ArchAngel wrote:Good choice on the Crucial The M4 has been doing me well.
A case is more than just a box, it also provides the frame for all the parts to bolt into. It's not technically necessary, but it keeps everything secure, in a nice, protected shell while also providing good airflow to keep everything cool. I don't recommend just leaving the parts hanging around, as the heat might damage things around them, and also the delicate circuitry might get damaged itself. You'd also need a way to get some airflow moving over the chips.
For what the case provides, it's worth the money. And besides, why would you want to pass up some cool LEDs?
Lol thanks.
ccgr wrote:I test motherboards etc without a case but it requires a screw driver to make the connection to power on the system...is that what you really want? This is the case I'm using: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811103011
Only go this crazy if you plan on over clocking
Ok, I'll go for the case. If I end up with a free case, I'll post some pictures and see what you guys think. I'm really not experienced enough to know what to look for. XD I'm not planning on overclocking yet. I don't know enough, and I don't want to have to worry about messing up my components.
'Nother question: I have my SSD, HDD, and Video Card picked out. Now I'm looking into motherboards. What should I be looking for? There's so many options, it's a little overwhelming. What features do I have to have? What should I have? What could I have? What do I not want? etc.
Motherboards can be pretty overwhelming.
The biggest thing is to make sure it has the right socket for the processor you want.
I'd pick the CPU first. CCGR might have some good advice on a good AMD processor as I went Intel and it's been a bit since I was looking at them.
A couple things to look for would be to make sure the max RAM supported is over 16gb and DD3 (you don't want to be stuck with anything less, but any new one should be set on this).
Most North and south bridges should be fine, and honestly, I can't really speak or attest to any personally. I honestly don't think this is something you need to worry about. Something really high end users who want to overclock and what not probably care more about. CCGR, any advice on this?
As for the Front Side Bus, The higher MHZ, the better, as it won't bottleneck. (This is the connection between the RAM and the CPU, so it's important, but I think it most cases, it should be fine)
6 GB/S SATA ports are good, so have a couple of those.
And just make sure there is enough USB ports for you (including USB 3.0).
I probably told you more than you need to know. Like I said, the socket type is the most important thing you'll need to. Most others should be fine and most motherboards will have whatever you need, just make sure it has the features you want. A cheap $50 board, for example, might not have USB 3.0 ports or a 6 GB/S SATA, and ram maxes out at 8gb. I would not suggest that, as you'd be old out of date as soon as you put it together.
As for brands, I believe CCGR and I are both a fan of Asus.
CCGR probably knows about what's good out there currently, though.
If price is a concern than AMD will probably be the cheaper route. My brother got an AMD tricore and was able to unlock it into a quad core in his bios. (free upgrade!) I like ASUS boards but they're expensive. MSI boards are a good value. Make sure to get one with 4 slots of memory. My board that died on me was a Gigabyte, I had to send it back to them multiple times, I'll think twice before buying another Gigabyte.
ArchAngel wrote:Motherboards can be pretty overwhelming.
The biggest thing is to make sure it has the right socket for the processor you want.
I'd pick the CPU first. CCGR might have some good advice on a good AMD processor as I went Intel and it's been a bit since I was looking at them.
A couple things to look for would be to make sure the max RAM supported is over 16gb and DD3 (you don't want to be stuck with anything less, but any new one should be set on this).
Most North and south bridges should be fine, and honestly, I can't really speak or attest to any personally. I honestly don't think this is something you need to worry about. Something really high end users who want to overclock and what not probably care more about. CCGR, any advice on this?
As for the Front Side Bus, The higher MHZ, the better, as it won't bottleneck. (This is the connection between the RAM and the CPU, so it's important, but I think it most cases, it should be fine)
6 GB/S SATA ports are good, so have a couple of those.
And just make sure there is enough USB ports for you (including USB 3.0).
Like I said, the socket type is the most important thing you'll need to. Most others should be fine and most motherboards will have whatever you need, just make sure it has the features you want. A cheap $50 board, for example, might not have USB 3.0 ports or a 6 GB/S SATA, and ram maxes out at 8gb. I would not suggest that, as you'd be old out of date as soon as you put it together.
*headdesk* I forgot about the CPU. Thank you! I think I'm going to go with an Asus motherboard, but now that CCGR mentioned it, I'll look into MSI boards as well because I'm on a limited budget.
ArchAngel wrote:I probably told you more than you need to know.
I don't know nearly enough, so any information you can give me is great!
ccgr wrote:If price is a concern than AMD will probably be the cheaper route. My brother got an AMD tricore and was able to unlock it into a quad core in his bios. (free upgrade!) I like ASUS boards but they're expensive. MSI boards are a good value. Make sure to get one with 4 slots of memory. My board that died on me was a Gigabyte, I had to send it back to them multiple times, I'll think twice before buying another Gigabyte.
Ok, thanks.
Ok, after reading your posts, I'm confused again. The SSD and HDD are for storing files, etc., the CPU is what the computer uses to "think," the graphics card translates into monitor-language, and the motherboard connects them all to each other. Is that right? If so, what should I look for in a CPU?
Thanks again!
Edit: Is there any reason to get a CPU with or without built-in graphics, even if I'm purchasing a separate card?
What to look for in a CPU is how many COres they have, dual core is a bare minimum these days. I would go for a tri or a quad core AMD since you have a limited budget. There are six core cpus out but they're expensive. How overclockable they are depends on what motherboard you get. Both Intel and AMD have extreme editions for their CPUs but they're often over priced.
Many motherboard support integrated video which is fine if you wanted to hold off on a video card, disabling the onboard video is possible in the bios. The problem with using onboard graphics is that they're not very powerful and they share RAM with your computer.
Ok, thanks. The one I have picked out is a quad-core AMD.
It looks like Intel Motherboards don't support AM3 connections. Is AM3 a standard created by AMD?
Edit: AMD Motherboards don't support PCI-X 3.0 connections. Is it possible to get a motherboard that has both AM3 (for CPU) and PCI-X 3.0 (for Graphics)?
AM sockets are for AMD CPU's, Intel uses completely different sockets. Not much you can do for lack of PCI-E 3 support, high end video cards will still work fine. Sata 6Gb and USB 3 are nice...my system doesn't have those.
ccgr wrote:AM sockets are for AMD CPU's, Intel uses completely different sockets. Not much you can do for lack of PCI-E 3 support, high end video cards will still work fine. Sata 6Gb and USB 3 are nice...my system doesn't have those.
Sorry, not sure I understand. Can I use a graphics card that is "PCI-X 3.0 x16" in the same computer as a CPU that needs a "Socket AM3" connection? You mentioned that "high end video cards will still work fine." The video card I'm looking at says its interface is PCI-X 3.0. Would that work with, for example, this motherboard?
The Socket AM3 connection is just for the processor alone.
It will work; A PCI-E 3.0 card should work in a 2.0 slot, but you'd probably get better performance having it in a 3.0 slot.
Ok, thanks. That Crucial you linked to is the one I have picked out! Thank you!
I'm mostly finalized in what I'm looking for. If you're willing, let me know what you think:
Motherboard - MSI
CPU - AMD Quad Core PhenomII
SSD - Crucial 128GB
HDD - Western Digital 750GB
Graphics Card - HIS 2GB 7850 - from CCGR, unless it's already sold, in which case the 7770
Power Supply - Rosewill 630W
Case, monitor, speakers/headphones, mouse, and keyboard I think I can get for free, or we might already have some.
Operating System - not sure on this one; I'd like to use Windows 7, but $119 seems a little much for now. What if I used Ubuntu? Does it work with most games?
Internet - I think we figured out how to get internet into the right room with a wire, but if that doesn't work I'll just use a USB dongle.
Anything I forgot? Will there be compatibility issues?
Antec is good but you'd be paying too much. Rosewill is a decent brand and much cheaper..you just don't want to go with a no-name brand on power supplies
Krytae wrote:Nothing wrong with Ubuntu, I just wouldn't suggest using it for gaming. You'll have less headaches with Windows 7.
Ok, thanks. I was hoping to use a less-expensive OS, but I guess Win7 is the best choice despite the price.
ccgr wrote:Antec is good but you'd be paying too much. Rosewill is a decent brand and much cheaper..you just don't want to go with a no-name brand on power supplies
The M4 has been doing me well.
