[4D(Fordy(Ford) Ollie]

Ok, you may know from other forums I've been considering new CPU, RAM, etc for a while now..

..But I've now decided to just get a new one altogether the parts I've chosen are listed below, DinoPC are asking for £803.16 to build it for me, and ship it.

But presumably I could save a hefty chunk on labour costs if I did it myself..

..So..

If I did how much would I be likely to save?
And would you (anyone) be able and willing to step-by-step tell a complete computer-building-noob, how to set it up?


The parts are as follows:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400
"" Cooler: Thermaltake Golden Orb II
MoBo: Asus P5K (Intel P35 Chipset, Crossfire)
RAM: 4GB Corsair DDR2 1066mhz Dominator (4x 1GB)
HD1: 750GB SATA 3GB/S
HD2: 250GB SATA 3GB/S
Optical Drive: 20x DVD±RW DL S-ATA Lightscribe (see below note)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT 512MB
Sound: Creative X-FI Xtreme 7.1 Music
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit
PSU: 580W Hiper Type-M Silent
PCI's: Wireless 802.11g PCI card

Case: DinoPC's standard Coolmaster Cavalier 3, or if doing myself, my current Dell Inspiron 531

NOTE: optical drive if not buying from DinoPC would be the LG GGW-H20L

ALSO NOTE: if doing myself, i do not need to buy a case or the smaller 250GB hard drive.


Thanks in advance for your help, Ollie.

[tomthedrummer1992]

You don't NEED to buy a case but I would. If you are building a custom gaming rig you are going to want a case with good airflow and lots of room - something Dell's have a slight lacking of.

Also, possibly consider a bigger PSU. This will allow for expansion.


OR - Get a mac :D

[4D(Fordy(Ford) Ollie]

Its not for gaming, just quite highend music, video experience and multi-tasking etc.

Plus I quite like my 531, would I get away with it?

According to DinoPC, for the kit I chose 450W PSU was enough, so I cranked upto 580W for expansion.

Im not getting a mac.

[tomthedrummer1992]

Yes you ARE getting a mac.

Compeltely serious comment - if you are going to be doing a lot of music production/sequencing/mixing/music tasks then I would strongly recommend using a mac. They are using in the music industry for a reason!

If you are not overclocking I'm sure you will get away with the case. Just check that the form factor of the case and mobo is the same.

[thingie2]

Ok, I got it on OCUK and all (excluding case, second HDD, and the wireless card) it comes to around £720 but if you not OCing it can go down below £700 because you won't need a great cooler (again the cooler isn't on OCUK)

[tomthedrummer1992]

Also if building yourself (especially for the first time) I recommend looing into an Earthing/Grounding strap which plugs into a 13A in the wall - better safe than sorry.

[thingie2]

that's only for the obsessive among us, yes, I do have one I'll also have a Quick look for a tutorial on building the PC too.

[tomthedrummer1992]

Unfortunately I don't own one - I borrowed one when I built mine - but I am considering purchasing one. Better spend a fiver and be safe, then risk killing a one hundred and fifty quid CPU.

[thingie2]

well mine isn't actually mine, it's my Dad's (he's an electro acoustic engineer) so he works quite alot with electronic chips, although he decided it's more trouble that it's for for him, after all each chip only costs pence.

[thingie2]

Ollie try taking a look through this site looks like a good tutorial from the very basics of PC building.