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Component Selection Considerations - Part 1

Continued from previous page:> Black Beast 2006: Design & Build your own PC

I did much research prior to selecting the components for this system. (My eyes are burning.) Here is some detail on how I came to select the components you see listed. If your criteria does not match mine, you may want to modify as appropriate. Again, stability is my primary concern, with performance and aesthetics following closely behind.

•OPERATING SYSTEM - Heard rumors the dual-core Pentium D CPU we selected for this system does not support legacy operating systems (pre-Windows 2000). But we have selected Windows XP anyway, so this won't affect us, even if true. This system should also support the new Windows Vista when it is finally released (currently scheduled for Q3 2006). See this thread for more.

•CASE - Moving to a "quiet" case. If money is tight, consider the PC-61, or the PC-65 (windowed-version of the 61). For an even quieter case, check out the (more expensive) V-Silent PC-V1100B Plus. The 6070B-Plus I selected is compromise between the noisier 61/65 and pricier V-Silent. As the ancients said: moderation in all things.

• POWER SUPPLY - Ain't it gorgeous? Supports both ATX and the new BTX form-factor (which could take some 7 years to implement). Supports systems with dual-core CPUs. Use only the cables you actually need .. keeps your system neat & tidy .. just like the (very cool-looking) OCZ Modstream.

A power supply is one of the more important components, because a failing power supply can be difficult to troubleshoot. We would rather spend the extra money and get a high-quality PSU .. especially since there isn't much difference in price between a bargain unit and one's that built to last.

• MOTHERBOARD - Note that there also exists a DELUXE version of this motherboard, which contains an extra PCI Express X16 slot (2 total), and only 1 PCI Express X1 slot (versus 3 for the non-deluxe board). The deluxe board costs ~$40 more. I prefer the non-deluxe, cuz I don't need two PCI Express X16 slots, and I like to save money.

If you are a hardcore gamer, get the deluxe board with the extra PCI Express X16 slot for SLI / Crossfire .. and make sure you get two graphics card that support SLI or Crossfire technologies. Or, you could get a dual X16-slotted board now, with *one* SLI/Crossfire card, and get a second SLI/Crossfire card down the road (always try to leave yourself an upgrade path).

The chipset is the heart of any system. It therefore represents the single most import decision. Every system is designed around the chipset, because the chipset determines which features can and cannot be used.

Since the chipset comes on the MOTHERBOARD, the motherboard is therefore single more important component-decision on this page. I choose an Asus board, because they are the world's #1 mainboard supplier, known for manufacturing stable boards.

With that said, one of the Abit boards, for example the AL8, or the 3rd Eye II, wouldn't be a bad decision.

Actually, most motherboard manufacturers produce quality components (MSI, Gigabyte, etc.) The more popular your board, the more likely you'll be able to find help should you happen to have a particular problem or question. (There's safety in numbers.) Which is why I selected a board from the world's largest producer of mainboards. (Plus, they tend to focus on *stability*, which I appreciate.)

• CHIPSET - I selected an Intel chipset because Intel makes the best chipsets. You have less chance of encountering quirky compatibility glitches when using a system built around an Intel chipset. Others may be faster, but none are more stable. Check out this thread for why I didn't select the 955 chipset.

Intel has a page of their own about designing your own computer, which is found here.

• CPU - Intel makes 3 different dual-core CPU models: the 840 (3.2-GHz) is the fastest, but too pricey. The middle-of-the-road 830 (3.0-GHz), 3which costs ~$70 more than the bottom-of-the-line 820 (2.8-Ghz). Many report you can easily overclock the 2.8 (820) to 3.2 (840 speeds), if you have good memory/RAM, which is why I selected it .. and also cuz I don't like to spend more than $250 for a CPU.

These CPUs are manufactured using a 90-nanometer process. In the future (who knows when?), Intel will be offering dual-core CPUs manufactured with a 65-namometer process. See here. Look for those when buying yours, are they are likely to run cooler. At time of this writing (October 24), I could not locate any.