# Building my first PC from scratch



## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

I have decided that I want to tackle my first build ever and construct my own PC. I have had a little experience replacing parts on computers and understand the basics. What worries me is compatibility issues. And for that I am hoping to get some input from anybody on wether things I am looking at will work good together. I have owned mostly HP's before and have had nothing but problems with "prepackaged" PC's. I have had to replace pretty much anything replaceable and dont want to play that game anymore!

A little background: I am looking to build a personal computer. I am not much of a gamer and dont want a high end monster computer. I do a little video editing and a few graphics programs but that is it. I surf the net alot and want to build something that is good for multi-tasking (since I often start many things and dont finish right away). And I want something that will still be current (or at least upgradeable) 6 or 7 years down the road.



I used TheMatt's question list to help identify what I am looking for:

Budget: Around $1200 or so. If I go over, I go over.

Brands: Any reputable and compatible brand

Multitasking: I will probably be doing a fair amount of multitasking (I was thinking of going dual core with the cpu - quad might be just a little too much)

Gaming: no gaming in the forseeable future

Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?
I plan on just keeping it straighforward and basic, so no overclocking.

Storage: I already have bought a 1.5TB hard drive, so I am just worried about compatibility.

Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices? Not much beyond regular plug-and-play devices. printer, monitor, card reader, etc.


Operating System: Windows 7, maybe pro if price is reasonable


Case: Already bought a case (a Cooler Master NX-334)


Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included? I will probably buy aftermarket USB compliant devices


Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have? Not really planning on it


Monitor: Planning on using a Samsung 23" flatscreen tv for a monitor (dual purpose: tv and monitor)


Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from? Just reputable stores. I like to buy things from as few as possible stores (unless there is a stellar deal on one I dont typically use).


Components I have already bought:
Cooler Master NX-334 case
Corsair TX-850 PSU
Western Digital 1.5TB green HD
I plan on using my Samsung flatscreen for a monitor

Things I will need to buy yet:
motherboard
CPU
graphics card
RAM
OS
cpu fan and other fans
dvd writer (probably two)

I am leaning toward an Intel i7 860 or 930 cpu
I have no freakin clue on a graphics card or motherboard

Any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, if I am forgetting any components, please let me know. 
Thanks- Doeboy


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Check this thread for ideas.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/f25...evised-2010-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

I have used linderman's article as a good reference source, but I have kind of mix-and-matched a little between price ranges and now I am a little worried about compatibility with other components I havent bought yet. I will try to think of specific examples to post later.


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

doeboy said:


> Brands: Any reputable and compatible brand
> 
> Multitasking: I will probably be doing a fair amount of multitasking (I was thinking of going dual core with the cpu - quad might be just a little too much)
> 
> ...


*Please as suggested (taking in to account some of my comments) look through the pre-build ideas that were suggested by my team mate Tyree. When you have browsed through there and begin to put things together, then hit us back with your proposed merged (your old and new stuff) list and we can go through it and help you to come to conclusion for a reasonably priced smoking rig.*


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the CPU the i5 750
Motherboard the  P7P55D-E LX will give you Sata 2 and Sata 3 support along with USB 3 support

Lately I've used these Gskill sticks on that board.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

I am liking the i5 750 by Intel It compares pretty darn well to the i7 920 and 930 and its about $80 cheaper:grin: I think that I might go with that for a processor. I am not sure I understand this 'overclocking' thing but that might be something I would consider down the road. Thanks wrench97 for that info.

I am not sure I understand the details of the motherboard. Sata 2 and 3? I am also reading Sata 3 and 6 and how they cannot run simoultaneous? I must admit that I am a bit confused:4-dontkno I'd love to have USB 3.0 capability. I am looking at getting an ASUS P6X58D Premium - LGA 1366 but that doesnt appear to be compatible with an i5 Intel (LGA 1366 vs 1156). And its a bit spendy too. Is USB 3.0 backwards compatible with USB 2.0? This is one area I still havent decided on.

For memory, I am leaning toward a 3Gb x 2 combo. 6Gb might be overkill now but I have a feeling it will become average pretty soon. There is so much to choose from and they all appear to be good. I might be interested in going 4Gb with the option to upgrade. I am not seeing much available for an i5 processor in 3x2 configuration. Would this Corsair (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145222) work for me?

I will get back to this soon. Right now I have to get ready for tomorrow (work). Thanx any and all who have helped me out.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

1156 socket CPU's use dual channel memory 1366 CPU's use tri-channel memory
i3/i5/i7 up to the 800 series are 1156 socket CPU's and use Ram in pairs, the i7 900 series are 1366 socket cpu's and use tri-channel ram.

So for a i5 750 you would use a P55 board and pairs of Ram.

The board listed above has USB 3 and Sata 3 support, if you mix Sata 3 and Sata 2 drives on the same controller they will run at Sata 2 speeds, USB 3 is backwards compatible to USB2.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

So I think I am ready to make a final push for the remaining parts I need for my computer and I want to run this by you guys. If you can, please tell me if its compatible with each other and wether something is overkill ... or underkill.

What I have so far:
Cooler Master NV-334 case with extra 120mm led fan
Corsair 850 PSU
Samsung DVD-RW drive
a 1.5Tb WD Caviar Green HD
a second 1.0Tb WD Caviar Black HD (which will be my primary OS Drive)


What I am thinking of buying:

Intel i5 750 Lynnfield - the CPU looks rock solid, cheap, and definitely overclockable

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) - I hope this is compatible with the mobo I want - I went with a 2x4gb config so that i can expand down the road with two more 4gbs

MSI P55-GD65 mobo - this thing is getting some good reviews, and I think it has all I need. Including SATA 3gb and USB 3.0 What do you guys think?

The biggest decision I think I have is the graphics card. I like the Radeon HD 5830 1Gb 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card which seems to be repackaged by Gigabyte. The regular Radeon 5830 made and sold by ATI seems to be getting some terrible reviews with many returning theirs. I have bought Radeon before and sort of liked it (I was just happy it worked given my very limited computer know how). I am wondering if the repackaged one is more reliable and performs better. Thats one I am hoping you guys can help me with.


CPU fan: ZALMAN CNPS 9500 AM2 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - its getting good reviews and it has a green led light which matches my case :grin:

I think i covered everything I need except for a few accessories. What are your guys' thoughts?


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

MSI boards have really been going down hill as far as quality is concerned, their support is not to good as well

Asus or Gigabyte are really top tier manufactures

This ASUS board is top notch

Sapphire and powercolor are a better supplier for Ati gpus

The Zalman you chose is not compatible with your specs

This one is, however it does not light up


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

One quick question, is that Zalman 9900 model compatible with the aforementioned ASUS board? I wanted to check before ordering.


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

Yes it is compatible


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

Okay, I bought the mobo, ram, cpu, cpu cooler, and windows 7 pro. I worked on putting things together last night. I read some of the instructions and it all seemed pretty straightforward. I had a few things that worried me and i just want to know if its normal.

First, the mobo: I used the screws that came with the case I bought but the only way I could mount the mobo was by putting a set of the screws into the frame, and then fastened the mobo by putting a second set into those screws (essentially floating the mobo about a quarter inch off the frame wall). Does that sound like it would work? There was hardware on the back of the mobo that wouldnt let me do a flush mount (cpu cooler nuts). I had to sacrifice some old mobo screws from an old computer to have enough (i used a total of 12). What do you guys think?

Next the processor: I was real careful with this as to not touch any contact points on the flat sides. I set it in with the notches lined up and it fell right in. I then pushed the retainer clip down and into place. It took some force to get it clamped down. Is that normal? I can see where one might want some pressure on the processor to ensure contact with all points, but it seemed a bit more than I expected. It did close all the way pretty smoothly.

Ram sticks went in perfect. Snapped and locked them in without any hitches. Matched the colors (dual channel).

The Zalman cooler: Man! That thing is a mammoth! Is it okay to hang on the mobo like that? I used the included mounts and grease (I hope I used enough grease). I had to remove the air flow tube to get it in. It stretches almost all the way to the other side.

I had a separate question about the hard drives. Being that I am using two for the initial setup, do I need to make one a master and the other a slave drive. The little pin connector thing didnt come on either HD but I could take one off my old comp if i need to.

Now for the fun part - connecting all the cables i can connect at this point. I still have to buy the graphics card but I believe that is it for now. Probably a few cables because my HDs didnt come with any cables at all. I am thinking this Radeon GPU. It just dropped $20 from yesterday. Maybe I will get it sooner rather than later. 

Let me know your opinions Thanx


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

I figured out the motherboard problem. I just needed to use screws instead of the second set of spacers. Helps to do a little reading I guess. The pix in the manual dont do it justice.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Standoff's screw into the case's motherboard tray to hold the board up off the tray, standard screws hold the motherboard to the standoff's.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

Okay, I think i got everything installed. Last thing was the GPU and it went in snugly. Had to relocate my hard drives to the bottom to make it fit. I am going to try to organize some of the cords tonight. Anything I need to do before firing it up for the first time? I am pretty sure I have all the connectins hooked up properly. I didnt use the supplied pci connector adapters that came with the Gpu, but instead used the pci-e connectors from the PSU. 

I am not quite sure how to start the computer with windows. Will it automatically detect windows 7 and start installing or do I have to initiate something?


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

I recommend bench testing the system outside the case, just in case you have a hardware problem like motherboard..etc. will save you headaches in the long run......

How to Bench test your system


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

I have a question on the mobo power connection. On my ASUS mobo I have an eight pin connector but half of the eight-pin has got a cover on it. Thus making it a four pin. Can I pry off the prefabbed cover and use all eight pins? Unfortunately my PSU only has the eight pin configuration.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes the cover is there so if you only had a 4 pin, it would be plugged into the correct one.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

Okay, I am hoping someone can help me with this one. I am running a bench test on the mobo, cpu, cooler, video card, and one stick of ram. I am getting power to everything. chassis fans run, cpu cooler fan runs for about half a second and stops. I figure thats normal. GPU fans run for 1/2 second too and shut off - normal.. i think. green light on the mobo for power mode. I get a red light for the DRAM for about one full second, then it shuts off. Does everything sound normal? 

What is this posting thing i am reading about (when you get the comp to "post"). I dont get anything to come up on the monitor screen at all. It goes immediately into standby mode and doesnt come out at all. I get some beeping about 20 seconds after startup. A couple faint beeps and the some more faint rapid succession beeps. 

I dont know where to go from here.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Which Motherboard and ram did you end up with the MSI board and Gskill ram from above?

What is the part number of the MSI ram?

Post is when the PC boots up to the Bios screen, the beeps will be a code, depending on which motherboard/Bios what the code means.

Do you have the auxiliary power hooked to the video card?


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

wrench97 said:


> Which Motherboard and ram did you end up with the MSI board and Gskill ram from above?
> 
> I went with the ASUS P7P55D and the G.Skill Ripjaws (2x4Gb) 240Pin DDR3 1333 sticks. I only have one in right now so that I can bench test it. I put it in the A1 slot.
> 
> ...


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

On the beeps, I get one beep at the initial power-on and then after about 7 or 8 seconds I get three rapid succession beeps followed immediately with 4 slower succession beeps. I tried switching memory sticks and still get the same thing. I cant find anywhere how to troubleshoot into the BIOS menu. (Probably because there is hundreds of possibilities to get there).


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

It's AMI Bios 3 indicates a memory failure, 4 " The system clock/timer IC has failed or there is a memory error in the first bank of memory" also a memory failure. > http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm

Are any of the Motherboard LED lit especially the Dram LED?


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

The main mobo led lights up green and stays green (even after i shut down the comp). I have a "level-up" feature on the mobo that lights up green and stays green. My memory light is the problem - it lights up red and after 2 seconds it shuts off. As far as any other lights, I get nothing. the VGA led or the Boot device leds. Should I try putting the memory stick in B1 instead and see if it still does the same thing? I tried both in A1 and got the same thing. The instructions said either A1 or B1 would work for single stick use.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Make sure the stick is fully seated do not rely on the clips that it's all the way down if it is then Press and hold the mem_OK button with a stick in A1 until the light starts to blink, You can also try B1.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

do I hit the MemOK button with the power on or off?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Power on


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

Okay, I tried the MemOK feature to no avail. I switched the memory stick to B1 and got the exact same problem. I am wondering on wether it is tuning the DIMMs or not. I hit the MemOK button and it shuts down for about 2 seconds, then kicks into high mode for about 10 seconds and then shuts down for good (until I hit the power button again). The MemOK light never comes on at all during the process. I then turn the comp back on and get the same exact thing as before. This happens for both A1 and B1 (and for giggles I tried both sticks in A1 and B1 at the same time). 

I did some reading in my ASUS mobo User Guide and I am now wondering if I ordered the wrong DIMMs. It lists under the qualified vendor list for G.Skill DDR3-1333MHz: F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK(XMP) 4096MB(kit of 2) at 8-8-8-21

I bought the F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL DDR3-1333 PC3-10666 (4Gb x 2) SPD CL9-9-9-24

Hmm... is that QVL one for 4Gb total or two 4Gb DIMMs? I am detail oriented but this is killin me!

The DIMMs are pushed in all the way (they snap themselves in when I seat them all the way).


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The QVL is for a 4 gig stick, but those sticks should work on that board> http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=233

Have you cleared the CMOS using the jumper yet?
Unplug the power, press and hold the power button a couple times to remove residual power move the jumper cap from pins 1&2 to pins 2&3 wait 10 seconds and move back, replug and try to boot.

Give that a try if it still won't start pull the board out and do a bench test> Bench Test


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

Is it possible to update the BIOS before ever getting to that menu? I read a review on these exact DIMMs dated 7/4 on newegg that had the exact same problem and he updated his BIOS and things worked fine.

If I have to pull out the guts and bench test it, I will, but it was such a chore putting all that in in the first place.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

No it has to post first to be able to update the bios.

I as well as many others build them on the bench first then assemble into the case, often this type of issue turns out to be a stand off out of place the board shorting to the tray for some reason.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

I tried to clear the CMOS. At first startup it did the same thing except instead of 3 quick 4 slow beeps, it did 2 quick beeps - which would indicate something wrong with the memory stick. I switched memory sticks and tried the other and got the same thing. I then plugged in both sticks and tried - same result. I then pressed and held the MemOK button and now its back to the exact same thing before (3 quick, 4 slow). 

I am kinda doing the bench ttest inside the case by unplugging anything other than the cooler, graphics card, and memory. Everything else (DVD writer and hard disks) are unplugged from the motherboard.

I will work on the bench test tonight, but I have to take a break for a little bit and take care of other things. What I cant get done tonight will have to wait a few weeks until I am back from vacation. Maybe I can squeeze it in during the week - we'll see.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Pull the board, it's not going to be a drive or usb connection issue.


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

Whooohooo! Success! ray: I took everything out and put together the core stuff and got my first post screen. I had a problem with my CPU fan but quickly found out what was causing that (I messed up on plugging it in and only plugged in 3 of the 4 pins). When I restarted the comp I couldnt get back into the BIOS menu but luckily I remember reading somewhere to hold the Delete key while it is booting and it worked. I put in the second stick of DIMM and ... its still working! Next I will hook up the DVD ROM and then the HDs.

I found the Hardware Monitor screen and watched my temps for a while. The CPU never got above 40 degrees and the mobo about 38, all at 2k rpm

I have a few questions for you or anybody: Can I use a SATA 6 cable for a hard drive and plug it into my SATA 6 spot on the mobo (I think it will still stay in SATA 3 mode because I am using other SATA 3's) The reason why I ask is because I have a SATA 6 cable and no more SATA 3 cables :sigh:

And second question: how do I keep my mobo from shorting out like it did when I put things back in? can i use some kind of insulating wrap?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes to Sata 3 cable all current cables are rated @ 6gig.

Check your stand offs for one that is in the wrong place or a different size. What case is this?


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## doeboy (Nov 14, 2009)

The case is a Cooler Master NV-334. I checked all my devices last night to make sure they all register. I then installed Windows 7 Pro on it without any problems. In fact, I was suprised how fast it installed. I wanted to format the WD drive before installation but Windows didnt prompt me to (I thought it always did on a new install) so windows 7 went on without any formatting. Hopefully they are preformatted before they go out the door. I am not sure if I need to worry about making any drives master or slave drives. I dont even see where one can do that on the new drives. My old ones were a different story.

Tonight I will work on putting it back together and finding that short.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I think it's the second screen of the install you hit the advanced button to format or create partitions, if the drive was not formatted it would have asked you to format.


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