[Theydon Bois]

Welcome to the desktop FAQ.

This thread has been created to help give you some starting information for either building/buying or upgrading a desktop PC.

The following are a few questions to ask yourself so that when you create a thread specific to you, you can add to provide others with an idea on your needs.

What is your budget?

Please make sure you detail your price as much as possible - for example:

"...I have a £500 budget for a desktop inc graphics card, TFT (preferably 19") as well as keyboard, mice and speakers."

Be realistic with the budget. £500 for an i7 build will get you no-where as currently the RAM board and CPU cost that alone. We are in the process of adding sample builds based on budget (see the end of this thread) to give you a rough idea on parts required - hopefully they may help!

Be flexible with the budget. Some people are always specing a unit that is wildly over the top, but 10-20% over budget is still worth reading about, give it a month and the prices may have dropped and your budget may have increased.

What size desktop/case would you prefer?

Relevant only if you are limited by space.

Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

If you are buying components, mention if you have preferences. I personally buy ASUS motherboards (based on my own PCs and those that I built as part of a company I worked for), and Samsung TFTs as I have plenty that have been very good.

If buying a desktop solution, mention if its relevant that you prefer Dell over Mesh for instance and your reason, should someone give you advice to the contrary.

What tasks will you be performing with the desktop?

Web Surfing can be done on any machine down to a mobile phone. Photo Editing if you are working on 200mb Photoshop layered PSD can require a litle more grunt, while Video Editing and Gaming will require the most CPU and GPU power.

Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?

There is a large difference between playing something like Civilization 4 and Crysis Warhead. Resolution is also important - a 19" widescreen may have a 1440 x 900 resolution that a £100 GPU will easily accomodate and buying one that costs £250+ will be a waste unless you are thinking of upgrading that TFT anytime soon.

I am sure I will add some questions as I go along, but that should do for a start.

Please note that this covers Desktops only, for a Home Theatre PC, please check the FAQ found here.

[Theydon Bois]

Building a PC

Build

Information on PC building to go here.

Components

The following components are required for your checklist of building a PC.

CPU - Processors - AVForums.com

Motherboard - Motherboards - AVForums.com

RAM - RAM - AVForums.com

CASE - Cases and Power Supplies - AVForums.com

PSU - Cases and Power Supplies - AVForums.com

GPU

If the CPU is the heart of the PC, then the graphics card is the liver or kidneys....jolly important. The GPU is one of those items within a PC that can take 10 to 20% of your budget. If you are looking at a monster GPU, then make sure your PSU can handle it, and that your TFT resolution is optimal. A GPU is also limited by your CPU - dont stick a £400 GPU in a PC with a £50 CPU, you wont be getting the best out of it - take a look down at the Graphics card upgrade for more information.

Graphics Cards and Internal Video Devices - AVForums.com

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart September 09

Hard Drive - Hard Disc Drives and Solid State Drives - AVForums.com

Optical Drive - CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drives and Writing - AVForums.com

OS - Computer Software and Operating Systems - AVForums.com

Keyboard & Mouse - Mice, Keyboards, Joysticks and Controllers - AVForums.com

TFT - Monitors, Webcams and External Video Devices - AVForums.com

Speakers - Mics, Speakers and External Audio Devices - AVForums.com

Optional Component Parts

These are optional as are only part of a build if you choose them to be. A non-OEM CPU comes with a stock heatsink (OEM CPU's have no heatsink and are a few quid cheaper) while all motherboards have some sound capabilities on them, many producing 7.1 sound.

Heatsink - Processors - AVForums.com
Sound Card - Sounds Cards and Internal Audio Devices - AVForums.com


Build Types

Folding

Folding@Home - "Folding@home is a distributed computing project -- people from throughout the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. "

Folding at AVForums

Gaming

Until a thread emerges that is not based around a HTPC case, Razors excellent Gaming thread more than explains some of the finer points of having a gaming PC.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/home-...pc-thread.html

Editing [Video/Photo]

Information to follow shortly.

[Theydon Bois]

First Time Builders

Building a PC for the first time can seem daunting, but it has changed a lot in the last 5 to 10 years from requiring sacrifices and dark castles and lightning bolts to make your creation come alive to the almost lego like builds of today. Make sure you take your time, allocate plenty of room, read read read all you can on the subject (the links below should help) and watch a few YouTube builds to get the idea and you will be fine.

Almost all parts are 'square hole square peg' meaning they only fit in the way they are supposed to - you cannot insert RAM incorrectly for instance as it has an off centre slot to prevent you from doing so. Dont force any components it, no matter if you believe it should fit. Pause, take a moment, take reference against the link or video you are watching and try again.

Some other helpful tips:

Originally Posted by reeve1987

Can I just mention that hardly any guides on the web seem to mention the need for thermal compound to be applied to the cpu. For anyone reading this please dont forget to buy thermal compound paste and put it in between the cpu and heatsink

Originally Posted by EndlessWaves

Most heatsinks these days come with it already applied.

Web Links

Install selected hardware / parts

Build a PC

Build Your Own PC | PCMech

Video Links

YouTube - pc build 2009

Magazines

CustomPC regulary runs articles on builds and tricks and tips (the October 09 issue has a PC Bulding Masterclass article) and there is a Magazine called Complete PC Upgrades Handbook 2010 advertsied - not sure what this is like myself though, I would be interested in your thoughts if you do read it for a build.

Want a better PC, but don't have the money to buy one? The Complete Upgrades Handbook is here to help. Fully updated for 2010, this comprehensive and popular handbook features all you need to know about the best programmes, software and downloads vital to getting your PC up to speed. Covering internal upgrades, networking, trouble-shooting, compatibility and more, the step-by-step workshops and advice within this publication will help you unlock your PCs potential and get the computer you've always wanted for less.

[Theydon Bois]

Upgrade

There are so many different ways you can upgrade, it would be hard to list them all, but if your kit is quite recent, then there is a good chance that you can ward off that £500+ build by upgrading your CPU, changing the Graphics card or even adding another hard drive.

For instance, my mate recently wanted his case changed over to something better, and had his eye on an Antec 300. So he went from this:

To this:

All for £45 (for the case) + a few beers to me to build it. He was very happy for a few reasons: A) The obvious looks improvement from the change of the case. B) The most important change - sound. Due to the excellent design and the included fans in the case made a huge difference, to the point that he could not tell if the PC was on - his previous case fans were that loud.

The upgrade choice only becomes more difficult should you wish to move from one architecture to another, AMD to an i7, or a PCI-E graphics card when your motherboard is still on AGP. This is why some people (myslef included) spend more on things like a PSU and case than they actually need, as things things can be transfered across systems regardless of component parts. Take my trusty Tagen PSU - I paid £60?+ for it 4 years ago, and its still going strong, powering my HTPC now, and 3 or more of my gaming PC builds and rebuilds. My Antec P180 case has been with me for more than 2 years, and will stay for longer still. This way I upgrade internal parts rather than have to fork out for a whole new build each time.


Graphics Upgrade

This section covers the most common of PC upgrades, that of upgrading the Graphics Card, and attempting to discover the sweet spot for CPU/GPU combinations. What do I mean by the sweet spot? Its that point at which your CPU is not limiting the information that your GPU (normally operating with faster RAM and processing speed) is trying to pass to the screen. Its a very basic explanation, but fits the purpose.

For instance, I have found that my GPU, the 8800GTS 640mb version has been throttled by my processor for the last few years! Check my 3dMark06 scores for comparisons of a GPU limited by the CPU:

My first build with the card, prior to this I had a 6600GT inside.

5532 - SM2: 2851; SM3: 3289; CPU: 857; Spec: AMD 3500+ 2Gb RAM, PCI-E 8800GTS 640Mb RAM.

I upgraded the Motherboard and the CPU to a E6600 but retained the same 8800 GTS. You can see from the scores that my graphics card was being limited by the CPU, and it now shows a greater SM2 and SM3 score.

8749 - SM2: 3877; SM3: 4060; CPU: 2097; Spec: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, 2Gb 533mhz DDR2 RAM, PCI-E 8800GTS 640Mb RAM, v169.29 NVidia Drivers.

I upgraded again to a Q6600 last year, and once more the SM2 and SM3 scores increased, showing there is still some life left in the old bird yet!

10357 - SM2: 4202; SM3: 4249; CPU: 3731; Spec: Intel Core Quad Q6600, 4Gb Corsair 1066mhz RAM, PCI-E 8800GTS 640Mb GPU, v180.20 Nvidia drivers.

......working on this section - I talk about upgrading the card, but its the CPU I have upgraded.

[Theydon Bois]

Drivers and Overclocking

Drivers

Drivers can have a impact on performance as well - post Nvidia 180.xx drivers gave a 200 point increase on 3dmark06, and offered lots of speed increases for many games - ATi also have driver releases that do this, so its worth keeping on top of things.

This post is regulary updated by Razor - http://www.avforums.com/forums/pc-ga...vidia-ati.html to cover your latest driver requirements.

Overclocking

Overclocking your Video card (very basic) details to go here.

My scores for my overclocked PC and GPU

3DMark Score 12,533 Marks; SM 2.0 Score 5122 Marks; SM 3.0 Score 5039 Marks; CPU Score 4663 Marks

Spec: Intel Core Quad Q6600 OC to 3Ghz, 4Gb Corsair 1066mhz RAM, PCI-E 8800GTS 640Mb GPU (OC@600/1389/885) on XP 32 bit with v182.50 NVidia Drivers

Comments: [Feb09] Overclocking the GPU gave around 10% increase, and the OC on the CPU gave another 10%. I tested the GPU overclocks with FurMarks for an hour, and the CPU overclock with a quad core stress test for 12 hrs on Prime95. Been running everything with no problems.

Old scores:

12,227
[SM 2.0 Score: 4927 Marks; SM 3.0 Score: 4949 Marks; CPU Score: 4640 Marks] Intel Core Quad Q6600 OC to 3Ghz, 4Gb Corsair 1066mhz RAM, PCI-E 8800GTS 640Mb GPU (OC@600/1389/885) on XP 32 bit with v180.20 NVidia Drivers

[Theydon Bois]

Buy

This is the option for those who have no inclination (or they dont believe they have the capability) to build.

Other benefits of buying over building include the warranty (making sure you check the small print to see what does and does not apply to your purchase) as companies like Dell offer services such as:

With At-Home service you won't have to pack anything up and ship it anywhere. A Dell technician will troubleshoot with you online or over the phone to figure out what is wrong with your system.

If a part is broken, a replacement part can be shipped to you and if necessary, a third-party technician can install it, often on the next business day.

Mesh - MESH Computers - Award Winning Review PCs Since 1987

Dell - View All Dell Deals - Desktop Deals | Dell UK

Cyberpower - : : : CyberPower PC UK : : :

Aria - Systems - Aria PC

Scan - Computer Hardware - All - Systems - Scan.co.uk

Overclockers - Systems (PCs) & Bundles - Overclockers UK

Chillblast - Chillblast

Ebay, but beware those who incorrectly quote a 10.4Ghz! system when they have a Quad 2.6 CPU. If they cant get the Processor speed right, then don't buy from them.

[Theydon Bois]

Sample Builds

Please check the threads listed below for sample builds for various prices and CPU builds such as Intel and AMD, covering:

• AMD £350, £500, £750, £750 - £1500
• Intel £350, £500, £750, £750 - £1500
• Intel i7 £1000, £1500+

I intend to do this every six months as prices and tech will change - and we has seen this already, as the August 09 thread should be updated as ATi will be releasing 5xxxx cards shortly, NVidia 3xx cards will be here by xmas, and i5 CPU's are out very soon as well.

Build Links

Thread started August 09 - http://www.avforums.com/forums/deskt...-builders.html

Next thread due Feb 10.

[Theydon Bois]

Thanks for reading!

The Desktop sticky will always have revisions made, and will always need your input to keep it as fresh and relevant as possible:

- Details for sections that are already filled in. Have I made an error? Is an entry out of date in some way? Let me know.

- If you are new to the world of PC's, was this thread useful? Is there a question that you feel was not answered by this thread?

Simply post in this thread below and I will address your question and make sure others do not need to ask again either.

Ideas are always welcome, but I will remove all posts (making sure any ideas are properly thanked) to keep this thread as clean as possible.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read all of this and I hope that the sticky helps you to build/buy/upgrade your own PC!

- Theydon Bois

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HTPC FAQ Revisions

September 2009

• Updated Sample Builds section and Armchair thread
• Updated the first build with extra links and magazine idea's
• Amended Upgrade section slightly
• Added component parts and internal links
• FAQ Views hit 550 [11/09/09]

[reeve1987]

hi theydon.

i just wanted to leave a comment regaurding a rather important component i see asked alot an never really mentioned in any how to build guides and thats thermal paste.

i see quite often people asking about how to apply thermal pastes, do they need it and what its for.

i thought it might be a good idea to add a section to this on thermal pastes and thermal layer pads.

[andiuk007]

I cannot believe this super usefull thread to any newbie PC builder has been here almost 4 years and only 1 comment and 1 thanks

A few years back I would`ve given my right arm for a guide like this

[Curly99]

Originally Posted by andiuk007

I cannot believe this super usefull thread to any newbie PC builder has been here almost 4 years and only 1 comment and 1 thanks

A few years back I would`ve given my right arm for a guide like this

There have been numerous posts that once actioned ie added to the FAQ thread were then deleted to stop the thread becoming cluttered and the information easier to find.

Curly

[andiuk007]

Originally Posted by Curly99

There have been numerous posts that once actioned ie added to the FAQ thread were then deleted to stop the thread becoming cluttered and the information easier to find.

Curly

It makes sence now bud

I couldn`t believe what I saw as a lack off interest