My Component selection order...

I have seen alot of new systems as of late, and I wonder what order of importance people are using in there purchasing plan.
It seems to be a toss-up between crummy PSU's and Value RAM, that are getting the nod.
After the initial choice, of which CPU maker you go with, the choices get rather vast, I know. So here is my order of importance and why.

#1 PSU...no matter what platform you use, you need to start with clean solid power.
12 fans, 5 CCFL's and a garage door opener later, and you wonder why your generic 250 watt PSU is holding you back?

#2 RAM...It seems to me after 2-3 different purchases, it's a no brainer...
anything with DDR on it,
then value select,
then the research into BH-5, or equvialent.
I should have went with the fast, tight stuff in the first place.
It's the slow loose women/RAM you want to stay away from.
So remember fast and tight women/RAM is very good.

#3 Mobo...You need to decide if you're gonna O/C (yeah right) run stock (uh huh, really now) and just how far are you wanting to go...
Is 200, 225,250 sane enough for ya?
And maybe you read too many posts of those crazy guys going after 250+ up to 300 FSB, and of course, Volt-mods availability.
Go with what is proven to be fast...And please quit asking where in BIOS is the FSB and RAM adjustments, on that micro-ATX mobo with onboard grafx...HeLLo! it ain't got em, most 38buck boards don't.

#4 CPU...Once you figure out what you are going to do, in the way of a Mobo, then the CPU, stepping, locked, unlocked, desktop, or mobile.
Speed is of the most importance here, Higher is not better I have found, in driving your car or when selecting your CPU.
You need to look for Overclockability, and the steppings that cater to that.

#5 Cooling...Air, H20, or Phasechange. Pretty self explanatory. I don't care what math you use...2 H/S/F solutions, and an entry level H20 Rig is going to cost you more than
a "right the first time" Water cooling setup, period.
I get a real good laugh when I here sh!t like
"My CPU temps are 63c idle, and I want to OC my CPU to 230 x 11, my vCore is 1.98, but it keeps shutting down"
Hmmm sound familar? Don't be dumber than a bag of hammers, Plan ahead, do it right and spend less in the long run.
This also applies to PhaseChange...Lord knows the trouble I seen there...However 1K in a single outlay, will cause it's share of domestic difficulties, trust me on this one. You may get it ordered, but then a place to run it and bed down afterwards might prove to be asking alot!

Well there you have it, Component selection order and why. This of course is the list I come up after making all the wrong choices, at least once, no, twice at least...kickin' it in the land of extreme O/C's ZENNZZO style

Quote: Originally Posted by ZENNZZO Don't be dumber than a bag of hammers, Plan ahead, do it right and spend less in the long run.

That's an insult to hammers everywhere. HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!?!?

Nice article, though. I regret now not having good RAM.

Quote: Originally Posted by Zenzzo It's the slow loose women/RAM you want to stay away from.

Wow that could say alot about a guys life style. Hehe good post Zenzzo, I think its fair to say we now have something we can link to everytime someone asks what components to get when building a new system.

i went for good ram, and am very glad i did. i did skimp on PSU though. although it is a 400wat it was only 30 some dollars. it runs 7-8 fans and 4 cc's, but everytime im overclocking and my comp crashes, it makes me wonder if its my psu or not...

Good call on PSU being top priority. Most of us on here upgrade our mobo/cpu/ram fairly regularly. But if you get a good high-end PSU, you can keep that long after you've upgraded the other components, so it's not hard to justify spending a little extra on one.

Quote: Originally Posted by FunkyFresh Good call on PSU being top priority. Most of us on here upgrade our mobo/cpu/ram fairly regularly. But if you get a good high-end PSU, you can keep that long after you've upgraded the other components, so it's not hard to justify spending a little extra on one.

Im kicking myself for cheaping out om my psu, then again i suppose 2450MHz on a locked 2400+ isnt half bad Good post/ZENNZZO style

Just bought an Enermax copper-shielded 370W to fix my power issues, but yo missed another biggie-CASE!

I just got a PC-60 from El Boss (who is an overclocker himself) and I can't wait to get out of the POS Powmax case I've been running-my HSF HIT the side of the case-you know there's no airflow there...

Good article Zennbro

that's funny, I was just remarking to my roommate on a trend I saw in Zen's current posts that were leading to this article and Blammo, here is the article.
Great job on the article bro!

but zennz what if we cant afford fast and tight women?

Quote: Originally Posted by me_john85 but zennz what if we cant afford fast and tight women?

Well out here in the sticks, we call that...
Face down bootie up!!

Quote: Originally Posted by me_john85 but zennz what if we cant afford fast and tight women?

A true P.I.M.P. doesn't have to PAY for women.

Excellent article ZENNZZO

Quote: Originally Posted by pimp_joose A true P.I.M.P. doesn't have to PAY for women.

And a friend of a true P.I.M.P. gets a discount.

very nice zennzzo. have already sent this to a friend who is bugging me to help him build a system. should help him out in part selection. number 1 being the psu is a very good idea, and i wish i had bought a good psu. 350watt just doesn't cut it for me. dont ask how much crap i run.

Quote: Originally Posted by DuplexEmotions And a friend of a true P.I.M.P. gets a discount.

A true P.I.M.P. gives NO DISCOUNTS.

Quote: Originally Posted by pimp_joose A true P.I.M.P. gives NO DISCOUNTS.

That's harsh, man. I thought we were tight.

*shakes his head sadly*

Quote: Originally Posted by TomLehrer He gives the kids free samples, because he knows full well that today's young innocent faces will be tomorrow's clientele.

Nice write up Zennbro...but I didnt see beer on the list ...lol

Quote: Originally Posted by DuplexEmotions That's harsh, man. I thought we were tight.

so you two are the tight hoes? i figured you were loose pimps

Quote: Originally Posted by DuplexEmotions That's harsh, man. I thought we were tight. *shakes his head sadly*

It's all about the Benjamins, baby.