need advice on building pc

[robo_panda]

this is my VERY first upgrade. i have a dell dimension 3000, and i'm thinking of getting a new case, vid. card, and mobo. i have a pent. 4 2.6 processor that i'm planning on putting in the new board. i haven't ordered the stuff because i'm not sure if i have to have a floppy in order to do the initial boot. on top of that i'm on a tight budget. here are the things i'm looking at
MSI PM8M-V Socket 478 VIA P4M800 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
OR MSI 865GM2-LS Socket 478 Intel 865G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (both boards have agp)

xfx geforce 6600GT 256mb AGP
ASPIRE X-Infinity ATXB6KLW-BK/420 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 420W power supply for AMD/Intel Power Supply
maybe a different psu

so i plan on just putting the cd drive, processor, and hard drive i have into this new case but i'm not sure if it'll work.


oh, and uhhhhhhhh this is a dumb question but since it's my first time, how do i set the jumper switches?

[avx]

Your case is standard ATX, the mobo's you have selected are micro ATX.

I would not get the MSI PM8M-V it has a VIA chipset, I have had bad experiences with Intel chips and VIA chipsets.

I dont know about that PSU either. Any way you could find out who the manufacturer is?

[robo_panda]

well won't the standard atx case support micro atx boards? on newegg it said the case supports micro/baby/standard and the case was mid tower standard atx.

thanks for the intel on the board too ^_^. the intel chipset on the other board will work with the processor i have right?

the alt. power supply i'm looking at is a thermaltake, and the one in the case would be aspire.

[avx]

It will, but usually when someone chooses micro, they want the entire system to be micro, I just thought maybe you over looked the fact that the mobos were micro.

I would go with the thermaltake, or maybe take a look at Antec, they usually have really good PSU/case combos.

[robo_panda]

would there be a reduction in performance if i put the micro in the standard? and if i were to buy a standard atx antec case would it work with the micro?

and the board with the intel chip will work with the processor right?

[Alaron]

Motherboard and case size have no effect on performance. The vast majority of ATX towers will have mounting holes for MicroATX boards, just check your case to be sure.

I would choose the Intel chipset board over the VIA. Your 2.6ghz chip should work in that board.

[glc]

Save some money - if you can't find a case you like that comes with a decent power supply at the right price, buy a case without a power supply. You can get a decent power supply for 30 bucks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103484

[messiah34]

Like GLC said I would save money and get what I wanted to keep from having to upgrade again in near future. antec sonata 2 is a nice case with powersupply for 100 bucks. You dont' need a floppy. they come on cds now. the chances of the files being currupt are slim to none and you can always barrow one. Aslo, cpus are pretty cheap and the intel you have is ok but not great. for about 240 bucks I forget the exact amount you can get a 3700 amd which is much better for gaming. Using old parts to build a new computer isn't a good idea because your not going to be able to utilize the new parts as well. I would save up some money and get what you really want. Upgrading is fine, but I think other poeple would agree that your better off starting over. Because anything you take off an old comp will hurt performance.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by robo_panda i haven't ordered the stuff because i'm not sure if i have to have a floppy in order to do the initial boot.

Does the DELL have a floppy drive in it now? If you need a floppy drive to run diagnostics or to install drivers you can just connect the floppy drive from the DELL to the new motherboard temporarily and then remove it when you're done.

Originally Posted by robo_panda so i plan on just putting the cd drive, processor, and hard drive i have into this new case but i'm not sure if it'll work.

Those parts should work fine in the new computer. Do you know exactly which P4 you have? Is it a Northwood or a Prescott?

Originally Posted by robo_panda oh, and uhhhhhhhh this is a dumb question but since it's my first time, how do i set the jumper switches?

What jumper switches are you talking about? The ones on the motherboard or on the drives? You shouldn't have to set any of the motherboard jumpers (most motherboards are "jumperless"...you don't have to set the FSB or multiplier ratio with jumpers because the motherboard auto-detects the CPU and sets the speed and multiplier ratio automatically) but check with the motherboard manual before you do anything.

Cricket