Head...exploding. Please comment on my build.

F

flurp

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 14, 2004
Messages
111
I'd like to congratulate and thank everyone here at the [H]ard|Forum for the terrific board. I've spent over 40 hours searching threads over the past week and my heads about to explode from oversaturation and my continued lack of knowledge, but I am so much better off than I was when I started. Thanks!

Also, thanks for clicking on my thread.

I am building a computer for the first time. The other computers I've had came already complete and due to budget contraints and a desire to have everything just the way I want it, I've decided to try to make a go of it myself.

About me and my computer - I am a gamer and do not spend any time doing graphic design or divx encoding or any actual "work" with my machine. It's just for fun. I also will not be overclocking anything. I'm terrified just trying to put the thing together. The last thing I want to do is be tugging on something and have it crumble in my hands, start a housefire or squeeze a tube of goo and have it shoot into the intake fan of my power supply. Maybe next time I'll try some OC'ing, but for now, I'm just not comfortable with it, so keep that in mind if you will.

Here's what I am looking at. I want to place my order before tomorrow night so Newegg can start processing it first thing Monday morning.

Case (beautiful case. I couldn't splurge on the Lian Li PC-V1000)
Cooler Master Praetorian SILVER ALUMINUM MID-TOWER CASE, Model "PAC-T01-E1"

CD/DVD Burner (Clueless here, but it's silver and some folks said it was decent)
NEC 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A SW SVR, OEM w/ software

Floppy Drive (ridiculous price but it's silver)
Alps Silver 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model DF354H168F, OEM

Hard Drive (thanks diablo111)
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model SP1213C, OEM Drive Only

Memory (oh my god, this caused 3 aneurisms)
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Motherboard (some small strokes researching this one)
ABIT "KV8 Pro" K8T800 Pro Chipset Motherboard for AMD Athlon64 CPU -RETAIL

Power Supply (thank god for the recent post by computerpro3 in the PSU forum)
Antec 480 watt 120mm fan ATX 12V v2.0 power supply, Active PFC, Model "NeoPower" -RETAIL

Processor (I clutched my chest and called out "Elizabeth! I'm comin for ya!" while researching this)
AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 512k L2 Cache, The Only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor - Retail

Soundcard (I hate my SB Live! Value. Hate it. But I want EAX for my 5.1 Klipsch)
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL

Video Card (buying this for the free Doom - Almost went with the EVGA)
PNY 6800 GT 256 MB DDR3

Questions

1) Memory is a big concern for me. I spent 5 or 6 hours just trying to figure out what I need. I wanted to do a single 1 GB stick but neither Corsair nor Abit recommended a 1 stick solution for either this MB or the Socket 754. Will what I have listed be ok? Remember, I'm not overclocking anything.

Is 1 stick better? If so, could someone link me a specific product from a major RAM manufacturer that will absolutely work with my MB/Processor?

2) NF3 vs Via - I couldn't find a consensus on this. I bet I spent 15 hours on MB/Processor searches/reading. I went with Abit because I have a friend who swears by them and they are a big name. As long as my parts all will work together, I don't think it will matter much to me. If one is clearly the "idiot-proof" version right out of the box, that might be valuable to me.

3) You'll note that the OEM hard drive does not have an "adapter". Thanks to flat4 and Crosshairs in the storage forum, I've been told that the Neopower PSU will have what I need. Just because I've become completely neurotic at this point, more confirmation would be great.

Thanks again for spending your valuable time reading this and offering suggestions. Feel free to mock my noobness as long as you offer valuable insight! I can take it.

If I'm "good to go", then I'm going to go drink a six pack and try to recover from the trauma!
 
Done.

Thanks diablo111! By the time I got to hard drives I was spent. 50 cents a gig? How can I resist? Maybe I'll finally get around to loading all of my cd's. My current system is so unstable that I don't store anything at all.

Will the Neopower and Abit be able to handle the connection needs of the hard drive since it comes OEM?
 
Case: Good case, it's Al (aluminum) which means it'll dissipate heat well, which is good for cooling; it's slightly more cramped than i like, so be careful w/ your wiring (use masking tape if you have to to tape excess wires from the PSU to the top parts of the case; this what i've done with my friend's Praetorian)

CD/DVD Burner: Well, it seems like it'll burn every DVD format under the sun :p. However, I'm less than pleased w/ its CD burning capability; 32x CD-R burning is kinda slow; i think the fastest is 52x, which is what I have. Keep in mind though, the CD/DVD Burner can only burn as fast as the CD's/DVD's you buy for it are...

Floppy Drive: It's a floppy drive. w00t.

Hard Drive: Seems like a solid pick; don't forget to partitionyour HDD properly when installing Windows XP (see this: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=485217)

Memory: Get 2x512MB. Reason exlpained in answer to question 1).

Motherboard: A solid, stable motherboard, which seems to be what you're looking for. A good pick.

Power Supply: Hmm, if you've already had recommendations for this, i guess it's okay; but i, personally, think you could get by w/ an Antec TruPower430W to save a few bucks...

Processor: Yay! Good choice :)

Video Card: Since you seem to be hankering after DoomIII, you won't be disappointed (as the DoomIII engine was optimized for nVidia's newer cards, like the one you're buying). In other games it will perform well too, it's a good choice.



Questions


1)Q: Memory is a big concern for me. I spent 5 or 6 hours just trying to figure out what I need. I wanted to do a single 1 GB stick but neither Corsair nor Abit recommended a 1 stick solution for either this MB or the Socket 754. Will what I have listed be ok? Remember, I'm not overclocking anything.

Is 1 stick better? If so, could someone link me a specific product from a major RAM manufacturer that will absolutely work with my MB/Processor?

A:the reason you don't want one stick of memory (1GB) is that it won't let you run in dual channel. This isn't as big an issue on AMD proc's, but it will net you an extra 3% performance or so if you run in dual channel; i strongly recommend 2x512MB for your RAM if you plan on gaming. 512MB is the minimum for running XP smoothly.

2)Q: NF3 vs Via - I couldn't find a consensus on this. I bet I spent 15 hours on MB/Processor searches/reading. I went with Abit because I have a friend who swears by them and they are a big name. As long as my parts all will work together, I don't think it will matter much to me. If one is clearly the "idiot-proof" version right out of the box, that might be valuable to me.

A: Don't worry, it's a fine pick and you can't go wrong with it. It's extremely easy to set up, just follow the manual and you'll be okay.

3)Q: You'll note that the OEM hard drive does not have an "adapter". Thanks to flat4 and Crosshairs in the storage forum, I've been told that the Neopower PSU will have what I need. Just because I've become completely neurotic at this point, more confirmation would be great.

A: flat4 and Crosshairs of the Storage Forum are absolutely correct; you'll be fine with that PSU. :)

Personally, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to you. For once, a n00bie has taken the time (and you took quite a lot) to research what he/she wants and do the work; too many times have I seen a "Build Me a Comp for under $XYZ.00 !!!" Thanks. :)
 
flurp said:
Done.

Thanks diablo111! By the time I got to hard drives I was spent. 50 cents a gig? How can I resist? Maybe I'll finally get around to loading all of my cd's. My current system is so unstable that I don't store anything at all.

Will the Neopower and Abit be able to handle the connection needs of the hard drive since it comes OEM?
Click to expand...

sry, my post took a while to write, so you wrote this before i was finished, but i didn't get a chance to see it.

Yes, your PSU/mobo will be able to handle your HDD; i, too, built an A64 system w/ a SATA HDD OEM. It's all good. :)
 
1. You *could* do a 1-DIMM solution for your memory, but since you're gaming, dual-channel is the way to go. If you want 1GB, you can do 2x512 for pretty close to the same price as 1x1024. You also don't necessarily need XMS memory if you need to save a few bucks, but it's good stuff.

2. It's personal preference as to motherboards. Just make sure the board is a socket 754 board to match your CPU. Also, check the specs to ensure it has SATA support. (The board you picked is perfect, but just in case you want to pick something else...)

3. Since your hard drive is OEM, you might need a PSU with SATA power cables (which you've got), but most motherboards will come with adapters to connect a SATA HDD to a standard molex connector. (The one you've picked does.)

What you've got here will definitely work. You did your proverbial homework and came up with a real winner.

When you get around to building it, don't worry so much about breaking stuff. Don't be afraid to force DIMMs into the slots or put some oomph into mounting a heatsink. Just pay attention to what you're doing and everything will come out excellent. (And if it doesn't work the first time, join the club. Most first builds are a bit wonky, so if you've got problems, check the cables and such.)

Above all, have fun with it, and treat it like a learning experience. You could even invite friends and make a little party out of it. (Just save the drinking for afterward.)


*Oops, after a preview of the post, I see that Carnival Forces beat me. I don't feel like letting the post go to waste, though.
 
Thank you Carnival Forces. That was very helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to help me. I'm starting to feel a little bit warm and fuzzy about the prospect of having a new computer. (wait, maybe I should have held off on the beer).

My current machine hasn't had a single upgrade since I bought it on 7/13/01! (1.4 tbird, gf3). I guess I should be thankful that it's lasted this long. I have been able to play everything, even Far Cry, so it's really been great for me. Anyway, I'm excited about my upgrade!

In regard to the memory, I had to spend quite awhile just trying to figure out the differences between the different pin sets on the sticks and even a vague understanding of dual channel and ecc, etc. The 20 minute Corsair Macromedia presentation and if any other noobies are looking for a primer, I recommend it.

Anyway, is the *specific* stick of memory that I have linked going to be fine?

Thanks again!
 
Thank you Cellblock. Your post was very helpful as well. The more "confirms" I get, the better I'll feel.

I'm really good at some things. Mastery of the inner workings of computers just don't happen to be one of them. I've tried to make an effort to select components that will be as "forgiving" as possible by choosing brands that I believe will give good, consistent support and perhaps have solid documentation with the product or on their websites. That way if I get in a jam, I'll have better resources than I might if I just bought some random part with the instructions written in chinese or a website that doesn't have updated information.

edit:

Carnival Forces - You linked to the Advanced Hard Drive links page. Is the specific link that you were directing me to, regarding partitioning, the "Partition Strategies @ Radified.com". I've never partitioned my drive but with the cavernous 120 GB (I have 40 now), I figure it might be a good time to learn how and why.
 
Bravo for waiting so long to upgrade. Most of us get the itch pretty quick after 1 year. :)

Very nice setup, and truth be it, when I upgrade in the next little bit I do plan on going with an nForce3 board, but the KV8 pro will do you fine (I'm sure you read the article on the front page, it's got [H] approval, so that's always a good sign.)

When 64-bit windows comes out next year you'll be in good hands as far as driver support, which is what it appears you were aiming for.

I give it a thumbs up.
 
Thank you anakin357

I changed the memory to 1GB. Can someone please confirm that those sticks will give me what I need?

Thanks!
 
flurp said:
edit:

Carnival Forces - You linked to the Advanced Hard Drive links page. Is the specific link that you were directing me to, regarding partitioning, the "Partition Strategies @ Radified.com". I've never partitioned my drive but with the cavernous 120 GB (I have 40 now), I figure it might be a good time to learn how and why.
Click to expand...

yes, that's one guide, i haven't re-read it lately, so i'm not quite sure what it says...heck, why don't i just tell you what i do:
When you install Windows XP it's gonna come to the screen where it asks you where you want it to put Windows XP. It's gonna say "Unpartitioned Space: 120GB" or w/e. Instead of just installing Windows on that, click "C" or whichever key it is to Create a New Partition. Make that partition 8GB (8 x 1024MB = 8GB). Install Windows XP on that 8GB partition.

once you've booted into windows, create a new partition that's 517MB big(do this by going: Start/Settings/Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Computer Managment/Storage (it's on the left-hand side of the screen)/Disk Managment(Local). To make a new partition, just right-click on the unpartitionned space and do it to it! Call it drive "V" if you want, for "Virtual Memory.")

repeat the above steps and make all the rest of the unpartionned space into a new partition, call it "S:\" if you want, for Storage. This is where all your games / music / movies / etc. will go. You will install EVERYTHING here, under S:\Program Files
Every time you want to install something new, you will have to change it from installing to C:\Program Files to S:\Program Files.
The reason this is a good idea, is b/c most viruses look for the C:\Program Files\[Insert Target Program Name Here] local, but your's will be in the S:\Program Files (sneaky, isn't it ;)). Also, this way, when you want to reformat Windows, you can just reformat the C:\ partition and not lose anything from your S:\ partition, which would have all the stuff you downloaded, and all your games etc.

Right-click My Computer / Properties / Advanced / Settings (under Performance) / Advanced / Change (under Virtual Memory)
-click No Paging File for your C:\ drive
-select your V:\ (or w/e you named your 517MB partition) drive
-bubble in "Custom Size"
-set both the Initial Size and Maximum Size to 512MB.
-click "Set."
-reboot.

Right-click My Computer / Properties / System Restore:
-on your Virtual Memory drive and your Storage drive turn off System Restore.

Right-click Recycle Bin / Properties / Global:
-bubble in Use One Setting for all drives:
-move the slider to 0%
(if you want to have a recycle bin on your C:\ drive, fine, i don't recommend it, but fine, move the slider to 1% for your C:\ drive, and then for your Storage and Virtual Memory drives move it to 0%)

Right-Click My Computer / Properties / Advanced / Settings (under Performance):
-bubble in Custom (under the Visual Effects tab)
-UNCHECK everything but the following:
Show window contents while dragging
Smooth edges of screen fonts
Smooth-scroll list boxes
Use visual styles on windows and buttons

reboot, and defrag your C:\ partition.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, so hopefully you'll be prepared with this mini-guide, gl/hf!

 
flurp said:
Thank you anakin357

I changed the memory to 1GB. Can someone please confirm that those sticks will give me what I need?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Conformation pending......

....Conformation granted!

Yeah, those sticks are great, they'll be excellent for you.

 
I'm not an expert, but I keep seing things about 'stealthing' cd/dvd drives. If you go this route, you dont need to have color as a deciding factor on your drives. Just a thought :)
 
flurp said:
If I'm "good to go", then I'm going to go drink a six pack and try to recover from the trauma!
Click to expand...

Just be sure and sober up before you start building, nothing worse than smoke and fire on an expensive build :)
 
http://www.explosivelabs.com/reviews/s754roundup/index.shtml

"The Athlon64 3200+ was released as a 754 pin processor with a single-channel 64-bit on-die memory controller which supports unbuffered DDR400 SDRAM."

"Once the 939 pin processors are released things should become more simple. Apparently this will bring unbuffered memory support to the FX line, as well as dual-channel support to the entire 64-bit line of AMD processors. So we will see AMD focus more on Socket 939 with both the Athlon64 FX and Athlon64. Then it is likely we will see Socket 754 processors become budget oriented and it only makes sense that the Socket 940 FX line will die out all together."

that amd linky says UP TOO 6.4 gb/s, notice the 3200+ has the 64bit memory controller, and is single channel. the 939 processors have the 128bit memory controller and have dual channel(im guessing about the 64bit and 128bit. it seems logical. i dont know if hte 939s have 128, but i do know htey have dual channel and the 754s dont.)
 
Ok. I'm about to call 911 and have them drive me straight to the looney bin over this memory issue. It's obvious that the problem lies in my inability to grasp even the most basic technical issues. For that, I'm sorry. I know this is probably pretty elementary for you guys, but I'm about to drop a sizeable chunk of change on my purchases and it's driving me mad.

Here's some memory. Please tell me if any or all of them will work. If you can rule any out, that would be nice also.

This is what is listed in my original post. I found it by scouring Corsair's site and discovering the Corsair Buyer's Guide

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail


Corsair's Abit Reference Page recommends any of the following memory

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
or
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM
or
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, Low Latency 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200


Finally, this one is the least expensive. This one is at 2.5 cas. I only have a vague idea what that means, but I seem to recall reading that 2.5 is what the Athlon64 needs. It's OEM, but I don't know if that matters or not. I found it in a couple of forum posts at the RamGuy site (affiliated with Corsair)

Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM

I'm not overclocking, so I don't know if I need "Brainscorching X-Ray Ram" or "Doomsday Machine Ram" or the overpoweringly powerful "Wave Motion Gun Ram".

I just need some RAM. :(
 
lithium726 said:
http://www.explosivelabs.com/reviews/s754roundup/index.shtml

"The Athlon64 3200+ was released as a 754 pin processor with a single-channel 64-bit on-die memory controller which supports unbuffered DDR400 SDRAM."

"Once the 939 pin processors are released things should become more simple. Apparently this will bring unbuffered memory support to the FX line, as well as dual-channel support to the entire 64-bit line of AMD processors. So we will see AMD focus more on Socket 939 with both the Athlon64 FX and Athlon64. Then it is likely we will see Socket 754 processors become budget oriented and it only makes sense that the Socket 940 FX line will die out all together."

that amd linky says UP TOO 6.4 gb/s, notice the 3200+ has the 64bit memory controller, and is single channel. the 939 processors have the 128bit memory controller and have dual channel(im guessing about the 64bit and 128bit. it seems logical. i dont know if hte 939s have 128, but i do know htey have dual channel and the 754s dont.)
Click to expand...

uh oh, okay, now i'm confused...

to the OP: The last RAM is fine for you, it might not OC like a beast, but it's still a monster at stock :). It'll do fine. I still say get the 2x512MB (like you have right now) just in case Dual Channal does work, if it doesn't no harm done, if it does, w00t, you got 3% extra performance!

 
any ram you buy will be fine, we were just debating the existance of dual channel. dual channel gives you more memory bandwidth for your system to work with, and it is not avaliable with socket 754 AMD systems. the dual channel performance increases on socket 939 are minimal at best, and not worth the preium you have to pay right now. just get two sticks of pc3200, put them in your board, and it should work just fine, specially that corsair XMS you have selected. nice, fast ram you got there
 
Order has been placed.

Thank you all very much. Your posts were very helpful!
 
Flurp,

Thanks for your post (and all the feedback), I too just purchased my new machine (last night). My computer, basically, is the same as yours. So, I feel great that the feedback has been right in line with what I got.

Although, at the last minute, I decided on the ASUS 939pin mobo and the 3500+ 939pin processor for future upgradability - I can't remember what exactly you chose. My current system is four years old (900Mhz, 256MB ram) and I haven't upgraded it once! My free promo CD for EQ2 won't even run the Character Creation program! Not even the menu!

-M
 
Marcus, I went with the 754 and a 3400+

Initially, I had request a Newegg notification on the 939 3500+, but when it came I decided against the added expense.

The main reason why is because I will not be doing a major overhaul for quite some time. Just like you, I ran an old machine for a long time. The entire Athlon-XP generation came and went. I figure that by the time I am ready to upgrade again, AMD will be on whatever comes after 939, or if not, at least the 939 motherboards will have all the kinks knocked out and the processor prices on something like the FX series will be much lower.

I suppose either way is good. I was teetering on that decision as well. When Newegg showed that the 3500 was no longer available, that pretty much made up my mind.
 
diablo111 said:
I would spend an extra $20 and get this 120GB drive, http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-017&depa=0
I love my Samsung...

Otherwise, looks like a top shelf, green with envy, system! :D
Click to expand...

Actually fry's has 120 gig hdd's for 49.99 after 30 dollar mail in rebate if you look in the hot deals forum i posted a link to it in there just my 2 cents to save you some cash and why are you buying a floppy drive you dont' need it i haven't used one in my system for years
 
I thought I might need it. What if my hard drive requires floppies to install? It will be my primary drive.

I guess I just figured you never know when you'll buy some hardware that has drivers on a floppy or someone hands you a floppy and you want to get at the data.

I realize it's probably not a vital component, but I'd be annoyed if I found myself wishing I had bought one.

edit

This brings up a little issue. The SATA hard drive I purchased is the HDD only. No software. I guess I need to go out and find the drivers. Samsung's site does not list this drive on their drivers page. They list the SP1213N but not the SP1213C.

Anyone know where I could find them? I've poked around on the net but not had any luck.
 
flurp said:
I thought I might need it. What if my hard drive requires floppies to install? It will be my primary drive.

I guess I just figured you never know when you'll buy some hardware that has drivers on a floppy or someone hands you a floppy and you want to get at the data.

I realize it's probably not a vital component, but I'd be annoyed if I found myself wishing I had bought one.

edit

This brings up a little issue. The SATA hard drive I purchased is the HDD only. No software. I guess I need to go out and find the drivers. Samsung's site does not list this drive on their drivers page. They list the SP1213N but not the SP1213C.

Anyone know where I could find them? I've poked around on the net but not had any luck.
Click to expand...

good for you, i have a floppy drive too :)

as far as drivers go, w/ something as critical as HDD drivers, I wouldn't except anything less than manufacturer issue. So email/call Samsung about it, and they should be able to point you in the correct direction.
gl
 
Just a little follow-up and a thank you to everyone who helped me!

I received all my parts earlier this week and built my new machine (with the help of a friend) and everything has worked out great!

Assembly of the components was a breeze. Everything from Newegg came packaged very securely and everything I ordered was included. I did have to wait an extra day for 2 parts that shipped from NJ, but Newegg gave me a break on the shipping charge, so it was ok.

The toughest part of the install was the SATA driver issue. My MB forum had some drivers I was able to use and after a bit of fumbling we figured out how to load windows on to it.

I had one small problem with slow-boots but I did some digging and found that the lan was looking for a dhcp address that didn't exist. I entered in a bogus ip in the tcp/ip properties and the problem was solved.

Doom3 is awesome :) I need to adjust my video card settings a bit. After using an old GF3 that I just used "as is", I'm having to learn a bit about all of the various settings.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who helped me out. I really appreciate it!
 
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