Getting a new laptop

[sombre acorn]

I'll probably end up going with the first one I think. Just one question though. It runs Windows 7 starter, is that going to cause any problems?

[RobbieThe1st]

I'll probably end up going with the first one I think. Just one question though. It runs Windows 7 starter, is that going to cause any problems?

See http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... 4fc21c2ac0
It's typically better for a netbook, though, because there's less crap running, so it feels faster. Also, remember, it's just a PC - You can always dual-boot with another OS(or replace it completely) if you want.

[sombre acorn]

Ok that makes sense. I just disn't know what the difference between starter and regular was. Thanks.

[RobbieThe1st]

Ok that makes sense. I just disn't know what the difference between starter and regular was. Thanks.

Ok, so now you've got a $~225 laptop(inc shipping).
That leaves $675-775 for your desktop, right?

Now, as far as what you have that you can still use in the new build: You've got a screen; do you have a keyboard and mouse you're willing to use, or do you want to get new ones?

[sombre acorn]

Ya I have a mouse and keyboard somewhere I can use I'd just have to find it.

[RobbieThe1st]

Ya I have a mouse and keyboard somewhere I can use I'd just have to find it.

Ok. Here's a preliminary build for you:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=11730269
That comes to $660 plus shipping(and tax, if applicable).
Now, theres a couple of things you can customize:
1. Case. I don't know what sort of look you want, or how much you want to spend.
I picked you out a decent one, but feel free to go through the extensive list of cases on Newegg and pick something out. You will need an ATX-compatible case: ATX full tower, mid tower or even mini towers will do. mATX cases, however, will *not*.
I suggest finding a few interesting ones, and I'll explain any differences; help you make a decision.

2. Harddisk size. I gave you 640GB. That'll be more than enough for games, music, etc, but if you're the type of person who likes to torrent huge amounts of TV shows and *keep* them, you'll want more. Let me know if this is the case and I'll find you something bigger.

3. Blu-ray drive(or lack thereof). If you intend to watch blu-rays on your PC there at school, you'll need a blu-ray drive. You can get one for about $65, let me know and we can add it to the build if you want one.

4. A screen: You have one, yes, but seeing how the budget currently is, you just /might/ be able to get yourself a new one if you really want one. Here's a list in case you're interested.

Let me know what (if anything) you want me to change, and we can go from there.

[sombre acorn]

Everything looks great,

Hard drive: That is plenty of space for me. I really don't download a lot of stuff besides games or music so I'm good.

Blu-ray: Definitely don't need one of these, I've never watched a Blu-ray movie in my life.

Screen: I think I'll stick to my old screen for now, the money I can save the better.

[RobbieThe1st]

Everything looks great,

Hard drive: That is plenty of space for me. I really don't download a lot of stuff besides games or music so I'm good.

Blu-ray: Definitely don't need one of these, I've never watched a Blu-ray movie in my life.

Screen: I think I'll stick to my old screen for now, the money I can save the better.

Ok, great. Just buy that list of components, and you'll be golden.

Oh, and I found a slightly better deal on one of the components; the builds only $649 now.

[sombre acorn]

Thanks a lot for all the help with this, I couldn't have figured any of this out by myself. As far as building it though just look online and there will be guides and such?

[avwolf]

Yeah, there are guides available online. Additionally, everything really only fits together the way it's supposed to. Putting a computer together isn't as difficult as you might imagine, as long as you're a little careful.

[sombre acorn]

Good, I've never been very good building things. Or following the instructions.

[RobbieThe1st]

Good, I've never been very good building things. Or following the instructions.

If you get stuck, if something doesn't seem to slip in nice and easy, take a picture. We can show you exactly how to do it, and it's better that than breaking something by accident.

[sombre acorn]

Alright thanks I'll be sure to do that

[Darkfur]

one thing though about building the comp.:
the motherboard, cpu, and ram are really static sensitive!
so i would say work on a hard, (concrete if possible) floor and dont touch the cpu or ram's connectors. try not to touch those parts. hold the edges! one wrong move and you've just fried that $104 dollar CPU!

(dont want to make you nervous or anything, if you want to you could wrap the static bag that the parts come in around your hand while working!)

[RobbieThe1st]

one thing though about building the comp.:
the motherboard, cpu, and ram are really static sensitive!
so i would say work on a hard, (concrete if possible) floor and dont touch the cpu or ram's connectors. try not to touch those parts. hold the edges! one wrong move and you've just fried that $104 dollar CPU!

(dont want to make you nervous or anything, if you want to you could wrap the static bag that the parts come in around your hand while working!)

Y'know, they /used/ to be a lot more sensitive than they currently are. These days, chips have 2000V of static protection: Not enough to deal with a big spark(i.e. one you'd feel), but plenty for the invisible sparks. All you really want to do is just touch the metal casing(i.e. any grounded bits) once or twice while installing, and you'll be fine.
I haven't managed to static-fry anything in years(since the days of 386s), and I'm /not/ careful usually.

Of course, you don't really want to be touching the connectors anyway - don't need to get your skin oil on it, but it's not hard to assemble a PC without touching the connector bits: You generally will be touching the edges of the card or the top of a big chip; it's plenty safe.