Building My Next Clone
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I searched the list of forums and didn't see anything about this I searched this Lounge for matching terms and didn't see anything Duh. Somebody with a better brain, Please show me how to phrase the question. I want to build myself a regular x86 machine... - processor - motherboard - memory - video card - sound card - Internet card - USB stuff - Power Supply - Case ...And whatever I want to be able to run Windows or maybe Linux and of course my own great operating system which I will write; oh, when I get a weekend And I'm bored. I was certain that this is a very commonly discussed topic. Do we have a discussion group here on this site dedicated toward building your own Clone ? I am highly confident that I have participated in similar conversations like this in the past, in this very forum, Yet today when I search for those older conversations, I can't find them.
search more ... CP has this type of content
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
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I searched the list of forums and didn't see anything about this I searched this Lounge for matching terms and didn't see anything Duh. Somebody with a better brain, Please show me how to phrase the question. I want to build myself a regular x86 machine... - processor - motherboard - memory - video card - sound card - Internet card - USB stuff - Power Supply - Case ...And whatever I want to be able to run Windows or maybe Linux and of course my own great operating system which I will write; oh, when I get a weekend And I'm bored. I was certain that this is a very commonly discussed topic. Do we have a discussion group here on this site dedicated toward building your own Clone ? I am highly confident that I have participated in similar conversations like this in the past, in this very forum, Yet today when I search for those older conversations, I can't find them.
Try pcpartpicker.com. They have recommended builds that list suitable compatible components. It seems to be very game based but if that's not what you want their basic builds are based on cpus with an igpu. It's regional, so you'll get the local prices for each part.
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Try pcpartpicker.com. They have recommended builds that list suitable compatible components. It seems to be very game based but if that's not what you want their basic builds are based on cpus with an igpu. It's regional, so you'll get the local prices for each part.
I forgot to say, check the motherboard specs to see what features are included - a basic motherboard will have some of these outputs: ethernet 1 GHz, wi-fi, sound. You might have to go up a price bracket to get them all. Storage: check that number of SATA ports match what you want and have a look at m.2 nvme for fast storage for the OS.
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I forgot to say, check the motherboard specs to see what features are included - a basic motherboard will have some of these outputs: ethernet 1 GHz, wi-fi, sound. You might have to go up a price bracket to get them all. Storage: check that number of SATA ports match what you want and have a look at m.2 nvme for fast storage for the OS.
m.2 nvme seconded. The motherboards which support it might (or might not) be a jump in price, but it's so good and so much easier than SATA cables. You probably? want to be sure the board you get supports USB C just so you don't kick yourself in a year when you want to plug in something USB C without futzing with a converter. You'll most likely want a 32 GB+ USB thumb stick or two. You'll drop install files onto them ahead of time, mainly windows and motherboard drivers and maybe the latest BIOS to flash for whatever board you get. For windows, MSFT has a program which will create installation media for you.
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I searched the list of forums and didn't see anything about this I searched this Lounge for matching terms and didn't see anything Duh. Somebody with a better brain, Please show me how to phrase the question. I want to build myself a regular x86 machine... - processor - motherboard - memory - video card - sound card - Internet card - USB stuff - Power Supply - Case ...And whatever I want to be able to run Windows or maybe Linux and of course my own great operating system which I will write; oh, when I get a weekend And I'm bored. I was certain that this is a very commonly discussed topic. Do we have a discussion group here on this site dedicated toward building your own Clone ? I am highly confident that I have participated in similar conversations like this in the past, in this very forum, Yet today when I search for those older conversations, I can't find them.
Compare CPUs -- the newest and fastest are not necessarily necessary, and you can get a better deal on 1 rev back. Read gaming PC blogs to get advice on which to buy. Don't go with less than 16 GB RAM. Windows and applications are always eating more RAM, and save yourself a future upgrade if you start with more RAM. Make sure the MOBO supports the USB connections you need. USB is horribly confusing -- USB 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1, and 3.2 Gen 1 are functionally identical -- they support 5 Gbps with Type-A, Type-C, Type-B, and Micro connectors. USB 3.1 Gen 2 and 3.2 Gen 2 are functionally identical -- they support 10 Gbps with Type-A and Type-C connectors. The "Gen" is what matters, not the version #. My MOBO supports USB 2, which is actually useful as many things do not need the speed of newer USB versions, things such as wireless kbd/mouse dongles. However ... my CASE doesn't have USB 2 ports on the front. I spent a lot of time picking a case (more than any other component) but missed that point, so I have the two USB 2 ports on the back of the case. I'd like two on the front, but that's a nope. Video? I found that having a dedicated GPU, even a lower end one, makes a difference in overall system speed. Onboard video typically uses some of the total RAM, and you get better performance with a dedicated GPU. Note that this can easily be the most expensive component. Lastly, power supply. Several online sellers have power calculators. Modern components draw a lot more power -- use a calculator, add at least 100 W to the figure, and then buy the next unit above that.
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Newegg.com has a "you-build-it" wizard that might help. And unless you're building a killer gaming PC you can use the video, sound, USB and ethernet stuff that's built into the motherboard. You just need a case (often comes with a power supply), motherboard, CPU, and memory.
There are no solutions, only trade-offs.
- Thomas SowellA day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.
- Calvin (Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes)"...*Newegg.com has a "you-build-it" wizard that might help...* Been there done that and I continue to return. I do believe they have the best one on the internet that I've seen so far. I welcome suggestions from anybody who might know a better one. "...*And unless you're building a killer gaming PC you can use the video, sound, USB and ethernet stuff that's built into the motherboard*..." This one is going to be used for video creation and editing. My quite limited experience tells me that the world of video has a bunch of software writers who believe that both memory and processor speed as well as everything else in the world, Are all infinite with no limits ever "...*You just need a case (often comes with a power supply), motherboard, CPU, and memory*..." Most of the time that's true. Looks like this one is going to be expensive and involved and honestly something I want to build myself and not try to finish in a day.
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Compare CPUs -- the newest and fastest are not necessarily necessary, and you can get a better deal on 1 rev back. Read gaming PC blogs to get advice on which to buy. Don't go with less than 16 GB RAM. Windows and applications are always eating more RAM, and save yourself a future upgrade if you start with more RAM. Make sure the MOBO supports the USB connections you need. USB is horribly confusing -- USB 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1, and 3.2 Gen 1 are functionally identical -- they support 5 Gbps with Type-A, Type-C, Type-B, and Micro connectors. USB 3.1 Gen 2 and 3.2 Gen 2 are functionally identical -- they support 10 Gbps with Type-A and Type-C connectors. The "Gen" is what matters, not the version #. My MOBO supports USB 2, which is actually useful as many things do not need the speed of newer USB versions, things such as wireless kbd/mouse dongles. However ... my CASE doesn't have USB 2 ports on the front. I spent a lot of time picking a case (more than any other component) but missed that point, so I have the two USB 2 ports on the back of the case. I'd like two on the front, but that's a nope. Video? I found that having a dedicated GPU, even a lower end one, makes a difference in overall system speed. Onboard video typically uses some of the total RAM, and you get better performance with a dedicated GPU. Note that this can easily be the most expensive component. Lastly, power supply. Several online sellers have power calculators. Modern components draw a lot more power -- use a calculator, add at least 100 W to the figure, and then buy the next unit above that.
"...*Compare CPUs -- the newest and fastest are not necessarily necessary, and you can get a better deal on 1 rev back*..." The single most important purpose of this computer will be creation and editing of Video. My initial thinking is that I should get an AMD Threadripper with 24 cores Your thinking may be superior to mine. "...*Don't go with less than 16 GB RAM. Windows and applications are always eating more RAM, and save yourself a future upgrade if you start with more RAM*..." My thinking exactly. I'm shooting for 256 GB. From the looks of things, And the reality of money, I'm going to have to reduce my expectations and dreams, And settle for 128 GB. The current motherboard market is the source of this disappointment. Looks like there are about 5 or 10 great motherboards out there with enough space for that kind of RAM. The first problem is their price. The second problem is: Who sells them ? Their makers have gorgeous photographs of them on their websites. The distributors also have great photographs with this phrase underneath them: "...Out Of Stock..." "...*Make sure the MOBO supports the USB connections you need. USB is horribly confusing*..." YIKES ! Thanks for that warning. I was clueless. Guess I will be learning a few things here. "...*I spent a lot of time picking a case (more than any other component) but missed that point, so I have the two USB 2 ports on the back of the case. I'd like two on the front, but that's a nope.*..." Interesting concept and difference in Attitudes and stuff; In my case I don't want any USB things on the front because that is nothing but an invitation to Junky, Cluttered, Disorderly space in front of my face which just does things to me psychologically. One of my ideas is to get a couple of USB hubs off of eBay and have all those wires organized at the back of the table with some type of wiring underneath the surface of the desktop. USB front ports mean: Wires, Wires, and More Wires; A quiet source of constant distraction and a reminder of Disorganization That's just my feeble brain. I'm not really clear on exactly how I'm going to handle this at this time. For the moment that's definitely something for me to think about and plan. "...*Video? I found that having a dedicated GPU, even a lower end one, makes a difference in overall system speed. Onboard video typically uses some of the total RAM, and you get better performance with a dedicated GPU. Note that this can easily be the most expensive component*..."
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C-P-User-3 wrote:
I want to build myself a regular x86 machine... processor
Well, you sure you want x86? These days it's 64-bit... a la x64. x86 implies 32-bit these days (not always the case but times change).
C-P-User-3 wrote:
And whatever
Your sound card, unless you need something special, will be a part of the motherboard most likely. Same goes for the "Internet card" and USB stuff. Anywho, there's a [Hardware & Devices Discussion Board](https://www.codeproject.com/Forums/186301/Hardware-Devices) which may be better suited for this.
Jeremy Falcon
"...*Well, you sure you want x86? These days it's 64-bit... a la x64. x86 implies 32-bit these days (not always the case but times change)*..." Oops My vernacular lags behind all these young swinging hippies of today. Thank you for the vocabulary pointer. Now folks will think that I'm Hi-Tech and I'll be a hit with the young'uns
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C-P-User-3 wrote:
...And whatever
Like an SSD ? First start with your budget. How big is it, what can you afford to spend, and what do you want to spend? Are you hoping to play games? Gaming rigs start to get expensive. Having a budget in mind, start by researching processors. Depending on your wants and needs you may want a higher-end Intel or AMD CPU. If you're not looking for exceptional game performance, you might want to look into a CPU with integrated graphics. That will probably be cheaper than a discreet GPU, and you can always add a GPU later if you need to. Once you've got your CPU choice down, then you can start looking into motherboards. Most motherboards these days provide sound, network and USB, so you should be able to tick those off in one purchase. If you have integrated graphics, you'll want to make sure that the MoBo has integrated video. Usually this will be HDMI, but you might find DisplayPort available too. Having chosen the MoBo, then you can narrow down RAM. To run Windows 11 you'll need at least 4GB, but better 8, 16 or more. Most MoBo's also support Nvme drives (looks like a stick of gum). For a dual boot windows/linux system, you probably want at least 1TB drive, but you could save a bit by choosing a smaller Nvme drive to host the OS and then use a SATA SDD for data. Powersupply will depend on the above choices. If you google around you can probably find some web sites that will tell you how much power you need to run your choice of CPU/GPU/MoBo/drives, etc. Case choice will come down to cooling and "cool" factors like RGB displays, etc. Many cases come with sufficient fans for generic consumer use. If you're going to be high-end, you might need more fans. Which reminds me, don't forget the CPU cooler. Some CPU's come with a fan already attached. Again, this should be sufficient for most users, but if you're high end, you may want to look into liquid coolers. If you've decided to go with a discreet GPU, then your intended use should guide your choice. If you're not gaming, almost any mid-range GPU should be sufficient. Even if you want to game, you should find that most mid-range GPU's are suffiient, unless you're dead set on high framerates at high resolutions. If you have a favorite game, or are thinking about purchasing a new game, you should check requirements before finalizing the GPU choice You might do well to visit some of the more well known hardware sites. Many, have a build-your-own secti
"...*Like an SSD ?*..." I'm currently having my own conversation with myself about what kind of storage will be used I probably do want at least one SSD inside the case It looks like internal real estate will limit my internal storage Honestly I like external Disk drives with a USB interface I have learned my lesson about backups My new mantra is: redundancy i.e., "A backup" is not sufficient. Multiple backups Are the only way to go. The plan that is currently first place in my frontal lobe is... - Today's, Yesterday's, etc. for the rest of the week - This week's, Last week's; On some sort of rotating system - This month's, Last month's; Again on some sort of rotating system "...*First start with your budget. How big is it, what can you afford to spend, and what do you want to spend? Are you hoping to play games? Gaming rigs start to get expensive*..." My first Brief reconnaissance gives me a thumbnail guess of somewhere between $4,000 and $7,000 And that's a guess I truly have no interest in games especially those that use the super duper fancy Graphics to Razzle Dazzle And Exercise the display to its maximum capacity. The one most compelling goal that I have is: Video Creation and Editing. "...*Having a budget in mind, start by researching processors. Depending on your wants and needs you may want a higher-end Intel or AMD CPU*..." At this moment the most bang for the buck appears to be... - AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X - 3rd Gen - 24-Core - 3.8 GHz - Socket sTRX4 - 280W Desktop Processor "...*If you're not looking for exceptional game performance, you might want to look into a CPU with integrated graphics*..." Looks like a graphics card is going to be the reality here. From looking around, It is clear and evident that I have some research and education to accomplish. "...*Once you've got your CPU choice down, then you can start looking into motherboards*..." FrontRunner at the moment appears to be MSI, however, That was based on the Newegg PC Builder. That was one of the motherboards that they have for sale that matches that CPU. I looked at the MSI site and was wondering if anybody else sold that motherboard. They list about I don't know how many Distributors. I clicked on 16 of those that they've listed. Not a one of them had any TRX40 motherboards listed on their site. "...*Most motherboards these days provide sound, network and USB, so you should be able to tick those off in one purchase*..." That Sparks a
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"...*Compare CPUs -- the newest and fastest are not necessarily necessary, and you can get a better deal on 1 rev back*..." The single most important purpose of this computer will be creation and editing of Video. My initial thinking is that I should get an AMD Threadripper with 24 cores Your thinking may be superior to mine. "...*Don't go with less than 16 GB RAM. Windows and applications are always eating more RAM, and save yourself a future upgrade if you start with more RAM*..." My thinking exactly. I'm shooting for 256 GB. From the looks of things, And the reality of money, I'm going to have to reduce my expectations and dreams, And settle for 128 GB. The current motherboard market is the source of this disappointment. Looks like there are about 5 or 10 great motherboards out there with enough space for that kind of RAM. The first problem is their price. The second problem is: Who sells them ? Their makers have gorgeous photographs of them on their websites. The distributors also have great photographs with this phrase underneath them: "...Out Of Stock..." "...*Make sure the MOBO supports the USB connections you need. USB is horribly confusing*..." YIKES ! Thanks for that warning. I was clueless. Guess I will be learning a few things here. "...*I spent a lot of time picking a case (more than any other component) but missed that point, so I have the two USB 2 ports on the back of the case. I'd like two on the front, but that's a nope.*..." Interesting concept and difference in Attitudes and stuff; In my case I don't want any USB things on the front because that is nothing but an invitation to Junky, Cluttered, Disorderly space in front of my face which just does things to me psychologically. One of my ideas is to get a couple of USB hubs off of eBay and have all those wires organized at the back of the table with some type of wiring underneath the surface of the desktop. USB front ports mean: Wires, Wires, and More Wires; A quiet source of constant distraction and a reminder of Disorganization That's just my feeble brain. I'm not really clear on exactly how I'm going to handle this at this time. For the moment that's definitely something for me to think about and plan. "...*Video? I found that having a dedicated GPU, even a lower end one, makes a difference in overall system speed. Onboard video typically uses some of the total RAM, and you get better performance with a dedicated GPU. Note that this can easily be the most expensive component*..."
C-P-User-3 wrote:
USB front ports mean: Wires, Wires, and More Wires; A quiet source of constant distraction and a reminder of Disorganization
Other than a USB-3 hub, I don't keep anything plugged into the front. However, it's handy to have USB ports on the front of the case so I don't have to crawl under the desk to plug in temporary external devices.
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"...*Newegg.com has a "you-build-it" wizard that might help...* Been there done that and I continue to return. I do believe they have the best one on the internet that I've seen so far. I welcome suggestions from anybody who might know a better one. "...*And unless you're building a killer gaming PC you can use the video, sound, USB and ethernet stuff that's built into the motherboard*..." This one is going to be used for video creation and editing. My quite limited experience tells me that the world of video has a bunch of software writers who believe that both memory and processor speed as well as everything else in the world, Are all infinite with no limits ever "...*You just need a case (often comes with a power supply), motherboard, CPU, and memory*..." Most of the time that's true. Looks like this one is going to be expensive and involved and honestly something I want to build myself and not try to finish in a day.
I've been building my own PCs for nearly 30 years, until this year. A few months ago the CPU fan started making a lot of racket on my 13 year-old machine, and since it would have been hard to find a replacement, and the CPU didn't meet Win 11's requirements, I started looking at NewEgg and other places and pricing things. Turns out I could buy a brand new Dell with everything I needed for about 2/3 what it would have cost me to build it myself. I do my music recording on my Mac now so I don't need a powerhouse (though I still bought one with an i7 and 16 GB memory, you never know what I might need it for some day) so buying the Dell made sense.
There are no solutions, only trade-offs.
- Thomas SowellA day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.
- Calvin (Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes)