Movin' On Up
I ordered the pieces and parts to build a new computer last night. I seem to buy a new computer about every three years and it has been at least that long since we got the Gateway 450 MHz we're using now. It has served us well.
I bought pieces and parts to assemble a new system myself. I'm comfortable doing everything - except assembling the CPU to the motherboard and the heatsink and fan to the CPU. I've never done that before. And with all of the heat that modern-day microprocessors generate, I reckon that part is among the most critical.
I'm not building a powerhouse PC - just a middle of the road system for dinking around the house. It will be based on an AMD Athlon XP 2500+ CPU, which is about 1.8 Ghz, with 512 MB of RAM.
I bought the case and power supply from DealSonic. I'd have ordered it with the rest of the parts, but that place no longer lists the case I wanted. So I ended up getting a better price any way. DealSonic has been great so far. I placed the order late last night and they shipped it today. They sent a FedEx tracking number in the shipping confirmation email that came this afternoon. So far, I'm impressed. Their shipping charge was high, but their prices were very low.
I'll let you in on the stores where I bought the other stuff once I get shipping confirmations from each then update that when the shipments arrive. Perhaps that will help other people who are thinking about building their own systems.
I expect the CPU retail box to come with decent instructions, as it is packaged with a heat sink and fan. But if you know of a decent set of directions for assembling these parts together and to a motherboard, please let me know where I can find them. Thanks for the help.
Update: The second of three orders I placed has shipped. Newegg sent an email overnight with shipping information and a tracking number for the KVM switch I bought to allow me to have two computers running with a single keyboard, video monitor, and mouse - hence, KVM.
So A+ marks so far for two of the three stores - DealSonic and Newegg both have web sites that allow you to clearly search for and select components, both have clear order-placement processes, both have decent terms and conditions (more on that later), and both shipped within 24 hours of my order with clear communication that included shipping tracking numbers. All around excellent service.
No worries so far about the third site, BuyXtremeGear. Their policy was very clearly explained to ship within 1-3 business days of order receipt, so they are still on track. But DealSonic (orders received before noon will ship the next business day) and Newgg (order processed in 24-48 hours) have both exceeded expectations so far. I plan to rate them positively at the online opinion gathering places if the order arrives as expected. I hope this helps someone who is thinking about buying computer parts online.
10:48:51 PM 
|
