Building a new computer!

[Lee1]

I decided to just build a new computer just keeping my current AMD Athlon II X2 (AM3), two DDR2 DIMMs, 320 GB HDD and optical drive.

The new components I'm ordering are:

Case

Motherboard (says AM2+, but apprently supports my AM3 as well)

Power Supply

Extra fan for the front

9800GT GPU (Going to sell my RMAed 9600GT)

Could someone take a detailed look at the specs of the case, mobo, psu and gpu and tell me everything will work? For instance, does the power supply I'm ordering have all the cables needed for these components? Do I need to order extra cables and such?

Thank you so much in advance.

[Marsden 1st MRB]

how much you want for your old gpu so i can save up to buy it off ya?

[Ford 1st MRB]

Looks like it all works together. I'm curious as to why you are sticking with the smaller layout.

Is space an issue or money?

Both are understandable, just not something I'm used to seeing.

This case is going to swallow everything you are putting in it. You might even be able to sit in it while you are building it, so heat should no longer be a concern.

Looks good man.

[Lee1]

Certainly the money... I don't want to spend too much an a new motherboard because my current one is only about a year old.

Laughing at your comment about me sitting inside the case

[Lee1]

Last couple more questions before I click the purchase button,

Is my current CPU heatsink/fan that was on top of AM3 going to fit on that AM3 compatible motherboard? (is AM3 considered a type of CPU heatsink/Fan)

Do I need to buy some of that paste thingy that needs to be applied between the CPU and the heatsink?

Do I need to buy some screws?

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it. Wouldn't even have thought of doing this without your help.

[Lee1]

and also, would I be able to just plug in the CPU and hard drive on the new motherboard and boot up normally? My Windows 7 came with my current computer. I've got a system recovery disc from Futureshop but I don't have the Windows 7 CD...

[Dillon 1st MRB]

A couple of things:

AM2+ is the most flexible socket ever. It will allow you to put AM2 or AM3 socketed chips into it. The really cool part of this, is that those chipes have an on-board memory controller. AM2 can do DDR2 RAM only while the AM3 can do DDR3 and DDR2. Any AM2 or AM3 cpu can drop right into an am2+ motherboard.

A 9800GT is a rather old card. It is essentially a re-badged 8800GT without the die-shrink of the 9800GTX+. However the price is pretty good and it will play DODS very well. Do you play any newer games? Do you want to? It will be a good card up to a point, but you will be over your head with it on some games. I'll post up a chart I've been working on (if I can figure out how to make good, quality scatterplots) that gives what value you get for your dollar.

If you had the money, I'd try to get into a card like this: VisionTex Radeon 4850

I had this card, and its a very solid card. A 4850 is the best card for around $100 right now. (that is the canadianprice, too)

Here is a pretty good review that compares the 4850 and the 9800GT. Pay attention to what the resolution of your monitor is, and buy whatever works for you. However, the 4850 has the longer legs for higher resolutions.

Also, do a price comparison with Newegg.ca. You may get better deals there.

[Lee1]

So I found out that since my current machine has OEM windows 7 installed, once I change my motherboard, this windows 7 will NOT be transfered. But that's not a problem because I have another fresh OEM windows 7 CD lying around.

But my question is this:

If I reuse my HDD and CPU, and boot up on my new motherboard, and have the NEW OEM windows 7 CD inserted into the optical drive, will it ask me to format the HDD while installing the Windows 7? Or do I need to format the HDD before moving it to the new motherboard?

I feel like I could open up a small corner computer shop after going through this (just kidding)

[Ford 1st MRB]

When you boot up for the first time, just have the disc in the drive, select boot from CD, follow the prompts and blah blah blah... I would just reformat the drive when it asks and start fresh.

[Lee1]

Perfect, thanks Ford and Dillon. I'll post on here once I get finished with it. Just ordered everything tonight, will be here by next weekend.

[Jasko]

You may not want that eagle power supply. If you read some of the reviews they have bad product control and aren't built to last, which is probably why it's 20 dollars.

[Lee1]

You may not want that eagle power supply. If you read some of the reviews they have bad product control and aren't built to last, which is probably why it's 20 dollars.

Yeah, I ordered a different one cause I read more bad reviews. Thanks Jasko.