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Building Tower For 1st Time, Please Help :)
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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25. December 2007 @ 22:58 |
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I never use the front audio but I had no problems with it. I LOVE the case, it's the best one I've ever had. I don't think I can go back to mid-tower cases again. It looks very nice too. The only problem I've had is the dust filter, they are very difficult to clean. I'm thinking of taking out the little foam things inside of the covers. I'm hoping to sell this PC though, so I can pick up the identical case with the 25cm side fan for 90 bucks!
Later on I'll add parts to it as the new Penryn CPUs come out.
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Junior Member
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26. December 2007 @ 00:08 |
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abuzar1: Actually, both cases are not identical. One has a fan on the door and the other does not. The one without the side fan has a fan in the slots up front and shows up a neat blue. Since the rig I use for the video and digital photo stuff runs hotter, I just changed out the doors and plugged the side fan in the MB. The other unit is a Pent 4 and I put a regular fan in the front slot. The Pent 4 was never that cool in the old case. The case already has 4 fans in it, really don't need the 5th one, but it won't hurt. I got my side fan case for about the same deal because they had a rebate on the unit. I want to use the old Pent 4 for strictly a work computer.
I have something even neater. I use a Matrox double screen system. Two 19 inch monitors, side by side. The old unit has an agp slot, so I am having trouble getting a good replacement board, just had to send back one and another on the way, different kind. The new unit (for video) uses the pci ex x16 slot and I had to buy a new Matrox vid board for it. Now, the neat thing is this new box I bought made by IOGEAR that allows me to switch the trackball and keyboard and both monitors from computer to computer at the touch of a button. I love it when a plan finally comes together.
Out of curiosity, do you or anyone else have any good reasons why the monitors are going to widescreen? The info might be of use to someone thinking of adding one to a new rig.
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 06:27 |
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Tejasmed: Being bought out by Seagate should improve Maxtor's QC significantly, Maxtor were among the least reliable drives based on the experience of all the people I know, but I will concede there was no 'bad' drive manufacturer. You just get what you pay for. Maxtor drives were cheap, and therefore weren't as good.
As far as doing research goes, it's something I do regularly, and have done since I first started upgrading my second PC back in 2004. By keeping up to date with the new releases, I've never found I have to sit down and read through a whole load of articles to know what it is I may or may not want with my next upgrade.
I will wholeheartedly agree with avoiding refurbished and OpenBox stuff though. Typically it's warranty returns, not unwanted gifts.
Abuzar: Indeed they are, and after telling me they're built in the same factory as Rosewills, I won't be recommending any of them!
Tejasmed (again): Yeah, KVM switches are prety useful things. I had considered one, but in al honesty, I don't need to interface with my other PC often, I just use Putty to send it commands over a network instead. As for widescreen monitors, more and more people are using their PCs to watch DVDs or related material, and consequently widescreen makes better sense, since almost all films/TV etc are in widescreen format these days (some are even in panoramic 2.4:1 so you stil get black bars even with a widescreen monitor). It also makes sense for gaming. A wider screen aspect ratio gives you a greater field of view, and generally makes games feel more involving. Playing games in a 4:3 aspect ratio feels weird after being accustomed to widescreen gaming, but making that switch in the first place wasn't disorientating at all, it made games seem that much more real. You'll notice that large monitors (above c. 21") in the old 4:3 ratio don't really exist any more. If it's big screen you're after, widescreen it is!
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 07:06 |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 08:21 |
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Hmm, they are very tempting. Not needing any additional cooling though, I'll stick with what I have. :)
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Junior Member
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26. December 2007 @ 14:34 |
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ABUZAR1:
I checked my receipts and both the manuals. The manuals are identical. The case I bought through New Egg was the one without the side fan. I just happened in to Micro Center here locally in the Houston area and saw the deal with the discount. When he brought the unit out, I was pleased that it had the side fan, but when I got it home, (sealed box) it did not have a front fan. It had a rear blue lit fan, one for the power supply, one for the roof, and the large door fan. No big deal for me, the front fan takes up three bays anyway, and by putting in a smaller fan, I can use another one of the slots for more access. I like to have two CD/DVD drives and a couple of panels to have extra firewire and USB ports in the front for easy access.
Unfortunately, I did not get the best deal on the first case, but the rebate on the second got me down to your price. In any case, I am happy with the purchases as this is the first time I am able to get in and out of a case easily and configure the components without tearing the whole thing apart to replace just one drive. Those guys with those super cooling whoppers of cpu fans still have room to cuss a cat. Thermaltake also provides enough standoff screws and hold down screws to install almost any hardware. The back/ top bay will hold three standard drives by just slip in/click, and screw down. The front bays, except for the top two or three, will require an addition of side rail adaptors to make them wide enough to center into the slots. As for dust filters, maybe one of the other gurus can make some suggestions. For now, I am happy with my two pretty, quiet twins sitting on the table next to me.
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 14:43 |
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I mean it's nice that they trap dust, but they are difficult to clean and they make my case look bad. I mean it looks dusty in the front and I just don't like it. I'm not like sam... jk. :)
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Junior Member
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26. December 2007 @ 14:43 |
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ABUZAR1:
I checked the New Egg site and the one advertised is VA8003BWS the one I got from New Egg was VA8000BWS. Go for it while the discount is on.
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 14:45 |
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Junior Member
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26. December 2007 @ 15:16 |
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SAMMORRIS:
Thanks for the info on wide screens. Being forced into retirement at 68, I have time to tinker and dip into the savings once in a while for the toys. I was doing computer work out of the house by pulling down architectural drawings and getting quotes for contractors. The ex boss got to hiding the profits, so I just got out a few months ago. Even at my age, I still hope to find more work for myself doing much the same on the internet. I found that it was a bit risky having all my stuff on one computer, so that is why I opped for a second unit to do only my digital photography and video stuff.
While several friends are "Game Lords", I never was one for gaming. To each their own. I picked up on the dual screen thing because I can be looking at one area, and be working in another area. It used to drive me nuts using the alt / tab keys in Windows. Three monitors is too wide for the desk, but I would love to go quad, and stack them. People have no idea how much more productive multiple screens can make you in an office situation. I used to be in direct contact via internet with the office while I was working on the other downloads and transfering the files to the office mainframe. I could form up a quote, stick it in Winfax and send out to 20 contractors and be working on several other projects at the same time. The guys at the office would have to stand over the fax machine for an hour to do what I did in less than 5 minutes. But, no one would listen.
Have not had the desire to sit and watch a movie on the computer screen. I much more prefer sitting in the dark in the living room watching the big screen TV. Guess I got spoiled. Again, to each his own. Only thing is, it is just me and the cat, and my wireless head phones. The wife is undisturbed snoring in the master bed room that just happens to be on the other side of the wall where the big TV is located.
So much for this, regards......wonder how Josh is doing getting his stuff together.
(Note to moderator: I finally figured out where the icon was to modify previous posts. Sorry for multiple posts. )Tejasmed
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 26. December 2007 @ 16:49
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 17:17 |
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Tejasmed: Quiet, really quiet? That's in stark contrast to everything else Thermaltake have ever made. Despite their completly false sound labelling, Thermaltake products are usually among the loudest in their market, with the exception of the PSUs.
Abuzar: You think I like the dust? Oh no, I loathe it, but I simply can't be bothered to wipe it down every few hours.
Tejasmed: Haha, I solve all those issues with a 30" PC monitor. Big enough for watching films etc, and more than three times the resolution (and therefore desktop space) of a standard 17/19" monitor. Triple monitor setup? I'll take my single thanks, and still have more pixels! :P
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 18:06 |
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Sam, I was just joking. See the craigslist listing? After seeing a pic of my room I would have to be a hypocrite to make fun of you.
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Junior Member
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26. December 2007 @ 18:12 |
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Sammorris:
30" ? envy envy.....oh well, I did good this year graduating from 15 inch to two 19 inch flat Samsungs. If my bud that does Warcraft had a 30" he would be in hog's heaven.
As far as the noise. You have probably been doing far more up grades than I have, and would know the difference. The last couple of machines were so loud that I could hear the fans in the next room. The new units are way quieter in comparison. Playing light shows for the rock bands in the late 60's sorta knocked out some of the low frequencies, but I still have better hearing than most at my age. :-)
As far as doing research, I subscribe to PC Mag, and follow the forums. Being an old Ham Operator and tinkerer helps too.
Technology seems to change so fast. It is hard financially to keep up with the Joneses. Just think, in the next couple of years we will be forced to digital TV, USB 2 will jump to USB 3, and a new version of digital .jpg will come out. We may be forced into Vista, but according to Dorvak at PC, Gates is having second thoughts because of all the negative reaction. I hate this war with HD and Blue Ray.
Fed X just arrived with the new board for the Pent 4, so I will dive in and get started. Should be interesting, the first thing I checked was there was a dead cmos battery and after checking the board and the manual, found the "clear" jumper had been left on pin 2 and 3 and needs to go back to normal on pin 1 and 2. Luckily I had read up on some reviews on this old style board and knew what to look for. Brand new out of the box, this would have drove someone else nuts for a while. Let you know later how it works.
Happy New Year and good tinkering....
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. December 2007 @ 18:37 |
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PC mag is actually useful? Just check toms hardware or anandtech from time to time and you'll keep yourself up to date. Also I like Toms Hardware's Holiday Buyer's Guide 2007 model lol.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 26. December 2007 @ 18:41
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Junior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 00:44 |
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Well my thread seems to be quite interesting now, lol..
I am still waiting to get money to build my machine.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 03:41 |
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Tejasmed: Hehe, well I have to say 2560x1600 is incredibly useful for RTS, although the demands on the GPU are pretty damn high for some games like Supreme Commander.
As for the noise, it's the same for me. My PCs used to be very noisy. I've progressively been upgrading them to the point where I fell asleep with them on and when I woke up I didn't even notice. It took the flash of the hard disk LED to make me remember! (I sleep about 3m or so from my PC)
USB3? Perhaps, if it could push a higher data rate it would be very useful for external hard drives
New JPEG? What's wrong with the old one?
Vista? Pff, no thanks. I intend to dual-boot with 64-bit Vista, but dear god, I would never use it as a primary OS. Expensive PCs should be fast!
HD vs Bluray is a sticky one, but of course there are less legitimate ways of solving that one! lol
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Junior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 04:14 |
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Sammorris
I put the new board in the tower and booted it up.
Something really strange happened. Last week when I installed the ASROCK board, I formated and installed a fresh installation of Windows to the boot drive. Then the board died. When I installed the new Chips board,just now, Windows just booted up right from the loaded drive. Everything works fine and even connected to the internet. I did have to install a bunch of drivers again, and put the driver disk for the board in the CD to get the sound, but that is usually strange. Windows normally will not let you change a board out without making you re install and re register. It went right to the Windows up date and found some new stuff and did not flinch. Wonder if it had something to do with the fact that I was using the same Pent 4 chip I used on the other board.
Well, in any case, it saved me a whole lot of time.
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 05:11 |
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That's caused by the chipset change. If the new board uses a completely different chipset to the old one, Windows will usually make a fuss and you may have to reformat. If it's a similar chipset, even if the board manufacturer is different, you can slip the new board in, reinstall drivers and off you go.
As for the board failing, Asrock boards aren't great but they're far better quality than PC Chips, so don't be too surprised if that one goes wrong too.
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Junior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 23:58 |
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SAMMORRIS
You are right about the Chips board, I read a lot of bad press on them, but after doing all the hunting for a board that still used Pent 4 and had an AGP slot in it, I figured I could get around most of the negative stuff and it would hold up for a couple of years and as I said, use it for work if I can get back into it. Most of the negative stuff was the lack of clear documentation. I had mentioned that knowing to look for a dead battery and watching the jumpers on any new board is just common defensive good sense. But, you either have to learn that the hard way, or get lucky and read the forums and benefit off someone else's grief.
I had been adding several extra pci cards over the past few years that gave me extra firewire and USB2, so the extra slots went to use right away. The Chips board did not have firewire or SATA. That Thermaltake tower gives you lots of room to put panels in the front. I am not that fond of the access ports in the top of the tower. In fact, the only connectors that you can readily use are the USB2 ports as they find pins on the boards with ease. The firewire and sound connections are all going to have to be traced and different connectors put on the leads. Even then, on both units, the Asus and the Chips are nightmares finding the pins.
So, for all those builders of super computers, you get what you pay for. If you want bells and whistles, you have to plan ahead, and save your money and invest in the board and case that will give you all your wishes.
I am not sure if we have exhausted this thread, but I think that there was a lot learned this week.
Anyone else got some new start up questions or problems?
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. December 2007 @ 03:52 |
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I've not had too much trouble in recent times. If there's one flaw with the P35C-DS3R board I use it's that the positioning of the front panel connectors was a pain, but believe it or not the cruddy Asus board I had before that was brilliant for that. It had a long plug you put all the connectors into in a convenient location (all labelled) and then when done you inserted the whole unit. Made a lot of sense that did!
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28. December 2007 @ 05:03 |
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Sammorris
Yep, the Asus board had a neat block all marked up, and you just added the plugs and plugged the whole thing in the board.
The Chips board and the old board required a magnifying glass and flashlight. And of course, the manual. I have a small maglight and a magnifying glass on the desk at all times.
I noticed that most boards now do not have dual imputs on them for CD roms for the audio to the board. I always have two CD/DVDs installed. They make a connector that goes from both units into one connector on the board. As far as audio goes, you would only use one drive at a time anyway. I have two drives for faster copy of disks. So, if anyone is interested, two drives can share the same audio input port on the board, you will just have to get the special cable, or make your own.
I already had a pci card in for extra Firewire, and it had a connector to hook to the front panel. It worked right off.
I tried to add one last board into the slots and it locked up Windows and would not let it start.
It is a pci board for extra USB2. There is something in the bios that needs to be set. Will try again and see if the bios cooperates.
Tejasmed
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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28. December 2007 @ 05:28 |
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They're analog connectors. I've used digital audio playback on all my CD drives for years.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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28. December 2007 @ 06:55 |
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You guys actually plug in the CD rom audio? Does it make a difference?
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Junior Member
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28. December 2007 @ 13:43 |
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Abuzar1
Sammorris:
I suppose that is another thing I learned this week. I guess that the audio was so bad on the last board, that the jumpers were all that were making it work.
I finally got the last pci slot to work last night.
The cheap new board did not have a LAN socket, so I had added a high speed lan card in one of the slots so I could get to the internet.
In the bios there were too many IRQs being used up with all the cards being used. I went into the bios and told it not to allocate an IRQ for a pci slot, since it was using agp. Then told it to disable the parallel port on board, and the modem which it did not have anyway. I had a high speed modem in one of the slots. Well, that freed up the IRQs I needed. Windows went back to working again.
Anyone else would have probably took a hammer to the thing, but I am a sucker for Chinese puzzles.
Problem is, I still have not been able to solve the Rubik's Cube and I even down loaded the solution from the internet.
So, what have we learned this week? Again, you get what you pay for.
If you are cheap, you can kluge together a "Mad Max" monster machine out of spare parts and bailing wire, or you can break the bank and shell out for latest tested and proven gear. Even that might not work if you don't read the manual.
When we were fledgling "Hams" we usually found an "Elmer". An Elmer was always the guy that knew just a bit more than you, and was always there to help. I guess today, we have the forums as Elmers, and we have have guys like you two as computer Elmers. I just have a problem with some of the smart alecs on some of the forums. They think they know everything. In real life, those are the ones I would never trust to go on patol with, or go hunting with.
I guess I will have to shut down over the weekend, the dreaded "help the wife take down the decoratons time" is at hand.
Regards, guys,
Tejasmed
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Junior Member
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28. December 2007 @ 14:28 |
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Originally posted by tejasmed:
Abuzar1
Sammorris:
I guess I will have to shut down over the weekend, the dreaded "help the wife take down the decoratons time" is at hand.
Regards, guys,
Tejasmed
Haha nice
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