Mobo + CPU combos

[frau kaleun]

Eh, I dunno, I'm just in the mood.

I've always intended to build my own system more or less from scratch, and I've finally gotten to the point where I feel like I know enough to do it, with a little help.

[kiwi_2005]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Eh, I dunno, I'm just in the mood.

I've always intended to build my own system more or less from scratch, and I've finally gotten to the point where I feel like I know enough to do it, with a little help.

Good luck. I usually do the same but this time round I had the tech build it. It was coming up christmas holidays I couldn't wait any longer I had to have the PC now! Only work I did on it was installed window 7 and software = 6 games I had got the day before.

[longam]

By all means, build your own. Its a great learning experience. Just don't get caught up in the upgrade fever, you can spend more money then the US deficit.

[Herr-Berbunch]

My two-penneth, for what it's worth.

Depending on your two gfx cards don't expect to use many or any of the other pci slots.

Go for a bigger psu, like firewall said above 750w - but make sure it's a good make, not just a mass-produced item - yes you will pay slightly more but worth it. And if suggesting a 600w is trying to be environmentally friendly, a 800w device doesn't push 800w if there's no call for it.

Regarding the case, I'd be worried about the

...not too big too fit the space I've got which is non-negotiable.

part, sounds like it's squeezed in somewhere and has little or no breathing space around it. For your cpu and a pair of cards (or even one nowadays) airflow, unless you're considering water cooling, is very, very important. Get the measurements of your intended cards (same base models vary between manufacturers) add the depth of a sata/pata drive and add another good couple of inches for any cabling that needs routing that way.

Do keep us informed how it's going

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

My two-penneth, for what it's worth.

Depending on your two gfx cards don't expect to use many or any of the other pci slots.

The positioning of the slots is a crucial factor, because I want to keep the sound card I've got plus I do have an internal modem for the phone line. Not an everyday requirement as I've got DSL, but it's through the phone company and if the hi-speed goes out I can still fall back on the dial-up connection provided I've still got the stuff in place for that. It doesn't go out often, but if it does it's always when I need to go online to do things that are time-sensitive (i.e., pay bills) and I can't wait 2-5 days for them to get their act together.

From the looks of the mobo everything should fit.

Current mobo has 4 expansion slots, in this order (working down from top):

PCIe x 1 (sound card)
PCIe x 16 (gfx card)
PCI 2.2 (blocked by 2-slot gfx card)
PCI 2.2 (PCI voice/fax modem)

On the board I'm looking at



it looks like even if you have two gfx cards blocking the top PCIe x 1 and PCI 2.2 slots, you'd still have one of each free. So I'd still have a slot free for the sound card and modem.

Go for a bigger psu, like firewall said above 750w - but make sure it's a good make, not just a mass-produced item - yes you will pay slightly more but worth it. And if suggesting a 600w is trying to be environmentally friendly, a 800w device doesn't push 800w if there's no call for it.

Duly noted.

Regarding the case, I'd be worried about the part, sounds like it's squeezed in somewhere and has little or no breathing space around it. For your cpu and a pair of cards (or even one nowadays) airflow, unless you're considering water cooling, is very, very important.

Oh, I'm allowing for space around it; the cases I'm looking at are roughly the same width, so I won't be losing any breathing space on either side. I'm hoping to find one that's not too much deeper, but even if it is there will still be several inches of space open behind it just to accommodate all the cables/cords. It will just sit further out on my desk. My computer sits in an alcove on one side of my desk that supports shelving over the top of it, but only about half of it is actually "inside" the alcove, the front half is completely out in the open and the back is also open... I mean, there's a wall there a few inches back, but no back panel on the alcove so air can flow through it and for all the cables and whatnot.

But there is a height limit, because it has to fit in underneath everything else with some breathing space in between... 17" is gonna be about the max.

Get the measurements of your intended cards (same base models vary between manufacturers) add the depth of a sata/pata drive and add another good couple of inches for any cabling that needs routing that way.

Everything I'd be using I already have at least one of, lol, and it all fits the case I have, altho it's a cramped enough to make tinkering a bit frustrating. I did have to move one HDD up to a higher bay to make room for the 5770 since it was longer than the card I had, but that was only to keep the cable from getting pinched in between. So I think even a slightly bigger case should be fine provided it works for the ATX mobo... just 1" more depth would work wonders in terms of me not ending up with 10,000 little nicks and scratches on my hands when I get in there and start messing with stuff.

Do keep us informed how it's going

I'm sure if I decide to build a computer from the mobo up, it will not be so much a matter of keeping you informed but of coming here screaming for help when my carefully laid plan goes inevitably awry.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

just 1" more depth would work wonders

[frau kaleun]

It's twue! It's twue!



Edit: after some checking it looks like I can get the mobo and the Phenom II x4 965 cheaper separately, by splitting the purchase between retailers and taking advantages of current specials and rebates.

Plus I've looked at a ton of other mobos and can't find anything comparable with the configuration I want plus the I/O jacks I need for what I've alread got.

So... I might just go for it.