1st build

[Tomo]

Hi!

I've decided to have a crack at building a pc for the first time and have been reading quite a lot of techno info as it were. At first i knew practically nothing but i'm starting to get a vague understanding hopefully...:rolleyes:

Plz can you check / criticize / maybe even agree to this spec:


CPU – Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 “LGA775 Conroe” 2.40GHz (1066FSB)

Mobo - Asus P5B Deluxe (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2

RAM - GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC)

HD - 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB ST3250620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache – OEM

GFX - Asus GeForce 8800 GTS HTDP 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)

DVD - Pioneer DVR-112DBK 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM

PSU - Tagan TG600-U25 600W ATX2.0 Dual Engine Silent SLi Compliant Silent PSU

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case

Screen - Viewsonic VG730M 17 inch Monitor SXGA LCD Display 600:1 1280x1024 8ms DVI

OS - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66I-00788)

Is it all compatible?

Thx for your time :)

[Jamie Nixx]

Oh yeah baby Antec 900 all the way wooooo :D .

Very nice, i am assuming you haven't brought the parts yet. Wait until the 22nd of July to order the cpu as Intel are dropping prices. And if you can get the Asus P5N-E SLI motherboard as it is one of the best Intel mobos out there.

The motherboard you chose is not SLI its Crossfire which is the ATI equivalent of SLI (tell me if this goes straight over your head and i will explain it more)

And i wouldn't get Vista yet, the drivers are at best pretty bad and some games don't run very well on it.

And try and get a higher wattage power supply as the 8800GTS needs 600 as a bare minimum to run so go for a 650 or 700 watt one.

Apart from that its all good mate.

[Tomo]

Thanks for your advice, will have a look. I'm not entirely sure whether i will be wanting to do a SLI, seems the gfx card might be overkill already considering the 17" monitor.

[Jamie Nixx]

I didn't mean to look at that mobo for SLI. Sli is overated but it is nice to have the option. I don't run SLI i have one graphics card but that mobo is one of the best gaming and Intel boards out there.

[rustygrant]

I was in the same position 3 weeks ago. Building my own increased my knowledge 300%!

Checking out your motherboard, I noticed that it got dubious reviews: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813131028

No aftermarket heatsink fan? Don't buy a Zalman. I did and my contact plate was warped (seems to be a common problem, after reading up on it--should be embarassing, as what good is a heatsink/fan if it doesn't even contact the processor!)...going to have to wait 1.5-2 weeks for them to send me another one.

[Tomo]

What is your view on an Antistatic wrist strap? Some people say that they are essential whilst others say that touching something metal before you touch sensitive components is enough.

= me confused :confused:

[Rob]

Don't buy a Zalman. I did and my contact plate was warped (seems to be a common problem, after reading up on it

That's interesting. Any links about it?

[Rob]

What is your view on an Antistatic wrist strap? Some people say that they are essential whilst others say that touching something metal before you touch sensitive components is enough.


Touching something metal, like the power supply, will discharge the static electricity. But it won't help with any static charge you build up after that until you touch it again. So if you touch the power supply, then end up scooting around a bit while fiddling inside the computer, you can build up a static charge again while handing the components.

The safest thing to do is to use the antistatic strap, even though it might be a bit of pain sometimes. Although I'm sure a lot of people have worked on the inside of their computer without wearing an antistatic wrist strap while being careful to touch something metal like the power supply - and have never had a problem due to static electricity - yet.

[Jamie Nixx]

Anti static wristbands are good but they are always very short and restricting.

As Rob said touching the inside of your case or the power supply or even a radiator will discharge you.

Few tips.

Don't build your comp on the floor where there is carpet (you would be surprised how many people do).

Build it on a wooden table, desk ect.

Don't shuffle around too much as this will build up static electricity.

The likelyhood is that you probably won't shock your components, well not unless you feel the need to moonwalk just before you build your machine.

But then again its probably better to be safe than sorry so you should get one.

[rustygrant]

That's interesting. Any links about it?

Rob,

I mostly talked to people in forums, who said they've read about it. I even took it into CompUsa, one of the techs there said he built a computer for a friend and came across something like that. Here's a really good link: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2005/08/18/zalman_asetek_cooler/2

I found a few though (several were comments on "newegg"): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16835118004&SortField=0&SummaryType=ALL&Pagesize=100&Page=3 (see DaddyD302 post, although there are a few more throughout).

http://www.planetamd64.com/index.php?showtopic=12465

There were a few more, but I can't find them anymore (I typed in various things to Yahoo: warped contact plate, Zalman 9500 AND contact CPU, etc).

I'm concerned that the warping has caused damage to the surface of my CPU. I noticed that in the spots where the contact plate was touching, the CPU seems slightly "smoother." This may be me, because I twisted the Zalman after putting it on--as Arctic Silver recommends. I may consider, after removal, taking a few pictures and posting them on the internet to get other's opinions.

Anyway, I talked to the people at Zalman, they didn't seem surprised by it. They told me to RMA it.

Anways, had I been more leary of this, I wouldn't have spent countless hours putting removing and spreading AS5--as I thought originally that I may have messed up.

[rustygrant]

One thing about static that I noticed while building: One of my buddies helped me assemble. After an hour of arduous work, he sat down in my cloth desk chair (the machine was on my g/f's wood drafting table). I'm not sure about whether this can cause static buildup, but it would seem to defeat the purpose of building on hardwood floor, especially if you are shuffling around.
I was really afraid at first, (my first build) but I always seemed to be resting my arm on something metal on the case (and I had the wrist band)!

[Tomo]

No aftermarket heatsink fan? Don't buy a Zalman.

Do I need one? I was hoping the standard fans would be ok. Especially considering I wasn't looking to overclock and there are all those fans on the case.

If i do, i don't think i'll get a Zalman hehe.

As for anti-static i think i might go buy one, better safe than sorry after all.:)

[Jamie Nixx]

No way do you need an aftermarket heatsink.

The stock fan for an Intel core 2 duo (if you get an intel) is probably better than most aftermarket fans. Plus using another fan voids the warranty.

The core 2 duo is designed to be overclocked which is why the standard heatsink is so good, it is copper bottomed as well.

Its a wonder why Intel made their new fans for overclocking when that voids the warranty as well :rolleyes:.

[rustygrant]

This may just be anecdotal and I'm sure Jamie can speak more on the issue because he's using intel, (and is more knowledgable) but my AMD stock cooler is working fine (installed it 'cause I'm sick of waiting to get my machine up and running). According to PC Probe, I'm idling right now at 33 C and have never ever seen it get higher than 43 (although I haven't really tested it). My chip supposedly runs hot (Athlon x2 6000) too.
I think the Zalman is supposed to, in some circumstances, cool parts of the motherboard because of the way it's mounted, but I'm betting this could 1) Be hearsay 2) Is dependent on your airflow situation. I bought it on a whim and, even though it was defective, it looked pretty cool.

[Jamie Nixx]

The X2 series do get very hot but are still much cooler than the old Intel pentium D CPU's, Zalmans look good and generally they are quite good. But i think they are becoming a victim of their own success, zalman are known more than any other type of cooler manufacturer and i think that maybe the finished articles aren't as good as they have been in the past when they were less famous, yet the prices still remain very high.

I mean a warped contact plate on the 9500 and this is supposedly a very common problem. When a CPU fan such as this which costs £45 here in the UK i would expect my cooler to be in top notch condition, a warped contact plate could cause your CPU to burn out.

I have found in general the stock coolers nowadays are often much better than aftermarket coolers and i am running and AMD rig and an Intel rig both with stock coolers and they both run around 30degC.

Personally rustygrant when you do/if get your replacement zalman i reckon you should either get your money back or put it on ebay and put that money towards something else such as an extra stick of ram because to be honest unless you are thinking about overclocking (which would not be very wise with an AMD X2 6000 anyway) your not going to need one.

[The Wise Monkey]

I've never had any problems with my Zalman - my 4200+ X2 runs at about 35 degrees.

Mind you, it is in my Thermaltake Tsunami Case. :D

Stock coolers are usually fine, but you want to get a better fan if you plan on o/cing, as Jamie said.

Oh, and as for the whole anti-static wristband debate - if you are working on the insides of a £3500 server, I think that is pays to be a bit cautious. :)

[Leigh_7574]

I am looking at building my own computer. I wanted to know if I could use any of the existing parts from my current PC. I have a Gateway and a Dell to scavenge from but, neither of them are quite as good as I would like them to be. Will be using for college work, pics, internet and some gaming...my little brother says I can build one myself that would be better than one I can buy for the same cost. I am just not too tech savvy...Help!

[The Wise Monkey]

I am looking at building my own computer. I wanted to know if I could use any of the existing parts from my current PC. I have a Gateway and a Dell to scavenge from but, neither of them are quite as good as I would like them to be. Will be using for college work, pics, internet and some gaming...my little brother says I can build one myself that would be better than one I can buy for the same cost. I am just not too tech savvy...Help!


Then you've come to exactly the right place! :)

I recommend you read through Rob's guide, and try to think exactly what components you need. It is definitely cheaper to build your own PC than buy a new one, but you have to limit yourself - it is very easy to go overboard.

[Tomo]

A few weeks on and i've built my pc and now i have a bit of a problemo! I'm using the e6600, the asus p5b deluxe and the antec 900 with all four fans on the lowest setting. When setting up the bios for the first time, it told me that the cpu temperature was 66c and the fan speed was 1785 rpm. It also told me that the mobo temperature was 38c.

I've been a bit unsure about the heatsink. I had a bit of difficulty getting it on, as i thought the first two pins were in, when only one was and then went onto the next two. So i ended up with two on but on the same side. After a bit of an effort i got all four in, only for the upper two to pop out a few hours later. I pushed them back in and they've lasted over a week and a half for my holiday, but i'm still not sure if its seated properly. Also i am not using a thermal compound as it was not mentioned anywhere in the instructions, but should i be using some? Everywhere online i read seems to mention it..:confused:

I'm not really sure what to do. My dad suggested that the fan speed would increase as the cpu does some work, but i still think 66 is too high, although i am not sure:eek: !. I also heard that mobo temperature readings are pretty dodgy, so i felt the heatsink soon after turning off and it felt quite warm.

What is your advice?

[Jamie Nixx]

66c WTF :eek: that is wayyyyyyyy too high.

The Intel coolers are notoriously hard to mount, you ned to push them in really hard at all four points.

I have the stock cooler and mine hovers around 27DegC.

I would try and push all the points in until you here them click, 66 is dangerous for these new cores.