CPU/Mobo Need help 'assembling' my PC

P.Ping Tom

Disciple
Hi guys -

I've finally run my 5yr. old PC into the ground, and I wanna attempt my first 'build' and would like some help. Although I'm quite a n00b compared to most of you guys, I'm very much a PC/tech enthusiast, and this is something I've wanted to do for a while. I've already got all the hardware/components required for a pretty decent set-up - and I am reading up on the DIY pc assembly guides that are available online, but am a bit unsure about going it alone. I could have Prime or someone else on Lammy assemble it for me, but where's the fun in that?

More to the point - is there anyone out there who will help me assemble my rig :please: - someone who can maybe give me that extra bit of advice that even the guides won't tell me, that can help me set up all my hardware/cables in the most efficient manner possible? I'd just feel a lot more confident if I was doing this with the help of someone who already has plenty of experience with this sort of thing. I am looking to get this done ASAP, and I do live in south Bombay, so for any of you ace builders out there who have the time and are willing to help me, here's what I'm offering for your expertise -

1. Transportation cost, whether you're coming from near or far

2. Pizza and a six-pack :cheers: -

3. Undying gratitude and friendship (priceless!)

And if you so desire, I'd be willing to pay you for your services - no issues. I do want someone who has assembled at least a couple of intel rigs by themselves, and is well versed in basic modding/cable management, OS installation, etc. And guys - please feel free to sound of on/recommend the TE members who you think are the experts at this sort of thing. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Hope to hear something favorable from somebody out there. :)

Thanks a bunch. Cheers.

P.S. I can post/msg my hardware list if it'll help - just thought this post was getting kinda long anyways.

Mods - if this post is in the wrong forum, pls move to wherever you think appropriate
 
Where exactly In South Mumbai ? I am always ready for a rig assembly :D.Only issue would be traveling from Navi Mumbai and co-coordinating with the time.

Anyways even if I am not able to help you out , I am sure there are quite a few members living very near to your place and who can help you. Best of luck with the assembling .What you said is true, the joy of assembling your own PC is totally different ;)

What config is it ?
 
Hey, thx for the quick response Fah33m. Hopefully I will find someone close by, as travelling from navi mumbai might be an issue for you - let's see.

Anyway here is my config so far. Not the latest/priciest/most up-to-date hardware, but a solid all-round config (i think) nonetheless. If the year was 2008, my rig would be kick-ass :) . Here goes -

Mobo - Gigabyte P35 DS4
Proccy - C2D e6750
- got the above two as a gift from my bro about a year and a half ago - been hoarding it like a moron since then.

CPU Cooler - Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro (prolly don't even need it right now, but whatever)
RAM - 4 x 1gb Geil Evo One
HDD's - 1tb seagate 7200.12, WD640aaks
Gfx - Gigabyte 9600gt w/ HDMI
PSU - Corsair HX620
Cabinet - CM690, w/ stock case fans
Optical drive - Lite-On
Monitor - Samsung 206BW
Keyboard - Logitech G15
Mouse - Logitech MX620

Not sure if I'm missing anything out, but I think that's pretty much it. I won't be changing these parts unless there's an issue of incompatibility, as I kinda plan to eventually use this rig to take my nascent steps into the world of modding/oc'ing.
Thx again. Hoping to hear a few more positive replies :)
 
Would've loved to, alas, exams = me stuck at home. XD
+1 To Fah33m, post your config., if possible/applicable we'll at the least help you fine-tune it. (EDIT: Just read your new post)

Someone here will surely come to your rescue BTW, what i suggest is that you stay involved in the entire building progress even if one of the "pro's" :p here decide to help you. Make sure you can do the next build yourself. :)
Cheers!

EDIT: You've got quite a nice selection of components there. That Gigabyte P35 DS4 should let you push your E6750 quite high w/o breaking a sweat. You are good on the power(HX 620), and a nice 3.2-3.6Ghz OC should go well with that 9600GT. Make sure you set aside some time for tweaking after the build is done with.
 
Thanks Amien, that's exactly what I have in mind. I do plan to be hands-on for this build, precisely so I can go it alone the next time. I'm hoping to get this done by sunday, so if there are any other kind souls out there, please lemme know. Your help will be greatly appreciated :). Thx.

Fah33m - any advice/thoughts on my config?
 
Would have seriously loved to help you out its always fun assembling a rig :eek:hyeah:. But alas my exams are due :( and have loads to study :S. .

Any ways where do u stay in south Mumbai may be if its near my place I can drop in for some time:).

If not do refer to these two videos, I know they are reviews of HAF 922 case but they also have a step by step rig building guide ;) -

PART 1

Part 2
 
Another one? Man, exams suck! :<

I stay in the Churchgate/Marine Drive area, right opp. the CCI (where the Mumbai Indians are playin' their home games :) ).
 
Will PM u day before if I am coming down there :).

Why don't u give it a try by your self;)? I learned by my own:D and now I keep on disassembling and reassembling my rig any time I want to:bleh:.
Any ways nice configuration better then the 5 yrs old P IV I am using :ashamed:
 
^^

Give it a try by yourself. The manual is good. And keep an open net connection available. You can search google for it, or ask us. Can also post camera phone images. We can help out.
 
Will read the motherboard manual alongwith all the other links/guides I've been reading online. If I can't manage to find someone soon enough, have no issue with going it alone if I have to - would just prefer to have someone who's already well versed in it kinda lookin' over my shoulder, giving me pointers on certain things that I may not be aware of right away that could help in optimizing my build. Right now it looks like most people are either busy with exams or too far away. Let's see tho - I'm pretty keen on stickin' to my deadline.

Jags, my man - I am seriously hoping to hear from you :D. Good luck with your exams either way.
 
If you know what does a CPU chip look like or how to handle RAM; And can install a Operating system. you are good to go.

Just read the manuals that came along. when in doubt ask here :)
 
Probably the most complex of all will be:

1. Docking the CPU to the socket. Be absolutely sure of the orientation of the chip when mounting on the socket. A small mistake and application of pressure, can damage the CPU.

2. Putting in the power/hdd/reset jumpers. Since they are singular wires.

3. Putting in the DIMMs, make sure the notches are aligned.

The rest is quite easy, cause incorrect stuff will not fit, into mismatched sockets.
 
^^ Thx for the link - reading it now. Very hesitant on the CPU cooler installation - looks complicated even after seeing the manual - and am a bit clueless as of now on how to go about my BIOS settings/hdd partitioning/OS installation :S. Still have a lot of reading/learning to do anyway, so will post back after - with tons of questions probably.

Thx for all the advice guys. Volunteers still welcome though :eek:hyeah:. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?? Anyone???

okthatsenough.
 
Awright guys, I've spent the last few days reading up on a bunch of links I found in the following thread - http://www.techenclave.com/cpu-mobo-corner/pc-assembling-guide-needed-81797.html. I found the following two from corsair and tom's hardware to be quite clear and helpful (upto how much ever I could understand of it :p )

Welcome to Corsair :: System Build Logs

and

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC - New-System-Build - Homebuilt-Systems
Thanks to you guys, I now know a whole lot more and feel a li'l less intimidated than just a week ago. However, the one area that I'm still really unsure about is how to actually go about attaching the various jumpers/cable/wires/connectors in the right areas. I've read the mobo guide and the other guides and looked at picture and diagrams of molex connectors and 3-pin this and 6-pin that - and now my poor brain is teh spinnin'! :dizzy:

I know this is something I should get done on my own, and I don't wanna irritate you guys by constantly harping on this, but if by chance there is *anyone* who has any sort of time to personally help with this (I understand that exams/distance are an issue :( ), I will be forever grateful. Of course, food, drink and $$compensation will be provided.

Honestly, I don't know whether it's me or whether this part is actually complicated for all first-time builders (it's probably me), but right now it's all Greek. Hell, I took my PSU out and took one look at all the cable/wires and nearly had a heart attack! Not to mention that the front/top panels on my CM690 are in so tight that it took me about 15min each to get them off, and now I'm kinda scared if I do it again I'm gonna break the friggin' thing. = More freaking out.

Anyhoo, I still wanna get this done by this weekend but am willing to push it back a few days in case someone actually does have the time to help my dumb a$$. Otherwise I'll just bite the bullet and go on my own and hope for the best. Either way, no more beggin for help from me, I promise.

Fah33m, Amien, Jags - thx a bunch for your advice and offers of help. If I do end up goin' it alone, I hope you guys will at least let me pick your brains for the tons of n00bie questions I'll have along the way. Wish me luck!

Cheers.
 
^^ why not use phone a friend if someone cant reach u r home this weekend hmmm i know u having butterflies in u r stomach hehe all the best with u r new build its a learning experience believe me..
 
cravikum said:
^^ why not use phone a friend if someone cant reach u r home this weekend hmmm i know u having butterflies in u r stomach hehe all the best with u r new build its a learning experience believe me..

Yup that's what I'm probably gonna do - maybe ask one of the guys here on TE to volunteer some tech (and moral) support. Anyway I wasn't able to get it done this weekend and am busy the whole day tomorrow, so it looks like I'm gonna do this on wednesday. Before that, there's a few clarifications/questions I have for you guys which I hope you can help me out with. Some of them are quite n00bish and the answers may be apparent to ya'll, so please bear with me - I'm only asking 'coz this is new to me and I wanna be 100% sure. Here goes -

1. My PSU (Corsair HX620) has a 4-pin +12v cable and a 8-pin +12v cable, also known as the 'P4' and 'EPS 12V' cable. My Gigabyte P35-DS4 mobo has a PCIE 12v 4-pin and ATX 12v 2x 8-pin connectors. Are these the connectors where the above two cables are supposed to go?

Mobo manual doesn't use the terms 'P4' or 'EPS 12v' - just wanna make sure. Solved - 8-pin cable to be used

2. Is voltage gonna be an issue with my PSU (since I bought it from Singapore), or is the HX620 already calibrated to detect and adjust to 220-240v? Answered already

3. Besides the 4-pin CPU fan header, the 3-pin power fan header, and the North Bridge fan header (???), my mobo has only 2 system fan headers (1 x 3-pin, 1 x 4-pin). Given that my CM690 cabby comes with 3 120mm fans (front, side, rear), and the fact that I plan to install a top exhaust fan (all of which have 4-pin connectors), where do I connect all four fans to? My PSU does come with two 4-pin fan headers, so I'm assuming (?) that two of the fans would connect in there. If so, does it matter which fan is connected to the mobo and which to the PSU? Also, since only 3 x 4-pin fan headers seem to be available, where does the fourth fan connect to? Do I need to buy some sort of adapter to plug it into the 3-pin sys fan header? Solved - plugged top exhaust fan into the 3-pin power fab header, used used the 3-to-4 pin molex connector for the front and side case fans and connected them to the PSU peripheral cable

4.My mobo has 6 x SATA 3gb/s connectors (SATAII 0 upto SATAII 5), controlled by ICH9R on the South Bridge, and 2 x GSATA connectors (Gigabyte SATA2 chip) for a total of 8 SATA connectors. What is the difference if any between these two connectors? I'm not planning on setting up my HDD's in RAID, so is there any preference as to which device (HDD, optical drive) goes into which connector, and are they supposed to be in any particular order? Eg. primary/boot drive in SATA 0, secondary/storage drive in SATA 1, optical drive in SATA 2 (or GSATA 0) and so on, or can I connect any SATA device to any SATA connector on my mobo? Also have the eSATA bracket w/ 2 ports and the the eSATA port on my cabby that I need to connect.

5. Same question as above, but for my USB headers - does it make a difference as to which USB device plugs into which header? I'm assuming it doesn't, but have to ask nonetheless. Answered

6. For better HDD cooling/heat dissipation, will it make a difference if I install my 2 HDD's by leaving a gap of one 3.5" bay in between them, or should I just place them one below the other? Also, since the cm690 has tool-less HDD installation, is there any way I can make the HDD's more secure, coz' the plastic HDD trays seem to be kinda flimsy? Solved - did it anyway

7. My gfx card (Gigabyte 9600gt 512mb) comes with what looks like a 6-pin molex auxilliary power connector. Do I need to use this connector, and where do I plug it in on my mobo/PSU? I ask because the gfx card manual says absolutely nothin about it - just says to insert card into slot and I'm good to go! Solved - used the 6-pin PCI-E cable that came with my PSU

8. My cpu cooler (arctic cooling freezer pro) comes with thermal compound pre-applied. Is this adequate or do I need to install any more on my CPU? Answered

9. This may be really stupid, but do I need to clear the CMOS jumper after all hardware installations/connections have been made? Answered

That's about it for now, at least as far as the build/installation goes. Tips on cable management are most welcome. And of course, when it comes to BIOS setup, I have a whole *bunch* of questions regarding that, which I will put forth in a separate post, and for which I think I will definitely have to call one of you tech gurus and have you talk me through it :S.

Apologies for the long post. Hope you guys can clarify these issues for me so that I can get started on my build. If there's anything else you think I'm leaving out or wanna give advice on, please feel free to sound off. Thx a bunch. Cheers.

EDIT: Most guides are saying that it's better to wear an anti-static wrist band while doing the build. Any Bombay boys out here know where I can get one - name of store + location? Been to about 5 shops on Lammy (incl. prime & mccann), lohar chawl, nagdevi - no luck so far. Found it on Lammy. There's an electrical hardware store a little bit before plug n play that has them. Sky King has them too but the old guy over there is a crook - tried to sell me a broken one. Or you can get it directly from indiamarvel.com - Antistatic Products INDIA
 
1. See this link. (Click on the resource tab, and scroll down a bit).The third connector from the top (EPS/ATX12V 8-4 pin) would need to go into the 12V header connector on your motherboard. It would be white, and next to the VGA connector socket.
2. Auto detect
3. PSU does not need to be connected to its own fan. I think it would internally run..? Connect the CPU HSF fan to the 4 pin fan header. The rest of the CM690n fans can be attached to the 3 pin. If you want more fan connectivity, use molex converters. Most fans come with them.
4. Not really sure.
5. Not really. Just for better cable management.
6. Not really any difference. Remove the empty plastic bays. You can screw down the HDDs on the plastic bays. The holes on the bay and HDDs line up perfect.
7. The VGA would need a 6 PIN connector. Use the third connector from the link I mentioned in (1).
8. Is fine.
9. No.

Also this link is good to read about various computer connectors. It explains common mistakes, and what is not what.
 
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