Raidmax X-1 ATX Mid-tower looks nice to me, though it sounds heavy. I want something that's got a good amount of space and ventilation but would prefer something that's not incredibly heavy. I'm currently going through Ibuypower.com's system configurator as a check list of what I need for my new comp. I sent my friend there when he wanted to buy a comp cuz he was going to get a Dell or some pos, and he is quite satisfied with what he got, but he paid a lot. There's a good chance I will order my PC from there unless I find a cheaper place to buy parts and do it myself.

I won't spend $2,000 on a computer, i'd like to spend in the range of $1,000, less is fine if I'm getting something that'll last me a few years before I need to upgrade it. I live in San Jose, Ca. if anybody knows a local place. Also, I'm not asking someone to do the work for me, but I'm admitting my extreme lack of knowledge and any advice/guidance is much appreciated, as well as personal opinions on certain parts, cases, web sites etc. First post here and I hope I'm not out of place, I think of myself as a Software guy so this is new ground for me.

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As for my old computer...I'm not gunna pay CompUSA $200 to tell me what's wrong with it, I'd rather throw it out; rather, I want to diagnose it myself. Is there any danger in taking my old hard drive, video card (if the motherboard I get supports it), or sound card and installing it in my new computer when it arrives to pinpoint the problem. The problem is that my computer was freezing while I played a game (the sound would loop and the image would stop on a frame), and after repeated restarts it would freeze earlier, even while booting. I assume this is a heat issue. I had it cleaned because it was pretty filthy on the inside and the issue persisted. After turning it off when it froze and gave a slight odor I quickly unplugged and opened the case and there was a lot of heat near the video/sound cards but I couldn't pinpoint the smell's origin.

Oh and I should mention that I fried a Radeon 9700 Pro in that computer cuz it came with a pos power supply. I replaced that and my video card but the power supply is too big and I have it pretty much glued to the top of my case. It's 550W and it worked for months as I had it set up without issue. I only recently added a new sound card, got my USB mouse and keyboard, and a new speaker/sub system. Even that worked fine a few weeks before the problem occured (I actually drove to Oregon for a LAN and a week after I got there the problem arose.) Thanks to any who give input/links.

Edit1: I use my computer mainly for gaming; I play more hours a week than most people work, but I really enjoy watching movies on it and occasionally burning CDs (don't care about burning DVDs).