New home computer

[Calbee]

FINAL FINAL FINAL FINAL FINAL CHECKLIST

-note: I am reusing an optical drive. Its old school (uses an IDE; mobo has) but hopefully it'll work.

Case: Cooler Master 342 (mATX case)

PSU: Corsair 430W (80+)

Mobo: ASUS M4A88TD-M (mATX board), 4250 integrated, USB3+SATA3

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHZ

RAM: GSkill 4GB

HDD: Western Digital Blue Caviar 500GB 7200RPM 6GB/S (WD5000AAKX)

Windows 7


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OLD

I dont have any experience when it comes to building computers, only swapping one or two parts out as they get old.

When my parents told me they wanted a new computer, I thought it would be a good idea to try my hand and building one from scratch.

Needs: Casual computing
-very basic
-watching dramas
-sending emails
-downloading music
-uploading photos
MUST DO ALL THIS SMOOTHLY.


I was thinking of 4 gigs ram, dual core, onboard graphics.

[strike]Lite-on DVD burner (pretty much for installing OS only and maybe occasional making of photo CDs to give to family)[/strike] Decided to try to reuse old one.

380W Antec PSU

Rosewill Blackbone Case I think this one is overkill.

MSI Mobo with solid onboard graphics

GSkill 4gigs

AMD Athlon II dual
core


Samsung spinpoint F4 320gb HDD


and of course

Windows 7

At first I wanted to reuse the old hard drive but I soon found out it would be better to get a new one since it would make installing the new OS simpler.

Question is, how would I transfer old data to the new drive?

Also, Ive never ordered anything from newegg canada before. Are they the best choice? How quick is the shipping? (Im in west coast canada)

Would like to hear your opinions and recommendations on parts. (Especially the mobo, hard drive, and case)

 

[mosox]

Looks nice, for the HDD get a Samsung spinpoint f3 500GB or 1TB. Save your data from the OS partition on DVDs (the My Documents stuff, pics, movies, whatever, not the installed programs, you can't save those) then you will format that partition after you install the new OS on the new HDD. For the new HDD, format it and create an OS partition, say 100GB.

Case with free shipping
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

 

[vz7]

Hi calbee,
I suggest you do your browsing on newegg and purchase on directcanada.
Directcanada has free shipping and by going with them you save quite a bit.
I am building a htpc right now and the first parts arrived within a week (I'm in Toronto) with no problem. I just placed my 2nd order today for the CPU and motherboard.
Their interface is not too good, which is why you should choose your parts on newegg first.

Edit: ALTHOUGH newegg has the "shellshocker" deals up right now, you might be able to catch a deal or two, like a case or something.

 

[Calbee]

Thanks for the replies! They have a shell shocker on a case right now, but I probably wont be purchasing my parts until maybe a couple days later so Im not going to rely on that deal.

How reliable is direct canada? Im most worried about failing RAM and is it fairly hassle-free to return DOA parts?

Also, how do I do whatever you suggested in formatting my HDD etc. etc.?

EDIT: Newegg.ca doesnt have a F3 500 gb, but I found a 320gb F4
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152244

I think 320 gigs should be plenty since my parents have barely even used 200.

Is this CPU+Mobo a good combo? Will everything I have there be compatible? I switched out ram for a different pair btw.

 

[Calbee]

Bumping this for some help please

 

[vz7]

I'd say direct canada is reliable. I haven't had any RMA's with them though.

 

[Calbee]

I'd say direct canada is reliable. I haven't had any RMA's with them though.

Ok...but they dont even have the motherboard I want.

 

[striker410]

Hey Calbee, say your plea for help in another thread. Figure I might offer my advice.

Looks like you have a nice system. However, it seems a bit overkill for what you want it for. Now I'm not saying it's a bad build, but I think it may be a little overpowered. I suggest you look into these types of boards/cpu/gpu: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131732 they are cheap, small, and get the job done. However, it's not much cheaper. But hey, I thought I'd throw the option out there!

 

[Calbee]

Hey Calbee, say your plea for help in another thread. Figure I might offer my advice.

Looks like you have a nice system. However, it seems a bit overkill for what you want it for. Now I'm not saying it's a bad build, but I think it may be a little overpowered. I suggest you look into these types of boards/cpu/gpu: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131732 they are cheap, small, and get the job done. However, it's not much cheaper. But hey, I thought I'd throw the option out there!

Like you said, its not much cheaper so Ill just take it as future proofing. Besides, the current build is within my parents requirements so theyll be fine with it.

edit: Is it safe to reuse the DVD burner and ethernet card from the old computer, or should I play it safe and get new ones?

 

[striker410]

Well, you don't have to worry about Ethernet. almost all (read: all) mobo's have onboard LAN. Unless it's wireless, don't bother.

Next thing is check to see if the DVD drive is Sata or IDE. If Sata, keep.

I did a little shopping. Keep everything, but change out the case and PSU for this little number: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119218 Save $44.

Swap board for this one: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157199 It has DVI out, which would be nice if they upgrade their monitor in the future. Also has a better layout IMO.

And that about wraps it up! Are you a student or do you know someone with a .edu email? http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/windows/buynow/default.aspx

 

[Calbee]

Well, you don't have to worry about Ethernet. almost all (read: all) mobo's have onboard LAN. Unless it's wireless, don't bother.

Next thing is check to see if the DVD drive is Sata or IDE. If Sata, keep.

I did a little shopping. Keep everything, but change out the case and PSU for this little number: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119218 Save $44.

Swap board for this one: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157199 It has DVI out, which would be nice if they upgrade their monitor in the future. Also has a better layout IMO.

And that about wraps it up! Are you a student or do you know someone with a .edu email? http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/windows/buynow/default.aspx

Thanks for the suggestions!

However im not so sure about the case and its PSU....have you used it before? Otherwise Im not so sure about its reliability.

Also, if all mobos come with LAN (and I see that it does on the details tab), where do you connect the cable to ?

Also, you have to be in the US to qualify for the student discount.

 

[striker410]

I have not used the case/psu, but Cooler master makes OK PSU's. For saving $45, I think it's worth it personally. The elite 460 is plenty for their needs.

It's that little port above the USB. You can see it in the picture.

And aww, that sucks. Sorry for missing that :/

 

[Calbee]

So my parts selection other than my case issue is good right? Ram, cpu, and mobo are all good choices right?

 

[striker410]

I would go with the mobo I linked. As I said, it's got a DVI, allowing you to use newer monitors in the future.

Also, you should go with 2GB in my opinion. They don't need 4GB unless gaming. But then again, it's $20...

 

[Calbee]

I would go with the mobo I linked. As I said, it's got a DVI, allowing you to use newer monitors in the future.

Also, you should go with 2GB in my opinion. They don't need 4GB unless gaming. But then again, it's $20...

Ill consider the 2gb option. Ill probably go with the mobo you suggested; though i must ask, in what other ways is it better?

Also, how will I transfer old data to the new HDD? The old HDD is running XP so it might be a bit complicated?

 

[striker410]

Ahh. It depends. If your current mobo supports sata, just turn the PC off and throw the HDD in there and plug it in. Then copy all the my docs or whatever.

If it doesn't, you will need to burn the stuff in my docs to DVD's, or use an external hard drive.

Btw, you cannot carry over OS/apps. You need to do a clean install.

 

[Calbee]

Ahh. It depends. If your current mobo supports sata, just turn the PC off and throw the HDD in there and plug it in. Then copy all the my docs or whatever.

If it doesn't, you will need to burn the stuff in my docs to DVD's, or use an external hard drive.

Btw, you cannot carry over OS/apps. You need to do a clean install.

What if the old computer is dead?

*Im typing this from a netbook.....lol.

 

[striker410]

Umm.... This? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182154&cm_re=ide_enclosure-_-17-182-154-_-Product

 

[Calbee]

Umm.... This? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182154&cm_re=ide_enclosure-_-17-182-154-_-Product

External enclosures, how do they work?

edit: Updated first post for new HDD

 

[striker410]

Broken links. Throw a space between url= and url. I think that fixes.
And an external enclosure uses an external power source. It routes that to HDD, and also converts IDE to USB. Fairly simple.

 

[Calbee]

Broken links. Throw a space between url= and url. I think that fixes.
And an external enclosure uses an external power source. It routes that to HDD, and also converts IDE to USB. Fairly simple.

And how does that work with the new computer? Plug it into a USB port? Why cant I just fit it into the new computer and transfer data through the SATA cable (into the new HDD)?

edit: spaces didnt help T_T whatever.

 

[striker410]

Well, I should have clarified. Is it IDE or Sata? You can look on the back and tell pretty easily. If it's sata, then yeah. Throw it in the new rig and transfer. If IDE..... You need enclosure probably.

 

[Calbee]

Well, I should have clarified. Is it IDE or Sata? You can look on the back and tell pretty easily. If it's sata, then yeah. Throw it in the new rig and transfer. If IDE..... You need enclosure probably.

It should be SATA. Thin red cable that looks like linguini.

IDE is the one that looks like a ribbon right? The one that looks like lasagna?

My optical drive is IDE.....is that going to be an issue?

 

[striker410]

Haha, good description. Throw it in the new build. You won't have issues.

And yeah, it's an issue.
new DVD drives are literally $20, so no big deal. Spend the extra buck and get one with lightscribe, your parents might like that.

 

[Calbee]

Haha, good description. Throw it in the new build. You won't have issues.

And yeah, it's an issue.
new DVD drives are literally $20, so no big deal. Spend the extra buck and get one with lightscribe, your parents might like that.

Ooo ok. What's wrong with IDE though? Is it too slow? The mobo I have right now, (I think the one you suggested) has an idea connector on it.....