Building A New Computer.

[jammin]

When you have decided what you want to buy, make sure to read around about each component. Read website reviews and ask opinions on forums (such as here).

By doing this you will ensure that you are buying quality components with good track records, and possibly avoid making mistakes you may have regretted later.

[almondboy72]

have good wire mangement... Better air flow better cooling.. it looks alot nicer when you post pictures in the gallery. and FOLD!

[xpandapuss]

Always be very very wary of all components on the board that you may come in contact with [ESPECIALLY THOSE CAPACITORS!!!!].....--*Sometimes I have to wonder what the hell some of the ENGINEERS were thinking when designing some board....OMG !!!!

[Guest FxXP]

Power supplies are the main heart and soul of your computer system. Don't spend $xxx on hardware and spend $20-$30 on a no-name generic power supply. Get one with a good name. Trick of the trade is that power supplies that weigh more have better internal components.

[Hyper Threaded]

This might seem kind of obvious, but clean out any dust inside the case before you build the system. If left, the dust will get sucked onto any part that has a heatsink with a fan on it, cpu heatsink/fan, northbridge, video card, etc, and dust acts like insulation for heat.

[cybergrunt69]

Don't be in a hurry! Take your time!

 

Remember - you just spent eleventeen hundred dollars on a pile of silicon, metal, and plastic. Just remember how long you had to work in order to buy those parts. Take you time and make sure you get everything in just how you want it, and where you want it.

 

You can always re-arrange items to your heart's content, but if you break something 'cause "I gotta show it off tomorrow", it becomes pointless. If you want to make sure it lasts for years, make sure you don't rush through stuff to save a few minutes...

 

When you take the time to follow the good selections above, don't let the patience end when the box from newegg gets to your doorstep.

[Shadowfactor]

aleays read the MANUAL.

i second that one!

[Eva_Unit_0]

Install all the heavy things (hard drives, optical drives, etc.) BEFORE you install the mobo...you don't want to drop something like that onto your motherboard. That would suck.

 

Everything only fits one way!!! As said above, if you have to press really hard for something to fit, it's probably in wrong!

 

I'll second the fact that crappy power supplies suck. Just like was said above, would you trust your ~1000 dollars worth of equipment to a 20 dollar psu?

[Bosco]

Remember a Intel CPU will not work on a AMD board and vice versa

[The_Goonie]

In General

 

- Don't buy ANYTHING based on overclocking results you read on some website or forum. Make your purchases are based on the manufacturers specs, and be prepared to be satisfied with stock speeds just in case.

 

CPU's

 

- Not all cpu's are overclockable, nor do they overclock the same.

 

- Quite a few reviews you will find were based on "unlocked" test chips sent from the manufacturer that won't be sold in stores.

(not the same as retail) :very deceiving:

 

- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) they are the crippled cheap versions and come without manuals and such, usually without a warranty, for the expensive stuff, your going down the wrong road; buy retail (in the SEALED box with the Intel or AMD logo)

 

- If you think your processor is bad and you have no way to test another chip, RMA it before your grace period expires.

 

 

Motherboards

 

- If not planning on purchasing a video graphics card or using one, make sure the motherboard you're considering has the correct (female or male) port for your monitor. Alot of new boards come with female and some come with male. (adapters can be purchased for $5.00 though).

 

- If you plan on using a Serial ATA (SATA) Hard Disk, make sure your motherboard has an onboard/onchip SATA controller.

 

-If you want firewire and extra USB ports with all of the SATA cables and extra goodies...buy the "Pro or Delux" version of most motherboards.

 

- Don't even think about messing with the BIOS unless you know EXACTLY what you're doing. (screwing with RAM/Memory timings, Front-side-bus (FSB), voltages etc can and WILL corrupt your operating system as well as damage your hardware.

 

- CMOS, never clear this unless it is a last resort.

(clear it by "setting the jumper"which is the tiny (usually black) plastic cap covering two of three silver , metal, rectangle-shaped prongs sticking up vertical beside or near the watch battery on the motherboard.

 

(remember this will cause you to lose all settings on your motherboard)

 

 

Hard Drives

 

- Purchase these based on your needs

 

- (IDE drives are sufficient if you are new to building computers)

 

- (Sata is a faster drive, but not noticeably faster with the naked eye unless you spend a LOT of time on your computer).

 

- Sata drives REQUIRE a motherboard that has a SATA controller (should say so on the box of the motherboard).

 

- SATA drives (usually) REQUIRE you to do a fresh install of windows and installing 3rd party drivers by pressing F6 during the windows installation and it will prompt you to insert the disk with those drivers twice during the installation.

 

- Ghosting a copy of an operating system from an IDE drive to a SATA hard drive- depending on the hard drive, this usually will not be allowed, UNLESS you have installed the SATA drivers for your new SATA hard disk, then it may recognize the new drive and allow you to make a copy. (if you try to boot from this ghosted SATA hard drive it will ask you for your windows serial/activation key so have it ready).

 

 

Memory

 

- Even the big name brands can dish out a crappy stick once in a while. Don't be afraid to send it back.

 

- The good stuff include Crucial, Kingston, GEIL, Mushkin, Samsung, OCZ, Transcend and Corsair

 

- DDR400 PC3200 should be minimum you should buy (as it isn't much more than PC2700 etc).

 

- Don't expect to be able to overclock much, all ram is different

 

- Dual Channel - Buy it "matched" as it has been tested (FOR) dual channel purposes...you may get lucky by purchasing two random sticks from the same manufacturer or even a different manufacturer for that matter.

 

- MEMORY heatspreaders: don't waste your time..these are only for looks. No one has proved them to lower memory temperatures.

 

 

 

 

Okay i'm finished..this is taking too long lol

[MindDrive]

Install all the heavy things (hard drives, optical drives, etc.) BEFORE you install the mobo...you don't want to drop something like that onto your motherboard. That would suck.

 

though that is good all around idea - it might not work in some cases - such as the antec lanboy and a full 13x12 mobo

 

a better concept is to make sure everything is going to fit by test fitting it - set everything in loosly without mounting anything that way it can be easily adjusted - once everything is "FIT" then run the wires - mount everything and then connect the wires to their respectable places

[DECwakeboarder]

aleays read the MANUAL.

Ehhh or at least half of it

 

Besides that, make sure you got all of the right parts, never try to force ANYTHING! Other than that make sure that there is good airflow.....But most importantly, and please for the sake of all of us, if you're gonna post pics, at least make you pc some what nice to look at