New Computer Build Tips

[ImNotARealGamer]

Also I already have 2 TB of HDD space. So I don’t know if I plan on getting an mSATA storage unit any time soon. I know it’s faster, but I mean it’ll run just fine for a while right?

[SpookyCitrus]

1 hour ago, Euchre said:

I see on the choice of mobo there's an mSATA slot. Not exactly an SSD, but if you get a smaller capacity that is big enough for at least installing Windows, it'll help in performance, vs having it all depend on a conventional hard drive. A $50 price point can get you 32-64gb of mSATA storage.

You can get a 480GB SSD for $47.99 and a 500GB mSATA for $60 which in my opinion is pretty meh.

[Euchre]

You could use an SSD via the conventional SATA headers, too. The system basically doesn't care if you use all SSDs via all possible interfaces.

[ImNotARealGamer]

35 minutes ago, Euchre said:

You could use an SSD via the conventional SATA headers, too. The system basically doesn't care if you use all SSDs via all possible interfaces.

Oh ok got it

[ImNotARealGamer]

So I’ve also heard that when building a PC, you should always build your system outside its chassis in case a piece of hardware doesn’t work, correct?

[ImNotARealGamer]

Also, the parts to build my desktop should be here in a couple of days so actually if someone has a really good PC building video that I can follow along with while I’m building mine, that would be awesome. Thanks.

[xKyric]

4 hours ago, ImNotARealGamer said:

So I’ve also heard that when building a PC, you should always build your system outside its chassis in case a piece of hardware doesn’t work, correct?

I advise that you test your hardware outside the case. I made the mistake of not doing it on a system that I'm still in the middle of working on; I had to undo eight hours of work to narrow down what components were malfunctioning and send them back to the seller.  

[Guest]

13 hours ago, dizmo said:

It's pretty hard to screw up. The hardest part is putting the CPU in the socket, and installing the cooler if you bought a cheap one.

 

You would be amazed how many mistakes can be made. I once had to fly out to Norway to investigate why 46 Dell PCs our customer had were not working after their system boards had been replaced (they all had off caps from the factory so it was a warranty issue) by a supposedly qualified technician. The moron had  Ot fitted a cpu to any of them. Because he had packaged up and returned all 46 of the  old boards with their swollen caps without removing their CPUs we had to get new CPUs shipped from the UK and all the customs hassles that entailed before I could get the customer up and running again.

 

I’ve seen all sorts of mistakes made. Standoffs in the wrong place shorting boards is quite common, as is flexing the crap USB headers causing damage. PSUs set to the wrong voltage is also fun, or people dropping screws on live boards or dropping screws and not realising when they switch them on. We’ve all forgotten to put the shield in place before fitting the motherboard but at least that doesn’t cause damage. There are a lot of mistakes that can be made. I killed a £13,000 mainframe board simply by bending a pin on a CF slot. Sure, the board was reworked but it did cause a bit of a stir, and I have  25 years of experience in the enterprise world.

 

I know building a PC is quite simple, and as long as it is taken slowly it should be fine. But any new builder should be aware that we can all make mistakes and when it does go wrong it is good to have someone else with experience and a fresh set of eyes on hand. Having said that I recently helped a 16yr old who I honestly on arrival thought what he had done would have caused damage. It  is amazing how robust to errors a lot of modern kit can be.

[ImNotARealGamer]

5 hours ago, xKyric said:

I advise that you test your hardware outside the case. I made the mistake of not doing it on a system that I'm still in the middle of working on; I had to undo eight hours of work to narrow down what components were malfunctioning and send them back to the seller.  

Alright thanks, I’ll be sure to do that then.

[ImNotARealGamer]

5 hours ago, Phill104 said:

You would be amazed how many mistakes can be made. I once had to fly out to Norway to investigate why 46 Dell PCs our customer had were not working after their system boards had been replaced (they all had off caps from the factory so it was a warranty issue) by a supposedly qualified technician. The moron had  Ot fitted a cpu to any of them. Because he had packaged up and returned all 46 of the  old boards with their swollen caps without removing their CPUs we had to get new CPUs shipped from the UK and all the customs hassles that entailed before I could get the customer up and running again.

 

I’ve seen all sorts of mistakes made. Standoffs in the wrong place shorting boards is quite common, as is flexing the crap USB headers causing damage. PSUs set to the wrong voltage is also fun, or people dropping screws on live boards or dropping screws and not realising when they switch them on. We’ve all forgotten to put the shield in place before fitting the motherboard but at least that doesn’t cause damage. There are a lot of mistakes that can be made. I killed a £13,000 mainframe board simply by bending a pin on a CF slot. Sure, the board was reworked but it did cause a bit of a stir, and I have  25 years of experience in the enterprise world.

 

I know building a PC is quite simple, and as long as it is taken slowly it should be fine. But any new builder should be aware that we can all make mistakes and when it does go wrong it is good to have someone else with experience and a fresh set of eyes on hand. Having said that I recently helped a 16yr old who I honestly on arrival thought what he had done would have caused damage. It  is amazing how robust to errors a lot of modern kit can be.

Thank you for the elaborate explanation. That helps a lot. I will be sure to try to avoid these mistakes in my new build. Having this new community is very helpful and gives me enough confidence yet keeps me alert for when I start to construct my PC.

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, ImNotARealGamer said:

Thank you for the elaborate explanation. That helps a lot. I will be sure to try to avoid these mistakes in my new build. Having this new community is very helpful and gives me enough confidence yet keeps me alert for when I start to construct my PC.

I wish you the best of luck. It can be a lot of fun.

[ImNotARealGamer]

36 minutes ago, Phill104 said:

I wish you the best of luck. It can be a lot of fun.

Thanks, I hope it will be.

[ImNotARealGamer]

Sorry I've got another question. For my mobo it says,

Memory Standard

DDR3 2400(OC)/1600/1333/1066

 

Does this mean I can't use DDR3 1866 RAM?

[xKyric]

4 hours ago, ImNotARealGamer said:

Sorry I've got another question. For my mobo it says,

Memory Standard

DDR3 2400(OC)/1600/1333/1066

 

Does this mean I can't use DDR3 1866 RAM?

No need to be sorry! From what I can tell, your board supports up to 1600MHz DDR3 without overclocking and up to 2400Mhz when you overclock. In order to get 1866MHz, you'll have to overclock your memory. By default, your motherboard will underclock your RAM to ensure compatibility. So yes, 1866 RAM is compatible with your board, but you'll have to change some settings in you motherboard's BIOS to get it running at full speed.

[ImNotARealGamer]

4 hours ago, xKyric said:

No need to be sorry! From what I can tell, your board supports up to 1600MHz DDR3 without overclocking and up to 2400Mhz when you overclock. In order to get 1866MHz, you'll have to overclock your memory. By default, your motherboard will underclock your RAM to ensure compatibility. So yes, 1866 RAM is compatible with your board, but you'll have to change some settings in you motherboard's BIOS to get it running at full speed.

Oh ok awesome thank you! I appreciate it.

[ImNotARealGamer]

Also, how would you recommend cable management? As in, when do I want to start getting my cables nice and cleaned up?

[xKyric]

Just now, ImNotARealGamer said:

Also, how would you recommend cable management? As in, when do I want to start getting my cables nice and cleaned up?

I find that cable management is all up to personal preference. I like to tidy every cable right as I install the component with the said cable, but do whatever works for you.