Self-built computer users; share here! [Archive]

Techwiz

January 2nd, 2008, 05:50 PM

Everyone who has (or is intending to) build a computer is welcome to share their specs of their computer and their experience in building it (what was the hardest/easiest thing etc...)
I'll start:
My specs are:
HDD: 160 GB Western digital SATA-300 caviar hard drive
Video Card: See motherboard (couldn't use the cheap one I bought didn't fit in the case)
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Audigy SE PCI sound card
Processor: AMD Atholon 64 2.0 GHz (not x2)
RAM: 2GB (forgot the brand)
Motherboard: GeFORCE6100SM-M
For me the hardest thing was probably putting the necessary case wires where they needed to go. (some of them still not connected, but the computer still works!)
And the easiest thing was connecting the ram/processor/sound card to the motherboard.
Now on to the next person!

gn2

January 2nd, 2008, 06:05 PM

Most difficult thing in PC I've encountered in self building is trying to fault find if a component is delivered DOA.

Easiest way is to swap components around, but this time last year when I ordered up a C2D CPU, DDR2 RAM and motherboard, I didn't have a suitable spare PC to try the components out in when it wouldn't work.

The whole lot had to go back to the supplier who discovered that the RAM was faulty.

Coolermaster ATC-210 case
Seasonic S-12 330 psu (came with nice wire tidying kit)
AsRock Conroe945-G DVI motherboard
C2D E6300
2x512 Corsair XMS2
Samsung 200gb IDE HDD (overdue for replacement with SATA)
LG DVD-RW
Akasa Junior fan controller

Dr Small

January 2nd, 2008, 06:07 PM

I am a computer tech, so I build my own systems now days. I hate buying something that I don't want on it or in it. I like to mainly rebuild older systems and make them usable.

Here is the system specs of my computer that I rebuilt:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.2Ghz Processor
1024MBs RAM
160GB + 80GB Hard Drives
DVD+R CD+R ROM
Antec Case

Kinkybuu

January 2nd, 2008, 06:20 PM

i second that thought that the wires r kinda hard to place on the motherboard lol. when i built mine i didnt do too much wire work.

my pc has Core2Duo
2 gigs of ram
nvidia 8600gt
ECS SLI mobo
stock sound card

Whiffle

January 2nd, 2008, 06:28 PM

Built mine a while ago, still works fine.

Intel Pentium 4 1.6A @ 1.6GHz (2.23 GHz if I'm feeling frisky)
MSI Mainboard, can't remember the model number, SiS 645 chipset though
1 GB ram
dvd rom, cd-rw
80 GB maxtor HD
SB Audigy
Nvidia Geforce 4 ti4200

Over the years, its been upgraded a bit:
added 160GB maxtor hard drive
swapped audigy (it died) for a turtle beach santa cruz (best $12 i ever spent)
swapped ti4200 for a 7600GS, mostly because DVI output wasn't working on the old one.

No real issues really, the original motherboard died after 6 months, newegg RMA'd it and sent me a new one. No biggie.

dannyboy79

January 2nd, 2008, 06:36 PM

the OP didn't list his motherboard.

My specs are:
Spire BlueFin SP-6190U mid tower case
Asrock 775dual-vsta motherboard
C2D 1.8ghz CPU
OCZ Platinum Rev 2 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (2x1024)
NEC AD-7170A Black Super Multi 18X
4 Port Texas Instruments Fireware PCI card
XFX GeForce 6200 AGP 8x 128mb ram
XION PowerReal XON-600F14T-201 ATX12V 600W Power Supply
2X Maxtor 6L300R0 (2X 300gb of storage)
WDC WD200BB-53AUA1 (20gb for /)
WDC WD4000KD-00NAB0 (400gb of storage)
WDC WD5000AAKS-00TMA0 (500gb of storage)
Yes, I have 1.5TB of storage. I love it!

This was the 3rd computer I built from scratch. This one was strickly for Ubuntu and Mythtv. No problems to speak of.

regomodo

January 2nd, 2008, 06:36 PM

my latest is n my sig. built a couple others b4 too.

I always find it hard trying to get cables as tidy as possible. Also, i can't stand noisy fans so most stock ones i get are replaced.

Black Mage

January 2nd, 2008, 06:39 PM

NZXT Apollo Mid-Tower
2X2 gigs of RAM with Thermal Conductor
400 GB Hard Drive
Quad Core 2.4ghz
Gigabyte MotherBoard w/ integrated Graphics+Audio
Sony DVD Burner
ThermalTake PSU

herbster

January 2nd, 2008, 07:14 PM

Mine has been kind of put together over some time, not at once. I am going to build a whole new one in a couple months.

Antec 900 case
Asus P4V8X-MX mobo
P4 3.4ghz EE
1.2gb ram
2 x 320gb + 500gb external
BFG 7600 GS 512MB
M-Audio Revolution 7.1
Lite-On DVD-RW
Silverstone PSU

And building your own is a lot of fun :)

Dr Small

January 2nd, 2008, 07:35 PM

my latest is n my sig. built a couple others b4 too.

I always find it hard trying to get cables as tidy as possible. Also, i can't stand noisy fans so most stock ones i get are replaced.
My dad can't stand an untidy wiring job on the inside either :p He's an electrition an loves to make everything look clean as possible.

But as for the wiring on the motherboard, I never have had any difficulty at wiring it up. If all else fails, read the manual :)

Dr Small

Techwiz

January 2nd, 2008, 07:38 PM

the OP didn't list his motherboard.

Oops! Sorry, will edit the post!

Techwiz

January 2nd, 2008, 07:40 PM

My dad can't stand an untidy wiring job on the inside either :p He's an electrition an loves to make everything look clean as possible.
Dr Small
Then your dad would not be able to stand mine. My cables are all twisted and tangled. My computer is a model for "the ends justify the means." :)

Sockerdrickan

January 2nd, 2008, 07:42 PM

I built my computer too and I love it.
Specs in sig.

maniacmusician

January 2nd, 2008, 07:53 PM

The hardest part for me was probably messing with the BIOS to get it to recognize the hard drives as true SATA.

Specs:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
RAM: 2GB (2 x 1GB) G Skill DDR2 800
Hard Drives: 320GB WD 7200 RPM, 500GB Samsung 7200 RPM, both SATA II
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7600GT
Sound Card: Onboard Intel 82801H
Optical Devices: either a Lite-On or a Phillips DVD-R/RW +/- with Lightscribe, and a standard DVD-ROM drive
Case: Antec Sonata II

stmiller

January 2nd, 2008, 08:01 PM

I've got an AMDX2 Shuttle box. SK22G2 V2. I think I paid $400 total for everything when I ordered it from newegg. I like quiet computers. :popcorn:

http://www.dosv.jp/feature/0708/img/205.jpg

snickers295

January 2nd, 2008, 08:05 PM

hardest part was buying the parts (i was kinda dumb back then and almost bought a Pentium 4 to put in a amd k6 motherboard:)
easiest (and fun) part was putting the arctic silver on the cpu.
i have:
AMD Athlon MP +1800
PC Chips M848A
Western Digital 40 Gigabyte Hard Drive
Seagate FreeAgent Desktop 250 Gigabyte External Hard Drive
nVidia GeForce2 MX/MX 400 Graphics Card
On board Sound Card
D-Link WDA-2320 Wireless Internet Card
Generic Speakers
MSI CD Writer
Generic DVD ROM Drive.
Compaq 13 Key Internet Keyboard
Belkin USB Mouse
and there hasn't been a problem with it that i have not fixed.

rickyjones

January 2nd, 2008, 08:08 PM

I just built this after about 2 years without a desktop or gaming machine.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 x2 5600+ 2.8GHz
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP
Video: ASUS EN8800GT/G/HTDP/512M GeForce 8800GT
RAM: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

+ DVD burner, Cooler Master case and Rosewill 550W power supply. Video card arrives today :)

-Richard

jeffus_il

January 2nd, 2008, 08:11 PM

I don't like NOISE coming out of my box.
I go for processors that don't get hot and use a minimum of fans, they get dirty and noisy.
I have two fans, one on the CPU and one in the power supply.
I always make sure that their speed is controlled, when the CPU is cool the fan slows down.
I also like a good solid box, I normally keep the older ones, they built them like tanks once upon a time.

I like to have no extension boards, everything on the motherboard, less power used and less heat and less NOISE. Not true, I put a firewire card in, cause my motherboard doesn't have it.

I find the graphics of the internal Intel 945 pretty good for the low power gaming I do like pysol, supertuxkart and openarena.

fedex1993

January 2nd, 2008, 08:16 PM

I dont ahve my specs with me since i am on vaction sort of but i built a compter oh 1-2 years a go it was a hot machine back then. well the begging of 2007 the ram chips fried the power supply and the video card and well it was sitting out in my garge for about 6 months untill i shipped it to cali. I would half to say when i built the hardest thing was installing the motherboard because the case that i had said it could fit a atx mother board it did it was just really tight.

~LoKe

January 2nd, 2008, 08:23 PM

Processor: Intel C2Q Q6600 @ 3.6GHz
Motherboard: Abit P35-E
RAM: 2GB Patriot DDR2 800MHz
Video Card: eVGA 8600GT
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda, 250GB
Monitors: Dual 19" Dell LCD's (1907FP's)
Speakers: 2x Paradigm Model 7s, 2x Paradigm 3SE, 1x Paradigm CC170
Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech MX518/Logitech Lx710

fumduck

January 2nd, 2008, 08:26 PM

Mines in my sig.. and it was my first one.. It was fairly easy.. No big troubles even did a little overclocking.. I enjoy it and would build more if I needed too.

Spike-X

January 2nd, 2008, 08:46 PM

Gigabyte somethingwithlotsoflettersandnumbers motherboard
AMD Athlon64 3200 processor (single core)
Gigabyte-branded nVidia GeForce 6200 video card
1 Gb Kingston RAM
Western Digital IDE 80 Gb HD
Western Digital 250 Gb SATA HD
Samsung 500 Gb SATA HD
Pioneer DVD R/W

Hardest part was trying to get the BIOS to recognise the SATA HD I'd installed so I could install WinXP (Linux was just a possibility for the future back then). Eventually gave up and salvaged the old Maxtor 10 Gb IDE drive out of my old computer to use as a boot drive until I could get a new one to replace it.

I plan to build myself a new computer shortly. I want something with a faster processor, and as AMD have decided to no longer make socket 939 dual-core processors, upgrading isn't an option. When I have my new one up and running (with Ubuntu only!), this one will go to my son.

ahaslam

January 2nd, 2008, 09:00 PM

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?p=2785993#post2785993

Making a neat job of the sound insulation was a b45t4rd. Seriously though, the memory upgrade was not worth it - it burnt out. Crucial are honoring the lifetime guarantee but I'd stick with Corsair in the future - capable of the same clocks, while remaining cooler.

PS, Never skimp on a psu. The one that came with my case lasted a couple of months before it sounded like a hamster wheel ;)

mmb1

January 2nd, 2008, 09:48 PM

Hey guys, I've been considering buliding my own system for a little while now, do you guys buy your parts, salvage them from old/dead systems, or both?

-grubby

January 2nd, 2008, 09:51 PM

well I would've built a new system (i've built computers before) if I didn't find this in a junk yard. It looks to be only about 3 years old too. Score!

Toffeeapple

January 2nd, 2008, 09:55 PM

Mine is in my sig.. basically.

I've been building my own since the mid 90's.. it could be said that the PC I have now is still 'basically' the same one.. just keep upgrading bits... a bit like Triggers broom in only fools and horses..

Techwiz

January 2nd, 2008, 10:03 PM

well I would've built a new system (i've built computers before) if I didn't find this in a junk yard. It looks to be only about 3 years old too. Score!

Nice!

Techwiz

January 2nd, 2008, 10:03 PM

Hey guys, I've been considering buliding my own system for a little while now, do you guys buy your parts, salvage them from old/dead systems, or both?

I bought my parts.

Red Shift

January 3rd, 2008, 02:57 AM

Processor: Intel E2160 @ 3.0 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
RAM: 2x G.SKILL 1 GB DDR2 800 MHz
Video card: MSI NX7300LE-TD128RH GeForce 7300LE
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 320 GB SATA, Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160 GB SATA
Power supply: ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT 400 W
Optical drive: LG DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner
Case: LIAN LI PC-60B Plus II
CPU cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro

The most difficult part was attaching the CPU cooler. I don't like Intel's plastic pin connection set-up because the pins may not lock and can break due to fatigue.

The easiest part was attaching the SATA cables to the motherboard and hard drives.

Hey guys, I've been considering buliding my own system for a little while now, do you guys buy your parts, salvage them from old/dead systems, or both?
Both.

Warpnow

January 3rd, 2008, 03:02 AM

Ultra Microfly
160gb IDE Hard drive
DVD Burner
ECS G31T-M
Intel C2D e6750
2x1gb OCZ Gold Rev 2
Antec Basiq 350w

Bargain shopped for the parts and reused from my old build. The hardest part for me was installing the heatsink...it just makes me very nervous every time I do it. Especially the kinds where the rods punch through the holes in the motherboard because your essentially pushing against the motherboard...

Lostincyberspace

January 3rd, 2008, 03:13 AM

Track 1 MSI NX7300LE-TD256EH GeForce 7300LE 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127269
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
MSI 626 913 0828 $39.99
Track 1 ENCORE ENLWI-G(2) PCI Wireless Adapter - Retail
Item #: N82E16833180030
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $13.99
Track 1 Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822144415
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
This item is serviced by the Western Digital. Please call 800 832 4778 for service. $50.99
Track 1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4000DDBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103774
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
For Retail AMD processor, please call 408 749-3060 for service after first 30 days. For OEM AMD processor, we will service for 30 days only. Please verify the Processor matches your order Prior To installation. IMPORTANT: Always pack your CPU well for return. We will refuse your RMA if we received it as DAMAGED! $69.99
Track 1 OKGEAR 18" SATA II cable with metal latch,UV BLUE Model GC18AUBM22 - Retail
Item #: N82E16812123112
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $1.99
Track 1 BIOSTAR NF520-A2 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 520 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138077
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $48.99
Track 1 Eagle Tech Cool Power ET-PSCP 500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817193017
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $19.99
Track 1 CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145098
that is all except for a spare cd drive i had and my case which is a cool master as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119118

I paid a bout 20 bucks less for it a Pcclub

It works great i really like it and doesn't over heat at all. I forgot to get a case at first and I had to do without a fan on my cpu for a while and it didn't over heat for at least five hours of intense gaming. I next intend to get another fan for the front and a fan for a pci slot since my graphics card doesn't have a fan, and a larger hard drive I fill it up in a day right now. I Will have so many fans in this system when I am done it will cool the whole room off.

Pethegreat

January 3rd, 2008, 03:23 AM

I have the core components in my sig.

Other stuff:
Gateway monitor(now with 1280x1024!) I may look at a 22in samsung.
Logitech MX518 optical mouse
Gateway keyboard(I may switch for an IBM)
Custom sound system Technics SE-A5 power amp into 2 Advent Legacy II speakers.

What I want to add to my current build:
DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827248009)
3 Low CFM fans (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811999199)

mr32123

January 3rd, 2008, 03:50 AM

Hmmm i can't remember exactly... I only use my computer for trolling the web and multimedia. Here's what I do remember:

1 x 500 GB external
2 x 200 GB
1x 160 GB (Yup just breaking a terrabyte *evil cackle*)
Pentium 4 - 3.0 Ghz
18x DVD-RW
Gigabit motherboard with on board 7.1 surround capability.
no sound card though
128 nVidia GeForce 7200LE (i think)
all this cost me around 500

I also have a 19" wide and Boston Acoustics 4.1 speakers (AMAZING)
and my new favorite toy the logitech wave keyboard :)

Of course I don't use my computer for high end games - this should last me until 2010. running XP currently, usually have a dual boot configuration with some linux distro.

NullHead

January 3rd, 2008, 04:04 AM

The hardest thing to do was hook up the front audio connectors on the sound card.

OSs= Windows XP Pro x64, Ubuntu 7.10 amd64 and Debian Testing Lenny amd64
Motherboard = MSI ms-7125
Processor= AMD Athlon64 4000+
Ram= 2x512 pqi dual channel
Graphics= one EVGA 7600GTX
Sound= (working) Creaitve X-FI
HDD= one 160GB sata and one 60GB IDE
Network= U.S Robotics 5417(or broadcom 4318) (also working)
Monitor= Planar FVT1503Z
CD\DVD\DVD-RW= one liton lightscribe/dvd burner and one aopen dvd reader
Keyboard= Saitek Eclipse
Mouse= Razer deathadder
Speakers= Logitech x530 5.1 surround

Basically I love it all ... but it is getting older and I'm prolly going to upgrade it.

Techwiz

January 3rd, 2008, 04:54 AM

Yes that's one thing I really like about building a computer; it is always easier to upgrade than a purchased system because you built it and you know what it looks like on the inside.

jespdj

January 3rd, 2008, 10:39 AM

I built my desktop PC myself in the summer of 2006.

Case: Antec P150 (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=81500) (comes with 430W power supply)
Motherboard: Asus P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP (http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=1&model=1179&l1=3&l2=11&l3=307)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9S8)
Memory: I don't remember which brand; it's 2 x 1 GB 800 MHz memory
Video card: Initially I had an Asus ATI X1600, but I replaced it with an nVidia 8600 GTS because it works better with Linux
Harddisk: Seagate 320 GB SATA-II
CD/DVD writer: I had a Sony DVD writer first, but it started to malfunction, so I got a cheap Samsung SATA DVD writer

I chose the Antec P150 case because I wanted a high-quality case and this one is also especially made for building a quiet computer. I also like the clean, white look of this case a lot. One of the features of the case is that it has a system to suspend harddisks with rubber bands, so that the harddisks don't pass vibrations on to the case. It also has good, large fans. Both my old and new video card were / are passively cooled, so my computer is almost completely silent. For the processor I'm using the default Intel cooler that came with it; it doesn't make a lot of noise.

Building the computer wasn't difficult at all; just read the manuals of all the parts very carefully and connect it all together. It worked perfectly the first time I switched it on.

I did spend a few weeks researching (mainly on Internet) which components I should get before going out and buying it all. There are some hardware parts that do or do not work well together; for example, some motherboards don't work well with certain brands of RAM, etc. so it's wise to do some thorough research before buying stuff.

Nunu

January 3rd, 2008, 01:08 PM

I have been building my own PC's for the last 14 years about.

My current PC is getting old and will need to be replaced soon but for now it still works fine here goes.

Chenbro Quick Release case
Creative Audigy ZS 7.1 with Creative 7.1 sound system think it is a T7900
LG DVD ROM And LG DVD RW
2X Kigstone 1Gig GamePro Dimms
2X Seagate 80 Gig IDE Drives
1X Seagate 250 Gig SATA Drive
Nvidia Geforce 7600 GS (Water Cooled)
550 Watt Lightning Power supply (Fan Less)
Thermaltake Water cooling system (Use to be External)
2X Gigabyte 17" LCD
Logiteck G15 Keyboard
Light FX Neon Lightning
Thermaltake tornado North Bridge fan and heat sink
ASROCK Mobo
P4 2.8 GHz HT
Plenty of custom work done on the cables. All the power supply cables where shrouded with silver braiding so i did the same with all the other cables.

Hardest Part was to get the External Water Cooling system to be internal :)

3rdalbum

January 3rd, 2008, 01:33 PM

I built my first self-built computer earlier on in the week!

Case: Antec Sonata 3 (because it has a nice big power supply and case fan with it and looks nice)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 6850 at 3GHz
Motherboard: Asus P5K Premium with Wifi (I wanted the P5K-E Wifi, but the shop was out of stock - this one is overengineered for what I want! Still it works fine on Ubuntu)
Ram: 2x 1 GB PC6400 DDR2 Kingston
Hard Disk: 500 gig Western Digital SATA drive with 16MB cache
Optical Drives: 2x DVD burners on SATA - I just ripped 2 DVDs :-)
Graphics: Asus EN8600GT Silent - this baby is fast and doesn't even have a fan, just a big heat spreader. Make sure you don't reach into the case after you've been doing some gaming though, or you'll probably burn yourself :-)
Operating System: Ubuntu 7.10 ONLY

It all works perfectly with Ubuntu, even the wireless... except for one dumb little bug. When I try to quit Gnome, the quit box doesn't even come up - X freezes. Must be a bug in the Nvidia driver.

Most difficult thing: Turning it on. I don't have a lot of confidence in anything I build myself, so I was convinced it would blow up or something. Though, come to think of it, there are plasma TVs all over Perth that have been sitting on TV stands that I've put together :-)

jeffus_il

January 3rd, 2008, 01:41 PM

No it's not the driver, a program called gnome-session is not running. gdm should start it, maybe it crashed, to test it run
gnome-session&
from a terminal window, this should temporarily fix the problem, need to look at .xsession-errors in the home directory, maybe you can see the problem there.

Borbus

January 3rd, 2008, 01:55 PM

I've been building my own PCs for years now, I would never buy a ready made one.

I built my newest box over a year ago now:
Core 2 Duo E6300
DFI 975G/X (only affordable C2D board at the time)
2 x 1GB DDR2-800
Gainward 8800GT 512MB (new)
1x250GB,2x320GB,1x500GB (all seagates)

I upgraded to the 8800GT the other day, mainly because I was on ATI before and got sick of ATI's rubbish Linux drivers. I had to remove a piece of the cooler on the Gainward because it was so big it didn't fit on my mobo.

Tmi

January 3rd, 2008, 03:36 PM

I've built all my own desktop computers since I first wanted my own as a young lad.

Now I think the desktop computer era has ended in my home, and laptops I prefer to buy premade.

Krydahl

January 3rd, 2008, 03:50 PM

bonzodog

January 3rd, 2008, 04:00 PM

I built my first computer in the autumn of 2005, bought it as bits off Komplett.ie (they also have sites in the UK, and the US, norway, denmark).

At the time, it was very new kit; it now feels a little bit ancient.

However, it runs like a dream, and is still quite a powerful bit of kit.
Specs:

Motherboard:MSI Socket 754 Nforce 3, dual SATA, GBLan, Nforce sound card, 8x AGP.
RAM:2 x Corsair DDR2 512MB
CPU:AMD 64 3000+ 2.0Ghz with coolermaster CPU fan.
Graphics Card:Nvidia Geforce 6200GT 256MB AGP
Hard Disk:Hitachi 160Gb IDE
Monitor: Samsung 710v 17" TFT
Optical Drive: MSI DVD+RW
Generic plain black case from komplett.

gn2

January 3rd, 2008, 04:07 PM

It's not as silent as I'd hoped, but it's not bad.

Have a look at www.silentpcreview.com for lots of ideas on silencing.

jeffus_il

January 3rd, 2008, 04:12 PM

I was trying to build something quiet.

The mobo's in my sig. I use the onboard sound and graphics to avoid generating more noise/heat.

I built the case myself out of MDF. It's modelled loosely on an Antec 180. I thought the MDF might reduce case resonance and it was certainly cheaper than a 180.

It's got a Samsung HDD and CD/DVD in it and a Seasonic S12 380W PSU. Runs only gutsy.

It's not as silent as I'd hoped, but it's not bad.

I have that mobo as well, the CPU runs pretty cool, so I took out the case fans. I believe the Samsung HDD is one of the quietest, Spinpoint is it?

Did you slow down optical drive? That also reduces noise.

Krydahl

January 3rd, 2008, 04:41 PM

I used SPCR for most of my research, thanks.

Yes, it's a spinpoint. Still the loudest thing in there (well, except the optical drive). Yes it is suspended.

No, I didn't worry too much about the optical drive. I don't use it much, so I live with the din when it's running. As optical drives go, it's pretty quiet (that's not very mind).

CPU cooler's a Ninja, no fan. Case fan is a nexus.

mysticrider92

January 3rd, 2008, 04:42 PM

My build at the moment:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (hehe, yay for $30 CPU's...)
Motherboard: MSI 761-GM2V
RAM: 2x 512mb "Ultra" brand sticks
Video card: XFX Geforce 7600 GT XXX edition
Case: Antec Solo
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 380
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar 80gb
Optical drive: Lite-on 20x DVD burner
Cooling: Thermalright Ultra-90 passive on CPU, Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 passive on GPU

The hardest part about this build was getting the front panel connectors in there. The MSI docs were terrible, and the cheap case I originally put it in was even worse.. I guess it paid off though, since I now have a job building and fixing computers.

nike_alphacoy

January 3rd, 2008, 04:58 PM

hi! i built my ubuntu gustsy gibbon on this computer:

motherboard: foxconn P4900-8237A
processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.80 GHz
hdd: 80 GB sata (forgot the brand)
memory: 1 x 1024 MB DDR2 (forgot the brand)
video: Galaxy GeForce 7300 GT 512 MB PCIE 128bit

linux works well with me (dual boot with windows xp sp2)

i have some screenshots on my blog, please leave some comments:

http://laytech.blogspot.com

i will post more in the following days!

herbster

January 3rd, 2008, 05:54 PM

gn2

January 3rd, 2008, 06:01 PM

As optical drives go, it's pretty quiet (that's not very mind).

I've found LG optical drives to be very quiet.

I've been astonished at how quiet the Intel Imacs are, my neighbour has one and it's very quiet indeed.

A friend has a Mac Mini, it's also extremely quiet and a bargain for anyone who is a true PC Silencing obsessive !

Krydahl

January 3rd, 2008, 07:15 PM

Lostincyberspace

January 3rd, 2008, 07:19 PM

happyhamster

January 3rd, 2008, 10:18 PM

The first pc I build was a low-budget AMD system: Athlon 64 3000+ processor (socket 939), 2 x 512Mb RAM, an Asrock 939DUAL-SATA2 motherboard and a cheap Nvidia 6200TC videocard. I collected the different parts over a period of a few weeks, all the while getting more excited and impatient. So, when the last part arrived, I sort of exploded in a-must-build-this-thing-as-quickly-as-possible-frenzy and completed it in no time at all.

And then it wouldn't boot...

I tried a few times (heh, maybe this time it *will* work :)), but nothing, no beeps, although the fans sort of worked for a moment IIRC. Anyway, after calming down, I started the tedious process of troubleshooting, beginning with reading the manuals :). re-wiring things, using 1 stick of memory instead of 2, etc, etc.

Eventually, after a few days, it turned out that the power supply (Antec Smartpower 350W) didn't like the motherboard (or vice versa). Every single part of hardware was fine, but those two just didn't go along.

Current PC:

Motherboard: Asrock 939DUAL-SATA2
Processor: AMD x2 3800+ and Arctic Freezer 64 pro
Memory: 2 x 512 MB Twinmos pc3200
Disks (sata): 160 Gb Hitachi Deskstar (in a silencer)
500 Gb Samsung Spinpoint
80 Gb Samsung Spinpoint
GPU: Asus 7300GT (passive cooling)
Power: Seasonic S12 380W
Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 226BW, 22".

Borbus

January 4th, 2008, 01:17 AM

It's good, I can play UT3 at completely maxed out settings. Shame I have to boot doze to be able to play it at the moment, though. Obviously it runs compiz-fusion great too.

markas

January 4th, 2008, 01:43 AM

I just finished building one for Christmas and thought that it turned out quite nicely. I tried to get stuff that would be quiet and it is nice and quiet. Not silent but much better than my old one.

NZXT Hush case
Quad Core Q6600 CPU
ABIT IP35 Pro mobo
8600GTS video
500 GB SATA (I forget the brand, WD I think)
2 GB Crucial DDR800 ram

I also bought one of those 24" Ultra color Dell monitors which I love.
I got a Logitech G15 keyboard which I need to get all the buttons working on Ubuntu. I guess this last part is just bragging....

Hardest part of building it this time was I bought an aftermarket CPU cooler. The arctic cooling freezer 7 pro. I installed it the wrong way first time so it was blowing hot air back into my case. Oh well, I will know better next time.

Borbus

January 4th, 2008, 07:58 AM

IHardest part of building it this time was I bought an aftermarket CPU cooler. The arctic cooling freezer 7 pro. I installed it the wrong way first time so it was blowing hot air back into my case. Oh well, I will know better next time.

The CPU cooler is probably the hardest part of building a PC. Remember trying to the cooler on to a socket A? I was so close to snapping the mobo. LGA775 coolers are a lot easier, but it was still quite dificult to get the backing plate lined up with the scews on the front. And of course you have to apply a good amount of thermal conductor.

On my first build I forgot to plug the CPU cooler fan in and it was a molex powered fan. I had a case fan plugged in to the CPU fan socket on the mobo so it would post. Luckily I decided to look at the temperatures in the bios before installing fedora (that was my distro back then) and saw the cpu temp rising and rising...

jeffus_il

January 4th, 2008, 08:19 AM

That's a feature, you can always fry an egg on the CPU.

Nunu

January 4th, 2008, 08:50 AM

When you want to get rid of it you can send it to me. Seriously!

Thanks didn't think she was worth much anymore.
I wish i could hand her over to you, but as i am a man on death row (Getting Married Soon) i am going to have to hang on to her for a while. But if one day my wife allows me to dock the cash for a new one i will keep you in mind. :)

bufsabre666

January 4th, 2008, 09:18 AM

Yes - I've heard Macs are quiet, but I really don't fancy the hardware lock in. Especially with the new systems - I have to buy a new monitor (and everything else) to get a faster processor? No thank you.

I doubt my system is any louder than Mac. At least, not much. I could get it quieter by replacing the 3.5 inch HDD with a laptop drive (which is what the macs use), but I didn't fancy the performance hit. Besides, give it another year and SSD will be cheap enough. Then I should be able to get pretty close to silent.

im on a differnt boat, i have 12 fans in my system, i dont care if its loud, i game and over clock, i want it cool

if i was worried about the computers noise i wouldnt own high quality head phones and 5.1 surround sound speakers. and after a while the hum is very comferting

Krydahl

January 4th, 2008, 12:48 PM

im on a differnt boat, i have 12 fans in my system, i dont care if its loud, i game and over clock, i want it cool

if i was worried about the computers noise i wouldnt own high quality head phones and 5.1 surround sound speakers. and after a while the hum is very comferting

:lolflag:

Yeah, mine's not a gaming rig. never really got into PC games. Probably a good thing - I waste enough time with PCs already!

bufsabre666

January 4th, 2008, 12:51 PM

if it aint humming it aint working, thats my logic

Techwiz

January 4th, 2008, 03:49 PM

if it ain't humming it ain't working, thats my logic
I pretty much agree with you there. I really don't care to much if it makes noise (mine only makes a pretty quiet hum due to the big fan in back) and now if I can't hear it I get a little worried that something is going wrong.

maniacmusician

January 4th, 2008, 05:54 PM

if it aint humming it aint working, thats my logic
Not sure how solid that reasoning is. The only things that make considerable noise in a computer are the fan and hard drive (sometimes CD/DVD drives as well, if you use them at high speeds). In a cool system where the fan is set to a lower setting, and if you have quiet drives, noise is usually an indication of something going wrong, not silence. The only thing I ever hear from my computer is the air moving through the fan, unless something is going wrong with it.

bufsabre666

January 4th, 2008, 05:58 PM

Not sure how solid that reasoning is. The only things that make considerable noise in a computer are the fan and hard drive (sometimes CD/DVD drives as well, if you use them at high speeds). In a cool system where the fan is set to a lower setting, and if you have quiet drives, noise is usually an indication of something going wrong, not silence. The only thing I ever hear from my computer is the air moving through the fan, unless something is going wrong with it.

you missed my previous post so ill reiterate and go more in depth, 12 fans

60mm northbridge
60mm gfx card fan
90mm cpu cooler
80mm side fan
80mm intake fan x3
80mm powersupply x2
120mm side fan
120mm exhaust fan
and 80mm i have half assed over the north bridge and part of the cpu

trust me, it hums

maniacmusician

January 4th, 2008, 06:03 PM

you missed my previous post so ill reiterate and go more in depth, 12 fans

60mm northbridge
60mm gfx card fan
90mm cpu cooler
80mm side fan
80mm intake fan x3
80mm powersupply x2
120mm side fan
120mm exhaust fan
and 80mm i have half assed over the north bridge and part of the cpu

trust me, it hums
Right, but my point was that the statement "if it aint humming it aint working, thats my logic" isn't generally very applicable to most computers, since they usually make noise. But I guess you said "humming" with regards to fans, which makes sense.

And that's a lot of fans. Must run pretty cool.

bufsabre666

January 4th, 2008, 06:06 PM

Right, but my point was that the statement "if it aint humming it aint working, thats my logic" isn't generally very applicable to most computers, since they usually make noise. But I guess you said "humming" with regards to fans, which makes sense.

And that's a lot of fans. Must run pretty cool.

even on low power low heat quiet machines i would worry about it, i want to hear humming, its reassuring in my mind, its like an audible bucket from fried chicken ((comfert food))

besides thats why god or whoever invented headphone, turn up the tunes and you dont hear it trust me

edit: yeah cpu runs at 28c, gfx at 35c, nb at 30c and ambient is about 31c ((not bad considering its a billion degrees in my new room, it ran about 5c cooler in my old room which was at real room temp of 62F

herbster

January 4th, 2008, 08:09 PM

if i was worried about the computers noise i wouldnt own high quality head phones and 5.1 surround sound speakers. and after a while the hum is very comferting

My sentiments exactly! I leave my comp on 24/7 in my room and I can't sleep without the hum, even though mine is very quiet. It's just part of the atmosphere :D

gn2

January 5th, 2008, 04:13 PM

if it aint humming it aint working, thats my logic

Unless it's built with one of these cases:

http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=175&code=020
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=175&code=020

And one of these hard drives:

http://www.samsung.com/eu/Products/Semiconductor/products/ssd.asp

Or it's an Asus Eee.

regomodo

January 8th, 2008, 12:13 PM

Besides, give it another year and SSD will be cheap enough. Then I should be able to get pretty close to silent.

A year? Someone is optimistic. I'm currently doing research on SSD's for a 4th project at uni and from what i've found they aren't going to be competitive (price-wise) until at least 2010 where they'll be x3 the price of hdd on a price/GB basis

bufsabre666

January 8th, 2008, 12:16 PM

A year? Someone is optimistic. I'm currently doing research on SSD's for a 4th project at uni and from what i've found they aren't going to be competitive (price-wise) until at least 2010 where they'll be x3 the price of hdd on a price/GB basis

and at the rate their growing they'll only be at the Tb level by then hard disks should be pusshing 10Tb if not bigger

inversekinetix

January 8th, 2008, 12:52 PM

I put whats in my sig together myself, recently replaced the CPU heatsink and fan with a kama kross + 140mm fan, also fastened an 80mm fan across the ram. Cant praise the case enough p180 rocks.

Gigamo

January 8th, 2008, 01:30 PM

I have built my own computer ever since I had a desktop pc. Even my first, a Pentium II 266MHz :D

The desktop pc in my sig is my latest. I also have an AMD A64 2800+, 1GB ram, GeForce 4 Ti4200 (god this card owned when it was new :D) and 80GB storage now being used by my sister.

Bannor

January 8th, 2008, 03:44 PM

you will have to pardon my lack of specificity. this computer is now 6 months old and due to a problem that corrupted my Windows Xp install I figured since I would have to reinstall windows anyway I might as well give linux a try.

amd athalon 2x 2.2
Ati radeon x 550
2 gigs ram (unfortunately my original ram which was high speed and paired up was the wrong type) so I traded it for generic ram at my local computer shop

2hd's 40 gig taken from my gfriends mom's computer and a 60 gig hd from my old hp

15 inch monitor

cd and dvd both a minimun of 5 years old.

antec (the old one didn't fit the mobo).

windows xp 32 bit
ubuntu 7.10 32 bit (originally 64 bit but unfortunately there just isn't enough stuff that runs in 64)

on a side not the first computer I ever built was a 286 with 32 mb of ram that I managed to run windows 95 on (however I used it for dos most of the time)

theorganloft

January 8th, 2008, 04:40 PM

2 SYSTEMS:
Biostar Mobo
Antec Case
NVidia 512 Pci Express
2 Gig Ram
2 X 250 gig SATA
M-Audio Revolution 7.1 (fantastic card!)
2 X 16X DVD R/W drive
22 Inch Monitors
Hauppage WintV 150 (for MythTV)

My toys!

Software = Ubuntu Studio w/MythTV

These machines are fast and reliable!

Spr0k3t

January 8th, 2008, 05:19 PM

Here's my rig... built it last year and still a blast to use.

System
Motherboard: Foxconn C51XEM2AA-8EKRS2H (http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_spec.aspx?ID=en-us0000172)
Graphics Card: Foxconn FV-N79GM3D2-HPOC (http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/GraphicCards/detail_spec.aspx?ID=en-us0000022)
Case: ThermalTake Swing (http://thermaltakeusa.com/product/Chassis/midtower/swing/vb6000bns.asp)
CPU: AMD FX2 64 3800+ (http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=64)

Cooling:
2 Silverstone FM122 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=fm122)
Silverstone FM81 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=fm81)
Zalman CNPS9500 (http://www.zalman.co.kr/usa/product/view.asp?idx=202&code=005)

Then I have the standard SATA DVDRW DL and a two Seagate 250GB, one Seagate 320GB. I'm planning on moving the 250GB drives over to my NAS once I've got the room.

regomodo

January 13th, 2008, 10:49 PM

Cant praise the case enough p180 rocks.

Don't you find the P180, despite being very big, too small? the distance between the harddrive tray (the smaller 1) and the g'card is too small by about 1cm. my cables are all wedged in the gap and i've wiggled them about so they aren't covering the intakes.
I would move the hdd's but the 4 disk holder is full

kodak

January 14th, 2008, 12:29 AM

xpod

January 14th, 2008, 01:17 AM

I suppose i cant really say i`ve completely built one prior to now as that was more a case of just mixing & matching with the old ones we had,and all those other parts i seem to have bought along the way.
Everything bar motherboard & cpu really.

I did`nt really need any supersonic thing like many seemingly do but i just recently made my own first pc,from completely shiney new parts anyway.

ASrock AliveNF7G-HD motherboard
Athlon 4000(2 x 2.1Ghz) cpu
2 gig of 800Mhz RAM
150G Sata drive(gonna buy another of those i think)
Card reader
DVDRW
550 Watt psu & shiney case
Some wires n bits of other stuff.:)

Forgot the anti-static wristband but i got buy without it okay.
Nothing fried on me anyway.....yet.
It`s only been a week or so though so give it time.
Currently using Xubuntu 64 bit.
Some flash issues but other than that..it all works,it seems:-k
Got the 32bit one on the older ide drive i ended up putting in too so it`s neither here nor there for now.

It`s still all gobbildygook:)

kodak

January 14th, 2008, 01:41 AM

Forgot the anti-static wristband but i got buy without it okay.
Nothing fried on me anyway.....yet.

My local computer shop says no need for an anti static strap and do not use them themselves
as long as one holds the tower case or chassis before

the people at the shop have done more repairs, upgrades and system builds than i dare to know so who am i to argue :lolflag:

xpod

January 14th, 2008, 01:47 AM

My local computer shop says no need for an anti static strap and do not use them themselves
as long as one holds the tower case or chassis before

the people at the shop have done more repairs, upgrades and system builds than i dare to know so who am i to argue

lol.....my humour was possibly not apparent in the statement.
Unless one came free in the box i would`nt have bought one no matter who told me to.:)

I`ve never really fried nothing yet and i dont mean to start now:lol:

regomodo

January 14th, 2008, 02:30 AM

why replace the old HD when you could buy a new one and have them both in a RAID-0 configuration?
raid-0 ide? if he puts them both on different ide controllers perhaps but the speed of ide drives ain't that great to begin with.

I have the same drive and it's speed is compared to others here (http://regomodoslinux.blogspot.com/2008/01/raid-benchmarks.html)

Rwild

January 14th, 2008, 10:34 PM

My first and only build was two years ago...

AMD Athlon 3700+
MSI K8T NEO FISR2
1 Gig DDR RAM
nVidia GeForce 6600 GT
(2) 160 Gig IDE HDDs
(1) 500 Gig External HDD
(1) 500 Gig SATA HDD
SoundBlaster Audigy2
(2) DRD RW Drives

It sure was interesting. The first time putting everything together took me about 8 hours. Once on, I realized 2 PCI slots were toasted... So, I took everything apart and then reinstalled an new mobo. The second build only took me a half an hour or so. That sure was a lot better than the first run through! :D

Tristicus

January 15th, 2008, 01:08 AM

I have built all my computers....

One I am on now:
P4 3.4ghz with HT Technology
2gb RAM
Aopen MOBO
ATI RADEON 9550 256mb
250gb HDD
500gb HDD
DVD_+RW Drive (Samsung)
680W Echostar PSU

The one in my sig is also custom built.

Presto123

January 15th, 2008, 01:45 AM

Self-made case
MSI Mobo
AMD Athlon 64x2 4000+
2 gigs RAM
HP DVD740 Burner
160 gig Maxtor Internal & 320 gig Western Digital external
PNY Nvidia GeForce 6200 256mb graphics card
450 (or 500) watt power supply
8 blue vehicle LED's that work quite nicely

Most complicated thing to do was cutting out the Plexiglas shelves. Kept breaking them.

Mr_J_

April 8th, 2008, 12:00 AM

.Motherboard: Asus A8N-E (nForce 4 Ultra)
.Processor (Socket 939):AMD Venice Core 3200+ (older and now in storage)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (currently used)
.Thermal paste: Artic Silver
.Disipator: Thermalright XP-90C
.Processor Fan: Really don't remember, some noisy blue LED'ed critter... :lolflag:
.Graphic card: Nvidia GeForce 6600GT 128MB DDR3 PCI (16x)
.RAM: 3x Kingston 512MB DDR400
.HDD: 2x 80GB, 1x 200GB
.Sound: OnBoard
.Optic: LG DVD writer(I carefully picked one that had everything, but lightscribe... too expensive a trade for my cheap and pretty markers. =P
.Box: Chieftec Dragon series
.Power Unit: some 500W silent unit (techsolo... I think..)

It's even got some nice rounded IDE cables.

Got 2 monitors the CRT is shut off most of the time due to my large lazyness to make a working xorg.conf for it :lolflag:

.Sony MultiScan200ES (a monitor I still recomend highly to anyone that wants a monitor that will likely last some 10 years at the very least) 17'' CRT VGA
.Dell Ultrasharp 2007fp (19'' DVI USB_hub)

autocrosser

November 29th, 2008, 04:10 AM

I rebuild/upgrade about every 6 months--currently:

Thermaltake Armour VA8003SWA Aluminum case
EVGA 750i-FTW SLI motherboard
Q9300 Quad O/C @ 3 GHZ
Two BFG 8600GT-OC 512 nVidia cards (O/C @700)--SLI in Linux!!
Four Gig OCZ DDR2 1066 SLI Ram
Three SATA W/D 500G 7200rpm drives
Raidmax RX-630ss PSU
Sony DVD SATA drive
LG Lightscribe ATA DVD drive
Zalman 9500 CPU cooler
Two Zalman Videocard coolers
Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme Fan Controller
Four 120mm Aerocool Blue LED 17db fans
One 250mm Blue LED side fan
One 80mm Blue LED ram cooler
One 60mm bridge cooler
Encore 802.11N wireless card
20-n-1 card reader (in Floppy slot)
Hanns-G 28" Widescreen Monitor

Running ONLY Linux--Three installs--Currently Two testing Jaunty & One stable Hardy as backup.

Planning to upgrade to the new Intel i7 processor sometime early 2009 when the prices drop for DDR3 Ram & the new style motherboards.