Building For The First Time

[Ford GT]

My current system runs great but isn't as speedy or as reliable as it used to be. It's an AMD Athlon XP 1800+(Palomino core) and I have 768MB of RAM, 32MB is shared with the integrated Nvidia GPUon the motherboard, an ASUS A7n266-VM/AA and was built back in 2003. I think its time for an upgrade!

This will be my first time building my own computer although I have installed many hard drives, PSU's, memory, etc. before. For Christmas this year I'm also looking for an HDTV like everyone else( ) so my computer budget is restricted to $300-$400. I plan on using my current case, Windows XP, 250GB HDD and PSU so I figure that should save me from spending a few hundred right there. I'd like a nice graphics card and I'll get one in the future, but for now the integrated graphics will suffice. I wasn't sure whether to go AMD or Intel so I made two lists.

AMD Athlon XP 5200+ or 5600+ or 6000+, $119, $139, $159
ABiT Motherboard

Around $300

Intel E6750 $194
Gigabyte Motherboard

Around $350

Memory is the same for both configurations:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098
$54

Are these combinations any good? Anything you would recommend changing?



Also, since I have XP(Home Edition) installed on the Seagate 250GB HDD I would need to backup and reinstall that because of the new motherboard/processor right?

I have heard that XP Home Edition doesn't use the extra core in dual core processors but isn't this myth/lie?

My HDD is IDE but the new boards are SATA so I will need an adapter for that right?


Sorry for all the questions! I really needed advice and insight since I'm nervous as heck about building my own computer!

Thanks.


Justin

[glc]

What brand and model is the power supply? There's a very good chance you will have to upgrade that too, today's PCI-E has much different power requirements than your AGP.

Even the new motherboards have one IDE controller for 2 IDE drives.

I recommend the Intel E6750 on an Asus P5KPL-VM board. This is the only Intel-based board that is 1333 FSB compatible that has what I'd consider stable IDE.

[juppy]

Originally Posted by Ford GT Also, since I have XP(Home Edition) installed on the Seagate 250GB HDD I would need to backup and reinstall that because of the new motherboard/processor right?

Hey glc, what was that trick that could be done for that? Wasn't it just going into the Device Manager and setting the IDE controller type to like Generic or Standard or something? It's been awhile since I've seen a question for that and I forgot the exact details.....I just remember it replaced the old ENUM trick that used to work for Win 9x

[glc]

Juppy, check the Tips and Tricks thread on repair installs.

[Ford GT]

The PSU is an Antec 350W. Would it be possible to use it for now with the new parts?

I guess it would be better to start with a fresh install of XP rather than try to use the existing one. I copied My Documents from C and put it on F(Backup Drive). The only thing I'm concerned about are all of my programs. There are a lot of them to reinstall!

Still not sure about which processor to go with. If I get the AMD 6000+ I get 3Ghz, 1x2MB L2 cache and a good price. I can use the $35 I saved for a nicer motherboard. However, Intel's new C2D's, especially the E6750, are brilliant processors.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Ford GT The PSU is an Antec 350W. Would it be possible to use it for now with the new parts?

Probably not a good idea, especially if the motherboard power connector only has 20 pins...today's motherboards have a 24 pin power connection and another 4 pin 12v power connection.

Cricket

[glc]

It all depends which EXACT Antec 350 you have. If it has a 20+4 main connector *and* a 4 pin CPU connector, it is good enough for the board I recommended with onboard video. If it only has a 20 pin main *without* the clipon +4, it needs to be replaced. They DO make adapters to convert a 20 to 24, but they are not approved for PSU's that are less than 450 watts.

If you do have to replace it, it would be wise to plan ahead and get one strong enough to run a video card. I'd budget around $75 for that, unless you can catch a rebate on something.

[Ford GT]

It has the 20+4 pin connector

Another question, when I first power up the new computer, are the CMOS/BIOS settings as difficult to set as some articles say? I know the time and date need to be set as well as the boot devices but I'm a little worried about some of the other settings such as memory speed and other things. I'll of course have a manual so hopefully that will help me!

[glc]

The P5KPL-VM bios will work fine leaving all that advanced stuff at factory defaults. It's one of the easier setups I've done on new technology boards. Download the manual now, read it over, and if you have any questions, ask.

[juppy]

Originally Posted by glc Juppy, check the Tips and Tricks thread on repair installs.

Oh yeah.....I always forget about all the stickies in the forums because I just hit "New Posts" when I come here so it brings all of 'em up. I'd probably be amazed at what I would accomplish if I'd pull my head out once in awhile.

So anyways, yeah, I found what I was thinking about. You can use your existing install of XP in the new computer just by changing some things before you take it out of the old machine. Here's glc's quote from that other thread on how to do that.

Originally Posted by glc I'm going to add something here - this has worked for me and saves a lot of time. If all you are going to do is swap out a motherboard or move a 2000 or XP hard drive to another system, try this. Before shutting down, open Device Manager. Open up the IDE controllers, you will see one or two busmaster controllers. Double click on them and find the Update Driver tab. Do not search, select pick from a list. You will see Standard Dual IDE Controller. Use that one. Doing this will allow the system to boot without getting the usual INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE bluescreen. This is the key to get it to boot. Of course, it would be a very good idea to uninstall the drivers for all components that will not be making the move.

At least that would keep you from having to reinstall all of your programs.

[Ford GT]

I don't want to start fresh but maybe its better that I do the more I think of it. There seem to be some serious instability issues with the current settings and I get a BSOD every few days or so. The error message on the BSOD is related to a graphics driver but because the integrated GPU is so old it won't run on the newest nVidia drivers.

Another question I had was about the PATA>SATA adapter. My DVD/CDRW drives need to run on the IDE channels so I need an adapter to use my current 250GB drive but I'm not sure how it works. I'm not familiar with SATA and how it needs to be setup. Wouldn't I need to plug in the drive and install it as if it were a SATA drive? Or do I just plug in the adapter and go?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Ford GT I don't want to start fresh but maybe its better that I do the more I think of it. There seem to be some serious instability issues with the current settings and I get a BSOD every few days or so. The error message on the BSOD is related to a graphics driver but because the integrated GPU is so old it won't run on the newest nVidia drivers.

Are you talking about your current computer?

Originally Posted by Ford GT Another question I had was about the PATA>SATA adapter. My DVD/CDRW drives need to run on the IDE channels so I need an adapter to use my current 250GB drive but I'm not sure how it works. I'm not familiar with SATA and how it needs to be setup. Wouldn't I need to plug in the drive and install it as if it were a SATA drive? Or do I just plug in the adapter and go?

Now are you talking about your proposed upgrade?

Cricket

[glc]

The board I recommended has a stable IDE controller. If you have IDE drives to reuse, pick TWO and use only those. I'd recommend one hard drive and a DVD-RW.

[Ford GT]

Originally Posted by Cricket Are you talking about your current computer?Now are you talking about your proposed upgrade? Cricket

Sorry, yes you got it correct. Do you guys know of any C2D motherboards that have 2 IDE channels? See my backup HDD is PATA and if I only have 1 IDE channel I'd need to switch between the HDD and the DVD for a few weeks until I can get a DVD SATA drive or something.

I found an AMD motherboard with 2 IDE channels butI'd really like the E6750.