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[rohlfinator]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to start building a new system for school/gaming/photoshop. I wasn't planning on building for a little bit but I think I found a really good deal on a power supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...C-040810-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17341017-L0D

What do you guys think of that PS for $45? Should I jump on it now while it's at this price? If I do I will start buying the parts for my comp over the next month. Is there something else I need to consider before pulling the trigger on this?

I have this PSU, and it's worked absolutely fine for me. It's kind of overkill for my current hardware, but it's supporting my 4850, overclocked CPU, and a few drives with no problems.

These OCZ power supplies seem to go on sale quite a bit, though (I got mine for $40 after rebate). So if you want to hold off for a while, a similar deal will probably come along in the next few months.

 

[GHG]

Likely a quad core ~2.5-8ghz (unsure if i should go AMD or Intel)
4-6gb DDR3 ram
2 Hard drives
1 gfx card (not something super beefy > $300)
1 dvd-R

You'll be totally fine with that. You'll lots of overhead aswell to expand in the future if you want.

 

[Hazaro]

I got everything back in but turns out the 8PIN would not fit. Could it be the motherboard since nothing works?

It's probably just something really really stupid you are forgetting.
Probability wise.

Check for shorts / triple check cables / make sure everything is secured (power button and LEDS)

If everything is hooked up and your PSU is turned on try removing the 'power' leads and connecting the power and reset pins with a screwdriver to start it.

 

[Terproerg]

Hey ive got a dell that Ive had for a few years now. Its starting to show some of its ages in games. It being a dell means i cant really upgrade it. So I was looking into buying a new pc for the price range of 650-700$CDN. I want to use ncix.com but am unsure on what a good expandable pc is. Meaning i want one that i can later upgrade cpu and such.

I dont need a monitor or keyboard/mouse/os. And i would to be able to OC the cpu for better performance. Anyone got any systems in mind i could look into or one that you can configure? Thanks

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Hey ive got a dell that Ive had for a few years now. Its starting to show some of its ages in games. It being a dell means i cant really upgrade it. So I was looking into buying a new pc for the price range of 650-700$CDN. I want to use ncix.com but am unsure on what a good expandable pc is. Meaning i want one that i can later upgrade cpu and such.

I dont need a monitor or keyboard/mouse/os. And i would to be able to OC the cpu for better performance. Anyone got any systems in mind i could look into or one that you can configure? Thanks

you can pick out the parts and have NCIX put it togheter for you or you can try it yourself, it's not hard at all.

 

[Terproerg]

you can pick out the parts and have NCIX put it togheter for you or you can try it yourself, it's not hard at all.

I know I can, But i just would like suggestions is all :\.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Man its been so long since I looked at NCIX.. Can't believe they can build it for you now :lol

 

[Launch]

Spent a good 4 hours tonight building my first PC although I panicked quite a lot when I realised i'd started it without the 12v 4-pin in the motherboard :\ it seems to be working fine! If only it wasn't midnight and I had some games to play

 

[Shambles]

Spent a good 4 hours tonight building my first PC although I panicked quite a lot when I realised i'd started it without the 12v 4-pin in the motherboard :\ it seems to be working fine! If only it wasn't midnight and I had some games to play

Free modern warfare 2 multi on steam for the next few days I believe.

 

[Launch]

Free modern warfare 2 multi on steam for the next few days I believe.

Oh yay, I have it on ps3 but be interesting to see how I can run it, thanks

 

[Hazaro]

Hey ive got a dell that Ive had for a few years now. Its starting to show some of its ages in games. It being a dell means i cant really upgrade it. So I was looking into buying a new pc for the price range of 650-700$CDN. I want to use ncix.com but am unsure on what a good expandable pc is. Meaning i want one that i can later upgrade cpu and such.

I dont need a monitor or keyboard/mouse/os. And i would to be able to OC the cpu for better performance. Anyone got any systems in mind i could look into or one that you can configure? Thanks

http://techreport.com/articles.x/18510/2

5770 instead. Pick a case you like + PSU on NCIX. Done.
A 500GB platter 1TB drive might be good too.

If you want to spend a little more use the i5 + mobo on the next page after that.

 

[Shambles]

Hey ive got a dell that Ive had for a few years now. Its starting to show some of its ages in games. It being a dell means i cant really upgrade it. So I was looking into buying a new pc for the price range of 650-700$CDN. I want to use ncix.com but am unsure on what a good expandable pc is. Meaning i want one that i can later upgrade cpu and such.

I dont need a monitor or keyboard/mouse/os. And i would to be able to OC the cpu for better performance. Anyone got any systems in mind i could look into or one that you can configure? Thanks

It's possible you might be able to salvage the case/PSU. For the case you'll want to check to see if there are the standard ATX mounting points for screwing the motherboard into the case, that the pin connections for the power/reset buttons are standard, and that you can mount a standard PSU in it.

The PSU probably won't be strong enough for what you want to upgrade anyways but just in case you'd have to check that it's running standards Amps/Volts and that it's using the standard 4+4 CPU connection and 20+4 MB connection.

It's been a while since I've looked inside a Dell case. I know they used to run their voltages differently which ended up with people frying their systems but I believe that has been done away with for quite some time. It's entirely possible that nothing is reusable but in that case you're no more SOL that you originally thought

When I'm doing builds for family I often end up salvaging the old case/PSU even if I have to jerry-rig the undersized PSU's into a different case somehow. Most of them don't game so it's a great money saver.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

It's probably just something really really stupid you are forgetting.
Probability wise.

Check for shorts / triple check cables / make sure everything is secured (power button and LEDS)

If everything is hooked up and your PSU is turned on try removing the 'power' leads and connecting the power and reset pins with a screwdriver to start it.

I tried turning it on with pretty much just the cpu and the fan connected but nothing. How would I start it with a screwdriver?

 

[Hazaro]

Also please use this helps save some time and obviously helps people in the thread recommend:

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Use: Gaming, Video editing, or just general usage
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Also please use this helps save some time and obviously helps people in the thread recommend:

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Use: Gaming, Video editing, or just general usage
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

But Haz your response will just be "Tech Reports March Buying Guide"



<3 you Haz. Thanks for the help earlier !

 

[Hazaro]

I tried turning it on with pretty much just the cpu and the fan connected but nothing. How would I start it with a screwdriver?

Connect the 2 pins on PWR, RST using the metal. That way you can figure out if it is just the case power switch (I had this problem putting mine together, the power switch was loose on the case).

But Haz your response will just be "Tech Reports March Buying Guide"



<3 you Haz. Thanks for the help earlier !

Only because it's right and offers everything you need to know and links to the reviews and costs / performance along with power consumption and noise for everything they recommend :[

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Also please use this helps save some time and obviously helps people in the thread recommend:

Budget: Price Range + Country
Main Use: Gaming, Video editing, or just general usage
Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later?
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Self Explanatory

that's what i was looking for.

 

[Shambles]

But Haz your response will just be "Tech Reports March Buying Guide"



<3 you Haz. Thanks for the help earlier !

Don't forget my favorite buying guide from PCPer Along with toms hardware monthly CPU/GPU buying guides.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Connect the 2 pins on PWR, RST using the metal. That way you can figure out if it is just the case power switch (I had this problem putting mine together, the power switch was loose on the case).

I didn't get anything while connecting them with metal but after that something interesting happened. Sometimes when I push the power buttons (I reconnected them) I get 4 phase led lights that just blink for a half a second. I am not sure what this means.

 

[Cheeto]

I didn't get anything while connecting them with metal but after that something interesting happened. Sometimes when I push the power buttons (I reconnected them) I get 4 phase led lights that just blink for a half a second. I am not sure what this means.

Could be an unplugged CPU fan (or plugged in the wrong place), misplaced memory (switch the spots of the two DIMMs and/or try one at a time), or one of the aux. power inputs to the motherboard is unplugged.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Could be an unplugged CPU fan (or plugged in the wrong place), misplaced memory (switch the spots of the two DIMMs and/or try one at a time), or one of the aux. power inputs to the motherboard is unplugged.

Tried all those, no luck :\

 

[Cheeto]

Tried all those, no luck :\

Did you try taking the motherboard out and powering it up out of the case?

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Did you try taking the motherboard out and powering it up out of the case?

Yeah I tried that earlier in the day.

 

[Kintaro]

You can test you PSU alone using the Corsair approved paper clip method.

Uh, is this safe to try on any PSU? I've been thinking the PSU is the problem in my set up so I was going to order another one. Perhaps this will be okay to try? Last thing I need is to be fried to a crisp. :lol

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Uh, is this safe to try on any PSU? I've been thinking the PSU is the problem in my set up so I was going to order another one. Perhaps this will be okay to try? Last thing I need is to be fried to a crisp. :lol

I was fine when I did it on mine and it wasn't corsair.

 

[JardeL]

Also please use this helps save some time and obviously helps people in the thread recommend:

Budget: Min. budget - Max. price/performance
Main Use: General usage , HTPC-like PC for watching 1080p movies. Surfing.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Only strategy games [ CIV V ] . I'm ok with onboard VGA.
Min. power consumption is important too.

Your turn.

 

[Cheeto]

Yeah I tried that earlier in the day.

Okay, if you are sure that you have it all connected properly, call the motherboard's tech support line and have them troubleshoot with you. Maybe we're missing something here, but tech support should be able to drill down the failed component, if there is one.

 

[Amir0x]

I guess I was celebrating too early because now I finally got Windows 7 and my SSD harddrive, nothing shows up on my monitor when I turn my PC on.

Not even the BIOS

So all the fans come on now, all the LED lights (DDR Phase, CPU Load, Northbridge Load) come on, the disc drive opens and closes, the HDD sounds like it's running... so the power supply works... but nothing shows up on my monitor.

Monitor definitely works, tested it on my old PC. Tried both DVI and HDMI plug on my new PC, neither worked. It's definitely plugged in when I'm using it. It's brand new. But since the PC doesn't even boot to the BIOS, I guess something else is wrong. I tried to plug and unplug my videocard but it just doesn't turn on.

PC building is so infuriating. I have all this fancy stuff and I'm one step away from getting it to work, but always a barrier

 

[Weenerz]

Finally built a few PC, had a few carry-over parts from my old one but I am one happy camper.

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 With SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s HDD

Used my old PSU, my GTX280 and the 24x LG dvd-r

Was pretty happy when all of it just went together without an issue at all. I'm used to my older PCs that I've built either having an issue with posting, or a seating issue with some piece of hardware. The only issue I really ran into is, I hate the way the i5 heatsink/fans lock into the mobo. I thought they were fully in but they weren't, as the PC kept powering down randomly, but that has been fixed and all is well. Now I just need to pick up Windows 7 next pay check, yuck for Vista.

 

[Technosteve]

I guess I was celebrating too early because now I finally got Windows 7 and my SSD harddrive, nothing shows up on my monitor when I turn my PC on.

Not even the BIOS

So all the fans come on now, all the LED lights (DDR Phase, CPU Load, Northbridge Load) come on, the disc drive opens and closes, the HDD sounds like it's running... so the power supply works... but nothing shows up on my monitor.

Monitor definitely works, tested it on my old PC. Tried both DVI and HDMI plug on my new PC, neither worked. It's definitely plugged in when I'm using it. It's brand new. But since the PC doesn't even boot to the BIOS, I guess something else is wrong. I tried to plug and unplug my videocard but it just doesn't turn on.

PC building is so infuriating. I have all this fancy stuff and I'm one step away from getting it to work, but always a barrier

is the power cable connected on your 5870 and is it in the first 16x pcie slot? Does the fan on the card run when you post?

 

[Vic]

Finally built a few PC, had a few carry-over parts from my old one but I am one happy camper.

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 With SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s HDD

Used my old PSU, my GTX280 and the 24x LG dvd-r

Was pretty happy when all of it just went together without an issue at all. I'm used to my older PCs that I've built either having an issue with posting, or a seating issue with some piece of hardware. The only issue I really ran into is, I hate the way the i5 heatsink/fans lock into the mobo. I thought they were fully in but they weren't, as the PC kept powering down randomly, but that has been fixed and all is well. Now I just need to pick up Windows 7 next pay check, yuck for Vista.

Overclock that motherfucker.

 

[Amir0x]

is the power cable connected on your 5870 and is it in the first 16x pcie slot? Does the fan on the card run when you post?

Yes and yes.

Can someone describe in detail what this means in practical terms (about the CPU Load LED, called "Phase LED"):

"The number of Lighted LEds indicates the CPU Loading. The higher the CPU loading, the more the number of lighted LEDs."

It appears as if my lighted LEDs is to the max for CPU loading based on this. I don't think this is a good thing, right?

 

[Boonoo]

Uh, is this safe to try on any PSU? I've been thinking the PSU is the problem in my set up so I was going to order another one. Perhaps this will be okay to try? Last thing I need is to be fried to a crisp. :lol

I've been using the paperclip method on a variety of psus for a while now. I generally do it to test my water lines for leaks. It's also supplied by Corsair (a reputable PSU manufacturer) as a proper method to test your stuff. http://www.corsair.com/helpdesk/psu_support_tips.aspx

I suppose there could be some danger involved, but I haven't ever been too worried. They sell little PSU testers if you want to use them instead.

Yes and yes.

Can someone describe in detail what this means in practical terms (about the CPU Load LED, called "Phase LED"):

"The number of Lighted LEds indicates the CPU Loading. The higher the CPU loading, the more the number of lighted LEDs."

It appears as if my lighted LEDs is to the max for CPU loading based on this. I don't think this is a good thing, right?

Do the lights turn on then off? Or do they stay on?
And are you able to reconfigure it to what you used to have? Were you able to boot into the BIOS or XP before?

You didn't mess with your RAM did you? When I was helping my brother build his pc the same thing happened where everything would seemingly turn on, but nothing on the monitor. Turned out he put the RAM in the wrong three slots.

 

[Cheeto]

Yes and yes.

Can someone describe in detail what this means in practical terms (about the CPU Load LED, called "Phase LED"):

"The number of Lighted LEds indicates the CPU Loading. The higher the CPU loading, the more the number of lighted LEDs."

It appears as if my lighted LEDs is to the max for CPU loading based on this. I don't think this is a good thing, right?

My guess is that is to indicate how much the CPU is working at the time, but during the boot phase I'd be inclined to say that the lights would be used for diags... does the manual say anything about diag lights?

 

[Amir0x]

Do the lights turn on then off? Or do they stay on?
And are you able to reconfigure it to what you used to have? Were you able to boot into the BIOS or XP before?

You didn't mess with your RAM did you? When I was helping my brother build his pc the same thing happened where everything would seemingly turn on, but nothing on the monitor. Turned out he put the RAM in the wrong three slots.

No, they stay on.

I never had any configured before; this PC never got to the BIOS screen yet. The fans all turn on (videocard fan, Power supply fan, all six case fans, CPU fan), and the lights come on around the motherboard - DDR Phase (indicates memory load), Phase LED (indicates CPU Load), and Northbridge Load. And the temperature indicator is lit up, but is on generic 88. Clearly not taking accurate temperature yet hehe.

The power turns on, so the power/reset buttons are working. Disc drive opens up, so that's getting power.

For nothing coming on monitor, seems either there's an issue with the motherboard itself (although it's doing a lot of stuff to not be working ), a RAM issue, a CPU issue or of course a videocard issue. But, hell if I would know how to see what does what :lol

 

[rohlfinator]

From what I've read, if it doesn't make it to the BIOS screen it's usually a power issue. Maybe your CPU isn't getting enough power?

 

[Amir0x]

it's 750w power supply. Plus, going by the LED lights, my CPU is loading super high!

 

[Boonoo]

That really sounds just like what was going on with my brother's. It's worth a try to pop the 3 sticks of RAM into the blue slots instead of the white; see if that changes anything.

Don't quote me, but I believe you should get something on the screen even if your cpu is bad.

Yeah, that was the bizarre thing about the ram issue; everything seemed to be working. Just nothing popped up on the screen. I must have plugged in three different video cards thinking they were the issue before I re read the MB instruction booklet.

 

[Cheeto]

Don't quote me, but I believe you should get something on the screen even if your cpu is bad.

 

[Hazaro]

No, they stay on.

I never had any configured before; this PC never got to the BIOS screen yet. The fans all turn on (videocard fan, Power supply fan, all six case fans, CPU fan), and the lights come on around the motherboard - DDR Phase (indicates memory load), Phase LED (indicates CPU Load), and Northbridge Load. And the temperature indicator is lit up, but is on generic 88. Clearly not taking accurate temperature yet hehe.

The power turns on, so the power/reset buttons are working. Disc drive opens up, so that's getting power.

For nothing coming on monitor, seems either there's an issue with the motherboard itself (although it's doing a lot of stuff to not be working ), a RAM issue, a CPU issue or of course a videocard issue. But, hell if I would know how to see what does what :lol

I know I have been in your position before and I can't remember what the hell I did to make my computer work. I'm going to suggest turning the PC off (and PSU, then unplugging it) holding the power button down for 20 seconds, then reconnecting everything, wait a minute and try again.

If that doesn't work try taking out the CPU, booting it, then running it again with the CPU in.
Or something is busted of course.

Budget: Min. budget - Max. price/performance
Main Use: General usage , HTPC-like PC for watching 1080p movies. Surfing.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Only strategy games [ CIV V ] . I'm ok with onboard VGA.
Min. power consumption is important too.

Your turn.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/18510/2
If those are your specifications grab an AMD x2 250 (link)

4GB of RAM (Mainly for Win 7) (link)

The 5670 is very low power and a nice dual core should be fine for whatever light gaming you want to do along with the 5670. You might also consider a 1TB HDD as well for storage if you need it. The Antec PSU included is fairly efficient as well.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Okay, if you are sure that you have it all connected properly, call the motherboard's tech support line and have them troubleshoot with you. Maybe we're missing something here, but tech support should be able to drill down the failed component, if there is one.

alright ill give it a shot in the morning.

 

[Weenerz]

Overclock that motherfucker.

Already working on it! Got my cpu up to 3.0ghz, with the Smart6 program Gigabyte includes. Only on stock cooling atm, or I would try to push higher.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

God damn I feel like a complete idiot now. I had removed basically everything trying to find a short except for the fan... I never thought a fan would cause EVERYTHING to not turn on, I still have some problems but I will try to figure those out. Guess sometimes you just gotta learn the hard way.

 

[Vic]

Already working on it! Got my cpu up to 3.0ghz, with the Smart6 program Gigabyte includes. Only on stock cooling atm, or I would try to push higher.

Depends. What temps you're getting at 3Ghz on load?

 

[Hazaro]

God damn I feel like a complete idiot now. I had removed basically everything trying to find a short except for the fan... I never thought a fan would cause EVERYTHING to not turn on, I still have some problems but I will try to figure those out. Guess sometimes you just gotta learn the hard way.

It's always some stupid thing you would never think of.

 

[Druz]

it's 750w power supply. Plus, going by the LED lights, my CPU is loading super high!

Monitor light doesn't turn on but everything else does? It's your RAM. My original suggestion came trueeee! Make sure its seated ALL THE WAY IN and in the RIGHT SLOTS. Also my favorite thing to do is reset the CMOS jumper. Do it. Can I get a list of your specs again? I"m interested in your motherboard/cpu/and ram


PC building can be infuriating, it seems as though most people I know including me never had their PC run properly when building for the first time, but long term this is great because you can now diagnose problems by having them happen to you. I've built two other PCs since my first and things have started perfectly since.

 

[Vic]

God damn I feel like a complete idiot now. I had removed basically everything trying to find a short except for the fan... I never thought a fan would cause EVERYTHING to not turn on, I still have some problems but I will try to figure those out. Guess sometimes you just gotta learn the hard way.

Which fan was it? CPU, chassis?

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Which fan was it? CPU, chassis?

It was the one in the back of the case.

It's always some stupid thing you would never think of.

Yeah never thought such a small connection could cause me all this trouble.

Any ideas about these beeps? It beeps for like 5 seconds really loud then stops for 2 and repeats.

 

[Hazaro]

It was the one in the back of the case.



Yeah never thought such a small connection could cause me all this trouble.

Any ideas about these beeps? It beeps for like 5 seconds really loud then stops for 2 and repeats.

Motherboard Manual + internet

 

[Amir0x]

Monitor light doesn't turn on but everything else does? It's your RAM. My original suggestion came trueeee! Make sure its seated ALL THE WAY IN and in the RIGHT SLOTS. Also my favorite thing to do is reset the CMOS jumper. Do it. Can I get a list of your specs again? I"m interested in your motherboard/cpu/and ram


PC building can be infuriating, it seems as though most people I know including me never had their PC run properly when building for the first time, but long term this is great because you can now diagnose problems by having them happen to you. I've built two other PCs since my first and things have started perfectly since.

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5P
CPU - Intel i7-930
80GB SSD HDD
1TB HDD
HIS HD Radeon 5870
6GB Corsair DDR3 RAM

I hope I figure it out though. It's just annoying.