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A "DIY" Question...

ThinkingManNeil

ThinkingManNeil

Charter Member
Hi All;

I've noticed a few posts on the forums where member talk about building their own PC's and am just wondering what the cost/performance benefits are versus a buying a PC from a manufacturer. My current set-up is a 3-year old Dell Studio XPS 9000 Running 64-bit Windows 7 on an Intel Core i7 8MB 3.2GHz processor, 12GB DDR3 SDRAM, a 1GB AMD Radeon 5450 1GB graphics card with a 500GB primary HD and a 1TB secondary drive dedicated to flight sims. What I find is that when I run FSX with certain aircraft - usually payware like Alabeo's WACO YMF-5 and Cessna C188 AgTruck, and RealAir's Spitfires - that it doesn't run smoothly but instead stutters a bit every few seconds. I also would like to run "IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover", but I ran a compatibility test and found my system couldn't handle it. Now, I'm no tech head and my knowledge of PC's is pretty darned limited so what I'd like to know is the following:
  • can a PC be assembled by a complete neophyte with no training or background in doing so?
  • does it require any special facilities or equipment (eg. soldering irons, electronic test equipment, oscilloscopes, etc.)?
  • I paid $2,700CDN for my Dell; what could I put together for a reasonable price that would give me the kind of higher-end performance I'm seeking, especially when it comes to payware scenery and aircraft such as ORBX and Alabeo?
  • I really do not want to tinker with my existing system out of fear of damaging it, so I'm looking at a clean sheet configuration.

Thanks in advance,

N.
 
  • Can it be done by a neophyte? YES it can! It just takes some reading and attention
  • the only special equipment needed nowadays is an antistatic wristband when assembling and cooling paste for the Processor/cooler.
  • for that money, you could build yourself a monster gaming pc
  • don't use anything from your Dell. Start from scratch.

FYI, I am a network and system engineer for the federal government of my country, and I started out IT with gaming. After my army career, I could never afford the PC's needed for my gaming needs, so I started out tweaking and building my own rigs. It was a steep learning curve, but well worth it.

But most of all, it was FUN!! And building your own is a lot cheaper than buying stuff that will never suit your (our) needs.

And you know what? There seems to be a lot of knowledge available on this site! ;)
 
ThinkingManNeil said:
Hi All;

I've noticed a few posts on the forums where member talk about building their own PC's and am just wondering what the cost/performance benefits are versus a buying a PC from a manufacturer. My current set-up is a 3-year old Dell Studio XPS 9000 Running 64-bit Windows 7 on an Intel Core i7 8MB 3.2GHz processor, 12GB DDR3 SDRAM, a 1GB AMD Radeon 5450 1GB graphics card with a 500GB primary HD and a 1TB secondary drive dedicated to flight sims. What I find is that when I run FSX with certain aircraft - usually payware like Alabeo's WACO YMF-5 and Cessna C188 AgTruck, and RealAir's Spitfires - that it doesn't run smoothly but instead stutters a bit every few seconds. I also would like to run "IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover", but I ran a compatibility test and found my system couldn't handle it. Now, I'm no tech head and my knowledge of PC's is pretty darned limited so what I'd like to know is the following:
  • can a PC be assembled by a complete neophyte with no training or background in doing so?
  • does it require any special facilities or equipment (eg. soldering irons, electronic test equipment, oscilloscopes, etc.)?
  • I paid $2,700CDN for my Dell; what could I put together for a reasonable price that would give me the kind of higher-end performance I'm seeking, especially when it comes to payware scenery and aircraft such as ORBX and Alabeo?
  • I really do not want to tinker with my existing system out of fear of damaging it, so I'm looking at a clean sheet configuration.

Thanks in advance,

N.
Click to expand...
Bullet 1) If you can turn a screwdriver, you can do it. The components all come with manuals and creating a checklist from them will help. Ya gotta read, and understand, Chinglish with some.
Bullet 2) Normal small hand tools, Phillips and Common screwdrivers, a pair of tweezers, and needlenose pliers are about it.
Bullet 3) For that kind of coin, you can build a smokin' rig. Dell got $1000+ for the assembly and warranty...
Bullet 4) Wishlist guidelines:

Case that has great cooling. Multiple Fans Front/Back/Top/Side. $100-$150 will net a pretty nice case with superior cooling
600w, Quality, Name Brand minimum, PSU. 80+ certified, with 42amps, on a single 12v rail, is plenty for a solo video card. Look at 800w+ to futureproof for a 2nd card.
i5-3570K or i7-3770K(faster) with top shelf air or sealed liquid cooling. Gotta have the "K" suffix otherwise it won't overclock.
Z77 motherboard. The $300+ units are not necessary. Expect $180-$230 for a good overclocker with all of the I/O you should ever need.
8GB DDR3-1600 cas9 RAM, minimum. Faster is better, but, not a requirement. More than 8GB is a waste of money for a pure FS rig. ~$100 for the good stuff.
GTX 650 Ti up to ~4.5GHz, GTX 660 Ti, or better, over 4.5GHz. Multi-monotors, and High Resolution at those speeds may want GTX 670/680 GPUs. $150-$450
Hard Drive. This can be as simple as a large mechanical HD. 7200rpm with 64MB cache minimum. An SSD can really reduce Windows and FS start times. They can help reduce stuttering with the inherently fast texture loading. $100-$500
Windows 7 64 bit. The Pro and Ult versions are capable of over 16GB RAM. Future apps may appreciate that.

There are quite a few knowledgeable folks around to help if you get stuck.
The things you learn while assembling it, and installing the software, also give you a little leg up when the inevitable happens. You'll also garner a heckuva sense of accomplishment...Don
 
Any idiot can do it but you need to research properly to make sure you get the right components and that they will go together (eg do you have enough watts from your Power supply unit, do you have the right motherboard for your CPU etc etc). No special tools required beyond a screwdriver (or mini screwdriver set). Magnetise the head of your screwdriver to make it easier to insert screws (eg when screwing in the motherboard).

No special facilities but it took me about 5 hours the first time I did it (including installing Windows). Have another PC handy as this is great for looking up DIY tutorials on youtube or figuring out problems. The only problem I had first time was only inserting one power cable into the motherboard. I needed to insert another which I hadn't done.

You could always get the computer assembled for you. Pay about $100 extra and the shop will put it together.

Great advantages are this:
Buy a quality case and PSU and you can reuse these in future builds thus saving you money. Don't skimp on these as they can last you years.
No crapware: Certain companies will stuff your new computer with an endless amount of crap and this reduces your computers performance straight out of the box. A clean windows install is the best chance you have of getting a good performing system.
Get the right parts: Get exactly what you want without having to compromise or pay extra to upgrade. (Get an SSD, FSX loves SSD)

Youtube some tutorials on PC assembly. If it looks easy enough then I say go for it. Hear's one to get you started:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw
 
I've built two and really enjoyed the challenge. I too have a dell, that when new 4 years ago, was a beast. The problem is dell and many other manufacturers are very proprietary and give you little latitude for expansion except for the video card, memory and the HDD bays. You then bottleneck later with a mobo that caps out at x amount of the older processor and no way to change it. Hence why I wanted to build a third one and only keep what I had upgraded in the dell.

Also, a great way to start, is purchase one of the various pc mags, such as PC Gamer's "Build your own gaming PC". Lots of great advice in there. Also, websites like Tom's Hardware have a great number of reviews for components.

Anyway, as has been pointed out, many knowledgeable folks within this forum, more than willing to assist. Best of luck and feel free to PM for questions. It looks daunting, but really is sort of cool. The only downside is you are the warranty, not Best Buy or Dell.

cheers.

link to magazine:http://goo.gl/MXAC8
 
You have a smok'in hot machine in my book! Take the plunge. Building computers in easy and addictive. Get a good case with plenty of slots for RAM, Plenty of SATA receptacles (that's where you plug in various drives: hard drives, DVD, Blue Ray,...). And, plenty of bays for those drives (areas to bolt them in). Many name brand rigs have cases with limited ability to add on internally, and have an exterior design that does not allow for the addition of upgraded removable after market disc drives.

Get a PSU ( power supply) with plenty of watts and power multiple leads. The more the merrier.

RAM is pretty straight forward and easy to install. The lower the latency, the better.

Hard drives, straight forward.

Get a mother board with plenty of USB ports front and rear.

Now the scary stuff. Do some research and find a mother board with a good BIOS (basic input/output) system. This is MY major beef with most of the name brand pre-built machines. Get a mother board that actually has settings that can be adjusted. Then you can REALLY set the machine to run good. This however, will take some research on your end. There are plenty of websites out there to help you dial in the BIOS.

And lastly, (at least in my case), computer hardware is hard to FUBAR. I have personally never used an anti-static wrist band. I've never built a rig in a "clean" area on an anti-static mat. I throw components in a box, and dig through the box later if I need something. (I am a knucklehead, do not try this at home).

But seriously, its easy with just a little research and patience. Now building a model for FSX is hard.

I started long ago with a 75 megahertz HP Pavillion and have been doing the Frankenstein thing ever since. I cannot tell you how many computers I have found left behind at foreclosed homes that did not work, just because of a minor issue.

You are only limited by your imagination. I have thought to myself, "I wonder if I can do ...?". After a little Google time, I found out yes!

Have fun,PM me if you have any ?'s

Daniel
 
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