OCAU guide to building your own PC

[Taceo Corpus]

Just a small thing, but still worth mentioning, in the section about mounting the CPU and where you are mentioning prepping for the Heatsink, you call it a Headsink:

Now that the CPU is installed install the headsink and TIM (thermal interface material).

[break]

killer65210 has been kind enough to transfer this to the wiki.

You can find the wiki based guide at the following location: http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/..._to_Build_A_PC

[insidah]

a mention to the kind of power supply needed for the number of devices would be beneficial - ive seen a few people obliterate their systems by buying dodgy Peak wattage PSU's - a good advice is to spend some decent money on PSU's that have ample power output for any devices, and future devices that one may install. For instance, a water cooling unit, dual video cards, extra USB points, multiple HDD's and finally...... dualcore processors (which, i am told, suck power so damn fast, its a nightmare to keep cool).

Also, the initial section about having tools and working on the system, u should have your PSU connected in the chassis, and everytime u touch something, u should touch the chassis - have the power cable turned off, but connected to the wall, so that static discharge be placed to earth.. just a simple way of getting rid of static when u are wearing a woolen jumper that your nan made for you about 5 birthdays ago (or your missus bought at target on special).

anyways, those two issues shouldnt be overlooked. the hardware we are using now is pretty technical, and im sure not very robust. so look after it all by doing the right thing. electricity is not your friend. ever!

[HiTMaN_666]

A few extra hints.

(1) it is a very good idea if you dont have an anti-static wrist-band to earth the motherboard while installing CPU. That is by plugging PSU into M/B and into wall socket with power OFF. Then by touching metal of the case you are now earthed and cannot possibly fry your cpu with an small electrostatic charge your body might have.

Also DO NOT put your fingers on CPU pins/and top. doing so will transfer oils etc and it now needs to be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). the oil impedes heat transfer and as the rubbing alcohol evaporates and cleans is good.

(2) Another good idea is to NOT touch the TIM(Thermal Interface Material).As the TIM is highly posionous and does NOT need to be spread as the pressure from the clips spreads the TIM anyway. other than that was a good guide. hopefully you add these vital steps and look here for a good way to clean you heatsink if you buy some quality TIM http://www.overclockers.com/tips1015/ and a good site also is http://www.overclockers.com/tips1116/

Thanks.

EDIT
sorry bout adding the anti-static didnt see above quote.too quick for me mate.

[imgod22222]

For the computer to load an OS (Namely, Windows) does it HAVE to be on an IDE HDD? So far I haven't heard of anyone having an OS on a SATA drive. I ask this because my plans are to make a new PC with the OS on a RAID 0 config through SATA II drives.

[FireTech]

Originally Posted by imgod22222

For the computer to load an OS (Namely, Windows) does it HAVE to be on an IDE HDD? So far I haven't heard of anyone having an OS on a SATA drive. I ask this because my plans are to make a new PC with the OS on a RAID 0 config through SATA II drives.

I think this will answer your question regarding your SATA Raid plans.

Step 13: OS Installation
For windows, ff you are installing to a SATA/SCSI drive you will have to press F6 when prompted and place a floppy disk containing your SATA drivers into the floppy drive when prompted. Select the driver from the list that corresponds to the operating system you are installing.

From here, follow the standard process for installing the operating system.

[imgod22222]

thanks for the simple reply!

[Feenicks]

Originally Posted by imgod22222

For the computer to load an OS (Namely, Windows) does it HAVE to be on an IDE HDD? So far I haven't heard of anyone having an OS on a SATA drive. I ask this because my plans are to make a new PC with the OS on a RAID 0 config through SATA II drives.

Yep, firstly thanks to this forum in general for such good help and advice.
About a month and a bit ago i buiult a new computer and OCAU was a GREAT help.

Also installed Win XP on my Sata Raid0 config. Worked but we had all sorts of troubles installing the raid drivers by hitting f6. This was more about bodgy floppy drives and floppy disks than any REAL problems. But it was frustrating. Basically the floppy on my old computer was dodgy so didnt make the disk properly, then trying to make new ones we went thru a bunch of old floppies i had laying about which all were dodgy in some way and didnt work.

Eventually using an old laptop running windows me we got a driver disk made. but not before the Asus motherboard driver cd had a spack about being put into a machine running windows me. (bascially had to navigate thru the cd to find the disk create utility because the autorun proggy on the cd wouldnt run on ME, additionally on my old comp it 'didnt recognise any compatible hardware' and thus wouldnt give us the create driver disk option in the menu (so had to navigate the CD)

[pduthie_au]

It's not strictly true about SATA drives and Windows XP - I've got a few hundred PC's with SATA drives and a slipstreamed XP CD with SP2 and no additional drivers detects the Hard Disks first go - no need for a boot CD. Even my home PC detects it's 80 and 200 SATA drives straight away.

[Taceo Corpus]

Originally Posted by pduthie_au

It's not strictly true about SATA drives and Windows XP - I've got a few hundred PC's with SATA drives and a slipstreamed XP CD with SP2 and no additional drivers detects the Hard Disks first go - no need for a boot CD. Even my home PC detects it's 80 and 200 SATA drives straight away.

Depends if you're installing on a SATA RAID configuration or onto a single SATA drive.

[Catweazle]

Originally Posted by dfcowell

Depends if you're installing on a SATA RAID configuration or onto a single SATA drive.

It depends more upon whether the motherboard chipset has a full hardware implementation of the SATA controller, or whether it has a software implementation.

On an Nforce4 chipset motherboard, for example, you can connect up a SATA hard drive and install Windows directly to it, without the need to load a driver during installation of Windows. That's because the controller is a 'native' implementation which is fully in hardware.

Conversely, on some VIA chipset motherboards, if you try to install Windows to a single SATA hard drive you'll need to load a device driver during installation, regardless of whether you're using the drive as a standalone on or in a RAID configuration, because the SATA controller is not fully implemented in hardware.


There's no need to fuss about what motherboard you have and work out if it has a 'native' SATA controller beforehand, because what happens during the Windows installation will soon tell you what you're confronted with. If the motherboard doesn't have a fully native controller the installation routine simply won't 'find' the drive, and you'll need to start over and load the driver when prompted, so that the drive can be recognised.

[lil_kimmo]

awww hwy didnt i find this earlier... lol like in january....

[newtosystems]

kk once the PC is put together what are the must have for programs? say for a day to day use computer connected to a LAN

[Wet Sandwich]

Originally Posted by newtosystyems

kk once the PC is put together what are the must have for programs? say for a day to day use computer connected to a LAN

Depends on the user's level of experience and what they do. All the drivers, etc. Then directx so games work. Microsoft Office, or Open office if you don't want to purchase office. Service pack 2. Virus and firewall if you use them (I personally get by without, as I use my computer wisely and don't click on stuff that shouldn't be clicked on)



Oh and some DVD reading/ripping/encoding programs if you're into that

Other stuff I use, uTorrent, opera, firefox, tweak-xp, winamp (this is highly important), and then coretemp, prime95, cpu-z and maybe occt.

[brodsta]

Originally Posted by newtosystyems

kk once the PC is put together what are the must have for programs? say for a day to day use computer connected to a LAN

This is a guide/wiki/sticky, so you should try to keep questions in the regular forums, as this guide deals specifically with the hardware side of things AFAIK.

Anyway... "handy tools and links" has a huge list of the basic 'maintanence' software that you'd find handy.

AFAIK there isn't actually a basic software guide, if there is I can't find it at the moment. I guess that just means someone should make one .