What to check after building a PC?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
varundbest

varundbest

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
175
0
10,690
I mean after i assemble and complete my PC and install OS (Win 7), what are the first things to check? I guess there are certain stress testing for CPU, GPU, RAM and certain tests to see if everything is working perfectly...
 
Solution
bgunner
As i reread your last post I wonder IF you were asking, what to look for in the results? If this was the question all the programs I have mentioned will let you know if there is an issue. Some will stop them selves and tell you there were errors Others will stop and turn red. A lot of times if there is an issue the system will crash and that is a big indicator that there is a major issue some where.

the only ones that will keep going if there is an issue are Memtest86+ and FurMark. Memtest will display red writing at the bottom and tell you there was an error detected. FurMark wont warn you at all and keep running. If there is an issue in Furmark one of 3 things will happen, you will see Graphic anomaly, the system will crash or the...
Sort by date Sort by votes
JRAtk94

JRAtk94

Honorable
May 26, 2013
1,496
0
11,660
Just get 2 matching sticks of RAM, it's not worth the hassle trying to run different sticks together.

As for GPUs, AMD only work with AMD and Nvidia only work with Nvidia.

With Nvidia, SLI requires to use 2 of the same chipset model, although it doesn't have to be the same manufacturer (for example, you could have an EVGA GTX 770 and an MSI GTX 770.)

With AMD, you can mix and match some GPUs in XFire, to a certain extent.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
BreadWhistle

BreadWhistle

Honorable
Sep 21, 2012
628
0
11,010
Yup just buy a pair of RAM sticks and you'll be set. And as for SLI/Crossfire configurations, if you want to add another later on, I'd recommend just doubling up on the exact same model that you already have. That way you can save yourself from any unneeded headaches.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
JRAtk94

JRAtk94

Honorable
May 26, 2013
1,496
0
11,660
Well if you upgrade later on and "don't get the same model", then that's your problem. Apologies for sounding rude.

Like BreadWhistle said (great name btw :lol:), just get the same model. There shouldn't be a problem...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
varundbest

varundbest

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
175
0
10,690
Got some info -
Aida 64 (info+ temps of everything) (this one isnt free. that is, to buy.)
GPU-Z (gpu info as well as temps)
Prime95 (Cpu stress test)
3dMark (Cpu+gpu stress test)
furmark (gpu stress test)
CPU-z (info but no temps for cpu)
Kinda old but ok - http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/how-to-stress-test-your-new-pc-to-shake-out-any-faults/16438
http://www.tested.com/tech/pcs/762-how-to-stress-test-your-hardware-and-keep-your-pc-stable/
http://www.jam-software.com/heavyload/
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Eximo

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
May 27, 2010
25,856
4,189
139,340
Well, when you first turn it on, head to the BIOS to make sure it isn't nuking itself and look at the temperatures. If everything is under 50C you are good to go.

After you get Windows on there, fire up Core Temp, or Hardware Monitor, or Speed Fan and look at the general temperatures of everything. If nothing is out of order, you can try your favorite game or application.

If you want to stress test, programs like Prime95, heck even the Windows Experience evaluation are good starters. AIDA64 for a more comprehensive CPU/GPU test, Maybe Furmark for video cards if you are feeling lucky. (I find that a lot of reference coolers are quickly saturated doing furmark)

Then if you are into overclocking, start bumping up the settings until it becomes unstable, or when you fear it will start melting.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
varundbest

varundbest

Honorable
Jun 25, 2013
175
0
10,690


Its kinda old laptop, maybe 4-5 years i guess. Could you plz tell me how to figure out the results like, is it all about temp?
EDIT: If i run CPU and GPU test together, i get 0 FPS and 100% CPU usage (Which is obvious)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bgunner

bgunner

Judicious
Feb 13, 2009
5,144
14
32,515
I personally stress test every build I do, it does not matter if it is new parts, used or a combination. I do this because I want to know if each part will play nice with the others. If it is a complete new build I want to know if all the new parts will operate properly under stress. The only way to know this is to stress test the system.

All following programs are free.

To test the CPU I use 2 different programs: Intel Burn Test and Prime 95

To test the Ram I use 2 different programs: Prime 95 and Memtest86+

To test the GPU I use 2 different programs and play games: OCCT and FurMark for games I use the most GPU intensive games I have.

To check to see if the HDD SMART function has detected errors I use HDDscan 3.3

To test the PSU I use 2 programs at the same time: Intel Burn Test and FurMark. I run both together and at max to draw as much as possible from the PSU.

hope this answers your first question.

As to the Ram question as of late ram has been more forgiving if you use 2 different brands of Ram. It is possible to run two different ram brands but you will always be better off using the same model number ram stick for compatibility reasons. Using the same model number Ram stick will guarantee the sticks will play nice together.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bgunner

bgunner

Judicious
Feb 13, 2009
5,144
14
32,515
HW monitor is only reading the your temps. Being a laptop those temps are fine. As to Heavy Load I used to use it but found that it would actually make the system crash for no reason (actually there was a reason, the program crashed and shut the hole PC down with it) so I stopped using that program as a stress tester.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom