First timer in search of advice

[Anderay]

Hello

I have experience with installing RAM and Hard drives and I've finally decided to go to the next level and build my own system from scratch. I'd like some advice before I do so however.

1) Does anyone know any online tutorials for people who are doing this for the first time?
2) What are the best sites to visit for parts?
3) Do parts come in a condition that they can be assembled out of the box (i.e. do they come with proper screws and such)?
4) I don't see many places that sell power sources. Do I have to buy that seperately or does that come with some other part I have to buy? And how many watts of power would I need?
5) How simple is installing a CPU compared to RAM? How would I know if I have succifient cooling on the CPU? In general, is one fan on top of it enough? (a configuration I see in most of the premade systems I open up)
6) If this all blows up in my face, do I have some kind of warranty? I'd hate to be left with an $800 piece of metal.
7) Does everything come with the proper cabels for installing things like hard drives?

Thanks in advance. I'm sure I'll think of more questions in time. If you can't answer them all don't worry. Just help me out and answer all you can.

[NUTNDUN]

Hi Anderay,

There may be some online tuts for building ur first system and is actually something I would like to write up here in the near future.

www.jab-tech.com is a good place for alot of your parts, cases power supplies, etc.

Alot of cases come with power supplies but you want to make sure it is at least 350 watts.

All parts come with the needed hardware to install 99% of the time, the case will come with all of the motherboard monting hardware and cdrom drives and what not. The motherboards usually come with at least one dual channel ide cable and a floppy cable.

Installing the cpu is easy, it is putting the heatsink on that can be a pain in the kisser. Sometimes they sell cpu's with a heatsink that comes with it, but keep in mind these will be generic heatsinks and it is best advised to buy a good heatsink, which these can be found almost anywhere and www.jab-tech.com also sells them. When installing the heatsink make sure that you take off any protective coating from the bottom of the hs, and clean both the die and the bottom of the hs with rubbing alcohol. Get some good quality thermal paste preferrably arctic silver. Place the cpu in it's socket then the fun part is mounting the heatsink, just take ur time and make sure you have the heatsink facing the right direction and keep it square with the cpu while attaching the clip. That's the worst part about building ur own system. Another thing is get a grounding wrist strap. Basically all parts come with a warranty, and if something does happen you can more then likely rma the disfunct part.

[Cirga]

On another side note.. when installing your Heatsink.. try doing it "before" you mount the motherboard in your case. That seems to be the clincher for heatsinks for me at least.. I have seen too many problems and caused some myself by trying to clip on a heatsink while the motherboard was still mounted.

Just place the board on top of the box it came in.. on top of the static bag and foam cushion and clip it on there. Safest way.

[yushy]

1) Does anyone know any online tutorials for people who are doing this for the first time?

Lot's of them around. Use Yahoo or Google and search for "how build own pc" and you'll see a lot of sites. Pick one that is easiest for you.

2) What are the best sites to visit for parts?

This has been answered already.

3) Do parts come in a condition that they can be assembled out of the box (i.e. do they come with proper screws and such)?

Not necessarily. If you buy OEM parts, you most likely get the part with nothing extra. The only exception to this would be the PC case and the motherboard. The case usually comes with a set of screws and power cord. The board will come with two cables, one for the floppy and another for your IDE/EIDE drives.

If you buy retail, each item boxed, you'll usually get all the necessary parts. For example, if you get a CD-RW drive in retail box, you'll get the burner, 4 screws, audio cable, and a CD containing a burning software.

Many chose to buy OEM because of the price difference. If you go this route, ask what else you will need to install the part. It is also important to keep in mind that support for OEM products is provided by the company you purchased the product from and not the actual manufacturer of the product.

There are pros and cons. Chose the best for you!

4) I don't see many places that sell power sources. Do I have to buy that seperately or does that come with some other part I have to buy? And how many watts of power would I need?

There are lots of places where you can get a good PSU as has been mentioned already. Start with at least a 400-watt PSU, preferrably with dual fans and low noise. Select a good brand like Enermax!

In many cases, you can buy a case with a power supply already mounted. Before shelling out your $$$, check the PSU rating and quality. Many companies buy cases and PSUs in bulk and they just slap them together. Get a case you like with the appropriate PSU.

5) How simple is installing a CPU compared to RAM? How would I know if I have succifient cooling on the CPU? In general, is one fan on top of it enough? (a configuration I see in most of the premade systems I open up)

Installing a CPU is just about as easy as popping in RAM sticks. Mounting the fan on top of the CPU may be a challenge as has already been mentioned. Before placing your mainboard, get the CPU and the fan mounted first and the memory later. Don't forget to use a good quality thermal paste in between the processor and the fan. This can drastically reduce the temperature of your processor.

A good quality fan on top of the central processing unit and thermal paste should be all you need for proper cooling of the processor. It is however a good idea to use extra cooling fans on your case to keep the rest of your box cool.

6) If this all blows up in my face, do I have some kind of warranty? I'd hate to be left with an $800 piece of metal.

Keep all your receipts for warranty purposes.

7) Does everything come with the proper cabels for installing things like hard drives?

See answer to question #3.

Depending on the number of drives you will want to install, you may need extra IDE/EIDE cables and extra screws. Screws come in different sizes so get extra ones that will suit your needs.

-- y