~ Hey newbies ~ Never built a computer before...? : )

[jrphoenix]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
I'd welcome any comments and input, especially from the target audience (potential first-time builders):

Photo guide to building a basic PC from scratch

edit: good feedback so far, I'll be doing an update tonight and tomorrow to incorporate it
update: thanks to everyone for the feedback so far, I've copied it all down and I'm getting started on the revisions

Thank you so much for taking the time to build a guide like this. I may try to build my own PC now instead of buying from a reseller. I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[Jojo7]

mechBgon,

Good guide. I did find some things that I would change though. On the "hookup" page, you don?t specify that you need to plug the twisted end of the floppy cable to the floppy drive and the normal end to the motherboard. It shows it in one of the pictures, but you should note it in the part where you are talking about pin 1 of the floppy/ide drives.

Also, you should mention that the case front panel connectors are labeled with pin 1 arrows also. Tell them to look for the arrow on the connectors and connect that to the appropriate connector on the motherboard. I know sometimes that the motherboard manual doesn?t specify which is pin 1, but when it does, it saves a lot of trial and error time.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
MDE: as best I recall, you quoted it like this:

1. Take a bag of Doritos
2. Pound it with your fist a few times
3. Stick a label on the outside saying "now 30% more chips inside!!"
4. Tada, you've got a Celeron! ( :evil: )

Although now I'm wishing I'd said something closer to "50% more chips inside" We don't want to give the Fluffaron more credit than it's due...

Actually, I think it was 50%... we'll just assume that it was .

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: MDE

Originally posted by: mechBgon
MDE: as best I recall, you quoted it like this:

1. Take a bag of Doritos
2. Pound it with your fist a few times
3. Stick a label on the outside saying "now 30% more chips inside!!"
4. Tada, you've got a Celeron! ( :evil: )

Although now I'm wishing I'd said something closer to "50% more chips inside" We don't want to give the Fluffaron more credit than it's due...

Actually, I think it was 50%... we'll just assume that it was .

Oh yeah... now that you mention it, I think I did say 50%! :Q

 

[Steven the Leech]

Nice Job

 

[thraxes]

Keep it up!!

 

[high]

bump for a killer guide

 

[Budman]

Bump for the newbies.

 

[thorin]

http://www.omnicast.net/~tmcfadden/guides/build/moboprep/Moboprep.html
"Find a flat-tipped screwdriver that fits the heatsink's clip snugly, bigger is better (I chose poorly for the photo; the small screwdriver shown is all I had handy). "

GAH!!!!!!!!!!

Bad bad bad......flat tip screw drivers slip without fail (though you did include the CC which is always a good idea). You're much much much better of finding a socket driver (or more likely a multi head screw driver with no bit) that fits the clip. Using that you're much less likely to slip and damage the mobo.

"I could've brought the case's Power Button wire out to the motherboard, but here's another method of starting the computer: tickle the Power Button pins with something metal. Momentary electrical contact across these pins signals the motherboard and power supply to fire up."

You honestly want to suggest to noobs that they do this? That's just asking to fry something when they hit more then 2 pins or hit the wrong to pings, or forget that something is already on.......yikes

Thorin

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: thorin
http://www.omnicast.net/~tmcfadden/guides/build/moboprep/Moboprep.html
"Find a flat-tipped screwdriver that fits the heatsink's clip snugly, bigger is better (I chose poorly for the photo; the small screwdriver shown is all I had handy). "

GAH!!!!!!!!!!

Bad bad bad......flat tip screw drivers slip without fail (though you did include the CC which is always a good idea). You're much much much better of finding a socket driver (or more likely a multi head screw driver with no bit) that fits the clip. Using that you're much less likely to slip and damage the mobo.

"I could've brought the case's Power Button wire out to the motherboard, but here's another method of starting the computer: tickle the Power Button pins with something metal. Momentary electrical contact across these pins signals the motherboard and power supply to fire up."

You honestly want to suggest to noobs that they do this? That's just asking to fry something when they hit more then 2 pins or hit the wrong to pings, or forget that something is already on.......yikes

Thorin

Good inputs. I'm weighing the socket-driver advice against the likelihood of the newbie actually having a socket driver or other hollow-tipped driver. The reality is that I usually engage these wide three-lug clips with my bare hands, no tools at all. I will get the socket-driver suggestion in there for sure, either as a primary suggestion w/photo, or as an alternative method that's recommended when possible.

I'll get the Power Button advice & photo re-done, with the case's wire on the header, instead of the screwdriver tip. Look for those updates after I get off work tonight.

 

[mechBgon]

Got thorin's input added! The screwdriver has been replaced with a power-button plug, and there's a photo of the socket-driver approach now.

 

[Lyfer]

Excellent guide. :beer:!

 

[Corporate Thug]

very well done!!!

 

[Matthias99]

Looks like an excellent guide; I only have one comment (besides maybe showing installation of a PCI card as well as the AGP card):

You talk about installing optical drives on rails, but many cases still use the old 'slide the drive in and screw it into place from both sides, usually causing you to cut your hand on the side of the case at least twice' method. You might want to get a shot of one of those if you can, because many people will not have rails and may get confused.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
Looks like an excellent guide; I only have one comment (besides maybe showing installation of a PCI card as well as the AGP card):

You talk about installing optical drives on rails, but many cases still use the old 'slide the drive in and screw it into place from both sides, usually causing you to cut your hand on the side of the case at least twice' method. You might want to get a shot of one of those if you can, because many people will not have rails and may get confused.

Mmm, good point. I'll add that into there too. Ironically, it may be difficult to find a non-rail-equipped computer down here at work :Q Maybe one of those old P2 233's...

 

[mechBgon]

All righty, got a pic of the "traditional" screw-in drive arrangement. I knew these old P2 233 systems were good for something! Thanks Matthias99

 

[First]

Andy, I'll ask Anand about adding it to the FAQ's.

Mech, well done. Very well done.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Evan Lieb
Andy, I'll ask Anand about adding it to the FAQ's.

Mech, well done. Very well done.

Thanks! Yeah, it could make a good background resource to supplement the Guides, if newbie AnandTech readers need a little "show-me" to bolster up their courage. I'm a little worried because

1) many of the pics definitely don't fit in the center column of the standard AnandTech FAQ design, and

2) the pics unfortunately are different sizes and shapes

3) also, I'm pretty clueless about web design (yeah, understatement of the year) and the pics aren't all in the same folder, nor are all the HTML indexes either, as you can tell from my link structures

Anyway, I can give you the appropriate log-in info to access my ISP's FTP if you or Andy want to copy the whole darn thing out to your hard drive and see about untangling it. Drop me a PM on that. I know I put in placeholders for a visual glossary and Windows setup, driver installation and Windows updating, but I'm going to pull those out for the moment and leave it as a hardware-assembly guide for now.

 

[yhelothar]

too much snacks are bad for you

 

[ScrapSilicon]

The other end of the analog audio cable goes in the black receptacle on this particular motherboard. Your motherboard manual will tell you which one is considered the "CD-IN" jack (the other one's an auxiliary audio-in).

Not always needed with most Win98 and greater installs as you can check "Enable digital CD audio on this CD Rom device" on the majority of CD Rom devices and the signal feeds thru IDE.Very nice guide..thanks mechBgon !

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
too much snacks are bad for you

Oh, I agree. The question is what constitutes "too much!"

ScrapSilicon, yep, but I think I'm gonna stick with the analog audio cable because I'm not going to be able to get them that far into Windows setup for the time being

 

[ScrapSilicon]

this needs a ^

 

[mechBgon]

Thanks bro

Andy & Evan, I think I have just about all of the original 1600 x 1200 photos. If you wanted to make a FAQ but wanted to simply have one mid-sized image for each picture, instead of a thumbnail that links out to a full-sized image, then I could regenerate whatever size you need directly from the originals, so as to not lose any more quality than necessary. Looking at one of the FAQs, it appears that the center column can handle images up to about 550 pixels wide?

If the whole guide were done with mid-sized images of 400 to 550 pixels in width, it might call for that last page to be broken up into two pages or it would be one sloooooooow-loading page for us dial-up users. Anyway, I would re-work the photos from the originals if you needed.

PS: I also made one trivial error... the photo of the POWER SW plug on the mobo's header shows it incorrectly placed; it should be on the lower row of pins I'll replace that with a correct photo tomorrow. Darn Asus and their confusing silk-screening, anyway!

 

[ScrapSilicon]

you are welcome

thumbnail that links out to a full-sized image

that way please as its easiest for those who'd like the bigger pics ..

 

[Abhi]

Add a section for installing a P4 too...