Need help building computer...

[Guest]

I am using the following hardware.

Motherboard - Asus A7V - $146
CPU - AMD Thunderbird 1 GHz - $282
Hard Drive - IBM 45.0 GB, 7200RPM - $197
Sound Card - SoundBlaster Live! Value PCI - $47.90
Modem - 3Com 56k V.90 PCI Performance Pro FaxModem - $67.50
3½ - Panasonic 1.44MB Floppy Drive - $13.90
CD-ROM - Aopen CD952E 52x EIDE Internal CD-ROM - $37
Burner - Plextor 12x10x32 - $235
Monitor - ViewSonic 19” PF790 .25 - $426
Speakers - Altec Lansing ACS45.2 Speakers - $58.00
Mouse - Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer Optical - $59.00
Keyboard - Microsoft Natural Elite Keyboard V2.0 - $32.00
Video Card - Creative GeForce 2 GTS 32MB - $221.99
Memory - Crucial 128 Meg PC133 SDRAM - $91.79
Case - Addtronics 6890A, Full Tower - $134.00
Heatsink - Alpha Pal6035 Ultra Kit w/ Delta 38cfm Fan - $31
Thermal Compound - Arctic Silver Thermal Compound - $14

Any suggestions on hardware?

If anyone who has built a similar system, how did you do it?

 

[rcf84]

im answering this in order

1. go for abit kt7 raid -around same price
2. cpu ok
3. harddisk good
4. go for sb mp3+ 5.1 (want your games to sound good) - $100
5. modem ok (might want to go for ethernet card(cable, isdn, cable instead))
6. floppy ok
7. go for dvd - Creative Labs 5x(32x cd) dvd ($50)
8. burner is ok- might go scsi
9. monitor ok
10. speaker ok
11. mouse ok
12. keyboard ok
13. video card ok for games - radeon if you dvd and picute quality
14. go for 2 stick of 128mb - ram is cheap even go for 386mb
15. case ok
16. fan ok - maybe go for silver orbs
17. compound ok

i hoped i helped you

 

[Guest]

I am content with my hardware. I think I am going to go DVD though. Will I need a DVD decoder card? I really need help installing the heatsink and setting up the computer after the hardware is assembled. I am OK with the hardware.

 

[yoda271828]

Definately go with a DVD drive. The price difference is practically nil. You don't need any hardware DVD decoder, with a processor that fast a software decoder will do fine.

As for that heatsink, all I can say is be <b>very</b> careful. Those AMD chips are fragile.

Setting up the OS and software is easy (I'm assuming it's win98/ME/2k). Microsoft made it so that any idiot could do it, so anyone that reads this forum would have no problem. After the OS is installed you might have to install some drivers though. You just right click on my computer and select properties. Then just select the hardware that isn't working properly and re-install the driver from your driver disk (or download the latest driver from the website). It's all pretty cut and dry. I re-install my OS every three months, so that my system doesn't get slow and bloated with crap.

 

[Guest]

OK, but what about setting up BIOS, and the fdisk and formatting procedures?

 

[mpjesse]

Don't let anyone tell you that heatsink sucks- it's the best man. Screw the Chrome Orb, that thing blows (hehe, literaly). Anyways, that's a tight system. Go for a little more RAM, like 256 megs though.

-MP Jesse

 

[mpjesse]

Oh yeah, you don't need a decoder card like that one guy said. I have software DVD decoding on an Athlon 700 and it runs great. Looks just as good as hardware decoding.

-MP Jesse

 

[yoda271828]

You shouldn't have to do anything with the BIOS settings, and if you do then just read the Motherboard manual. It will tell you what every setting does.

As for fdisk just follow the following instructions:

1. Make a boot disk on your current computer: Go to 'Add/Remove programs' in the 'Control Panel'. Then Click on the tab that says 'Startup Disk', and then hit 'Create Disk'. Voila.

2. Starting your computer with the boot disk: Once you have you new computer together, start it with your boot disk in the floppy drive (you may need to go into the BIOS to set the boot sequence to A:, CD-ROM, C.

3. Using fdisk: Now once a DOS prompt comes up type 'fdisk'. You may get a screen asking you if you want to use FAT32. If you are going to be using Win98 then say yes. Choose 1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive, then 1. Create Primary DOS Partition, then it will check your drive integrity, then asks you if you want to use the whole drive and you say yes, and finally it will check drive integrity again. fdisk will now create a partition, then you exit and restart your computer with the boot disk still in.

4. Formatting: Once you get to the DOS prompt again, type 'format c:'. That's it. Take the boot disk out, put your windows CD in and restart your computer. Now your ready to install the OS. It should boot right off the CD and start the setup.

Once you do it you'll see it's really not that hard. Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Great, that explanation makes it very clear. Other people said to use 'format c:/s' though? What's the difference?

 

[BrianL]

the /s command puts the system files on the hdrive to make it bootable.

 

[yoda271828]

Yeah, like BrianL said the /s will copy the files needed to start the computer to your hard drive (the system files). These are basically the same files as are on your boot disk. Infact another way to make a boot disk is to format a floppy with the /s extension: 'format a: /s' (This won't put CD-ROM drivers on the floppy disk though, so don't use it). If your installing your OS right away there's no real reason to use the /s. I never use it and have had no problems, but either way will work fine.