The (new) Official PC building thread!

redice,

Onboard video doesn't have a card as such, it is integrated into the mobo circuitry. So when refering to onboard video leave off card

 

ok, yes i know that the onboard video is build on to the board and the one there has really bad color. also i just had my friend check and the computer only has pci slots.

 

Here are some PCI interface video cards. Never used one personally so I can't tell you what to expect. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010380048+1069609642&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48

 

@ Mort81

hmm does the increased cache to 4mb make that big of an effect? I forget where but I remember reading this comparison between a E6400 (OC'd to a E6600) and a E6600 and the results were close enough to be the same. But anyway I just discovered the E4300 is a crazy overclocker since it has its multipier set to 9 so all I'd need is 333fsb to get to 3Ghz. Its also cheap and also I wont need a mobo capable of really high fsb just something that will get to maybe 400 tops for a 100% overclock. Ive seen this done with the Asus P5b deluxe around the web but that board doesn't support sli. So I looked around and came up with the ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI which looks great. Stock 1333mhz fsb, true 16x sli, bunch of other bells and whistles...

also I was looking at this power supply. Seems to have a good rep OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W

So if all that seems good I guess I'll order it in the next few days.

$1497.89.... Super! $2.11 underbudget lol

 

ok thanks Mort81 and i will take a look at the link of pci cards.

 

Deeds1,

The additional L2 cache will perform better in real world applications. The 4300 is an OC hound from what I've read. All the C2D cpu's OC well. I've got my 6600 at 3.24ghz and I'm not really pushing it yet. I plan to eventually take it up to 3.4ghz.

Right now I'm playing with the multiplier vs fsb and fsb:dram ratio. I've taken a series of performance tests with the fsb @ 355x9 (3.2ghz) with the ram freq. @ 888mhz (444x2) making the fsb:dram ratio 4:5. I'm going to perform the same tests and then compare with the fsb @ 400x8 (3.2ghz) with the ram freq. @ 800mhz (400x2) making the fsb:dram ratio 1:1. I'll post the results.

I don't have any experience with the mobo or psu you listed above but have read good things about the mobo.

 

@Deeds1
I have the OCZ 700...love it...picked it up for $79.99 on black friday from Tiger Direct...I could not pass it up for that price...

@Mort81
I am heading over to a buddy's house who is trying to over clock his 6600...he can not get it past 3.0 ghz...which I know it should be capable of doing...I might need some help on settings if you will be around a little latter...I believe he is using the same memory...CPU...and Mother board as you are...

 

Lp531,

No prob. I'll check in after bit. You're more than welcome to pm me if you like.

I've ran the series of tests on both settings. Benchmark tests w/ sandra include processor arithmetic, processor multi-media, and memory bandwidth, also ran tests w/ Super PI. All the performances tests using sandra were better with the fsb @ 400x8 and fsb:dram ratio @ 1:1 including the memory bandwidth test. There was no difference between the 2 using Super PI.

I'm going to compare now with fsb set @ 360x9 (3.24ghz), memory set @ 900mhz (450x2), and fsb:dram ratio @ 4:5.

 

As expected, memory bandwidth is best at 800mhz (400x2). I start experiencing some boot problems with the memory much over 900mhz if I don't raise the dram voltage. Naturally cpu performance increases as core speed increases but as fsb increases so does the memory frequency and I have to increase the dram voltage or lower it under 800mhz. Too bad this mobo won't unlink fsb:dram ratio.

I'm going to run it @ 400x8 with the memory @ 800mhz for a few days and see how it performs with a few encodes. I might end up settling here so I can get the most out of my memory. I know I can get 3.4ghz but at the expense of loss in memory performance. 3.2ghz is plenty fast.

 

Hi Guys, Just a quick question... I'm having a new PC built but without anything installed on it, ie. operating system, drivers, etc. Will it be possible to use my old Windows XP Home edition thats installed on my laptop, put onto the new rig?. Also, whats the process I have to go through when I get the new machine?, for example, do I just slap windows XP in and just install the drivers?.

 

the os that came with your laptop is most probably oem, so you may install it but will not be able to activate in your new machine; you'll be better off buying a new os. i think must of the drivers will be installed with windows but you'll need the drivers from the manufacturers of some of your installed hardware.

that's my two cents. i'm sure you're gonna get much more help from guys around here, they're the best.

Cheers!!!

 

@sheeny33

You may or may not be able to install WinXP home. It all depends on whether or not the discs provided are recovery type discs (as this is what most laptop makers do) or an actual WinXP disc.

If it is in fact a WinXP disc, I would download all the new(er) drivers for everything that is being put into the new system. For starters, Chipset (if any), graphics card, sound card, IDE/SATA drivers, etc. I would then recommend burning in your computer (stressing it) for a good 24-48hrs. With software like Sisoftware's Sandra and also use CPU-z to ensure your processor is indeed what you paid for.


All,

I'm looking to build a relatively cheap HTPC and was thinking about getting a Cedar Mill Celeron D @ 3.06GHz. (has 512KB of cache) and 1GB of DDR2-667 memory. I already have a preexisting motherboard, video card, and hard drive. Will the amount of mem and CPU be sufficient for DIVX/h.264/HD content playback at 720P/1080i resolutions?

 

This is my attempt so far, I'd like some feedback as to whether these parts will work out together or not, if you don't mind. The idea right now is to build a base right now with what money I have, and leave my options open to go SLI later. I've built a computer before, but it was 4 years ago and I really let myself get out of the loop as to what works with what, but I've been trying to get back up to speed.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
EVGA 640-P2-N825-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model

$1,349.95

And I already own the monitor, DVD-RW, keyboard and Mouse I would be using.

Am I on the right track?

 

Zoloat,
I'm not up to speed when it comes to OC'ing either so don't take my word for it. These are some of the other boards to consider because of forum reputation and friends advice from this forum and others. If I remember right Asus only has a couple options mentioned for your possible needs and eVGA has a whole herd of them. LOL.

Sorry that I can't be of more help but Mort81, Lp531 and a couple of others will definitely get you on the right track if your not already on it.

Here are some possibilities for you to consider, not that you've chosen poorly just something else to look at while the gurus get around to helping you.

An Asus option......
Asus P5N32-E
Another option by Asus.....
Asus P5W DH Deluxe
A few eVGA options.......
evga

.....gm

 

ok just got my new round ide cables. got them installed fine. so what advantage do i gain with them other than they look cool..lol

 

80 wire compared to 40 and round is better than that fat ribbon. Better air flow. ;-)

80 wire gives it the ability to transfer info quicker and more efficiently.

That's the simple version, if someone else wants to be more technical be my guest.

...gm

 

@Zoloat

Since you plan to go SLi in the future I would recommend a motherboard that has the Nvidia 680i chipset. Such as the one greensman suggested, ASUS P5N32-E. This board maintains all 16 channels for each of the graphics card when two are installed, other boards simply reduce them to 8 or less. The rest seems fine.

@cincyrob

Like greensman said, it's for better air flow. There are flat 80-pin ribbon cables as well. They are usually connected to the PATA hard drives. These cables came out when PATA drives reached speeds of 66MB/s and higher. And like greensman said there are more wires so data can be transfered at a higher rate. Just think of it as a 4 lane freeway as opposed to a 2 lane freeway. UDMA/U-ATA 66/100/133 drives all benefit from the 80 pin cables while they can also be used on CD\DVD drives as well, 40 pin cables are generally more than sufficient.

 

ok how do i know if they are 80pin or 40 pin? greensman i got the one you showed me at cooler guys. is that 80pin?
if i count the pin holes on each part of the cable thereis only 39 holes and a blank spot.. i know this sounds dumb but i am dumb to this stuff..lol

heres a link to what i got. i got 2 of them 1 for my dvd drives and 1 for my HDD.
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556017363.html

 

YOU ARE NOT DUMB!! Yes I shouted at you, but it's true. If you can do things that I can do then you can't be all dumb, just all Ohioan. LOL.

I made the same mistake. 80 wire not 80 pin. Like ddp says "Teach & Learn", we all should be doin that and if not then we are truly dumb, stupid, or just a plain DA. ;-) I know just enough to look stupid myself so just keep learning and you'll pass all your peers. LOL.

.....gm

 

Allright, thanks for the help. I decided to go with EVGA 122-CK-NF68-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard. I'm not really sure that it's the best choice, but the user feedback on the other ones (particularly that ASUS P5N32-E)were pretty bad and it's only about 20 dollars more.