Help with PCmaking
 

:dunce: Ok, i wanna ask a few questions.

1. lets say you put all the bits together that you buy for the PC, then switch it on, will it just work right away?

2. when all the bits work, do you go into safe mode and put the windows XP disic in?

3. does anyone know where i can buy a good book or DVD showing you how to make a PC, where it has pic's and stuff, putting it simple, so you learn and not just read it.

Thanks

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Hopefully!

You should put the Windows or Linux disc in and choose the option to boot from CD from the BIOS. This should install the OS onto your hard drive.

Not offhand. If you are confident putting expansion cards etc. into a PC you should be OK putting one together from scratch.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

well, the most i have put in, is a RAM stick and a ethernet card.

i see all these bits in my PC, and i really dunno what is what, thats why i asked.

I opened up my old 1980+ pc last night, and it had a 64 MB ram stick in it, do they still do them? lol

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

try these links...also you could do much worse than but Scott Mueller's 16th Edition of Upgrading and Repairing PC's. It's a little pricey but has all the information you will ever need to know - it also comes with a DVD with video clips plus load of other useful stuff.

Links:

http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/
http://www.buildeasypc.com/
http://www.daileyint.com/build/

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Once you have installed the PSU and Motherboard (fairly simple, a couple of screws for each) you can pop in the memory and graphics card and connect up the power supply cables and drives.

To be honest the most fiddly bit is connecting up the ports on the outside of the case like microphones, speakers, USB etc. but most motherboards come with pretty good diagrams showing where everything needs to go.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

quick question and the most i want answered.

What do i get?

By that i mean, what do i really need for a good gaming computer, every bit.

P.S. is there a site for that or?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

I have always put to gether the basics , motherborard cpu, memory hd and cd. then ran the OS.

Then I add in any expansion cards 1 by one(will allow you to find device conflicts easier). Unless I'm using XP pro which seems to like it in one go and can pick up most things by itself.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

I built my own gaming PC a year ago and it is still current now......full details here
If you wade through that lot and replicate what I did you should be able to build it for about £1000-1200...

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

The last one I built I got the kit from Overclockers

You will NEED:

Case
PSU
Motherboard
Processor
Memory
CD/DVD Drive
Hard Drive
Graphics Card

You might want to add a better cooler to the CPU to run the system a little quieter.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

so, all i need to do is put the motherboard in the memory hd and a cd drive? and whats a OS and how do i run it?

---------- Post added at 13:41 ---------- Previous post was at 13:40 ----------

when you say cooler, do you mean that fan on the motherboard?

---------- Post added at 13:43 ---------- Previous post was at 13:41 ----------

another question just came in my head.

Does makes matter?

By that i mean, you don't need everything by the same company

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Yes it SHOULD, assuming you bought all the right (i.e. compatible) bits, put them in the right place and plugged all the cables in the right holes << most important !

It should start the BIOS setup first then boot to the CD on restart - no need for 'safe mode'.

Check out kfridge's links.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

The OS is something like Windows or Linux. You get the CD and start the system off the CD which loads it onto the hard drive.

Yep. The ones you get with the processors are OK but tend to be a bit loud, you can get quieter ones.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...Coolers_1.html


Nope.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

i wanna know something.

When buying stuff, lets say from overclockers, does the more it cost, really mean it will be better?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Yup - mobo, memory, processor (with cooler), graphics card, HDD & CD and (maybe floppy disc drive).

OS = Operating System (probably Windows XP)

No, he's referring to the fan and heatsink on the processor (cpu). (Which then plugs into the top face of the motherboard).


Not really, but you should be aware not everything just fits. There are different types of motherboard (mobo) which take different types of processor (AMD or Intel are the most common). Even mobos vary from ATX (the most common) and Micro ATX (smaller to fit mini tower cases).

Memory MUST be the right type (check Crucial's web site once you have a mobo).

Graphics cards, HDDs, CDs and floppys are all generally universal if you stick to straight forward ones.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

i guess mobo means motherboard? silly me, didn't see you said what a mobo is

And whos Crucial and wheres the site?

question - how will i know which case to get, as there is sizes, and i want my stuff to fit just right, not be too small, or too big?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Correct

Crucial

Most common size is the ATX Tower case (Midi or Full Tower). Get one of these and everything fits. Midi are nice - not too big. See here > eBuyer.

Go read 'kfridge's' links.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

In general yes, but be aware some kit can be purchased as 'OEM' or 'Retail'.

This usually means that an 'OEM' DVD/RW Drive, for example, may come as literally just the drive, while a 'Retail' version of the same drive will usually come with a cable, mounting screws, a manual & some extra software such as Nero & WinDVD. Obviously the retail pack will cost more.

- so make sure you really do compare 'like for like' :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

so no matter, if it's a mini or a full tower the CPU mobo PSU drives, will all fit in nicely?

plus, i have been looking at overclockers, whats a AMD, i know the intel, but never heard of the AMD?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Amd is the chip you want to buy
You want a 3000 xp64 processor((atleast) (make sure you buy retail in a box as it comes with a fan some custom fans are harder for the novice to install so stick with stock)
A skt 939 motherboard with pci express (buy an nforce 4 board as sata controllers will work without drivers)
A nvidia 6600gt graphics card at least
I would build a midi tower for ease
You need at least a gig of ddr 400/pc3200 in 2 x 512 strips.
Optical drives and hard drives are your choice but a sata drive is best
Buy a good 450 watt (at least)powersupply expect to spend 40 to 50 quid for a good one
Buy all from one place and buy an oem copy of xp
Read the manual very carefully first and make sure when installing the processor be very careful removing from packaging and do not drop.Buy an anti static wrist band too

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Provided you've done your homework and have selected components that are compatible then it will all fit. There's no point buying an Intel CPU and finding that the motherboard you bought is for AMD CPUs, or buying an AGP card and finding that your motherboard only supports PCI Express.

You really should spend some time reading the links kfridge posted earlier on ;)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, i will read and do some homework,. thats why i asked for a book, i need to get the money first, then i will be back, or if i need a question answered, thanks

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Or just give me a max spend and let me order it for you ;) jk btw

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

well i be getting about 15000, so if you could show me what to get and whats good, in time, would be more than happy, but i may have learnt enough by then, we will see

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

15000??? buy something mega from alienware ;) I suspect you mean 1500 which will build you something mega(or buy yourself something mega from alienware )

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Midi or Full Towers will take all of todays ATX motherboards (which is really the only thing to be considered as far as case size is concerned). The PSU (Power Supply unit) usually comes fitted with the case, (but you can upgrade this if required later).

The cpu (processor i.e. AMD or Intel) sits on (plugs into) the motherboard. It has a heatsink and cooler assembly clipped on top.

All the drives (floppy, CD & Hard Disk {HDD}) screw to rails already contained inside the case.

AMD is just another make of processor. They tend to be more popular with PC builders as they are generally regarded as giving more 'bang per buck', (or value for money in English !) But you must choose the right make for your mobo as they are NOT interchangeable. You're best choosing your cpu first off, then look for a motherboard that will take it.

---------- Post added at 14:52 ---------- Previous post was at 14:49 ----------

As zinglebarb says .. I think (hope) you mean £1500. Even at that your are spending a great deal. You can build a great PC for £500.

I've built 4, and whilst they break no records they are at least competent and none of them cost more than £250 !!

It all depends on what you want to do with your PC - online gaming (and many non on-line games) demand a lot of memory and powerful graphics cards which push your costs up dramatically. Whereas photo & music editing demand powerful processors and lots of memory. Just word processing and surfing can be done very well on a home built PC costing no more than say £200.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah i do mean 1500, sorry was rushing, had to do something, anyway, i want it for online gaming, or just gaming, to play the latest games, plus i want it to last and not have to upgrade every time

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

If you build the exact pc that I did you will have a great gaming machine for less than 1500 :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

It didn't when I spent £1300 building mine :(. After a couple of minutes of despair I found that turning the power switch on the power supply from off to on helped :dunce:

Just stick disk in, turn on, and XP should do it's thing automatically. You may need to change a setting or two in the BIOS but it should be straightforward enough and if you get a reasonable brand of mobo the manual should have enough English in to get you by.

There are some good online sites/forums that I used, such as:

Build Your Own Computer Tips
Build Your Own PC
AMD system building guide
How To Fix Computers
Strange but helpful people

Google'll come up with a million others.

Warning: It all sounds simple enough in theory, but I found it more stressful than a job interview. It's not knowing whether you're on the right track that does it.

If I was going to do it again I'd buy a cruddy 4 year old box for £150 off ebay and take it apart and rebuild it a couple of times before I tried it on brand new bits.

I'd only recommend doing a build your own if you can face the possibility that you could destroy a £1000 of electronics in the space of half an hour ... ;)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, i know it will be a pain, but it's make my own, or buy the Dell XPS.

So i dunno

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

It's a pain but it is actually very satisfying when you've finished and it works. You'll also learn a lot along the way, so when something goes wrong (as they always do with PCs irrespective of whether they're bought or built) you'll have more of an idea of what is wrong and how to fix/replace it.

Plus, as surprising as it sounds, it can get almost addictive, and you'll find that once you've built your first PC, you'll want to keep on modifying it and adding more stuff to it. Maybe add some neons, quieter fans, more efficient cooling, etc... the list goes on and on. Whereas with the Dell machine, you're more likely to feel almost intimidated by it, and will be unwilling to open it up and mod it, because you won't really know what's what.

Just my :2cents:

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, i know, but like the guy said, one mess up and thats it, waste of money, thats what i have been most worried about, if i was getting it all for free, i wouldn't care.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

You really have to try hard to ruin all the components you buy. If you take simple precautions (antistatic straps), read the manuals supplied wtiht he products before you start, and take your time, it's just like assembling a meccanno set with a few wires. The difficulty is in troubleshooting if you were supplied with a faulty component - but that is a rare event.

The only system I built came with very detailed assembly instructions for the motherboard, in terms of what plugged in where. In fact it was the case connections, especially the front USB / sound connectors that gave me the biggest headache, as those were labelled differently to the motherboard explaination.

Realistically the PC is designed to be modular in it's components with things swapped out, replaced, or whatever. That makes home building easy.

The hard part is working out what you actually want to go in the PC, and that starts from what you actually want the PC to do, and how you much you have to spend.

Once assembled, you may need to check some settings in the BIOS and from then on it's a case of loading the Operating System, and any specific drivers for your system, follwed by other software.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

As Rob says, as long as you are careful and dont make it a "rush" job, you will be fine.
For a first time builder, you should give yourself atleast a full weekend.
And the weekend before that, you should be reading all the manuals that you will get...... the motherboard manual will be your PC bible as that will oversee how everything interconnects.

Start off buying all the external bits like the box, monitor, power supply, and the drives.....DVD, floppy, Hard drive, etc.
Oh and remember to check your motherboard manual to see where you need to place your stand off screws where the motherboard will sit on.
Fitting these things in the case is simple screwing work and it means the big things are in the case and out of the way once you get onto the more complex parts.

The moment where you have to be the most careful is when sorting out the motherboard. Its best to put it out on the anti static bag it came in and make sure you, yourself are wearing your anti static strap. (These straps cost about £4 from Maplins. Then hook the other end to an earthed source such as a radiator or your system case if it is plugged in and OFF).

Putting in the RAM and CPU whilst outside the box will be easier.
Just set things in slowly. They should pop in to place quite easily. you will notice that most things will only go in one way too so you cant go wrong.

Just make sure you observe how to align your processor with the correct pins in the correct corner......this will all be in the documentation you will get.

As long as you have done your research, you shouldnt have any problems with compatibility issues.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

If your building a 939 based machine be bloody careful with the cpu as the pins bend very easily

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

whats a "939 based machine" remember i am new to this.

And how cheap do you think i can make a good computer(gaming/online play/mostly online gaming and just games)?

that will play the latest stuff.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

£600/£800
939 is the number of pin connections on the processor.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

All CPU types have a specfic socket type number. 939 refers to a 939 type socket. "Based" means it's a computer / system board based around the 939 socket.

Click here for a list of socket types!

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

MD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3800BVBOX) (CP-134-AM) 1
£188.9
Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-088-AS) 1
£61.95
Corsair 2GB DDR Value Select PC3200 CAS3.0 Kit (2x1GB) (VS2GBKIT400C3) (MY-080-CS) 1
£99.95
XFX GeForce PCX6600 GT 256MB DDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (PVT43GUDF6) (GX-045-XF) 1
£109.95
NEC ND4550 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Silver) - OEM (CD-025-NE) 1
£25.50
Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Silver Aluminium Midi-Tower Case (No PSU) (CA-038-LL) 1
£49.50
Hiper HPU-4B580 Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Blue (CA-006-HP) 1
£54.95
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 300GB 6V300F0 SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-089-MD) 1
£74.95
Subtotal £665.70
VAT £116.50
Total £782.20


Prices taken from overclockers

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

It don't come much better than that !! :cool:

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Yeah, i may get all them parts, will they all fit right into place, and if you can, show me a good case, i play on the computer alot, so i don't want it overheating, i dunno if that mini tower will over heat

---------- Post added at 17:57 ---------- Previous post was at 17:43 ----------

Question - I have been looking at overclockers site, and i keep seeing a big "SLI" thing on some of the stuff, what does this "SLI" mean?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Dunno exactly what SLI stands for but it's to do with graphics cards that use the Nvidia chips. It's a means of having two cards in one PC linked together for enhanced performance.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

you dont need SLI and on my list is a very nice case in brushed alu

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Yeah, ok, do you know where and which is best for a monitor.

Back in the day people said the flat monitor was crap for gaming, is that still the same today?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Where do you live Ill build you a top spec pc with a real cool monitor for a grand;) (not spamming only joking :D) Aria do a 19 inch tft with dvi for about £170 (estimate cba to look) Bill_c had one at the lan party in august and it looked pretty smart

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, i may get that, and i'm in manchester =P

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Scalable Link Interface ;)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Can someone tell me what the "antistatic wrist band" does, in dummie language:dunce: .

Hehe, thanks, i just don't really get it, how can not having power in the computer, do anything, or even make static, not like i am rubbing against it with a balloon.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

stops you sending static electricity through the chips causing irrepairable and sometimes unseen damage to electrical componants.Basically it earths you

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Rubbing a balloon against your head for a few minutes causes a massive amount of static, but you collect smaller amounts just doing normal everyday stuff, without rubbing your head against balloons all day.

Have you ever noticed how if you wear certain types of shoes or slippers, you walk around your house - especially rooms with carpets - and then you touch someone and you can both get a small shock? It's kinda the same thing except that you're passing that electricity to your PC components, and even the smallest of 'shocks' can permanently damage certain components such as memory chips, CPUs, etc...

Problem can be that you're not even aware that you've caused any damage, and there's no visible sign of anything being wrong. Also, any problems may not appear immediately, and they can be very difficult to diagnose.

It's all about minimising risk, and for the price of a wristband, it's not really worth the gamble, imho.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Don't forget that static electricity can run to anything between 1000 and 10,000V !:Yikes: So it's not surprising it can destroy the tiny components and circuitry in modern computers which are designed for 12V and under.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, but what i ain't really getting is, how can a band around your wrist make your body/hands, not make static, doesn't even look like it does anything like that

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

the strap is connected to earth and conducts the static away, so a damaging charge cannot build up.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Make sure that the other end of the anti static strap is earthed.
Some radiators are now plastic so be careful to find something that really is earthed.
If you plug your Power supply into the mains electricity and keep the power switch on off, you can earth yourself on the computer case.

A lot of power supplies will also have an earth wire and its worth just screwing that to the case as well.

http://image.compusa.com/prodimages/...805fbbb715.gif
Anti static strap.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

It equalises your body's charge with that of the PC case / earth meaning that when you touch it you can't "shock" the components because there's no charge difference.

It doesn't kill static it just equalises it so it can't "flow".

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

thanks for that, now i get it =]

---------- Post added at 12:26 ---------- Previous post was at 12:24 ----------

ah i just wanted to ask something, whats the difference to windows XP home edition and the XP PRO, as i am a first time maker, should i go with the home edition?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

You can find out all the differences compared HERE

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Your spending a lot of cash £30 extra on the os should be swallowed up buy an oem pro copy

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

"Your spending a lot of cash £30 extra on the OS"

What do you mean by os? couldn't make it out

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

operating system.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

thanks

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

you know where you have fans on the case, where do you plug them?

into the mobo?

---------- Post added at 17:11 ---------- Previous post was at 17:07 ----------

another thing, with the anti static wrist band, does matter about hair on your wrist etc?

As i was reading and it said it has to be on the skin, but won't the hair get in the way

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

some fans will plug onto your motherboard others will plug into your powersupply.As far as hairs on your wrist if you just use Immac about an inch all round just to make sure......ok only joking you will be fine it will earth you as you wear it quite tight :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

hehe, thanks, do you need a sound card, or do they come with mobo or whatever, i mostly use headphones, if that helps.

and you don't need a floppy drive do you?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

The mobo will provide sound :) as far as a floppy if you intend to install windows to a sata hard drive you may well need a floppy to carry the driver needed for such install :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

well, i will be getting the bits, you said, i think, i have just been reading all the links here, and mostly know where everything goes now, and i have been playing with my very first computer, just unpluging it, and taking the CPU out, the fan on the CPU is a pain to put back on, you really need to push on it, for it to click on :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

The Amd 64 cpus are very easy to instal just be careful you dont bend pins and the Heatsink and fan assembly are by far the easiest to install.Amd actually appear to have learnt from intel with how easy it is :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, the CPU i put in is way, i just put it over it, and let go, and it slides in, easy as that, only thing i need to learn now, is the BIOS, seems abit confusing, but i'll get it

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Quick question....are AMD processors/chips better than intel? Why would I choose AMD over intel?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

I would choose AMD all the way.Theres cheaper in the most part there quicker.They are a much more rounded CPU.To beat the AMD 64 chips in performace you have to spends 100's more.Seriously buy AMD

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Zinglebarb.... thanks for the feedback regarding spec. Will definately shout if I get stuck.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

:tu:

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Unless you're doing things like video encoding and music production where you're working with very large files, I'd recommend AMD over Intel. The larger cache on the Intel chips make these slightly better for these kind of tasks, but for the remaining 99% of the time that your PC is working, I find AMD to be better. You definitely get more bang for your buck with AMD than with Intel.

It will be interesting to see how things progress with Intel's new Core Duo range of dual-core CPUs. Although AMD have been in this market for a while now, Intel seem to have a more aggressive plan to roll out dual core CPUs amongst the desktop market.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

The Intel chips are crippled.They have diabled hyperthreading on all but the Extreme edition chips bless em

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Intel have always done shifty things with processors.

When I was heavily into system building (around the time of Pentium 2/3). They released a range of chips that where all based on the same core. It was simple to take the 266Mhz Celeron processor and clock it to 448Mhz as it was based on the Pentium III deshutes core.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Ok, you lot, i got a few more questions, if thats alright :dozey:

1. what order do you think is easier, i read the sites and they don't say which is easier to put in, i was thinking floppy dvd cd drive hard drive first, then the motherboard, then the PSU, any idea's?

2. if i get the paste for the CPU for the heatstink thingy, is it best to butter it on the CPU with a ear bud or a knife, or just press it on in lines?

3. when should i put the graphic card in, first or after the XP is running?

4. when the graphic card first goes in, i don't need to uninstall to upload the new driver from it, cause i was thinking to burn the driver onto a CD and then put it on the new comp, and upload the new driver, any thoughts on that?

5. you see that thing on some AGP and PCI-E slots, where at the end of it, it has a creamy thing, like on the RAM slots, what is that for. Is it like the RAM when it goes in it will flick up?:Yikes: :disturbd:

thanks, alots of questions hope i can get some answers on them.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Zing, cheers for the info, mate :tu:

mr0161, here's my thoughts...

1. Depends a bit on your case. Some cases make it easy to add the mobo first as you have loads of space to manouver the drives, whereas others are so small and pokey that you need to do the drives first and then fiddle till you get the mobo in place. For what it's worth, my current case allows me to do the mobo first, then I do the PSU, followed by the drives.

2. If you go for the past, don't use an ear bud as you risk getting bits of fluff on your CPU die, and that would hinder the heat transfer. The good brands often include a small piece of plastic (kinda shaped like those hotel key cards) that you can use to smear the gunk across the CPU evenly. Otherwise, you can use your finger inside a small plastic sandwich bag to smear it across but don't just use your finger without the bag, cause you'll get oils from your skin (as well as dead skin cells) onto the die and this will make it less effective too.

3. Put the graphics card in before you boot up, otherwise you won't be able to see any messages on the screen ;) By default Windows will use a horrible default setting, but once you've installed the graphics card's driver you'll be able to increase the resolution and colour depth settings to suit your preference.

4. If this is a brand new install of Windows, then you won't have any old drivers to uninstall, so just install the latest drivers from your manufacturers website.

5. Yes, just like the memory slots.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

what i mean is the ATI drivers, will they just install themself? or will i have to go to the website and get the driver or what?

---------- Post added at 11:44 ---------- Previous post was at 11:43 ----------

I guess the ethernet card is best to go after XP is installed?

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Oh, sorry... my bad. In that case, you're correct and you will need to go to the ATI website and download the relevant driver. You can, as you correctly pointed out, do this beforehand if you wish and then simply run it from CD. It won't make any difference but might be more convenient as it will be quicker (and you might be like me always wanting to do things as quickly as possible once the PC is up and running :) )

As for the ethernet card... you can do it before or after. One thing you might want to consider is if you want to download a firewall such as Zone Alarm, and the latest service pack for your version of Windows, and install these from CD instead of downloading them once your PC is built. Then you can install these quickly, which means your PC will be vulnerable to attacks for a far shorter period of time. Just an idea ;)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Yeah, i will just throw the lot on disic's.

So i won't need to uninstall the ATI card driver, as it won't have one yet, right? or does the card come with a disic that i need to use?

another question, this time around them rounded cables i keep hearing about, i had a look at them, how can you tell which one is the floppy cable, as with the ribbon one, it has that twist in it. And are they really worth it, cause if i get something to wrap around the ribbons and put them all on the same line as each other, they won't make a mess, and give air flow.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Sounds good to me :tu:

I'd always recommend going with the latest version of the driver. There will be one on the CD that comes with the card (unless you got the cheaper OEM version of the card which doesn't include the driver, cables, screws, etc...) but the version on the CD could be several months/years out of date, whereas the one on the ATI website is the very latest version.

I find 'em useful, cause the insides of my case used to be a big mess, and as the temp was rising as I added more kit, I decided to use them as a cheap way of increasing airflow. You could use those tie-thingies, but I find the round IDE cables more convenient. ...and mine are a nice shade of blue too :)

Oh, and the FDD cable has a smaller socket on the end than the hard drive cable, so you wouldn't be able to plug it into your motherboard. Plus my hard drive cables have the 2 sockets (1 for slave and one for master) on one end, whereas my floppy drive cable only has the one socket. I'm sure there's a more scientific way of identifying them, but that's all I use ;)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

God .... here I was thinking how easy its gonna be to build my PC :(

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

It is, mate :Yes:

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Yeah, another thing about air flow and not over heating, i was looking at overclockers and saw this fans which plug into the PCI slot, so give more fans inside the case, are they worth it, do they give alot of air etc.

Cause i was thinking as the PCI-E slot is more or less next to the PCI one, the fan may throw enough air at the PCI-E place, dunno if they throw enough air.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Rounded cables can help to tidy your case up and improove airflow. They also look nicer if you have a see-through window case.
At Overclockers they have the cables listed so you can't go wrong HERE


As for your graphics card..... You won't need any drivers to begin with. It will run at its default mode and windows will install with basic rtesolution anyway.
Once you have Windows installed, Then you can install the graphics drivers.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

I'd see how you go first, mate. Install what you've got ordered, and only think about increasing the number of fans if you find that the temps are getting a bit too high for your liking. Chances are that you'll be OK with the standard cooling. People who overclock their PCs need more cooling than 'normal' users, but let's see how you go first of all.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

1 install drives to case first if there is room.Reasoning here if theres room still for the motherboard to easily fit there is no risk of dropping or draging a drive over the board.If you buy the Lian Li case the front will come off easily so you can do it in any order.

2 you will be using a stock cooler this comes with a thermal pad do not worry about paste

3 As Gareth said

4 Download new drivers for GFX from website.As your buying new the card will come with drivers as will the motherboard if you do not want to download new

5 Its just a clip to hold the back end of the card down.As some cards are long when you plug vga or dvi cable in the back sometimes the card can lift which causes problems this clip holds the card securely at the rear

---------- Post added at 12:33 ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 ----------

You can if your carefull route flat cables behind the back plate of the motherboard.This allows even more airflow than with rounded cables :)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah, thanks, still looking for a book on the stuff, i wanna learn as much as i can about BIOS and stuff =] checked amazon site, and most of the people are american and takes up to a month to send here.

I was reading about ATI and NVIDIA cards, and everywhere i go the debate seems endless at which one is the best or gives the most, are they a draw and it's just a matter of which one YOU like?:confused:

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Dont worry to much about the bios most of it will be set for you.You may have to set the date and time you may have to change boot order but there wont be much more

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Couldnt agree more.
When I first did my first computer build, I was worried about all this Bios configuring I would have to do.
In the end the only thing I had to do was press delete to enter the bios, set the time & date, make sure all the things I wanted were enabled, eg. sound, etc., and set the boot sequence so it picks up the DVD drive straight off. Save changes. Insert Windows XP disc and reboot. Installation will start and take you through formatting your hard drive, and instaalling windows. Done.

you'l find that now a days most things ar epicked up automatically and there is no need to set the CPU speed or anything. Its all picked up automaically.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head there. There's not much difference between cards of the same calibre from both manufacturers. The only time I would strongly recommend one over the other is if you plan on using Linux, because ATI's drivers are a lot worse than Nvidia's. I have an ATI card which I do like under Windows, but it's a real pain when using Linux. Unless they improve dramatically in the near future, I can see that I'll be making the switch to Nvidia when I do replace my card.

Oops, that was a bit :notopic:... sorry about that little rant ;)

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

been a while since been on here, but as your talking about building pc's on this thread thought i'd add a question myself. my motherboard is "FUJITSU SIEMENS D2190-A S26361-D2190" been told it's a bit weird or summat! anyway question is could i buy another motherboard with a PCI-e express slot bang my processor in it and slot it back in it's casing???

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

bit like reviving old topics here eh Smiffer..... what kinda processor has your pc got, cant find much details about that mobo.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Motherboard:
CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 524, 3066 MHz (23 x 133)
Motherboard Name FUJITSU SIEMENS D2190-A
Motherboard Chipset Intel Grantsdale-G i915GL
System Memory [ TRIAL VERSION ]
BIOS Type Phoenix (03/17/05)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)

Thats from an Everest report not highly educated in pc stuff. Got an 128mb nivida card in a PCI slot. But been told thats about as good as you can get without having an AGP or PCI-e slot.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

you got a Socket 775 processor so your in good hands there... you can use any board that you want really :) but then seeing the board that you got I guess you got a tiny tiny pc?

if so you can try this board: http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/117611

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

thats a skt 775 board isnt it?
So the answer is yes if it will fit in the case. If not buy a case

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Zing, the pc he got is 1 of the smaller units of Siemens if I'm correct on this, so the micro atx board that I gave should be correct.

but then again if not I stand corrected :P

Smiffer if you could gimme the model number of the unit then I'll be 100% sure which mobo you could go for.

1 thing you deffo have to remember that if it is micro atx, then the only cards you can get are "LOW PROFILE" cards.

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

ok model number?? will that show up on everest or will i get it from else where?? the "micro atx" means diddly squat to me i'm afraid!!!

---------- Post added at 21:44 ---------- Previous post was at 21:42 ----------

nothing to do with this conversation, but zinglebarb how come you got a clan on spearhead but not breakthrough??? is spearhead better??? i play breakthrough mainly

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

Smiffer, model number of the unit is normally at the front bottom of the base unit http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/Resou...2028937308.jpg it says at the front Scaleo P

otherwise what is the size of the unit

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

but it in a cheap case you can get decent boxes for 20 quid use the existing psu and fanny is your mothers sister

Re: Help with PCmaking
 

yeah says scaleo p