Building a PC

[Imnewtothis]

Hey people!!!!!
I've recently acquired a dell deminsion 4700. It was given to me and only included the Motherboard and the case.I fully intended to spend a few hundred on it and have a decent desktop system for daily use. So I took it in to my ISP to buy a powersupply, and one of the techies looked at it to tell me what processor I needed. So he pointed out some "discoloration" on the mb and in the ram slots, and suggested that I trash it and start from scratch.
Sooo I was wondering, should I continue? Or should I just keep the case and buy new internals? I've considered putting in a very low-end dual-core processor/motherboard. If I was to do that, should I just hold out and wait for the quad-cores to go mainstream and the dual-cores to go cut rate?

Suggestions???????????????????

 

[Sceadwian]

If you're new I'd recommend not building the PC yourself unless you can do substantially better buying the components than you could getting a new system pre-built at a local company that has a decent number of hardware options. Learning how to build a PC on your own as you go is expensive, time consuming and very frustrating when you've never done it before, as you're bound to run across at least one hardware incompatability or 'quirk'

The discoloration on the motherboard is a little strange, can you post pictures? Getting a raw motherboard with no processor or memory seems a little funny, like they knew something was wrong with it.

 

[Imnewtothis]

My cousin gave me the pc... I trust him. LOL. I dont know how to upload pics though. but there is a light blue tint on it.

 

[Imnewtothis]

Ohh yeah, and Im not new to this... Its just a name I came up with. (which I regret now.)

 

[Marks256]

Well if you are not new to this, then i would suggest NEVER trusting Dell, and building your own computer from the ground up. Dell was great when they first started out, but now their equipment is made CHEAP AS HELL. I know some of you are going to contradict me on this one, so let me explain.

Imagine that you invent this new and awesome product. This product is so good, everyone wants one, and i mean EVERYONE. Now, lets say you manufacture it to last. You make it out of Grade-A materials, and you test and re-test the product so it will never fail. What is the most logical thing to do now? Put it on the market, of course! So, that is exactly what you do; put it on the market. Everyone is now flocking to buy one for themselves, and for their family members; you are making BILLIONS. Uh-oh! Now there is a bit of a problem; everyone owns one now, so nobody is in need of one anymore, so now what? You built them to last, and that is what they did; lasted forever. Now where is your money coming from? You are now loosing money because nobody needs two of your great product.


This is exactly what Dell and all other computer manufactures compensate for by making crappy computers. Sure, they may be great at first, but THEY SUCK. This is why you should make your own out of individual components. Sure, they wont last forever, but they will last a whole-lot longer if you make a custom PC on your own.

 

[3v0]

I have a bit of a different take on this.

Most people know little about computers so they buy one with a good looking case, or similar nonsense based choice.

To make computers you have to sell computers. To sell computers you have to keep the price down. To do that you have to make em cheap and crappy. If you do not your computers will not sell.

Most brands have more then one line of computers. One for sure is the cheap and crappy boxes. You can get better stuff buy you have to pay extra to get it.

You may do better by selecting you own parts, motherboard etc. The problem there is the MB makers to some degree have the same problems as the people who sell systems.

 

[dknguyen]

I go to Memory Express where I pick every single component of my computer and pay them $40 to put it together because I'm too lazy. It's one of the few online shops that happens to be local for me, yay! If I upgrade a computer, I upgrade the motherboard first. It has always been the thing that has made me need a new computer.

 

[HiTech]

Interesting take you have there Marks256... but a bit skewed IMHO. There is nothing wrong with building a product that lasts. Take the American cars of the 50's & 60's for example. However, studies showed the auto mfgrs. that the avg. American buys a new(er) car every 5 years. So why bother to make a vehicle last 20 years? Enter the era of the 70's/80's crap cars and the overtaking of the market by the Japanese. Anyways, I believe that technology advancements will be the driver behind new sales, regardless of how well built a computer is. I have a few Dells, circa 1999-00 w/ Pentimu II & III around the home that are still purring nicely. Are they obsolete by today's standards? Yes. Are they still useable for most personal computing needs? Yes. I also have a business grade Dell that is built like a brick $hit house... likely to be the last object standing after a direct tornado strike! I also have a newer Dell that's a good performer, but no where nears as solid construction as its older cousins; the same goes for the Gateways I have. I agree with the Woz for the most part... that is until you apply that philosophy on certain items. Tools for example, should not be built cheaply. Professionals and demanding handymen won't tolerate that. You want to buy a ratchet wrench just once and have it last beyond the day you die. Sneakers on the other have a finite life to them, therefore they are destined from the outset to a short lifespan, so why bother paying for a silly pair of $125 Nike Air models. Advances in computer technology is the catalyst that drives consumers to buy the newest, latest & greatest. Unfortunately in reality, when they get home with the new 'puter, they barely use it to it potential. Some programs in their PC never get opened! My mother-in-law bought a $1800 HP desktop w/ 22" LCD panel, DVD burner, high-end gaming video card, etc. and all she does is surf the web for recipes, check Yahoo mail, and play on-line solitaire! I could do that with a $50 Pent. II @ 300mHz and a 15" crt monitor!!!!

 

[Marks256]

I agree with you to a point, HiTech.

There is nothing wrong with building a product that lasts.

Really, in my opinion, it depends on what market you are in. Say with that wrench of yours; there is a pretty good chance that it could get lost. Also, like any other mechanic, i like to have more than one ratchet wrench handy so i don't have to keep changing sockets. Now, here is where i am different than most others; i like to have more than one computer... ;D (at the moment i have 4 computers in my bedroom.) Most people have no use for more than one computer, so why not just make the need for someone to keep buying them?

 

[HiTech]

I
Really, in my opinion, it depends on what market you are in. Say with that wrench of yours; there is a pretty good chance that it could get lost. Also, like any other mechanic, i like to have more than one ratchet wrench handy so i don't have to keep changing sockets. Now, here is where i am different than most others; i like to have more than one computer... ;D (at the moment i have 4 computers in my bedroom.) Most people have no use for more than one computer, so why not just make the need for someone to keep buying them?

I have yet to lose a wrench... esp. an expensive SnapOn, MAC or similar professional brand. I keep close tabs on tools like that. As for having 4 computers in your bedroom.... we part company there. I'd much rather have 4 women in mine!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I have yet to lose a wrench... esp. an expensive SnapOn, MAC or similar professional brand. I keep close tabs on tools like that.

I keep VERY close tabs on my Lindstrom cutters and long nose pliers - no one is going to walk off with them and live!!!!

 

[Marks256]

I'd much rather have 4 women in mine!

Well that makes the two of us. But until that happens, i will stick with my linux cluster (or soon-to-be linux cluster)

 

[Imnewtothis]

ok this is soo off topic... LOL. Anyway, I have a pI desktop,a 80286 (it works, anyone wanna buy it?), a comaq armada laptop, a p III dell, all that work. and 2 dells that need parts.

 

[Leftyretro]

Another factor is how quickly the hardware becomes outdated not supporting the latest operating system versions, application software and new hardware busses, etc.

If one invests in the very best quality parts then they tend to be committed to contiously upgrading such parts to stay current. One the other hand a cheap to mid quality 'Box' can be just purchased with the understanding that it will be replaced every 3-4 years to stay current.

My main complaint with the cheap 'boxes' from the major manufactures is all the junk software they preload and sometimes the lack of physical backup software. I'm 3 years into my present Compaq 'Box' and not sure what path to take next time. Might have the local computer component store build me a system even if it costs a little more the the prepackaged system from the big box stores.......

Lefty

 

[Hero999]

Marks256,
No one builds modern PCs to last because they'll be obsolete in a few years so they'll be thrown away anyway.

 

[Marks256]

Marks256,
No one builds modern PCs to last because they'll be obsolete in a few years so they'll be thrown away anyway.

So i am no one? Yes, i agree, systems get out-of-date very quickly. But so does a car. Just buying a brand new car cuts the resale value down; so why do people still buy new cars? To show that they have money, that they deserve something new, to make other people say; "Wow".

That is why i keep upgrading my computer. Not to show that i have money (because i don't... ), but to make other people say "wow". Now, that will never happen at LAN parties, because there are people there that do have money (and it makes me very sad...), but until i get rich, i will keep upgrading. (that may not make sense... you really dont want to know what goes on in my head.... [evil chuckling...])

Actually, i am looking to upgrade very soon. The system i am looking to build will be a Shuttle XPC. They are great for gaming, and save on space. With any luck, it will be an AMD Athlon X2 64 4800+ (2.6GHz, i think, or maybe it is 2.4), along with 2GB (or 4, whatever i can afford), plus a 250GB SATA HD.

Current total price (close estimate, no tax or shipping)....... $450

Why would i want a new machine? So i can use it! I am sick of living in the dark ages of 32Bit! I want 64bit X2!!!!!

Sure, it will be obsolete in a few years, but by then i will have upgraded again!

Really it is a disease... Oh, and i like gaming... You should try to run Half-Life 2 on a crappy machine such as mine! (amd sempron 2800+ [1.6GHz], 256KB cache, 512MB of ram...) IT SUCKS FOR LOADING TIME!!!