Critique my build please...

D

derek533

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
9,522
Hello everyone. This is my first post and I look forward to chatting with you guys in the future. I wished I had found this site sooner though!

Anyway, I am coming from an Athlon XP 1900 on an MSI KT4V-L MB, with a GeForce 4 Ti4200 (good card btw even though it's way out of date), 256mb ram, 40gb HD. I can't complain at all because this stuff has lasted me well over five years and the only thing I had to do in the meantime, was replace the CMOS battery. Here's what I've purchased and is being delivered tomorrow. Obviously, don't make me feel too bad because it's too late! :D

GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
ASUS EN7600GS SILENT/HTD/256M GeForce 7600GS 256MB 128-bit
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive -
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Processor Model
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit

Along with a couple of cables and some Artic 5, this setup cost me right at $425. I feel I did pretty good considering. I know the video card is outdated, but I don't do any gaming hardly at all other than my RC flight simulator (I fly RC helis and planes).
 
Kind of a weak video card wise but for your needs, it looks fine. The rest of the system also looks fine. We probably would've recommended the same parts. Now just enjoy it. :)

What PSU are you using?
 
If you already have the PSU, then it should be fine. If you're buying it new, get an XClio Stablepower 460W instead.
 
Alright guys. I installed everything last night. Keep in mind, this was my first full build ever. I've added video cards, new memory etc., but never a full and complete build from ground up.

It actually was quite a bit easier than I thought it would be. I remember the old days of having to change jumpers, debate master vs. slave, etc, and that was much more difficult. I did a lot of reading before taking the plunge however, and that paid off. My MB detected everything on the first try and posted the very first time! I was surprised it recognized the SATA DVD drive and thought I might have to use my older IDE to install Windows but I didn't. The only thing that was kind of a pain, was having to completely update XP as my copy, only has SP1 and not SP2 (luckily, I ordered and have SP2 on CD so I didn't have to download all of that). Also, if you are using a SATA hard drive, make sure you download the SATA/RAID drivers from your MB's website and have the drivers on a 3 1/2 floppy handy. The first thing you have to do when XP starts the setup, is press F6 to install those drivers, otherwise, XP may not recognize the HD. Just a note too, when you do press F6 to install those drivers, nothing happens for a couple of minutes and there's no verification that you pressed it.

If you are hesitant about building your own, I can't tell you the satisfaction you get when done and knowing that you did for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a store bought PC with better components to boot! I also think that anyone with a good technical knowledge (not a geek necessarily, but just good overall PC knowledge), can do it and be successful at it. I also can't express this enough though, I am so glad I found this website and all the good advice on here. Thanks to everyone.
 
derek533 said:
Alright guys. I installed everything last night. Keep in mind, this was my first full build ever. I've added video cards, new memory etc., but never a full and complete build from ground up.

It actually was quite a bit easier than I thought it would be. I remember the old days of having to change jumpers, debate master vs. slave, etc, and that was much more difficult. I did a lot of reading before taking the plunge however, and that paid off. My MB detected everything on the first try and posted the very first time! ...

If you are hesitant about building your own, I can't tell you the satisfaction you get when done and knowing that you did for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a store bought PC with better components to boot! I also think that anyone with a good technical knowledge (not a geek necessarily, but just good overall PC knowledge), can do it and be successful at it. I also can't express this enough though, I am so glad I found this website and all the good advice on here. Thanks to everyone.
Click to expand...

Congrats! pix? :p

derek533 said:
I was surprised it recognized the SATA DVD drive and thought I might have to use my older IDE to install Windows but I didn't. The only thing that was kind of a pain, was having to completely update XP as my copy, only has SP1 and not SP2 (luckily, I ordered and have SP2 on CD so I didn't have to download all of that). Also, if you are using a SATA hard drive, make sure you download the SATA/RAID drivers from your MB's website and have the drivers on a 3 1/2 floppy handy. The first thing you have to do when XP starts the setup, is press F6 to install those drivers, otherwise, XP may not recognize the HD. Just a note too, when you do press F6 to install those drivers, nothing happens for a couple of minutes and there's no verification that you pressed it.
Click to expand...

If you have an XP SP2 disc, you won't need to hit F6, but its still a good idea if you want to.

Since you have XP and an SP2 disc, you can use those to create a slipstreamed SP2 XP disc. Google for nLite and try it out. Just add SP2 to the disc, don't remove anything/add anything else if you don't feel comfortable making all those decisions.
 
^^Yeah, I had considered nLite but since this was my very first build, I didn't want to add anything else, that might give me headaches.

BTW, this thing is smoking fast compared to my old system. I took me all of 20 minutes to install XP! I haven't tried any games, or anything else yet, but will get to that this weekend. I'm sure I'll be pleased however.
 
derek533 said:
^^Yeah, I had considered nLite but since this was my very first build, I didn't want to add anything else, that might give me headaches.

BTW, this thing is smoking fast compared to my old system. I took me all of 20 minutes to install XP! I haven't tried any games, or anything else yet, but will get to that this weekend. I'm sure I'll be pleased however.
Click to expand...

Well, yah... you just skipped several generations of CPUs there, lol. Lets see, you skipped the Athlon XP Bartons, but thats still the same gen as your old CPU, s462. Then theres the Athlon64 s754's, the Athlon64 s939's w/ on-chip mem controller, the Athlon64 X2 s939's... ok, so you only skipped two gens, since the AM2 X2's are basically the same gen as the s939 parts, lol.
 
derek533 said:
^^Yeah, I had considered nLite but since this was my very first build, I didn't want to add anything else, that might give me headaches.

BTW, this thing is smoking fast compared to my old system. I took me all of 20 minutes to install XP! I haven't tried any games, or anything else yet, but will get to that this weekend. I'm sure I'll be pleased however.
Click to expand...



20 minutes? jesus those .10s must scream. I've never spent less than 35 mins or so, even with my .9s
 
I say 20 minutes, but the status bar where it gives you the minutes, actually said 30 when it came on. But then it jumped down to like 22 within 2 minutes so maybe not 20, maybe more like 22-25 or so. Somewhere in the very low 20's at least.

I think it probably is a combination of the components together more than any one thing that made it as fast as it is. I do know the FSB is set at 200mhz and the x2 5200 has an odd multiplier so to actually get 800mhz, I'll need to increase the FSB just a little to get to 800mhz but nevertheless, it is smoking fast.

I guess as stated above also, that skipping a few generations does make the performance gap widen doesn't it?:D

Oh, BTW, how much thermal paste are you suppose to use? I heard that less is more and to use a little dab just enough to coat the top of the CPU with a very thin layer. That is how much I used, but wanted to be sure it was enough. I used one of those fake credit cards you get when you get a solicitation to spread it over the top of it. Was this the right way?
 
derek533 said:
Oh, BTW, how much thermal paste are you suppose to use? I heard that less is more and to use a little dab just enough to coat the top of the CPU with a very thin layer. That is how much I used, but wanted to be sure it was enough. I used one of those fake credit cards you get when you get a solicitation to spread it over the top of it. Was this the right way?
Click to expand...

Yes that was the right way. Be sure to check your temps though with SpeedFan.
 
Hi Derek, Congrats on your build. I've built many systems over the years.
I'm a fellow RC'er also, mostly heli's, but I'm slowly getting away from the hobby. :( Not any flying buddies local any more and I'm into the "Live For Speed" racing simulation with online racing these days.
I'm thinking of building a gaming system for my racing cockpit and your post is inspiring me. :)

I have two 7800GT's SLI'ed on my tower and can easily split them for this build.
I am thinking of going back to Intel on CPU and board though.

Anyway check out helifreaks.com for good info without so much B.S.
 
If you want more practice and to check contact, remove your HSF and look at the pattern. ;) This will show you if you used enough the first time and if you got good contact between your CPU and HSF... however, your temps should be a reflection of all that, so only re-seat it if you want some practice, lol. BTW, when you reseat it, you'll need a new coat, so clean the old stuff off with 91% isopropyl alcohol and a coffee filter (lint-free cloth).
 
Yeah, here in a few days, I'll take off the HS and check it out.

NManley, I fly mainly helis too and post alot on Runryder. I am currently flying a Knight 50 Pro which is an awesome heli. Smooth as butter. Not really a 3d'er though. More of an FAI machine. Just nice and smooth.

Anyways, thanks for the advice fellas.
 
I still have a Stratus with a YS91. Best flying heli I've ever had. Even over an Avant and Synergy, both sold.

I go by vetrider on RunRyder. ;)
 
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