The Official PC building thread!

so id like tv out and tv tuner and a 256mb video card i also prefer nvidia but it isnt a must.. what do you recomend?

 

hi

what is the physical difference between unbuffered, and registered memory, and ECC memory?

Would appreciate response.

Thank You

 

most of the nvidia cards i looked at had tv out (s-video). go to the windows xp page to see which ones are compatible w/ win xp media edition. assumiming you want to run that at some point lol. (sorry i don't have the link yet. i just installed it and haven't finished restoring all the stuff yet )

 

hello

how do i setup dual channel memory?
I only bought on Corsair 1GB PC3200 of RAM, but i would eventually like to use dual channel.

The Mobo I am using is an ABIT AN8.

 

hello

how do i setup dual channel memory?
I only bought on Corsair 1GB PC3200 of RAM, but i would eventually like to use dual channel.

The Mobo I am using is an ABIT AN8.

would i put both the ram in the same colored DIMM, or each one in a different colored DIMM?

I have been getting different reposnes, so I just want to confirm.

Thank You

 

thanks for the help guys

on my Abit AN8 Mobo, I am still undecided on where to connect the fans.

I am having trouble deciding which fan to connect to SYSFAN1, AUXFAN1, and NBFAN1.

now a next quesrion
when connecting the IEEE, there are two ways you can connect, on is by header, and the other is one by one on to the mother board. Which one should I use?

Thank You

 

No issues yet. I have an old WD 20 and it's still going strong after 5 years. I like them.

For the dual channel thing I have two colors but they are staggered. Blue, black, blue, black. The manual says to use the same color for dual channel. Mine just puts some space in between.

Later,
Joe

 

Hi


Is there a way to control fan speed?
I am pretty happy with the cooling in my new computer that i have just built, but I would like my system fan to opreate a little faster.

Thank You

 

there are usually programs that come w/ your mb that let you monitor fan speed(if you have them connected to the mb risers). some will let you set speed.

 

You could also pick up a fan controller that mounts in an empty drive bay and use a dial to control all the fans in the box. Try Newegg.com to see if they have anything.

Later,
Joe

 

Building a new computer, have a question about cooling. Is it best to have the rear case fan blowing into the case or blowing air out of the case?

 

adamryer,

Little tip for the NEC 3520A. It's a really slow reader. Go to cdfreaks.com and look for dee's firmware with riplock removed. I use version 1U8. Doubled the read speed. Works great for me.

Later,
Joe

 

hey thanks merlin112. and thanks ddp for the fan tip. Im building my first computer and things are going pretty well so far. Just needed some help on fan details because i really want my comp to run as cool as possible. I think altogether i will have 10 fans running!

 

Ok I have been doin some research/planing and I am about ready to build. Im looking to spend about 800-1200 (LCD is gonna force me to the higher end) So let me know what you think.. and if you have any suggestions let me know!

I will be using this for a little bit of everything, definantly some gaming, and also a little photoshop type stuff.

[bold]MOBO:][/bold]
ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
$144
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131524
I have heard there is trouble with the fans on this chipset.. should it be upgraded from the start?

[bold]CPU:[/bold]
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Winchester Integrated into Chip FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103502
$190
considered going to the 3500+ for $267 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103514
But the 3200+ seemd like a good way to save a lil money.

[bold]RAM:[/bold]
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
$79.99
Thinking of doubling this right off the back...

[bold]Video Card:[/bold]
XFX PVT45GUDF3 Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150091
$299 (with rebate if I get by tomorrow)

[bold]Case/PSU:[/bold]
Im a little unsure here cause i see a lot of like $70case/psu combos.. so are the psu's in there no good? depending what response i may have to change this.
Rosewill TU-155 Black Steel/Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811147001
$52.99

[bold]Monitor:[/bold]
DELL
UltraSharp 1704FPT 17-inch Flat Panel LCD
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...ry_id=210&first=true&page=productlisting.aspx
$247

[bold]Keyboard/mouse:[/bold]
Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 700
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=211106&ps=ho5
$63
Why are bluetooth ones so much more expensive?

Then I want a dvd drive/burner but just a decent cheap enough one.. any suggestions here?

Do I need to upgrade the heatsink, add more fans, or use a RAM Heatsink???? What ones should I use?

A $10 black sony floppy, using the onboard sound, also have an older soundblaster card. Have a 160GB Seagate already as well.


Thanks in advance to anyone who actually takes the time to really look this over and tell me what you think and add some suggestions!

 

I recommend getting the XMS memory from Corsair.

As for a DVD burner, you can try Emprex, it is around 30- 40 dollars cheaper than the other high name brands.