How to successfully build a computer
Also known as, how Crazy_Nate builds a computer

Often, when somebody builds a computer, the necessary steps to ensure stability are not taken. In my opinion, the easiest way -- and best time to do this, is when you first get your hardware. Here's my method of figuring everything out. I have used it over and over and it's even helped me figure out problems that have occurred after a working computer had been running for a while.

If you're in a hurry to get started...jump straight down to "Preliminary Preparations"

Choosing hardware
The internet is a wonderful place, with lots of computer oriented communities who are more than willing to give advice on the best hardware...OCC being a top option

Reviews are everywhere. Some may be a little biased, some not. I would average the opinions of several reviews before pushing the 'buy' button. If you're going to get verification from an online forum, please post:

• Your budget.
  
• The purpose of the computer (gaming, CAD, rendering, etc). Often, for gaming, knowing which games you want to play is very helpful...and what resolution!
  
• Where you are. This can help people locate stores or online venues that you can actually use.

Beyond that...I have only one major hardware suggestion. Buy a quality power supply.

For cases, the good ones give you better airflow, which, results in lower temperatures. A rule of thumb (pardon the expression) is that for every 10 degrees you lower the temperatures, it doubles the effective life of the component. Not sure what is used for reference, but, you get the point. Good fans and filters are an adamant computer user's best friend. I happen to like the medium speed 120mm Panaflo's as a good compromise between noise and air flow (other people have their favorites, as well). Fan controllers are sometimes necessary with fans like this.

If you must go with a cheaper case, take a look at the modding link below. A blowhole and / or intake and exhaust mods may be necessary.

Since airflow was brought up, I'll say a couple words about it. A computer case is a box with a lot of aerodynamic obstacles in it. Fans work to move cool air to components that need cooling, including the CPU, graphics card, chipset / northbridge / southbridge, harddrives, and the power supply, to name a few. Consider an analogy to a case as a pipe with a rough interior. The more stuff inside (obstacles) the greater the pressure drop along the pipe section...like having a rougher wall. Fans can provide a certain amount of volumetric flow rate (usually in CFM - cubic feet of air per minute), however, these values are usually for no pressure restrictions on the fan (which reduces the flow rates...). Simply put, some fans may not perform exactly as they're listed. Some manufacturers may list a stagnation pressure as a form of rating.

In order to alleviate some of the pressure inside a case...exhaust fans are used. I typically like to have matched in- and out- flowrates, erring on the side of higher intake (for the same reason they do it in buildings, infiltration - for computers, this means dust would sneak in through the edges on a computer case with an internal gauge pressure that is negative - essentially, lower pressure inside, than normal ambient atmospheric pressure).

A note about heat flow and other sorts of technical bits...

There are 3 types of heat transfer...conduction, convection and radiation. We won't worry about the last because of the relatively low temperatures that computers operate at. Conduction happens between two surfaces, in contact, with different temperatures. Convection happens between a fluid (in computers...air, water, or a refrigerant) and a surface with a temperature difference between the two. There are two types of convection...natural and forced (and a third, if you consider mixed convection where natural convection is not a negligible portion of the two, combined). Natural is driven by buoyant forces (hot air rises, refrigerant evaporates within a heatpipe and rises, etc) and works best in vertical orientations. Forced convection, is, well, forced. Usually by a fan, or pump. Think of any heatsink with a fan attached.

Within convection, there are some important concepts. One of which is flow regime. Laminar, transitional, or turbulent, in order of increasing Reynolds number (from no mixing, to lots of mixing). Laminar requires the least amount of pressure and is the quietest, but has lower heat transfer properties. Transitional is in between. Turbulent has larger flow requirements relative to a characteristic length or diameter. Simply put, laminar is smooth, turbulent is rough. Certain things like adding bumps, ridges or similar aerodynamic devices to roughen the surface can change the heat transfer properties - usually for the better.

Short of modeling every little component and custom designing heatsinks, fans and ducting...the best you can usually do is have high quality fans / heatsinks (think about how you choose to orient them) and cool ambient temperatures.

So, with all that said...take care of your computer and it will last a long time. Temperatures and dust are enemies thwarted by good cooling, fans, filters, and the occasional dusting (with an air can - not air from a home or shop compressor <may contain water>) or vacuuming.

Preliminary preparations

1. Download Memtest86 from:
   
   
2. Download the latest motherboard drivers from your motherboard manufacturers website, as well as, any other additional drivers you may need. If you wish to upgrade your BIOS to a later version, download a bootable disk version (I would not recommend trying through windows).
   
   
3. Download the latest graphics drivers from: or
   
   
4. Burn the Memtest86 ISO.
   
   
5. Put all your drivers on to a CD - or flash drive.
   
   
6. Download and burn any stability testing programs or benchmarks, as well as, temperature measuring programs. My recommendations are:
   
   
   • Prime95: Multiple Threaded Version 25.6
   • OCCT: http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download
   • 3DMark05:
   • 3DMark06:
   • 3DMark Vantage:
   • Coretemp:
   • Realtemp:
   • MBM5: http://www.thetechrepository.com/showthread.php?t=74
   • CPUz:
   • GPUz:
   • Everest Home Edition: http://oldversion.com/program.php?n=everesthome or (for newer):
   
   
7. Verify that you have access to an operating system install disk. Some of the aforementioned programs are for windows...
   
   
8. Verify that you have adequate space to build your computer. A desk is nice. Light is good. If you have carpet, you may have to take precautions to not discharge any static electricity. Paul has a good suggestion about static discharge here. Use caution and be patient. It will help remove any headaches.
   
   
   
9. Find some tools. I would definitely recommend at least two sizes of Phillips head screwdrivers.
   
   
   
10. Find a tube of TIM (thermal interface media / material)...if you are going to need it (IE. an aftermarket heatsink). I happen to like both AS5 and Ceramique (for it's nonconducting / inert properties).
    
    
    
11. Get ready to have some fun.

Building your computer

1. Open all of your boxes. Verify no visible damage to components. Make a nice, neat pile. Just like Christmas!
   
   
   
2. Put the motherboard on top of the motherboard box.
   
   
   
3. Following the instructions in either the motherboard manual, or on the box for your processor, insert it into the socket.
   
   
   
4. Attach either the stock heatsink that comes with retail processors, or an aftermarket heatsink, also following the instructions on either box. AS5 Instructions
   
   
   
   
5. Place one DIMM (AKA stick of RAM) in an appropriate memory slot (check your motherboard manual - If it doesn't say, feel free to find the slot numbered 1 and carefully insert).
   
   
   
6. Clear the CMOS. Instructions are usually in the motherboard manual. This may or may not involve removing the motherboard battery. Don't forget to put it back where it was (or the correct position...see the manual)
   
   
   
7. Attach the power supply connections to the motherboard. This involves at least a 24-pin connector, and a CPU connector - either 4 pin or the 8 pin EPS. Some motherboards may have additional power connections for stability purposes. Consult motherboard manual if unsure.
   
   
   
8. Add a PCI-express graphics card, verify that it sits all the way into the slot and that there is no interference with any of the motherboard components. Attach any appropriate power connectors (6 pin, 2x6 pin, 6 pin + 8 pin, etc). Consult graphics card manual.
   
   
   
9. Attach a monitor to either a DVI output or a VGA output on the graphics card. Also make a mental note if there is any onboard graphics (can be seen by one of those connectors on the motherboard back panel). You will want to disable it through BIOS, initially.
   
   
10. Verify that your power supply is set to the correct voltage range, if there is a 110 / 220 switch. See power supply manual. With the power supply power switch (the one with a 0 and a 1) in the 0 position, plug the power supply cable into the back of the power supply, and into a surge protector (powered).
    
    
11. Add a pushbutton to the appropriate motherboard connection for the "on" switch. Some motherboards have buttons already. Consult manual as needed. This would also be a good time to figure out which keyboard button gets you into your BIOS and which brings up the boot menu.
    
    
    
12. Add a PS2 keyboard. Or, if you have a USB keyboard, use a USB->PS2 converter.
    
    
    
13. Flip the power supply switch to the 1 position.
    
    
    
14. Push the "on" switch that you connected before. Here's what to do if you don't have a button connected:
    
    
    
15. Push the appropriate button on the keyboard for your BIOS. Enter. Go to your memory settings. Change the voltage to what is recommended by the manufacturer. Set the primary timings that are also recommended by your manufacturer (CAS/tRCD/tRP/tRAS/CMD - or CPC).
    
    
    
    
16. Exit and save. Power down the computer.
    Note: Any time you change any of your hardware, verify that your computer is off, the power supply switch is in the off position, and the power cable to the power supply is unplugged.
    
    
17. If your motherboard does not have memtest86 built in, now would be the time to go find that CD you burned. Install a optical drive (SATA or PATA) and power connection (SATA power or 4-pin molex).
    
    
18. Plug in your computer, flip the PSU switch, and hit the "on" button. Push the keyboard key to get to the boot menu. Select boot from optical drive.
    
    
19. Fire up memtest, verify ten passes on tests 5 & 8...then at least a couple hours on all tests.
    
    
    
    
20. Add more memory, in the appropriate motherboard slot -- for dual channel. Consult motherboard manual as needed.
    
    
    
21. Memtest again, using the same procedure as above.
    
    
22. Power down, unplug. Install a hard drive (most likely SATAII) and it's power connection. You probably will want to install a mouse at this point.
    
    
    
23. Install windows. If you want to, have a RAID disk on hand.
    
    
24. When you get into windows, install your motherboard drivers and graphics drivers at this point. Reboot as needed. Check CPUz and GPUz. Install Everest + temperature monitoring software.
    
    
25. Install / open Prime95. Run for a minimum of 8 hours at stock settings (no overclocking...yet ). I like to do at least 24 hours. Monitor temperatures. 60C is the threshold I like to have for processors.
    
    
    
26. Run the 3dmark suites and any other benchmarking / stability programs that you like.
    
    
27. Turn off the computer...install any other hardware you wish (sound card, TV card, etc), one at a time. Verify that there are no IRQ conflicts. (Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device manager -> View -> Resources by connection)
    
    
28. If you've made it this far...without any problems...Congratulations! You are "stock stable". From this point you may increase your performance by "overclocking". Have fun...and, as always, verify stability!
    
    
29. At this time, you can also put your computer into your case. If you begin to have problems...turning on, or power related, you may have a motherboard standoff in the wrong position. (My girlfriend clocked me at 29.5 minutes...not bad for swapping processors, video cards, adding a sound card and a TV card, getting everything into the case, wire management, and...moving the HDTV and case)
    
    Before:
    
    
    
    After:
    

Additional Information and links


OCC Hardware Reviews

[retro] The Original Diy-street Amd64 Overclocking Guide, 300,000+ downloads later, it is still quite useful!

OCC Recommended Power Supplies List

Modding & Computer Stores, Hardware, components, search engines, all around the world!

The Official OCC Raid Guide, Version 2.0

Watercooling Information & Suggestions

OCC Overclocking FAQ

Folding At Home for OCC

OCC CS:S Dedicated Server

Great guide, hope it will be stickied. Nice 4 ref too.

Thank you for the kind words.

Hopefully I haven't been too explicit with the instructions.

Its not to explicit if ur talking to n00bs.

If it's a guide for people that are new to building a PC, it NEEDS to be explicit

Nice job man.

Thanks!

If anybody has any comments, or thinks I should add anything, feel free to say so.

Good guide, only thing i would add is in adition to the good power supply note is a another note tell them to make sure they use good cooling/airflow. and that they keep it free of dust. dont know how many computers ive seen break due to bad cooling/airflow and dust.

One of the best lessons I've learned when buying parts is "Cheap doesn't always = Good". Basically it boils down to "You get what you pay for".....

Many people are on budgets and that's understandable, but sometimes, certain parts should NOT be skimped on. The Power Supply is at the top of that list. If a good reliable/reputable power supply doesn't fit into your budget at this time, wait a week or two and find a way to make it fit. The NOW, NOW, NOW people will usually spend more money in the long run because they are impatient and will not get the results they expected and will end up having to buy different parts.

The Power Supply will usually be that part. Make sure it's in the power range you will need, has the right amount of power to the +12v rail that you will need to power your video card. Make sure it has the right amount and kind of connectors you'll need to power all your accessories and hardware. For most gaming systems, 500-600w is good. I prefer to go 700w or better just to make sure BUT... look at the specs for that power supply. the wattage isn't the only spec to look at. The amount of +12v rails is something to take into consideration. Many power supplies have only 1 rail. It's better to have at least two +12v rails, and also make sure those rails have at least 20a or above to power your accessories effeciently.

Another part that shouldn't be skimped on is the Video Card. Figure out what you'll be doing most with this PC, and find the video card that'll get you the performance you'll need. Spending $150 on something now, and then it not performing the way you want, and then having to go spend another $250 to get what you want is hardly cost effective. Spending the extra $100 to begin with would've paid off better.

Last, the Memory. If you're running XP, 2gb is sufficient for just about anything. For Vista, 2gb is good, but for gaming or anything graphics intensive, 3gb-4gb is better. Skimping on memory will result in a sluggish PC and alot of swearing. Remember, 32 bit operating systems usually will not recognize more than 3.25gb of memory, even if you have 4gb installed. 64 bit OS's will recognize more, but sometimes be limited to what the motherboard is capable of recognizing.

Excellent guide...Will definitely be referring to it/using it as a checklist tomorrow eve. when I'm finishing my build (Yay! no more 1 Ghz PIII/512 DDR!).
Dled and printed.

Sticky!

this thread got me excited... because now it's sticky



nice guide

I agree, wholeheartedly, about quality in general. If you want to have a very well performing PC, do your research and buy quality components that will last you for a while. I have had success with running my computer for about 4 years now and I've only upgraded the processor and graphics card after 3.5 years. I've also rotated the power supply to a different rig.

For memory, 4 gig DDR2 kits are cheap. That seems the way to go. There also seems to be not much reason against going with a 64-bit version of Vista (unless you like Linux of course ).

Thanks for the compliments, guys!

Just trying to make everyone's lives easier.

I was thinking after another poster mentioned airflow, and I see this far to often with comps built by amateurs that come into the shop. People think they need all the fans pushing INSIDE the case to cool it, and don't really consider using a fan for exhaust even if it's just one rear fan or something.

The mention of dust and all that made me think of this also, cause the comps I see that have all fans blowing in are the dirtiest ones out there heh. Always good to have a top or rear fan set to suck air OUT of the case. As long as it's not a side case fan that is right over the cpu, that is usually not good and will create a little vacuum (don't know if that's the right explanation for it) above the cpu so there isn't as much air to be pulled down to the cpu. But that is only a factor if you have a top sitting fan on your cpu HS, if it's a side one like on the TRUE or other aftermarket HSF's it works pretty well having the side panel as an exhaust.

Mechanical engineering technical mumbo jumbo added.

And written/explained better than I ever could, nice job Nate

Good job.


Are you making this "push button" or buying at Radio Shack or what? I assume it is out of the case.

I just short the pins but a button would be nice.

Ah, it should just be any normally open momentary switch (I guess that means you could just short those pins temporarily, and your computer would turn on).

I like the DFI boards that have the ones onboard, but, if that isn't an option, you can always take the one out of the case that you're going to use (my TT case has it as part of a 5 1/4" bay, so I can just slide everything out.

Here's just about everything you need to know about switches: Toggle and Push-Button Switches



Syngensmyth...check out step 14!

not really a good guide for beginners but for someone that has built maybe one computer in the past and kind of needs a refresh (im referring to the steps where you start putting it all together).
The rest is good, like downloading some utilities and such.
If you want to make this a good guide for "beginners" include pics
Other then that good job

Where do you think I need to add more stuff? Descriptions?

I will add pictures...soon. I have a digital camera on the way.

And...I might find myself rebuilding my computer. I think we had a voltage spike last night...and again this morning before the power went off. I BSOD'd and now I get the "3 LEDs". I will be slightly irate if I just got my CPU fried by the UMass power system.

EDIT: Just lost power...again.

Not really saying to add more text but just wondering about pictures. Guides should probably include pictures just to give the reader a "general" idea on what you are talking about. But you said you will add pictures so that's fine. It looking good.

Bump!!

See first post! First set of pictures added. 56K BEWARE. Memtesting as I'm writing this...more pictures & screen shots to come!

Ok, that should be the last of it!!

Any questions, I can answer them here...

Good luck - and - happy computer building!

I am definitely going to refer to this when the time comes.

I just purchased my parts from Newegg (Expected delivery is tomorrow, but watching the UPS tracking has me thinking they might be a tad late) and although I have found a few decent - good building guides, this is by far the very best one. Over at Tomshardware, I got loads of input on parts and such ... add that with your guide and I'm feeling like I'm in pretty great shape! Thanks!

Purchased system:

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Case
CORSAIR 750TX 750W Power Supply
ASUS P5Q Pro P45 Mobo
C2D E8600 Proc
Seagate 640GB SATA Hard Drive
SAPPHIRE HD4870 X2 2GB Vid Card
4GB Mushkin (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 Mem (5-4-4-12 1.8v)
Sunbeam "Core Contact Freezer" CPU Cooler
Arctic Silver 1.75G Thermal Compound <- was a waste because the sunbeamtech includes a tube of tx-2 :sigh:
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - SATA

The main reason I signed up for this site was so that I could make a few comments about this guide. This fantastic, wonderful guide.

I would wager that most first-time PC builders fall into a category that (unfortunately) I myself fall into: 90% noob with 10% general knowledge. Your guide hits the 'sweet spot' in that it is overly-simplified, easy to understand ... yet fairly in-depth at the same time. I understand a few of the basic principles of computer building, but others are beyond me. My biggest confusion was based on exactly what needed to be done after I finished putting it together ... which through hours and hours of searching and reading I had somewhat pieced together.

This positively excellent guide made my still lingering doubts disappear. My only real complaint is that I didn't find this guide two or three days ago when I really started my research. This guide covers far more than: this cable goes here and that cable goes there (although that is covered fairly well also) ... it also covers the initial confusion as to what exactly happens afterwords.

A+ and two thumbs up and a million other neat-o type statements as well. Thanks a BILLION!

I do have a couple of recommendations and I'm somewhat loathe to say them as I don't want that to downplay the awesomeness of this guide to the average Joe (like me). Keep in mind that this guide simply rocks ...

It would be helpful to add a detailed description of how to apply thermal paste rather than give an outside link. Someone looking for a step-by-step guide (like me) will find it so much easier if all the general steps are covered in one place. Another thing that could be added on would be to detail the actual placement of the hardware inside of the case. I realize that it is so simple a caveman™ can do it, but when in doubt having a direct comparison (even though hardware will often be different) is invaluable.

Having said that ... again I feel the urge to thank you a thousand times and do funny little dances! Thanks!!!

Narcissus

I don't have my parts yet, but I am reading up on this.

Go to your memory settings. Change the voltage to what is recommended by the manufacturer. Set the primary timings that are also recommended by your manufacturer (CAS/tRCD/tRP/tRAS/CMD - or CPC).

Shouldn't voltages be set by default?

Not always. Sometimes the BIOS does not set voltage properly - too high or too low. With memory too low is the most common.

Thanks sir!

Now, I'm going to be using a hard drive from an old computer, do I have to wipe everything off? Or can I pop it into the new computer?

I assume you are going to install a new operating system. When installing XP (?) you will delete partitions and make new partitions and format. The OS install will give you these options.

Simple answer: No need to wipe.

No need for a new OS.

I'll probably clean it to give it that "new" feeling anyway.

I'm not sure you understood my answer. Not trying to argue but what I said, no need to wipe if you are installing a new OS.

If you are planning on using the old OS you can try a repair install. Of course you can always try ...

Just my attempt to clarify. I would do a clean install on a new system. But do as you wish.

Crazy_Nate

If there's one thing I've learned over the years it is that electrostatic discharge can be a real problem. You touched on it briefly and the dangers of carpeted floors, nylon can be a killer

I served my apprenticeship, many years ago, as an electronics technician and the effects of static electricity are sometimes not immediately apparent. Most electronic devices can be damaged by electrostatic discharges, especially MOS devices, quite commonly used on computer hardware and the use of anti-static bags to wrap motherboards, graphic cards, etc., is for good reason. I can't explain it in simple terms really but MOS device substrates can get punctured by static discharges which may not cause immediate failure but stress the component leading to premature failure somewhere down the line, maybe months later.

To this end I think you should advise the use of anti-static wrist bands, especially for newcomers, when building computers as good practice:




They are available at most electronic component outlets for a few pounds (The one in the photograph is available from Radio Spares in the UK). The strap goes around the wrist and connects you via a 1 megaohm resistor to a convenient earth to which you attach the clip. If you wear it while installing the components into the case, crocodile clip connected to the case, power supply plugged in but NOT yet connected to any devices, it will ensure you are at the same potential as the case and usually prevents any electrostatic discharge occuring.

I honestly think the use of such devices can and will prevent problems some people have when putting systems together and it's well worth a mention.

Regards

Paul

Paul,

Thanks!

I've added a link to your post in my guide.

Your welcome.

Regards

Paul

Awesome review, it was very informative and to the point. I just have one question, for the memtest86, is it recommended to test out the memory? Cause I just plan to put everything together, fire it up, load all drivers and play. What do you think? And yes I'm a noobie when it come to computer building

If you happen to follow my guide, you will test the memory and processor (and I hint at ways to test your graphics card - 3DMark / FurMark / etc).

I would recommend testing your hardware, just from the standpoint that you've just obtained it and do not know that it works properly.

Yes, you can just put everything together and it could run. However, if something doesn't work properly, you'll have a very hard time figuring out what is broken. If you find that something isn't working properly while you are testing things on the motherboard box, it is much easier to RMA, than having to take things apart (ie, installed everything in your case).

It takes about a day or two to test, I usually run memtest86+ overnight and if I'm doing 8 hours of Prime95, I'll do that overnight, however, I usually like to go the full 24 hours.

If you can bear waiting a day or two to do the testing, I feel that it is definitely the way to go.

As an additional note, if your motherboard defaults to improper memory timings (or more importantly, voltages), it can be unstable. If one were to install an operating system under these conditions, there's no guarantee that the entire OS install is 100% correct...

Wow. I can't tell you how helpful this is. Thank you so much. Useful for someone building their first rig.

In the process of building my cpu, following this guide to the letter. My gigabyte ep45-ud3p on auto had the voltage and timings for my ocz reapers (8500) at 1.8 and 5-5-5-15. The timings were right, but the voltage on the actual ram sticker (and on websites) was 2.2, so I have boosted it up. I also changed the timings to 5-5-5-15, which is the same, but it is not on auto. I'm mainly posting this because of the EXTREME amount of time test #8 takes! It's a bit much to ask someone who just spent weeks researching and a lot of money to spend hours testing their new system before they ever get any fun out of it. My roomate keeps poking his head in and saying "your STILL building that thing?" Anyway, I'm trying to be patient and wait out the tests, that way I know everything is up and running correctly. It also gives me something to compare to when I start my OCing. Nice guide

Great guide! I'm going to use this as a reference in my next build.

I wish I had seen this while building my last (and first) pc. It would've saved me lots of time in stead of scrambling all the bits and pieces of info from all over the web.

Thanks for the guide.

Great tutorial. I have a question, would Isopropyl Alcohol 70% work well to clean the processor from any residue of a previous thermal compound without damaging it? or do I HAVE to use 90%?

I've used 70% on occasion without any horrible results. Just try not to get it everywhere, it doesn't evaporate quite as well as 90%.

Glad you like the guide

it depends on your CPU, memtest #8 doesn't have to take very long. My Q9550 whips out test 8 in about 20-30 minutes testing 4GB of RAM.

Hey could you consider adding a couple more points to the OP? I often observe that these basic points are overlooked by the n00bs:

Basic specs to look at:

1. Processor cache (L1, L2, L3), hyperthreading, clock
2. Memory latency and clock
3. HDD RPM and cache/buffer

An advice to Google, browse through a couple of reviews before posting questions

And plz highlight the bullets you already have!!

BTW great guide, helped me with my first own build a couple of months back!!

Did anyone mention this already?



Touching the CPU, leaving oil. You can even see the fingerprint in the next photo. Pretty sure that was a no-no...

Haha...I'm quite positive that it doesn't matter. My CPU ran quite cool for over a year before I replaced the heatsink

If you guys can survive for a while...I'll do a rather large update (probably when I go i7). Waiting on getting a job before that, though

pls kindly take a look at my computer build..

processor: i7 920

mobo: asus rampage 2 gene

vcard: evga gtx 260

ram: OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel - 7342

powersupply: ocz stealth x stream 600w

chassis:thermaltake element g

hdd: seagate 500 gb sata

cd player: any dvd-r

monitor: 19'' samsung widescreen

cpu temp monitoring: thermaltake hardcano 6 7 II temp monitoring

avr: any 1000w


can someone pls tell me if all these parts are compatible with each other, especially with my psu.. pls reply! thanks a lot

Spoiler:

Phenom II 955 Black Edition
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B

This guide is full of win. Just what i've been looking for. Convinced me to build rig myself.