PC Build/Spec advice required

[Darren]

Hey guys, parts are mounting up (despite financial hiccups) and I was about to order the hard drives. But as i have no clue about their set up , could anyone give me an idea of whats involved with this set-up (basics)...cables...tools? Again my PC tech CV has upgraded RAM and GPU....PERIOD!

Samsung SpinPoint F1 1TB SATA2
- 32MB 7200RPM

OCZ Vertex Series SATAII 2.5" SSD 30GB
- SATA2, read/write speed of up to 230MB/135MB sec, 64MB Cache, RAID

30 GB vs. a 1,000 GB hard disk drive - Its no contest, you know the answer.

SSD hard disks are not worth the extra premium at the moment, 30 GBs is the equivalent to installing 3 or 4 games, its tiny. File transfer wise I doubt it will make a substantial difference for your activities.

 

[CoBurN82]

30 GB vs a 1,000 GB hard disk drive - Its no contest, you know the answer.

I think they are meant to go together....?
Thats what I'm wondering, how does "raid"(i think) work....physically...

 

[Darren]

I think they are meant to go together....?
Thats what I'm wondering, how does "raid"(i think) work....physically...

Samsung SpinPoint and OCZ Vertex are two different hard disk drives. You can only RAID identical hard disk drives (model and capacity).

Looking at your first post, you come across as those guys that throw money at problems, that initial build was grossly overpriced. The entire idea of the custom build is to buy components that are cheap and perform well, the entire idea of RAID is swinging into a grossly overpriced custom build for little to no tangible benefit. At best your games will load 5 seconds faster.

There are many different types of RAID. This can explain it better than I ever could. Here

 

[CoBurN82]

Samsung SpinPoint and OCZ Vertex are two different hard disk drives. You can only RAID identical hard disk drives (model and capacity).

These were recommended on this thread as part of a set up.
I'm not "one of those guys who just throws money.....", I merely face the fact that i won't be able to keep up with tricks and tweeks that keep my system running sweet due to lack of effort and interest.

Can anyone recommend a good harddrive/set-up?

 

[Darren]

These were recommended on this thread as part of a set up.
I'm not "one of those guys who just throws money.....", I merely face the fact that i won't be able to keep up with tricks and tweeks that keep my system running sweet due to lack of effort and interest.

Can anyone recommend a good harddrive/set-up?

The Samsung SpinPoint F1 1TB is really good, its definitely recommended.

I'd also consider the Samsung SpinPoint F2 1TB EcoGreen, its slightly slower but its newer and quieter.

 

[paulo7]

'due to lack of effort and interest'

why are you building a custom build again?

Alot of the parts you state you want/desire would only be really made use of by someone with enough interest to to put in the effort to maximise their potential.

You could just order a pre built core 2 duo system and prob be none the wiser...

 

[CoBurN82]

Yeah the build is great Coburn *twitches from jealousy*

Cheers man, thanx for the encouragement which seems to be waning since i moved from spec'n to buying.

Alot of the parts you state you want/desire would only be really made use of by someone with enough interest to to put in the effort to maximise their potential.

....such as? What part/s do you think this is the case with? are they not good enough to not need "the maximum potential", which is what i admitted i need to get me through the next few years with my meager know how.

You could just order a pre built core 2 duo system and prob be none the wiser..

...example, again what in particular will be wasted in the hands of a non-techi gamer?
I say, Let the scientists design and produce the BFG...... I'll brandish that mo'fo' as good as the next grunt, i dont need to know how it works to point it in the right direction lol

Well Paulo, if you look at the post you will see that i also looked at this option but was encouraged to attempt (and learn in the process) a build by the good peeps in here.


Listen dudes, t'is my money to use/waste however I please. I thank you all for any help with my endeavor but now that i have spec'd my system AND BEGAN BUYING! i don't need people questioning my "frivolous" waste of my hard earned (and it is hard) dough. Believe me, I've had a torrid time as it is justifying this to the other half and have now moved beyond (after years of deliberation and substandard gaming) to a bright future of esports (I hope!).

I now need encouragement and plenty of it as starring at the red figures in my bank statement is depressing enough .

 

[paulo7]

im not discouraging you from building in fact I hope it gets you interested and hooked! My only point was that the price point of a core 2 duo is a lot lower then nehalem - and you may not notice the difference.. and my only point was that it may last you longer having nehalem but u never know whats around the corner. My main point was that you stated you just want to build a pc then forget about it which is why I thought that having the latest socket for nehalem might not be too crucial for you, as by time you want more performance prob be on a different socket alltogether.

For example atm the gpu you want is top of the range - make use of it now through having a 24inch plus monitor as in 6 months or less there could be another gpu which smashes it performance wise - that why although thinking about the future longevity is important so is catering for what you need and will make use of atm,

 

[CoBurN82]

Well my rig has been constructed and everything seems cool......within the case at least! But my new monitor wont detect any signal . My bloody card, 4870x2, came with minimal instructions and I'm not sure about the power connections.....

There are 2 PCI-E cables from my PSU, both have a 6-pin with an optional 2-pin to make them 8-pin when combined if necessary. The card has a 6-pin and an 8-pin socket and this is the configuration i choose. My monitor is a BenQ E2400HD. It only came with a DVI lead (despite being HDMI ready), so I used the converter that came with the GPU. Is this cool???

All help would be greatly appreciated folks.

So close......yet so damn far

 

[mikek75]

The monitor has a DVI input, yes? If so just connect the dvi cable directly, you shouldn't need the converter. The only advantage HDMI has is that it will carry audio really (I'm assuming you have a speaker set to connect to your soundcard/mobo audio)

EDIT: yes, the power is correctly connected. However, in the product description for the PSU it mentions 4 PCIe cables. Did you get the Corsair 850HX ?

EDIT 2: have a look at the back of the graphics card when you start the rig, are there any red LEDs continuously lit?

 

[CoBurN82]

just connect the dvi cable directly, you shouldn't need the converter.

Cheers for the quick reply mate, I was mistaken, The monitor came with a VGA cable which i have to convert to DVI to fit the card? Does this change things any?

Yep there are 3 continuous RED!!! lights on the GPU....

 

[mikek75]

This is copied from the Sapphire support site, although this is for the standard 4870x2, not the Atomic...


HD4870X2 LEDs


D14 (R753) 6 Pin power unplugged

D13 (R724) 8 Pin power unplugged

D15 (R819) Overheating (Thermal issue)

D5 (R323) GPU-1 (Master) No power

D7 (R570) GPU-2 (Slave) No power


At BOOT/POST, the card's fan will spin @ 100% for a short while, the LEDs will light up for a brief period and then go out. This is NORMAL behaviour as the card is performing it's own type of POST test.



There should be very small writing next to the LEDs which corresponds to those numbers, this should identify the fault (as long as the PCB matches your card). Continuous lit Red LEDs aren't a good sign but could indicate a fault with the PSU instead.

Do you have another PCIe card you could try just to rule out anything else?

Keep yer chin up, problems are just a learning experience, LOL!

BTW, if the VGA cable is all you have then it sounds like that is right, you'll get a much clearer picture with DVI though. Something else for the shopping list!!

 

[CoBurN82]

This is copied from the Sapphire support site, although this is for the standard 4870x2, not the Atomic...


HD4870X2 LEDs


D14 (R753) 6 Pin power unplugged

D13 (R724) 8 Pin power unplugged

D15 (R819) Overheating (Thermal issue)



Do you have another PCIe card you could try just to rule out anything else?

Thanks again man, these are the 3 lights i'm getting (above). Is there a cable thats supposed to go from the card to the mobo, some other threads seem to mention such a connection?

The power plugs seem to be plugged in, both 6/8-pin

The fan on the GPU spins as i think it should and its in a Coolermaster Cosmos S case with 4 fans all working, so with regard to the "overheating" red light

This is my PSU http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=415884

I'll try get my brother to loan me his GPU later...

Can anyone find an installation guide for the 4870x2, the one in the box was utterly useless.....all 2 pages of it!

 

[mikek75]

No problem bud.Hmmm, nice PSU! That should certainly be ample, assuming its working OK. Turn it all off (at the switch on the PSU) and leave it for 30 secs, ground yourself and remove and re-seat the card. Re-check all connections. Read the mobo manual and reset the CMOS (Just in case). Give it another go.

Failing that then yeah, try your brothers card. If that works then I'd send the card back and try again.

No, theres no cable from the mobo to the card.

Agreed, the installation instructions leave a lot to be desired. Still, thats half the fun. Once its all working you feel like Columbo!

 

[CoBurN82]

Turn it all off (at the switch on the PSU) and leave it for 30 secs, ground yourself and remove and re-seat the card. Re-check all connections. Read the mobo manual and reset the CMOS (Just in case). Give it another go.

Thank you kindly sir, the 3 red lights are now dead! But still no signal I even ran out and bought the DVI cable.


Their was a difference this time in that, after about 30secs i was getting what i can only describe as a siren or smoke alarm! di-di-di-di-di-di....etc until i powered her down. Oh please say i haven't fried my baby!?!

P.S. What is the NB fan, i read somewhere previously that this board has it built in to save the PCi-e slot? http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=66702

 

[CoBurN82]

Eh, I think cleared the cmos (clear cmos switch which can be accessed externally in the rear) and I now see a power swith and RESET SWITCH on the mobo!?!?!

What did i do, what do i do!

Edit: but on further investigation i may have not...... Does the system need to be powered up to CLEAR the cmos as its external? And does this mean you RESET with the interior on board switch when powered down or is it the same???

 

[pantherx12]

I had the same problem when building my rig, turned out one of the ram sticks was fault.

only put one in at a time and power on, see if it works, shut down if it does and try another.

If it doesnt work, take that ram put it aside and try another.

 

[mikek75]

Right, calm down for starters. Go and grab some air, its easy to get desparate and that won't help, LOL. Make sure the RAM is properly in place, check everything. Start her up again and count exactly how many beeps (long and short and in what order).

Oh yeah, double check the case wires, easy to get them mixed up. Some boards have power and reset switches on the mobo to help with troubleshooting with the mobo out of the case (on a non-conductive surface of course!!

 

[mikek75]

Eh, I think cleared the cmos (clear cmos switch which can be accessed externally in the rear) and I now see a power swith and RESET SWITCH on the mobo!?!?!

What did i do, what do i do!

Edit: but on further investigation i may have not...... Does the system need to be powered up to clear the cmos as its external? And does this mean you RESET with the interior on board switch when powered down or is it the same???

NO! Don't press the CMOS clear button when the rig is powered up, in fact make sure the psu is switched off at the back. (This is why I asked you to read the manual for the clear CMOS procedure)

The reset button does just that, when the rig is powered up it immeadiately restarts it.


Hang about, what mobo did you go for in the end? I read that you were going with the selection that h3llb3nd3 chose...Fill in your system specs so I don't get confused
According to the manual for the ASUS Rampage II extreme, the only repeated beep code is one long followed by two short beeps, pause, then repeat. This one means no memory detected, so remove and re-seat the sticks carefully but firmly in the slots

The CMOS is where you're BIOS settings are stored.

 

[CoBurN82]

NO! Don't press the CMOS clear button when the rig is powered up, in fact make sure the psu is switched off at the back. (This is why I asked you to read the manual for the clear CMOS procedure)

The reset button does just that, when the rig is powered up it immeadiately restarts it.

According to the manual for the ASUS Rampage II extreme, the only repeated beep code is one long followed by two short beeps, pause, then repeat. This one means no memory detected, so remove and re-seat the sticks carefully but firmly in the slots

The CMOS is where you're BIOS settings are stored.

I've read the manual (again with this in mind specifically) and not to worry i merely pressed the button on the back while powered off...without the jumper cap (i dont have one, but the manual says a screwdriver will do).

Anyway, the "continuous short beeps" means "power error". This does not happen immediately, in which time the monitor has already said "no signal detected"?

 

[CoBurN82]

Hang about, what mobo did you go for in the end? I read that you were going with the selection that h3llb3nd3 chose...Fill in your system specs so I don't get confused

So sorry man, a few changes due to stock issues




Intel Core? i7 Quad Processor i7-920
4,8GT/sec, 8MB, Boxed

Corsair Powersupply TX 850W
140mm fan, 4x PCI-E 8-pin

BenQ 24" LCD E2400HD TCO03
1920x1080, 1000:1, 2ms, VGA/DVI/HDMI

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse, USB

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5, X58
Socket-1366, SLI&CrossFireX, DDR3, ATX, 3xPCI-Ex(2

Samsung SpinPoint F1 1TB SATA2
32MB 7200RPM

Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-7243S
LabelFlash, Multirecorder(Ram), DVDRW 24x, SATA, B

Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU Cooler
Socket 1366, 19,8 dBA

Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600MHz 6GB CL7
Kit w/3x 2GB XMS3 modules, CL7-7-7-20, 1T, for Cor

Cooler Master Cosmos Type S

 

[pantherx12]

Ha ha man , that is quite the upgrade you've gone for.

Did you recently win a lot of money from nowhere?

XD

 

[CoBurN82]

Ha ha man , that is quite the upgrade you've gone for.

Did you recently win a lot of money from nowhere?

XD

Nope, ha ha, its just a big ass loan that's hanging over my head (might explain the anxiety)

 

[mikek75]

Are you sure you have both the 24pin ATX and 8pin CPU power connectors plugged in? Maybe the PSU is duff, thats what its looking like if the former checks out. Unusual for Corsair but things happen....

EDIT: I suppose it could be mobo power circuitry (stretching here). Any chance you could persuade your brother to not only lend you his card but also try the PSU out on his rig? After all, what are families for...

 

[CoBurN82]

Are you sure you have both the 24pin ATX and 8pin CPU power connectors plugged in?

This was the cause of the 3 red GPU lights. But as it banished them, it created the new problem of "power error" as per continuous short beeb code

I think i'll just have to go over everything again tomorrow. There is a very good chance this is human error.