A64 complete system build

[Tappits]

A64 complete system build (56k NO!)

This is not a look what ive got thread, think of it more of a guide of what’s inside that box under your desk.
And it also might sell more things for OCUK from people looking at this and thinking, I will have a go at that DIY computer building.

But don’t rush out and build one right off the bat.
It tuck me over 2 weeks to make sure that I was not going to be putting money into something that one will not work, something that will be well out of date in 6 months time and most importantly something that I can Overclock to well over the cost price and not fry something on the first day.
I also needed something that will play all my games with little or no problems.
And run and save all my files and do all the other general things you do on a PC.

This is not a top of the range computer.
Most of the Components were chosen because for the money there is not much that will out do this set-up without spending a lot more money.

Note: 1
Basic Handling Procedure: Handle your components gently, especially the motherboards. Only pick components up by the edges. To prevent Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) damage to the components do not remove them from static-shielded bags until you are ready to install them. Only handle them after touching an unpainted metallic surface, like the frame of your case. If you have one, wear an anti-static wrist strap. Never remove a power connector with the power supply switched on.

Note:2

Some people like to test the set-up (Motherboard with one stick of ram with the CPU and GFX card in) out the case just to make shore.
You can do this but it is up to you.
I as you can see don’t as I am quite sure it will start up and work first time.


So to the components.

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 90nm – OEM
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/AMD_64_Bit.html

DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D PCI-Express Motherboard
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Socket_939.html

G.Skill 2GB DDR HZ PC4000 (2x1GB) CAS3 Dual Channel Kit
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/G_Skill.html

Gainward BLISS Geforce 7900 GT 256MB GDDR3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/7900_Series.html

Enermax Liberty 500W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Enermax_111.html

Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 200GB SATA-II 8MB Cache – OEM
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/westerndigital_sata.html

ThermalRight XP-90C Heatsink
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Thermalright_120.html

Vantec Tornado 92mm fan
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Vantec.html

Thermaltake Tsunami Dream – Black
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake_Cases.html

Akasa Rounded Ultra ATA133/100/66 IDE Cable (0.45m) – Black x2
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_IDE_Cables_151.html

Akasa Rounded Floppy Cable (0.45m) – Black
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Floppy_Cables_152.html

Akasa SATA-2 45cm Silver Data Cable
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/sata_cables.html

Arctic Silver 5
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermal_Materials.html

OcUK Value Floppy Drive – Black
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Floppy_Drives.html

Samsung SH-C522C CD-ROM (Black) – OEM
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_CD_ROM_Drives_113.html

Plextor PX-130A DVD-ROM (Black) – OEM
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_DVD_ROM_Drives_114.html

Vantec Slot Protector Kit – Black
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/cable_sleeving.html

Plus my old
SB Audigy 2 ZS, Samsung 160GB (IDE) and an External CDRW


So after waiting 2 days for it all to arrive at 3.20PM it did.

 

[Tappits]

So my first job was to unwrap the case that would house all my new shiny bits

Thermaltake Tsunami Dream

A nice looking case with some good extra bits inside.

Cooling:
120mm front intake that blow’s over the Hard Drive rack
80mm side intake that blows over the CPU fan
120mm led back exhaust fan.

Good bits inside the case:
Lockable Side and front
The Hard Drive rack and the Floppy Drive bay slide out for easy access.
Quick Clip PCIE and PCI holders
Clever sliding rail design for easy 5.25 devices installation
Top Flap with Fire wire, USB and Headphone and Microphone jacks
It’s not a bad case but then for £80 you kind of expect it.

Now I have to Place the motherboard standoffs in the appropriate holes for my form factor.
How to:
Get your flash light out and look at the motherboard mounting area. (This is the area inside the case with lots screw holes). Beside each hole is the name of a form factor. (ATX, mATX, XATX, Xeon) Get into the bag of screws that came with the case and get the brass colour motherboard standoffs out. The stand offs have screw thread at one end, and the other end has a place where you can screw in another screw.
Place one standoff in each of the screw holes for the form factor of the motherboard you are using. For the DFI LanParty Ultra-D so I am using, I use an ATX paten.

I also put in the IO shield in that comes with the motherboard

So with that unpacked and ready for transplant it was time to move on to the Motherboard.

 

[Tappits]

The DFI LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D

Inside we get.

The board
Quick start guide
Quick Start Manual
Some sort of guarantee booklet (don’t think I will be able to use that after I have finished)
IO shield
The on board (sort of) Audio chip/board
Jumper Tweezers (that don’t work)
A pack of spare jumpers (handy)
Some Clips (unknown what they are for)
2 IDE leads
1 Floppy cable
2 SATA cables
Raid Floppy
Drivers CD rom
And some P4 power cables

So the first job on it was to put the processor in and put the XP-90C on there to cool it.
So it was off with the old Heatsink mounting plate and screw the one that came with the XP90 on, just 2 screws out and 2 new screws in, making shore not to over tighten them and brake the motherboard before its even in the case.

Stock Mounting plate off

New mounting plate on

 

[Tappits]

So now its time for the processor.
I have gone with the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
(AMD Athlon 64 ADA3700DAA5BN – KAB (3E) [that bits good] 0546GPAW
It is the Lowest CPU with the San Diego Core but also probably the best at overclocking and it’s also the lowest in price.
I have gone for the OEM version, as I will not need the warranty, Heatsink and fan combo that comes with it, that also makes it a bit cheaper.
I was surprised how small it was compared to the Athlon XP series CPU’s

Back Side.

Front side (bad pic)

How to:
To install your processor:
Pull the lever away a tiny bit so that it isn’t impeded by the locking tab. Pull the lever up so that it is perpendicular with the socket.
Insert the CPU with the correct orientation.
The processor will slip right into place with no force. Put the lever back how it was. The lever will be stiffer with the processor in than without it.

In the board

So with that in the motherboard nest was to apply some AS5 thermal paste to conduct the heat better between the CPU and the Heatsink.

This is how much you need right in the center of the cpu.

Hint:
You can just leave it like that or you can smooth the compound into a paper-thin layer using the edge of an old credit card. You may also use a razor blade if you have a really steady hand. You only need a drop about the size of half a grain of rice, Applying too much will degrade performance.
But I will just leave it like this.

And if you use something else other than AS5, follow their instructions!

 

[Tappits]

So the Heatsink.
Well they say big is gooooood but heavy is better, well they don’t come bigger or heavier than this thing.
Made of soled copper in an L shape design with copper heat pipes that transfer the heat away from the CPU better and Quicker.
Weighing in at 690 grams, this air-cooled monster means business.
It is big and heavy which means its not suited to every one as it *** quite easy snap the motherboard, so grate care must be taken moving the motherboard round with it on.
It also has Compatibility across multiple platforms (socket 478/754/775/939/940) Intel and AMD.

As you can see its quite abit bigger than the processor.

Next, orient the XP-90 Heatsink with the heat pipes facing the first PCI-E slot, and the fins overhanging the first DIMM slots. Set it on there and line up the
Clips:
Now while using one hand to hold the sink in place (applying very slight downward pressure to 'mush' the AS5), clip the sink clips into the place.

It does fit but it was a bit of a squeeze getting one of the clips in because of a capacitor

Note:
If you do not have a Heatsink/fan combination installed on the processor get one immediately. A CPU without a heatsink/fan combination will destroy the processor, motherboard, and may start a fire.

 

[Tappits]

But what’s a good Heatsink without a good fan to blow all the heat away.
So I got one of the best fans on the market the 92mm Vantec Tornado.
Rotating at 4800rpm it pushes a colossal 119CFM, but it is also the loudest as well giving off 56.4dBA

Nest up is the ram.
There are lots of types of ram coming from all different manufactures, but the maximum FSB I am likely to be hitting with my set up is 250mhz – 260mhz FSB, as long as it can do that and is 2GB on dual channel that’s all I need.
So that’s why I have gone for the G.Skill 2GB Dual Channel Kit.
With it been PC4000 it runs at 250mhz FSB as standard, and that’s all I need it to do.
It runs @ 3/4/4/8 - 2.6v to 2.8v @ PC4000 speeds (FSB 250)

As you will be able to see from the nest pic I had put the ram in the wrong slots.
But as there was nothing in the DFI manual about memory I just looked back to my old socket A MSI board, and on that you have to put a stick in each of the two different cullers to run the memory in dual channel mode.
But not with the new motherboards that’s two easy.
Note: on Nforce 4 DFI motherboards you have to put your memory in the two orange slots.
For other manufactures check your manual.
I have also put the PCI/RAM Slot Protectors in place.

How to:
Memory is actually very easy to install.
Look at the motherboard, and look at your ram. There are 3 notches in your ram (1 on the bottom and 1 on each side) the bottom notch corresponds to the small tab in the ram slot on the motherboard.
The key is to line it up.
On the motherboard flip the retaining pieces on the ram slot you want to use out. Now take your ram and place it in the slot, while lining up the notch.
Press down on the top edge of the ram with 3 fingers until the retaining pieces click into place.

 

[Tappits]

So with that out the way and ready to put in the case it was time to put my hard drives my floppy drive.
These were easy as the racks they sit in (in my case) just slide out and the drives just screw in with the provided screws.

How to:
Install Floppy drive(s).
Flip up the door on the case, and leave it there for the remainder of the build. Carefully take the floppy drive and place it in the exposed 3.5 bay by pushing it into the bay from inside the case. The front of the drive should be flush with the front bezel plastic under the door. Secure the drive into the 3.5 bay by using four drive-mounting screws.

Install hard drive(s).
If possible remove the internal 3.5 drive cage to install, as this is the easiest way.
Take each hard drive you have, slide them in to the cage and secure them in the cage using the mounting screws that came with your case. The back of the drives should be jutting out a bit from the cage. Set the jumpers on the drives to the desired setting.

Now was the time to put in the power supply.
The best way to describe this is as it’s like your heart. Have a heart attack and you dye well it’s the same with your computer, if your power supply has a problem it might take out the hole computer.
So get a good one.
Also newer systems like the one I am building use a lot of power up so make sure when you get one it by far exceeds your needs.

The PSU I am using is the Enermax Liberty 500W ATX2.2 Modular PSU. It uses Modular cable management system so you only need the cables that need, the rest can stay in the box or the bag the cables come in.

And in it goes, it was a bit of a squeeze getting it in but it should never need to come out. (Hopefully)

 

[Tappits]

Now it was time to put the motherboard in

How to:
Mount the motherboard by placing the motherboard on top of the standoffs, with the appropriate ports going through the proper places on the I/O shield. You may need to apply a small amount of pressure to the edge of the motherboard to make it stick properly through the I/O shield & line up all of the motherboard mounting holes. Secure the motherboard by placing a screw in each mounting hole that has a standoff beneath it. Screw the screw down, but do not over tighten it, as this may damage the motherboard. If a screw doesn’t want to go in right, try using a different screw. Your case will use a few screws of different diameter, and only one type will work. These screws come with the case.

And it will look like this.

 

[Tappits]

Nest it was time to put some of the cables in starting with the Power.
NOTE: READ YOUR MANUAL SO YOU ARE 100% WERE THAY ALL GO!!!
I did not do this and did not know that there are 4 power connecters on the DFI Nforce 4 Boards.
1: 24 pin ATX
2: 4 pin +12v
3: 4 pin Molex
4: 4 pin FDD connecter

Almost done

With the floppy and the HDD racks in and a bit of cable management it looks a bit better.
Also put the CD drives in which was easy in this case as its just 2 plastic clips that hook on the sides of the drives and you just slide them in.
But did not get pics of that.

How to:
Install Cd-rom drives
Now take a look at the front of your case and determine which bays you want your CDROM/CD-RW/DVD drives in.

There are two things blocking you from installing a drive, a plastic cover that is attached to the front bezel and a metal piece that is attached to the case’s frame.

To get rid of the obstructions we have to first take off the front bezel. Find the 3 plastic tabs on each side of the bezel. Pull out a slight bit on each of the tabs, and pull the bezel off. Now, Pop the plastic covers off the bay(s) you wish to use if they block them. Then take a flat head screwdriver, and pry the metal cover off the required bay. Replace the plastic front bezel.

Take your drive and slide it into the 5.25 bay you are using. It is usually easiest to do this by sliding the drive in from the front. Face the inside of the case, and use a hand to lift the back end of the drive just enough to line up the screw holes. Using your free hand, secure the drive on this side using 2 mounting screws. Do the same to the other side.

 

[Tappits]

But there’s still something missing?

Without this it would be a bit pointless having a pc.

Also put in my old faithful SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS in there as well

How to:
Install add on cards
Prepare the slots you are going to use by removing obstructions and appropriate slot covers.
Place the case on its side, so that you can look down and see the motherboard.

Take out the middle screw down slot cover by removing its screw. Pull the guard up and out, with a pair of needle nose pliers.
Or
Remove the slot cover by prying it back and forth with a flathead screwdriver in the middle hole.

Take the card, and push it into the slot by pressing it with two fingers on the top edge. Use a screw to secure the card. Note: be careful not to rock the card from side to side. Make sure the card is in all the way, and secure the card with a screw.
TIP: If you are going to use a PCI video card it should go in the slot nearest the AGP/PCIE slot or PCI 1

How to:
Connect the IO panel
Connect The I/O panel as outlined in your motherboard’s manual.
Connect case switch & led leads to the motherboard I/O panel, in the places indicated on the motherboard & in the manual.
With my case & motherboard, the white text on the connectors should be facing the top of the case. Route and tape any extra cord length so that it doesn’t impede the front fan mount.

 

[Tappits]

And this is what it looks like with every thing in – but without the side door on and the 2 power cables I had mist and the memory in the wrong slots.

 

[Tappits]

And one with the side on (but the plastic cover was still on)

Got in the 7000’s on 3dmark 05 on the first run with the 2 power cables not plugged in and the memory in the wrong slots with that sorted it was mid 7000’s

You may now ask questions and or rip me, it is up to you.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Good work there, Mr. Tappits. I enjoyed it. Might you have a clearer picture of the thermal compound on the CPU? The right amount to use is always somewhat mysterious to first time builders.

EDIT: I'd like to welcome you to the forums if no one else has done so. Also, you should cut your sig down to 4 lines of normal sized text or an image 400px wide by 75px tall with 1 line of regular sized text. I'd hate to have a don (mod) come by and send you on holiday for it.

 

[Tappits]

Did get two pics of the as5 but both came out well not good

Cut the sig down thanks

Will take the HS off it or my other comp and see if I can get a better pic of it for you.

I’m usually on EOCF but started coming on here as I find it friendlier.

New rig new forum its all just to overwhelming

 

[nikebee]

nice rig in the end, good post

i always thought that case looked cack... but i see the OcUK shop pictures haven't done it justice, looks very nice in your pictures

good to see the scare of LanParty motherboards and Enermax Liberty PSUs is finally over...

my setup is sort of with the same frame of mind as your pc, i wanted something that would last a while but not cost an arm and a leg.

AMD64 4000+ (bought from OcUK's members market), this replaced a borked Opty 146
2GB G.Skill ZX DDR400
7800GT (Point Of View model, OcUK's own on their website)
DFI LanParty SLi-D motherboard
74GB Raptor and a 120GB Seagate Barracuda (both of which came from my previous P4 build)
all inside my old Antec Sonata case
running off a Hiper Type-R psu which i'm selling/binning/destroying/replacing with a Seasonic Silent 600w.

as said, it was done with cost in mind and parts were bought over a period of a few months, and i salvaged what i could from previous builds. the 4000+ was a steal at £150(ish) from the MM, the motherboard was bought with the opteron in mind, but i kept it because i felt comfortable with it, G.Skill replaced my 1GB of Geil Value ram which served me well but i wanted something better... the 7800GT was the second best card out at the time of purchase, i couldn't fork out the cash for the 7800GTX (still can't!) but it the price was right and i can still add a second 7800GT and SLi them in the future.

the ram and the motherboard helped a fair wad with overclocking...
the 4000+ is running at 2.6GHz (poor stepping is holding it back)
7800GT runs at 490/1180

hoping to get them bumped a little further next week, got a new GPU cooler (Zalman VF900) and a nice quiet case fan (AKASA Ultra Quiet - to replace the case fan i've got now, noisely little blighter)... so should help drop temps a bit.

 

[iGiDK]

Excellent thread Tappits, enjoyed reading through it

 

[Explicit]

Good work mate, I'm sure this will help those looking to do their very first build.

Pictures are always a bonus

 

[Tappits]

A few new bits’s added

Also put a clearer picture of the thermal compound on the CPU

nice rig in the end, good post

i always thought that case looked cack... but i see the OcUK shop pictures haven't done it justice, looks very nice in your pictures

it’s a good case but I think the side window is to big
To much exposed metal on the right side and at the top.
And there’s not much room to hide your cables

good to see the scare of LanParty motherboards and Enermax Liberty PSUs is finally over...

it never started in my eyes.

 

[Gun9]

really great post thanks for all your efforts!

maybe i can build my next pc!

 

[Wryel]

Top effort mate, perhaps sticky? Might help get some less experienced people on the forums.