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Thread ID: 18781	2002-05-02 04:28:00	A few tips for budding computer builders.......	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
46761	2002-05-02 04:28:00	1) Bleeding edge technology is not always the 'best buy'...when something is first released you will always pay a premium. Let the prices settle first. 2) Read lots of reviews about the hardware you are considering....have a read of the forums on the manufacturers website, that will tell you a lot about any bugs or issues. 3) Be practicle in your choices. eg: a 40X cd-writer may not be a lot of use when a) most media for sale is rated between 8~24 speed b) your computer doesn't have the Ram and CPU to handle a burner of that capacity. Consider what you are really going to use the computer for, be honest with yourself. If it is just email, websurfing and a few word docs here and there then a top of the line soundcard and videocard attached to an AMD XP or P4 is probably a little overkill, but on the same token if you want to play the latest games then expect to spend some money........ 4) Shop around.....not all dealers are created equal....prices can vary dramatically. Look for a bargain eg: I just fitted a CD-Writer for someone that had a 400 celeron, picked up a stock clearance from a retailer of a 12x4x32 acer for $155 because it was considered 'obsolete' but it still does everything they need for a lot less and has a warranty because its new $$$$ 5) When buying a printer.....check out how much replacement cartridges are, that is where they make their money. 6) Check for the availability of drivers, some hardware manufacturers are really good. Some are really bad. You don't want to have a piece of hardware that has to be dumped when you upgrade you OS because there are no drivers available......trust me, Win XP was a prime example of this.(I have an $850 HP printer here with limited functionality because they are not releasing XP drivers and its less than a year old) 7) When you buy a piece of hardware check what the warranty situation is if you fit it yourself, some parts are not covered unless fitted by a 'technician'. 8) Antistatic straps are not a myth, the damage may not be noticable at first....but it may be later when you get little niggly problems. Soundcards, CPU's and Ram are especially sensitive. Think of those shocks you get when hopping out of your car........... 9) If you are going to skimp on $$$$ at least get a good case and motherboard, they are the foundation you will be building on. I am sure a few others can offer some sugestions as well but these were just some things I thought of........	Guest (0)
46762	2002-05-02 04:52:00	With my experience with computers, in particular the ones at school, DON'T BUY CELERON! we have had nothing but problems with these. Also the forums here are a good place to discuss wether a certain brand is good or bad. Brendon porsche@vectorstar.net	Guest (0)
46763	2002-05-02 06:36:00	Thanks for that Tazzie, good advice here. I've copied and pasted it into my notes as a new PC is not too far down the track for this household and the next one won't be off the shelf. Your comments regarding drivers worries me a bit. I would have thought HP to be pretty good with driver updates. They are, after all, a big company and they aren't reliable in this respect then who are?	Guest (0)
46764	2002-05-02 06:37:00	Thanks for that Tazzie, good advice here. I've copied and pasted it into my notes as a new PC is not too far down the track for this household and the next one won't be off the shelf. Your comments regarding drivers worries me a bit. I would have thought HP to be pretty good with driver updates. They are, after all, a big company and they aren't reliable in this respect then who are?	Guest (0)
46765	2002-05-02 09:12:00	Brendon, I disagree. Celerons are stable, cool running, and very overclockable processors. I'd say your school computers are suffering from misconfiguration; -be it hardware or software in nature.	Guest (0)
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