# What to do after the computer is built?



## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

I just built my first computer. Tried to see how cheap I could build it. Bought everything from Newegg.com. I have been web designing for a few years and I wanted to understand more about the inside of the computer, rather than whats on the monitor. Ok, I got a:

Nvidia GeForce 8200 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor
Kingston 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 Memory
Samsung 640GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
Western Digital 80GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
Sony Optiarc 22X DVD+-R DVD Burner

The case I got is too small for the motherboard. So it is all on the floor connected together for now. Thought about mounting it to my desk for convenience. Have the DVD burner close at hand...

How are the products?? and how did I do for picking out my first computer build. All together it ran about $350. 

Well, everything is connected, all the lights come on when it's powered up, but nothing on the screen. Do I put the disc for the drivers in first, or the OS disc? Oh, also, the DVD drive won't open when the IDE cable is connected. The motherboard only has 1 IDE slot, and the DVD drive, and the WD hard drive are IDE. I got a 3-way? IDE cable from best buy, but I don't know if it works right. 

Thanks for any help.

Josh

Thanks


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

what psu
brand
wattage


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

three devices can not live on an IDE cable ............ only TWO

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f255/how-to-bench-test-your-system-171424.html


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## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

Two devices are on the IDE cable. The cable has three ends, to connect two devices to the motherboard. 

The PSU is RaidMax ATX12V Power 380 watts.


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## Fourth Stooge (Mar 11, 2008)

Which AMD x2 processor and what brand/model motherboard do you have?

Disconnect the IDE cable and then try to power it up to see if you get a display.


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## equilar (Feb 17, 2009)

When you hit the power button the mother board will run a POST -power on self test. This will be when you should get an anoying beep. If it passes then the BIOS is pulled from CMOS - this should then display on your monitor. If no beep then your mother board could not be comunicating with anything but is still powered, due to the lights. If a beep beep but nothing on screen, your graphics could be not connected or fried. How do you have the cards secured? PCBs are delicate and cannot handle any sort of earthing connection (hense most computers coming in a tower and warrenty that void if you open it)


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## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

the motherboard had a VGA cable outlet, so I used that. Will that work? And the motherboard does not make a sound when powered up.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

you need a min of 26amps output available on the 12v+ line from a quality psu
raidmax are not recommended

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html


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## krisb (Apr 24, 2008)

Do you have the 24 pin power and the 4 pin power conected to the MOBO? I am curious what make of MOBO did you get. There are alot of boards with that chipset.


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## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

I don't think my psu will work. The motherboard has a slot for a 8-pin connector, and my psu does not. It has the 24-pin connector. Any way to work around that?

My motherboard is this


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## Fourth Stooge (Mar 11, 2008)

So, you have nothing plugged into the motherboard's 8-pin connector, correct? If not, that is your problem, or one of them. The board probably will work with a 4-pin power connector in the 8-pin slot, but make sure it is *NOT* the PCIe connector meant for video cards. The connector you want may be labeled CPU, if it is labeled at all. Your motherboard manual should say which 4 pins in the 8-pin connector are required for a x2 CPU.

That aside, Dai is correct (as usual) on PSUs. For what you are trying to do find something made by Seasonic, Corsair (made by Seasonic) or PC Power and Cooling. Newegg always has several of those on sale.


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## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

ok i put the 4 pin connector on the psu in the 8 pin connector on the mb. it works. something comes up on the screen, and when it tries to boot from the dvd drive is has an error. pxe-e61, check media cable. i googled it and found out about it on a laptop. how do i fix it?


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## Fourth Stooge (Mar 11, 2008)

OK, your DVD and one of your hard drives are both IDE, correct? Please confirm you have one set as a master and one as a slave.


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## Net Jockey (Oct 18, 2008)

joshbutcher said:


> Two devices are on the IDE cable. The cable has three ends, to connect two devices to the motherboard.
> 
> The PSU is RaidMax ATX12V Power 380 watts.


RaidMax Sucks...It is a recipe for disaster.

My thoughts on power supplies...Related to the negative effects of heat on the computer.

Manufacturers test their PSU's at a set temperature...from this their rating is determined... for most this NO. is 25 degrees Celsius...which falls short of the temperature that most computers are capable of achieving.

Given that a PSU will actually lose 2-5 watts per one degree of heat above the 25C-testing temperature...coupled with fact that computers tend run at 10 degrees higher than room temperature. In the summer time when the room temperature can easily reach 80 degrees F. your computer will be running at 33 Degrees C. or 90 Degrees F.

So the...math can make...your 500 watt power supply into a 460 watt unit.

In addition to this...what needs to be taken into account is that each degree that your computer components are operating...under powered...adds more heat to the equation.

The above has not taken into the issue of high quality vs poor quality units...Power supplies convert voltages from wall outlets to lower levels used by the PC. During this conversion, some power is lost as heat. The efficiency level of the PSU determines how much extra power must be put into the power supply to run the PC. A high quality PSU can help reduce the noise and heat generated within a computer system. The higher the efficiency rating the less heat the PSU has to deal with.

Therefore heat is the computers enemy...The hotter the temperature your PSU is forced to run at...the poorer the supply of power the rest of the components will receive...which has been known to lead to such things as crashes, freezing, rebooting, BSOD’s, and video distortion, as well as partial and complete failure of other components.

The fact is very few PSU’s are capable of producing the wattage that the companies advertise.

For a very good comprehension of recommended brand names, wattage, and models in listed categories...Plus much more...check out this link.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html

PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W...Quality...PSU.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

sooooooooooooooooooooo TRU ............


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## Doby (Jan 17, 2006)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703015

Get your self one of them, I have been using them in similar builds you won't be sorry, while your at it get a sata hardrive, having a ide hardrive and optical drive on the same cable is not the way to go


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## krisb (Apr 24, 2008)

Thats why I asked what Brand of Mainboard you have many of that model have a 4 pin connector. Yours has an 8 pin though. You seemed to have got that figured so now listen to the other techs. GOOD PSU and SATA drives. I know you just built this but sometimes youre best to cut your losses and (semi)start over so you end up with fewer headaches and less time asking on this site and more time answering...anymore questions cause we are here to help?


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## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

ok, thanks for all your help. I it to boot from the dvd drive, and it loads windows files, but then it goes to a light blue screen and says "please wait" for a few minutes and the words go away, and nothing else happens. I just booted the computer im on now with the same cd, and it worked here, but nothing happens on the built computer.


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## Doby (Jan 17, 2006)

> I it to boot from the dvd drive, and it loads windows files, but then it goes to a light blue screen and says "please wait" for a few minutes and the words go away, and nothing else happens


Its possible thats because you have the hdd and the optical drive on the same cable and its oh so slowwwwwwwwwww.


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## joshbutcher (Feb 17, 2009)

So if I leave it on, Windows will load?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

yeah leave it alone for about 30 minutes ...................


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