Building My Own Pc. What Do I Need To Know?

Ok i am looking to build my own PC

i have a cpu in mind xeon e5-2430l for £30 (only because its cheap and is a mid range cpu with 6 cores)

Do i need softare for a CPU as i would for a mother board?

when i am settled on a cpu i would guess i would look at the locket type for a motherboard?

i have a 500 watt psu, should i be careful of compatibility between the psu and motherboard?

I assume i would download software for motherboard from manufacturer.

i have 5 old cases, a number of ram ranging from 512-2gb sticks. a 670 GPU. i can use my existing HDD i assume with win 10 and just slot it in?

if all are compatible and fit. i assume i would somehow install bios onto motherboard or is this already done when bought?

working out best sequence of software to install is an area i am unsure yet.

any help on what i am missing, not thought of or conflicts to imagine would be greatly appreciated to be made aware of please before i buy anything

thank you

 

There's a whole bunch of red flags in your post.

Generally, I find it easier to pick the motherboard I want first, based on the CPU "family" I want to mount on it. Then I look in the QVLs (qualified vendors lists) for compatible RAM and CPUs. You need to buy a CPU from the list to ensure compatibility but there are too many RAM makers and models for motherboard makers to test them all. So you should buy RAM with the same specifications as listed RAM. Motherboard makers maintain those QVLs on the motherboard's web page.

If you are set on that Xeon CPU, that's fine, but you must make sure the motherboard you select supports it. Then and only then can you determine which RAM that board supports. To start, the RAM MUST be the right type. You cannot use DDR3 in a DDR4 board, for example. It won't physically fit without excessive force which surely will permanently damage the RAM slot and probably the RAM too.

You don't need software for the CPU. That will be in the Chipset/BIOS firmware maintained by the board maker. And yes, you download the latest version of that from the motherboard's webpage.

Most, if not all Xeon processors do not come with their own coolers.

Assuming that PSU is an ATX compliant PSU, compatibility with the ATX motherboard and ATX case will not be a problem. That's what ATX ensures. However, depending on the model and quality of that PSU, the CPU, amount of RAM, number of fans, drives, and the tasks you will be performing, etc. 500W may not be powerful enough for when the system is heavily tasked. According to this review for that graphics card, the recommended minimum supply is 450W.

Power is not something you should try to cut corners on in the budget. Everything inside your case depends on good, clean, stable power. If that is a quality, 80 PLUS certified 500W supply from a reputable maker, you probably are okay. But if an off-brand PSU that is not 80 PLUS certified , I would go for a new supply too. And while at it, probably something closer to 600W for a little more wiggle room and quieter operation. In any case, I generally recommend sizing your PSU after you have selected all your other components to make sure you get one large enough to support your components, and provide a little growing room should you decided to upgrade or add hardware a year or two down the road. I like EVGA and Seasonic power supplies, at least Bronze certified, though I generally go for Gold.

If your current Windows 10 license is an OEM license (as the vast majority are) you cannot "legally" use it in this new computer. New computers require their own licenses. Will it work? Probably. But that does not make it right to use it. So if it is not a full "retail" license, I recommend budgeting an extra $100 for a new W10 license too. It will be good for as long as you own this new computer even after many upgrades - as long as you use that same motherboard. New motherboards constitute new computers. Alternatively, there are many fully capable and free versions of Linux.

New motherboards typically support USB 3.x. Old cases typically support only USB 2.0. This may or may not be a problem if you plan on using USB 3.x devices via the case's front panel ports. Old cases also don't always provide good cooling options.

Back to your RAM, "IF" your current RAM is compatible (and I would not count on that) you said the biggest is 2GB. Most motherboards have 2 - 4 RAM slots. Windows loves lots of RAM. While technically it will work with 4G total, the minimum I recommend is 8GB. That said, I typically put in 16GB. That way I know in 3 or 4 years, I will still have enough without having to worry about finding something compatible.

Plus, with lots of RAM, Windows won't have to bang on the hard drive for high priority data in the Page File near as often. It will be able to keep more of the high priority data in RAM for much faster access.

And if me, I would also go with SSDs.

 

Sticky anyone?

Sometimes I miss :majorsmilie. Where is that cigar chomper when you need him?

 

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/smoke/smiley.gif

 

Thank you for the very detailed and well thought post.

I went for a lazy option, thus and bought a refurb for £150. It is a HP Compaq Elite PC Quad Core i7 2600 3.4ghz. HDMI Windows 10, wifi, 500GB SATA HDD.

I knew i would have to upgrade PSU to use my GTX 660, but didnt know until after purchase that to use a decent GPU it needs a special power adapter due to it being a HP elite model. does not use standard 24 pin.
So i have one on order to go with a 650 watt i have.
When it arrives how do i check what type of RAM it has, although i assume it will be DDR3 perhaps? I understand then only other ddr3 will work on motherboard? I plan to upgrade to 16gb

One thing i want to do is add my existing 500gb HDD from my current desktop into the i7 2600. So that it then has 2 x 500gb HDD.

As win 10 is pre installed on the i7 2600 and i was using win 10 on previous machine where i intend to remove my 500GB HDD from. will there be any issue just connecting up the previous 500gb hdd into the i7 2600? will i have any issues running my steam games from the HDD that i was using?

The OS is installed on the HDD i think so will that mean that the i7 2600 will have 2 versions of win 10? will they conflict?

Thank you for your help.

 

Not if connected as a secondary drive.

 

Once Steam is installed, 'Add Library Folder' and browse to your 'old' folder, like
How do I change the default installation path for my games?

 

Thank you

anything else i might find unexpectedly

 

Thank you i was thinking about what to do.

i am also thinking about the option of my kids using the steam games i have when i pass on my old desktop and add a new HDD. I would assume after installing steam on theirs that the games all need to be downloaded on their desktop also. However will steam allow my games to be played on 2 different desktops? I read that it would if I am offline. but not sure what that means. i just access steam and then play my games, all on single player (total war franchise). So need to look into what options we have for them to also use my steam account. Or do they need a separate account?

Thank you

 

A separate account would be the best though most expensive option.

Family Library Sharing might be a useful option to begin with.

 

Thank you

Ive had to send back the PC i bought on Ebay, i would prefer a system where i do not need to make such PSU changes and require a chinese built connector to see if it would work. I think it will just pose to many future issues.

just need to find a decent i7 2600or better with decent atx PSU with 500hdd or better. that way i just insert 1 extra HDD and GPU. back to ebay it is.

Thank you

 

are there certain brands i should stay away from?

I know now compaq Elite is one to stay away from.

is there a compare tool for brand type such as optiplex, precision etc and what each can and wont do or what each are good for? I do not want to fall into the trap again of a motherboard or psu issue preventing me from having a standard desktop that can use a decent GPU and PSU.

thank you

 

I am confused. The title of your thread is about you building your own PC. Now you are talking about buying a PC. What exactly do you want to do?

 

....that way i just insert 1 extra HDD and GPU....

Thank you[/QUOTE]


The safest and less challenging course of action. Possible with a little guidance and input from experienced.

 

Sorry

Yes it moved on and i didnt want to pollute the forum with another thread.
buying is preferred now it would seem.

I have an option of a good i7 desktop but unsure if i can figure out if a dell "n875e-00" (765 watt) is compatible with a ga-h81m-ds2v motherboard. the https://www.pc-specs.com/mobo/GigaByte/Gigabyte_GA-H81M-DS2V_(rev._1.0)/2826/Compatible_PSUs
does not list the PSU as being compatible. Anyone know the best way to see if it is compatible without connecting t up?

Thank you

 

Well, if you have a multi-meter, you could verify with the 24-pin connector by comparing it to this. Or you could use a PSU Tester.

 

Thank you. I dont have the MB or PSU to hand they are with another person who thinks they might be compatible. As they think it could be possible to replace the current psu on the desktop with this motherboard for the N875e-00 PSU. of course we both want to be sure before i buy. it is a i7-4790 zootstorm. never heard of that brand before so no idea if its a good one.

Thank you again

 

It's Zoostorm (not zoot).

 

I'm going to go with "bottom line" here.

Please reiterate the purpose of this PC. General browsing and bill-paying or gaming, etc.

 

gaming. hence why i have a hungry GTX 670. i want to get a used i7, 2-3-4 gen. Ebay does 2600 for £150, and 4770 goes for around £200. but most i see are "Elite" or Optiplex which i have found out to stay away from.

Getting a better rig allows me to pass my current desktop on to my kids so they can play my old games plus steam games.

Currently i have a AMD phenom II x4 965 but it only sees 8gb of my 16 in it. It was a custom built one 9 years ago passed on to me after death of an uncle. Its a huge tower with a digital readout at top of fans speed and temp. Some sort of lockable drive that can also be slipped out from front and removed. as well as 3 other HDD drives inside. 1 x bluray 3 other DVD drives. plus a mixture of other format drives. If i recall it has 7 fans inside. 10 x usb. The way the PSU is connected to everything inside looks as though a lot of effort went into making sure it was connected to everything. Bit of a mess tbh to the point i dont dare take out the psu as i wont know where each bit goes if i want to pit it back. I am expecting the PSU to be at least 875w. It originally game connected to some heavy duty battery things to prevent power cuts affecting the computer.

I already have 16gb ram to fit and the gpu. So need an i7 with a decent PSU or a i7 MB that will allow a decent PSU upgrade that will allow for my GPU and extra HDD.

As i cannot seem to find what a brand model is typically used for and what it prevents upgrades of, I have had to ask an assortment of questions here to you gurus.

Thank you

 

If it's gaming you want, try this search in the ebay PC Desktops and All-in-ones section:

"Gaming -HP -Dell -Acer -Lenovo"

or you can pick your processor and do the same, such as:

"4770k -HP -Dell -Acer -Lenovo"

Leave off the quotes with the search o/c. Look for something lightly used and a seller with a high a excellent feedback score...

I have a bunch of these HP PCs here, and they are great for what they do, but the real gaming fun is in aftermarket built systems...