Computers: How to Choose and Build

[Ditto8353 202]

I apologize for the length of this post, but detail is important in this matter, and personal background is important for you to trust my advice and opinions.

Introduction

This is for all of my fellow gamers and computer enthusiasts who may be less informed or may simply be first starting to get a foothold on the subjects at hand

I'm not posting this to make myself look smart or cool, I promise. I decided to post this because I love to help people and I love computers. My life literally revolves around both of these concepts. I have been working with computers since I was very young and my schooling and career are both centralized on these subjects. Currently I intern as something similar to technical support (i.e. I provide support for users of an ERP system and develop modules for the system).

I am choosing to help you now because I like you, maybe not as a person because I do not know all of you, but as a gamer and a supporter of TFC.

Suggested vendors in order of favoritism.

• Newegg
• Xoxide
• Tiger Direct

Selecting Parts

CPU

You can look at shiny cases with lights and tubes all you want, but your CPU had better be the first thing you pick out. It is the most important part of your computer. It is also one of the most expensive parts which makes it very unfortunate that people are so misguided in their selection.

When the majority of consumers look at a processor they see 2 numbers: Clock Rate (in GHz) and the price tag. That's not the only thing you need to be aware of when choosing a CPU, and the Clock Rate can be severely misleading. The true power of a processor is shows most readily by IPS (Instructions Per Second). This is because a CPU can perform multiple instructions per clock cycle, and multi-threading and multi-core technology further compound the problem with Clock Rate being used as a standard performance indication.

What it truly comes down to is the framework. Unfortunately, you will need to use a website like http://www.cpubenchmark.net/ in order to discover the true potential of a processor because it is very rare to see IPS labeled on the box, and a manufacturer will never give the details on heavily guarded frameworks.

So Intel or AMD? The answer is always Intel unless you're planning on literally building a supercomputer. Intel provides a superior framework for consumer level computing. However, if you are planning to run your system off of a server motherboard then AMD may be able to provide you with better options. It has been a long time since I have run off of a server motherboard, so you must do this research on your own.

Motherboard

Once you have your CPU picked out you will need to find a MoBo to stick it onto. This is a lot easier than choosing a CPU, you can basically just search for a MoBo that has the appropriate socket for your CPU (e.g. LGA1155, LGA2011). But once again there are a few other things you need to look for.

• Chipset
  • North Bridge and South Bridge chipsets control communications between the various parts of your computer (e.g. CPU, RAM, PCI). Most likely this will never be a driving factor in your choice of MoBo, but this is useful information none the less.
• RAM
  • You need to know the maximum supported RAM, supported RAM frequency and RAM type.
  • Max Ram Supported - You want to make sure that your MoBo supports the amount of RAM you want to have as well as some extra in case you decide to upgrade. More than 16GB of RAM is overkill.
  • Frequency - Frequency is a more reliable measure for RAM than it is for CPU and indicates how fast your computer can move things into and out of RAM.
  • RAM Type - DDR3 is twice as fast as DDR2 with the same frequency. Stay away from DDR2.
• You want at least 1 PCI Express (PCIe) expansion slot. You don't need PCIe 3.0 unless you plan to get a more powerful graphics card which may then be limited by the slower PCIe 2.0.
• Make sure it has on board audio unless you are an audiophile and don't mind spending the extra money for a separate card and a more defined frequency range. For most gamers a USB headset will replace speakers anyways, since it can more accurately provide surround sound.
• SATA 3, you need it.
• USB 3.0, you need it.

RAM

You need to balance your total amount of RAM with the operating frequency. 4-8GB of RAM is a good starting point and you will most likely want a frequency of at least 1866. If you plan on using an SSD as your system drive you will want faster RAM to keep up with the speed of your hard drive. GSkill makes good quality RAM, but they can be rather pricey.

GPU

Let the nerd-rage begin. You want an NVidia card for gaming. You shouldn't really need a very powerful one either. I run on a GeForce 560 Ti (NVidia manufactured) and it handles Crysis 2 on full graphics no problem. The 600 series is a vast improvement on the 500 series, so a 660 or 660 Ti should easily handle any game you throw at it.

Back to that ATI vs NVidia thing. It's very similar to what happened with Intel vs AMD. ATI and NVidia used to compete directly in the GPU market, but as PC gaming became more defined the two companies split paths. ATI now has a focus on professional graphics cards, optimized for 3D rendering (e.g. Pixar). NVidia, however, saw the profit potential in the hands of the gaming community. You have to admit, we are rather prone to spontaneous purchases.

So because of all of this, ATI's gaming cards do not have a framework which can compete with NVidia's. I suspect that the only reason ATI continues to make cards for gaming is to capitalize on the consumer loyalty of those who were buying GPUs before the split occurred.

HDD

You should have 2 hard drives. You will want one for storage (500GB+) and one for the OS and applications (128-512GB).

Your storage hard drive doesn't need to be very fast, it just needs to be large enough to suit your needs, and reliable. I recommend Western Digital.

Your system drive, as I like to call it, should be as fast as you can possibly manage on your budget. If you cannot afford a decent sized SSD then you should go with the Western Digital Raptor. It has great speed for its price. However, if you can afford an SSD then I suggest Samsung first, OCZ second. I would advise against getting an SSD any smaller than 128GB. A smaller one can fit your OS on it, but there won't be much room left for applications. It is nice to have quick boot times, but you will want the true speed of your machine to show in applications.

Why Solid State? How fast could it really be? And why?

When a computer system reaches a bottleneck, I can say with near 100% certainty that it is caused by the speed of the hard drive, especially in systems without a solid state hard drive. This is because traditional platter hard drives have moving parts. When data must be read from the drive, the actuator has to line up with the platter and read the magnetic field of the platter at the specific location where that data is stored (that is why magnets are bad for computers). Solid state drives don't have moving parts. They don't have very much to wait for aside from the speed of electrons and the speed of the drive's controlling unit.

Solid state drives are fast, very fast. The outer edge of a standard 15000 RPM HDD can travel at about 160 miles per hour, and SSDs are still up to 5 times faster (WD Raptor averages 100MB/s read). Solid state drives don't have to spin up the platter and they don't have to move the actuator, they just need a small electric pulse. SSDs use flash memory in which every bit is represented as a single MOSFET (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor). Just to give you something to try and wrap your mind around, this 32GB MicroSDHC card has about 2.8 billion MOSFETs inside of it.

Power Supply

You will want a good 700W power supply. Don't skimp on this part, because I've lost a good $3,000 computer because the power supply went out, frying every capacitor on the motherboard and taking everything else with it.

Make sure your power supply has all of the connections required by your other parts. It's a good idea to always get a power supply with a 20+4 Main Connector so you can change MoBos if you have to and keep the same power supply. Modular power supplies are always a good choice. It allows you to use only the cables you need and remove the others, greatly reducing the clutter in your case and increasing the airflow.

Case

That brings us to everyone's favorite part, the case.

To start things off, you don't want anything smaller than an ATX Mid-Tower, and I suggest getting a Full-Tower if you can afford it. When you have more empty room in your case, the fans will be able to push more cool air over the components (Provided you don't buy a $20 case with terrible fans. Empty space with cheap fans just results in turbulence, it stirs the air around but doesn't push enough of it out the back.)

Cooler Master, Antec, and Lian-Li all make good cases. I prefer Cooler Master as they are relatively cheaper, but provide similar quality products. Lian-Li are something like designer cases. The Cooler Master HAF series are superb cases. If you ever ask me for a recommendation, I will tell you to go HAF.

After all of that is said and done, the case comes down to personal preference more than anything else. Just make sure that the power supply is mounted on the bottom and the case is compatible with your motherboard's form factor.

If you're out to spend several hundred dollars on a lit-up case with a cool window on the side, you may want to rethink the direction in which you are heading. If you want your case to be a truly beautiful work of art, and unique, you need to buy a simpler case and learn how to mod it yourself. Xoxide has plenty of modding tools and parts, and most mods are quite simple if you are careful with them and have a basic understanding of electronics.

Other Thoughts

• For learning how to mod a PC.
  • Electronics courses, both High School and College are VERY helpful. (Required really.)
  • Metalworking courses are also helpful. I wish I had taken one, now I must learn on my own.
  • Dremel Tool. Get one. A VERY good one.
  • BE CAREFUL! There is no safety net. Take your time with everything you do, and do extensive research before you do it.
• Don't get a fan controller with less than 12W per channel.
• You don't need to be rich in order to be a gamer.
• Wikipedia and Google can teach you anything you want to know.

Building Your Computer

Precautions

You may have seen those stylish static bracelets or those fancy electronics workbenches, and you've similarly probably wondered who in their right mind would use them, let alone buy them. Well I do for one. When your new computer parts account for a reasonable portion of your monthly budget, it is of dire importance that you take every precaution in protecting your investment. That is what a computer is, an investment. If you have ever purchased your own car, or even your own house, you will understand what I mean, but let me offer you this thought:

A car can run anywhere from $2,000 to $50,000 and more. Usually you will be spending about $10,000 on a new, low-cost, car. Now how much do you use that car compared to how much you use your computer? I spend 1 - 2 hours in my car every day. I spend at least 5 hours on my computer every day. (I have friends, I swear.)

Your Baby

Your computer is your new baby, and you should treat it just as gently and carefully. It will be able to withstand more of a jostle once everything is put together in the case, but until that time all of the components are woefully unprotected. You should not take anything out of its packaging until you need it.

Soldering Points

All of those little spikes on the back side of circuit boards are soldering (SOD-er-ing) points. It's a conductive metal with a low melting temperature which is used to connect wires and components to each other and circuit boards. It is also used in low-end jewelry.

When done professionally, soldering points are usually durable enough, but you should still take care not to be too rough with them. You should never slide any components, pick them up and set them down.

Static

A static shock will almost certainly ruin any of your electrical components, but that doesn't mean that you need to wear a static bracelet every time you open your case. The less humid the air is, the more likely you are to have a static shock, so if all of the water in the air is frozen into snow, or burned away by the scorching sun, you should wear a static bracelet. If there is a relatively severe lightning storm going on nearby then you should wear a static bracelet, or just put off the work until the storm is gone.

If you simply don't want to buy a static bracelet or don't want to use one, then install your power supply into your case first and have it nearby even when you are working outside of it. And have it plugged in. The power supply grounds the unfinished metal inside the case, so once the power supply is installed and plugged in you can periodically touch the unfinished metal inside the case to make sure you haven't built up an electrical charge.

Magnets

Feel free to use a magnetic screwdriver, it will make putting your computer together a lot easier. Magnets aren't actually bad for computers, they're bad for traditional platter hard drives, and even then you need a considerably powerful magnet to cause any real damage without trying. If you rub a fridge magnet all over your HDD you might have some problems, but sticking them to your case is fine.

The reason magnets are bad for platter hard drives is because they use magnetic fields to store data. If you could see and feel magnetic fields, an HDD platter would be covered in tiny little bumps. Wikipedia has plenty of neat information on this, and learning how different types of memory work can help you appreciate the pure badassery that is electronics.

What You Need

• Phillips head screwdriver (+)
• Flashlight or lamp. Cieling lighting is not usually enough.
  • I have an LED flashlight I like to use, but hands-free would be better.
• Scissors and/or razor blade for opening packages
• Zip ties, medium and small, for cable management
  • You might want small wirecutters for cutting zip ties. I find it easier than using scissors.
• A clean flat work surface. NEVER THE FLOOR
• Clean hands.
• A good fan or airconditioning. You would be surprised.

Power Supply

The power supply is the easiest thing you're going to do today. Enjoy it while it lasts. Just figure out where it goes in your case, line it up, and screw it in. It's not getting shot into space, so there is no need to over-tighten the screws. Just give it a little jiggle when you're done to make sure it doesn't move around at all. If you have a modular power supply don't connect any wires until you need them.

Your power supply will not turn on until it is connected to the motherboard, but even then do not turn it on until you are finished.

CPU + MoBo

Read what the manual says. Both of them. You're holding a $300+ component, just do it.

Set your motherboard down on your work surface and keep everything away from it. The processor slot should have some sort of locking mechanism, usually lever tucked under a small hook, but depending on your motherboard it may be more complex. Unlatch the locking mechanism and clear the way for your processor. One of the corners of the processor slot is missing a pin hole, and should have an arrow in that corner. The top of your processor should have an arrow to match.

The LGA2011 slot has 2 levers and a cover.

Set your processor into the slot and gently poke at the side of it to make sure it has slid into the pin holes correctly. Never push down on your processor. Then gently latch it into place. You may hear creaking when you do this and it may feel difficult, this is ok. Provided that you have read the manual and have properly inserted the processor, and are properly operating the locking mechanism, nothing bad will happen to your processor. However, if you hear any crunching noises it's time to back up and double check everything.

Take out your processor's heat sink and read to manual to learn how to install it. Heat sinks vary greatly, so it is nearly impossible to give a single instruction on how to install one. All I can say is that you had better be certain you're putting it on the right way before you let the thermal compound touch the processor, and don't forget to plug in the fan. But once that is done, you've made it through to fire, that's the most stressful part about putting a computer together.

MoBo + Case

If installing the processor is the most stressful operation, installing the motherboard into the case is the most difficult, and it has everything to do with the rear panel. The rear panel is the aluminum sheet that all of the ports stick out of. If your case already has a rear panel inserted, take it out and put in the one that came with your motherboard. The rear panel is inserted from inside the case. This is difficult every time I do it, and I always feel like I am going to break the little thing. Just remember to only put pressure on the edges of the panel.

Once the rear panel is inserted you can compare the screw holes on your motherboard with the screw holes in your case. Your case may have a section in the manual explaining which holes to use depending on the form factor of your motherboard. (Mine was wrong, so just do it yourself.) Once you know which holes to use, insert the risers.

Risers keep the soldering points on the back of the motherboard from touching the metal of the case, causing shorts. Once they are installed you can begin the task of installing your motherboard.

Getting your motherboard to line up with the risers is harder than Israeli/Pakistani negotiations. By the way, the screw holes on the motherboard are the little holes with metal rings around them. The metal rings allow the screws to act as grounding points which helps to simplify the circuitry on the motherboard. I like to start with the screw hole furthest away from the rear panel, and NEVER fully-tighten the screws until every screw is in place.

Once your motherboard is screwed securely into place, you can plug it in, which requires two cables. Obviously you need the large 20 or 24 pin connector which is the main power connection for the motherboard, but you also need the 8-pin connector which supplies power to the CPU. It connects in the upper left corner, near the rear panel. The main connector should not be run behind the motherboard because of its large size. The CPU power connector, however, is much thinner so you may want to stand your case up and open the other side in order to run the cable behind the motherboard. This will help keep your computer clean and increase air flow, and will make your computer look more professional.

Case Fans

Go ahead and plug in all of your case fans. If you have a side fan you will have to wait until later to plug that one in.

All of the fan ports on the motherboard should be labeled 'FAN_1' and so on. The manual will show you where all of them are.

Front Panel

Don't call this the Front Side BUS. They are two very different things.

This is my favorite part because all of the little wires make me feel like I am defusing a bomb. The front panel connections are located at the bottom right of the motherboard, and it will look like one big plug with several different colors in it. You should consult your motherboard's manual to determine which connections are which, or you can just read the tiny writing on the motherboard near the connections. These cables can also be run behind the motherboard if you wish, and this is where you really want to start using zip ties to gently, but securely bundle cables together in order to reduce clutter. Be sure to trim off the extra bit of zip tie, leaving a couple millimeters left.

Lets take the power switch for example. The plug should be labeled 'PWR' and the port should have a 'PWR+' and either a 'PWR-' or 'PWR_GND' label. The plug should also have a small arrow on one of the sides which marks the positive wire. If it does not, just remember that the colored wire (Not white or black) is positive. Don't be afraid of plugging something in backwards. The only things that really care about direction are the LEDs and the speaker. If they don't work the first time just turn them around.

You will also need to connect your front panel audio and your front panel USB ports. The USB ports should be at the bottom of the motherboard, near the other front panel ports. If your front panel is rated for USB 3.0 then make sure you are using 3.0 ports in order to get the best speeds. The audio port, however, tends to jump around depending on the motherboard you have, so use the manual to find it. You also need to read the manual in order to determine which audio plug to use. It depends on the on-board audio your motherboard has.

RAM

Make sure your case is lying on its side if you have decided to run any wires behind the motherboard.

RAM is easy to install. All you need to do is spread apart the latches and press the RAM into place. Just make sure you line up the notches in the bottom of the RAM with the notches in the RAM slots. You will know that the RAM has been fully inserted when the latches automatically close. If you have more RAM slots than you have sticks of RAM then read your motherboard's manual to figure out which slots to use. Using the correct slots will optimize your computer's use of its resources.

Graphics Card

Remove the expansion slot cover(s) on the back side of your case to make room for your graphics card. The removal of these covers has gotten more complex since manufacturers started trying to make computer assembly as tool-free as possible. It was much easier when it was just a screw.

Carefully line up your graphics card with the PCIe slot (make sure you're using the fastest PCIe slot the card is compatible with) and press down evenly. You should hear a satisfying click as the PCIe slot latches the card into place, and you should then be able to secure the card to the rear of the case in the same way that the cover was secured. Once the card is secured, connect it to the power supply. Your graphics card may require 2 power connections, but your power supply should be able to handle anything you throw at it. You will have plenty of adapters.

Recently it has become more and more difficult to fit the graphics card into the case. I usually have to come in at some awkward angle and straighten out right on top of the PCIe slot.

Hard Drives and Disk Drives

This will require you to read your case's manual, because every case can be different, you will most likely have to stand your case up for this part if you haven't already. When installing your hard drives, space them evenly through your case to help with airflow. This is not as important when installing disk drives.

Once your drives are in place you need to connect them to the motherboard. Your main hard drive should be connected to the fastest SATA port available to it, which you can find by reading your motherboard's manual. The SATA ports should be on the right side of your motherboard. After that, connect any other hard drives you have, using the faster ports first. Once all of the hard drives are connected, connect your disk drive(s) in a similar manner.

The final step is to supply power to your drives, and I always run these cables behind the motherboard. They create far too much clutter otherwise. Oh, and have you been using zip ties? You really should, it makes everything look so pretty! Also it helps keep things from bursting into flame.

Close It Up

That's about all there is to it. It's easier than some people might expect. If you only take one thing away from this post, remember to take your time and be careful with everything you do. Everything else is in the manual.

If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask in this thread or in a personal message. Even posting a new thread in 'Off Topic' will be helpful to you, as many people here have knowledge on computers.

[Deviator 51]

Very good guide. You did well bridging the gap between those with and without extensive technical knowledge. Thorough without being unnecessarily over-detailed.

[warfighter67 124]

Great advice for gamers! Though it should be noted that SSDs go bad way faster than HDDs, so if you plan to get one, only install your OS onto it and save your data on a separate HDD.

Also, you don't need to buy separate HDs. You can buy one large 2-3TB hard drive and partition it (which is what I did).

As a side note, I use my computer as a DAW (digital audio workstation) with 24gb of RAM and I am commonly using 22-23gb when I'm in music mode. Heh.. 16GB of RAM isn't overkill if you do things like graphic design or music.

[Ditto8353 202]

Also, you don't need to buy separate HDs. You can buy one large 2-3TB hard drive and partition it (which is what I did).

The point is to buy a smaller, faster hard drive for applications, and a larger, slower one for data storage. It optimizes your budget.

As a side note, I use my computer as a DAW (digital audio workstation) with 24gb of RAM and I am commonly using 22-23gb when I'm in music mode. Heh.. 16GB of RAM isn't overkill if you do things like graphic design or music.

:3 It's not a post for graphic designers or music artists who do intensive rendering work. I have 16GB of RAM and I've never seen it go over 50%.

[aayy 3]

Short and efficient I like it! I was lurking around the web for a good guide like this one! Imagine I have all the parts, how do I build it? Any recommendations for a good guide or video?

Thanks & good job!

[Ditto8353 202]

Short and efficient I like it! I was lurking around the web for a good guide like this one! Imagine I have all the parts, how do I build it? Any recommendations for a good guide or video?

Thanks & good job!

OP Edit incoming. It may take a while.

[jakebalance 29]

Building > Buying. End of story.

[transcengopher 349]

Building > Buying. End of story.

Nah, it's just cheaper and giving you more place for dumb mistakes.

[Leosallespoli 338]

I got a question for you guys, I want an upgrade to my gpu, currently I have a Geforce 550 ti, it is good for most games and applications but it is getting old, my motherboard, I think, only supports pci 2.0(All PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.), so I got a couple of options:

a)Change motherboard and wait until I get the money to buy a geforce 680

If so, how do I do it? How do I take the processor out of it and detach the cooler from the processor?

b)Buy a geforce 580.

Is it good to have the 550 in the 4x slot? Is the 580 is good enough? because if I do this the option a is out for a really long time.

Thank you

[transcengopher 349]

You can slot PCIE3.0 card in PCIE2.0 slot. The slot will become a bottleneck, but computer will work just fine.

As to how detach the cooler and take the processor out I cannot say until I can see what cooler looks like and what your processor model. I think just CPU slot naming will suffice for the latter.

[Leosallespoli 338]

You can slot PCIE3.0 card in PCIE2.0 slot. The slot will become a bottleneck, but computer will work just fine.

As to how detach the cooler and take the processor out I cannot say until I can see what cooler looks like and what your processor model. I think just CPU slot naming will suffice for the latter.

yeah... I read that just now, but it still doesn't quite answer the question which option is better.

It is a LGA1155 slot with a i7-2600CPU.

[transcengopher 349]

By the way, I'm pretty sure you can't possibly plug 550 in 4x slot.

I personally prefer to buy the most powerful of things I can afford and deal with bottlenecks slightly later. Or design and upgrade system as a whole and then do upgrades until it runs out of potential. But it's just me, I can't possibly know your situaltion better than you do.

You should consider your power unit capabilities when buying graphics card as well, 580's energy consumption is little more than twice as high as 550ti's, and 680's is only about 1.7 of 550ti's consumption.

It is a LGA1155 slot with a i7-2600CPU.

Right. There will be four spinny-thingies on the cooler, you turn them and cooler should come off with little to none help. Then you would want to bend hatch lock arm slightly to release the hatch, open it and carefully lift the processor out of its bed. When you will assemble stuff back, you won't botch it, unless you're very strong and ignorant, there's guide edges everywhere.

EDIT:

Oh, and while you fiddling with processor you may want to change the thermopaste. If it is deep gray that is. Or not, you decide. But in case you want, leave very thin but complete layer. And try not to touch connections neither on processor nor motherboard.

[Ditto8353 202]

Late to the party, but here you go:

• Are you sure it's the video card?
  • Most of the time when people are complaining about frame rate it is caused by the time required to load the game's textures from the HDD. Upgrading to a SSD can potentially alleviate these issues. More RAM is also a possibility, as the computer will then be able to store more information for the game in the RAM.
• Notes on PCIe.
  • It took a while for PCIe 2.0 cards to actually use speeds greater than the PCIe slot is capable of. The same holds true for PCIe 3.0 cards.
  • I had a 560Ti set in PCIe 2.0 when Crysis 2 released and it ran smooth on full settings. However, my streaming in Skyrim and Minecraft was choppy and Skyrim itself would occasionally drop a few frames when modded with HD Textures and Water.
  • I now have a 660Ti set in the same PCIe 2.0. I don't play Crysis, but I can record smoothly in Skyrim with about 50 mods running.
  • I don't know what people do with anything higher than the 50/60 shelf of the various GeForce series. I have never felt bottle-necked by this level.
• Notes on MoBos
  • Upgrade yours.
  • Make sure you get one with room for expansion. It should be able to handle at least 1600 RAM, I recommend something closer to 2133.
  • The Intel bridge chipsets are leaps and bounds ahead of your current model. The improvements there should equate to a reasonable increase in graphics performance. Your Northbridge is responsible for communication across the motherboard.

[Leosallespoli 338]

Late to the party, but here you go:

• Are you sure it's the video card?
  • Most of the time when people are complaining about frame rate it is caused by the time required to load the game's textures from the HDD. Upgrading to a SSD can potentially alleviate these issues. More RAM is also a possibility, as the computer will then be able to store more information for the game in the RAM.
• Notes on PCIe.
  • It took a while for PCIe 2.0 cards to actually use speeds greater than the PCIe slot is capable of. The same holds true for PCIe 3.0 cards.
  • I had a 560Ti set in PCIe 2.0 when Crysis 2 released and it ran smooth on full settings. However, my streaming in Skyrim and Minecraft was choppy and Skyrim itself would occasionally drop a few frames when modded with HD Textures and Water.
  • I now have a 660Ti set in the same PCIe 2.0. I don't play Crysis, but I can record smoothly in Skyrim with about 50 mods running.
  • I don't know what people do with anything higher than the 50/60 shelf of the various GeForce series. I have never felt bottle-necked by this level.
• Notes on MoBos
  • Upgrade yours.
  • Make sure you get one with room for expansion. It should be able to handle at least 1600 RAM, I recommend something closer to 2133.
  • The Intel bridge chipsets are leaps and bounds ahead of your current model. The improvements there should equate to a reasonable increase in graphics performance. Your Northbridge is responsible for communication across the motherboard.

Hummm... RAM is not a big problem, I got 12gb, but 1300Mhz.

Btw, can I change to ssd without having to format my pc? And how?

[Ditto8353 202]

Btw, can I change to ssd without having to format my pc? And how?

Most SSD's come with a utility disk to help you migrate your old data to your new drive.

However, this is not always practical as the $1 per gigabyte price tag means you won't be buying a 512GB SSD to replace your old 512GB HDD.

When I got my SSD I just did a fresh installation. All of my data files were already on a separate HDD so I just had to swap my system drive out.

This being said... Solid State Drives are a luxury item. If you can't afford for the rest of your computer to be all sparkles and fairy dust I would advise against getting a SSD.

[Leosallespoli 338]

Most SSD's come with a utility disk to help you migrate your old data to your new drive.

However, this is not always practical as the $1 per gigabyte price tag means you won't be buying a 512GB SSD to replace your old 512GB HDD.

When I got my SSD I just did a fresh installation. All of my data files were already on a separate HDD so I just had to swap my system drive out.

This being said... Solid State Drives are a luxury item. If you can't afford for the rest of your computer to be all sparkles and fairy dust I would advise against getting a SSD.

Well, a OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 256 GB seems very cheap, compared to a new gpu... Plus I have one Tb here, I imagine that 256 is enough for my softwares... I don't really know.

[Ditto8353 202]

Well, a OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 256 GB seems very cheap, compared to a new gpu... Plus I have one Tb here, I imagine that 256 is enough for my softwares... I don't really know.

Solid choice. But are you sure it is less expensive than this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133470

[Deathbytac0 46]

Asus Rampage IV Extreme/Battlefield 3

4 Asus Geforce GTX 680-DCT2-2GD5

ROG 4way SLI bridge

EVGA Power Boost

ROG Xonar Phoebus (on a PCIe extender cord)

4 Western Digital Velociraptors

Corsair Neutron GTX SSD 480GB Sata 3 cache

Asus BW-12B1LT

Corsair Dominator GT 64GB 1866MHz

Intel® Core™ i7-3960X Processor Extreme Edition

Can't be overkill...

[Ditto8353 202]

Lol, what exactly does one do with FOUR 680's?

[Ditto8353 202]

Has anyone ever replaced the main power connector on a motherboard? I am looking to do this and I am just wondering how difficult it is.

[SpeedDaemon 24]

To add a few things to Ditto's excellent OP:

- Power supply: +1 on "get a good one." This is an often-overlooked component that can cause no end to headaches if you get a crappy one. Like CPU MHz, bigger wattage numbers != better. Look for stable & accurate voltages under load, and good efficiency (for lower heat and power bills).

- Power protection: I use a BrickWall series-mode filter in front of a UPS. Remember that any surge protector with a joule rating uses MOVs, and will probably silently stop protecting you at some point (that rating is a lifetime total, not a "per incident" number).

- Disks: I've always found it worth the extra $ to double the disks and run RAID 1 (mirror). Restoring backups is a drag.

[transcengopher 349]

Has anyone ever replaced the main power connector on a motherboard? I am looking to do this and I am just wondering how difficult it is.

You mean that 24-PIN ATX? Erm.. Just don't touch motherboard with soldering-iron. It's a very delicate operation, and motherboard itself is often multi-layered, but connections should not be that hard to solder (if that's even a word).

[Ditto8353 202]

You mean that 24-PIN ATX? Erm.. Just don't touch motherboard with soldering-iron. It's a very delicate operation, and motherboard itself is often multi-layered, but connections should not be that hard to solder (if that's even a word).

Yes, solder is a word, both noun and verb.