Custom PC
 

I think I made a thread like this already, but my interest in building my own PC has popped up again. I really think it's time to upgrade my 6-year old dinosaur, and I'm trying to map out a plan in my head.

All I've thought of at the moment is to get a case first, because it doesn't make sense to buy a bunch of parts when I don't know the measurements. I will probably be getting a Smilodon:

Newegg.com - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Newegg has put a bunch of measurements for various sections of the case, but I'm not sure if it's safe to just buy standard parts like the motherboard and PSU based on that...does the case look like it will accept all standard-sized parts? Apparently, it's a very practical case, and comes with built-in fans and everything...but I just don't know.

Some other things I'm not sure about:

1. Determining what kind of PSU you need?

2. Mandatory motherboard features, and CPU compatibility?

3. Cabling that must be bought seperately?

The thing I really hate about all this is that I won't be getting all the parts at once.

Well I don't know that much about PC's, but I'll do the best I can to help you out.


1:It depends on how you are going to set it up. If you are going for top of the line (Gfore 8800 High powered duel or quad core cpu and such) then you would need a pretty hefty PSU I think a 750W or better one will work for that kind of setup.

2: Depends on what you will use it for

3: If the parts you buy are OEM then you will not get all the cables you need and have to get them on there own

Part sizing is standardized, so as an ATX case it must accept all standard ATX parts. You shouldn't have any trouble with getting a motherboard that won't fit, for example. PSUs are the same way.

The type of PSU you need is dictated by a couple of things. First of all, you need to make sure that you get one of sufficient wattage to run all the peripherals you plan to include. Particularly powerful video cards these days have a significant draw as well that you will need to account for.

As far as mandatory motherboard features goes, for the most part a motherboard is a motherboard. Some will have on-board RAID which you may or may not want, or SLI, and so on. Beyond that, though, most motherboards are pretty similar in terms of features. You'll want to make a decision on the motherboard based more on stability and other characteristics you value, such as how well it overclocks, if that's something you're interested in.

CPU compatibility is straight-forward. Just look at the CPU you want and it'll say what kind of socket it takes: socket 775 or AM2+ for example. Then just make sure your CPU and motherboard use the same socket.

Additional cabling is really variable. You can basically count on some cabling being thrown in with the motherboard for connecting hard drives. If you get a motherboard with SATA (which you almost certainly will) you'll have some SATA cables thrown in but will need to likely purchase (or steal from your old machine) some IDE cables to hook up optical drives.

I don't plan to use the computer for any kind of gaming, but I would expect it to have very good video performance. I see that ATi is coming out with a Radeon HD 3800, which I'm assuming will be one of their best...if I were to pair it up with a Intel Core 2 Quad, would a 500 watt PSU cut it?

Also, pretty much everything connects to the motherboard, correct?

A 500 might be a bit low depending on how many drives (both storage and optical) you have, but I'd recommend looking at reviews of a specific graphics card, 'cause they'll generally comment on the kind of power it needs.

Everything connects to the motherboard at some point, yes.

Check out the Corsair PSUs, they are getting fabulous reviews, and are ultra quiet. I have a 620HX in my case and it works wonders. Did I mention its modular?

I reckon that any newish video card (Radeon HD3000 series or GeForce 8000 series) on the market should do the trick okay if you're not planning on doing any gaming. An HDMI port with sound capabilities would be a nice touch if you want to use your system with your home theater, of course, but you can get those for less than the price of a Radeon HD 3800. Ordinarily, I'd suggest skipping ATi altogether, as nVidia's cards seem to give much better bang for the buck, but ATi and their card makers have been a lot quicker to implement HDMI than nVidia has.

A decent quality 550 watt power supply should be fine. I personally have a Core 2 Quad, two hard drives, and a GeForce 8800GTS running from a 550 watt Mushkin, and I haven't noticed the slightest hiccup from it.