Need help with new system please

[soarwitheagles]

Hi everyone! How are you?

It is my first time here and was just hoping someone could give me some clues in regards to building my first computer......

I seem to be a little confused as to how to set the jumpers on the harddrive and the DVD Burner...

Here is what I am trying to put together...

ECS Mother board P4M800PRO-M v.2 + Intel 805D chip [came as a package deal from fry's for only $78]

Ultra Microfly Clear case

Ultra 500 watt power supply

Maxtor Harddrive 120 GB Ultra ATA

Maxtor Harddrive 200 GB SATA

Pioneer DVR-710

e-GeForce 6200 LE

4 Port IEEE 1394 PCI card by PPA

2-512MB sticks of PQI DDR memory

I am not sure if anyone can help me...

Here are my questions...

1. What is the best way to hook up my drives? [I thought about using the 120GB ATA as the boot drive. There is a primary and secondary IDE slot on the mother board but I am not sure how to set the hardrive and the Pioneer DVD up. Example: do I set both as cable select? Or is the hardrive to be the master and the DVD burner as slave? Would it be best to set one drive in primary IDE slot and the other in the secondary IDE or run both on the same cable? Etc.

2. Must I plug in a 12 volt plug into the IEEE PCI Card? If yes, will these extra plugs from my power supply work? [I see a four pin plug on the PCI card], Will the card work without power? The diagram of it can be found here:

http://www.ppa-usa.com/DOWNLOAD/1202-PinDiagram.pdf

3. Should I install all hardware and then boot the system or should I install certain items in a sequential order?

4. Which harddrive would be best to use for the Operating system [I plan on using XP PRO but the disk has no service packs]. I am not sure if the 200GB SATA or the 120GB Ultra ATA would work best. Someone told me they are almost the same. [both are 8MB cache].

5. How can I be sure I hooked up the correct wires from the front of the computer case to the correct pins on the mother board [some of it was not so clear], and am I at risk of frying something or making loud sounds and smoke at the first boot up?

6. I only found one pin on the MOBO for the system cooling fan but the case has a front and a rear cooling fan...how can I make both of them work? What is best, a "Y" with a sensor or an adaptor for an extra molex connector.

7. Am I over my head in my attempt to put together a new computer system? Someone told me it is quite easy and I should have no problems...

Ok, I hope I did not over do it on my first post.

Hope someone can help me.

Take care everyone!

It's me,

Fred

handiconstruction@yahoo.com

[ktkendall]

1. If you have 2 ide controllers and just 2 ide drives to install then you definately want to utilize each controller. You'll get better performance that way. Jumper the HD as CS and put it on the primary controller and put the dvd drive on the secondary, and if CS doesn't work well then jumper it as master.

2. I would leave that card out for now, till you get things loaded, then install it according to the manual that came with it. It looks like the same connector that your ide harddrive uses.

3. Do your processor, and heatsink fan , and memory out of the case. Then make sure you use the standoffs to mount the motherboard, then add your vid card and drives, and then connect all the power and front pin connectors. Stuff you want to wait on till system is up and running are periphial devices like printers and any other usb devices.

4. The sata is probably best but requires a little more know how to get the OS loaded onto it.

5. You need to look in the manual for the correct pins to hook those little connectors up to.

6. You don't really need to hook those case fans up to the mobo, but just be sure to hook them up to power . Hooking them to the mobo is just to monitor them, but that does not actually power them.

7. I remember it was quite a project for me the first time, and it didn't even power up at first, but I think you'll do fine. Just take your time and follow the instructions in the manual.

[bd1886]

Welcome! What heatsink/fan are you using? That combo came with the bare cpu w/ no hsf? That processor is a warm runner, and you'll need to have a good after market cooler to keep things cool/fits well in that small form factor case. See about finding a lower profile Zalman or Arctic Freezer for that. (Other folks here are more up to speed on those options).Also use a silver based compound to seat your processor (like Arctic Silver or a close equivalent). Didn't see a card reader on the list(just in case you do have one...plug it in after the computer is up and running as it will be assigned the "c" drive spot and you want to leave that for your sata hard drive). That board having just the one fan plug in should be ok but just make sure the rear fan is the one plugged in and monitor the case temps as soon as it's running (to make sure there are no immediate heat issues).From what I've read,that case has decent airflow (for an sff case) but you may need to find a way to hook up that front fan if the temps. are too warm. Hope this helps ya'!

[glc]

ECS Mother board P4M800PRO-M v.2 + Intel 805D chip [came as a package deal from fry's for only $78] Ultra 500 watt power supply

I wish you luck - I hope you get more than you paid for. The DOA/return rate on that motherboard and power supply has been ridiculous.

If you have no service packs, you have to use the 120 to begin with or you will only see a 137gb drive. Don't even connect the 200 till you have XP updated.

Use 80 wire cables, put the 2 IDE devices on separate channels if you have 2 channels, use the end connectors and jumper them CS, not master or slave. If you only have one connector, put the hard drive on the end connector and DVD on the moiddle one, jumpered CS.

[bd1886]

Don't stress on the psu to much. I purchased one a while back and It has been running cool quiet and stable. No doubt on there being better psu's out there! But for the price after rebate...Free, it's worth the shot. Just looked around and found that a lot of people are pleased with it and it's lasting for them. However... if you were building a heavy use machine... cough up the money for a better brand. Same thing for the dang motherboard,(Free).If it works for you... great!!! Just know that you can't take advantage of the 805 as that mb does not overclock. If you expect more... stop the build and go buy better stuff. Just over 100.00 would start to put you in the comfort zone w/a good psu and motherboard. Good opinions on these are free too! What's right for you?

[freakitchen]

Originally Posted by glc I wish you luck - I hope you get more than you paid for. The DOA/return rate on that motherboard and power supply has been ridiculous.

For this reason, I'd suggest you perform an out of case POST before you spend time building the whole system. It verifies that your core components aren't DOA if you get a display on your monitor.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=132409

FK

[andper10]

I am just going to say it how it is. ECS is not a good motherboard brand, Ultra is not a good PSU brand, and PQI brand memory isn't exactly top of the line. If it ends up working, congratulations. Just keep in mind that cheap PSU's can end up frying more expensive components, so it is usually better to get a good PSU to begin with. Honestly, I would plug your PSU into the wall and power it on while it is not plugged into any of your components and leave it that way for an hour or two to be sure that if it is going to fry in the first few hours, it won't take any other components down with it. I have heard that you can slipstream the service packs from the internet as long as you have a ligitimate key. I don't know much about it though, so hopefully someone else can give you the scoop. Theoretically, a SATA drive can transfer data faster than an IDE drive, but real world testing has shown that it is about the same transfer speed. Enjoy your build.

[soarwitheagles]

kendall,

I really appreciate you and the advice you have given to me. I am putting it into practice today!

have a good one!

bd1886,
Thanks for your post. I appreciate you and the time you have given me. Now to answer your questions, I purchased a $20 Thermaltake TR-2M21-RX fan and heat sink. I felt uncomfortable after installing it because I read the processor should have a minimum of 3800RPM's and this fan only gives 2200RPM's. What do you think? Bad idea or are they overstating the recommended requirements? And how much for that ARtic Freezer?

Regarding spending more for a PSU and MOBO, my finances are very limited. I actually patiently waited 9 full months, carefully studying ads and taking advantage of the free items and nearly free items. The 500watt power supply is selling now for $90 and I got it for free. Case was only $25 normally $70. RAM was $70. Etc. The total price so far has been $249. Sorry, but I am on a strict budget and had no choice.

If I win the lotto, I will upgrade....lol

take care and have a good one friend!

freakkitchen, i like your recommendation but i already put everything in the case and it is ready to fire up. I haven't fired it up because I am still afraid I am gonna hear some loud noises or see lots of smoke..........i am trying to muster the courage to plug it in.......

glc, thanks for your advice. I will change the jumpers before I do the first fire up.

bd1886, thanks for encouragement on the PSU. It looks very nice. I actually bought 3 powersupplies because after rebates, all were absolutely free. Do you have the same 500W? Know why I like it so much? It has lots of extras...SLI ready, and the wires are all clear instead of colored. and lots more wires too.

andper10, thanks for your cool advice....

well, i did plug the power supply into the wall before I put it in the computer and....the fan never came on...i hope that does not tell me it is a lemon! What are you thoughts on this?

[flanzig1]

A PSU needs to be plugged into the motherboard first for it to turn on.
One of the reasons for doing the out of case first start up is if it works enough to show the BIOS, then if problems in the case you know that something is possibly mounted incorrectly like mounting standoffs for the motherboard not matching the mounting holes on the motherboard in number and/or location.

[freakitchen]

If it's in the case, then fire it up. If you've double and triple checked every connection, and that every component is seated correctly, then you can't do much more. You *may* have to disassemble it anyway if things don't work straight off.

On a forum related note, please respond to everybody's comments in ONE post, rather than creating multiple posts. I'm going to merge your posts, don't you agree it looks cleaner?!

FK

[bd1886]

It's tough to do the kind of build your doing and have decent components. My experience with ECS has been with about 5 builds and they have gone well. These were for my first build (About 2 years ago),a temporary build, and 3 friends w/stuff they bought at Fry's. (If I had my druthers I'd stay away from low end stuff completely and use the "stuff'). All of those builds are running well. Probably due to non-intensive tasks being performed on 'em and sounds like some luck. Build the thing (hopefully no doa's) and enjoy it! The truth of the matter is the difference between better quality and free is not that much in an economy build (but a budget has to be respected). Bet next build of yours will be better and enjoy what you've got now! I'm doing a personal build now( using much better components because of what I've learned here from some good people who know a heck of a lot more than I do).See if you can sell that cooler to someone that has a less demanding chip and cough up the little bit more for something that'll keep that 805 cool.Go ahead and check Newegg for something that specs. out right (That's a site you'll need to check out anyways) and... Enjoy Your Build!

[soarwitheagles]

ok, thank you everyone for your excellent imput. I took to heart what you said and I did the best with the advice you gave me. FK, sorry about doing so many single posts, I did not realize I could respond to everyone in one post. So I will utilize your good advice from now on...


Flan, you are so far ahead of me that I am not even sure we are on the same planet...
as I read your post I learned so much...and now I know exactly why to plug in the PSU into the MOBO before I power up...thanks much friend...I promise to do it in my next build...

BD1886, thank you for your ever helpful encouraging words...I always feel hope when I read your posts and I want to say thank you.

And now for the latest update...

I was able to gather the courage tonight to plug the system in for the very first time...to be honest with you, I fully expected to experience nightmare after nightmare...I do not want to be negative but I read about lots of problems with the ECS and other components...

Well, to my absolute surprise, it fired right up with no smoke or loud pops...and after doing my best to read the quick flash of words of the screen, I had to restart about 7 times before I could read, "hold delete" to enter bios...

So I did that and sure enough, into the BIOS I found myself!!

BTW, I did take the advice of one of the new friends I met here and changed the harddrive and CD Drive jumpers to CS. I also took the advice to plug one into primary and the other into secondary channel on the MOBO...and sure enough, everything worked...I feel so fortunate that everything seems to work ok...in fact I was so happy, I even plugged in the SATA HD in between boots and sure enough, it also showed up in Mr. BIOS window.

Thank you everyone of you for all your help and good advice....I know for sure I could not have done this without your help and input...thank you, thank you, thank you....I cannot say it enough.....and now...........

To be honest with you, I am not sure what exactly to do next...

I think I am suppose to carefully read the manual for the MOBO and do BIOS adjustment and then finally install the XP PRO? Is that the next step?

Waiting in eager anticipation....

Fred...

[The_YongGrand]

ECS boards are not really good in quality - once I've received a 2nd-hand computer with ECS s.478 m/b and the IDE went busted. Fortunately there's replacement for that - I recommended a Biostar instead since S.478 is going to be getting less.

[freakitchen]

Good to hear its booted up for you. First thing to do in BIOS is head into the section entitled 'PC Health Status', or 'Hardware monitor', or something similar, and check your CPU temperatures - if it's not too high, (I'd say anything below 60 on that processor) then you know you installed the heatsink correctly.

Second, find the 'boot order' section (usually under 'advanced') and switch things so that the optical drive is positioned before the hard drive. On the next reboot, the system will look to the CD for a boot record - if you have the XP CD in the drive, then it will boot from it and start the install process.

FK