Anyone tried the "Do-It-Yourself PC-System"?

[Guest]

I´m going to get a new pc so I read the "Do-It-Yourself PC System" guide. Now I wonder if anyone actually built it. I would like real peoples opinions about it, not just the team´s.
Also, does it work well with Linux (preferably Slackware or Red Hat)?
Thanks

/Joakim Bergman
Link to the "Do-It-Yourself PC System":
<A HREF="http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/01q1/010115/" target="_new">http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/01q1/010115/</A>

 

[mbaha]

I did not build that exact system but mine is similar. Yes it work great! It should run linux fine but you might want to research the components better.
mbaha


“Build your own you will love it more”

 

[hammerhead]

Building any PC system is damn easy and very satisfying.

If you hit problems you're on your own though.

But hell, solving those problems is what this forum is all about.

 

[Guest]

Savour the first time, like many things, it might be awkward at first and you might have trouble getting it in there (heatsink) but the rewards will last you a lifetime-LOL

On a more serious note. Yes, building a system is very easy as long as you follow certain precautions.
1.) RESEARCH everything (parts&procedures) before you build a system- sort of an ounce of preparation is worth a ton of persperation later on.
2.) Buy quality parts- Especially MOBO, HSF, HDD Etc. .
3.) READ THE MOTHERBOARD MANUAL. THEN READ IT AGAIN. I can't stress this enough.
4.) Allow yourself the time to build your system especially if it is your first. It takes me 15-20 minutes to snap a system together before formatting the HDD and loading an operating system (I have built my fare share of systems). It should take you a hell of a lot longer for your first time DO NOT RUSH IT- IT MIGHT LEAD TO PREMATURE DESTRUCTION-LOL
5.) If you run into a problem stop what you are doing and try to figure it out without mucking around with the components etc.(e.g. setting the heatsink on properly). If you can't then post your problem on this FORUM.

AND for godsake don't turn your computer on without first properly attaching a HSF on your CPU. A few geniouses on this message board have posted doing just that, that is unless you want to buy a whole new CPU.

Ohh! ya ground yourself so that you don't charge up and ruin some component- cause static electricity and components do not mix.- Hairy animals carry static around with them so don't build your system with your cat rubbing your leg at the same time or with your cat(or any free ranging furry animal) near your components or you.

As for Linux, I don't know first hand but I have not heard of any serious incompatibilities or any for that matter. Probably more stable than MS windows.

Hope that helps and finally have fun doing it- call over your girlfriend, it is more fun when you have an extra pair of hands to help you out.

 

[Guest]

I don´t know if i should build the DIY system.
The thing is that I want to be able to upgrade it later so it will perform as good as any other up-to-date pc.
But it should be fast from the beginning as i don´t have the money to upgrade every half-year...

I don´t know much about hardware other that I´m gonna run Linux and some things are not supported on it. So I don´t wanna stand there with my graphics card not supported or something.

I have saved money for almost a year now and I have about $1000 dollars. That´s how much it can cost, maybe $100-$200 more...
So if you have any ideas, post them.
My current pc is a PII 266 with 32mb, it´s able to boot but photoshop is SLOW. I need a new pc.

Thanks for your answer everyone, it´s appreaciated
/Joakim Bergman

 

[peteb]

Well,

Unless you have a more serious idea of cash - I'd forget a system that will be able to to be upgraded in 6 months to be up there...

Ask yourself what are your goals?

Tom's PC seems a pretty reasonable middle ground option - it hasn't got an indefinite life, nor is it state of the art, but is probably as good performing as any $1500 pc off the shelf.

Don't forget - step 1 - what do you want/need?
Step 2 - research the components to get you there. If you are ahead or behind on the budget you either save cash, upgrade or compromise....

I'd think for most daily pc users an Athlon/Duron in the 7-800 range with a reasonable HSFand a good mobo will be the choice. If you want to overclock (you'll have to buy better RAM and HSF than otherwise) then decide from day 1. It gets expensive when you 'retire' components that don't fit your curve... You don't want to have to bin your RAM because it is the only component preventing you going to 133Mhz bus, for instance....

Draw up your list of needs - propose your list of components/solution and post them back here. I'm sure you'll have plenty of 'opinion' to choose from, just select what advice you want to follow.

Good luck - it's fun!

Pete

-* This Space For Rent *-
email for application details

 

[JoeHead]

PS If you build a sys for the long haul (6 months to a year . . lol) there is really no upgrading. By that time there are new CPU's w/ new boards . . . Although you can upgrade the video card. That is pretty far behind the CPU.

Get as fast a PC as you can for the long haul.

Watch out though it is an addiction and allyou loose cash will soon disapear.

note: Buy as many components from one dealer as possible. You can save mega-bucks in shipping.

<b><A HREF="http://www.seti.tomshardware.com/" target="_new">How fast is your PC</A></b>

 

[Guest]

Can someone explain the abbreviations HSF?
I think it´s the cooling, but I´m not sure

 

[Guest]

Can someone explain the abbreviation HSF?
I think it´s the cooling, but I´m not sure

 

[Guest]

HSF = HEATSINK & FAN- The do-hicky (usually a chunk of metal with a fan attached to it) that goes on top of the main processor or any processor that needs it really (i.e. graphics card processor).

 

[TheAntipop]

yea, wusy is right, some of the parts in toms system are pretty old, so you may want to read about his newer motherboard and cpu tests: what i recommend is the asus a7v133 and an athlon-c 1000, or something close. unless you wait a couple of months to see how it goes, ddr doesnt seem that worth it if you at all concerned with money

My name is Mud.

 

[Guest]

I´m thinking about this one:
AMD K7 Athlon (Thunderbird) - 1 Ghz - Socket A - 266 Mhz Bus
cause i read that 266 Mhz Bus is good for something...
Will I need some special mobo then? i was thinking maybe:
ASUS A7V-133 Socket A
if i got it right i´ll need a ASUS A7M Socket A - 266 Bus/DDRam or similar?

but then again, i read that ddr is better but more expensive...

could you guys recommend parts if i described how i would use the system?

thanks a bunch
/Joakim Bergman

 

[Guest]

what does the 'C' after some Athlon models mean?
i´ve seen 'A' and 'B' too i think

 

[Guest]

Dude you really are a novice. I think you should read more about building a system and the parts needed in that endevour. Increase your knowledge base before attempting to put a system together. Heres a little help with what you are asking.

If you want to run @ 266mhz FSB(133 mhz FSB on th MOBO) then you will need a Motherboard that supports that and a cpu that supports that. You are looking for Motherboards that have the <b>Via KT133A chipset</b>. The ones that I often use are by Abit and Asus. These boards are very high quality and you will run into fewer problems with stability and compatability with these two companies(@ least that has been my experience).
The motherboards with the KT133A chipsets are the <b> Asus A7V133 and the Abit KT7A</b>. It is up to you which one but both are recommended by AMD for AMD systems as of this writing.

I don't think you should try the pencil trick(search the site for what the pencil trick is) on a ATHLON B(made to run @ 100 MHZ FSB) processor. Although it is very easy to do, as long as you have a steady hand and v.good lighting, for simplicity sake just buy an ATHLON C(made to run @ 133MHZ FSB). You can find them online. They will by default run @ 133 MHZ FSB = 266 MHZ for AMD systems on a Via KT133A Motherboard.

As for the Asus A7M266, I have not used one yet so I don't know much about it other than the fact that it has the AMD 760 chipset and therfore will be able to use only pc1600 or pc2100 DDR Sdram. You said you were on a budget so don't even think about buying one cause they are asking a premium for them and the price of DDR sdram(pc2100) is kind of expensive but falling quite nicely. If you are building a system in the near future stick with the boards I have mentioned above especially if you are on a budget- the performance difference between the DDR and Non- ddr is small especially when you run a boards FSB @ 133mhz.

For a video card buy that new Kyro II 64mb video card. From the initial looks of it, it will give you Nvidia GF2 ultra performance at best and at worst it still kicks on a geforce II mx card for the price of a Geforce II mx card. I have not used one yet but as soon as it comes out I am sure I will be picking one up to see how it performs. I love when companies start to use their brains and create products that run smarter not harder which is the case here. Tilebased rendering is the future, to bad 3dfx did not get the chance to use it fully in a product, they would have kicked some serious butt.

 

[EndUser]

"So if you have any ideas, post them.
My current pc is a PII 266 with 32mb, it´s able to boot but photoshop is SLOW. I need a new pc."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Photoshop is a memory hog, you need at least 256 megs of SDRAM. Photoshop will be even happier at 512 megs. More memory is better than the fastest CPU for Photoshop.

 

[Guest]

This is the setup I´m thinking about now:
CPU: AMD Athlon-C 1,2Ghz
MOBO: ASUS A7V-133 Socket A
Memory: 256MB SDRAM PC133
Graphics: ASUS V7700 Deluxe Video-in/TV-out GeForce2 32MB

All together (with the rest of things needed, except monitor, keyboard and mouse) it ends up at approx. 1.500$
This is a lot of money for a young student, is it worth the money?

Thanks a bunch
/Joakim Bergman

 

[bw37]

That sounds pretty good as a system.

Don't forget the cooling. Research these boards including "cooling and heatsinks" and Tom's HSF reviews, etc. so you don't cook your new CPU. The HSF's that come with the "retail" CPU's seem to do the job if you don't overclock, etc. You need more cooling if you plan to overclock. Case cooling and airflow is just as important.

Have Fun,

BW

the more I learn, the less I'm sure I know...

 

[Guest]

thanks for your answer bw37...
i found a cooler called "Taisol Extra" which was granted (probably not the right word) by AMD, i just hope it will cool my CPU once I oc it...
BTW, has anyone tried to oc the Athlon-C 1,2Ghz? If so, how high did you get it?

 

[Guest]

i just found out that at <A HREF="http://www.jmedata.se" target="_new">jmedata.se</A> (the swedish shop where I intend to buy my system) is selling:
AMD Athlon 1,2 Ghz 200 Mhz Bus - price: $320
AMD Athlon 1,2 Ghz 266 Mhz Bus - price: $300
it seems odd to me that the one with 266Mhz Bus (the same as Athlon-C?) is cheaper than the other one (with 200Mhz Bus, would this be 'B').
And also, are these prices higher than usual?

 

[khha4113]

Too high compared with PriceWatch
>$189 for 1.2G TBird 200MHz FSB.
$193 for 1.2G TBird 266MHz FSB<

 

[Guest]

maybe i´m getting ripped off here...
but are those prices subject to taxes?
in Sweden we have a 25 percent tax on everything...