My first attempt

[johnrxx99]

This my first post and I am a novice as regards building a PC, a pretty daunting prospect I can assure you.

I'm in the process of designing the machine and selecting components. The "Build Your Own" pages list the basic parts, which includes a System Disk. My question is does that disk come with the motherboard and if not how do I get one? Also, must it be a floppy as I was planning to have optical drives only.

All the very best and happy Easter.

John

[freakitchen]

To build your computer, you'll obviously need an Operating System, which i think is what you're referring to by 'system disk'. With this, you'll partition your hard drive and install the OS.

When you're up and running, you'll also need the CDs that came with your motherboard and Video card to load the chipset and video drivers respectively. Your alternative here is to download the latest drivers online; they'll be more up-to-date than the ones on the CD.

Having a floppy is handy, if anything goes wrong, but not necessary.

Please post back when you have a list of parts. You can also attempt to get rid of that "daunting prospect" feeling, by reading these 'build your own PC' guides.

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm (there's also a book you can purchase, which is very comprehensive)

http://www.mysuperpc.com/build/pc_parts_list.shtml

http://www.mechbgon.com/build/index.html

Oh, and good luck!

FK

[johnrxx99]

Many thanks for replying and for the links. I am using PC Mechanic's "Build your own PC" and on the first page, where it lists the kit ti assemble, it says:-

Software Required

- System Disk
- Device Drivers (these usually come with the hardware above)
- Operating System (for the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume you are choosing Microsoft Windows as your operating system – PC Mechanic has lots of great information on Linux and other alternatives)

It is the first line that I picked up about the System Disk so I am still confused. I have MS XP Pro as the o/s.

At this stage, subject to advice and reading, my pc will use:-

Case - Antec SLK3700 BQE Solution Series Atx Pc Case(no PSU)
Power - Antec TruePower II 550W 20-24pin PSU
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 3700 CPU Skt 939 San Diego
Memory - 2 x Corsair 1024MB, DDR400 / PC3200, non-ECC, 184 DIMM
Video - ASUS N6800/TD/512M Geforce 6800 512MB
HD - Maxtor 6V200E0 200GB SATA300 7200rpm 8MB Cache
MoBo - ASUS A8N-SLI Premium skt939 nForce4
Optical - LG GSA-H10ABAL 16xDVDRW/RAM optical drive

I think that is it as so far I don't need a 3.5" floppy, flash card reader (I assume this if FFD). Do I need more kit? I have other PC's and this one is for gaming and I have broadband.

[freakitchen]

Well I can confirm that you won't need anything apart from XP Pro to start with. The CD is bootable, so once your computer is built, you need to enter the bios, and change the boot order so that the CD-Rom drive is listed before the Hard Drive. On restarting, the system will boot from the XP disc and walk you through formatting the hard drive, and installation.

That's a quality case and power supply.

FK

[johnrxx99]

Sorry Freakitchen, posted before I finished the list.

[freakitchen]

That's a good parts list.

You can get memory in a 'matched pair', which will ensure dual channel operation.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...ue_Select.html (top of list)

See if you can get a 6800GT, or GS card, by dropping the card's memory to 256MB. That will help gaming performance.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...CI_Series.html

Look for the Maxtor SATA hard drives with 16MB of cache, it will give you a performance increase.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Maxtor_sata.html (5th in the list)

Overclockers UK links are just for reference, didn't know where you plan on getting your parts.

FK

[johnrxx99]

Great stuff, many thanks. At the moment using ebuyer to put the list together. They are usually quite reliable. Who do you use?

[freakitchen]

I use ebuyer and overclockers pretty much exclusively, both sites have their pros and cons. Ebuyer have a good selection but can be lazy with their product descriptions and stock levels....yet their delivery options are good and well priced. At the same time, Overclockers probably stock more 'quality' parts and a wider range of the more specialist bits n bobs. I also prefer browsing their site. However, the minimum delivery they'll charge you is £8!

You're probably right to go ebuyer for everything.

FK