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Geek Culture / New Computer Help

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Bozzy
18
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Joined: 10th Sep 2006
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posted: 1st Oct 2008 22:32
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Hi,

For Christmas this year, I'm going to get a new computer. I'm going to try something that I haven't done before. I'm attempting to build my own.

Here's some things I had in mind:

Case: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143852
Motherboard: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142919
Memory: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146769
Hard Drive: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143288
Monitor: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132115
Keyboard/Mouse: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/120403
Processor: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148544
Graphics Card: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148018
Sound Card: Do I need one of these?

1. Are there any other things that I need to get?
2. This will last me for a good couple of years right?

Thanks,
Rich Bosworth
(Bozzy)

"I'm a firm believer that if a team scores one goal, then the other has to score two to win."
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mamaji4
21
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Posted: 1st Oct 2008 23:24
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Don't scrounge on Memory. I always assemble my own pc and always scrounge on memory, and repent later on.
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Bozzy
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Location: Birmingham, UK
Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 00:02
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What does that mean, sorry?

"I'm a firm believer that if a team scores one goal, then the other has to score two to win."
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Big Man
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Joined: 4th Feb 2005
Location: BEHIND YOU!!!! (but I live in England)
Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 00:22 Edited at: 2nd Oct 2008 00:22
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Quote: "Don't scrounge on Memory. I always assemble my own pc and always scrounge on memory, and repent later on. "

He is saying make sure you get plenty of memory...however I think 4gb is more than enough so dont change a thing.

Are you perhaps made of money?

Cheers
BM

Our aim is to keep the loo's clean, your aim can help.
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Sasuke
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Location: Milton Keynes UK
Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 01:11
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I have a very similar system, one thing I'll say is that's alot of power wasted on a small screen. I am curenlty using the Samsung 226CW which is a highly recomended screen around gamers and just looks amazing, it will cost a bit more but its worth.

A dream is a fantasy, if you achieve that fantasy it was never a dream to begin with.
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Phaelax
DBPro Master
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Location: Metropia
Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 18:13
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That HyperX memory is suppose to be pretty darn good I hear.

I have no advice on the GFX card, I've never even heard of a GTX280.

Quote: "Sound Card: Do I need one of these?"

Depends how picky you are and if you plan to do more than just hook up some simple computer speakers. Onboard audio has come a long way since the 90s, most people will be just fine. Personally, I prefer having a dedicated Audigy card in mine.

As for the case, it's simply hideous.


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mamaji4
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Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 18:48
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Quote: "Are you perhaps made of money?"


Yeah, if you want to get rid of your previous 'outdated' system, just drop me a line. I need to get rid of my blazing Celeron 400 with 96MB ram.

Also you need plenty of juice for that baby. I don't see any mention of a power supply. Get an Antec. They have the quietest supplies.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 22:11
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Quote: "Get an Antec. They have the quietest supplies. "


SeaSonic, who makes Antec PSUs, make the quietest in my experience. At least that's what the reviews said so I bought one and I can't even tell when my computer is on or off, it's great!


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Veron
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Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 22:15
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Quote: "I have no advice on the GFX card, I've never even heard of a GTX280."


Haha, it's the latest card from nVidia, it'll chew anything up in its path. They also released one with a lower clock speed I think - the GTX260.
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 22:20
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I like the case, it looks like something out of Star Trek or StarGate .

Everything else looks good too. But yeah, I would recommend a sound card.

Yodaman Jer

That guy with no idea of what to say here. Except that he is a geek, and likes cheese. And pickles. But mostly cheese.
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mamaji4
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Posted: 2nd Oct 2008 22:24 Edited at: 3rd Oct 2008 23:15
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Some hard lessons I learnt.

1) Never test an SMPS on no load. I fried a good one because I couldn't figure out whether the motherboard caps were bleeding or the power supply was acting up.

2) Earth yourself properly before you touch any MOS devices. You can generate 40KV of static. Enough to blow any processor core.

3) If the machine doesn't boot after a long period of dis-use the BIOS battery could be to blame. Just because it shows 3 volts doesn't mean all is fine. Check the current output with a multi-meter to make sure the battery isn't dead.

4) Don't try doing any work even on Electrolytic caps unless you're experienced at de-soldering, or you'll just strip the tracks off with the cap leads. Better to cut off the leads and re-solder the new cap to the old legs.

5) And never, never open up an SMPS unless you know how to discharge the caps. It can KILL you.

6) If you have a 3 phase AC supply then make sure your PC is on a phase that doesn't have any inductive loads like a washing machine or a refrigerator, because these loads generate current spikes every time they switch on and off, and that can fry your PC

7) Use a spike-guard against transients. Check the spike guard output with a voltmeter and make sure it gives out the voltages written on the tin, within tolerance limits.

8) When rigging up, do a minimal test(on some kind of insulator so that the motherboard tracks don't short out) with SMPS, motherboard, cpu, and one stick of ram. If it boots and you get a single short beep then add on other components after inserting in the case. If you get multiple beeps or no beep at all or an extended long beep, check for the BIOS manufacturers audio error code chart to see where the problem is.

9) When cleaning up the cpu fan don't use a blower. Either use a hand pump or a can of compressed air. The blower not only generates static, it rotates the fan blades in the opposite direction and can damage the fan motor.

10) If you live near the sea you'll see a lot of contact corrosion. I often have to clean out my RAM contacts with an eraser and the "RAM NOT PRESENT" audio error goes away.
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mamaji4
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Posted: 3rd Oct 2008 00:26
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I'll add some more tips as I remember them...
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Phaelax
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Posted: 3rd Oct 2008 10:20 Edited at: 3rd Oct 2008 10:29
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You probably want to try and get a PSU with active PFC, should be pretty common these days.

Here's the PSU I'm using (costs way less now), I can't hear a thing from this unit!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151033


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mamaji4
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Posted: 3rd Oct 2008 16:23 Edited at: 3rd Oct 2008 16:31
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In my experience people totally underestimate the value of a good cabinet and Power supply.
A quality cabinet will make sure the least amount of mechanical vibrations are transmitted to the components, like the HDD.
It also has to have proper air circulation to keep the Joule heating of the components down. A badly ventilated cabinet can reduce component life.

The power supply starts at the main switchboard as AC and finally terminates as DC at the motherboard inputs. In between a lot of things can go wrong. The life of your Pc components depends on how clean the power is that they are recieiving.
Although the SMPS has a lot of protection you have to make sure your AC line has no stray voltages running on them.
It is preferable to take a dedicated ground line from the switchboard right upto the AC outlet to avoid any ground loops. Make sure there aren't too many loads running in parallel on the same phase as your PC. Try to keep the PC wiring in a separate casing so there are no stray pickups from the other AC loads in the premises.
I often check my neutral for stray voltages, because this can create erroneous potentials appear across the SMPS input. I had to take a dedicated neutral line from the switchboard upto the PC to avoid this once, because there were several loops on the neutral line, for all the other loads.

All power supplies aren't created equal. A cheap 500W supply won't give you the rated output on full load. A good one will.
Also its important that you get at least 18-20 Amps on the 12V rails to take care of any future expansion. Not enough current output and you have a flaky pc.
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 3rd Oct 2008 21:24
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I've blown two cheap power supplies and I've also used a very cheap metal case for the past five years and so far only two things have gone wrong:

The onboard sound crackles sometimes; fixed using a PCI expansion sound card.
The thermal paste has gone naff and I can't get the heatsink off so the side has to be off the case to use it.

Whilst it's true that your advice will prolong the life of a computer in theory, it doesn't seem to have made much difference here. I live in an area where the power supply is very unstable and have few problems.

Should I continue coding or focus on my art? Vote here:
http://www.polldaddy.com/p/953461/
NeX, the creator of a billion failed projects.
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mamaji4
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Posted: 3rd Oct 2008 22:45
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Quote: "I live in an area where the power supply is very unstable and have few problems."


You could probably use a UPS or a voltage stabilizer, because the spike buster will only take care of transients not the low frequency voltage fluctuations.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 6th Oct 2008 18:04
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Quote: "In my experience people totally underestimate the value of a good cabinet and Power supply."


Glad I'm not alone. The last case I bought was an Antec P180, at around $150 I never thought I'd spend that much on a case. All I got to say is it was worth it. Great airflow, great design, and not to mention the silicone grommets for every harddrive screw. Totally silent, no vibrations.


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Slow Programmer
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Location: USA, Tennessee
Posted: 6th Oct 2008 20:52
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Your going to need an operating system...Linux is free, but limited by the commercial programs available. Vista or XP are probably the best options.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 6th Oct 2008 21:17
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Quote: "Vista or XP are probably the best options."


Please tell me you did NOT just say vista would be the best solution


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bitJericho
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Posted: 6th Oct 2008 21:28
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Quote: "Please tell me you did NOT just say vista would be the best solution"


Vista > XP < Linux


It's not just for BYOND you know!
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NeX the Fairly Fast Ferret
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Posted: 6th Oct 2008 21:29
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I agree, but please don't start this again.

Should I continue coding or focus on my art? Vote here:
http://www.polldaddy.com/p/953461/
NeX, the creator of a billion failed projects.
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