In need of reliable guidance

[Rookie_Modder]

Hi guys,
I am about to build my first ever modded PC and want to avoid any obvious pit falls in constructing it, I am literaly going to put the thing together from scratch. I have started to get together the bits and peices I wanted to put into it. I started out trying to make this a real beast of a computer and I think it will be fairly beefy but am alreadY finding that I may be restricted simply by the nature of what I have.
To date I have:

DFI LAN Party ultra 875 pro motherboard ( will download the bios update to make it compatible to extreme p4 processors)

Blue X Dreamer case with side window

Radeon x800 graphics board

Thermalright sp 94 heatsink

460 watt PSU

200 gig western digital HD

I am planning to get a P4e 3.2 gig processor with 1mb cache

I am planning to get maybe 2 gig of memory ( the board takes 4 gig, should I do it????)

I have room for aboout 8 fans but at present there are 2 built in the case and i have a hard drive double cooling fans tray too. are fans the right way to go or is there a more reliable way to keep the system cooled?

I want to start putting this together but am not sure what to do first ...should I put in the motherboard first? are there any pit falls I should look out for when constructing? is there a recognised proceedure for putting a computer together? is there any good resources on the web were I can get a step by step guide to doing this? Better still is there any one in North London who likes choc ices and building computers!!!!?
Help pleeeeeeease!!!

 

[Praetor]

DFI LAN Party ultra 875 pro motherboard ( will download the bios update to make it compatible to extreme p4 processors)

I'd reccomend you stay away from the "pretty but functionless" boards like that Get a solid ASUS/Abit/Intel board and you'll be much better off

( will download the bios update to make it compatible to extreme p4 processors)

P4E does not mean P4-Extreme... it means Prescott ... which is actually a BAD choice

460 watt PSU

What's the make and model of this?

I am planning to get a P4e 3.2 gig processor with 1mb cache

Do you mean the P4C-3.2 or the P4EE-3.2 ... because the P4E would be a bad choice both performance-wise and bang-for-buck-wise

I am planning to get maybe 2 gig of memory ( the board takes 4 gig, should I do it????)

Your call.... prolly not worth it to go 4GB since almost everything will fit inside 2GB ... just make sure it's good memory and not stock

I have room for aboout 8 fans but at present there are 2 built in the case and I have a hard drive double cooling fans tray too. are fans the right way to go or is there a more reliable way to keep the system cooled

Well to keep the system cool you'll prolly want Tornados (or Thunderblades if your noise-sensitive) and for the harddrives look into the HDD coolers by Thermaltake and Vantec

I want to start putting this together but am not sure what to do first ...should I put in the motherboard first? are there any pit falls I should look out for when constructing?

YOu'll prolly want to put the mobo in first; just remember to put spacers and avoid contact with the case and board, static electricity and if you plan to do watercooling, get an absorbant thingy.

 

[Flash_AAA]

Here are some step by step building sites. Good luck

http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/ (part 1)
http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20020918/diy_2-08.html (Part 2)
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/ (comprehensive)
http://www.build-your-own-computers.com/ very good explanations

 

[Rookie_Modder]

thanks for the input guys,
Thanks Flash for your help Il get through those resources for sure!
Preator you dastardly guttersnipe!
You have bursted my comfy bubble somewhat. I am into gaming and therefore went for the Lanparty pro 875 , yes becasue of its ability to ilumianate under UV light but also because in benchmark tests it was found to be incredibly fast and did well against the big boys on the block. It also has some interesting built in stuff that other boards dont seem to have. Do you know what " built in SATA 1 and SATA 2 connectors are? Also what is a Irda connector? I also liked the fact that DFI have an auto bios update system and they watch you over the internet!! Well thats my defense, and since I bought it already Im going to focus on the good side of my purchase or il just get depressed, no point in that! Do you know if there is anything good about the Lan party PRO 875 board? Have you seen one in action at all? oh , and I found out that the first thing I need to do is fit the Heatsink over the processor since the sp 94 comes with a special backplate made for the Lan party board.
The Power unit is a Xpro 460p it is a silent energy efficient model that cuts your electric costs by half. Maybe you can tell me if this units 5vsb can support 720 ma???
I intend to produce music and create graphics on this computer so this is why I asked about Ram, do you know if XP has any limit that optimizes its functionality? I also discovered that there is a limit to the amount of hardware you can install because of the size of PSU. I have deduced that with my configuration 1.5 gig of memory will be most applicable. If I wish to put more ram in I will have to get a larger power supply me thinks.
I am definately annoyed by noisey fans so the advice on fan makes was most welcome!
So how long have you been building computers anyway?

 

[Praetor]

You have bursted my comfy bubble somewhat.

LOL sorry but I'm only giving my honest opinion ... within lanparty circles there's something to be said for computers that are all "bling bling" but no "performance" if you get my drift COmparatively, the ASUS and Abiot boards give that thing a serious licking

Do you know what " built in SATA 1 and SATA 2 connectors are? Also what is a Irda connector?

Neither of those features are particularly fancy and depending on the SATA controller it could be a potentiall hassle even. "Built in" SATA connectors means that the board comes with two physical plugs where you can attatch SATA drives. You may need to get the SATA drivers so that you can install the OS to the SATA drives if they are not natively supported by the board. IRDA = infrared communications device ... kinda useless

I also liked the fact that DFI have an auto bios update system and they watch you over the internet

I dunno if being stalked online would be considered a good thing!

it is a silent energy efficient model that cuts your electric costs by half

Im no electrician (Neph.....) but that's just marketing crap. Your PSU wont affect the amount of power used as it has no direct "control" -- the mobo and various devices will still draw whatever power they need.

Maybe you can tell me if this units 5vsb can support 720 ma???

That's just over 2.5W ... shouldnt be a problem.

I also discovered that there is a limit to the amount of hardware you can install because of the size of PSU. I have deduced that with my configuration 1.5 gig of memory will be most applicable.

RAM isnt that big of a power hog ... you'll be more concerned with drives and PCI cards

I am definately annoyed by noisey fans so the advice on fan makes was most welcome!

Well since you've gone and gotten a lanparty board you might want to consider watercooling. If not, there are silent fans available

So how long have you been building computers anyway?

Since 1992

 

[Rookie_Modder]

All Bling bling???

OK , SO i NEED TO SHOOT MYSELF IN THE HEAD!! LOL! Do I realy need to just toss this board into the bin or Could it even possibly be a reasonable starting pc for a young kid? is it possible that with a nice 3gig+Pentium 4 processor and a X800 Radeon graphics cardm I might get a reasonable performance from it? or my processor and graphics board be literaly unusable to the standards they can perform? If I realy must throw the board in the bin I will if you tell me too...
Still in need of reliable guidance!!!

 

[Nephilim]

Hi,

Do I realy need to just toss this board into the bin

I personally wouldn't. I'm not too much for the pretty lights and so forth but I feel the basic board is a good one and should serve you well.


As far as the PSU is concerned, Praetor is correct in that it will only draw the power it requires. I'd stay well clear of any PSU that claimed something ridiculous like cutting your electricity costs. If you could provide a link to it I'd love to look at it (I'm a commercial/industrial electrician).

I know I sound like a broken record but the PSU is the last place you want to pinch pennies. Cheap ones don't last, don't provide near their rated wattage and can potentially take out some of your components when they fail.

 

[Rookie_Modder]

Re Power supply and halved bills!

Hey Nelph,

Thanks for the positive comments..I knew the board was worth keeping I just wanted to see how far he'd rub my face in the dirt! LOL! I think hes swallowed some negativity pills or somthing! lol I saw enough benchmark test results before I bought it to know its a reasonable board indeed! I personaly love things that look good so its a great compromise for me to find this board !

Re the power supply.
Here is a link to the one I purchased: http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?XPR-460PSU
I do not know how good or bad it is but It wasnt the cheapest and it said it was for ATX intel boards so I decided to buy it ( it also looks good!!)
What is the best name for power units then?
Also what processor would you recommend I get ? I want a pentium 4 3.2 but cant realy go to the full cost of extreme but do fancy getting the 1mb cache one. they call it the p4e. The neggy guy below told me thats a doom and gloom choice because its prescott , would you agree? is prescott the spawn of Satan or somthing? is Northwood better? Im planning on working the computer pretty hard to make music and create graphics for the day job so it has to be beefy. Also...do you know of anything that states an optimal amount of ram for XP? I heared that the OS cannot handle more than a gig to run at its best?
Its so confusing not realy knowing the truth and everyone saying different things, My instincts tell me you are a fairly astute dude though so I look forward to your reply.

 

[Praetor]

I personally wouldn't. I'm not too much for the pretty lights and so forth but I feel the basic board is a good one and should serve you well.

Agreed .... now that you've bought it you might as well stick with it... when I originally made my comment I made it so thinking you hadnt bought a board yet. You will find that all the really good boards out there dont need to have all that bling-bling stuff as they will sell themselves based on performance and reliability alone.

Cheap ones don't last, don't provide near their rated wattage and can potentially take out some of your components when they fail.

Kinda like the one you had eh?

I just wanted to see how far he'd rub my face in the dirt! LOL! I think hes swallowed some negativity pills or somthing! lol I saw enough benchmark test results before I bought it to know its a reasonable board indeed!

LOL read my post again. Note that I didnt say your board was crap, I didnt even say that it wasnt "reasonable" (which it is) ... what I said was that a non-bling-bling board (and yes there are exceptions but in this specific case it doesnt apply) will typically outdo bling-bling board. If you've got benchmarks that show the DFI flagship board kicking the crap out of the ASUS/Abit flagship board i'd love to see them. If you're gonna call me out for "rubbing dirt in your face" make sure you are (a) right and (b) can back it up.

I do not know how good or bad it is but It wasnt the cheapest and it said it was for ATX intel boards so I decided to buy it

Seems decent but I'd have to have a look at the manual to be sure (odds are the manual with spec the tolerances and such)

Also what processor would you recommend I get ? I want a pentium 4 3.2 but cant realy go to the full cost of extreme but do fancy getting the 1mb cache one. they call it the p4e. The neggy guy below told me thats a doom and gloom choice because its prescott , would you agree? is prescott the spawn of Satan or somthing? is Northwood better?

1. Neggy guy?
2. If you want to fork out a crapload of money for the P4E go for it. It's your money but really your best buy in virtually all respects is the P4C.

Im planning on working the computer pretty hard to make music and create graphics for the day job so it has to be beefy. Also...do you know of anything that states an optimal amount of ram for XP? I heared that the OS cannot handle more than a gig to run at its best?

Not really anything as "optimal amount" as (a) XP has a minimum and (b) your mobo has a maximum so between the two, you can run XP. Naturally the more the better. What kinda graphics are you doing? Photoshop type or Bryce/Maya/MAX type?

My instincts tell me you are a fairly astute dude though so I look forward to your reply.

Your instincts are right (even though Neph and I disagree alot )

 

[Rookie_Modder]

My dear dear Preator!!!

Well, I once had some respect for you as a reliable guide, I came here with 100% respect as I do for everyone in my life but then you have delivered reasons for me to beware of your comments. Yes I called you Neggy as almost everything you had to say was objectional and wholey unhelpful. The real cutting comment that burst my bubble was the one where you called my board " pretty but functionless" ..... " FUNCTIONLESS?" NOW THIS IS CERTAINLY UNTRUE it is in fact one of the best boards on the planet right now. Further more, if you truely didnt know id already bought it then this makes you guilty of replying to a thread you didnt read correctly as I very clearly wrote a list of everything I have to date. I am also now convinced that you are also confused too. Why do I say this? well, you thanked me for the " astute guy" compliment I left in my last posting which was obviously written for Neph! You'l probably say it was a joke or somthing to avoid embarrasment lol!! Finaly When I asked you what should I do first to build my computer as I wanted to avoid any pitfalls you told me id " probably" need to install my motherboard first. Now I do not know if you noticed but I asked for " reliable guidance " , throwing a "probably" back at me as a starting point is hardly a reliable piece of guidance now is it? the word "probably" means " wild guess " in this case based on your apparent superior general knowledge! how arrogant. In fact if you had read the list of things I have got so far you would noticed that I have a Thermalright sp 94 Heatsink. If you know anything about giving advice you would firstly study what else is involved in the whole picture. The SP 94 is specialy made for the Lan Party board and needs to be screwed in via the use of a back plate. If I had followed your "probably" and put in the mother board then I wouild have then been in the stupid position of not being able to fix the back plate in place at all. I do in fact need " reliable guidance as stated but I suspect you might be posession of too shorter an attention span to provide it to me. Nothing personal its just my observvations based on your output.
Finaly: Benchmarks results for DFI Lanparty
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1601&page=5
I think this more than proves that this board can run with the big boys, in fact in a lot of cases it even outperforms your beloved Asus.
Do me a favour, Get a reliable education before you try to help me again please. Good luck
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1547&page=9

 

[Praetor]

Yes I called you Neggy

wtf does neggy mean?

the one where you called my board " pretty but functionless" ..... " FUNCTIONLESS?" NOW THIS IS CERTAINLY UNTRUE it is in fact one of the best boards on the planet right now

LOL ... someone's taking his mobo a little personally .... if you didnt realize it yet by now DFI doesnt exactly have the well-renowned reputation as per some other brands and a lot of their Lan Party boards (prolly more the AMD versions) are actually quite crappy -- not "ok" -- crappy. Thus when I made my initial comment, to say DFI boards cater to the "pretty and non-functional" is a very fair statement.

Further more, if you truely didnt know id already bought it then this makes you guilty of replying to a thread you didnt read correctly as I very clearly wrote a list of everything I have to date.

Oh I'm so sorry I didnt spent all the time in the world reading your post over and over until I memorized it... I guess I was busy with 399 other posts that day.

I am also now convinced that you are also confused too. Why do I say this? well, you thanked me for the " astute guy" compliment I left in my last posting which was obviously written for Neph!

If you're gonna come out and call me "confused" make sure you yourself arent. Read my comment again.

You'l probably say it was a joke or somthing to avoid embarrasment lol!!

A joke? LOL Not at all, Nephilim is a good friend of mine and I agree wholeheartedly. Again, read before commenting

Finaly When I asked you what should I do first to build my computer as I wanted to avoid any pitfalls you told me id " probably" need to install my motherboard first. Now I do not know if you noticed but I asked for " reliable guidance " , throwing a "probably" back at me as a starting point is hardly a reliable piece of guidance now is it?

1. If you are critiqing the help you're getting... even if it's "help" then why are you asking for "help" as you obviously seem to know better. There's something to be said for hypocrisy.
2. Also if you didnt know it yet ... there's more than one way to get a system up and running. Some people like to pop everything in the case first and go full blaze -- other people install it completely out of the case to make sure everything works before putting the effort of mounting it and crap. If you're gonna critique free help make sure you're competant enough to critique it properly. If not, take it or leave it -- it is free.

the word "probably" means " wild guess "

I think you'll benifit a lot from this: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=probably

in this case based on your apparent superior general knowledge! how arrogant. In fact if you had read the list of things I have got so far you would noticed that I have a Thermalright sp 94 Heatsink. If you know anything about giving advice you would firstly study what else is involved in the whole picture. The SP 94 is specialy made for the Lan Party board and needs to be screwed in via the use of a back plate.

Again... you seem to know exactly what you're doing and critiquing those who help .... so why ask? SImply to brag your parts? I would hardly think you to be of the generation or age to care for that bravado.

Nothing personal its just my observvations based on your output.

Oh please... simply because you are 19 years my senior doesnt mean I cant see through that silly veil for the flaming it is. Even 10 year old children are more effective at their flaming -- they get to the point plain and simple.

Finaly: Benchmarks results for DFI Lanparty http://www.pcstats.com/articleview....eid=1601&page=5
I think this more than proves that this board can run with the big boys, in fact in a lot of cases it even outperforms your beloved Asus.

Im impressed you managed to find that. I'm equally dissapointed to find that DFI didnt compeltely crush the competition as you seem to like to think. Also quite interesting that you found one that compared an ATi chipset -- tsk tsk for someone who seems to know so much it shouldnt be a great leap of faith to compare at-least-decent chipsets. Now if you can find a case where the DFI crushes (or even significantly and/or consistantly beats) an ASUS/Abit board running the real-deal i.e., an Intel chipset than I'll be impressed and retract my comments as then they would be unwarranted.

it even outperforms your beloved Asus.

Well that's not very meaningful is it? My ASUS is for an AMD chip.

Do me a favour, Get a reliable education before you try to help me again please. Good luck

You care to reccomend a school? Or is attending one of the number one schools in the world for Engineering and Math not good enough for you?

 

[ian]

Do me a favour, Get a reliable education before you try to help me again please. Good luck

Rookie Modder, do us all a favour and go elsewhere for advice.
This thread is closed.