Expert: Bobbert - 10/7/2006

Question
Bob,

Thanks for your quick and thorough reply!  I've never built a computer before.  Is this something that I can just take the computer case I have now and replace all the components inside?  I have an IBM Aptiva which I believe may be a 1998. I know it currently has 56 mb of RAM. Otherwise, where would I buy a case to put these things in and could I find instructions online that show where to put them?

Therese
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Followup To

Question -
Hi,

I am doing research on purchasing a computer.  I am a graduate student, so it needs to be inexpensive (definitely under $1000!!, hopefully less).  I want a desktop model, not a laptop.  I would like an LCD monitor.  I use my computer for classes, occasional online classes, Internet, word processing, and some photo storage.

I obviously want to get the best value for my money. My computer has to be fast because I use it a lot for classes.  I also would like to get as much memory, hard drive space, CD Rom drive that is writeable, and processor speed as I can so my computer does not become outdated too quickly!

I need something reliable and quick.  I do like Dell computers, but find that they frequently are expensive for the little bit of memory and hard drive space they offer.

What would be your recommendations for a computer brand and/or model, the amount of memory, hard disk size, and processor space that I would need?

I would also welcome any comments you have about reliable and quality printers.  A laser printer would be great, unfortunately they may be out of my price range.  I have had 2 ink jet printers go out on me in the past few year, so I am really concerned about reliability as far as a printer goes.

Any comments and thoughts about the strengths, weaknesses, reliability, value of certain brands of computers, and or printers are welcomed.  

Also, I often see e-machines advertised at Best Buy for very reasonable prices that seem to offer the most memory and hard drive space, etc.  What are your thoughts on e-machines?

Feel free to share as much information as you'd like regarding your experiences and knowledge as I am collecting data from people and other sources for a research project that I will be using to guide my computer buying decision.

Thanks!!
Therese

Answer -
I would suggest building the computer yourself, personally, you could check sites like www.newegg.com or www.zipzoomfly.com for the parts, honestly I'll have to tell you that I haven't bought a computer from an OEM Manufacturer (Dell, Compaq, Gateway, etc) in about a decade, so I can only make suggestions on the actual hardware (processor, memory, video card, etc) not on specific brands.

As far as a CPU, I'd suggest either an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon64 x2 (both are dual core, 64-bit, have SSE3 (Core 2 Duo also features SSE4 (which, as of yet, nothing uses, don't expect it to say that way) and virtualization technology if you're buying a Socket AM2 version of the Athlon)

As far as hard drives, Western Digital and Seagate are top picks, Samsung and Hitachi are second up, and Maxtor is better to just avoid anymore (reliability has really gone down hill since 2005). A good 250GB drive can be had for around $100, and a good 160GB drive for around $60.

Video cards aren't something you'll likely need to put lots of budget into, although I'd still suggest getting a discrete graphics card in place of integrated graphics, I personally prefer nVidia based cards from either Leadtek Research or Chaintech, although BFG and PNY are both excellent. ATI has some decent offerings as well, generally i'd suggest:

From nVidia:
GeForce 6600
GeForce 7600GS
GeForce 7600GT

From ATi:
Radeon X800
Radeon X1600Pro
Radeon X1600XT/X1650XT

Of those, the 7600GT and X1650 will likely be the fastest, and most expensive, while the 6600 will be cheapest (around $50) and the X800 is considered a best buy for the sub $100 range by Toms Hardware (www.tomshardware.com).

Aside from that, I'd suggest getting 2GB of RAM to ensure full Windows Vista compatability, and if you can wait, you might be able to snag one of Intel's upcoming quad core CPU's (Core 2 Quad or Quadro) which release Q1 2007.

Moving to power supplies, there are only a few brands worth consideration:
Antec
Enermax
PC Power & Cooling
OCZ Technology
Fortron Source Power
Sparkle Power
and lastly Thermaltake

I'd use a power supply calculator like this:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

To get an idea of wattage (generally I'd just suggest either the Antec SmartPower 2.0 500W for low to mid-end systems, and the Antec NeoHE 550W for mid to high-end systems, beyond that you want to look to PC Power & Cooling (if you decide you want pricey features like Quad SLI from nVidia)).

For printers, I would avoid Epson for financial reasons, and I would suggest Hewlett-Packard, if you're buying a laser printer I would suggest considering OKI, such as this one:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16828107150

Or a lower end laser from Hewlett-Packard (in the $100-$250 range) the biggest issue with a personal laser is the price of toner/image drum replacement, which can strech into the hundreds of dollars.

-bob  

Answer
Usually you can use existing casing, however I'd suggest against it in this situation, given the age of that system the cooling is probably inadequite, and I'm also going to guess it doesn't have the proper holes tapped for ATX. http://www.tomshardware.com/2002/09/04/building_your_own_pc/index.html

Exceptionally dated, however it does stay mostly current (ATX form factor, DDR RAM, just none of the hardware in there is anywhere near recent). Most hardware you purchase from newegg will include a directions manual, which will not only explain the hardware, but will explain how to properly handle and install the hardware (and most mainboards include a guide that will more or less explain building the entire computer).

-bob