[thechat] Building a computer

[Garrett Coakley]

On Fri, 7 Sep 2001 18:00:37 +0100, "Kevin Stevens" <kjs at ratking.co.uk>
wrote:


> 1. Am I kidding myself that I am competent enough to build a computer,
> i.e. is it a lot harder than it looks?

Feh! If you can grok Lego Technics (you did play with lego.. right? *:)
then putting a machine together is a piece of the proverbial.


> 2. What would be a fairly good graphics card to go with my selections?
> I'm not a huge games fan, but would like something that is half decent
> but not too expensive.

I've always been impressed with ATI stuff, but I'm not a fountain of
knowledge when it comes to graphic cards

> 3. Have I missed out anything serious?
> 4. Any tips about potential pitfalls would be greatly appreciated.

Garretts rules for a home build

* Remember to touch something that's earthed before handling the memory
(water pipes are a good bet).

* Work at a table, don't put the components on the floor, even for a
second. You *will* step on them.

* BIOS error beeps are your friend: http://www.sysopt.com/biosbmc.html
(may differ with diff mobos)

* It's perfectly natural to have bits left over at the end. Think of
them as an investment in your next machine.

Some good stuff on http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm right up until
step 27 *:)

HTH

G.

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WORK: http://spiked.co.uk/
PLAY: http://polytechnic.co.uk/