Custom buliding a machine: advise

[callistra]

My current computer is a Dell 8400. What I really wanted to do was build my own machine, but I couldn't afford it at the time. Dell financed me, and looking at the specs, it seems like a good buy at a good price. I never dreamed that less than a year later the computer would be ready for the dumpster. This computer has been a real NIGHTMARE. My original problem started about a month ago, when a nasty grinding sound began to come out of the machine. Also, it was running slower and slower.. freezing crashing, not at all happy. In addition, my processor was spiking very high, the fan would run at a constant high speed, but also blow cool or flat out cold air. Naturally, I though HDD and heatsink. I explained my problem to Dell, who decided to replace my HDD and heatsink... mobo and fan. Overkill I though, but hey it's their money, as it's still under warranty. BIG MISTAKE.

After the fist visit, fan was noisier, and the spikes were higher. The hdd was okay for like 30minutes and then grinding up a storm yet again. The heatsink did finally get hot, so that was a good upgrade. I e-mailed Dell, complained again. This time they decided to replace the motherboard (again.. I still think my original motherboard was the best one I had. :( ) and this time the processor. Well okay, replacement motherboard arrived doa. It would not detect my hdd and it was running the fan and spinning my cdroms so fast the tech actually yanked the plug out the back fearing it was going to explode on me.

Third tech visit: This time Dell decided to let the tech replace my motherboard, processor, and psu. They wanted to replace my memory too, but enough was enough. I refused to let them replace that. Should have said no to the psu too, but I heard a lot of people were complaining about faulty psus causing some of the problems I was having, and being that was the only part left they hadn’t replaced, I thought why not? Now my computer won’t even boot. It told me I had a low system battery, then died and will now blinks an amber light. I replaced the system battery twice now and it nothing. I am positive they replaced my perfectly fine psu with a defective psu.

So now my computer is worse than ever before and they have tried three times to “fix” my computer using defective parts.

Dell is now replacing my entire system, but at this point I have NO interest in this machine.

I’ve decided I’m building my own. I’ve never done this before, so I’d like some advice as to what parts to purchase. I’m going to try to salvage as much off the Dell as I can, but I know most parts are Dell specific only. I figure, I have an okay processor, hdd, memory, video card, and sound card. The rest I’m going to have to buy. I want to go off of a Asus P5AD2-E Premium mobo, and I’m thinking Antec for the power supply. Any suggestions for case, heatsink/fan etc?

[pop pop]

What an absolute horror story. I think I would have gone nuts, or at least said give me my money back, end of story.

Now...

I figure, I have an okay processor, hdd, memory, video card, and sound card.

I have a P5AD2E Premium, marvelous mobo. We need to answer some questions relative to components you want to keep and the mobo. 1) What's the "okay processor"? The P5AD2 is a 775 socket. 2) What is the memory you want to keep? The ASUS board uses 240 pin DDR2 533 if I recall (I have 675/5400 in mine). 3) What is the video card? The P5AD2 is PCIe16 format. 4) What is the sound card? The ASUS board has very good onboard sound.

Answer those questions and we can consider the next ones. Another thing, I love the P5AD2 Premium, it a best in class mobo. It has just about every dang thing you could ever want or need. They don't call it "Premium" for nothing. It's also relatively expensive as far as mobos go (approx $236 at Newegg). Do you really want or need all that for this build? And will the board specs rule out using some of the left over components forcing you to sell them and buy others.

[callistra]

Hey thanks for your reply.

Yeah, I’ve checked and everything should be compatible. I have a P4 530 in my Dell now, which is a 775. I have 2gb (1gb x2) of DDR2 533 240 pin, so should be perfectly fine. Video card is a ATI x300 PC-E, and yes it is next up on the list for replacement. Not too fond of this card at all, but I’ll work on saving up for that once I get a fully functional machine LOL. Sound card is a Soundblaster Live! 24-bit. I may be getting an Audigy upgrade with the new system..we shall see.

Whether or not I need such a motherboard.. probably not. I’m not sure, really. I do want it though. I can use the maximum leftover parts on my Dell, and I am SO tired of messing with computer problems that I’ve decided to spend a bit more for the best. In my entire life, I have never owned a low-fuss machine, and it’s time for that to stop. I figure I will not outgrow this motherboard anytime soon.

[saphalline]

No, you wouldn't outgrow that mobo any time soon, but the point is there are mobo's that are almost as good for half the price! For the amount of money that the P5AD2E Premium costs, you could get a similar mobo and a vid card upgrade! That premium mobo doesn't have anything extra that you need for an upgradable mobo. There are many $100-130 mobo's that would be just as upgradable and (perhaps) less fuss because they have less extra features.

For a much less expensive option, you could get the MSI 915 NEO2 Platinum (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130461) for only $137 using the i915P Express chipset. The only thing it lacks are the 4 extra SATA ports, but will you need them?

Or for a more expensive option, the Asus P5GD2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127188) is $175 using the i915P Express chipset and only lacks the higher-end features and 1066 FSB of its big brother.

As you can see, if you go for the less expensive MSI mobo, you have enough left over to buy a new vid card, vs that premium Asos mobo! And are you really going to buy a new CPU to take advantage of the 1066 FSB? Ha! By that time, dual-core will be cheap enough for budget-minded power users!

[callistra]

I see what you mean.. but yes I am intending to upgrade the processor at some point. IT's just a matter of when. I have to build it up in steps as I don't have the money all at once. When I'm ready to upgrade my machine I want a motherboard that can support whatever I want to do with it, especially since it's the second most expensive component behind the processor. MSI looks good... but is the quality the same as the Asus? I've been reading a some post by some people who were having problems with MSI mobos.. Never read a post about an Asus. After just going through 4 defective mobos on my Dell 8400, not something I'm too keen on.

What do you guys think of refurbished boards? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131507R I can't believe how cheap that is.

[pop pop]

It's a crap shoot. You might roll a 7 and be a winner, you might not. Like Newegg warns, you are taking a risk. Those items were returned by someone for a reason. Maybe they ordered the wrong thing, maybe it was incompatible with something else they had, maybe it had real problems.

I took a chance on a refurbished monitor once. I got lucky and it ran perfectly and until I gave it away. I've read stories though where refurbished items arrive DOA.

I don't know what the Newegg return policy is on a refurbished item, probably not good, nor do I know if the manufacturer's warrantee would still apply--probably not.

It's like buying something at a yard sale. You get it and you get it cheap. That's about it.

[Whyzman]

MSI looks good... but is the quality the same as the Asus? I've been reading a some post by some people who were having problems with MSI mobos.. Never read a post about an Asus.There are hundreds of thousands of each motherboard floating around out there no doubt serving folks well.

I've personally built with both MSI and ASUS and would proffer that both are excellent motherboards. Actually, I did have problems with my ASUS A7V133 as the chipset fans creaked and groaned...lots of disgruntled assemblers on the ASUS Forum with boxes in client's hands complaining they'd been infested with a poltergeist...

Bottom line is how the motherboard manufacturers handle problems. IMHO, both are reputable companies...

If the ASUS premium is not presently financially feasible I would defer to Saph's suggestions...you can take his advice to the bank... ;)

[r53s]

Begin with a good case.
I mean one that has a 400 WATTS PSU or better; the 12 volt current must have from 24 to 30 Amperes and the voltage must be stable, no more than 3 or 5 percent, and two case fans:
one in the front taking cold air in and one in the back, taking it out.
Intel also recommends (and I like the idea) a tunel that guides fresh air
to the processor coming from the side panel (it doesn`t need a fan).
I think this is a very important component, because today`s processors
are hot (in all sense)...
Good Luck

[callistra]

I've been doing a bit of research and it seems Thermaltake is a good company for cases and cool devises?

I was thinking this for the case: http://www.thermaltake.com/xaserCase/tsunami/tsunamimenu.htm

cpu fan: http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/4in1heatpipe/cl-p0071SonicTower/cl-p0071.htm or http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/cl-p0092silent775/cl-p0092silent775.htm

This for the psu: http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=20550

The cpu fan is where I get a little confused.. I’m not sure exactly what will fit with my case. My dell fan/heatsink is Dell specific so that’s going to have to be replaced.. just not sure with what.

[r53s]

I like black cases, but this look good in silver...

[r53s]

And the psu looks like a "machine" with plenty power and 3 percent variance,
with 30A for the 12v...

[i an not a nerd]

Ok, about CPU fans, the CPU will come with a fan. Just get a bit of thermal grease, and it should work fine.

[callistra]

I'm reusing my Dell cpu, so I can't reuse the fan and the heatsink because it's modified specifically to snap onto/fit in a dell case. Ever seen that monstrous green shroud? Ugly.. Besides, even if I could modify it to fit, Dell’s cooling system has not even met intel’s recommended standards, so I’m not interested in copying their poor system onto my new machine. :)

[i an not a nerd]

Ah, then i would reccomend getting the Thermaltake Silent 775.

[saphalline]

When I'm ready to upgrade my machine I want a motherboard that can support whatever I want to do with itNot gonna happen. Technology moves too fast. Currently, mobo/chipset advances have been coming on a 6-month schedule, and we're just starting another turn-over (dual-core capable chipsets). The last turn-over was SLI, just 6 short months ago. Before that, native SATA. Before that, dual-channel RAM. As you can see, there's no possible way you can keep your mobo at the cutting edge for more than 6 months. So I think you need to consider exactly what upgrades you want to do with this system. If you want to be able to upgrade to a Pentium D or Pentium EE (both dual-core CPU's) then you'll need a completely different series of chipsets than what you're looking at right now!

Tell me your future upgrade plans and your current budget, and I can help you narrow it down some more. Otherwise, I'm shooting in the dark here!

Case choice is excellent. Honestly, it's the best case I've ever seen! I want one! :D Either the VA3000BWA (black one with window) or the VA3000SWA (silver one with window). The window doesn't cost much more up front, but the fan installed in the window is worth it for the extra cooling!

I also recommend the second CPU cooler (the Silent 775) because it's much more likely to actually fit in a system! :p The first one is very large and could easily have fitting problems both with the mobo and the case.

PSU choice also looks solid in terms of quality and wattage, but it's only an ATX12V (ATX 2.03 spec with 20-pin connector) so you might have to change that choice depending on the final chipset/mobo choice. An SLI and/or a dual-core capable chipset/mobo will probably require a newer ATX 3.0 spec PSU (ATX12V 2.0 spec with 24-pin connector).

Just let us know which direction you want to take, and what your budget is.