New build for my mum

[Monkey]

Hello all, im looking to build a pc for my mum.

Shell only really use outlook or even hotmail, listening to music and various booking applications so she doesnt need a fast pc

I was just wondering if anyone could look over these specs and tell me what you think. Its just something i slapped together in the first half hour of work today.

Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 2.40GHz (Retail 775) (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel/Core+2+Duo/Intel+Core+2+Duo+E4600+2.40GHz+%28Retail+775%29+?p roductId=30451)
Corsair 2GB PC2-5300 Value Select (2x1GB) (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR2/DDR2+667+%28PC5300%2F5400%29/Corsair+2GB+PC2-5300+Value+Select+%282x1GB%29+?productId=24347)
LITEON 16x48x DVD-ROM SATA Black (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LITEON+16x48x+DVD-ROM+SATA+Black?productId=27926)
Estar 2 Midi Tower ATX Black 350W - (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/+Estar+2+Midi+Tower+ATX+Black+350W+-?productId=10212)
52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Card+Readers/Internal+Card+Readers/52+in+1+Card+Reader+Black+with+USB+?productId=2490 2)
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/160GB+Samsung+Spinpoint+SATA2+8MB+?productId=27006 )
nVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/nVIDIA+GeForce+8+Series/nVidia+GeForce+8400GS+512MB+PCI-E+?productId=29843)
ASROCK CONROE1333-D667 R3.0 S/V/L Socket 775 Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+CONROE1333-D667+R3.0+S%2FV%2FL+Socket+775+Motherboard?product Id=31968)
19" Asus VB191T TFT Monitor (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+19/19%22+Asus+VB191T+TFT+Monitor+?productId=30895)
Arianet Black PS/2 Keyboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Keyboards/Arianet+Black+PS%2F2+Keyboard?productId=8859)
Arianet Black Optical PS2 Mouse (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Mice/Arianet+Black+Optical+PS2+Mouse?productId=17805)

Any ideas what you think doesnt need to be so high spec??? GPU and ram? Or the CPU?

Tell me what you think

[wonderlust]

Does she need a E4xxx? surely a e2xxx would be plenty?

I am not sure what you're looking for in a case but these are excelent value :-

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Gigabyte+GZ-X1+-+Silver+?productId=28079

[Monkey]

Just a simple case would be nice. And i dont really know a great deal about the intel chips at the minute. You think she wouldnt need that cpu?

[Monkey]

Corsair 2GB PC2-5300 Value Select (2x1GB) (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR2/DDR2+667+%28PC5300%2F5400%29/Corsair+2GB+PC2-5300+Value+Select+%282x1GB%29+?productId=24347)
LITEON 16x48x DVD-ROM SATA Black (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LITEON+16x48x+DVD-ROM+SATA+Black?productId=27926)
52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Card+Readers/Internal+Card+Readers/52+in+1+Card+Reader+Black+with+USB+?productId=2490 2)
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/160GB+Samsung+Spinpoint+SATA2+8MB+?productId=27006 )
nVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/nVIDIA+GeForce+8+Series/nVidia+GeForce+8400GS+512MB+PCI-E+?productId=29843)
ASROCK CONROE1333-D667 R3.0 S/V/L Socket 775 Motherboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+CONROE1333-D667+R3.0+S%2FV%2FL+Socket+775+Motherboard?product Id=31968)
19" Asus VB191T TFT Monitor (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+19/19%22+Asus+VB191T+TFT+Monitor+?productId=30895)
Arianet Black PS/2 Keyboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Keyboards/Arianet+Black+PS%2F2+Keyboard?productId=8859)
Arianet Black Optical PS2 Mouse (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Mice/Arianet+Black+Optical+PS2+Mouse?productId=17805)
Gigabyte GZ-X1 - Silver (http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Gigabyte+GZ-X1+-+Silver+?productId=28079)
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2220 2.4GHz (Retail 775) (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel/Core+2+Duo/Intel+Pentium+Dual+Core+E2220+2.4GHz+%28Retail+775 %29+?productId=31124)

Any better?

What about the GPU and RAM?

[jonwoad]

If shes not using anything graphically demanding theres always onboard video on that board.

[Monkey]

If shes not using anything graphically demanding theres always onboard video on that board.
I suppose there is, but what about if she goes on a flash website...

ha ha

I dunno, how powerful is the onboard Video

[wonderlust]

more than ample, although the board you have selected has onboard graphics which is plenty for running xp, if you are going to be using vista then stick with the 8400.

if you wanted a better quality board you could look at something like a g33 board, but you will loose some ram from the 2Gb, but it would cost around the same as the asrock board and the added gpu, ie the Asus P5k-vm, the onboard is more than adequate for Aero in vista

Ram, have you checked out the Patriot 2Gb super special kit

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Patriot+2GB+PC2-6400+C4+Extreme+Performance+%282x1GB%29+?productId =26802

[Monkey]

Ram, have you checked out the Patriot 2Gb super special kit

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Patriot+2GB+PC2-6400+C4+Extreme+Performance+%282x1GB%29+?productId =26802

I have now... and its better for a quid less... GENIUS!

[Monkey]

LITEON 16x48x DVD-ROM SATA Black (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LITEON+16x48x+DVD-ROM+SATA+Black?productId=27926)
52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Card+Readers/Internal+Card+Readers/52+in+1+Card+Reader+Black+with+USB+?productId=2490 2)
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB
(http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/160GB+Samsung+Spinpoint+SATA2+8MB+?productId=27006 )nVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/nVIDIA+GeForce+8+Series/nVidia+GeForce+8400GS+512MB+PCI-E+?productId=29843)
ASROCK CONROE1333-D667 R3.0 S/V/L Socket 775 Motherboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+CONROE1333-D667+R3.0+S%2FV%2FL+Socket+775+Motherboard?product Id=31968)
19" Asus VB191T TFT Monitor (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+19/19%22+Asus+VB191T+TFT+Monitor+?productId=30895)
Arianet Black PS/2 Keyboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Keyboards/Arianet+Black+PS%2F2+Keyboard?productId=8859)
Arianet Black Optical PS2 Mouse (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Mice/Arianet+Black+Optical+PS2+Mouse?productId=17805)
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2220 2.4GHz (Retail 775) (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel/Core+2+Duo/Intel+Pentium+Dual+Core+E2220+2.4GHz+%28Retail+775 %29+?productId=31124)
Arianet Syphon MIDI case (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/Arianet+Syphon+MIDI+case+?productId=27733)
Patriot 2GB PC2-6400 C4 Extreme Performance (2x1GB) (http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Patriot+2GB+PC2-6400+C4+Extreme+Performance+%282x1GB%29+?productId =26802)

Ok how about that? Dont wanna change the card. I think its pretty cheap anyway, and i dont want my mum to think i got her a pants computer?
Any suggestions on cheaper specs?

Monitor for example...

[wonderlust]

not that is over important, but the DVD reader you have picked is black,

The GZ-X1 has a stealth bay so it's will be hidden.

Foa a few £s more you could have a DVD burner though, usefull for backups etc

ah you've changed the case

[Monkey]

not that is over important, but the DVD reader you have picked is black,

The GZ-X1 has a stealth bay so it's will be hidden.

Foa a few £s more you could have a DVD burner though, usefull for backups etc

ah you've changed the case
Ha ha... sorry

Ahhh i didnt realise it wasnt a burner... My bad

[wonderlust]

I did wonder... :D

[Monkey]

52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Card+Readers/Internal+Card+Readers/52+in+1+Card+Reader+Black+with+USB+?productId=2490 2)
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/160GB+Samsung+Spinpoint+SATA2+8MB+?productId=27006 )
nVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/nVIDIA+GeForce+8+Series/nVidia+GeForce+8400GS+512MB+PCI-E+?productId=29843)
ASROCK CONROE1333-D667 R3.0 S/V/L Socket 775 Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+CONROE1333-D667+R3.0+S%2FV%2FL+Socket+775+Motherboard?product Id=31968)
19" Asus VB191T TFT Monitor (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+19/19%22+Asus+VB191T+TFT+Monitor+?productId=30895)
Arianet Black PS/2 Keyboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Keyboards/Arianet+Black+PS%2F2+Keyboard?productId=8859)
Arianet Black Optical PS2 Mouse (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Mice/Arianet+Black+Optical+PS2+Mouse?productId=17805)
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2220 2.4GHz (Retail 775) (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel/Core+2+Duo/Intel+Pentium+Dual+Core+E2220+2.4GHz+%28Retail+775 %29+?productId=31124)
Arianet Syphon MIDI case (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/Arianet+Syphon+MIDI+case+?productId=27733)
Patriot 2GB PC2-6400 C4 Extreme Performance (2x1GB) (https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Patriot+2GB+PC2-6400+C4+Extreme+Performance+%282x1GB%29+?productId =26802)
Microsoft Windows XP Home OEM SP2 (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/Microsoft+Windows+XP+Home+OEM+SP2?productId=25139)
LG GH20NS15 20x DVDRW SATA black bare inc SecurDisc (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LG+GH20NS15+20x+DVDRW+SATA+black+bare+inc+SecurDis c+?productId=30468)

Well it comes to £405 including vat, any ideas on a cheaper setup

I know its pretty cheap already but i just wanna check

Cheers for the help so far, its very much apreciated

[wonderlust]

looks pretty good

[Audigex]

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/nVIDIA+GeForce+7+Series/MSI+GeForce+7300LE+128MB+Silent+PCI-E+Low+profile+Card+?productId=30849
Dirt cheap, and plenty for day to day use - can't go too far wrong when it's only £25.

If she's running XP you could probably get away with much less - I run a 6200LE in my desktop (256/128) and it doesn't have any problems at all, can even play Counter Strike:Source at 20fps. No problems with day-to-day apps or flash games.

I'd say your build is more than sufficient.

LITEON 16x48x DVD-ROM SATA Black Re-writer, as has been said, isn't much more - but you could just as well put the money towards an external drive, more useful.
52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB Does she actually need this? Can shave a few quid off here otherwise - I use my SD card slot once in a blue moon.
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB Sufficient without going over the top - probably spot on
nVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E I still say you can get a much cheaper card without her knowing or ever caring
ASROCK CONROE1333-D667 R3.0 S/V/L Socket 775 Motherboard Is there a cheaper MB which matches your RAM and CPU better? Unless you want upgradeability.
19" Asus VB191T TFT Monitor Again you could save some money here with a £17, although no harm done.
Arianet Black PS/2 Keyboard It's a keyboard
Arianet Black Optical PS2 Mouse It's a mouse :)
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2220 2.4GHz (Retail 775) Sounds okay, you could always get a slightly cheaper one though - I run a 1.5 C2D on my laptop and never have problems.
Arianet Syphon MIDI case A case is a case
Patriot 2GB PC2-6400 C4 Extreme Performance (2x1GB) Plenty - although you COULD save a few quid, it's not enough to matter

If you're looking for a day-to-day computer then you don't need as good a CPU or monitor IMO, and if you run XP you can cut down on the graphics easily, and probably the memory.

A 1GB RAM 2ghz C2D with a 30 quid card will probably be more than she'll need. You can get a perfectly workable machine for that if you want to browse the internet and use word+outlook.

[Monkey]

Can anyone see anything wrong with this build?
I'm looking to order it as soon as the cheque goes through

Microsoft Wheelmouse Optical Black (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Mice/Microsoft+Wheelmouse+Optical+Black+?productId=1635 8)
Microsoft Basic Black Keyboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Keyboards/+Microsoft+Basic+Black+Keyboard?productId=23119)
Corsair 2GB PC2-5300 Value Select (2x1GB) (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR2/DDR2+667+%28PC5300%2F5400%29/Corsair+2GB+PC2-5300+Value+Select+%282x1GB%29+?productId=24347)
52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Card+Readers/Internal+Card+Readers/52+in+1+Card+Reader+Black+with+USB+?productId=2490 2)
Microsoft Windows XP Home OEM SP2 (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/Microsoft+Windows+XP+Home+OEM+SP2?productId=25139)
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/160GB+Samsung+Spinpoint+SATA2+8MB+?productId=27006 )
LITEON 16x48x DVD-ROM SATA Black (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LITEON+16x48x+DVD-ROM+SATA+Black?productId=27926)
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 2.0GHz (Retail 775) (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CPUs+%2F+Processors/Intel/Core+2+Duo/Intel+Pentium+Dual+Core+E2180+2.0GHz+%28Retail+775 %29+?productId=29175)
MSI P4M900M3-L P4M900 Socket 775 Motherboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/MSI+P4M900M3-L+P4M900+Socket+775+Motherboard+?productId=30552)
MSI ATi Radeon HD 2350Pro 64MB PCI-E (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/ATI+Radeon+2000+Series/MSI+ATi+Radeon+HD+2350Pro+64MB+PCI-E+?productId=31056)
19" Yuraku YV19BD1 TFT with DVI (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+19/19%22+Yuraku+YV19BD1+TFT+with+DVI+?productId=31302 )
AriaNet 2039 Black Midi 450W (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/AriaNet+2039+Black+Midi+450W+?productId=32600)

Any way i can get it cheaper from aria would be good, and any recommendations would also be nice

Much appreciated people

[wonderlust]

Eww Via chipset, more trouble than it's worth

[Audigex]

Microsoft Windows XP Home OEM SP2 (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/Microsoft+Windows+XP+Home+OEM+SP2?productId=25139) - You don't need 2gb RAM, at all. 1gb will cover it fine (I run 1600x1200 with 200+ layers on photoshop and it doesn't even complain.

Card reader really required? You could pick up an SD card reader for a fiver, which is the card most people use (only a £2 saving though :D)

19" monitor - chances are your mum wouldn't notice if it was a 17, and it'll knock a few quid off (aria aren't the cheapest for monitors)

And you don't really NEED a 450w PSU - but I doubt you'd save much there.

[Monkey]

Well i see your point with the RAM, and my mum really wants a card reader, she has a few different cards, her phone her camera and she fosters kidds and they all have there own cameras.

The 19" monitor is cheaper than most 17" and its better spec'd

And the PSU comes with the case, and its the cheapest case on Aria so i dont see why it should be changed.

And Wonderlust what do you mean?

[wonderlust]

Via chipsets have had issues with corruption since the P3 days, especially with Creative Labs sound cards.

I will never buy another Via chipset board.

[Monkey]

Ahh ok, what cheap motherboard would you recommend?

[wonderlust]

I highly rate Asrock boards I have had 7 with only one failure and that was a minor fault (temp reading)

how about :-

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+CONROE1333-D667+R3.0+S%2FV%2FL+Socket+775+Motherboard?product Id=31968

[Monkey]

Ok cool, how about this one instead ASROCK CONROE1333-D667 R3.0 S/V/L Socket 775 Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+CONROE1333-D667+R3.0+S%2FV%2FL+Socket+775+Motherboard?product Id=31968)?

Its the cheapest on there :P

[wonderlust]

lol snap, and you could do away with the graphics card as it has on board.

[Monkey]

And you dont reckon it will be too sluggish?

[wonderlust]

what the board on the graphics?

My wife's PC is a Dell Optiplex GX270 running XP on 512Mb using the older 865G motherboard, fine for general use, just no good for 3d games etc

[Audigex]

I use 6 month old inbuilt graphics on my laptop, I can even play some older games :p

Graphics cards are a waste unless you want to play 3d games.

[wonderlust]

OR Fold :D

[Monkey]

Microsoft Wheelmouse Optical Black (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Mice/Microsoft+Wheelmouse+Optical+Black+?productId=1635 8)
Microsoft Basic Black Keyboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Peripherals/Keyboards/+Microsoft+Basic+Black+Keyboard?productId=23119) 52 in 1 Card Reader Black with USB (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Card+Readers/Internal+Card+Readers/52+in+1+Card+Reader+Black+with+USB+?productId=2490 2) Microsoft Windows XP Home OEM SP2 (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Operating+Systems/Microsoft+Windows+XP+Home+OEM+SP2?productId=25139)
LITEON 16x48x DVD-ROM SATA Black (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/CD%2FDVD+Drives/Internal/SATA/LITEON+16x48x+DVD-ROM+SATA+Black?productId=27926)
Patriot 1GB PC2-5300 Signature (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Memory/DDR2/DDR2+667+%28PC5300%2F5400%29/Patriot+1GB+PC2-5300+Signature+?productId=29126) 17" Octigen Generation 2 17" 4:3 TFT (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Displays/Monitors/TFT+17/17%22+Octigen+Generation+2+17%22+4%3A3+TFT+?produc tId=31345)
AriaNet 2039 Black Midi 450W (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/MIDI+Tower/AriaNet+2039+Black+Midi+450W+?productId=32600)
ASROCK Wolfdale1333-D667 R2.0 Socket 775 Motherboard (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Socket+775+%28Intel%29/ASROCK+Wolfdale1333-D667+R2.0+Socket+775+Motherboard+?productId=33229) 160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB (http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/160GB+Samsung+Spinpoint+SATA2+8MB+?productId=27006 )
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 2.0GHz (Retail 775) (http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Intel+Pentium+Dual+Core+E2180+2.0GHz+%28Retail+775 %29+?productId=29175)

Ok im about to order these parts now. Any last recommendations before i order?

Much appreciated

EDIT: Anyone? :P

[Mul.]

Looks fine to me. Don't forget the operating system and I'd seriously get a branded PSU.

[tystar]

and for the sake of about £4 get a dvdrw instead of a dvd rom

[Monkey]

Looks fine to me. Don't forget the operating system and I'd seriously get a branded PSU.
Do you think its worth it though?

My peice of **** pc has a branded pc and its lasted about 8 years


and for the sake of about £4 get a dvdrw instead of a dvd rom

Noted... i didnt notice that part :P

Cheers

[Mul.]

Yes it's worth it
http://www.pchardwaresource.co.uk/index.php?view=article&catid=40%3Apchwguide&id=56%3Apsuguide&option=com_content&Itemid=37

[Monkey]

Ive read that already and i agree a branded PSU is much better but for the spec and usage of that pc, its not gonna need a 4x12v rail PSU

[Mul.]

I totally agree and I never stated that a 4x12V rail PSU is mandatory!

Simple fact is, a cheap PSU can go bang even at half load and you know it'd be rediculous to say that a PSU that comes with an £18 case will serve for years without the possibility of it ever taking out the components inside.

[Monkey]

Ok so what would you recommend? And how do i ammend an order? :P

[jonwoad]

phone up customer services http://www.aria.co.uk/contact.asp

[Mul.]

Cheapest quality unit I see on Aria is the StealthXstream 500W at £38 or the PC Power and Cooling 470W also at £38.

[Monkey]

Xilence 420W Gaming PSU (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Power+Supplies/200w+to+449w/Xilence+420W+Gaming+PSU+?productId=19868)

Is that any good?

EDIT: i mean it wont break will it?

[jonwoad]

spend the extra and go for muls suggestion

[Monkey]

Ok i ordered next day delivery, will it matter?

The next break i have is at 5 so i can only call then... can i ammend an order that late?

[jonwoad]

whats your order number? I'll check to see what stage its at

[Monkey]

Ok the computer arrived this morning after much fuss. All has gone swimmingly in building it so far, the only thing im not too sure about is the power and hdd connections.

http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm449/DDevilMonkey_666/Mums/DSC00037.jpg
http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm449/DDevilMonkey_666/Mums/DSC00038.jpg
http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm449/DDevilMonkey_666/Mums/DSC00039.jpg

Basically im not sure what goes where, i think i may have it right now, just wanted to double check

Thanks in advance

[wonderlust]

powerled- = pled-
powerled+ = pled+
power sw= power button, doesn't matter which way round you put it
reset is obvious and it also doesnt matter which way round
hdd led is obvious red is + white is -

[Monkey]

Cheers Mr. Wonderlust, that is just as i expected.

Ill keep you posted

[wonderlust]

your welcome, what about some built log pics?

[Monkey]

Will do

OK, so its all plugged in, turned it on, the screen is blank, the PSU is humming and teh light is on the power button and i can hear the fans spinning

Any ideas?

[wonderlust]

where do I start....

what's the final hardware spec?

[Monkey]

20x Samsung TSH653B 20X SATA DVDR-W Black (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=CDR-DVD-TSH653B)
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 2.0GHz (Retail 775) (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=CPU-INTEL-E2180)
AriaNet 2039 Black Midi 450W (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=CSE-MID-ARN2039)
160GB Samsung Spinpoint SATA2 8MB (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=HDA-160-HD160J16)
ASROCK Wolfdale1333-D667 R2.0 Socket 775 Motherboard (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=MBD-775-WOLFDALE1333)
Patriot 1GB PC2-5300 Signature (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=MEM-PSD21G6672)
17" Octigen Generation 2 17" 4:3 TFT (https://www.aria.co.uk/Products?search=MON-T17-OCT17S)

What are you thinking?

[wonderlust]

ok,

Did you use stand offs?

have you plugged in the 4 pin connector.

as it's a generic psu I would disconnect all optical and hdd and boot with just the board connected to it.

Did you check the cpu socket for bent pins b4 installing?

[Monkey]

Yes i used the standoffs

The 4 pin main board connector is in place

And i bought the stealthxstream

And yeah it was fine

Sorry i dont mean to be blunt, its just my mums downstairs :P

[wonderlust]

didn't see it as blunt, just clear and concise.

have you tried with just one stick of ram?

have you made sure the clear cmos is in the correct position (some manufacturers ship it in the clear setting, I have not so far seen Asrock do it but I could be wrong)

disconnect everything except i stick of ram, cpu and fan and powerswitch from the board and try that

[Monkey]

It only has one stick of ram, and how switch on from the board?

[wonderlust]

doh, keep the powerswitch connected

[Monkey]

The CMOS is set to open

[wonderlust]

if that fails remove the motherboard and psu and test outside the case to rule out any shorting

[Monkey]

Hello! Apologies for disappearing, i popped out for a bit.

Gonna have to give that a try, can you think of anything that could have messed something up at all? During the build i mean, anything that could have stopped it from ever working?

Cheers for all your help so far Mr. Wonderlust

[wonderlust]

static is always a posiiblity/danger.

but it may be something simple like the board not playing nicely with your ram, may be worth trying a stick from your board...

[Monkey]

Hello again, i cant see it being a static problem as ive used a anti staic wristband on both my builds, and i always have on previous ones. Plus the computer never moved from my desk and i was wearing rubber boots :P

Could be anything to do with the cables i meantioned previously being put in the wrong place and booted up?

[wonderlust]

what the fron panel? i doubt it very much.

Hmm you got me worried now, just got a freind to order that board for her new system... with an E2160.

Did you remove it from the case and test it on the bench/desk?

have you tried to clear the cmos, worth a bash.

[Monkey]

Not tried either of those really, been really busy.

I hope its not toast, gonna have to shell out even more money...

[wonderlust]

why isn't new?

[Monkey]

Yeah its all new, but if its broke itll have to be sent back and theyll tell me its fine, i just cant inderstand why its not working...

Do you think aria take stuff out of the box to check before they ship items?

[wonderlust]

not as far as I know

[Monkey]

Bugger... i really need to get this sorted. Cost my mum £350 :P

Any other ideas what i can try?

I will try taking it out of the case when i get the time. But other than that i cant think of anything myself

[Monkey]

Has anyone got any ideas what i can try?

[wonderlust]

If you can wait a few more days I should have a similar setup in my hands.

Same board, e2160 and 2Gb (2x1) Patriot 800DDR LLC kit

The person whom ordered it is new to Aria so I would guess I will get it Thurs or Fri.

[Monkey]

How will you be able to diagnose my problem though?

Id stick the cpu in mine and try that way but i dont even have a PCI-E GPU to try it

[wonderlust]

Thats where I am lucky I have spare PCI-E cards and AGP,

Did you ever try it out of the case?

[Monkey]

Not had the time yet... i would try it tonight but im at work till 11

Got tomorrow off though so if your on here ill let you know how it goes

[wonderlust]

as always :D:redface:

[Monkey]

Ok im home and i have all day to give this a go. gonna take the components out of the case first.

Ill keep you posted

[wonderlust]

sounds like a plan

[Monkey]

OK Ive got it out of the case with just the PSU, CPU and heatsink on.

I have plugged in those little tiny ******* things again, i need a diagram that explains it cos its ****in confusing.

Also i thought i might mention that when i plug in the PSU and turn it on the fan doesnt spin but the light is on, and it does make a noise but im not sure if its normal or not.

Here's what i have so far
http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm449/DDevilMonkey_666/Mums/DSC00012.jpg

Gonna plug in the monitor obviously.

Shall i give it a go see if i get anything on screen?

[wonderlust]

ok, just connect the power switch, and see if it boots

[Monkey]

Yeah the power switch is in already, gonna plug in the monitor now and see if it does.

Should the fan spin on the PSU when its turned on or just when the computer is on?

[wonderlust]

I have noticed that Asrock boards tend to do this.

[Monkey]

Exactly the same thing... RAM? Oh and the powerbutton light isnt on atall.

Should i take a stick of ram out of my PC, or this PC and try that instead

[Monkey]

I have noticed that Asrock boards tend to do this.
Tend to do what?

[wonderlust]

spin the psu fan when psu is turned on. but not run all the time...

[Monkey]

Oh i see, what do you think i should try now then?

[wonderlust]

I take it it didn't work?

[Monkey]

Exactly the same thing... RAM? Oh and the powerbutton light isnt on atall.

Should i take a stick of ram out of my PC, or this PC and try that instead
Nope, exactly the same thing

Cheers for your help by the way, i Do appreciate it

[mac124]

you might want to plug the 4way atx power connector into the mobo too ;)

[wonderlust]

lol I didn't spot that either...

[Monkey]

****in joker... Mac im ****in glad you noticed that. It worked straight away.

You have no idea how stupid i feel now.

RIGHT!!! On with putting it all together DOH!!!

[mac124]

:mrgreen: no worries mate, we all miss silly things from time to time :redface:

[wonderlust]

Was it connected when it was in the case?

[Monkey]

Nope... like mac said, we all miss silly little things. Cheers guys

[wonderlust]

In that case I think you should re-read post 50 :D

http://forums.aria.co.uk/showpost.php?p=59122&postcount=50

[Monkey]

Ok smart **** :P

[mac124]

Maybe you have been more specific as to which 4 pin connector ;)

We do indeed miss silly things, i . . . er . . . that is a "mate" "missed" the pcie slot once and wondered why i . . .er . . . he wasn't getting anything on the monitor :redface: too much rushing to get the system running i put that one down to.

[wonderlust]

lol was only pulling your leg...

You are not the first and certainly won't be the last not to plug it in.

Glad it's all sorted now, hope your mum will be happy with it.

Perhaps the one thing it has shown us is it may be a good idea to request a photo next time someone posts with the same symptoms?

[mac124]

Might not be a bad idea where possible.

[Monkey]

Well thanks anyway people... i will be posting pictures of the build and add notes to show people how stupid i was :P

I know you've all seen a PC being built before but ive not posted a PC build on the forum before

OH... and i did pick up one trick on the way, you know you always get a few screws that are almost impossible to screw into the mobo and you keep dropping them, and you know those are the times you wish you could use a magnetic screwdriver.

Stick a tiny ammount of vasoline on the end of your screwdriver, problems solved.
The screw sticks to the screwdriver and its not conductive or whatever they call it.

[wonderlust]

You're not the only one to do silly things.

just spent 24 hours trying to diagnose why I couldn't get any os to instal on a PC built from old bits.

Carried out a full security wipe on the HDD as it would error when trying to partition the drive. (vista would format it but not write any files to it.)

turned out to be a faulty Sata cable...DOH

[Monkey]

ha ha DOH!!

[wonderlust]

do you know how long a dod wipe takes.... hours.....

[Monkey]

OH MY GOD WHAT A **** ****ING CASE!!!!!!!!

I cant close the back panel now

[Monkey]

Ok its on and its all working and noowwww... im installing XP

Gonna partition the HDD so that she has her documents on a seperate drive, 40GB for windows?

[wonderlust]

great, lets hope she likes it...

[Monkey]

What the computer or my mum???

Im confused. Do you reckon 40GB is enough or too much for XP, its a 160GB drive by the way

[Lynx]

40Gb is fine considering that Vista takes up 15Gb when fully installed, XP is barely 4GB.

[Monkey]

Thats what i thought, my mums never gonna use 120GB of space, and i may as well make the OS drive big enough for some headroom for installed programs

[wonderlust]

also gives you somewhere to copy all her data if xp breaks

[Lynx]

You wouldnt believe how much stuff that girls in general download, spyware cursors, and spyware emoticons, its really unbelievable how much they **** up computers, take regular system restore backups so you dont have to worry about getting rid of the **** as it will be a doddle.

[wonderlust]

thats what policy editors for...:twisted:

[Monkey]

Yeah i know what girls are like, i have to fix so many computers every day and uninstall have the **** and TOOLBARS.

Yahoo toolbar, AVG toolbar, winamp toolbar, norton toolbar, emoticon toolbar, anything you can think of ive seen it all, i had to fix one computer that had that many toolbars it took up half of the screen and he wasnt even fussed.

People are dumb

On my mums pc im gonna make it so the documents folder points to the second partition as you would expect, so if xp fails i can just format the XP partition, as usual

Its just formatting now, didnt do i a quick one, does it make a diff?

[Lynx]

One wipes 'all' sectors, while quick just wipes off the first part so it thinks the drive is empty.

[Monkey]

Ok cool, ill do a full format then, as usual

39 minutes left on install

[Monkey]

Right im in disk management, do i create the partition as primary or extended?

Im taking it as it should be an extended, done this before but cant remember

[Lynx]

Primary.

[Monkey]

Yeah i did that anyway.

Right i just inserted the mobo driver CD and started to install the VGA drivers and the screens gone to no input and stayed black

[wonderlust]

is it still blank?

[Monkey]

Nah it restarted on its own and its all good now, infact im posting from that very computer.

Just gonna do windows updates

[Monkey]

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[wonderlust]

Have you installed all the Xp updates yet? (inc sp3)

If you have then run memtest on it, it may need a bump in memory voltage,

[Monkey]

Its working now, so no worries

[wonderlust]

BTW don't install the drivers from the CD get the latest ones from the Web

[Monkey]

Yeah i know that, i had to install the ethernet drivers from the cd though

Its all looking good, nice and quick

Gonna be using this PC for a few days before i give it to my mum, just to check it all ok

[wonderlust]

lol, yeah the E2xxx are under rated due to the smaller cache, but they have the same amount of cache as most of the Athlon X2's had.

Have you tried an overclock or do you consider that it won't be needed.

The one I built I only had for about an hour before it was collected, and the little attempt of an overclock wasn't very successful.

[Monkey]

Not gonna bother, it works really well, no errors on mem test, defrag's fast as a ***** compared to my pc.

And even though it has onboard graphics it can play unreal 2004 with full graphics and resolution, which i thought was pretty impressive

[wonderlust]

yeah, they may not be a patch on onther chipset maunfacturers for performance, but they are ok for older stuff