Questions tagged [computer-building]
For questions regarding the assembly of computers from individual components and problems you might face.
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Does a power supply draw its rated watts all the time?
I'm really confused when it comes to power supplies. I'm looking at a 650 Watt, bronze rated power supply.
Does this mean that it is constantly drawing 650 Watts? Or is that how many it pulls in an ...
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My Computer hangs for a few minutes just after startup, and then is fine
So I just built myself a reasonably beefy computer, and I installed Windows 7 on it. However, I start the machine up each morning and within a few minutes, the computer will semi hang.
That is the ...
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Slot load DVD burner options for standard desktop case
I need a new DVD burner (internal) for my father-in-law's computer. He's apparently broken the current one - he forgot to push the tray back in after doing something and hit it with his chair.
Given ...
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Custom PC build suspended on wall: how to properly ground the PSU and the Motherboard?
When building a custom case for a computer that will be mounted on the wall, hanging, suspended are there any special considerations for the PSU or grounding?
Assumption 1 – I assume the MB will need ...
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Should I use plastic/insulating washers when attaching a motherboard to the case? [duplicate]
I'm screwing in a motherboard, around the screw holes in the motherboard there is a white painted circle and inside that circle are what look like eight pieces of solder.
Do I need to put plastic/...
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AMD vs Intel. What is the real difference? [closed]
I am prepared for this question to be closed. If that happens...so be it.
I am not looking to start a flame war as I have a real question that I have researched and not found any satisfactory answer ...
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Thermal Paste - does it cool the heatsink more with time?
It is said that it takes 200 hours for thermal paste to actually apply itself and truly do the job...
If this is the case, does it mean that my machine will gradually get cooler and cooler, the ...
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How does a USB external graphics card work?
I am interested in extending my multi-monitor setup, but I was wondering if anyone could shed a light on how external USB graphics cards work?
I have extensively searched but have not found an answer,...
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Which Hard Drive Configuration on a new Computer?
I'm planning to buy new computer, but suddenly I found myself confusing regarding hard drives. I want a FAST AND SECURE way to store my data, but at the same time cost effective. This is going to be ...
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Internal/External SATA drive for backup - 5900 RPM OK?
I'm building a new computer over the summer. I'm fairly competent in computer hardware, and am thus building the computer from scratch. I have everything planned out, but I was wondering about a ...
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Intel Rapid Storage / Smart Response SSD caching issue
Background
Recently built my own PC. It works! Almost.
It's been a while since getting into the guts of these things, so I'm familiar but may be missing something simple.
FYI, I don't care about ...
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compatibility with modern motherboards? (ATX 12V vs EPS 12V)
I have the Seasonic S12-600 in my current PC, which I'm thinking of upgrading from its ageing s939 Athlon CPU to a Core i5-based system.
My question is whether or not my PSU is compatible with modern ...
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ESD considerations of an open-air/wood and plexiglas case
I am going to build a computer soon, and instead of buying a pre-built case I am planning to build my own case; either closed and built with wood and plexiglas, or open and built with just wood.
My ...
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Why are there so few computer cases that put the PSU at the front? [closed]
I am going to buy a new computer but I am having difficulty choosing the right case.
It will be put in a place similar to this one:
where the back is closed, making the PSU not suitable to be placed ...
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System beeps continuously if both RAM sticks inserted
I have two sticks of OCZ 2GB PC2 9600 RAM. When I attempt to boot with both sticks inserted, I am met with a continuous string of system beeps (and no bootup). The system boots fine when only one ...
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For a Custom-Build Desktop, Is It Necessary to Purchase Additional Fans?
I'm going to build a custom-desktop from the parts I am going to buy. If I remember correctly, I think that the parts itself include fans that will cool off the system. (CPU has a heatsink + fan?, ...
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What type are the screw needed to fix PCI boards?
I miss screws to fix a PCI board in my PC, however I can't find out what type of screw it is. Any hints?
Charles
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Is buying 3 cheap graphics cards better than a single high end card?
I am thinking of building my own desktop computer, and I was wondering whether buying 2 or 3 low end graphics cards and running them in SLI would be faster than buying 1 high end graphics card.
If ...
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Case fan connectors
I've built around 5 systems in my entire life. I've attached every chassis fan (case fan) on the 4-pin MOLEX connector ever since.
I've noticed that there is a 3-pin connector there, but assumed that ...
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Where can I connect this USB 3.0 cord?
My motherboard has 2 USB 3.o slots in the back, where the usual slots go, but the tower also supports 1 or 2 USB 3.0 ports in the front, above the DVD drive. So, there is a cord coming out of those ...
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Steps when installing a new processor
I have a substantial amount of experience in IT as a software developer. I'm used to getting my hands dirty with the internals of PCs and have replaced almost every component therein. However, I ...
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How can I determine whether a given SSD and motherboard are compatible?
How can I determine whether a given SSD and motherboard are compatible?
For example, I have an OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX50G 2.5" 50GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive and a GIGABYTE GA-H67A-...
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Getting new computer case. How to remove COA label
I am getting a new Case for my custom build but I already put the COA sticker on the side of my old case. Does anyone have any recommendations how to remove it without destroying it?
I thought about ...
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How do I know which hardware components are compatible when building a computer?
I am trying to setup my own new computer. I haven't done this before and hence needed guidance from all here.
I can google out the results for steps to follow for setting up my machine, but I do not ...
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What could cause slow SSD performance?
I recently upgraded my Windows XP (!) computer to a single Crucial M4 SSD. The system is running very fast and without problem, but running HD Tune Pro (and CrystalDisk) revealed that sequential read ...
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Returning a laptop with a SSD, what measures should I take to clean the drive?
I read this lifehacker article with regards to easily recoverable data on SSD post-formatting.
What do you guys recommend?
Edit: Returning for a sale return. Sorry should of included that originally....
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Can I use a 3 Gbit/s SATA hard drive with a 6 Gbit/s SATA port?
As you may have heard, Intel identified an issue with the P67 chipset in a recent press release which caused a loss of data over time with the 3 Gbit/s SATA ports. I recently built a Sandy Bridge ...
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Can I use old thermal paste?
I have some Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste from about 2 years ago.
It looks ok, but I want to know if it's still ok to use. Does thermal paste 'go bad'? It's been in a drawer away from light.
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Picking a linux compatible motherboard
Last time I bought a new computer (I build them myself) I got a motherboard that had really poor linux support for a long time. Specifically the audio. I had to wait months before the kernel supported ...
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What motherboard can support dual RTX 4090 GPUs? [closed]
I am trying to build a deep learning PC using the following parts:
2x MSI Suprim X RTX 4090 graphic card
1x Intel core i9 14900K CPU
4x 48GB DDR5 RAM (most likely G.Skill or Corsair @ 5600MT~6000MT)
...
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Missing screw holes in Seagate 8 TB hard drive
The screw holes on 8 TB Seagate hard drives look like this (upper half. The lower half is a “normal” hard drive):
The hard drive trays of my case only provide holes for the front and middle screw ...
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Do high-end video cards consume more power during regular PC usage?
For things like coding and web browsing, does a high-end GPU (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti) consume more power than a low/mid-range GPU (NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT)?
The reason I ask is because the 9800 ...
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New computer crashing
I've just built a new computer and it crashes occasionally - it just switches off and then restarts and I'm not sure about the best way to diagnose the problem. All the components are seated nicely ...
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Building a machine: can I flash BIOS without a processor?
My media server is giving up the ghost after a few good years and I'm prepping to build a new one. I'm looking at the Shuttle SN78SH7 barebones box with a AMD Phenom II processor. Compatible sockets, ...
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How do I tell which components survived after a power supply failure?
A couple days ago I booted up Left 4 Dead, but then heard a pop and my computer turned off. It smelled like dead electronics so I unplugged the computer. I figured it was a power supply failure, so I ...
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Preferred bearing type for a CPU fan
I've been doing some research into my first computer build and have come to a cross-roads when choosing my CPU fan.
I have been told of various bearing types such as ball, sleeve, rifle, magnetic and ...
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What is this cord called and how can I extend it?
I built a server recently, and the only hitch was that one of the cords running from my case to the motherboard was only just long enough. It is under strain, pulling at the connection point and ...
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Term used for a motherboard without integrated audio or video
I'm trying to look for motherboards without any bells and whistles (audio and video) in order to build an Audio Production workstation.
Is there any special keyword I can use in my research that would ...
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Does the weight of the CPU heat sinks effect the motherboard or cpu in the long run?
I've been following this article (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1498-page1.html). I'm new to most of it.
I assume it is not an issue because Scythe Mugen is highly rated...I'm wondering how a ...
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PCIe Video Card has a connector on top
I have an 8500GT XFX 512MB Video card(like the picture) and I noticed that it had an interesting looking connector at the top of it. At first I didn't really take it into much though, until the other ...
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If I combine a PCIe x16 graphics card and a PCIe x4 hardware RAID, does the graphics card get 16 lanes?
I'm planning to install a graphics card which can utilise 16 PCIe lanes and a RAID controller which supports PCIe x4.
The Ivy Bridge CPUs are all specified as supporting either one x16 or two x8 ...
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Crackling sound when closing 1155 socket
I am fairly new to assembling PCs but this time I decided to assemble it all by myself.
I'm trying to install my CPU in socket 1155 on my Asus motherboard and while I'm closing the socket, there is a ...
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How to build my own single-board computer?
For fun, I would like to build my own single-board computer which I can later program. I know there are already many development kits out there, sold by companies such as Altera and Xilinx, but I want ...
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How much power supply does a typical PC build need? [duplicate]
I am building a system for a friend. The potential specs are like this so far:
ASUS A8N-VM motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.0 GHz
Any 7200RPM SATA HDD
Palit GeForce 8800GT 512MB GDDR3 PCIe
One DVD/...
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Does it matter where I plug my power buttons and LED's into my motherboard?
I found the System Panel Header, now I just need to plug em' in.
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Are there any computers that could fit inside a standard North American power outlet box?
I would like to be able to put a computer in the wall. With decent-performing boards as small as the Raspberry Pi, has anyone ever attempted to put one inside of a power box? If so, which ones and how ...
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Adding Wake on LAN (WOL) to a custom built computer
I built my computer a few years ago, before I new about WOL. I want to get that feature now, but I don't know which part I need to get that feature. What should I get to add that functionality to my ...
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How do I attain safe temperatures for my new i7-2600 non-k?
I'm apparently having some cooling problems.
I recently moved from a Core 2 Quad Q6600 on a P5K with 4GB and a Asus ATI 5770 running Windows XPsp2 Pro, to an i7-2600 non-k on a P8P67 (latest BIOS) ...
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Using front panel jacks with a sound card
I have a relatively modern computer system, in which I have installed an ancient PCI sound card which I recovered from a defunct system. Despite being over ten years old, the sound card is still ...
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Is building a computer chassis out of pure LEGO dangerous?
I have been looking and reading about creating a computer chassi out of pure LEGO parts (Ive seen a bunch of cool projects on the web that has done that), but then I stumbled upon this Reddit thread:
...
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