Any computer hardware experts out there who might be able to help me assemble a custom build computer? I'm a total noob. I've done a few RAM chip installs, graphics card replacements and a power supply replacement, but I've never built by own 'puter before. So I could use some help.

I've been thinking about a custom computer build for a long time. My old HP a1700n just isn't cutting it anymore. I got a little signing bonus from my new job and thought I'd put a little money into a new computer.

I plan to use it for home computer, some video stuff, pagemaker and photoshop and maybe diablo 3 when it comes out. I'm not a huge computer gamer, but it would be nice to have the ability.
Honestly.. it'll mostly be for internet and some basic microsoft office stuff.. but once in a while maybe I'll put it to work.

So, I was on slickdeals and found an amazing deal.. Microcenter is selling the Intel i7 2600k for $280 with a $80 discount on a matching motherboard. So it's basically cheaper than the 2500k.. or close to it. Sure it's totally overkill for what I'll ever use it for, but hey.. what the hell right?

So I have the following:
Intel i7 2600k ($279) http://ark.intel.com/products/52214/Int ... _40-GHz%29
ASUS P8Z 68-V LX 1155 ATX motherboard. ($44.99) http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... sku=812289
Sony 24x dvd-rw drive ($18.99)
Diablo EVO ATX mid-tower case ($39.99) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=1842


I have windows 7 (32bit) running in my old computer. I upgraded it, so I have the license.. .it's not an OEM.
I have a wireless N card in my old computer
I have a couple small sticks of RAM in there
I have a CoolMax M-500B power supply in the old computer as well. http://www.amazon.com/Coolmax-M-500B-Su ... d_sxp_f_pt


I'd love some help and suggestions on what I still need to get to finish this thing. Keep in mind that I'm basically in over my head on all this.
Can I use the 500W power supply that I have? Will it be enough?
Can I use the operating system that I have already? Can I somehow re-license it on the new computer? Can I install it as a 64bit system? I read that the 32bit system can only use about 3GB of memory?

If the existing power supply doesn't cut it.. what should I get? Any great deals on the 'net right now?
What graphics card/cards should I get?
What's the deal with 3D output from a computer? I don't have any 3D tv's.. so is this worth pursuing?
Any good deals on RAM?
Any good deals on a harddrive? Seems like 1TB drives are going for about $50 or so right now.. would be about right for me.

What else do I need to buy outside of the RAM, a HD, a Video Card and maybe power supply?


Thanks everyone!

I think I can transfer my existing OS from the old computer to the new computer.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/13 ... puter.html

Then I can upgrade from the 32 bit to the 64 bit for $29.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/mss ... up_Windows

Definitely over kill with the 2600k but if there's a value deal then go for it.

The 500w PS should be enough unless you plan on running a mid to high end graphics card. You should be able to install the 32bit Win7 on your machine as 64bit. Yes the 32bit OS has a memory limitation.

brianmadden.com wrote:By definition, a 32-bit processor uses 32 bits to refer to the location of each byte of memory. 2^32 = 4.2 billion, which means a memory address that's 32 bits long can only refer to 4.2 billion unique locations (i.e. 4 GB).

The 3D output question is interesting. I don't think any motherboards natively output 3D but AMD and Nvidia have 3D solutions when you use there graphics cards. Maybe the Sandybridge cpu/gpu does support it but I have never heard anything about it. Is 3D worth pursuing, well that would be up to you. All that is necessary is a current gen TV or monitor that has at least 120hz refresh rate. If you plan on buying a TV then most of them even the cheap value TVs will support 3D. It isn't expensive tech any more.

8GB of RAM is more than enough:

• $47.99 with coupon code EMCKAKH27
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 45345-L03A

You could probably find cheaper ram but this is the cheapest I found that is rated 1600 which is the fastest memory that your motherboard can support without over clocking.

There are many routes you can take with HDDs. Just remember "Green" drives are not meant to run OSes off of. So if you plan on buying a cheap 1TB green drive it should be for storage and not for your main OS drive. Blue drives are more suited for running OSes off of and black drives are the fastest an most suited.

• Green = energy saving / poor performance
  Blue = good mix of both
  Black = best performance

Depending on your budget I would spring for a SSD to run your OS off of. I would shoot for any thing 80GBs or larger. Unfortunately so far in the SATA III variety of SSDs go from 60GBs, 64GB to 120GBs+. There are impressive performing 64GB (~$100) drives that are affordable but I would prefer a 80GB+ drive and that would then take me to the $200+ territory. The choice is yours:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227706
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227728

The video card is a complicated topic; there's a lot to cover. It could be whittled down if you let us know what you would demand from your card and what is your budget.

The only other thing I see:

• You won't have USB 3.0 on your PC unless it's on the back end. There isn't any USB 3.0 headers on the Mobo or on the case it's self.

So far it seems like you did a fair amount of research and you are on the right path.

RCA- Thanks for the great advice!

I'm suddenly spending more money on this project than I thought I would. But, it's going to be a heck of a nice computer!!!


I put in an order with Newegg today.

Video card: Powercolor AX6850 1Gb 256 bit ($139 after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814131374
The reviews I read say that this should handle most gaming that I would try to throw at it, plus any current 3D technology.
PLUS.. it came with a coupon for a free copy of Deus Ex game. I might sell it online or to a friend to get some money back.

SSD: Crucial 64GB SSD ($89) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820148441

HD: 2TB Green drive ($69)

RAM: Corsair Vengence 8GB 1600 speed ($47) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145345
Total: $367.
Prior total was $391.

I was really back and forth on the SSD. It was $90 I could have done without spending. But I guess I since I'm building this rediculous system I might as well go for it. Plus, I think it'll be easier to make the transition from the old HD and OS to the new computer by using the SSD.

I think the only thing I need to spend for now is the 64bit OS upgrade. But maybe I can just switch the version when I re-install?

Do I need anything else? Can you think of anything?


Thanks!!!

Once you go SSD you can never use a machine with out one. It is a worth while investment if you plan on using that machine often and to the i7's greatest potential. Unfortunately you made might of made a mistake.

You bought the 6870; sweet card, very powerful but unfortunately it's power requirements exceeded your systems PS. I would of went with a much cheaper card and hold out until the next generation cards. Either way, you are going to need a new PS.

PS Reviews:

• http://hardocp.com/reviews/psu_power_supplies/

These guys have $100,000 machines putting stress tests on PS and they do a hell of a job. I would find 3 or 4 possible PS on Newegg and then search them on HardOCP for more in depth reviews. From the looks of it your i7 consumes 95w and your GPU requires a minimum 450w (545w minimum). I would buy a PS in the range of 700w - 750w; this way you have some head room if you want to overclock the CPU or GPU a bit.

When buying a PS some things to consider is:

• Is it modular / semi-modular?
  What kind of rail system does it use? 1 rail? 2 rail? etc.
  What is it's rating? Platinum Certified? Gold? Silver? etc.

Modular PS makes it very easy for building a system because you can choose what cables your PS uses. It's great for cable management.
Rail systems are a worthy note because for a new builder you need to know how to manage what system components use which rail.
Rating will effect price but the better rated the more efficent. For example a Gold Cert PS (87% efficiency) that is be rated for 1000w, when your PS is delivering 1000w to your machine it is pulling 1150w from your wall. Might not seem like much but it is worth considering when you see that there are ~60% efficiency PS out there.

Extra resources:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CStOC0hET8
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3buj5cIh2Bs

The videos might be old but the rules still very much apply. Also it's obvious that your case and his are different so don't expect any case specific tips.

Top ten gaming build tips:

• http://youtu.be/v7wOl7XS4ps?t=2m30s

Hmm.. thanks for pointing that out. I guess I didn't think about it completely. Oh well.. I guess I can keep the power supply in the old computer and keep that one around for a while.

This should do the trick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817341018
$59 after rebate.

I hate rebates but yeah that PS should do the trick.

I have a power supply from the same series. I like it. Its only semi-modular though. It has some permanent wires and one plug on mine wasn't used. But still loads cleaner than in prior PC builds.

The only thing I might have done differently was go with a larger SSD. I have a similar set-up with a SSD that I figured would be sufficient and a mech HDD. I tried to size the SSD for what programs I use with a little overhead for files. In fact, I figured 40 GB of overhead would be enough. And while it technically works, I find myself cleaning up the drive a lot to deal with temporary data. Some of it is the typical download and internet stuff, but some are files in folders that I have other active files in. The whole folder is part of a project, but I may only be working with some of the assets. Its far easier to just move entire folders around than individual files (and trying to make sure I don't overwrite the new files by mistake). ANother 40GB would probably have been sufficient, but I'd have probably doubled my current SSD size if I had to make the same decision again. Your usage may differ greatly, but 64 GB may end up feeling really small unless you don't intend to install a lot of your programs to the SSD (which tends to defeat the purpose).

A 500w PSU will likely work, you're buying a 6850, not a twin 6850's. I bought a 650w unit for my old build (phenom 9950 (which sucks more power than an i7-2600k), radeon 4870 (which sucks more power than a 6850), 4GB DDR2, and 2, 1TB drives. Using a kill-a-watt to measure the power usage at the plug, I think the highest I ever saw was around 300w and typically it ran around 150w. At most I used about 50% of my PSU.

Now I have the same PSU with my i5-2500k (also purchased at microcenter). I really need to hook it up to see what kind of juice I'm pulling at the plug.

Well the 6850's minimum was 450w and the i7 was @ 95w consumption.

Oh well.. the power supply is already bought and in transit. Probably a good idea to upgrade anyhow.

Now I need to spring for a good surge protector.

Wow.. computer wiring is confusing!

Nah, just cram some wires here and there, throw some tape and gum there, and after enough beers, you'll be playing Wolfenstein 3D shareware at 1000fps.

I have the mobo 24 pin connected to the power supply.
I have the CPU cooler fan connected to the mobo.
I have 2 sata data cables connecting the HDD and SSD to the mobo.
I have 2 power cables from the power supply to the HDD and SSD.
I have a pci-express power cable to the graphics card.
I have the DVD-RW drive connected to the power supply.

I have the front panel HD audio plug wired in.

I can't figure out the polarity on the front panel lights and hd light?
There are two more wires coming out of the power supply that I can't figure out what to connect to.
I have three chassis fans.. I connected them to each other in parallel, but for some reason I can't get the 4 pin power to connect to the 4 pin cable from the power supply.
I need to buy another sata data cable.

I really want to get this thing running soon. I want to buy Civ 5 from Steam for $12.50.. I hope I don't miss it.

Still, the biggest issue will be getting the OS loaded onto the new computer.

I have no clue how to power the thing on and set up the bios and all that stuff... eek!

I know from my working with electronics that LED's have a polarity, but thinking about putting together my latest rig, I think gigabyte said I could plug them in any direction. If I was home I'd look, but I'm not. I do know I looked for marks on my mobo indicating pos and plugged my colored wire in there.

The little port on your PSU should plug into the PSU fan spot on your mobo. With my PSU it functions merely as a sensor, telling me what my PSU's fan rpm is.

What OS are you using?

Thanks for the input!

Looneybomber wrote:I know from my working with electronics that LED's have a polarity, but thinking about putting together my latest rig, I think gigabyte said I could plug them in any direction. If I was home I'd look, but I'm not. I do know I looked for marks on my mobo indicating pos and plugged my colored wire in there.

I found a youtube video of a guy using a similar ASUS motherboard and I copy the layout of the wires for these plugs.. so hopefully he had them right. I guess I'll know when I try to power it on... it'll either work or not work.

Looneybomber wrote:The little port on your PSU should plug into the PSU fan spot on your mobo. With my PSU it functions merely as a sensor, telling me what my PSU's fan rpm is.

Thank you! I found a matching 8 plug connector near the CPU and CPU fan area. I didn't think my cable would run that far so I didn't think it was the right place, but I re-routed it and got it to fit. It plugged in perfectly, so it seems it's a good match.

Looneybomber wrote: What OS are you using?

Here lies the greatest challenge I have left. I will use Windows 7 64 bit. But getting it there without buying a new copy is going to be the hard part. Maybe you or RCA or C-Kwik can help me figure this out...

I have a laptop that came pre-installed with windows vista. I wanted windows 7 and since i was a student, I was able to purchase an upgrade through microsoft for only $30. I installed the 32 bit version. Somehow when I installed it, I managed to install a clean version instead of wiping and upgrading the vista that came OEM. So whenever I turn the computer on, I get a black screen offering me a choice of operating systems. What I would like to do is get windows 7 off that computer and onto the new desktop. In doing that I would hope to keep vista operating on the laptop so that I can still use it. Once I have W7 on the new computer, I'd like to upgrade it to 64 bit so that I can use the 8 GB of RAM that I have.

The other thing I'm thinking about is that my current desktop has windows 7 and some good software on it. I have the 32 bit (was an upgrade from Vista). I also have the full adobe suite (indesign, pagemaker, photoshop, etc...). My wife got it from her old job, so we don't have the reg. code anymore. I'd love to get the onto the new computer if possible, but I'm not sure how to do that without pulling the hard drive from the old computer and putting it in the new one. Then I suppose I could try the upgrade, but i've read that the 32 to 64 bit requires a clean sweep and I'd lose the programs anyway..


So I don't know what to do????



Any ideas? Any expertise? I'm kind of in over my head... unless I want to come up with another $100 and just buy a new copy of Win7.

Seth, unfortunately upgrade versions cannot be used to install the OS from scratch. You would have to install another copy of Windows and then upgrade over that. Upgrades are generally not recommended by us "techie" folks. Also, the copy of Vista you currently have may be tied to that laptop (some OEMs do this so you can't try to install that operating system on all your PCs - which is against the EULA anyway).

As much as it's not what you want to hear, a new copy would probably be the easiest (and most legal) route to go (albeit not the cheapest). I'm not even sure how the upgrade from 32 to 64-bit would work. Even if it does, you're talking about installing an OS and then upgrading it multiple times, which certainly isn't the cleanest method.

As far as the LED wires go, some cases have polarity indicators on the cables themselves (or on the plastic pieces that plug into the mobo). I'd have to check the manual for your mobo, but it usually specifies polarity in it. Though, to be honest, I'm not sure if I've ever paid much attention to mine when building.

I've been reading online that the windows 7 student upgrade that I bought from digital river back when it was released was actually a full copy. I still have the files and I found the registry key.

I have a dvd with the windows 7 64bit .ISO file on it. But, I can't get the new computer to boot from that drive.
I also have the original .exe and the two .box files that came with the install download. I have those on a USB. I'm going to burn them onto a DVD and see if it will boot that way. Then my last try will be to create a bootable USB drive and try to put the files on it that way>..

worst case.. A buddy of mine has an old version of vista that he said he would mail me. I can install vista, then use my upgrade files to upgrade to 7. Then I'll have to call microsoft and ask them to let me activate the program.

If none of that works, then I guess I'll go buy a copy of win 7 new. I hope I don't have to do that.



I have no freaking clue what I'm doing right now.... I was able to get into Bios and was able to change the boot priority to the dvd drive. Hopefully that will be all I need to do...

the adventure continues...

Win 7 upgrade can do clean installs. It's actually pretty easy. The first time I did it I called microsoft and they walked me through it. The second time I installed the same OS (same case, but new internals, so essentially a new computer) I used a step by step guide I found here.

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/win ... rade-media

I did method #2, Registry hack, because I remembered doing something like that when I installed in the first time and the microsoft guy walked me through it.

Once you have the OS installed, you can get the 64bit upgrade. Or, if you can find a student that's not using their ID, you might be able to buy another copy of Win 7 in 64bit. PM me.

Once all of your OS stuff is done and squared away, then install your programs, just in case.

Posting from my new computer!!! Woohoo!!!

I was able to find my old win7 upgrade files. I spent a good 6 hours today trying to figure out how to burn them onto a dvd or create an ISO and install etc.. Turns out there was a big issue with the files back in 09 when it was released.. turns out microsoft included a faulty boot file for the 64bit variant. I was able to find a way to pull a 32bit boot file onto the 64 bit file. Then I finally figured out how to burn onto a DVD. I thought I was in the clear, but when the system started to boot it would continue to hang up and give me some message about an error in my hard drive or disk drive. I was getting pissed! Then I decided to investigate loading the system from a USB drive. I found a microsoft utility that allowed me to make a bootable usb drive. Unfortunately it didn't seem to work because it gave me an error message about the boot file. So I tried the same trick as above.. Plugged it into the computer and it worked perfectly!!!!

Took me some tie time to get the drivers and stuff installed. I had to learn how to format the secondary hard drive.

Tell you what.. Having the OS on a SSD is amazing!!! I can do a restart in like 60 seconds and be up and running. I've never seen windows load so fast.... it's just incredible!

My next goal is to figure out how to be sure to load all my programs and software onto my second drive and not onto the C drive. I've already got 36GB of 64GB filled on that drive and I want to save it.



Thanks for all the advice you guys!! Couldn't have done it without the advice.

Just wait till you do a virus scan! It takes minutes instead of 1.5hrs.

I need to remember to check this forum more often!

Looneybomber wrote:A 500w PSU will likely work, you're buying a 6850, not a twin 6850's.

I agree. I've been running an i7 920 and 6870 together with 3 hard drives for a while now. I've had no issues. But...I certainly don't have anything against being prepared. I'd rather have a 700w for sure.

Congrats Eikon!

Your PC is definitely a beast. As for your SSD's free memory, remember that Windows will put temporary files on there that will add to the current 36GBs. My Win7 install went from ~36GBs to ~55GBs with just temp files. Not sure why, but maybe never turning off your machine forces Windows to load more files than usual for hibernation/faster load times? Or maybe because my OS is installed on a 250GB drive so Win7 figured it could load up the extra files for continence...

Either way, monitor that disk space to see if you get the same issue.

Your most used programs should be on your SSD. Also make sure the programs you do load on your SSD are HDD intensive. For instance, MS Office is so efficient now that putting it on a HDD should be fine but your favorite video editor or Photo Shop if used enough should definitely make it on that SSD. Browsers have soo many temp files attached to them that I would refrain from installing one on your SSD. Any way congrats again!

I don't think it has anything to do with hibernate, as I fully shut down my PC anytime I'm not using it and my Windows install is still huge. My C-drive is dedicated to Windows and system programs, but with 193GB available, only 62 are free, and only 3GB of that is taken up by non-windows installs.

And...wait a minutes...I didn't realize there were LGA1156 i7s. That's kind of a neat chip. It's a lot faster than any of the X58 chips...I wonder how it compares on other fronts...

MinisterofDOOM wrote:And...wait a minutes...I didn't realize there were LGA1156 i7s. That's kind of a neat chip. It's a lot faster than any of the X58 chips...I wonder how it compares on other fronts...

I'm confused. Where did this revelation occur? This comment seems random.

I just didn't catch the mobo specs the first time I read this thread. And I've been kinda out of the loop for a while since I haven't built a computer in a couple years, so I didn't realize Intel was now making non-X58 i7s that aren't just i5 rebadges.

Eikon's mobo is 1155 not 56. I guess that was a typo?

No, it was a misread. But it's almost the same thing. Same basic tech, but 1155 has an updated chipset that's not backward compatible with the older 1156 stuff (which is what the old i5 and i3s are based on). THAT is what really threw me off. I misread it as 1156.

Need help!!!

I finally decided to install a wireless-N adaptor (PCI).
Brand is TP-Link. Got good reviews on Amazon. Says Win 7 compatible.

I powered off the computer, unplugged it, grounded myself, installed the card into one of the three PCI slots. Turned on the computer. It powered on fine. I inserted the driver softward disk.. did the install. Then it said it had to restart computer to apply settings..

I was in the process of removing the disk and the monitor shut off. I assumed the computer had done a restart on it's own. I left it for a while.. nothing... Then I powered it off myself and turned it back on.. nothing! I pulled the new network card out and powered it up.. nothing..

I finally powered it up with the case open.. the lights on the motherboard seemed fine.. normal..

I then realized that the video card fan wasn't spinning.

So I switched the monitor cable to the mobo outlets and turned it on and the computer started and I now have a monitor. But the graphics card seems to be dead.


Any ideas? Do I have a faulty wireless card.. did it short something like the power to the graphics card? Do I have a bad graphics card? Can I reset the power to the card? Any ideas???


GRRR!!!!!

Whoa! That is no bueno.

I have never heard of this happening. Do you have another mobo you can try posting with the "broken" card?
Also I would get in contact with the manufacturer about this. Hopefully you can get a free replacement.