D.I.Y computer, Pls Advise
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Hi there,
Been searching around at SLS still couldn't find a Compaq deskstop with AMD processor.
Now decided to diy myself but not too sure which brand & what parts need to purchase, hopefully fellow forummers can give me your helping hands, ist time trying to build a computer for myself, a bit excited
1. AMD processor - AMD Phenom II x 4 model 955 or 965 (should be AM3) see HERE.
2. Motherborad - No idea how to choose, thinking Gigabyte brand is better (correct if I'm wrong, pls give me some tips how to purchase a motherboard, what to look out for) pls see HERE. can be other brand.
3. Memory - 4GB preferably 1033 or 1333 system bus, which brand ? ( i multi-task a lot, open a lot of applications at one time, need a good brand)
4. Graphic card - I'm not a gamer, need not be a good or expensive one, just a normal one will do, slightly above average.See HERE. can be other brand
5. Wireless card - I need it maybe in future need it.
6. HDD - Don't need a big capacity but need a good & stable brand.(which brand)
7. DVD writer - Which brand.
8. Casing, power supply, chipset fan & cooling fan - Coolmaster preferably, don't mind a big tower casing (wats ur opinion on those with mesh opening), most importantly need a good solid cooling fan for my processor & the main board (pls see all the cooling fan models HERE, tower casing HERE, power supply HERE & chipset cooler HERE. I dun know which type to choose.
Pls advise which fan to choose, need a fan that is contsantly running to cool the processor, not those ACER, Compaq type where at times you can hear the fan start spinning very heavily, unlike those constantly running quietly at a low speed. Also pls suggest me the model of the power supply(normal power supply will do), casing, processor fan & chipset fan.
BTW how much do you think I have to spend, just a rough figure cos I have a budget to work on.
If I miss out anything, pls add on/highlight to me.
Thanks a million, thank you very very much for your advise.
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I am not keeping up with technology lately, but i can give some general advice
For rams there isn't really such things as good brand, because all brands have their high end and value products. Of course, get a ram that has a faster front side bus speed, like 1333. Anyway, 1333 sounds like you are looking into ddr3 rams already, meaning you are looking for a system that is considered high end to most people
If you are looking for value rams, you can go for kingston. I like kingston not really because of the quality, but because of the distributor-Convergent systems. I find their service is quite good, that means if you encounter any problems with the ram you can most probably exchange them without any problems. And convergent system is just opposite to simlim square. Corsair rams(by corbell) are not bad also, their distributors provide good service
In order to utilise the 4gb of ram, you have to get a 64 bit operating system(Like windows xp 64bit, vista 64bit),which might be more expensive.
Graphics card nowadays are running pci-express x16 2.0, so when you get your motherboard make sure you get one with pci express 2.0(It is backwards compatible with 1.0, but 2.0 supports a larger bandwidth in case u need to upgrade next time)
A normal above average graphics card will be the 4850 or 4870s, the new 5000 series are powerful also. Just a rough guide, for ati graphics card at this time the way they name their graphics card by performance is by the number:
4k series:
lower end will be 4630
SOmething higher will be 4670
then it will be 4770, 4850, 4870, etc etcSo it is important that when you buy u do some research on the graphics card just by simply looking at the comparison benchmarks that can be found online.
I've not been keeping up with tech, so i hope someone will give somemore advice about graphics cardFor HDD well known brands will be seagate, samsung, western digital, hitachi and some others, sometimes different batch will some manufacturer defects. Get those with higher cache, higher seek and access speed
DVD i tink anyone will do, maybe LG or sony or samsung, dvd rs nowadays wont cost more than $50
Wireless card i will prefer to get the internal ones, as it sometimes usb wireless tend to screw up a little
About fans to cool the processor, dont worry, the CPU comes with heatsink and fan, if you want to overclock, you can buy a 3rd party cooler and install for better cooling(Remember to keep the original fan for warranty)
Chipsets comes with heatsinks and pipes nowadays, and as long as your casing have adequate ventilation, you will be fine
Casing wise a big coolermaster 932 will be fine, im using the Coolermaster sniper storm, which has a fan controller built in(or you call it a cheap variable resistor
), which i can turn to control the fan speed. Both are considered full tower, but the 932 is bigger. If you are intending to get the 5870x2 or any card of that size, make sure that your casing is big enough. The 5870x2 is around 12 inches longAfter so much you need to get a decent powersupply. For your set up a 600watts true power will be more than enough to power everything, get a bigger one if you want to add additional graphics cards
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I can only advise you on cooling because I'm a PC cooling nut.
Firstly, CoolerMaster fans, though not all, are mostly crap.
Noisy, low-quality, low-pressure fans that are quite useless.
CPU Cooler:
Get a decent third-party cooler that has heatpipes within the heatsink. If you're into overclocking, I recommend the Prolimatech Megahalem, which you can purchase at UVnium @ Sim Lim. This is an excellent CPU cooler. You can also purchase AM3 retention brackets from UVnium. Note that the Megahalems does not come with fans - you will need to purchase your own. You can go for a 'push' configuration where one fan blows air into the heatsink - or a push-pull where two fans work in tandem - one pushes and the other draws out air. The fans that you will have to use are 120x120x25mm fans because that's the size that the fan retention clips provide for. if you wish to use the thicker 38mm wide fans, 38mm brackets can be purchased at an additional cost.
For fans to use with the Megahalems, I would recommened the 120x120x25 Yate Loon D12SH-12 High Speed fan. The Yate Loons have high static pressure, good for pushing air through the sink, while maintaining a good airflow-to-noise balance. For 120x120x38mm fans, I recommend Nidec Beta-V B35502-35. These are truly great fans. However, they are made only for Dell PC's, so you'll have to order them direct from Dell, and change the pinout on the connector like what I did to make it work with a regular PC.Chipset Cooler:
Unless you do crazy overclocking, a chipset cooler isn't really needed. But then again, you can't go wrong with good ol' overkill. The Antec SpotCool is a good choice for chipset cooling - it has a gooseneck which you can use to make it point in the direction you want cooling from. Otherwise, you're better off getting a powerful 40mm fan and screwing it to the heatsink of the chipset.
As for your casing, CoolerMaster will be fine. They make great chassis but crap fans. Take your pick of casing first and then I shall follow up and advise you on chassis cooling.
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get the cheapest mother board.....the motherboard should state if it can run on AMD or INTEL.since u arent using to play games an AMD isa good choice fer surfin internet.
from paper pricelist u get at SIM lim square...they would state what kinda motherboards it should support AMD or intel,bring them ads all home and find out more on future upgrades of cpu chips if u have time.
gigabyte is the cheapest n if u assemble it correctly n gently with no short circuits n fry the motherboard on computer casing...it shuld werk fine.some would state it has a graphics chip like gigabyte which means u dun need to buy a card for graphics.look at the sim lim square price list on da A4 paper.....if it states(internalgraphics/sound/lan) then it will have all those n u dun need to bother buying cards fer sound,graphics and lan.
i bought the cheapest $80 and got everything n one even had modem built into motherboard.
last built it back in 2005 and used it till 2007 without any problems.then i started using laptops n playstationsn forgot bout my desktop ever since.i mainly use it to surf internet n play latest games.
back then it would cost motherboard.......amd chip.....memory.... $80+70+$50=$200.not really worth it now come to think of it as compared with other choices.
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have a look...
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get a rig above $2000 and it'll last you longer
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mine lasted fer 5 years n is still werkin but once they cant be used fer playin the latest games,,,i tend to change motherboard and cpu.it was like dat until playstations got cheaper.
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I've notice that the advises that are already given here are more on the hardcore gamers/DIY-builders' side and are somewhat not practically for people like you. (No offense to the people who have previously posted their advise)
From what I've understand, you are gonna build a PC yourself for the first time, you are not intending to use it for games (work use I guess?) and you want AMD Phenom II processor.
Here's my opinion/advise which I think is more balanced between your needs, experience in DIY and value for money :
Motherboard - Seriously any one of it will do if you are not gonna do overclocking, but of course I recommends you to go for the better-known brand such as Gigabyte or ASUS.
Memory (aka RAM) - Well, depending on the motherboard you are gonna buy, it will be either DDR2 or DDR3. Pretty standard, nothing much to talk about if you aren't gonna overclock. Like what Pillow have said, go for those (cheap) value-packed RAM like kingston. BTW, get at least 4GB. RAM these days is cheap.
Graphic card - If you're not into gaming and are looking into saving some money, use the onboard graphic that comes built-in with the motherboard. If you hate onboard graphic and are looking into saving some money with some minor gaming, get ATI Radeon 4670 or GeForce 9600 GSO. If you have some money to spare and want to be able to have some decent gaming experience, get ATI Radeon HD4850 or ATI Radeon HD4870.
Wireless Card - Best get one compatible with your router (as in the same brand and are best suited for your router model). I get bad experience sometime when getting two different brands to work together. For example, signal weak, signal keep dropping randomly.
Hard Disk - Don't go for hitachi. Period. If you want to play safe, go for Western Digital. Pretty standard for the specification for hard disk too. SATA-II, 7200rpm, etc. Except maybe the cache. Higher the cache the better, of course!
DVD Writer - Any one will do. Prices are not the different anyway. Pick one you like. BTW, I'm not sure do any shop still sell DVD-writer with IDE-connector these days but don't get that. Get DVD writer with SATA-connector.
Power Supply Unit (PSU) - Please DO NOT use the one that comes with the casing you bought. You can be a cheapo trying to cut cost for any PC parts but definitely not the PSU. You wouldn't want to recycle your brand new PC just because something went wrong with the cheapo PSU and short circuited all your PC components. An example of a better known brand is Antec. Good PSU can be expensive but it's better safe than be sorry. Get at least a 650 watt PSU to be safe. Under-power can cause instability and damage to your components in your PC too. As for cooler-master PSU, only if you are short on the budget, otherwise, not recommended.
Casing - Depends on your budget. Get a one you like. Try not to get the small-sized (only can fit micro-ATX motherboard) casing. They tends to suck bad when comes to ventilation. Get aluminium casing if you have the budget, they are light-weighted and I heard they are better when comes to dispersing heat. The downside? They are expensive. I think the cheapest brand the makes aluminium casing is Lian-Li, you can take a look at it.
Fans - Well, I don't really have any recommendations because I do not see the need of having it. Add 2 side fans (one for the back and one for the front) into your casing if you want. From what I have read way back in the past - Make sure the CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) flowing in and out of the casing are equal. Inequality not only won't help in cooling but may instead cause the cooling to be more inefficient. As for processor fan/heatsink, I say stock fan/heatsink is more than enough unless you do overclocking.
Conclusion - Two important things to look out for when building a PC which people tends to neglect: The casing and the PSU. I don't think it's ridiculous to say these 2 things can decides how long your PC gonna last.
Hopes my advise helps.
P.S - I say build a PC with a price of about $2000. Anything more than that is a waste of money. Technology advances so quick that what you bought today worth junks tomorrow and I'm serious about this.
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Originally posted by MyPillowTalks:
For rams there isn't really such things as good brand, because all brands have their high end and value products. Of course, get a ram that has a faster front side bus speed, like 1333. Anyway, 1333 sounds like you are looking into ddr3 rams already, meaning you are looking for a system that is considered high end to most people
I guess system bus 1033 is more than enuff for me. If I'm buying AMD Phenom IIx4, i think I've to use only AM3 which is backward compatible with ddr2 ram.
If you are looking for value rams, you can go for kingston. I like kingston not really because of the quality, but because of the distributor-Convergent systems. I find their service is quite good, that means if you encounter any problems with the ram you can most probably exchange them without any problems. And convergent system is just opposite to simlim square. Corsair rams(by corbell) are not bad also, their distributors provide good service
Yes, have to agree with you, Kingston is value for money. In the past went to the distributor once before, services not bad, no complaint from me.Corsair rams never heard or try before, not too sure if its good & stable.
In order to utilise the 4gb of ram, you have to get a 64 bit operating system(Like windows xp 64bit, vista 64bit),which might be more expensive.
Thanks, I've learnt something new today, forgotten abt the Window XP 64bit thingy.
Graphics card nowadays are running pci-express x16 2.0, so when you get your motherboard make sure you get one with pci express 2.0(It is backwards compatible with 1.0, but 2.0 supports a larger bandwidth in case u need to upgrade next time)
Thanks again, learned another new thing from you.
A normal above average graphics card will be the 4850 or 4870s, the new 5000 series are powerful also. Just a rough guide, for ati graphics card at this time the way they name their graphics card by performance is by the number:
4k series:
lower end will be 4630
SOmething higher will be 4670
then it will be 4770, 4850, 4870, etc etcSo it is important that when you buy u do some research on the graphics card just by simply looking at the comparison benchmarks that can be found online.
Will take note of that.
For HDD well known brands will be seagate, samsung, western digital, hitachi and some others, sometimes different batch will some manufacturer defects. Get those with higher cache, higher seek and access speed
Didn't know that hardisk have cache, noted again, thanks.
About fans to cool the processor, dont worry, the CPU comes with heatsink and fan, if you want to overclock, you can buy a 3rd party cooler and install for better cooling(Remember to keep the original fan for warranty)
I thought if I buy the AMD processor, it only comes with the processor right ? how come got heatsink & fan, i'm quite puzzle abt this.
Chipsets comes with heatsinks and pipes nowadays, and as long as your casing have adequate ventilation, you will be fine
Casing wise a big coolermaster 932 will be fine, im using the Coolermaster sniper storm, which has a fan controller built in(or you call it a cheap variable resistor
),
which i can turn to control the fan speed. Both are considered full
tower, but the 932 is bigger. If you are intending to get the
5870x2 or any card of that size, make sure that your casing is big
enough. The 5870x2 is around 12 inches longAfter so much you need to get a decent powersupply. For your set up a 600watts true power will be more than enough to power everything, get a bigger one if you want to add additional graphics cards
Noted, thanks for taking time to share your experience with me, appreciate that.
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Originally posted by SBS7484P:
I can only advise you on cooling because I'm a PC cooling nut.
Firstly, CoolerMaster fans, though not all, are mostly crap.
Noisy, low-quality, low-pressure fans that are quite useless.
CPU Cooler:
Get a decent third-party cooler that has heatpipes within the heatsink. If you're into overclocking, I recommend the Prolimatech Megahalem, which you can purchase at UVnium @ Sim Lim. This is an excellent CPU cooler. You can also purchase AM3 retention brackets from UVnium. Note that the Megahalems does not come with fans - you will need to purchase your own. You can go for a 'push' configuration where one fan blows air into the heatsink - or a push-pull where two fans work in tandem - one pushes and the other draws out air. The fans that you will have to use are 120x120x25mm fans because that's the size that the fan retention clips provide for. if you wish to use the thicker 38mm wide fans, 38mm brackets can be purchased at an additional cost.
For fans to use with the Megahalems, I would recommened the 120x120x25 Yate Loon D12SH-12 High Speed fan. The Yate Loons have high static pressure, good for pushing air through the sink, while maintaining a good airflow-to-noise balance. For 120x120x38mm fans, I recommend Nidec Beta-V B35502-35. These are truly great fans. However, they are made only for Dell PC's, so you'll have to order them direct from Dell, and change the pinout on the connector like what I did to make it work with a regular PC.Oh my god, your Prolimatech Megahalem cooler is so big, see HERE.
Is it very difficult & complicated to fix those push-pull fans into the casing ?
Is the Yate Loon D12SH-12 High Speed fan very noisy, I'm very worried about the noise level of those fans, it can be very irritating.
The cooler is so big & yet the Yate Loon fan looks so small & cheap, wonder if it works well with the cooler ?
As I mentioned earlier, I prefer to have a solid quiet cooling fan for my processor, pls advise SBS7484P
Chipset Cooler:
Unless you do crazy overclocking, a chipset cooler isn't really needed. But then again, you can't go wrong with good ol' overkill. The Antec SpotCool is a good choice for chipset cooling - it has a gooseneck which you can use to make it point in the direction you want cooling from. Otherwise, you're better off getting a powerful 40mm fan and screwing it to the heatsink of the chipset.
As for your casing, CoolerMaster will be fine. They make great chassis but crap fans. Take your pick of casing first and then I shall follow up and advise you on chassis cooling.
Ok I'm not into overclocking, will take your advise, let me buy the Coolermaster casing first then will check with you on the cooler fan.
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Originally posted by furb:
I've notice that the advises that are already given here are more on the hardcore gamers/DIY-builders' side and are somewhat not practically for people like you. (No offense to the people who have previously posted their advise)
From what I've understand, you are gonna build a PC yourself for the first time, you are not intending to use it for games (work use I guess?) and you want AMD Phenom II processor.
Yes you are right.
Here's my opinion/advise which I think is more balanced between your needs, experience in DIY and value for money :
Motherboard - Seriously any one of it will do if you are not gonna do overclocking, but of course I recommends you to go for the better-known brand such as Gigabyte or ASUS.
Noted
Memory (aka RAM) - Well, depending on the motherboard you are gonna buy, it will be either DDR2 or DDR3. Pretty standard, nothing much to talk about if you aren't gonna overclock. Like what Pillow have said, go for those (cheap) value-packed RAM like kingston. BTW, get at least 4GB. RAM these days is cheap.
Noted again.
Graphic card - If you're not into gaming and are looking into saving some money, use the onboard graphic that comes built-in with the motherboard. If you hate onboard graphic and are looking into saving some money with some minor gaming, get ATI Radeon 4670 or GeForce 9600 GSO. If you have some money to spare and want to be able to have some decent gaming experience, get ATI Radeon HD4850 or ATI Radeon HD4870.
I was told that onboard is no good cos if the graphic card is spoilt, you have to change the whole motherboard. Prefer to get a dedicated graphic card.
Wireless Card - Best get one compatible with your router (as in the same brand and are best suited for your router model). I get bad experience sometime when getting two different brands to work together. For example, signal weak, signal keep dropping randomly.
Have to agree with you, better to get the same brand with the router.
Hard Disk - Don't go for hitachi. Period. If you want to play safe, go for Western Digital. Pretty standard for the specification for hard disk too. SATA-II, 7200rpm, etc. Except maybe the cache. Higher the cache the better, of course!
How to check the cache ?
Fans - Well, I don't really have any recommendations because I do not see the need of having it. Add 2 side fans (one for the back and one for the front) into your casing if you want. From what I have read way back in the past - Make sure the CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) flowing in and out of the casing are equal. Inequality not only won't help in cooling but may instead cause the cooling to be more inefficient. As for processor fan/heatsink, I say stock fan/heatsink is more than enough unless you do overclocking.
How to check the CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) flowing in and out of the casing are equal, pls advise, tks.
Conclusion - Two important things to look out for when building a PC which people tends to neglect: The casing and the PSU. I don't think it's ridiculous to say these 2 things can decides how long your PC gonna last.
Noted
Hopes my advise helps.
P.S - I say build a PC with a price of about $2000. Anything more than that is a waste of money. Technology advances so quick that what you bought today worth junks tomorrow and I'm serious about this.
Yes, agree with you, that is why I dun mind spend a little bit more on the CPU & cooler system/fan so that my computer can last at least 7yrs for me.
Thanks.
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CPU: Phenom II 965 BE (Easy OC) (Try and ask them if the CPU is the 125W TDP or 140W TDP) (Phenom II 955BE if you can find it)
Mobo: Gigabyte is good, though Biostar T-Power (Not too sure about their other lines) series mobos are also quite good at OCing, and pretty stable. Biostar TA790GX3 or GA785GT-UD3H would be good, though I'm leaning towards the Biostar board.
CPU cooler: I like the Hyper 212, cheap and quite a good cooling solution for those on a budget (Like me XD). Keeps my Q6600 nice and happy.
RAM: Not overclocking? Kingston Value RAMs are good enough, get a 2x2GB DDR3-1333 kit.
GPU: If planning to play games at high settings or resolutions, get a HD4850 or higher. If not, HD4670/9600GSO/GT220 would be good enough.
Wireless: Get one form a good brand, with at least Wireless-G. 802.11n is the best, though.
HDD: Samsung, Seagate or Western Digital. SATA 3.0GBit interface, 7200rpm, and at least 16MB cache. 32MB or higher recommended.
PSU: Get those from Corsair, Thermaltake, Seasonic, Antec (650W and above ONLY for Antec PSUs) if you have the cash. If not, I can recommend the Vantec PSUs. Nothing extraordinary, but apparently they are made by Topower, OEM for Tagan, some Thermaltake etc. Andyson is pretty reliable brand as well.
Casing: Go full tower, with at least space for 3 fans (Intake, side and back. Top optional.)
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I guess system bus 1033 is more than enuff for me. If I'm buying AMD Phenom IIx4, i think I've to use only AM3 which is backward compatible with ddr2 ram.
Hmm, the type of ram that can be used is usually depended on the motherboard's design. My board supports ddr2 and ddr3, but some of my friends tell me that these kind of board tend to spoil easier due to different voltages(i cannot confirm about this). DDR3 and DDR2 rams runs on different voltage, different speed and timing
A normal ddr2 ram runs at 667-800mhz. Meaning it can run at that speed. But it can read the data and use them normally at 6-6-6-18. The number basically means how the amount of time taken for the data to pass from one section to another in the ram, and the time taken to utilise them. Of course, we want the timing to be as short as possible(Like ping, or your response time)
A ddr3 ram runs faster, which is around 1333, but the timing will be higher, about 9 to 10. However it does make a slight difference in speed, i can't really explain into detail because i really don't know about it.
When you buy rams, sometimes the salesperson will say that both the ddr3 runs at 1333mhz, but one runs at 9-9-9-24, while the other runs at 10-10-something. Unless you are really an overclocker to squeeze out all the juice, i can say there you 'cannot really feel' the difference between the two of them in normal operation
Also, sometimes they will try to get you to buy rams with nicer packaging, or with heatsinks, and tell you gamers uses this to play games etc. This kind of ram are more expensive because you are paying for performance(and of course the nicer packaging etc). Remember i said about ddr3 running at 1333mhz, with timing of 9-9-9-24. THe more expensive ones that they might as you to buy will be the rams that are capable of running at higher speed with shorter timing(you can think of it as response time). They also comes in dual channel or triple channel kits.
WHen they try to sell you kits, it meant that the rams are tested one by one(tht is what i tell people to get them to buy the ram, but im not sure if they really does it), and after that, they group ram of similar or near exact performance together and sell them. In this way, you can run them optimally in dual channel or triple channel mode. Dual/triple channel generally means that there is more bandwidth for processing
Unless you are really overclocking, there is not a need to buy very expensive rams
Yes, have to agree with you, Kingston is value for money. In the past went to the distributor once before, services not bad, no complaint from me.Corsair rams never heard or try before, not too sure if its good & stable.
I am using corsair rams, if i am not wrong, most people associate corsair with their dominator series(which is a high end ram series), however they also have their value rams. Kingston have their high end series, like the hyper x series
Corsair is not bad, but if you are familiar or have more faith in kingston you can stick with it(sometimes it is weird but i will say get something you are familiar with.Like sometimes you want to try a new dish in the rice stall, but scared it might taste bad)
Didn't know that hardisk have cache, noted again, thanks.
Hmm. You need to understand how hdd work basically. The data is stored on tracks and sector(Like in hdb, floor and unit number.)
If let say the data(or program like photoshop) u used most frequently is stored in track 3, sector 1(Or your best friend stays on 3rd floor, unit 1, and you always go there and drink coffee with him)Cache now is like a memory, because you cant expect yourself to look at the phonebook to find out which unit your best friend is staying at evertime you want to find him. After going to his house a few times, your brain 'remembers' the location
Same in computer, the hdd knows that you go to that location on the disk frequently, they will store the info on the cache.
And when you start photoshop next time, the hdd will not have to go to search all around for where photoshop is, but it will go straight to track 3 sector 1. It is like you memorise where your best friend stays, and u can go straight to him. Thus, there is less waiting timeI thought if I buy the AMD processor, it only comes with the processor right ? how come got heatsink & fan, i'm quite puzzle abt this.
Ok, this is like buying a car. When you buy a car, it comes with a default radio.
When you buy processor, it is the same thing, it comes with a factory built fan that is designed to cool the processor at normal operating speed.When you want to use it at its defaulted speed, or overclock it a little, the design of the heatsink will be able to dissipitate the heat quite effectively.
Like the radio in your car, you can turn the volume up a little more to listen to your favourite song.But if you want to listen at loud volume, with better bass or subwoofers, you need a better headunit with more watts or a power amplifier. If you keep on blasting, maybe it will cause damage
Same as the processor, if you want to overclock it, you have to get a better heatsink+fan(HSF for short in some forums), if not it will cause damage3rd party Heatsink fans can be bought in sls, just make sure it supports your cpu socket.(meaning the mounting given in the package must be able to fit your motherboard to cool the cpu efficiently)
that is all i can think of now -
why buy amd processor? go for a i5 processor man..plus a above average mobo, asus or msi brand bundle its about 500.
ddr3 ram 2x2gb shud be about 140+
hdd 1tb western digital is also 100+..
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Originally posted by fattyman:
I was told that onboard is no good cos if the graphic card is spoilt, you have to change the whole motherboard. Prefer to get a dedicated graphic card.
Well, it's up to you. You are buying it so it's your call.
But before that I would like to point out that if you are not going for games, using onboard graphic is fine and you can use that money and spend it on other parts.
You can just pop in a new dedicated graphic card any time like when your onboard graphic gave out on or when you decided you want to play games where onboard graphic just couldn't handle it. Either way, most motherboard (I rarely see one without one) comes with onboard graphic card, whether you like/use it or not.
Yes, have to agree with you, Kingston is value for money. In the past went to the distributor once before, services not bad, no complaint from me.Corsair rams never heard or try before, not too sure if its good & stable.
Corsair should work fine. I have PCs using it and are having no problem at all. For services, I'm not sure. I will just threw RAM away when it gave out on me and get a new one since it's not that expensive. Notice I said 'will' because till now no RAM gave out on me yet.
How to check the CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) flowing in and out of the casing are equal, pls advise, tks.
CFM calculation will largely depends on the size of the fan and the speed it is rotating at. So different fans different speed. The calculation also must take into consideration of the fan in the PSU since it is also drawing air.
Anyway, there an article made by someone on cooling which I think will do you good, take a look if you like: http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/565007-guide-air-cooling-questions-answered-here.html#post7040970
Yes, agree with you, that is why I dun mind spend a little bit more on the CPU & cooler system/fan so that my computer can last at least 7yrs for me.
Oh wow, you are planning to use it for 7 years. If it's me, I will "recycle" it after like maybe 2-3 years. It will be too outdated by then. Technology advances quick! My 2.5K laptop worth nothing after a year because the new ones are far more badass (by 2 to 3 times) and it only cost 1K+.
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Originally posted by fattyman:
The Megahalems isn't that hard to mount. Besides, if you're afraid of breaking the board, you can always get the nice people at UVnium to mount it for you. As for the Yate fans, yes, these are cheap. However, don't be misled by the price. By far, Yate Loon fans have proved to be one of the best and most durable fans I have ever used, aside from the big brands like AVC, Delta and Nidec. Do keep in mind though, that not all Yates are 'built equally'. I recommend that you order your Yates online from Petra's Tech Shop, because the Yates from Petra's have basically outlived other Yates. Yates from PTS are also cheaper because they liaise directly with Yate Loon instead of going through a middleman. Yes, these are cheap-looking fans but quality wise, be rest assured.The D12SH-12 has the ability to get loud at times. For that I recommend you purchase a fan controller, also from UVnium. They have the Lamptron FC2 up on sale currently - this controller has 4 channels and supplies up to 30 watts per channel. That means you can control multiple Yates together with one channel, and other, more powerful fans on another channel. Make sure you do not exceed the power rating of each channel (in watts) though. Just so you know, Power = Ampere X Voltage.
For example, a regular 12V DC fan drawing 0.5A of current will consume 12 x 0.5 = 6W of power. -
To Raraken,
Can u tell me wat is the reason behind to find out the CPU voltages ? Also wat is the difference between Phenom II 965 BE (Easy OC) & (Phenom II 955BE), I dun see any difference between the 2. Perhaps you can enlighten me on this, tks.
CPU: Phenom II 965 BE (Easy OC) (Try and ask them if the CPU is the 125W TDP or 140W TDP) (Phenom II 955BE if you can find it)
The rest of your points are noted, appreciate for taking time to write, tks.BTW you are referring to 3 casing fans or what ? tks.
Casing: Go full tower, with at least space for 3 fans (Intake, side and back. Top optional.)
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To MyPillowTalks,
Anyway I'll be getting ddr2 rams instead of ddr3 cos I think ddr3 is expensive becos its new, my guessing only
moreover I guess we cannot see the speed difference from our naked eye, I think so.Hmm, the type of ram that can be used is usually depended on the motherboard's design. My board supports ddr2 and ddr3, but some of my friends tell me that these kind of board tend to spoil easier due to different voltages(i cannot confirm about this). DDR3 and DDR2 rams runs on different voltage, different speed and timing
Maybe I will try Corsair rams, I love to explore new things, maybe.
I am using corsair rams, if i am not wrong, most people associate corsair with their dominator series(which is a high end ram series), however they also have their value rams. Kingston have their high end series, like the hyper x series
Really appreciate you take time to write & explained to me in details, tks MyPillow Talks
Learnt a few new tips since yesterday.Hmm. You need to understand how hdd work basically. The data is stored on tracks and sector(Like in hdb, floor and unit number.)
Got it now, tks for the lengthy explanations.
3rd party Heatsink fans can be bought in sls, just make sure it supports your cpu socket.(meaning the mounting given in the package must be able to fit your motherboard to cool the cpu efficiently)
that is all i can think of now -
To furb,
Tks for the link, will read it tonight.
CFM calculation will largely depends on the size of the fan and the speed it is rotating at. So different fans different speed. The calculation also must take into consideration of the fan in the PSU since it is also drawing air.
Anyway, there an article made by someone on cooling which I think will do you good, take a look if you like: http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/565007-guide-air-cooling-questions-answered-here.html#post7040970
Currently I had 2 desktops at home, one is ACER bought in year 2001, too slowww already, hardly used it anymore that's why wanted to build one for myself. The other one is AMD Compaq, working perfectly fine after 4 yrs, excellent processor.
Though I'm not a gamer, most likely I will fix the Prolimatech Megahalem cooler reco by SBS7484P, together with some additional casing & chipset fans (though not necessary), love to explore & learn new things, just want to get the thrill of building it myself but again not very familiar with the BIOS settings & OS loading, will take it one step at a time.
Its not possible to keep chasing new things in life, e.g car, not possible to keep changing new cars every 1-2 yrs, at the end of the day, our pocket will have a big big hole.
Oh wow, you are planning to use it for 7 years. If it's me, I will "recycle" it after like maybe 2-3 years. It will be too outdated by then. Technology advances quick! My 2.5K laptop worth nothing after a year because the new ones are far more badass (by 2 to 3 times) and it only cost 1K+.
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To SBS7484P,
Last night went to UVnium site to read & understand they can help to mount those cooler for us. Hey, tks for the Yates fan explanation, appreciate that.
Lamptron FC2 fan controller, do you mean if I hv 3 casing fan, the Lamptron allows me to control on/off each individual fan ? Pls advise, a bit confusing here.
If its still noisy, any other fan you can reco, I hate sound especially at night, can be quite irritating.
Should I order the Yate Loon's fan first or should I buy the tower casing first ? If I order the fan first then how would I know what fan size fit into it ? Sorry if I ask such a stupid question. I think I shoud get the tower casing first right ? Pls advise, tks.
The Megahalems isn't that hard to mount. Besides, if you're afraid of breaking the board, you can always get the nice people at UVnium to mount it for you. As for the Yate fans, yes, these are cheap. However, don't be misled by the price. By far, Yate Loon fans have proved to be one of the best and most durable fans I have ever used, aside from the big brands like AVC, Delta and Nidec. Do keep in mind though, that not all Yates are 'built equally'. I recommend that you order your Yates online from Petra's Tech Shop, because the Yates from Petra's have basically outlived other Yates. Yates from PTS are also cheaper because they liaise directly with Yate Loon instead of going through a middleman. Yes, these are cheap-looking fans but quality wise, be rest assured.
The D12SH-12 has the ability to get loud at times. For that I recommend you purchase a fan controller, also from UVnium. They have the Lamptron FC2 up on sale currently - this controller has 4 channels and supplies up to 30 watts per channel. That means you can control multiple Yates together with one channel, and other, more powerful fans on another channel. Make sure you do not exceed the power rating of each channel (in watts) though. Just so you know, Power = Ampere X Voltage.
For example, a regular 12V DC fan drawing 0.5A of current will consume 12 x 0.5 = 6W of power. -
Originally posted by fattyman:
To Raraken,
Can u tell me wat is the reason behind to find out the CPU voltages ? Also wat is the difference between Phenom II 965 BE (Easy OC) & (Phenom II 955BE), I dun see any difference between the 2. Perhaps you can enlighten me on this, tks.
CPU: Phenom II 965 BE (Easy OC) (Try and ask them if the CPU is the 125W TDP or 140W TDP) (Phenom II 955BE if you can find it)
The rest of your points are noted, appreciate for taking time to write, tks.BTW you are referring to 3 casing fans or what ? tks.
Casing: Go full tower, with at least space for 3 fans (Intake, side and back. Top optional.)
The 965 runs at 3.4GHz, while the 955 is at 3.2GHz, IIRC. Both have unlocked multipliers, meaning you can overclock the processor just by changing the multiplier from, say, 17x to 20x, which, on a Phenom II, would mean a 4GHz clockspeed. The Easy OC just meant that, well, very easy to overclock by just changing 3 or 4 variables (Multiplier, Voltage etc.) Also, lower TDP = Cooler, more efficient chip.
By case fans, I mean make sure it has mountings for at least 3 or 4 case fans, or comes with at least 2 with space for more (Front intake, side intake, Rear exhaust). Yep, casing fans. I would recommend 1 Front, 1 side (Both intake) and 2 rear (If possible) acting as exhaust. With the Megahalems, make sure the fan mounted on it is aligned such that it "pushes" air towards the exhaust.
About the Lamptron FC2, yes, you can control the speed of the fans. On/off I'm not too sure. If still noisy, Yate Loon makes some "slower" speed fans, which I find to be very quiet. I'm using a DS12SL-12, the low speed variant, replacing a noisy Delta in my Power Mac, and now it's pretty quiet.
With an AM3 CPU, it's best to use DDR3. Also, faster speeds can have better results. I downgraded from DDR2-800 to DDR2-667 and I did notice a difference in application boot-up time.
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Originally posted by fattyman:
To SBS7484P,
Last night went to UVnium site to read & understand they can help to mount those cooler for us. Hey, tks for the Yates fan explanation, appreciate that.
Lamptron FC2 fan controller, do you mean if I hv 3 casing fan, the Lamptron allows me to control on/off each individual fan ? Pls advise, a bit confusing here.
If its still noisy, any other fan you can reco, I hate sound especially at night, can be quite irritating.
Should I order the Yate Loon's fan first or should I buy the tower casing first ? If I order the fan first then how would I know what fan size fit into it ? Sorry if I ask such a stupid question. I think I shoud get the tower casing first right ? Pls advise, tks.
The Megahalems isn't that hard to mount. Besides, if you're afraid of breaking the board, you can always get the nice people at UVnium to mount it for you. As for the Yate fans, yes, these are cheap. However, don't be misled by the price. By far, Yate Loon fans have proved to be one of the best and most durable fans I have ever used, aside from the big brands like AVC, Delta and Nidec. Do keep in mind though, that not all Yates are 'built equally'. I recommend that you order your Yates online from Petra's Tech Shop, because the Yates from Petra's have basically outlived other Yates. Yates from PTS are also cheaper because they liaise directly with Yate Loon instead of going through a middleman. Yes, these are cheap-looking fans but quality wise, be rest assured.
The D12SH-12 has the ability to get loud at times. For that I recommend you purchase a fan controller, also from UVnium. They have the Lamptron FC2 up on sale currently - this controller has 4 channels and supplies up to 30 watts per channel. That means you can control multiple Yates together with one channel, and other, more powerful fans on another channel. Make sure you do not exceed the power rating of each channel (in watts) though. Just so you know, Power = Ampere X Voltage.
For example, a regular 12V DC fan drawing 0.5A of current will consume 12 x 0.5 = 6W of power.
Yes, you can hook one fan to each channel and control them seperately. The FC2 provides for 30W per channel - this means that the maximum load on one channel is 30W. The Yates have rather low power consumption, so it's okay if you string one fan on one channel, or even 2 or 3 Yates together on one channel. D12SH-12's can get noisy at full tilt, but you can use the controller to dial them down. If you want silent Yates, get the D12SM-12's. The cooling capacity falls short compared to the D12SH-12, but they're much quieter. Furthermore, M, meaning Medium Speed, Yate Loons' M series fans have the best airflow to noise ratio I've ever experienced. I have used a plethora of fans, and I must say that Yates are really quality products at budget pricing.As for fans, you must first select a chassis. This will then let you know how many fans and of what size the casing can accomodate (excluding the fans on the CPU cooler) and then proceed to buy the fans.
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Raraken, thank you so much for the explanation, really appreciate that.
Learned quite a few things after talking to several guys like you, really appreciate to all those who have helped to reply.
I shall hunt for the processor, motherboard & the casing soon, if need any further help, I'll post again.
Definitely will put a picture of my new computer for you guys to see, thank you so much, guys.
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Originally posted by SBS7484P:
Yes, you can hook one fan to each channel and control them seperately. The FC2 provides for 30W per channel - this means that the maximum load on one channel is 30W. The Yates have rather low power consumption, so it's okay if you string one fan on one channel, or even 2 or 3 Yates together on one channel. D12SH-12's can get noisy at full tilt, but you can use the controller to dial them down. If you want silent Yates, get the D12SM-12's. The cooling capacity falls short compared to the D12SH-12, but they're much quieter. Furthermore, M, meaning Medium Speed, Yate Loons' M series fans have the best airflow to noise ratio I've ever experienced. I have used a plethora of fans, and I must say that Yates are really quality products at budget pricing.As for fans, you must first select a chassis. This will then let you know how many fans and of what size the casing can accomodate (excluding the fans on the CPU cooler) and then proceed to buy the fans.
SBS7484P, which shop in sls carry the most models of Cooler Master chassis, can reco me ?
Tks,
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go check out the 'big name' shops there - they may not carry the most CM casings in SLS but at least you know you won't get duped at those stores.
i don't really notice which shops carry the CM chassis models because i'm not really a fan of CM chassis designs, save for their Cosmos BE and Cosmos 1000 models.
i prefer Lian-Li chassis though, and if you need to know where to get them, UVnium stocks up quite a lot of Lian Li chassis. they also do case modding, case lighting as well as stock up on a large variety of powerful fans.