Posted by diegoeskryptic [send private reply] at May 09, 2002, 06:37:36 PM

are there ne websites out there that can teach you how to build your own computer?.... I wanna start learning how to build a computer....

Posted by CodeRed [send private reply] at May 09, 2002, 08:20:21 PM

I'll help you out, I am an expert at this and do it for profit (under the table so keep your mouth shut LOL)

Posted by CodeRed [send private reply] at May 09, 2002, 08:45:07 PM

First, are you building a budget machine (A linux box, or a server or something) or your main rig? I'll assume you want to build your primary machine. In which case you will want something like this:

Processor - AMD Athlon/XP (1.0-1.73ghz) - $80-$230
Motherboard: 
  Option 1: - Abit KR7A-Raid - $130
    Features:  VIA KT266A Chipset, 4 DIMM sockets, 4 UATA-133 RAID channels
  Option 2: - Soyo K7V "Dragon" Plus - $140
    Featires:   VIA KT266A Chipset, Supports 3gb DDR-SDRAM, 4 UATA-133 RAID channels
Video Card:
  Option 1: - nVidia GeForce 3 TI500 - $200
  Option 2: - nVidia GeForce 4 TI4600 - $320
  Option 3: - ATI Radeon 8500 - $120
HDD - There are lots of options here, depending on the 
      size and speed you want, and whether you want to use
      RAID 0,1,0/1,4,5 etc. Prices range between $120
      (for 20gb ATA133) to several thousand (for multiple
      Ultra 320 SCSI drives)
CDROM/RW/DVD - This is a no brainer, you shouldn't need my
               help (same for Floppy/Mouse/Keyboard etc)
Monitor - I would suggest a ViewSonic or Sony Trinitron
Case - Whatever you want, but if it were up to me I would
       get a nice Lian Li aluminum tower.

Thats about it, except some other odds and ends like a NIC, sound card, speakers, but these don't take an expert to figure out. Connecting it all up isn't difficult at all, Most things will only go in where they are supposed to and in the right direction.

Posted by metamorphic [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 05:53:57 AM

building a PC is very easy. The whole Intelx86 series (basically every modern PC) was designed (and is) extreamly modular.

First componet you should look is the Motherboard, then after you buy it, configure the jumper settings. Secondly look for your CPU and RAM, then fit then to the motherboard. After those 3 components, look for a case and fit your motherboard with CPU and RAM to the case. After this look for floppy drive, a hard drive and a CD/DVD drive that suits your needs. Fit these to the IDE cable slots. Then you just need to get your expantion cards. If your motherboard has an AGP slot, get an AGP graphics card and fir that. Then you would just need addons like a NIC, sound card, modem ect which you can decide on.

And thats basically it.

Am i missing anything?

Posted by diegoeskryptic [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 08:18:38 AM

SOrry metamorphic... But I dont even know where to begin... But u and codeRed... can tell me where to begin.... I need to know how to insert things... send pics if possible... email me at.............


diegoeskryptic@yahoo.com

Posted by CodeRed [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 12:44:47 PM

Metamorphic used the evil "I" word. Don't buy intel.

Alright I'll go slower. Here is a list of everything you NEED to buy to build a computer:

Processor
Motherboard
Video Card
Memory
Hard Drive
Monitor
Case (You don't really NEED it but unless you plan to mount your machine on a coark board or something you might as well)


Now, this is how they all fit together. The motherboard is the central part of the system. The Processor has lots of little pins underneath it that fit into a white socket on the motherboard, you can't miss it and the processor will only fit in one way. Now you need to put your HSF (Heatsink/fan) on the processor. This is a very important component of your system because without it your processor will fry (BELIEVE me, I've got an Athlon keychain because of this) This will probably be the most difficult part of the process. Most HSF's use metalic clips that latch on to the sides of the white socket. You have to line up the right clip and hook it over the notch in the socket. You will then have to do the same with the left side, the only thing is it will be too tight to do it with your hand. On the metal clasp there is a small notch to insert the tip of a straight head screwdriver. Secure the screwdriver in this notch and push down with enough force to clip it to the socket. You really need to see this to know what I mean, and if you screw this up you will probably crush the core of your CPU. Now that you've got that done (hopefully) look to the right of the processor socket and you will see your DRAM slots. You put memory into these (DDR or SDR, make sure you know which your board supports) Like the processor, memory sticks will only fit in one direction. It is best to fill in the slots from left to right (closest to CPU to farthest away). One thing to note is that the first time you try to put memory in them they will be tight, like a virgins... nevermind LOL, so you will have to push rather hard (Don't worry you won't break the board) Now it is time to install the board (with the processor and memory on it) in the case. This couldn't be easier, just line up the holes on the board with the mount points in the case and screw her on there. Well I gotta go I will finish this later.

Posted by metamorphic [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 01:29:25 PM

Sorry Red. But i meant it in a general term as a family of processors. I'll just refer to them as x86 now :)

Codereds above explanation (good) will get you your motherboard set up with all its components.

Then all you have to do is attach your internal drives and cards to the board. Try checking google for sites that detail the whole process.

Posted by diegoeskryptic [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 02:04:59 PM

ok... thanx guys!!!!

Posted by CodeRed [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 04:17:56 PM

Hey kryptic, word to the wise, memory prices are at ROCK BOTTOM. Some big company screwed something up and pretty much all types of memory are about 1/5 what they were two days ago, check it out at www.pricewatch.com

Posted by CodeRed [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 04:20:49 PM

I just bought a gig of it for $100 :D

Posted by RedX [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 06:14:26 PM

To add about placing the heatsink on the processor:
Make sure the heatsink makes perfectly contact with the processor, if you use thermal grease (or whatever it is called) make sure to lay a very thin layer of it. A processor or a heatsink aren't perfectly smooth. The paste has to make sure the processor and the heatsink touch eachother as good as possible. But the thicker you lay the paste the more resistance the heat encounters to flow from processor to heatsink.
Also you should make sure there is a good airflow through the case. Usualy the path the air takes starts at the bottom front of the case and flows throught the case to the powersupply and then out the back of the case. The fan of the powersupply should blow the air out, not suck it in.
This is important to keep the temperature inside the case as low as possible. Because the higher the ambient temperature the lesser heat can escape from the processor.
In this matter flatcables can be your enemy.

If you want the totaly unimportant details:
(you'll never use this if you work with standard processor heatsinks, but it can help to understand what determens the quality of a heatsink placement on a processor.)

There 2 equations to consider:
Rja = Rjb + Rbh + Rha
and
Rja = (Tjmax - Tamax) / Pmax

Rja is the resistance for heat to travel from the junction (the actual chip) to the enviroment (ambient)
Rjb is the resistance for heat to travel from the Junction to the mounting Base (black box with the leads around the chip. this forms the IC)
Rbh is the resistance from mounting base to the heatsink.
Rha is from heatsink to ambient.

Tjmax is the highest temperature the chip can handle.
Tamax is the highest temperature the chip is supposed to work in.
Pmax is the amount of heat the chip needs to get rid of.

Using thermal grease reduces Rbh. The exact number depends on the type of mounting base.

The highest allowable Rja is noted in the datasheets, so that's all there is to calculating you own heatsinks.

RedX

Posted by CodeRed [send private reply] at May 10, 2002, 07:02:00 PM

Also, just to add to that, before you put on the Heatsink it is good practice to do something called "Lapping". This means sanding down the bottom of the heatsink to as close a perfect mirror finish as possible. This can be accomplished by using as many different grit sand papers as you can find, finishing it with ultra-fine wet paper. This, along with the thermal paste, makes sure that as much of the metal of the heatsink is touching the surface of the chip as possible.

Posted by unknown_lamer [send private reply] at May 11, 2002, 06:00:31 PM

You could also go to a shop that puts the heatsink on for you...I got a new motherboard for a family memeber, and the people at Alpha Computers in Baltimore, MD installed the processor and heatsink for me when I got the board, processor, and heatsink (good thing too...I would have probably slipped and crushed the duron's core...that would have really sucked). Basically, a good hardware shop will install the processor for you.