Going to Build First Comp and im scurd.......

[clandestinex337]

Alright so Im going to order my new comp tomarrow since its payday, and im going to be building my first computer. I have a custome one atm but my bro built it for me when i was back at home, Well i live 6hrs away from home now so i cant have him help so i have to do it on my own.

I know where everything goes, just some questions. Does it matter what order you put things in? or the easiest so that you have room to work with. My friends told me, CPU and ram, then mount into the Case. then put everthing else.

Ok so once everthing is hooked up this is the part where im scared. BIOS EEEEPP, i do not know what i have to setup in this area, if someone could post a well detailed guild on how to setup the comp after everything is hooked up i will <3 youall forever. I just dont want to mess up cuase this is alot of money laying on my hands right now.

Thanks to anyone who helps

*Edited to remove swear word*

 

[Kage]

CASE:

Well, it depends on the case design.

If its well made, you can take out a motherboard tray, connect the motherboard to it, add the parts, and then slot the tray in, locking it into place.
There are a few cases which can be funny though where the PSU won't go in if you dont add the motherboard first, so also check how the PSU is fitted. If its positioned above where the motherboard will go, your fine.

You'll be able to see what type of case you have, simply by looking inside. If it has some clips connected to something that looks rather like a tray, then its okay to take this off and add the parts first.

STATIC:

Whatever you do though, protect yourself from static, okay? Theres nothing worse than killing your components just because you hadn't earthed yourself.

AntiStatic bracelets which are cheap is one way, and plugs into a wall socket to earth you, or some people touch radiators every 5 minutes or so, or plug the PSU in to the PC, and the case should earth you.

I'd also advise not to build the system in a room with a carpet, where static is most likely going to be found.

CPU:

First slot the CPU in to the desired slot on the motherboard. There is a corner missing off to help you position it right, and this should just push in nice and easy.
There will also be a sticker ontop of it which behind it is the thermal compound to help the cooling process. Simply take that off and you are now ready to place the heatsink and fan ontop.

AMD CPU heatsinks can be hard to fit, but the catch is simple once you get used to how it works. It should click into place without alot of force, but if you do have to, the chip is likely not going to get damaged as long as the Heatsink is positioned the right way (There is a guide with the manual of course), and so, this should be easy enough to fit too.

RAM:

If you RAM is dual Channel compatable, inserting them in a specific way on the motherboard will turn this feature on. Usually its the 1st and 2nd slot, or in some its the 1st and 3rd slot. Check the manual

HOOKED UP:

After it is all plugged in and all is go, everything should just install itself (Motherboard drivers, etc), except if your hard drive is SATA, in which case, before installing Windows, using the guided help it gives you, you'll have to place the SATA drivers in that should come with your motherboard before the hard drive can be installed to.

After that is done though, and Windows is installed, you'll be fine.

I'd check the BIOS though by pressing DEL at bootup to check that all settings, etc are correct to the way you want them, for example the onboard video chip is disabled, and the sound chip too if you ahve one plugged into a PCI port.

Other than that, your computer is all set to go
I hope this helps.

 

[clandestinex337]

CASE:

Well, it depends on the case design.

If its well made, you can take out a motherboard tray, connect the motherboard to it, add the parts, and then slot the tray in, locking it into place.
There are a few cases which can be funny though where the PSU won't go in if you dont add the motherboard first, so also check how the PSU is fitted. If its positioned above where the motherboard will go, your fine.

You'll be able to see what type of case you have, simply by looking inside. If it has some clips connected to something that looks rather like a tray, then its okay to take this off and add the parts first.

STATIC:

Whatever you do though, protect yourself from static, okay? Theres nothing worse than killing your components just because you hadn't earthed yourself.

AntiStatic bracelets which are cheap is one way, and plugs into a wall socket to earth you, or some people touch radiators every 5 minutes or so, or plug the PSU in to the PC, and the case should earth you.

I'd also advise not to build the system in a room with a carpet, where static is most likely going to be found.

RAM:

If you RAM is dual Channel compatable, inserting them in a specific way on the motherboard will turn this feature on. Usually its the 1st and 2nd slot, or in some its the 1st and 3rd slot. Check the manual

CPU:

AMD CPU heatsinks can be hard to fit, but the catch is simple once you get used to how it works. It should click into place without alot of force, but if you do have to, the chip is likely not going to get damaged as long as the Heatsink is positioned the right way (There is a guide with the manual of course), and so, this should be easy enough to fit too.

HOOKED UP:

After it is all plugged in and all is go, everything should just install itself (Motherboard drivers, etc), except if your hard drive is SATA, in which case, before installing Windows, using the guided help it gives you, you'll have to place the SATA drivers in that should come with your motherboard before the hard drive can be installed to.

After that is done though, and Windows is installed, you'll be fine.

I'd check the BIOS though by pressing DEL at bootup to check that all settings, etc are correct to the way you want them, for example the onboard video chip is disabled, and the sound chip too if you ahve one plugged into a PCI port.

Other than that, your computer is all set to go
I hope this helps.

i just want to say THANK YOU, you are very helpfull, on the MB you helped me pick out in the reviews on newegg, they say that the BIOS is out of date, and it needs to be updated, is that hard to do? when i get home i will quote what that person says. Ill check this post when i get back home WOOOT schools out for the day... bahhh work at 3 =*(

thank you again Kage, you are very very helpfull

 

[Kage]

Thanks alot

It will depend on the version of the motherboard you get. You may very well find out that you'll get one with an updated version, since manufactuers are always changing little bits in the production line, as I found out with my ABIT board which wasn't meant to support my CPU unless a BIOS update was given.

Simply check the motherboard box to find out, and if it says it supports your CPU out of the box, its safe to say it probably does

If you do need a BIOS update though, follow these steps:

http://www.dfi.com/support1/bioshelp.htm

That explains what you will need to do (You'll need a floppy drive on your new machine), and now to find an update for you to download, ready:

http://www.dfi.com/support1/download.asp

Well, theres the list.
Now, when you get your motherboard, you will be able to check what version of BIOS it contains simply by looking at a code on the motherboard itself for you to download the appropiate one onto disk, before you do anything:

http://www.dfi.com/support1/images/PCB_Version.jpg

You'll simply look at a code like that, and then go to the download section listed above and scroll down the list until you find the right code, and download the update, and follow the instructions as stated in the help, also above.

I hope this helps

 

[mammikoura]

usually the bios doesn't need to be updated unless there is some problems.
I've flashed a mobo bios once and it was quite hard, though back then I wasn't that experienced with computers. Also it took some time and I really hated doing it.

But that page that Kage provided us with makes it look easy, so it probably will be. It has been years since I flashed my mobo bios so the technology has changed alot since then.

 

[clandestinex337]

this is what the guys said about the MB

Not for beginners...or intermediates
This board is fast and flexible. Capable in all respects. However, I'm pretty well versed in computer building, and I have to say that this board was more trouble than I expected. It ships with the same bios it had the day of it's creation- 3.14 or so. To update it to 6.23 you have to jump through numerous hoops. I'm currently wrestling with the thing trying to update the nVidia Nforce drivers. It's a pain! However, I wouldn't have it any other way- it's blazing fast. Four stars to the unit, and four and a half stars to new egg. They edit these reviews a little too much for my tastes. We should be allowed to post price comparasons.

 

[Kage]

Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine.

They obviously didn't have the support you have

Those pages I gave you should be enough to update the BIOS to the latest version, and get the new CPU working correctly

 

[clandestinex337]

thanks kage

*VOTE KAGE FOR PRESIDENT*

 

[Kage]

Hey, thanks

Though, President?

...I wouldn't cope

 

[Feircepc]

if i were u put the mobo and stuff last. that way when u hook it all up u can rewire it so the wires are pooping out everywhere to improve cooling