i want to build a computer, please help

[bachxuanguyen]

hi, first of all i want to say that my english is not very good, so excuse my english , and plus that i'm a newbie

the problem is that i want to build my own computer but i don't have any ideas on how to, so i've some questions would like to ask
1, power supply: does it really matter on how much watts its supply for all the components, how can i figure out how much power it will supply throughout the motherboard and other devices
2,i was wondering that if i buy all computer parts separately and put it together, will all the devices compatible or i've to find it to be compatible, how
3,i'm not sure what's the best brands, products on the market right now, can you give me some hints. (like best motherboard, videocards, dvd-rw, .....)
4, where can i get the best deal on computer parts on the internet

and one more question: i've a 120 gb hard-drive that was taking from a new comp(the new computer got smash badly by a dumbell), how can i open all the files in that hard-drive without formatting it. I've some really importants stuff in there. NO, it's not xxx

 

[samuelhii_mei]

1.power supply really matter !! you can find the voltage by the sticker on the power supply!!
2.as well as your comp works smooth, it is compatible!(it is better for you to list out all the device here before doing anything)
3.no stuff is best brand!! how much is your budget, this limited the hardware you purchased!
4.www.newegg.com, you can try this!!! cheap!! belivable!!

 

[Praetor]

power supply: does it really matter on how much watts its supply for all the components, how can I figure out how much power it will supply throughout the motherboard and other devices

If you geta 400W+ PSU from a reputable maker you should be ok

i was wondering that if I buy all computer parts separately and put it together, will all the devices compatible or i've to find it to be compatible, how

What parts did you have in mind?

i'm not sure what's the best brands, products on the market right now, can you give me some hints. (like best motherboard, videocards, dvd-rw, .....)

Its hard to say that there's a "best" brand out there (because in most cases, there isnt).. There are however, some major players; dunno how useful the follwing list is:
- CPUs: AMD and Intel
- MOBOS: ABIT, ASUS, DFI, GIGABYTE, MSI, SOLTEK
- RAM: Corsair, Crucial, Kingmax, Kingston, Micron, Mushkin, OCz, PQI, Samsung
- HDD: IBM/Hitatchi, Maxtor, Samsung, Seagate, Western Digital
- OPTICAL: ASUS, LiteOn, Pioneer, Plextor
- VIDEO: ATi and nVidia

where can I get the best deal on computer parts on the internet

Newegg is apparently really good for prices and such

i've a 120 gb hard-drive that was taking from a new comp(the new computer got smash badly by a dumbell), how can I open all the files in that hard-drive without formatting it. I've some really importants stuff in there.

Uninstall it and plug it into the new computer. You might have to manage master/slave issues if you cant detect the drive or something

 

[samuelhii_mei]

it is better for you to detect it as a salve !! the driver inside maybe not compatible with the new device!! in that case you are in big trouble!!you may have to format your disk!

 

[Verrona]

http://www.planetmicro.co.uk

This is the place for building any pc!! Cheap and very good parts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Also its British!

 

[bachxuanguyen]

Chieftec case with usb, firewire, clear side panel, exaust fan
CPU: any AMD athlon 64 process over 3000+
VIdeo card: i'm still thinking about Radeon, but not sure which one
Mother board: i'm thinking of ASUS brand, but i'm struggling with SOCKETS, i want it to come with every realllllly goood like firewire, usb..... (btw what's MHz)
DVD-cd burner..., cards reader
any prices that is less than <$2000
btw, how do i connect all Harddrive together, and use it as one without accessing to each one. Like the one Praetor did, can you tell me how to do that

Thanks guy, great forum with quick responds

 

[sunchild]

to connect the second hard drive, you need to set the "jumper settings" of the second harddrive to be a "slave", as the first is the "master". to do that, look at where you connect your harddrive, and there should be a little thing that you can pull out. set it to be in the "slave" positition. its different with each brand of harddrives. There should be a diagram on the harddrive itself, so maybe take a look.

 

[samuelhii_mei]

asus K8N-E Deluxe*( nvidia nforce 3 chipset)this a a great one to be your choice!
it is about 129$ in www.newegg.com
you can get another one about 112 at http://www.dumpinggoods.com/dumpinggoods/itemdesc.asp?CartId=12-ACCWARE-574596HAWLD72&ic=MB-ASU-0103
ati readeon 9800 pro i recommandded for gaming!it is about 345$something in newegg too!!
and a cheaper one (about 289$) in at http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=320765
(maybe other can get a cheaper one than mine!!)
what about your ram??

 

[Grimulus]

i don't have time to answer a lot of questions, but here's a good place to order from...

www.zipzoomfly.com everything is free 2nd day shipping. they are pretty cheap too.

 

[bachxuanguyen]

i've 1 card of 512mb ddr ram from the old computer(<- that comp got smashed by a dumbell)
i'm just going to get another 1gb memory stick, because i'm working with 3d art, so it requires lot of memory

so what's the difference between different kinds of sockets (socket, 754,940....)
and what's MHz have to do with the motherboard

can you explain me what's each one mean, like what's chipset, fsb..

Chipset: NVDIA nForce3 Pro150
FSB: HyperTransport
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel registered ECC DDR333 Max 8GB
IDE: 3x UltraDMA 133(1 from Promise R20378) up to 6 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Onboard SATA/RAID: Promise R20378, 2x Serial ATA, RAID 0/1/0+1
Onboard 1394: TI TSB43AB22A controller, 2x IEEE1394a

 

[bachxuanguyen]

btw, what'sthe differenet between asus k8n-e and asus a8v mobo, what does the letter represent

 

[Praetor]

asus k8n-e and asus a8v mobo, what does the letter represent

K8 = Athlon64 Socket754
A8 = Athlon64 Socket939
N = nForce3-250
V = K8T800Pro
-E = "enhanced" version ... i.e., flagship model

 

[bachxuanguyen]

bump, i'm sorry for not organizing my questions
can you reread page one, there're some question i need help on

 

[Praetor]

bump, i'm sorry for not organizing my questions

There is absolutely NO need to bump after 2hours.

can you reread page one, there're some question i need help on

I probably could. But you could probably copy-paste it as well

 

[bachxuanguyen]

btw, how do i connect all Harddrive together, and use it as one without accessing to each one. Like the one Praetor did, can you tell me how to do that

so if i install win xp, will it give me all the total of HD, or only one?
so what's the difference between different kinds of sockets (socket, 754,940....) and why?
what's MHz have to do with the motherboard?

can you explain me what's each one mean? like what's chipset, fsb..

Chipset: NVDIA nForce3 Pro150
FSB: HyperTransport
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel registered ECC DDR333 Max 8GB
IDE: 3x UltraDMA 133(1 from Promise R20378) up to 6 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Onboard SATA/RAID: Promise R20378, 2x Serial ATA, RAID 0/1/0+1
Onboard 1394: TI TSB43AB22A controller, 2x IEEE1394a
sorry for being so annoying

 

[Praetor]

Chipset: NVDIA nForce3 Pro150

A crippled implementation of the nForce3 chipset, ideal for businesses (hence the 'pro' moniker). It runs on a 600MHz HTT rather than a 800MHz HTT and doesnt support proper AGP/PCI locking (which isnt an issue really). It has since been replaced with the nForce3-250

FSB: HyperTransport

Athlon64s dont have a FSB. They have a Hypertransport. In the Socket754 incarnations the HTT runs at 800MHz (unless u have a NF3-150) and for Socket939s, they run at 1000MHz

RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel registered ECC DDR333 Max 8GB

The amount of RAM and type of RAM you can have. Odd that the board supports server-type memory

IDE: 3x UltraDMA 133(1 from Promise R20378) up to 6 Devices

The number of pATA drevices you can have. Youve got native 4 and two more from the RAID controller

Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI

Type and quantity of slots

Onboard SATA/RAID: Promise R20378, 2x Serial ATA, RAID 0/1/0+1

Youve got support for 2 SATA devices.

Onboard 1394: TI TSB43AB22A controller, 2x IEEE1394a

You've got a Texas Instruments Firewire controller (standatd) which provides 2 connectors

 

[bachxuanguyen]

so how do you access two harddrives
for an example, 120GB+120GB=240GB
in the back of the HD i don't know which one is slave and master, and i don't have the connector for it
the only thing that i know involve with slave and master is the CD driver. p
lease help me out, i want THE MAXIMUM of SPACES
and what's the con and pro of this thing above ^



edit: i did some research on amd athlon 64 3400+, but there'are several types, can you tell me the difference and which one have the best performance



AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 512k L2 Cache, The Only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - Retail
and there're other without a heatsink and fan, but the price is the same?

 

[Praetor]

so how do you access two harddrives
for an example, 120GB+120GB=240GB

What do you mean by access? In Windows you mean? (if so, then install, format and you can access)

in the back of the HD I don't know which one is slave and master, and I don't have the connector for it

Typical configuration for HDDs are:
Master
[x] x x x
[x] x x
Slave
x [x] x x
x [x] x
Cable Select
x x [x] x
x x [x]
As always, refer to the labels on the drive or the manufacturer's website

i want THE MAXIMUM of SPACES

Well you will only have the amount of space available as the amount you install

and what's the con and pro of this thing above

1. What thing above
2. Pro = it works, Con = it doesnt work

edit: I did some research on amd athlon 64 3400+, but there'are several types, can you tell me the difference and which one have the best performance

Quite correct. When I originally answered there was only one classification.
Socket 754-3400
Comes as either Newcastle (512K) or 'Hammer (1024K). Naturally the 'Hammer is the better of the two.
Socket 939-3400
Available as Newcastle (512K) and maybe as Winchester (512K). Of the two, the Winchester is the superior option.
The interesting comparisions come when comparing a 'Hammer to a Socket939-3400