*How To Ask For New Build Advice*

Read Proximon's *Guide to Choosing Parts*. Also see the Build Your Own section of THG for suggestions.

Create a New Topic for your build with a descriptive title, such as "$1000 gaming PC" or "Need Advice on Budget HTPC", not just "Help" or "Building Computer".

In order to make things easy, copy and paste the following template into your post and edit the italicized examples to suit your needs:

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (e.g.: this week (the closer the better)) BUDGET RANGE: (e.g.: 600-800) Before / After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS) **Include Power Supply Make & Model If Re-using**

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: (e.g.: Grand Fenwick)

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to use an AMD CPU & Biostar mobo with a 24" LCD and full tower case)

OVERCLOCKING: Yes / No / Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes / No / Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: (e.g.: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC)

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Include a list of any parts you have already selected with descriptively labeled links for parts.

The easiest method is to paste the label on one line and then paste the link below it.
Example:
Logitech 920-000914 Black 106 Normal Keys Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043

Looks like:
Logitech 920-000914 Black 106 Normal Keys Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823126043

Links can also be created using the following format: [url= paste the url here ] paste the label here [/url]

The paperclip button on the toolbar gives this: [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043] paste the label here [/url]

Example:
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043]Logitech 920-000914 Black 106 Normal Keys Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard - Retail[/url]

Looks like:
Logitech 920-000914 Black 106 Normal Keys Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard - Retail

The mass deletion fails. Deletion is supposed to be totally reversible, but that seems to only be true for the first 50 posts. Oh well, 'tis a sticky now.

bump... wait...

Well done! Finally stickied!

Nice. I like the different methods for posting a link to a part.

My way of asking:


I WANT HELP AND I WANT IT NOW!!!!!!

Well do it in a new thread.

Okay, I'm building my first computer and I need help. I know I want a gaming computer. The thing is what parts work the best for the least amount of money.

Moderator Edit: Don't post email addresses.

Hi i was just wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction to do some reaserch on building a webserver.


Any help apprecieted.

[url=www.everypage.co.uk][/url]

Could we get one thing added to the format?

Mail-In Rebates: Factor in Yes/No?

"If no prefered sites and not in US or Canada, what is country of origin?" Would be helpful for some of the international builds, i tend to just find the appropriate region in proximons parts list but it helps to know what region to look for.

This is probably one of the most successful stickies on the forum as far as "read before posting" goes.

I like it so much, I plugged it into my sig and point to it all the time. If a newbie won't use it, I won't help. JK
Its a great thing Animal has done here.

The second paragraph explains what to do.

Just a thought, but when I am suggesting a build I find that it would often be helpful to know whether the OP would like to reuse the new parts for future builds. For example, if the OP is deciding between the two i7 platforms, a deciding factor would be whether he/she wants to be able to keep the same motherboard and swap out the processor eventually or simply start fresh with a new build. Maybe something like: "What parts would you like to reuse in future builds?"

Not sure that is necessary to ask. As you said, there are a lot of first timers and the answer to your question can be determined by the post. For example, if the OP asks for a system that fits within a certain budget then parts are suggested accordingly and along with that our answer should set the expectation of longevity. If they ask for a system with a long life on the other hand, we suggest parts based on that requirement without as much regard to price as the previous example. And to be honest, how many of us knew exactly what we wanted on our first build. I think most of us would admit to having neglected to consider certain things and that is where our response come in to posters: to assist them in achieving the best possible result given their requirements and info. I suppose you could ask but I just think that comes out in the normal course based on other details.

Interesting. A bit harder to do now I see, used to be simple.

These are valid questions. I've been reusing parts from a system I bought 10 years ago and I'm trying to figure out now if moving a video card from a system someone gave me will increase its performance and lifespan. I'm going to open a thread and post the configuration and the following thoughts.

You could assume that someone building a system is also planning on reusing and upgrading parts on a regular basis. I expect to spend a couple of hundred dollars a year upgrading my systems to keep them running. They are also likely to hand the system down to someone after making some minor upgrades.

Hardware is changing so fast and prices are somewhat unpredictable knowing how the builder thinks would help with recommendations. That $25 RAM this year might be $50 next year because it is no longer the most cost effective to produce. That means that a planned path that included upgrading RAM might be more expensive than adding a video card or a faster hard drive.

If they plan to spend $100 a year upgrading where would you suggest they start to assure the biggest bang for their hardware dollars. For example: I am going to build an HTPC system this week. I'm pretty sure that all the components can be overclocked and I expect I'd need to add a CPU cooler so maybe that's where my dollars will be spent next year. On the other hand, is overclocking really worth the effort to save a few seconds doing something?

I know that increasing RAM is one of the best ways to increase system performance. Yet newer video cards can do a lot as well. The 10-year old system has a MoBo that can only take 2GB of RAM. It has 1.5GB in it now. Would adding .5GB, which actually means adding a 1GB stick at $50 give me more of a performance boost than a $50 video card? I've got a 2 or 3 year old AGP video card that I think will work in the system but I'm not sure if it will increase performance. I'm going to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. Can I even find a driver for the older video card. The hard drive on the system is my old notebook drive.

As you can see, knowing a person's thought processes would help with the recommendations.

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM

testing

I went to post my equipment list for review but have no submit button to do so. It appears I am able to reply on the site but not originate a post. Am I doing something wrong or have no rights to post or maybe an issue with the site or my PC? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks