If you could warn all new PC users of something, what would it be?

[Guest]

I came into this thread with the intention of saying exactly the same thing.

 

However I wonder where one might get unbiased reviews these days?

Me.

[Victorious Secret]

I came into this thread with the intention of saying exactly the same thing.

 

However I wonder where one might get unbiased reviews these days?

 

Multiple sources. Always. I have never bought anything based off a singular opinion. Thats dangerous. I'll use a lot of places. Heck, even after I order something I still look at reviews, both printed and video, so see if I made the right choice. 

 

So far its worked out well. 

[Thony]

Never, ever, ever, ever, eveeeeer, never eat yellow snow.

[Spev]

Once you build your first PC you are destined to be infected with the "you must upgrade constantly" disease where you want to keep adding things to your rig all the time.

 

Be prepared.

[Real_PhillBert]

Beware of the fanbois. They are everywhere and can even seem informed to a newbie.

[Datoneguy]

Easily the most obvious.Do a good cable management so everytime they want to change a component,the cables won't get in the way

[bman12three4]

As a new PC user, these are all great tips, oh and the Doctors Hate Him! Local Pokemon Trainer is 10 for 20 years ad is false btw

[thebennyboy]

To avoid any AMD topic in the CPU section of this forum, always ending up as flamewars and personal insults.  :rolleyes:

[cravinmild]

all games are broken on launch day.   Skip work on the following day of any major release

[Fgtfv567]

It never boots up fine the first time. And that's okay. It's probably not broken, you've just forgotten something. Like the power switch on the PSU or the CPU 8 pin.

Also, make sure to get a good motherboard, it's more expensive, but it'll be one of the longest lasting components in your PC, so make sure it's at least a decent one.

The first time I did my first build I did a test outside of the case and posted no problem. Windows Installation then turned into a piece of cake

[Fgtfv567]

Forget ever buying HDDs. Only use SSD's in your rigs.

THAT IS THE WORST ADVICE I HAVE EVER HEARD ON LTT. GOOD DAY SIR!

[Fgtfv567]

 

 

To topic:

Don't click fishy ads on the internet

Whenever you can download software only from the vendor site not 3th parties, only if you must and the site is trusted.

Don't cheap out on the psu. Believe me thats the worst you can do unless you plan to build a timebomb.

Read the damn manuals it doesn't hurt you.

Learn how to use google. Seriously please do. Half of the problems in troubleshoot section can be resolved with a 2 seconds search on google. MainboardName + Errorcode gives good results

 

Starterpack for windows users:

Google Chrome

Addons: Adblockplus, uMatrix (NoScript for Chrome), DoNotTrack

Firefox (if you prefer)

Addons: Adblockplus, NoScript, BetterPrivacy (flashcookie manager), DoNotTrack, Lightbeam

CCleaner

Antivirus (Avg, Avast, whatever one you like)

Malwarebytes

LibreOffice

7Zip (#noneedforwinrar)

VLC

AIMP3

 

 

How do I disable mouse acceleration?

I just realized I had mouse acceleration on the entire time I've owned my PC! (2 fucking years!)

[szomeret]

I would warn new PC users to use some form of ad-blocking.

[Hunched]

I just realized I had mouse acceleration on the entire time I've owned my PC! (2 fucking years!)

How the hell did you play games?

Poorly?

[Jokuaga]

Be ready to do some research about how to fix some problems yourself. There will be some eventually. 

[Tech_Dreamer]

if you're buying a flagship product at the time it was released @ a "discounted" price & think they're getting it for a steal? they're wrong!

[wyattzx]

Most likely, your CPU is fine. You just forgot to plug in your CPU power. 

[DeScruff]

1) Its ok to go with the stock CPU heatsink for a while if you are on a tight budget at that moment.
- Use that +$30 on some other component like going to the next tier GPU, or getting the GPU with a better cooler, you are less likely to upgrade your GPU's cooler so make the best of it.
- You can always buy and install a new CPU cooler later when you get more money. You will also likely have what the temps are on the stock, and seeing how much those numbers go down will make you feel much more satisfied with your purchase!
2) Be very careful removing stock heatsinks, and Its best to run your system for a bit before removing them.
- I almost killed my Phenom II cause the junk paste that came on the stock heatsink would not let the CPU go and I accidentally slightly bent 2 pins.
That almost gave me a heart attack, but happily I was able to get the pins back into proper shape... You don't want to be in that situation.
3) Don't rule out that a certain part is faulty just because it was made by a "good brand".

4) Learn how to properly diagnose a problem, search Google, and filter out fixes to problems that aren't yours.
 

[MazeFrame]

1) Ask someone if all your components will work together.

2) Take time for everything!

3) Dont blame it on someone else until that someone is far enough away from you^^

[Corvo Pendragon]

I would tell them that NOT ALL INTERNET DOWNLOADS ARE SAFE. I am sick of fixing their computers cause they downloaded from a shady site. AND TO ALWAYS DO CUSTOM INSTALLATIONS. Jeez, people complain about annoying software that they themselves installed. 

[chilicheeseburger]

As 99% of the posts here said: Don't cheap out on your PSU!

Also if you're building a PC, it's often better to spend a little more up front because it will last you longer.

Especially if you're new to building PCs, watch a lot of tutorials and read all the manuals. If you're uncertain about something and google doesn't come up with a solution feel free to ask here on LTT before you try/do something stupid..

I'm gonna stop now but I could come up with so much more...

[Redpalmtree]

I would say: Don't cheap out on your case.

Don't cheap out on Power Supply.. I've had a few die on me already. Took the whole computer apart before I even considered it being the PSU

[Antibull]

Don't cheap out on Power Supply.. I've had a few die on me already. Took the whole computer apart before I even considered it being the PSU

 

That sucks so hard, I hope that it didn't damage any other components. I had it too with my cheap cooler master b500 (vers1) It made a lot of noise 

[RooFio]

read manuals and take your time.

[Weepypostman]

Don't buy a PC from a dealer. Build it yourself. It's fun, you learn a lot about your computer, and how to fix it yourself.