Do the build-guide if you want , I have a lot friends that build their own computers but when it comes to trouble shooting they are dead lost. I think most of the people need a BIG trouble shooting guide. , if you think you will need som help with it , drop me a line and I will try to help you , and also: No one can know EVERYTHING about computers! so a BIG guide with lots of trouble shooting is what most of us need.
I think building a computer is just jusing logic. But to learn that logic you have to see first how it all works in a computer. So I say go for it and help newcommers because they are the new generation of the computer users.
Right, i joined this website when i was buiilding my first computer, and also had an old version of the book "How to build computers for dummies" These two things were SUCH a major help, and i'm onto my 6/7th now. Words to the n00b: 1) If there are jumpers on your motherboard THEY ARE THERE FOR A REASON. i found this out to my expense of £30. After i'd removed them, the mobo and hdd wouldn't work, so i sent it back to the company, and since it wasn't broken, i'd just taken off the jumpers, they charged me. 2) DON'T MESS WITH THE BIOS/CMOS SETTING UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING! It has the potential to crash your board, and so then you have to find the tiny jumper on your mobo which will reset it. When you have ur computer filled up with cards, this can be a real pain in the ass 3) If you THINK something is a stupid thing to do, then DON'T DO IT. Typically your gut instincts are right (Wish i'd never moved that 230v-130v switch with the power cable in. Blew up the psu) 4) If your stuck on what to do, search through the forums for an answer, or just ask. We were all n00bs at some point, we won't humiliate you 5) And if all that fails, RTFM!!!!!!
I always found that the funniest thing to do with a PC until we discovered CO2 pistols and deoderant cans ................. I wish i still had the video of that. Tiny PC's are only fit for destroying........ I think the trouble shooting guide should be an appendix as you will need to know the basics of building before you can trouble shoot. Also it would help if the beginner had a referance for HOW to do it and one for WHY things dont go all as they should.
over here in the us, i use pricewatch and newegg for most stuff. tigerdirect.com is also ok (so i've heard.) one thing that i would like clarification on is irq's. never really understood what was goin on with that. EDIT: if you make an article, be sure to mention the evils of static
Sorry Billy, i need to chime in here Static is a non-issue anymore, like the old joke on "not tipping your harddrive, or the bits will fall out!" If your building a computer in any normal situations, you dont need to worry about static. Unless you live in a fully carpeted house and walk around in socks all day long grinding your feed on the floor, you dont need to worry about it. Even then its still kinda a mute point because when you touch the case any static is discharged. As long as your not walking around, grinding your feet on the carpet again, you dont need to worry about it. And if your walking and grinding your feet while you hold that shiny new opteron proc in your hands you dont deserve to be building computers however, a guide is always nice to have, even if it is just logic. however as stated, a troubleshooting guide would be one the best things on earth. Being able to actually have the dumb users think: "Im having internet issues, it must not be my printer, but my network/modem card" instead of the popular: "HELP ME OH GOD I CANT PLAY SLIME VOLEYBALL ANYMORE AHHHH!" (sorry about the long post )
sorry brent, i happen to have seen stuff that has been damaged by static. ie, processors. and you dont have to be running around on carpet w/ wool socks to ruin stuff.
still begs the question mods-a-lot, why didn't you jsut discharge urself on the case first? Killing your parts with static is a bit to say the least! (though on my first build i was jsut completely paranoid of satic killing my mahcine. Then i realised i lived in a house with wooden floors and walked around bare-foot, therefore, constantly discharging myself )
Right now, only one guide, with a trouble-shooting section. I'll talk about static for sure. I'm done with the intro and a lot of the motherboard area, the biggest thing holding me abck is finding a digital camera and a picture hosting site. Keep with the recommendations.
Just been perusing this thread and some interesting ideas: Things I'd like to see (which I dont think have mentioned).. How where and why to bother with HD jumpers (e..g master / slave / cable select). How do you correlate memory type with motherboard with processor with gfx with power supply to achieve a balanced system. Tips like mount all stuff onto the mobo before putting into case - cos it bends. What the BIOS beeps mean when first turning on and nothing happens. A step by step check list of "when it doesn't boot up." How (and why!) to update your bios. Will be interesting to read when finished Stu
Well say you have 2 hdd's, one with your OS on, the other with just MP3's and miscellaneous junk. If you set the second one as master (via cable select or through jumper(s)), then your computer wont boot, as there is no OS on your hard drive. Or so i've been told, and what happens when i mess around with my drives. I think THAT could go on forever. It'd be like those annoying tips when windows first starts telling you all those "useful" hints.
I think that you need to at least have a section on overclocking. That is something that I would like to learn about, even tho I am not a noob to building computers, I know very little about overclocking other than that turning the fsb and multiplier up makes it go faster. A guide discussing the more in-depth overclocking like vot-modding and changing the settings on the ram. I'v heard these things talked about but I don't quite understand them, or what the various settings in the bios mean relating to the ram timings.
Picture hosting : www.photobucket.com. Also , should all modders send their trouble solution to you and then you add them in the thread?
Yes, I plan on most of these things. About the memory vs. CPU for a balanced system, thius could be difficult. I already plan on talking on what type of processor and video card would be good for what type of system. RAM is more difficult. It depends really on what type of work the computer will do. I'll discuss bottlenecking, so I might go over this quickly there. 1 more thing: Overclocking. This is intended as a beginner's guide, so overvolting won't be covered. I'll go over FSB and CM manipulation because this is manditory sometimes. No plans for video overclocking yet. I'll talk about power vs. stability of course.
Thanks a lot for the link. Yes, send me your problems/solutions, and I'll put them in. theclownsareinme@aol.com to reach me or Darth Winky on AIM. Don't be afraid to talk to me on AIM. I appreciate all types of input. ~Chrizzle
i've been following this thread for a while (voted for the concept when it was first posted) and something popped into my head today(and it may be something you're already doing/considering) instead of one big long manual on how to make a computer, how bout breaking it into descrete chunks relative to single pieces of hardware. i.e. the first chapter about motherboards and PSUs, the second chapter about processors and their installation, 3rd video cards, etc. with sound/lan/hdd/cdrw/etc. that way it would not only be useful for building a computer, but upgrading an existing computer too, such that a n00b (used in the nicest way, of course) could just go click the chapter on graphics cards when he wants to run a new game, etc. just a thought, other than that everything i've seen here is great and i'd be happy to help proofread/check for errors (spelling/grammar as well as tech errors, but beware i'm a bit analretentive on the latter) if/when you're close to a final product.
chrizzle, instead of monkeying around with those image services (which are known for their dislike of forums), i can just give you hosting, hell a whole domain and the works send me an email if your interested, brent AT greensoda DOT com /me hugs reseller accounts
