[Guide:] Things to note when building a new computer

• kenn3th

  2 Oct 08, 18:51

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  speaking of PC remotes, my HP desktop, which i would like to perform an overhaul on, will it continue to support the infrared remote? given that the sensor is an external USB plugin, and i will not be changing my HDD. i will still be booting from the 250GB HDD that came with xp MCE installed.

  
  i would daringly say no problem.

  if not just install drivers and you should be good to go.

   

• SBS7484P

  3 Oct 08, 18:46

  hmm.. sure..

   

  now, need some size expertise on you guys now.. firstly my PC's a m7390d, HP, as abovementioned. i'm afraid the mobo isn't a full ATX sized one, as its only got 3 pci slots and one pcie x16 slot. thats about all it accomodates. size wise my pc isnt toweringly tall, neither is it micro sized. its about the size of similar spec acers, dells, and whatnot you can find in the shops 2 years ago.

   

  also, taking into consideration i need to control spending, so yeah, i will only overhaul this system june next year. therefore, id like recommendations for mobo's that are of this size, and can fit:

  1) 8GB RAM, @ at least 800MHZ, dual-channel preferred. (4X2GB)

  i wont be using all 8gig of it, but yeah, thats for futureproofing.

  2) socket LGA775 pentium D 930 CPU.

   

  and

   

  a PSU unit that has lots of "fan-out" cables :lol:

  im planning to install 6 (yes, SIX) fans on the side panel.. i wont mind my feet having some wind too :)

   

  also, a lil bit more help here, has anyone here had any experience with the SilverStone NT03 nitrogon CPU cooler? reading the reviews it had, i would like to get one of these.

   

  meanwhile, i'll be replacing all the RAM with 4X1GB 667 chips in a few weeks to come :)

   

  thanks for the help, if any :)

   

   

• SBS7484P

  3 Oct 08, 18:49

  Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

  if u use 1000watts, they will give out onli the 450 watts u need, i tink they will eat more electricity...im using 750watts, bt i never used that much

  If no budget, i will get the best one, but then, when better thigns come out will very sian

  Maybe i will get the following:

  Xeon Quadcore processor x2 OC them
  A server grade mobo that supports 2 physical processors, and have 2 pci express slots that supports crossfire( i seen it somewhere, dunno wad make and model)
  1 raptor HDD
  1 500gb seagate barracuda
  1.7K PSU
  two 4870x2 on crossfire
  Water cooling with 3 pump relays

  i think the HP xw9300 uses one of these.. not really sure if those two heatsink stacks have CPU's underneath them.. but.. then again, they dont have FANS on them.. except for a single fan on the chassis, one on the PSU and the small one on a nvidia quadro FX card.

• nenepokey

  3 Oct 08, 20:47

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  hmm.. sure..

   

  now, need some size expertise on you guys now.. firstly my PC's a m7390d, HP, as abovementioned. i'm afraid the mobo isn't a full ATX sized one, as its only got 3 pci slots and one pcie x16 slot. thats about all it accomodates. size wise my pc isnt toweringly tall, neither is it micro sized. its about the size of similar spec acers, dells, and whatnot you can find in the shops 2 years ago.

   

  also, taking into consideration i need to control spending, so yeah, i will only overhaul this system june next year. therefore, id like recommendations for mobo's that are of this size, and can fit:

  1) 8GB RAM, @ at least 800MHZ, dual-channel preferred. (4X2GB)

  i wont be using all 8gig of it, but yeah, thats for futureproofing.

  2) socket LGA775 pentium D 930 CPU.

   

  and

   

  a PSU unit that has lots of "fan-out" cables :lol:

  im planning to install 6 (yes, SIX) fans on the side panel.. i wont mind my feet having some wind too :)

   

  also, a lil bit more help here, has anyone here had any experience with the SilverStone NT03 nitrogon CPU cooler? reading the reviews it had, i would like to get one of these.

   

  meanwhile, i'll be replacing all the RAM with 4X1GB 667 chips in a few weeks to come :)

   

  thanks for the help, if any :)

   

   

  the peripheral connector can be used for fan connection?

• kenn3th

  3 Oct 08, 20:48

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  speaking of PC remotes, my HP desktop, which i would like to perform an overhaul on, will it continue to support the infrared remote? given that the sensor is an external USB plugin, and i will not be changing my HDD. i will still be booting from the 250GB HDD that came with xp MCE installed.

  Yea sure, most probably it would be able to support it. 

  However do note, then you change your mobo, your Xp mce will not work. reason being is simple - it's an oem os. it's tied with the mobo that it is with.

• kenn3th

  3 Oct 08, 20:49

  for the remote and it's wireless transmitter, installing drivers would solve the problem after a installing new parts

• kenn3th

  3 Oct 08, 20:53

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  hmm.. sure..

   

  now, need some size expertise on you guys now.. firstly my PC's a m7390d, HP, as abovementioned. i'm afraid the mobo isn't a full ATX sized one, as its only got 3 pci slots and one pcie x16 slot. thats about all it accomodates. size wise my pc isnt toweringly tall, neither is it micro sized. its about the size of similar spec acers, dells, and whatnot you can find in the shops 2 years ago.

   

  also, taking into consideration i need to control spending, so yeah, i will only overhaul this system june next year. therefore, id like recommendations for mobo's that are of this size, and can fit:

  1) 8GB RAM, @ at least 800MHZ, dual-channel preferred. (4X2GB)

  i wont be using all 8gig of it, but yeah, thats for futureproofing.

  2) socket LGA775 pentium D 930 CPU.

   

  and

   

  a PSU unit that has lots of "fan-out" cables :lol:

  im planning to install 6 (yes, SIX) fans on the side panel.. i wont mind my feet having some wind too :)

   

  also, a lil bit more help here, has anyone here had any experience with the SilverStone NT03 nitrogon CPU cooler? reading the reviews it had, i would like to get one of these.

   

  meanwhile, i'll be replacing all the RAM with 4X1GB 667 chips in a few weeks to come :)

   

  thanks for the help, if any :)

   

   

  8gb is furture proof. But 8gb rams are not cheap. Further more, this money can be properly used to get a new graphics card or a better one.

  If you are continuing to use windows xp Mce, i do not think that there is a need to upgrade to a 8gb rams or totalled up 8gb of ram. You can only see 3gb(s) if you are using a 32bit system. 

   

• SBS7484P

  3 Oct 08, 21:10

  hmm, ok.

  so does that mean ive got to buy a new OS?

• kenn3th

  3 Oct 08, 21:23

  read here, it's informative

  http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/moving_xp.html

• SBS7484P

  4 Oct 08, 12:20

  its kinda misleading..

  and to add on to the mess, my pc doesent have a xp CD. the OS is preloaded onto some partition, my first run was it turned on and it installed itself :S

• hiphop2009

  4 Oct 08, 12:56

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  hmm.. sure..

   

  now, need some size expertise on you guys now.. firstly my PC's a m7390d, HP, as abovementioned. i'm afraid the mobo isn't a full ATX sized one, as its only got 3 pci slots and one pcie x16 slot. thats about all it accomodates. size wise my pc isnt toweringly tall, neither is it micro sized. its about the size of similar spec acers, dells, and whatnot you can find in the shops 2 years ago.

   

  also, taking into consideration i need to control spending, so yeah, i will only overhaul this system june next year. therefore, id like recommendations for mobo's that are of this size, and can fit:

  1) 8GB RAM, @ at least 800MHZ, dual-channel preferred. (4X2GB)

  i wont be using all 8gig of it, but yeah, thats for futureproofing.

  2) socket LGA775 pentium D 930 CPU.

   

  and

   

  a PSU unit that has lots of "fan-out" cables :lol:

  im planning to install 6 (yes, SIX) fans on the side panel.. i wont mind my feet having some wind too :)

   

  also, a lil bit more help here, has anyone here had any experience with the SilverStone NT03 nitrogon CPU cooler? reading the reviews it had, i would like to get one of these.

   

  meanwhile, i'll be replacing all the RAM with 4X1GB 667 chips in a few weeks to come :)

   

  thanks for the help, if any :)

   

   

  
  wah, ur system is a x64 system is it?

  If not, 8GB RAM is useless. only 3.2GB is detected.

• SBS7484P

  4 Oct 08, 13:28

  Originally posted by hiphop2009:

  
  wah, ur system is a x64 system is it?

  If not, 8GB RAM is useless. only 3.2GB is detected.

  
  no luhh.. i just want to future proof. 4gb can insert, but when u see it, its only reported as 3gb. but u'll get the performance of 4gb, juz that ppl wont see it

• Jrz

  4 Oct 08, 13:45

  ^-^ thanks. but right now im finding ways to upgrade my com.

  i want that extreme gaming processor and some monster 8gb ram. probably if i replace my whole computer with the most advanced technology im estimating it costs 7k. worth it? ;D

• SBS7484P

  4 Oct 08, 13:48

  u replace now, next year obsolete. plan well first, dont just go "oh i want this". my plannings are just blueprints for what i want next year. when new cards and such are out next year, i will adjust my planning and budgeting according to the prices and whatnot that are out there.

• SBS7484P

  4 Oct 08, 14:00

  let me add on a possibly redundant tip about air cooling if u are upgrading:

  if your hard disk is running at absurd temps like mine (up to 70 celsius), then you may be interested in those cheapo $10 hard disk coolers. cheap as they may be, with broken english on the cover and all, they actually work well. i have installed a dual fan hdd cooler unit on my WDC 250GB hard disk and a single fan unit on my secondary 80GB hitachi deskstar, and it help keep the temp. down by up to 6 deg C, can see this when the hdd is under load during gaming.

  not only does this apply to hdd, if your pc hapens to be like mine, in which there is no slot or vent in the front panel for an intake fan, but the side panel is perforated like meshes, try installing some fans on the side panel and adjust them so they suck air in. also postion them near the important components like HDD bay, optcal drives and GPU. cpu not really needed cus its got its own fan. the screw mouns u use might ruin the holes that u used to mount the fan with, as it isnt officially supposed to screw in a fan, but at this sacrifice u get a cooler PC.

• Jrz

  4 Oct 08, 18:25

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  u replace now, next year obsolete. plan well first, dont just go "oh i want this". my plannings are just blueprints for what i want next year. when new cards and such are out next year, i will adjust my planning and budgeting according to the prices and whatnot that are out there.

  
  not really that obsolete bah? but i just think its deserving for me to buy the newest computer. i run alot of media program, also i like gaming alot. and believe it or not, i only have a dual core and 500mb of ram. all my parts in my com is now 'antique' except for the processor.

• MyPillowTalks

  4 Oct 08, 19:05

  Originally posted by Jrz:

  
  not really that obsolete bah? but i just think its deserving for me to buy the newest computer. i run alot of media program, also i like gaming alot. and believe it or not, i only have a dual core and 500mb of ram. all my parts in my com is now 'antique' except for the processor.

  
  Hmm, since u game alot, and do a lot media program like video editing, u should considering raiding like 500gb hdds

  then for programs u can get raptor.

  And u game alot, u might want to consider better graphics card. I did the same, my old comp was using geforce 4 mx 440 which can do any games.
  When i got my new comp i get the best parts, but i did regret a little, becos the graphic cards keep upgrading and mine becomes obselete, you do not really need to buy the best of the best, just the top 1-3 cards will do. If u are really wan to future proof abit more, get a big PSU, and 2 graphic cards on sli or crossfire

  8gb of ram is not nessecery for normal computer usage. but since u do alot of media stuff, if u think u need it, u can buy

  i am thinking of upgrding to ddr3 ram, my x48 mobo can support both. but now it's too ex

• SBS7484P

  4 Oct 08, 19:14

  x48 or x84??

   

   

  well i'd say get 2GB of ram. dual core CPU's fine so keep it there. PSU wise get sth around 500w. good enough to run the higher end but not so crazy GPU's. this is depending on ur gaming habit though. if its just things like dota and maple and stuff ur playing then there isnt a need to get the craziest grpahic card out there. make a good choice on your parts. if you really do vdeo/photo editing on a daily basis then i would suggest getting a HDD of at least 500GB space. add an extra 500GB to "mirror" the main HDD in case the main one fails and all your data is gone.

• MyPillowTalks

  4 Oct 08, 20:53

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  x48 or x84??

   

   

  well i'd say get 2GB of ram. dual core CPU's fine so keep it there. PSU wise get sth around 500w. good enough to run the higher end but not so crazy GPU's. this is depending on ur gaming habit though. if its just things like dota and maple and stuff ur playing then there isnt a need to get the craziest grpahic card out there. make a good choice on your parts. if you really do vdeo/photo editing on a daily basis then i would suggest getting a HDD of at least 500GB space. add an extra 500GB to "mirror" the main HDD in case the main one fails and all your data is gone.

  X48 motherboard

  

  It can run ddr2 and ddr3

  my PSU is 750 watts

  

  my whole set up is like that:

  

  use to be one of the best stuff a few months ago, but now my 3870x2 is overtaken by the 4870x2

  my 3870x2 draws alot of power, minumum requirement of PSU is 550watts

   

   

• Jrz

  5 Oct 08, 18:35

  Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

  
  Hmm, since u game alot, and do a lot media program like video editing, u should considering raiding like 500gb hdds

  then for programs u can get raptor.

  And u game alot, u might want to consider better graphics card. I did the same, my old comp was using geforce 4 mx 440 which can do any games.
  When i got my new comp i get the best parts, but i did regret a little, becos the graphic cards keep upgrading and mine becomes obselete, you do not really need to buy the best of the best, just the top 1-3 cards will do. If u are really wan to future proof abit more, get a big PSU, and 2 graphic cards on sli or crossfire

  8gb of ram is not nessecery for normal computer usage. but since u do alot of media stuff, if u think u need it, u can buy

  i am thinking of upgrding to ddr3 ram, my x48 mobo can support both. but now it's too ex

   

  ok.. thanks alot. ill think it over.

   

• nenepokey

  5 Oct 08, 19:47

  Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

  
  Hmm, since u game alot, and do a lot media program like video editing, u should considering raiding like 500gb hdds

  then for programs u can get raptor.

  And u game alot, u might want to consider better graphics card. I did the same, my old comp was using geforce 4 mx 440 which can do any games.
  When i got my new comp i get the best parts, but i did regret a little, becos the graphic cards keep upgrading and mine becomes obselete, you do not really need to buy the best of the best, just the top 1-3 cards will do. If u are really wan to future proof abit more, get a big PSU, and 2 graphic cards on sli or crossfire

  8gb of ram is not nessecery for normal computer usage. but since u do alot of media stuff, if u think u need it, u can buy

  i am thinking of upgrding to ddr3 ram, my x48 mobo can support both. but now it's too ex

  haha. i oso wanna get two 2GB ddr3 ram, but one of them is already equals to the price of two 2GB DDR2 ram.

• SBS7484P

  5 Oct 08, 21:14

  Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:

  X48 motherboard

  

  It can run ddr2 and ddr3

  my PSU is 750 watts

  

  my whole set up is like that:

  

  use to be one of the best stuff a few months ago, but now my 3870x2 is overtaken by the 4870x2

  my 3870x2 draws alot of power, minumum requirement of PSU is 550watts

   

   

  
  me gonna get this amount of stuff next year.. infact im kinda busy this holdays so dun really got the time to plan out overhaul, migration and such, i'll juz chuck 4GB of ram into my PC and buy a new GPU according to what my PSU wattage is. if it allows, i'll get up to a HD2900, if not, X1950 will do, since i'll be usin it for one year then time to upgrade again.

• nenepokey

  8 Oct 08, 13:44

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  
  me gonna get this amount of stuff next year.. infact im kinda busy this holdays so dun really got the time to plan out overhaul, migration and such, i'll juz chuck 4GB of ram into my PC and buy a new GPU according to what my PSU wattage is. if it allows, i'll get up to a HD2900, if not, X1950 will do, since i'll be usin it for one year then time to upgrade again.

  actually if u wanna upgrade u might as well upgrade all at a go, just that after a year there will be things that are newer.

• SBS7484P

  8 Oct 08, 18:45

  Originally posted by nenepokey:

  actually if u wanna upgrade u might as well upgrade all at a go, just that after a year there will be things that are newer.

  
  im gonna do major refurbishment next year, which means strip everything and everything new.. hehe, right now im jus gonna try and get my PC up to standard to get ready for the release of NFS Undercover. with the moderately old X1300PRO GPU im using, im not really sure if it'll hold up, but an X1950 upgrade is in the pipeline, before next year.

• nenepokey

  8 Oct 08, 20:48

  Originally posted by SBS7484P:

  
  im gonna do major refurbishment next year, which means strip everything and everything new.. hehe, right now im jus gonna try and get my PC up to standard to get ready for the release of NFS Undercover. with the moderately old X1300PRO GPU im using, im not really sure if it'll hold up, but an X1950 upgrade is in the pipeline, before next year.

  oic...for mine is my old computer, which is 4 yrs old, had broken down. now temporary using my sister's laptop till i got my desktop ready. only my old HDD can be continued to use.