building a comp

[nugz420]

Ok my computer is about dead But i just ordered a new mobo cpu harddrive case memory fans os ,but plan to use my old video and sound cards,also my cd rom drives.

I was just wondering how hard its gonna be to throw all this shit together to make my new comp. Anyone know?

I have done shit like upgrading video cards memory cd drives but thats it.


woot bye bye amd athlon 850 with 320 mb pc 133 ram.Hello P4 2.6 ghz 800mhz fsb 512mb ddr 3200 ram

[Lexxuk]

dont do it, i've spent all day fiddlin with just my mobo/cpu/ram, and I HATE COMPUTERS WITH A PASSION!! (ok, so this would be the 4th or 6th time I'd built one, the other times goin perfect, its Intel's way of tellin me "dont go AMD, dont go AMD!" :(

/me kicks stupid puter for not working

[MindMaze]

It's really not that hard. If you know for sure that all the parts are compatible with each other(e.g. mobo compatible with ram), then it's all about putting it together. Make sure to read your mobo's manual to make sure you don't have to change anything on the board itself. After you've done this, you need to load up DOS and run Fdisk to format the harddrive and make a partition on it. After that, it's pretty much just installing OS and you're done.

I don't know if Intel systems are the same as AMD systems, but for me that's all I had to do (AMD Athlon XP system).
Well, good luck if you decide to do it :)

[Glok]

Putting a computer together is as easy as playing with legos. You just gotta know what goes where and snap it in. It's when a part is DOA that gives you problems...

[nugz420]

cool sounds like it should be pretty simple.Will the mobo come with a guide to run fdisk and set up a partitian,or will i need to look online to figure this part out?All the componets besides my souncard video card and CD rom will be new,so i will have all the documentation for them.

I hope its as easy as it sounds and should make a hell of a upgrade from what i currently use.

Thnx for the info given so far guys.Makes me happy it sounds as easy as i figured it would be, after upgrading what i have on my comp.

[ElfinLord]

Which OS are you going to use?

When I built my system I used WinXP Pro and it had it's own partitioner, so I didn't need to use DOS to partition my drive.:D

And, yeah, it's pretty simple as long as everything is compatible. My only frustration when I built my system was that the RAM I bought was bad.:(

Anyway, good luck. It's a hella fun. I am planning on building a new puter and giving this one to my GF. :) Or just for the fun of it and to have two, I already gave my GF my old one.

[nugz420]

Os is xp home as I was on a budget couldn't dish out the extra 60 for pro :(.Hope xp home has the feature you were talking about im so siked. I cant wait to have a semi uptodate computer again.

[IceStorm]

Hardest parts of building a new PC, I find:


Installing RAM
installing the ATX I/O shield
Installing the board so that it properly mates with the ATX I/O shield
Mounting the Heatsink/Fan assembly


Your best bet is to install both the P4 CPU and the RAM before installing the motherboard into the case. RAM, especially on new motheboards, can be very difficult to install. It's best to press down on the RAM from above and brace the board with your hand underneath. The CPU should require no pressure, but due to the number and size of pins, you want to install it where it's easiest to drop it in, eyeball it to make sure it's level, then lock it in place.

Installing the ATX I/O shield is a pain because all four edges have to clip into place in the space provided. Usually three of the four make it, and the fourth is stubborn and is pushed out a bit. Make absolutely sure the shield is properly installed flush with the inside of the case or the mobo won't mount properly.

Mounting the board is a pain because the ATX I/O shield has fingers which need to touch the sides of the motherboard ports which go through the shield. It's very easy to get the fingers for the USB and LAN ports stuck INSIDE the mobo ports instead of alongside the ports. Also, the parallel and serial ports have screw posts which typically get stuck on an edge of the shield. Easiest way I find to get a board installed is to angle it in, make sure the fingers for the USB and LAN ports are not in the ports themselves, then level out the board, press it up against the shield, check to ensure all the screwposts are through, then install one screw to mount the board and stop the shield from pushing it out of alignment with the mounting posts.

Once the board is in, don't start by tightening down the first board mounting screw. Install all the screws loose-fitting, then tighten them down. You might even want to install your vid card and a PCI card before tightening down the board, just to see that the board's aligned properly, but remove the cards before installing the Heatsink/Fan assembly (HSF). Doing it this way lets you "float" the board in the case and correct its position relative to your PCI and AGP cards before binding it down to the mobo tray.

The retail HSF for a Socket 478 P4 has four tabs, one at the bottom of each arm of the plastic cage holding the metal heatsink. These four tabs lock into four holes on the board's HSF bracket - one at each corner. You may have to flex the arms apart to get them to clip into the holes on the bracket. Once installed, make sure the metal heatsink is sitting flush against the CPU - you don't want it on an angle, which can happen if it catches on an edge of the bracket. Once you've made sure the metal block is flush against the CPU, lock the arms of the HSF assembly into place one at a time. Last I checked, the HSF is supposed to be locked in place only after the board is properly mounted and the mounting screws tighened down. The HSF assembly will bend the motherboard - this is ok, it's supposd to be like that.

Good luck. :-)