My first build! (Pics and specs)

[pcrobot]

Hey all!

I finally finished building my first PC yesterday! W00t! :nerd:
I want to thank everybody here who helped me with selecting parts, and all my other noob questions...

I guess, for my first build, everything went along quite well...
I was handling everything very gently, and I grounded myself every 5 seconds.
I realized quickly that a cheap case can be a pain, esp. sizing. I was wanting to put in a floppy drive, but I ran out of room. I was surprised, the case didn't have any sharp edges, so I didn't put sweat and blood into it. Another thing I didn't really like, was my optical drive's 4-pin audo connector had to stretch tightly over my video card and wireless adapter. But, once I got everything into the case and connected, BIOS configuration, and the XP install, went smoothly.

What I learned from all this is: before you mount all your drives, check if the cables will fit! I probably wasted 30 mins unscrewing drives, because of cable limits. But, all-in-all it was a fun and exciting experience, and already, I can't wait to do it again!

Click here for pics!

The specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 939
MSI K8N Neo4-F mobo
1GB (512MB x2) Corsair XMS
eVGA 6600GT 128MB PCI-E
Sumbean 450W PSU
Spire Blackfin V case
Windows XP Home
40GB Western Digital HDD (this, and the optical drive, I already had.)
52x CD Burner/DVD Combo drive

Enjoy the pics, and feel free to post constructive criticism...

 

[McHopsky]

Looks good! Congrats on your first build. My first build was a disaster... I realized that my MOBO didnt support IDE hard drives and so much more. One thing I would suggest is fix up those cables! Theyre everywhere! Get some cable ties and tighten up the cables and maybe stuff them in a corner somewhere. Rounded IDE cables would be a good idea too. How many fans do you have? You will want to have an intake and an exhaust fan.

 

[beluga]

Nice nice, u should see mine... what a mess.... inside that is...

 

[Trifid]

Get rid of that ribbon IDE cable!

Congrats on first build, in the future you will see that grounding isn't that important, I ground my self before I start and that is fine (I also build on a carpet floor.)

I don't think you need that audio cable, as my cd drives audio works fine w/o it.

In a month or two, sort out the cables with a tidy kit, and rounded IDE cables, and while you are there consider an all copper heatsink.

My pc is really tidy inside.

 

[Camden]

Congrats!

 

[newcement]

Cool. Your system is a lot like mine...except for the vid card.

 

[pcrobot]

Get rid of that ribbon IDE cable!

Congrats on first build, in the future you will see that grounding isn't that important, I ground my self before I start and that is fine (I also build on a carpet floor.)

I don't think you need that audio cable, as my cd drives audio works fine w/o it.

In a month or two, sort out the cables with a tidy kit, and rounded IDE cables, and while you are there consider an all copper heatsink.

My pc is really tidy inside.

The only reason I have the ribbon IDE cable is because my HDD is and IDE drive, instead of SATA. (an upcoming upgrade) Thanks for the tip about the CD audio cable... it's too tight for my liking anyway.

And, yes, I'll be tidying up the cables as well along the way. :nerd:

My case only has 1 fan. (80mm) Should I replace the CPU air duct with another fan?

 

[BiGyLiLuPdAmIdL]

I like your gaming area, it looks good wiht everything around it but the only thig is that crt look kinda funky it dont match but that can be replaced later on. Nice rig good job and congrats.

 

[pcrobot]

I like your gaming area, it looks good wiht everything around it but the only thig is that crt look kinda funky it dont match but that can be replaced later on. Nice rig good job and congrats.

Yeah, the CRT will go fairly soon...

 

[cyrax]

Nice rig! I like your case. Simply, and black. V nice.

Where do you put your legs when your using you computer. I always find that if a desk has anything underneath it is a real pain to work at. And I also hope that that vent that one of your desk legs is sitting on doesn't give way, if it does, there goes your CRT flying into your lap.