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Man, I'm tellin' ya. Ya turn away for a minute and you're way behind around here. Oh well, looks like I have to play catch up again. Not to worry, I only have a few minutes so this will be contained to a few chapters instead of a whole book this time. In any case, everyone's free to take a nap while I ramble…
I know it has been before, and I know it's beating a dead horse, so I won't say too much on the subject. But I think it is doing a disservice to any (new) prospective builder to leave them with the impression that the process of building a pc won't require more than slapping a few parts together, or that things always go well. Mechanically, assembling a pc is not a big deal. It's something most/many can do. And sometimes you can just follow a "cookbook", plug things in, and away you go. But sometimes not. One does not have to look any further than this forum to see it is filled with (as only one example) "just built a system and it won't boot" type posts. Now sometimes, with some help from people here, things get straightened out. But sometimes they don't. The point is that things can often not go well. And when they don't it can require more (sometimes a lot more) than a superficial knowledge and understanding to get things going, get things going "correctly". "Someone" has to have this knowledge/understanding. And "ultimately" that someone is the builder. Say what you will, it must be understood that when you build a pc "you" are taking on the responsibility for supporting it. For getting it to work, for keeping it working. From day one on. Which leads me to the next point(s).
Places like VDR can be a great resource. But that's all it is. To think of it as, rely on it as, or purport it as anything more is a mistake. Sure there are can be knowledgeable and helpful people here. But we need to be honest. There is no guarantee that someone will be able to help, or that the right person will be available, etc. No one here has any obligation, commitment, or responsibility. It is neither smart, fair, or practical to look to VDR as a substitute for vendor support or a warranty. Ultimately it is, or will end up being you (the builder) that has the burden of support for your system. Even if people here get you through the initial build phase, what about next week, next year? So if one is going to build a system they must realize, accept and being willing to take on the responsibility that it is up to them to understand their system, the components they've bought and the way things work. Because when push comes to shove it will be "your" system and your problem(s). OK, I hear everyone saying "yea, yea, yea"... Enough said.
So what's the first and most important thing one should do to prepare for building? Their homework. Take the time and make the effort to gain an understanding. Not just information, an understanding. It will take time, but your building and post-building experience will be better for it, and so will the system you end up with. The idea is not to become an expert. That's not necessary, nor is it going to happen over night. But start to learn about the components and sub-components in a PC. What they are, what they do, how they interact. A proper understanding of these things will enable you to make intelligent choices in terms of the components you select and buy. It will enable you to ask the right questions (here for example), and understand the answers. It will help you build and support your system. You want to gain enough knowledge so you can gain a sufficient degree of independence, self-sufficiency. When it's all said and done you want to be in a position where "you" selected the components, "you" built the system, "you" understand your system. You will have done yourself a tremendous disservice if all you end up doing is assembling a bunch of components selected by other people (from, say, here), followed a step-by-step procedure laid out for you, done, set and configured a bunch of things according to someone else's specifications. What you will end up with is a clone of someone else's system, a system that may not really meet your needs, and a system that you may not understand and be able to support. Bad idea. Remember: this is supposed to be "your" custom system, and "you" have the ultimate responsibility to support it.
So, my first advice is that when you reach the point of actually starting to build, be in the position where all the questions aren't "what should I buy", "what do I need", "what do I do next"? Instead, be in the position where you can use resources (like VDR) to discuss alternatives, ask for opinions. Don't be a person that is asking, for instance, "what case should I buy?" You want to be in the position where you can discuss case abc vs. xyz, where you understand how it may be better or worse, why it may or may not fit your needs. Know enough to understand that when selecting a motherboard and case that it isn't simply matter that the case is an ATX style ("I didn't realize it mattered that my case only has 5 openings and the motherboard I bought has 7 slots"). Don't be a person who ends up with a xzy raid motherboard and has no clue as to what a raid is or what to do with it. Don't be the person with the post saying "I bought xyz motherboard and am having problems overclocking it", and whom must be told "that's a great MB for overclocking, only problem is the processor you bought can't be overclocked". I repeat what I said above, you don't have to be an expert, know everything. There will naturally be questions, things you don't know, have to find out about during the build process itself. But in my opinion until your obtain a certain level of knowledge and understanding you are not ready to build. To do so before this point will not result in the best system (for you), will add to the potential for problems and hassles, and will not give you a system you can support. It's in the you (the builder's) best interest, not mine.
OK, so you've done the knowledge homework part. Next I do (too) think it is important to sit down and access your needs and wants. To understand exactly what it is you do with your pc, and what you plan to do in the near term. And while you're at it, look a little further down the road. You may not be doing such-and-such today, but may be planning to at some point. So while you may not need to buy xyz today, you may need to ensure the expansion/upgrade can be accommidated later. Going to need some extra PCI slots down the road? Going to use an old hard drive to start with and maybe get an ata100 drive later? Then plan for it in your motherboard purchase now. By properly accessing your needs/wants you will ensure you end up with the things you need, and not end up with things you don't. Afterall (to state the obvious), two important goals in building your own are to obtain a system customized to your needs and to save money. If you only need a 800 mhz system why pay for a 1.3 gig? If the money's that unimportant then tell ya what: buy the 800 and send me the cash difference. Besides, in you plan and purchase properly you can always upgrade later. On the other hand, if you will be doing certain things with your system you may need that 1.3gig, so get it. I know this seems obvious but I can't tell you how many people grossly over and underestimate what they do and what they need to do with their pc. And another thing. Don't buy things just because they're the latest and greatest, because your friend has it, because someone here told you to buy it, or because everyone over at extremehardware seems to be talking about it. Buy it because you need or want it (and as I said above, you'll do yourself a world of good if you understand why you need it and what it is).
And as part of the planning process, don't forget the software (as others have mentioned). Not just the OS, but anything else you might use need. When you build there is no preloaded software. Sure, often you will get software with this card or that. Investigate what will come with the components you're getting. See if it's what you want or need. You may (and likely will) need or what more. Maybe you'll need different software (or updates) because you are going to put Win2k on this machine and you're prior machine was Win95. You'll get drivers with different components, but start looking for and acquiring updates. And don't forget bios updates. See if there are any, or if you might need on. Drivers and such come (or can be had) free. But that copy of Win2k, Office,... It can add up.
I really don't think the prospective buyer needs any special tools. Most people have the basic tools needed. As for things like cables, thermal paste, power splitters and adapters… I don't necessarily think these are things one needs to lay in a supply of before hand. Whether you need them and what one needs will become obvious (if you've done your homework) early in the process, or at least in plenty of time so as to not impede your building (most can be gotten easily and quickly).
Alright, everyone can wake up. I have to stop now. There's plenty more to be said/addressed, but for now this will have to do. To quote Arnold: I'll be back…
EDIT: OK, so I lied. I ended up saying a lot on things I said I wasn't going to. Oh well...
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[This message has been edited by DrMDJ (edited 06-13-2001).]
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to shed a little lite on why i picked what i did i must refer you to a post that i submitted earlier : http://discussions.virtualdr.com/For...ML/003044.html
basically it states :
I want to move one of my computers next to my entertainment system and integrate it into my audio/video setup. I would like to record television shows and some of my audio cassettes on my computer as well as play my mp3s through my entertainment system ... has anyone done this and what possible pitfalls might i encounter ...
seeing that no one replied to this i decided to be the guinea pig myself
i needed a fast processor to accomidate the mpeg decoding that my tuner card needed as well as a fast output to a storage media
for this i chose a p4 1.4 and then a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 60 for recording this video onto (ata/100 7200 rpms)
i needed a vid card that could: a) output to tv (svid); b) capture (from coax and from vcr's and vid camera); for this task i chose the ati-AIW raedon
i needed a sound card w/ both optical and rca ins and outs; for this i chose the Hercules Game Theater XP which has both optical dolby digital 5.1 and analog rca connectors
for sound i chose more space at the cost of performance al la the (2) W/D 40 gig 7200 ata/100 w/ a pci ata card
and then for the cherry i chose a wireless keyboard/mouse ... so i can gell on my arse and control the computer from the comfort of my lazy-boy
gutting my other machines for various parts dosent create a problem because when 'my baby' reconnects to the network all the parts will be reshared amongst the other machines anyhow
i went for a custom made box over a prebuilt for the flexibility of being able to choose the parts that fit my specific need - my a/v rig ... and thats the beauty behind it
i also feel that i saved alot of money by not purchasing redundant parts and redundant software
ill keep you posted on how she performs at the tasks that she will be assuming ... as of now im taking it slow
another point to mention ... i am soooooo glad that this baby dosent have to step up to the plate immediately so i can take my time ... whereas if this was my only machine i would have had to have it up and running immediately because of the chores that i do on a day to day basis ... its great to have back up machines for this purpose
outie 5.0
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ASUS P4t i850;PIV1.4GHz;2 RAMBUS 128/ECC/800;ATI-AIW Radeon;Game Theater XP;wireless key/mouse;IBM Deskstar 15GB ATA/100;MAXTOR 60GB ATA100;(2)WD 40GB ATA100; Espressa 12/8/40;PCI Nic;PCI ATA/100 card
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Sooooo...with all that said, we'll move on to our next exciting topic: "How To Make Lace Doilies for Fun and Profit". https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
In reference to DrMDJ's post above, I hope no one got the impression from my posts that all one has to do is "throw some parts together" and have a working system. If so, I apologize. That was not the intent. Some good points in his post. It's true one needs to do their homework before building. I believe that was where these weekly topics were heading--to provide links, tips, etc. in the coming weeks to help educate. (There are some sites and books that I intended to post when each particular subject was approached). And again, building your own system is not for everybody; but one has to assume that if folks are reading these threads on a regular basis, then they must have at least a cursory interest in building. As these threads develop a little more, I think it will become fairly obvious to the readers that they need to learn a little bit before diving in. And when someone here gives their opinion on what's the "best" this or that, take it for what it is--their opinion; not The Ten Commandments. Then take those opinions and look them up on the Net or other sources and check them out for yourself. Best way to learn.
Now...back to knitting those doilies...
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DrMDJ, A very responsible piece of writing and exactly what is needed to help a person make up his mind to build or not.
No where, to my knowledge, have I ever seen the balance to a subject presented as it has been by all of you that have posted here on the Weekly Subject. The effort has been tremendous and you can see it when you read these threads.
There should be little doubt in the readers mind what to be concerned with in contemplating building a computer.
And usually, a person is reading this on a computer they have bought and have already started learning. What they have to decide is whether to try their hand at building and there have cetainly been enough facts presented for a person to make an intelligent decision of this nature.
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Looking forward to the lace doillies segment, but one last question for you folks. What are your opinions about half-way measures regarding building versus buying? I'm referring to the "kits" that you can buy with all the parts like Tigerdirect. And also the on-line custom places like ABS, where you pick and choose your components and let them build it for you. Are these places a good bang for the buck?
Also, what sort of items am I going to need for the lace doillies? https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
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I want my Win98 Emachine back !!!
MAXXIMILIAN'S
[This message has been edited by maxximilian (edited 06-13-2001).]
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Bistro sir, nothing I said was aimed at you or anyone else here. I really was just speaking in gernalities (not to mention having what I'm sure appears to others as an "episode"). If it seemed any other way I apologise.
And let me add something to what you said about a person taking what was said/suggested to to them as just that: a suggestion. The person (asker) should also feel free, and is encouraged, to ask "why?", to challenge. Why is such-and-such good or bad? What is the benefit or drawback to such-and-such? And anyone in the "gallery" should do so as well.
GG1,
Perhaps the point that needed/needs to be made is that a person could certainly come to this forum (these threads), be told exactly what to buy, exactly where to buy, exactly how to put it all together and configure it, and get a system up and running. But that would not be the best way to go (for them), nor the intent of this forum/thread (at least as I saw it). In addition, I wanted to shoot a shot over the bow of anyone figuring "what the hell, vdr will support my system".
I know it's tough to to weed through all my ramblings sometimes, and some of my views may seem militant. But I really just like to see people end up with something that is right, that works, and that keeps working.
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[This message has been edited by DrMDJ (edited 06-13-2001).]
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Good questions Maxx. Personally I think options like what you asked about are viable, and may be good choices for some. Custom places, reputable ones, can be good solutions for those who don't want to or are concerned about building themselves. Some offer a lot of options and flexibility. And with the downturn in the industry the pricing can be quite good. And if one just wants to skip a few steps, lots of places offer good pre-assembled, pre-tested motherboard-processor-ram combos/setups. And let's not forget the "barebones" offerings to be had (case, ps, Mb, cpu, ram). It's not like you're buying unknown stuff. You can usually see what the brand(s) used are. And it's no longer brand "x". You see it all the time: Asus A7V board with AMD Athlon and...
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I have this to say to all of you. You are saying what you know to be true and are very sensitive to the feeling of others. You are trying to make this the best you know how. The caring, sharing, and attitudes of all of you are really wonderful to be around.
Considering the fact that the forums and emails are the only vehicles we have to get to know one another for the most part, makes what we are doing truly amazing.
Remember this. This undertaking would never gotten off the ground had it not been for each and everyone of you making the effort. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
This thread is now closed.
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[This message has been edited by greengoose1 (edited 06-13-2001).]
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DrMDJ: No problem. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ It's just that I realize that sometimes I try to keep answers/comments TOO simple and don't fill in essential details that would clarify the issue. Glad there are folks here like you to clear the air when needed. https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ Good point on the "asker" challenging the suggestions. A great idea and very, very valid. By Gosh, I would! https://discussions.virtualdr.com/ I would want to know the who, what, where, why and "huh?" before I buy anything and put it into my project.
Maxx: Yep, good question. There was a time a few years ago that I would have advised to stay away from barebones systems. Most of the ones I saw were nothing but "mystery machines"---very vague specs given on them. That, or the parts were pretty low-end. But as DrMDJ said, nowadays it appears they're putting some decent parts in them. (The others are still around, though; have to check the product out carefully).
This is fun..... https://discussions.virtualdr.com/
