Another new build advice thread

LOCO building is easy. Getting all the parts to like each other is the difficult part. hehehe. You'll do just fine and if you need some help there are plenty of helpers in the this thread or you can brave a few posts in the PC build thread.

If I can do this stuff then anyone can. TRUST me.

.....gm

 

True. The innards are much like putting together a small erector set. The "magic" is done at the factory when the chips are made. Buying compatible, good quality components is the only talent really necessary as far as foresight goes. It's the horrible gremlins that get us in the end. Figuring out what went wrong when a problem crops up shows what a builder is made of. Some of us have a horror story or 2 to tell.

Understanding the BIOS and how it controls the system helps a lot. The rest of the skills needed are mostly diagnostics for hardware and software. When "firing up" the first time, a DOA or intermittantly flawed part can leave even the best builder scratching his head. Even the best manufacturers send out the occasional "bad" part. Who'd need a warranty if they didn't? LOL I wouldn't wish a mobo with an intermittant problem on anyone but my worst enemy.

LOCO
Check out the forums at Tomshardware and some of the other like tech forums for some of their hardware reviews. Don't take any one as the gospel though. Get a good look at the "lay of the land". You have to remember some of those guys have their biases. Some folks doing reviews have as much credibility as we do. LOL Greensman made a good point. If you're not going to OC, stock parts do a good job. Some of the older stock HSFs were throwaway items, but the newer ones used with both Intel and AMD do a decent job. Some of those old processors needed a refrigeration unit. You're selecting from 2 of the leaders in mobo manufacturing. So, you appear to have already done most of your research. Pulling the lever on that final "perfect" part is always the hard part. My Washingtons never leave home without a fight.

 

Creaky
There's still enough people not inclined to open a PC case to see what's in there. So, there should be enough work for the techs. For those of us who have built our own PCs and know a bit about the software, we think some of the prices charged for repairs border on robbery. Some of the repairs can be done so quickly the shops are actually charging about $100 an hour. Also, I've seen some supposed pros make mistakes as well. A friend took his PC to the shop and they told him his processor was going bad. It was an older PC and simply didn't have the resources to multitask the way my friend expected. Instead of replacing the processor I added more RAM. His kids are still using the PC. It's not the main PC in the house, but it's not a throwaway model either. Cost of repair, about $50 for the RAM. It cost more for the bad diagnosis.

A good AV program and reg cleaner would cost the techs more business than most of the enthusiast builders.

I don't advertise my advice in public and have only 2 friends outside the family that seek me out to help with PC problems.

I don't consider myself a specialist, but I know where the parts go and how to troubleshoot problems. I may not be as fast as the pros or have their tools, but I get the job done on my equipment. I suspect there's quite a few who have learned the same, who don't claim professional skills either. There's a lot that can be picked up on the forums as well. It's just a matter of sifting through the material. Like anything else, there's those who get people mixed up and those who lend credible advice.

 

Pacman777: I agree wholeheartedly with that last paragraph. I'm one of those that will always happily help someone out if they ask for help, but don't go around bragging about it. It would be nice to be able to make a living out of what I do, but I don't have the heart to rip people off as much as some.

 

Good grief what are you running a massive server or half of England??? hehehe. I'm impressed creaky. I can't remember what kind of storage you're talking about but it's like 3TB isn't it?? Geez that's a lot of PRON!!!!! hehehee.
creaks what kind of enclosure are you using with the HDD's?? I have a Galaxy and like it but I think I may need another one soon, any preferences?? tia.....

....gm

Oh and the next person that says I'm excessive should L@@K at what creaky just wrote.... (I only had 3 internal HDD's and 5 internal ODD's plus 1 USB HDD.....lol)

see LOCO it's easy, just ask any of us!!!! hahaha......

 

Greensman: Sickening though this is, I actually own 3.5TB of drives, I still need to RMA three of them! lol

 

Creaky
Impressive setup. My humble dual core with 600GB storage pales in comparison.

 

Heh, are you surprised?

 

Creaks thanks for the reply. Can you give the model # to those enclosures? If I missed it I'm sorry but I was AWE struck at your shear number of HDD's. lol.

link to Galaxy enclosure I'm using...

....gm

 

Thanks creaky.

Busted is right!!!! He's got money... but like most of us he's a cheap BA$TARD!!! hehehe. j/k LOCO...... Just look at creaks going to "eBay" for 1/2 price.....

I'd comment on my latest system but I'd just piss people off soooooo I think that LOCO's frugal purchasing is smart. Although that case is a POS..... hehehe.

.....gm

 

Hmm, with free delivery (so what if it takes a few days) these are a real steal. I might have to grab one...
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139739