Building a new computer

[DeZmond]

LOL - X-fi dosnt come with XRAM Its the higher edition X-fi which there is no need for - Audigy is sensibly priced because its old technology!!!

And new games do use X-fi tech on their games to liost a few, quake 4, bf2, fear etc
they don't use X-ram but they do use X-fi for their ULTRA sound modes which Audigy will not allow you access too!

My point is that the Audigy supports EAX 4.0, which is fine for just about any purpose. I'd also like to point out that since *most* people use onboard sound, which has no EAX support whatsoever, that many developers wouldn't code for it.

 

[Wraith]

Few more questions.

1) Just how user friendly is it to install a processor on a mobo these days? Bear in mind that the only hardware I've ever changed in a PC is the PSU. (And that took ages - checking and double checking every single stage)

2) I've heard that Corsair are a good manufacturer of RAM. Can anyone confirm this?

3) What are the CAS & Timings mentioned by Haven regarding the RAM, why are they important, what is a good spec to go for & how do I check it?

4) How can I check what PSU connectors I need and how do I check if the one I've got has them? (Other than opening the case and looking - if that's the only way, I'll be posting descriptions of the connector types and asking what each one is )

5) When putting all this together, is there a set or recommended order to follow? Also, are there any particular problems to be aware of?

If installing the processor seems easy enough, I'll probably give it a go (as LynxGB said, it's cheaper). That'll also give me the chance to choose the RAM and make sure it's good spec (currently considering this pair of 1GB sticks from Corsair which is the reason for q's 2 & 3).

Other than that, I think I've pretty much got all the info I need for now.

Thanks again guys.

Wraith

 

[DocBot]

only bad thing about building the box yourself is that when something goes wrong, you have to figure out what that "something" is yourself (unless those you buy from have a really nice service deal).

exhibit a) Yours truly: bought supernice, super-expensive RAM, can't use it due to unknown hardware issues. Can't solve said issues without paying shitloads of money. Hopes it's just psu underachievments, but if it isn't, will have paid more shitloads of money for new and better psu to no use. bah.


other than that, it's really not hard at all, or wasn't for me in any case. Processor slotted in with no resistance, only trouble I had was realising my GFX card needed dual power connectors

 

[LynxGB]

lol - Building a box yourself is the best way to learn about your pc's components. even if you bought a "dell" for example if you ring their tech guys they will make you spend 30 minutes just turning it off & on, then just say they don't know send it in & they keep it for a month.

 

[Fi$hy]

Yeah, Corsair are Fine as Ram manufacturers, whether they're any better than any other manufacturers is a bit debateble, but corsair ram is quite common which is a good thing.

If Ram was Mp3 players, It would be Apple Corsair Ram (as in it's quite popular stuff)

I've also got a wedge of "kingston" ram and again that's quite good too.

 

[DocBot]

well in the end it's still fixed...

 

[Pestcontrol]

These days i buy cheap noname ram from a local shop, then extensively test it with memtest, if it's not good and it's not my machine at fault, i just return it.

For a techhead like me with a good shop close to me, the extra money isn't worth it, especially for fancy overclocking and low latency ram (poor value for money and limited performance impact). If you order online however, and want some more certainty that the memory you receive is good, it's better to shell out a bit extra to get the basic model of a known brand.

 

[DeZmond]

Few more questions.

1) Just how user friendly is it to install a processor on a mobo these days? Bear in mind that the only hardware I've ever changed in a PC is the PSU. (And that took ages - checking and double checking every single stage)

2) I've heard that Corsair are a good manufacturer of RAM. Can anyone confirm this?

3) What are the CAS & Timings mentioned by Haven regarding the RAM, why are they important, what is a good spec to go for & how do I check it?

4) How can I check what PSU connectors I need and how do I check if the one I've got has them? (Other than opening the case and looking - if that's the only way, I'll be posting descriptions of the connector types and asking what each one is )

5) When putting all this together, is there a set or recommended order to follow? Also, are there any particular problems to be aware of?

If installing the processor seems easy enough, I'll probably give it a go (as LynxGB said, it's cheaper). That'll also give me the chance to choose the RAM and make sure it's good spec (currently considering this pair of 1GB sticks from Corsair which is the reason for q's 2 & 3).

Other than that, I think I've pretty much got all the info I need for now.

Thanks again guys.

Wraith

Okay, let's address this in order:

1) Very user friendly - if you buy a retail processor you will get a fan/heatsink combo and instructions on how to install it correctly.
If you get OEM parts, ie no fancy retail packaging, then you're still in luck. Your motherboard manual will give step-by-step instructions for installing a processor, and whatever fan/heatsink combo you buy will have instructions. However I'd advise installing the processor before you insert the motherboard into the case.

2) Corsair have a good reputation, but I can't say any more on that point.

3) CAS and Latency timings affect RAM, by limiting the speed at which things fly through it. Lower latency is better, however as docbot said it doesn't make a great deal of difference, but get it if you can. The place you get the RAM from should be able to tell you what the latency is on the RAM.

4) PSU connections - you'll either have Molex (big white things) or SATA (little black things) - no way to check other than opening the case and taking a peek.

5) My recommendations for installation of a system from scratch are as follows:

1) Install processor and fan onto motherboard. Also check and modify any jumper settings if required.
2) Install RAM.
3) Insert motherboard into case, per common sense and case instructions. Also plug in the ATX 24-pin connector and the ATX 12V connector (the square one with 4 pins)
4) Install graphics cards, and other expansion cards.
5) Secure hard drives, CD's, etc into your case, and connect via relevant things (power, IDE/SATA, etc.)
6) Anything else that needs to be done.
7) Software installation and setup.
8) Updating of operating system
9) Sigh of relief
10) Load up Half-Life 2/ Doom 3 and shoot things in the knowledge of a job well done!

Hope this helps.

 

[Pestcontrol]

CAS timings haven't been that important since the switch from SDRAM to DDR back in 2001, instead there's now half a dozen other timings you can tweak. (oh joy...) Generally not worth the effort, but with one exception: the Command Rate, you'll want it at 1T, not 2T. Fortunately all modern systems do this just fine as long as you don't install more than two sticks of memory, you don't need to buy anything special.

See also http://www.lostcircuits.com/advice/bios2/6.shtml if you're in desperate need of a good headache. Slightly outdated though, Anandtech's early A64 articles discussing the hardware platform are worth checking out too, i think.

Regarding PSU connectors, there's a few things you need to know as the ever increasing power consumption brought some changes besides the connectors dezmond described.

First there has been introduced a new square 4 pin connector (2 yellow and 2 black wires), all modern PSU's have it, but i sometimes run into trouble when building, say, a cheap upgrade sempron system in an old P3 case.

Then there is the very big 20 pin ATX connector that feeds the motherboard, it's recently been upgraded to 24 pins. The good news is, you can still plug the 20 pin connector in a 24 pin hole (consult your motherboard's manual), and most PSU's come with a convertor from 24 pins back to 20, should you need to hook up an older mobo.


And last but not least, don't forget to load up ut2004 and alienswarm also

 

[gringotsgoblin]

So what did you go for in the end?

You're not allowed to get something that humiliates mine. You know I'll just get pc-envy and have to upgrade mine.

And that's *such* a hassle.

I hate you.

 

[Wraith]

You had to ask. Annoyingly, I've actually managed to find and correct the problem (graphics card was melting) so now I don't have a justification for the project . I may still go ahead with it, but I'll just need to convince certain people that there is a valid reason.

Wraith

 

[gringotsgoblin]

You had to ask. Annoyingly, I've actually managed to find and correct the problem (graphics card was melting) so now I don't have a justification for the project . I may still go ahead with it, but I'll just need to convince certain people that there is a valid reason.

Wraith

My understanding of computers (limited though it is) tells me that in normal circumstances your graphics card shouldnt melt..? So presumably there is an underlying problem that you have to solve???

Besides after paying out a load of money to certain shops, didn't they notice that it was melting..?

Lame-o's

 

[Wraith]

My understanding of computers (limited though it is) tells me that in normal circumstances your graphics card shouldnt melt..? So presumably there is an underlying problem that you have to solve???

Besides after paying out a load of money to certain shops, didn't they notice that it was melting..?

Lame-o's

Okay, so I was being slightly poetic with the word melting. In a strictly technical sense, what I was trying to say was that the graphics card I had was faulty and needed to be replaced. God damn pedantic git

And no, the certain shops didn't notice the fault on the graphics card despite me telling them to "check the hardware" at least twice if not three times (or even more). I will be speaking to the owner of that shop tomorrow and mentioning both Trading Standards and The Sale Of Goods Act 1979. (Not sure how the latter will stand up when talking about a service instead of "goods" but it can't hurt to mention it).

Wraith

 

[Pestcontrol]

I doubt that would do much. You paid for the effort they made, not for a result. After all, it's impossible to promise a result when you ask them to look for a problem. It's an important distinction in law theory, but my memory is fuzzy so i'm probably not explaining it right.

That still makes them a poor shop, but there isn't a whole lot you can do except not going there again. Or try to prove to a judge that they made insufficient efforts in testing your machine.