[Rob Babcock]

Not so much choice of parts, but actually the assembly part?  The reason I ask is that my brother has bought the parts to build himself and my sister each an extra PC (she's buying a small business and wants a PC to have in the shop for Peachtree- he's just a hopeless gearhead! ).

He's never actually built a PC before, but has done lots of upgrading, installing drives, memory, etc.  But building one is a bigger step- isn't it?

Any tips or advice?  I may build a second one myself if his projects go well.  I'd like to build a PC just for burning (DVD & CD)- I wouldn't even hook it up to the internet.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Karnaaj]

First thing is to always make sure that you are grounded.  I once touched a brand new motherboard and sparked it.  $130 down the tubes.  Also start out by putting the bare minimum together and then seeing if it works.  If you install all the components and it does'nt work you have no idea where to start looking for the problem.

[Rob Babcock]

Yeah, bought a grounding strap right away!   I didn't even have to learn that the hard way.

[nathanm]

Bah! Grounding straps are for sissies!  Just touch some metal before you go burrowing in there and you'll be okay.   Assemble the computer on a tabletop with oodles of overhead lighting and stay away from carpeting, that will help with static too.  Take tranquilizers before beginning - the potential for stress is way high.  Learn a Chinese language in case you have to call up tech support for a motherboard.  When the lucky person you're building it for asks when the computer will be ready think of an estimate and then double it.

But seriously...Coolest tool I've found for anything requiring screws is the Overdriver.  Somebody was using their noggin when they designed this.  Maybe not the last word in ruggedness, but it is way fast.

http://www.jensentools.com/product/group.asp?parent_id=4090

[EchiDna]

tips and advice?
actually there is not much you can get wrong... as long as you take your time and check as you go... just make sure you use the right motherboard standoff points, make sure that the ram, cards and processor are seated properly before switching on for the first time and you will be fine.
There are lots of tutorials online which you can follow for assistance if needed - google a few before the job for reference.

I've built 15 systems in a day before with windows and office installs for a small office lan, so assuming no big technical problems, it should take a beginner about 2 hours maximum to get the machine together, then more time for software installation...

[jkarhan1]

Some thoughts:
nathanm gave probably the best advise. My tranquilizer of choice is a good dark beer.

My other thought is the building is easey. Especially if he has upgraded before.  Formatting and pinning the harddrive and installing the software is the biggest PTA.
In almost all cases I'd opt for building my own computer.  Especially if it is purpose built for A/V or gamming.  In the case of a friend or family member.  And they dont need a uber machine.  You CANNOT beat the deals you can now get online.  600.00 (or less) will get you a kick ass computer. Then they wont be using you for tech support (unless you have that kind of time).

[bob82274]

If you can use thumbscrews where ever possible.  Its one of those things that it doesn't do a whole lot for the install but a lot down the road.  Other things are make sure that if you have more than one case fan, that you have equal flow in and out.

[Levi]

Hello All,

Building pc is fun.  Choosing the best components is crucial in for fast/reliable pc.  There are lots of magazines out there that can be followed as a guide..."PC Upgrade" is one of them.  I am sure there are other sites are there that are free.  Tomshardware.com is my favorite site when choosing hardware.  

Your data is very important.  Make sure you have a good backup system.   Use RAID 1, 5 or both if you are building a server.

Regards,
Levi

[Rob Babcock]

Thanks, guys.  I've bought a few books and magazines on building a PC, plus the 5.0 Computer Builder disc from Muzzlenose Press.  You could say I've immersed myself in the subject!

My brother built one for our sister, and he's got a really high end mobo and a cool case, along with a 120 GB Maxtor sitting there to build another one for himself (he's had to buy it piecemeal for financial reasons).  I've lent him a book or two to assist in the process.

My plan it to use my current PC as a burning-only PC, and I'll unhook it from the internet.  I plan to take off every bit of software that isn't absolutely needed to burn stuff (to improve performance) and take it offline (to improve stability/safety from viruses-including any future hijinx by the RIAA! ).  Then I'll build a fairly stout, ultra quiet PC for gaming and cruising AC!  I'm kinda thinking either a Lian Li Silent Case (now in black) or an Antec 7500 BQE; whichever one I go with will be lined w/Dynamat or the equivalent, with a stealth power supply and fans.  I'll likely go with Seagate drives, as they're the quietest drives I've ever heard (or never heard!).

[Levi]

@15K rpm wide ultra3 SCSI HDD.  Not quiet but fast!  

Lian Li case pc-65.

[Rob Babcock]

OOOHHHH!  AAHHH!    That's a beauty, Levi.  I just love those Lian Li cases.

Curiously I noticed today that Best Buy has a pretty extensive line of Antec cases, including at least one or two Sonatas.  

If the bug bites bad enough, I may buy two cases; one to build a new PC and then transfer the guts from my HP into the other.  My HP is a surprisingly quiet case, too, for an off-the-shelf model.  I may dink around experimenting on damping and quieting the case, just to try some ideas out.

[Levi]

Hi Rob,

Thanks!  

I saw an Antec noise damping devices but they are made of foam.  Foam will work but in my experience, PCs tend to collect plenty of dust.  I currently use rubber gaskets on the fans and HDD mounting.  Still noisy.  I just try to ignore it for now.  

Levi

[Rob Babcock]

I can see how that could be true.  But the Antec cases also have rubber grommets in the drive bays for mounting and gaskets around the fans.  That should help a lot.  

Dynamat isn't foam, and its top layer is aluminum.  Bubba has used it to good effect quieting his Xbox, among other things.  It's probably worth a shot.

I don't need it to be dead-silent, but I do want to make it as quiet as is practical.  The Super Silent PC Yoshi built for The ScreenSavers has a muffler box on the rear to totally kill noise- that's overkill and impractical to me.  I want the thing to look basically like it's stock, from the outside at least.

[bubba966]

Dynamat isn't foam, and its top layer is aluminum.  Bubba has used it to good effect quieting his Xbox, among other things.  It's probably worth a shot.

Yup, works great for 'puters, Xbox's, DVDP's, etc. It's heavy stuff though, so it'll add a bit of weight to whatever you apply it to...

[rosconey]

wonder if nortech(norh) is shipping the fan less pc he(m barnes)  showed awhile back

[Rob Babcock]

Weight wouldn't be an issue for me unless it crushed my desk!

I thought the nOrh Silent Server looked cool, but DIY'ing would be cheaper.  Plus, who wants to order the nOrh and then wait for 18 months to recieve it?

[thomaspf]

Nortech is shipping but they are limited to the Via low power mini-itx boards.

Have a look at www.hushtechnologies.com  for a Pentium 4 fanless PC.

Cheers

    Thomas