need help in building system

[cronus1914]

Hey everybody! Im looking to build my own system for the 1st time.
I need to buy an ATX case, an ATX power supply, an ATX motherboard, heatsink, and CPU fan. I already have the other compnents. I have a few questions to ask in order to ensure that I don't buy the wrong parts. Here they are:

1.) How do I know what wattage of power supply to get?

2.) What does it mean when a motherboard has an AT and ATX power input? That I can plug an AT or ATX power supply into the motherboard (duh, i know but im just making sure)?

3.)If it says that a motherboard has 6 72-pin SIMM banks, does that mean I can put any type of memory (ex. SDRAM) in the banks as long as its a 72-pin SIMM chip?

4.) What exactly is a heatsink? :-)

5.) What is the motherboard's front side bus and how does it effect me when I install a motherboard and CPU?

6.) If it says that a motherboard can support a Pentium 2 from 233MHz to 333MHz, does that mean any type of CPU before that will work also? Like, could I put in a Pentium 100MHz? Would a Pentium 2 MMX 200 or 233 work???


Thanks alot in advance guys!!!

Bill

[buck52]

Hi cronus1914

I'll take a stab at this

1) Most replies seem to recommend 250-300 watt should be enough unless your building a supersystem

2) I believe that's correct

3) Any brand 72-pin SIMM should work ( when I built mine I stuck with a brand name ( Crucial)
I think 72-pin SIMM needs to be installed in pairs to work

4) the heatsink helps to disapate the heat buildup on the CPU

5) I think the FSB of the two should match ??

6) I would think it would with a little tinkering but I'm not sure

That's the best I can do( still learning) http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

The experts will be along to correct me where I've goofed and help you out more

buck

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just hav'n fun

[ReD_DrAg0n]

1.) How do I know what wattage of power supply to get? If it's ATX probably you should stick with 300watt.

2.) What does it mean when a motherboard has an AT and ATX power input? That I can plug an AT or ATX power supply into the motherboard (duh, i know but im just making sure)?
It's a formfactor. ATX motherboard then buy ATX case and ATX power supply.

3.)If it says that a motherboard has 6 72-pin SIMM banks, does that mean I can put any type of memory (ex. SDRAM) in the banks as long as its a 72-pin SIMM chip? I dunno much about that...yet.

4.) What exactly is a heatsink? it's the metal thing on top of your processor to keep your processor from turning into somebody's grandmother. In this case, fried chicken.

5.) What is the motherboard's front side bus and how does it effect me when I install a motherboard and CPU?
It depends on the motherboard or processor. The faster the FSB the better your gaming experience is well whatever you do with it. AMD athlon has 266mhz FSB, the pentium4 has a 400mhz FSB. If i'm correct.

6.) If it says that a motherboard can support a Pentium 2 from 233MHz to 333MHz, does that mean any type of CPU before that will work also? Like, could I put in a Pentium 100MHz? Would a Pentium 2 MMX 200 or 233 work???
i don't really know i'm just a dude that started learning about computers 2 years ago and i'm only 15 right now with 5 built computers hehe.


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-I hear dead ppl *whisper*-

[Paleo Pete]

1. Generally 300Watts is sufficient.

2. Yep, either will work.

3. Check the motherboard manual. With newer boards, any type might work. with some older ones, using 72 pin, only EDO will work, others only support Fast Page Mode, still others support EDO, FPM or SDRAM. 72 pin must be installed in pairs, 168 pin DIMM can be used singly.

4. A heatsink is a square (usually) aluminum plate with vertical fins that attaches to the CPU and draws heat away from the CPU. The fins help dissipate the heat. Normally a fan is mounted on top, to cool the fins allowing more efficient heat dissipation. Aluminum is used because it is one of the best heat conductors around. Thermal heat-conductive paste is also used, to improve heat conduction to the heatsink. (Only a thin film, too much is worse than none.)

5. Front side bus is the main system bus of the computer, which carries data from the CPU to all other components. Consider it the main communication line for the entire machine. The FSB must be supported by the CPU, and vice versa, and both must be set the same, usually by jumpers on the motherboard, and in newer boards sometimes by BIOS.

Explanation: If the CPU runs at 600MHz, and supports a 100MHz FSB, you would set the motherboard jumpers at 100MHz FSB and 6x multiplier, which would equal 600MHz. The CPU would then be able to communicate at 600MHz. That means it would utilize 600 million sends and returns of data per second. (Someone correct me if that figure is wrong, I'm not positive about it...)

6. I would doubt if you could use a CPU slower than that supported by the motherboard, since it would not have the FSB and multiplier settings available to allow the CPU to function properly. For instance a 100MHz CPU set at 100MHz FSB with the slowest multiplier being 3x would "overclock" it to 300MHz...I doubt if it would live longer than 30 seconds...You can sometimes use a CPU faster than is supported by the board, it would simply run slower than it was designed to run. As long as the voltage was correct, it would probably run ok.

If the board supports 233 to 333 MHz, a P-233MMX would work, IF the board also supports the voltage necessary for the MMX CPU, which uses dual voltage, and different voltage levels than non-MMX cpu's. A 200MMX might work, but would be overclocked, again depending on voltage support.

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YOU! Out of the gene pool!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[ranchdog]

Well spoken, Pete. Suggestion: Ease on down to a Book Store and purchase something similar to Upgrading PCs Illustrated by Jim Boyce. As the old saying goes A picture is worth a thousand words. Luck.

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......Indecision may or may not be my problem......

[Paleo Pete]

This was posted by cronus1914 in another topic, I copied it into this topic so we could keep up easier.

Is the Front Side Bus the same thing as the motherboard host bus?
I thought that only the data width (in bits) of the motherboard host bus
and the processor's external bus had to match up?? Do you mean
to tell me that they're speeds (in MHz) also have to match up?? How can I
tell what speed FSB my processor supports?

What would happen if the motherboard took 72-pin EDO SIMMs
and I put in 72-pin SDRAM or FPM SIMMs?? Would it just not
work or could I damage the whole motherboard?

I think the first part of the question has alrady been explained...as for the memory question, most boards that use EDO will also support FPM, since it was an earlier type and most boards are backward-compatible. If you try to use an unsupported memory type I don't think the board will work, but I'm not sure since I've never tried it...My advice would be to check the motherboard manual and use a memory type supported by the board.

I think motherboard host bus and FSB are the same thing, but I could be mistaken.

Thanks ranchdog...but I typed it... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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YOU! Out of the gene pool!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[cronus1914]

What does it mean if memory is PC100??

If memory banks take EDO or SDRAM could i mix and match the chips
in the banks? For example 4 EDO chips and 2 SDRAM chips??

[cronus1914]

Ok..here we go. I want to buy a motherboard and a CPU.
Can someone please list all the things I have to make sure are
compatible between the 2??

[ranchdog]

Just leading the horse....

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......Indecision may or may not be my problem......
.... Kickin' A Rock....

[wiltrot]

cronus1914,
If your shopping for a motherboard&CPU TigerDirect.com has some good buys.
They have motherboard&CPU bundles for sale whitch will ensure compatibility
if you'r not sure. And usually their is specifications on the motherboards
compatibilities with other components. Here are more sites for computer
parts shopping: http://www.compgeeks.com/ http://www.edgemicro.com/default.asp
Here's a good site for you to learn what those computer terminologies
mean;webopedia.com

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What's up with that?

[This message has been edited by wiltrot (edited 08-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by wiltrot (edited 08-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by wiltrot (edited 08-04-2001).]

[wiltrot]

cronus1914,
Be sure to always keep documents,packaging and receipts that come with each component. Some day you might need them and you will, if that day comes.

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What's up with that?

[yawningdog]

PC100 memory is 168pin DIMM memory that goes through its read/write cycle 100 million times per second. That might sound fast, but not if you consider processors are approaching 2 billion clock pulses per second.

Purchasing a motherboard and processor already assembled sounds like the best option if you're not sure. (If you really want to be safe, get the memory installed too.) But I don't recommend shopping online unless you are able to write off the purchase if you buy a lemon.

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Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to use the net, and he wont bother you for weeks.

[cronus1914]

Well I just bought a ATX motherboard that supports
Pentium 90 to 200 MHz. I already have a processor that says MMX
but I dont know what speed it is. Can I use this processor? Also, what sort of things do I need to do to ensure my CPU and motherboard are gonna
work together properly? I know I have to make sure the FSB matches up with the CPU. I do that with jumpers right? What else will I have to do? Will the manual I receive with the motherboard tell me everything I need to know??

[bassvax]

The manual should tell you just about all you need to know. Yes jumpers should be used on that board to adjust FSB & Vcore setting. If you can post the exact model# and maker of the mobo and then give the details off of the processor we can give you some advanced info on the two.

Check out this (http://www.cpuscorecard.com/cpuprices/ipx.htm) site for some good info on your processor. It should run at 66MHz FSB so if you already have 100/133MHz memory you should be able to use it but you won't get the benfit of the higher bus speed. If the mobo is said to cover the MMX from 90-200MHz the board will support the chip you have at the 66MHz FSB.

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Flush 'N' Forget
FE Stokes WWTP (http://www2.apex.net/users/hwuswtp)

[cronus1914]

Heres a link to the specs. of the motherboard I got. Someone wanted
to know this earlier. As for the processor, I dont know what speed it is or what FSB it supports, It just says Intel Pentium w/ MMX technology. Also can someone explain to me the details about voltage regulation on a motherboard? Someone mentioned something earlier that I might not be able to use an MMX CPU on a motherboard which takes regular Pentiums because of voltage issues. Thanks all!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1260930706

[Randy_tx]

Just a suggestion........find someone who has done this before to "look over your shoulder" while you build your first system......AND, get a book to help guide you along. Using this forum to get the step-by-step proceedures will take you a lifetime to complete the project!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Will XP save Me ?

[cronus1914]

Okay, I looked at my CPU and while it doesnt say its speed
it does say 2.8V. So, am I right in thinking that as long as
I can set my new motherboard to run at 2.8V I can use this
Intel Pentium MMX procesor I already have??

I bought my mb on ebay and it gave the following information:

Single ZIF socket 7 for Intel Pentium processor support for
90, 100, 133,150, 166 and 200MHz processors

Voltage Regulated Extension (VRE) and Voltage Regulated (VR) support (for use with MMX technology).
Voltage regulator available for $7.00


What is the second part of this description telling me???

[cronus1914]

Ok, another quick question. When would you buy PC100 memory?
If you have a 100 MHz FSB? What I mean is, what is the 100 in
PC100 refering to??