Hey I'm new to computers and to this forum but I think I know all of the basics.

This is my first computer build and mod so please help me out a bit.
I'm am pretty sure all these parts check out but if not could you please inform me in a nice way .

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/...Number=3574988


As for the mod I want to mod this case.

It seems simple enough and looks like it has alot of room for improvement.

I was planning on doing this design.



http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16856101113

I havent bought any of this stuff yet but If you can find a better solution for about the same price please reply.

I was planning on putting a side panal window on the case and adding lighting effects.

Nothing to hard, but will look better than the stock case.

Just wanted to mention you could build a 4GHZ dual core Pentium D Intel for about the same money...if that is something you hadn't thought about.


http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/05/..._41_ghz_cores/

Too bad this doesn't OC, good price!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856101112

Welcome to PCA!

Compatibility between parts should not be an issue, as per the list you put together. All those parts should work fine together.

The first question to be asked, however, is "What am I going to do with this thing once I build it?" That little piece of information can help us narrow down what sort of components you should perhaps be looking at.

Looking at the sum total so far, it seems you're either scrimping on the parts, or you're really restricted in terms of budget, maybe... Then again, maybe you're saving the rest of your milk money for the modding tools, to pull off a stupendous feat of modding for a first timer...

Could you provide a little more info, ie:

What are you PRIMARILY going to be using the machine for?
What are your limitations budget-wise, if any?

Those should help get us started on helping you put together a kick-ass shopping list.

WELCOME TO PCAPEX!!!!

Glad you decided to join our community. Just give us a little more info and we will definately help you build a kick ass shopping list.

As for what Solid Necro said. I have looked into buying that Pentium D proccessor. The only thing that kept me from getting it is the fact that most people say it runs hot.

And I am not planning on getting a water cooling system because they are to expensive for my budget.

Plus I am not to confident with overclocking because I am afraid the proccessor could fail and I would be stuck with no computer for a while.

But If you can tell me some facts you have heard about the Pentium D that I have not heard than I may consider buying one.

Also one more Q about the Pentium D. Would it work with this mobo?

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16856101112


Anyway for you other guys who want to know my reason for this computer.

Umm well I want to be able to play games mostly.

The games I would want to play would probably be Fps and possibly if I can get a good enough system for Under my $500 budget, I would like to play Oblivion. But for my budget I probably wont be able to.

So I think that answers everyones questions.

Oh yeah I almost forgot The Fps I would want to play would be HL2, COD2, and CS:S

The only reason I mentioned thinking "Intel" inside, is that you can build a system using the right motherboard and the inexpensive chip now, so that it would be easily upgradeable to a Conroe (Wich is even cooler than current AMD!) down the road when they get dirt cheap (Around 100$)

Even with a stock cooler, it will OC to around 3GHZ and be fine for a little bit, a 30~50$ cooler like the Zally they used will get you to 3.8GHZ with good temps, the stock cooler has issues controlling fan speeds under OC conditions (Just make it run full speed all the time!)

I don't see an upgrade path for 939 that will be going anywhere, I know the prices have come down nicely and are realy going to drop at the end of this month.

AM-2 is nearly the same cost as 939 at the low end, and they seem to OC a bit better than the last gen now, and of course will run very cool.

Wichever route you choose, Thrasher always seems to be able find great deals, check out some of his threads...or maybe he will find this thread

Overclocking is safe and fun, it is not very hard to learn if you read a few basic guides...then we can help you the rest of the way.

Buidling a high performance rig can be done by carefull shoping..the difference in price can be just a few $$ and is money well spent. If done properly and planeed with reasonable goals in mind, you can get a system that rivals a stock near top of the line "Dell" or similar PC!

Get the basic components first, Motherboard, Power Supply, Ram, and then CPU is the order of importance when spending money in my book...save up for the extra's like good cooling and "Shiny Stuff" later!

EDIT: Yes that board will handle the Pentium D, if you notice the specs show support for FSB of 800/1066.
The ones that won't will be rated for 533/800 FSB....easiest way to tell in general.

I mentioned it was too bad it does not have Overclocking support..wich is fine if you don't feel up to that now. I suggest going to the next step up Pentium D for a few bucks more if you go that route.

Necro, I dont know what you meant on that last sentence.

I'm not sure if you are talking about the intel mobo or the amd proccessor.

But about the Intel dual core, I dont think my cheap 400W PSU that comes with the barebones will have enough capacity to overclock the daul core proccesor.

But I am kinda leaning towards AMD because of the price, plus everyone says they are great for gaming and they stay cool.

Overclocking has good effects. But it also has bad effects.

So I dont think I will overclock anything on my future system.

And if someone could please post a link for a case with a flat side panal. Nothing on it.

pengiunmat, welcome to pca! You came to the right place, as the gents here are helpful and friendly to newbies.

Quote: Originally Posted by penguinmat And I am not planning on getting a water cooling system because they are to expensive for my budget.

You can buy some fairly cheap ones just for the CPU, but the cheaper you go, the higher the risk of getting one that dies in a couple of months, and the last thing you want is to wait around for a replacement while not being able to use your PC.

Quote: Originally Posted by penguinmat Plus I am not to confident with overclocking because I am afraid the proccessor could fail and I would be stuck with no computer for a while.

I used to think the same way, and this used to be ture with older CPUs (when 486's were just coming out). However, CPUs now have an automatic shutdown feature that kicks in when a CPU's reaches a specific temperature. So you can no longer 'burn out' your CPU.

Still, the higher the temperature, the shorter the life span. Even with this con, I wouldn't worry because CPUs last years and years at their design spec's temperature, so you'll most likely upgrade an overclocked CPU before it fails.

Mobos are a different story for the cheap brands. If you get a reliable brand mobo, you'll be fine, but some cheap ones can die quickly when the FSB is faster than it was spec'ed for at design time. This is more often true than not because cheap brands cut the performance and quality of components to cut costs.

It's simple and safe to overclock most PCs. Once your rig is up and running, I'd download two utilities to help: Prime95 (http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm) and SpeedFan (http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php), both absolutely free. Once you've installed these, overclock your system in the BIOS, then boot, run fan speed to monitor CPU temps and Prime95 to do a "torture test". You can get really deep into specific overclocking techniques, but that should be a good starting point for you.

Quote: Originally Posted by penguinmat But If you can tell me some facts you have heard about the Pentium D that I have not heard than I may consider buying one.

They rock because of the large cache for each core (two 2MB L2s on the 65nm Preslers), not to mention the ability to do 64-bit processing for future O/Ses and apps. You can't beat their performance for the price either. If you get the older cores (90nm Smithfield with two 1MB L2s), you can pick up one for around $100. That's super-cheap for a dual-core.

Quote: Originally Posted by penguinmat Also one more Q about the Pentium D. Would it work with this mobo? http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16856101112

It may work because of the socket and FSB speeds, but because it has an ATI northbridge, so it won't take full-advantage of a Pentium D's performance if it does work. MSI does not officially support Pentium D CPUs for this board, so I'd avoid it. Worse case scenario if it does work is that the system will use only one core of the dual-core Pentium D. This ATI chipset was really intended for an AMD processor, so not sure why MSI threw this on an LGA775 board for Intel processors. Odd.

I'd really avoid this board if you can, especially because it doesn't support dual-channel RAM and the onboard ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 is a joke if you want to do any serious gaming.

Complete specs: http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p...10M-L&class=mb

Thanks for all the advice on the CPUs.

But I also want to know, SHould I mod my case before assembling my PC fully?

Also I am in need of a low cost power supply.

so if someone could post a link

If you like to take everything apart and put it back together as you progress through your mod project, then yes, assemble it, mount it, and then be ready to take it all out when the time comes to start cutting... The only advantage is you get lots of practice dealing with your wires and cables, how to route them relatively quickly and/or to optimize airflow...

On the other hand, if you have a case that you can use to house the innards while you work on their future home, that would probably be your best choice.

Keep in mind, if you have old parts around the house, take advantage of them as "life-sized templates" to help you plan your mod. For instance, a dead or unused PSU that is about the same size as the one you are going to use would work nicely as a template for cutting a cable routing hole like I did HERE.

Last thing: a low-cost power supply does not always save you $$$ in the long run... The damage a cheap PSU can wreak on the more expensive parts of a system if it goes berserk just is not worth it to me...

Your probably right about the PSU, but I just wasnt planning on it.

So I guess I will have to delay my purchase. So I can get better quality parts.

Its just hard to admit it when you thought you were right.

But I guess I will have to start a new wishlist.

Don't worry too much about being wrong, take it from me, I'm never wrong... I thought I was wrong once, but it turns out I was just mistaken, there is a difference...

I wouldn't say you have to start a new wishlist/shopping list, just amend the one you have...

Besides, the money you spend on a quality PSU will more often than not mean less money on replacements from PSU-related disasters...

Your a funny guy.

Thanks for the advice.

But I think I'm going to buy a computer off of ebay, than upgrade it with new PSU, Lighting, and I want to install a window.

If you really want to have a blast much less more Pride.Find an old case and Mod it yourself with the help of our guides here.Instead of 80mm fans fit a couple 120`s in it and a theme you have chosen for the design.Jo...ps.the members here will hold your hand along the way!!!

Thanks alot I think I might do that.

You know it is people like you who make these forums great.

I think this is the first forum I have ever been on where everyone was so respectful and helpful.