Building A Computer
<div class="IPBDescription">Do's And Don'ts?</div> Well I have ordred my computer parts and they should all be here within a couple of days so now I am looking for advice on actually putting it together <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
Be careful with your heatsink PLEASE. I learned the hard way by burning up a motherboard.
Don't forget to be extra careful with your stuff. Supposing you're getting a whole PC up together, I'd say, whenever possible, install the heatsink (with thermal paste) before installing the motherboard within the case.
Be extra careful with your heatsink, follow instructions carefully (it's much more of a problem with Athlons and an exposed die, but don't be brutal with one with a heatspreader).
When installing the motherboard in the case, don't forget those little peg things. Your motheboard isn't directly on the case, but there's little things to screw in the case and in which you screw the motherboard to. You'll know what I mean when you see the stuff.
Try to organize your cable clutter. There should be an airflow in your case, usually front bottom -> middle back. Whenever possible, move extra cables away from that path. For example, I'm putting all my extra cables in my extra 5 1/4 bays. Be careful that this doesn't cause heat problems though.
For fans:
Intake in front, Exhaust in back. If possible, equip all intake fans with filters, to prevent dust collecting in your PC.
Apart from that, the usual: no water near electronics, don't force things if it doesn't seem to fit. Before turning your computer on, check all connections, especially the CPU fan.
Work in a carpet free area and when inserting components keep one hand on the metal case
Doorknob works wonders.
if you drop a screw.
GO GET IT!
a screw hanging around in your case (especialy behind your mobo) can easily create a short and blow the hell out of everything!
double check all your screws (for being fully screwed in that is)
make sure all your devices recieve power.
and yah, you should only need force when putting on the heatsink (bending that bar to clip it in sucks)
everytihng else should take minimal to no force)
Other than that, avoid violence and touching circuits more than necessary.
Ground regulalrly on a DOORKNOB or the case
Be GENTLE
Make sure all connections are TIGHT. (IDE cables especially.)
Work n3kk1d to prevent static.
Make sure Heatsinks are on properly (trust me on that one...)
RAM, make sure you got the right speed.
Thermal Coating on heatsink == must.
Make sure all Disk Drives are securley mounted. Trust me on that one, too.
Don'ts:
Don't do a tango with your Hard-Drive
Don't mosh with a Hard-Drive in your pocket.
Magnets around innards = Bad idea
Don't buy anything from Samsung.
All I can think of right now.
Err ya, make sure u put the Processer on before the heatsink, lol, there hard to get off...( i was testing to see if it went on correctly...)
Uhh it looks like u know to discharge yourself...
Oh yes, dont forget, read the manuel about how to setup everything first, dont just jump into anything (I did read it first too, im no idiot) and by manuel i mean inserting the mobo into the case, the processer into the mobo, the heatsink onto the processer, the RAM configuration "1/3,2/4 ;1/2, 3/4", and what not.
Never use Dell PSU because I heard they use different color arrangement and can fry a motherboard.
Never buy from Best Buy
Never buy from any store unless you REALLY need to
Do:
Buy online
Never use Dell PSU because I heard they use different color arrangement and can fry a motherboard.
Never buy from Best Buy
Never buy from any store unless you REALLY need to
Do:
Buy online <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Heh, i learned not to buy from a store when i got ripped from best buy... I loved that store too...
170 bucks for a GeForece FX-5500, when i coulda got it from the net for 90. Almost 100% increase, i took it back, and told them off, and got it for 90.
That and ive got a S939 board/CPU, best evar!!!
Make sure all connections are TIGHT. (IDE cables especially.)
Work n3kk1d to prevent static. (<b>And give me time to set up the cameras!</b>)
Make sure Heatsinks are on properly (trust me on that one...)
RAM, make sure you got the right speed.
Thermal Coating on heatsink == must.
Make sure all Disk Drives are securley mounted. Trust me on that one, too.
Don'ts:
Don't do a tango with your Hard-Drive
Don't mosh with a Hard-Drive in your pocket.
Magnets around innards = Bad idea
Don't buy anything from Samsung.
All I can think of right now. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Fixed.
The thing is that I can definitely put thing together myself from all the guides online. But for the love of Christ, I can't figure out the whole deal with master/slave drives and how to set up the pin.
Any expert wanna pitch in?
Anti static groundind strap.
NON magnetic screwdriver
Take advantage of thumb screws.
Be ready to apply a little force, if it requires more than 2 hands though (unless for stability) you're pusing way too hard.
Make sure you know what connectors you need and where they go BEFORE they go in your case.
Put the PSU in first, then the motherboard.
Put in small cables (audio, fan, and SATA) first, then put in parallel ATA and floppy cables, then power cables, it makes it look a little neater.
Neatness is key, gives better airflow, and much better looking with a windowed case.
Don't:
Throw anything.
Throw anything away (until it is up and running for at least a week).
Read the manual (at least for motherboards, others optional).
Keep unused screws.
Nothing magnetic, period.
Minimize wool, shag rug, and extreme dryness. n3kk1d will fix this.
Pull on power cables, can lead to damage or bad connections.
Leave power cables out, always bundle them up and put them in a case crevase, cuts down on shorts and makes the case look neater.
Be too creative, making a cool case is all fine and good, but you probably want your $1000+ computer to operate above all else.
Suredeath: Master is always the first drive (farthest from motherboard connector) on an ATA cable, or the only one if it only has one drive end. Slave is the secondary on the same channel, it gets the middle connector on the cable. If all else fails, CS or cable select, will automatically pick master or slave depending on where it is on the cable.
Most CPU's are of the IHS kind so it matters much less how well you apply thermal paste than when the sink touches the die directly. If it is an old-school bare core a razor is great for applying thermal paste, you can get a thin very even layer of paste(there is a thin protective layer ontop of the die, so this isn't as dangerous as it sounds)
Surface mounted components on graphics cards can "come loose" with relatively moderate force if they were mounted badly, so try to push the card in/pull out against the PCB.
Be carefull to only use the motherboard standoffs you need. If there's no hole in the board for it it may well short something on the motherboard.
I/O-shields(the metal plate thing that those I/O ports on the backside poke out of when the motherboard is installed) shoul be put in place before the motherboard is inserted into the case. The holes are stamped out, often there is metal that wasn't stamped away correctly, remove that(carefull those I/O-shields are so sharp that the can double as ninja stars or something <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->)
DO use a long thin magnetic screw driver, it's so much easier mounting those screws.
<!--QuoteBegin-Omega Death+Jun 21 2005, 04:40 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Omega Death @ Jun 21 2005, 04:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> DO NOT use a magnetic screw driver. Never personally FUBAR'd something this way but you never know. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-DaJMasta+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (DaJMasta)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Nothing magnetic, period.
Minimize wool, shag rug, and extreme dryness. n3kk1d will fix this.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually magnets are very unlikely to do anything at all to a computer(with the exception of a CRT monitor which may need to be degaussed many many times to be fixed), especially über weak ones like magnetic tip screw drivers. I have personally torture tested a computer(of the obsolete kind) with big **** 1 pound iron-cored ceramic magnets from a discarded speaker.
The hardrive was the prime target since it's magnetic storage. Put the magnet on the thing over the week-end. Didn't do anything to it.
As for IC's, can't imagine why it would do anything at all to them.
If it's hard to find a magnet strong enough to bust anything in a computer over a weekend it's not going to matter if you use a magnetic screw driver or not except it will save you a lot of dropped screws that you can't reach without a magnetic screw driver.
Cotton and regular paper do not generate static electricity. Cellullose is a very common material around explosives and in fireworks for a reason. Actually for more than one reason, if something bad happens there's no shrapnel.
Comfort AND protection.
Comfort AND protection. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, isn't a rubber "conveyor belt" used in van der graph generator because it's easy to cause a large build up of static electricity with rubber? Of course, the spherical metal shell on there is insulated and a great shape if you want to keep a charge for as long as possible but...
At any rate, grounding yourself through a proper resistor is much more effective(A resistor is required when working with higher voltages than found in a computer. However if you are in some old building without grounded wiring the it is possible for the PSU to fail in such a way that the chassis becomes connected to the active wire. If this happens you do NOT want to be holding onto a ground without a mega ohm or so of resistance between you and the ground.)
<b>DO</b> look around for cheap case-modding supplies. I found a blue cold cathode today for 2 bucks.
And for the love of god, don't put together the whole thing in one go.
Install cpu, cpu cooler/heatsink, ram, and video card. Then test the damned thing before you install anything else. Make sure you can get to the bios setup screen then immediately go to pc health and watch your cpu temp for a good 5-10 minutes. If you went immediately to pc health then it should still be under 40 degrees and could warm up to the 50-60 range depending on conditions. But if it jumps to 60 or so almost instantly, SHUT IT OFF and re-install your heatsink with new thermal paste.
Patches are more simply to apply and dont come with the downsides of thermal paste such as heat buildup if applied to thin/thick. Though they are not quite as well known and harder to get hold of.
The hardrive was the prime target since it's magnetic storage. Put the magnet on the thing over the week-end. Didn't do anything to it.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
you must have an odd hard drive. I used a magnetic-tipped screwdriver to install 3 screws into the side of the harddrive to secure it, it was dead 3 days later.
It's better to stay away from the convienience of magnetic screwdrivers, and if you drop a screw, you can usually turn the compy upsidedown and shake it out. Magnets will damage CRTs for sure, make permanant little dark patches. Floppy drives may not get messed but any boot floppys you have around have the potential to be damaged too.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Am i the only one that thinks thermal patches are the way to go over thermal paste?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
O god yes. Thermal patches are usually far too thick, and are meant for lazy people who do not care about cooling, and extreme simplicity of use (for CPU installation nubs. They are less thermally conductive than almost any thermal paste (weight for weight), stick to the die and heatsink much more (matters if it will ever change), and there is always overhang, so there is a little insulating layer around the top of the CPU. If you spread on paste too thick, especially non-conducting thermal paste, the biggest problem is globbyness. It is hard to put on enough to make it perform worse than a thermal pad. If nothing else it will be mostly squozen out the side, and while being too thick, will still work.