To register for an Internet.com membership to receive newsletters and white papers, use the Register button ABOVE.
To participate in the message forums BELOW, click here
I dont know much about building pcs, so pls help me make an AMD system
Hey guys, I had been reading your posts the past days and i am really amazed at how knowledgeable the posters here are.
I would admit, I know some about hardware but not the actual building your own pc.
I have recently decided to upgrade my system but I am hesitant because I dont know if I can actually upgrade it by myself.
Here is my current system
Intel Celeron 700
Tyan 1854 Motherboard
512 MB SDRAM
45 GB Maxtor Harddrive
24x Liteon Burner
16x Liteon DVD
ATI All In Wonder Radeon
250Watt Generic Power Supply
I dont know what else is needed.
I really wanted to get those Athlon XP's processors because they are cheap and very fast.
So I was hoping I could get this
Athlon XP 1700 or 1800
SHUTTLE AK31A AMD K7 VIA APOLLO KT266A SOCKET A ATX (I just read from some posts that this motherboard is cheap and very good)
and include the other parts in my current system.
However I have queries
1) I really dont know or have never seen how to install a CPU on the motherboard. As someone who knows a little about hardware (ie installing harddrives, CD burners, stuff on PCI slots, RAM installation), do you think I should install the CPU on the mobo by myself or should I have it serviced to paid shops? Though I want an experience.
I heard installing Intel CPU is different from AMD's
2) Would I still be able to use my current case? This is a mid sized tower and has 3 bays in front.
3) My 250Watt power supply, I think i should be changing it to 400, are the PSUs of different sizes? (i know it may sound stupid but I really dont know ) I was just wondering if I can use my current tower, if I can also use the current Power supply slot.
4) I have no idea at all how to install these cooling devices. From what I know, AMD cpus tend to get hot. What cooling devices would u recommend?
5) I believe the motherboard I want doesnt support SDRAM. Which memory type I should be getting. All i know is SDRAM but there had been so many memory types that came out already and I dont know the differences
I would really appreciate the input and the help guys. You guys had been very helpful, I hope I would be get helped as well
the shuttle has had some happy customers at HwC, you are correct in requiring to replace your sdram with this motherboard. you need 184pin ddr ram, the board supports pc2400, pc2100 and pc1800 speeds of ddr
installing the cpu onto the motherboard in't hard at all [lift level, pit in chip, drop lever] but heatsink attachment can be a bit tricky. the first time you do it i would suggest attaching the hsf with the mobo out of the case.
to my knowledge there is no difference in installing intel cpus in comparison with amd ones - not with the current chips available.
amd athlon xp chips do get hot so get a good hsf such as an alpha or thermaltake volvano
your case should be fine, although you are right to upgrade your psu. it shouldn't be any bigger and i recommend getting a branded psu such as enermax or sparkle
hope that helps, and welcome to HwC craig2002
------------------
trout are freshwater fish and have underwater weapons
trout are very valuable and immensely powerful
keep away from the trout
__________________
trout are freshwater fish and have underwater weapons
trout are very valuable and immensely powerful
keep away from the trout
What he said ...and i would add that if your not really looking to overclock and your on a tight budget you could go with a board that runs both DDR and SDRAM like the Amptron K7- 830XLM. http://www.amptron.com This board is exactly the same setup as K7S5A ECS board accept it has a different Bios Package and as far as i know it's free of the problems that haunt the K7S5A.
The SIS735 is a decient chipset but you cant go wrong with the KT266A right now.
There is nothing wrong with the Shuttle board
at all but there are better ones.
here is a liknk to a review on the major kt266a boards http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboa...126/index.html
And dont even think about not taking ris's advice on the Power Supply.
XP's are very power hungry and you need a good one. Entermax or Sparkel are A-O-K
------------------
Noooooooooo
There all gonna laugh at you
__________________
Noooooooooo
There all gonna laugh at you
That Shuttle AK31-A is an awesome board, I have not had any problems with mine at all, running a 1400 T-bird @ 1540. Actually the XP processors are less power hungry than the T-birds, but you'll need a good PS to run all your drives, fans, and future add ons, I use the Enermax 350W w/dual fans, plenty of power and it was $55. I think the ECS K7S5A is a good board, I built 5 or 6 systems using it and, knock on wood havent had any major problems yet. You could spend 140.00 and up for a famous fully loaded RAID board, but do you really need all that stuff? ROCK SOLID stability in the Shuttle AK31-A for a mere $80.00
A 300 Watt power supply would do just fine too, though thinking of the future (upgrading), it is best to take a higher one.
(if your powersupply uses a white cable with about 10pinns connected to your motherboard, then first try to run your system without buying an extra power supply. Chanses are small (but nevertheless real) you'd be able to let it work.
About installing the hardware,: usually after buying a motherboard you'll be supplied with an installation-cd (or book)with pictures giving you full explenation.
If you don't know hou to use the BIOS, there's (supposed to be) also a small explenation explaining you the basics of BIOS.
Your Processor can only be inserted one possible way (no fear you'll blow it up )
You would be able to use your case, if you take a motherboard compatible with your case (*suggest* take your case with you to your motherboard-dealer)
An XP-processor 1600+ takes about 20Watts less energy then a 1.4Ghz athlon, and is about 10°C colder. I myself use a Thunder cool-fan (the fan with the 2 circular coolers on top)with a XP1600+. The normal working temp° should be 40°C; max temp 75°C-95°C
For memory take the newest DDR ram(133 Mhz) (256 recommended; 128Mb minimal *suggestion*: don't go underneath it; and forget about your sdram(100Mhz); WindowsXp uses allready 32Mb RAM and your AGP card uses some).
Hopefully this information would supply.
Greetz!
------------------
Ever mentioned we'd soon be overtaken by bio-machinery? (Intel or AMD?)
__________________
Ever mentioned we'd soon be overtaken by bio-machinery? (Intel or AMD?)
As cheap as cases are, you're almost better off just buying like a new Enlight case or something with a 300 watt PS in it. You'd pay the same price just to get a decent powersupply by itself. This way you still have your old case to use for second system, or as a system to sell to someone, or donate to a relative at a very fair price.
That Shuttle board is a great board, especially if you don't need all the bells and whistles. Since it doesn't sound like your going to overclock, save your sanity and buy a normal cooler. You don't need a 1/2 kilogram copper heatsink with a 8000 rpm delta fan. My personal favorite has been the Globalwin WBK68. Gets the job done and is very quiet. I wish that's what I had on my 1.4 Ghz Tbird.
Just put the cpu, memory, and heatsink in the board before you place the board in the case. That will make your life 80 times easier.
Trust me, you'll be able to build a new machine. After you get your parts, just come here and we'll walk you through it. Most stuff will start to make sense to you when you see it and any questions that come up won't be anything anyone here won't be able to give you a hand with.
As i red your responses, it seems like it isnt really very hard at all.
Well, one reasons I am going for Shuttle board as well is because it can be overclocked through the bios and since i dont know much about messing up with the jumpers on the motherboard, i dont think i should go with those Abit ones.
About the cooling,
how many fans do i actually need if i overclock (not too much though) my processor. I live in Edmonton Canada and always cold here.
Would one fan on top of the processor be enough?
How come, on motherboards.org, i saw a picture of AMD processor being placed a liquid thingy to cool the CPU before putting the heat sink. Can I avoid that? I probably wont unlock it as I have no idea how to do it at all.
Note: For some reason or another, reports of the power supply used in the Enlight EN-7200 series not working with some of the AMD processors, has been reported with the Shuttles.
Originally posted by craig2002: ...Would one fan on top of the processor be enough?
...i saw a picture of AMD processor being placed a liquid thingy to cool the CPU before putting the heat sink. Can I avoid that? I probably wont unlock it as I have no idea how to do it at all.
Most HSF (Heat Sink Fan) for the AMD processors make use of a single fan.
The liquid thingy that you are referring to is likely a thermal compound/grease...
It is possible to make do using just the thermal pad that is usually included on a typical HSF, especially when no overclocking is expected.
I would remember that Enlight to be off my list then.
Regarding thermal compund/grease, do all people who overclocked CPU using Shuttle board did this?
Typically, how many fans do you have considering you have 2 already (one for power supply) and one in the heat sink on top of the processor.
One more question, are power supplies designed for a specific CPU? I meant, if I bought Enermax 350Watt for Intel CPU, cant I use it for AMD processors?
generally, any good psu should run an Athlon, but i'd stick with AMD approved ones!.
Thermal grease has been proven to provide better heat transfer to the heatsink, so us overclockers use it to provide maximium transfer, which results in lower temps, higher possible clockspeeds and stability.
I would get as many fans as your case can hold! (2 in most cases, some full towers hold 3)If you're overclocking, you want the most possible cooling.
Also, if you are going to OC, your heatsink should be well considered.
) I was just wondering if I can use my current tower, if I can also use the current Power supply slot.
(2 in most cases, some full towers hold 3)If you're overclocking, you want the most possible cooling. 
Linear Mode
