PC building advice.

[Delias]

Alright, so with my laptop falling apart and my old PC not really up to snuff, I've decided to order some parts and put my own together. Over the course of my computing, I've repaired or replaced just about every part in a desktop... but I've never installed a motherboard and processor. I am confident I can figure it out, but I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone with experience doing it themselves has any advice to offer on the subject.

Thanks? Uh, thanks to anyone who replies in a helpful manner.

[No Gnomes Is Good News]

Alright, so with my laptop falling apart and my old PC not really up to snuff, I've decided to order some parts and put my own together. Over the course of my computing, I've repaired or replaced just about every part in a desktop... but I've never installed a motherboard and processor. I am confident I can figure it out, but I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone with experience doing it themselves has any advice to offer on the subject.

Thanks? Uh, thanks to anyone who replies in a helpful manner.


Make sure you get a motherboard and processor with compatible sockets...

Building one is fairly easy for the most part, just make sure everything you get is compatible with the motherboard.

IE: Buy a processor first, then build around that since it will determine what type of motherboard you need. After that, go into things like RAM, Video/Sound cards and the other things.

[Delias]

Make sure you get a motherboard and processor with compatible sockets...

Building one is fairly easy for the most part, just make sure everything you get is compatible with the motherboard.

IE: Buy a processor first, then build around that since it will determine what type of motherboard you need. After that, go into things like RAM, Video/Sound cards and the other things.

Well I've already checked all the compatibility and such. Not really worried about that... but thanks.

[Bobmuhthol]

So you're just afraid that you aren't going to know how to screw in a motherboard or seat a processor? The internet can't teach you how to recognize when tab A fits just right with slot B.

And FFS do not fuck up the thermal paste.

[Delias]

So you're just afraid that you aren't going to know how to screw in a motherboard or seat a processor? The internet can't teach you how to recognize when tab A fits just right with slot B.

And FFS do not fuck up the thermal paste.

I prefer to over-research and over-prepare than to find myself lacking when the time comes to actually do something.

[NocturnalRob]

The internet can't teach you how to recognize when tab A fits just right with slot B.
Sex can.

[Delias]

Sex can.

It can teach you that there are slots and tabs. Figuring out the correct correlation is the fun part. (Hint: there is no wrong slot.)

[Dugoar]

One thing I can really recommend that often gets over looked is some sort of protection against ESD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge). It's really a good idea even if you are only replacing one part in your PC.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005

[4a6c1]

You should check out my thread. Alot of useful stuff there. Notice the first post where I say 'I dont want to build one' and then the pages upon pages of techy badasses talking about building a pc and telling me I should build a pc.

[Tgo01]

You should check out my thread. Alot of useful stuff there. Notice the first post where I say 'I dont want to build one' and then the pages upon pages of techy badasses talking about building a pc and telling me I should build a pc.

Did you build a pc?

[NocturnalRob]

Did you build a pc?
If you didn't, you should.

[4a6c1]

LOL nooooooo.

I ended up buying an Asus laptop but did consider it for a bit thanks to them. I figured if I built one it would need alot of room to be messy and have things sticking out all over the place. Once I decided a laptop was necessary my dreams of experimental mechanics went out the window.

[g++]

Unpack the case first and throw the dividers in. If you dont put the little brass\copper screws that come with your case in before installing your mother board you will fry everything and likely shock the shit out of yourself. This is the biggest source of "Oh fuck why did I try to do this myself stories". Read your mobo manuals installation instructions several times over. Install the cpu, this is way easier than it sounds. Make sure to keep your fingers off the gold pins use a flash card to smooth over the thermal paste, its one of those things where too much is not really possible just use most of a tube if you cant figure out how much is good. If you can see about a cm of thickness in the block of thermal paste you made with the flash card your done. Put the heat sink on, most of them just snap in. Throw the ram in, hook your case up to the motherboard. Throw your cards in and screw in a power supply. Just buy a power supply that blows the requirements on your equipment away. If you have an i7 with a good graphic card just get 750-1000 watts. Check to make sure all your switchs and jumpers on the mobo are factory default and dont install unnecessary cards until after you have configured the bios. Plug it up and hit the switch. If it works install an OS and then power down. Open the case back up and zip ties all the cords together out of the way of the airflow of the fans. If not start trouble shooting from the beeps.

[Cephalopod]

LICK THE THERMAL PASTE, IT TASTES GOOD.

[Delias]

LICK THE THERMAL PASTE, IT TASTES GOOD.

Way ahead of you.

[NocturnalRob]

Way ahead of you.
So you're saying Nachos is behind you? What's going on back there?

[Delias]

So you're saying Nachos is behind you? What's going on back there?

I don't know yet, but I am rapidly becoming concerned.

[NocturnalRob]

I am rapidly becoming concerned.
I'm sure he'll rapidly becoming too.

What?

[Drakefang]

It can teach you that there are slots and tabs. Figuring out the correct correlation is the fun part. (Hint: there is no wrong slot.)


I don't know yet, but I am rapidly becoming concerned.

WTF for? You just said, there is no wrong slot for sex. If anything, you should be welcoming the rapidly approaching Nachos.

[Delias]

WTF for? You just said, there is no wrong slot for sex. If anything, you should be welcoming the rapidly approaching Nachos.

No wrong slot when the tab belongs to me... I guess I didn't consider that I needed to specify that.

[Tgo01]

No wrong slot when the tab belongs to me... I guess I didn't consider that I needed to specify that.

So you should be behind Nachos then?

[Cephalopod]

I'm apparently getting a lot of action in this thread.

[NocturnalRob]

So you should be behind Nachos then?
Then he's the one licking the thermal paste?

[Delias]

I feel as confused as if I'd gone back in time and became my own grandfather.

[Delias]

And done. That was fucking easy. Parts arrived about 5:30, had everything done by 7:30. It actually feels sort of anticlimactic... everything was so retardedly easy I sort of wonder why I haven't done this sooner.

[pabstblueribbon]

And done. That was fucking easy. Parts arrived about 5:30, had everything done by 7:30. It actually feels sort of anticlimactic... everything was so retardedly easy I sort of wonder why I haven't done this sooner.

Specs?

Also. Two post special. Frown: cancelled flight. I hate being in Chicago. The end.

[Delias]

Specs?

Also. Two post special. Frown: cancelled flight. I hate being in Chicago. The end.

Trying to build it on the cheap, it's running an AMD phenom II x4.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103921&cm_re=phenom_2-_-19-103-921-_-Product

and this board http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131619

with 4gb of memory at the moment. The HD and optical are stolen from other, lesser computers. Next month I'll pick up a nice video card for it and the month after that maybe a blu-ray burner.

Thus far I've got about 250 bucks into it... which isn't bad for something that will blow away my outdated desktop and perform better than my laptop.

[pabstblueribbon]

I approve. I think. One of the links was broken.

[Stanley Burrell]

Alright, so with my laptop falling apart and my old PC not really up to snuff, I've decided to order some parts and put my own together. Over the course of my computing, I've repaired or replaced just about every part in a desktop... but I've never installed a motherboard and processor. I am confident I can figure it out, but I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone with experience doing it themselves has any advice to offer on the subject.

Thanks? Uh, thanks to anyone who replies in a helpful manner.

Shielding for the MB sometimes doesn't mean your shield. Against electrical current. If your compy is 1 and not 0 when tinkering, be careful. I think you can use just about any makeshift grounding object, but I also think it's been a decade or so since fucking around. And also fucking around with a live MB. So you must don the rubber chicken suit.

[Delias]

Shielding for the MB sometimes doesn't mean your shield. Against electrical current. If your compy is 1 and not 0 when tinkering, be careful. I think you can use just about any makeshift grounding object, but I also think it's been a decade or so since fucking around. And also fucking around with a live MB. So you must don the rubber chicken suit.

I want you to know that I've been monitoring your posts, and I think your mixture is moving more towards the crazy. Not that I'm concerned, I just want you to know, I care about your health.

[Stanley Burrell]

I want you to know that I've been monitoring your posts, and I think your mixture is moving more towards the crazy. Not that I'm concerned, I just want you to know, I care about your health.

Oh. Well if you're cracking open a computer and going to be doing anything motherboard-related while your compy is still on, some protective plates, iirc (and definitely the motherboard) will carry electrical current.

You can do one-handed crap and use other stuff to ground yourself, so that you don't become Raiden. But there's probably a lot of failsafe insulation from when I last messed around with completely live wire motherboards vs. now.

[Delias]

Oh. Well if you're cracking open a computer and going to be doing anything motherboard-related while your compy is still on, some protective plates, iirc (and definitely the motherboard) will carry electrical current.

You can do one-handed crap and use other stuff to ground yourself, so that you don't become Raiden. But there's probably a lot of failsafe insulation from when I last messed around with completely live wire motherboards vs. now.

I usually turn electronics off before I try to manipulate their circuitry. I suppose there may be reasons not to, but none that anyone as unsophisticated as I am should be heeding.

[Stanley Burrell]

I usually turn electronics off before I try to manipulate their circuitry. I suppose there may be reasons not to, but none that anyone as unsophisticated as I am should be heeding.

Heh.

Well, if you think about, you could add some of that polycloth to your MOD shielding so that the micrometeoroid fragments can have more (sustained, remember) impacts on the exterior of the low orbit space vessel without causing any damage to the hull or inner clusters, but I'll be damned if the brains at NASA are going to give you something better to work with during that time.

[Delias]

Heh.

Well, if you think about, you could add some of that polycloth to your MOD shielding so that the micrometeoroid fragments can have more (sustained, remember) impacts on the exterior of the low orbit space vessel without causing any damage to the hull or inner clusters, but I'll be damned if the brains at NASA are going to give you something better to work with during that time.

NASA's always trying to screw me. I'm thinking of going over to Virgin Galactic and seeing what I can do for the private space sector.

[Stanley Burrell]

Good luck. And remember the three buttcheek rule.

[Delias]

Good luck. And remember the three buttcheek rule.

Always.

[Stanley Burrell]

Cadet. Dismissed.

[Delias]

Still trying to decide on a new video card, not looking to spend much more than a hundred bucks or so. The current specs are like four or five posts up from this one. Any recommendations?

[sst]

I highly recommended this site http://pcpartpicker.com/

It helps with both getting the best deals, and since most are sold on newegg you can read up on the reviews there

also if you go to reddit http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/ post your specs in the subreddit and the guys there will help you out

[AnticorRifling]

Make sure you buy 2 video cards, prepare for the first one to fail. Cross thread blammo.

[Delias]

Make sure you buy 2 video cards, prepare for the first one to fail. Cross thread blammo.

I knew it would be someone... but I honestly didn't expect it to be you. I should have prepared for you to fail.

[AnticorRifling]

LOL how the hell would you not expect it to be me? YOU PLAN FOR ALL THINGS UNEXPECTED. I expect you to send me an apology for this, yesterday.

[Delias]

LOL how the hell would you not expect it to be me? YOU PLAN FOR ALL THINGS UNEXPECTED. I expect you to send me an apology for this, yesterday.

I try to plan for them, yes, but as I believe I've stated, I'm fallible.

[NocturnalRob]

Make sure you buy 2 video cards, prepare for the first one to fail. Cross thread blammo.
I think it's sad you only have 4 friends :(

http://www.maclife.com/files/u286882/mr.blammo.jpg

[AnticorRifling]

I read that as fappable, threw up in my mouth, and then laughed at everything posted today. All is well.

[AnticorRifling]

I think it's sad you only have 4 friends :(

http://www.maclife.com/files/u286882/mr.blammo.jpg

3 more than I thought I had! Upgrading my life journal status from suicide likely to suicide kind of likely.

[Tgo01]

3 more than I thought I had! Upgrading my life journal status from suicide likely to suicide kind of likely.

Good to see you're planning for it ahead of time. Have you already notified your next of kin?