BUILDING FIRST AMD PC - ADIVCE NEEDED - PLEASE HELP!

[brigden]

I will soon be building my first PC from scratch. It will be an AMD-based system. I will be marrying an AMD Athlon XP 1800+ to an EPoX 8RDA+. I am confident in my ability to physically put the components together, but I'm not certain if there is a specific order to follow, and most importantly, I am unsure of what to do once the system has been physically assembled and powered on. I imagine there are ways to update the BIOS, etc. Do I need to download any drivers/files from AMD? How about EPoX? Any others?

Also, I intend on using the harddrive from the computer I am currently operating. Is it simply a case of formatting it in the existing machine, installing it in the new one, and then poping the WINXP disc in the drive and installing the OS?

I know I am asking a lot, but please bear with me. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[RustyNale]

brigden, go here, the FAQ's that have been put together say it all

 

[amdskip]

That link is excellent.

Here's generally what I do:

insert processor in mobo
heatsink compound and install heatsink/fan
insert memory
install motherboard in case
install video, sound, etc
install hard drives, cdroms, etc.
hook up front panel connectors from case to motherboard
install fans and hook them up
run IDE cables
hook up power connectors
boot, format, install windows
install video driver
install all other drivers windows doesn't install
download every windows update
install yahoo messenger, aim, quicktime, adobe acrobat, office, etc.

 

[KidChaos]

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