Thanks!

[bueller555]

Successful first-time build. I used the non-gaming budget build specs. Took me a while trying to figure out the case wiring and connections to the motherboard, but the rest went very well. Aside from the wiring, the longest part was the loading of the OS since I was using a Win 7 upgrade, so I chose to load XP first. The only technical hangup was that the ethernet controller wasn't working, so I had to load a driver update from Gigabyte to get it working. Amazingly enough, I haven't noticed that I've forgotten any connections. I get video, sound, and Internet (and the fan is running). Thanks for the great site.

[The Wise Monkey]

Congrats!

[RickyTick]

Great to hear. Hope you enjoy it.

[bueller555]

Just curious on what you guys recommend:

1. When initially loading an OS like XP on a new drive, do you ever opt for the Quick Format instead of the full format?
2. The Sonata III case has 3 speed settings. How do you know which speed is appropriate to moderate temperature? Noise is not a huge issue for me.
3. When things eventually start to slow down on the box, which component(s) do you look to upgrade first?

Thanks again for the great site.

[Rob]

1) I always use the full format because I figure it's the most thorough and it only has to be done once.

2) I always use the lowest (quietest) speed setting and see how the temps look. Usually this is fine.

3) It depends on where the slow down is. Usually I have the PC configured at initial build with plenty of RAM and a decent processsor. But since I may try out a high-end video game, it's most often the video card that needs to be upgraded first.

Glad you like the site!

[sprout69]

Hi Rob,

I had a successful build. Now I don't. I guess I never picked up that the build on the site is outdated so that might be part of it.

Computer seems to be working fine except for the Samsung DVD drive. It originally worked on the initial start up and for a couple of days. Then I started loading various programs and lost some things.

Went back to a restore point and got the wireless mouse and keyboard to work. But I haven't loaded anything else in, well quite frankly, I can't. The DVD drive won't come on. The tray opens and closes, but when dropping in a CD or DVD it won't run.

Any thoughts?