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First ever build, would like some advice!


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#1
jetpac

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Hello everybody! I'm trying to put together my first build, so I've picked out some parts on newegg, and I was wondering if everything looked ok (compatibility of parts, things I may have missed, etc).

Newegg wishlist

The plan for the machine is to be a media center that sometimes acts as a private minecraft server for me and a few friends running Ubuntu.

Thanks in advance!

Edited by jetpac, 17 May 2011 - 08:50 PM.

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#2
Digerati

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It looks good to me. I don't see a monitor, however.
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#3
jetpac

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Yeah, I ordered a VGA-to-RCA adapter off of eBay so I could connect it to my TV.
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#4
Digerati

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Yeah, I ordered a VGA-to-RCA adapter off of eBay so I could connect it to my TV.

Well, don't expect the best quality, or highest resolutions, but hopefully it will work.
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#5
Spyderturbo007

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There seems to be a math issue with your wish list. For some reason, it says that the wrist strap is $6.99 and with the $2.00 discount, the total cost is $9.98? That's not right. Also, if you click on the link for the wrist strap, it says the price is actually $4.99, not $6.99.

I'm confused. :)

I have the same case it's not a bad case. Although, be prepared to do your own cable management. Here is the review that I wrote for NewEgg which might help.

Pros: The case is well built and painted on the inside which I like. They include a carriage for installation of a 2.5" drive which is nice. Tool less drive installation and awesome airflow.

It's a good looking case as far as I'm concerned.

Cons: I do have a couple complaints though. As others mentioned, the cable management is terrible. There is also no standby light on the case, which is annoying.

My biggest complaint is that the fan at the top and the front use standard molex connections without the yellow sensor wire. So there is no way to plug them into any of the 4 Fan headers on my motherboard. That means that there is no way to control fan speed. It just makes for a loud case.


I also have the same video card and here is the review for that component.

Pros: I slapped this in a rig I built for encoding video so I didn't need anything fancy. I'm not a PC gamer so I don't run benchmarks or care about FPS.

It goes great with my Acer S231 and is HDCP compliant, so iTunes no longer blocks me from downloading HD movies.

Has a WEI of 6.4 in my system if that helps. Oh, and it looks pretty cool with the color scheme they chose. :unsure:


Edited by Spyderturbo007, 03 June 2011 - 06:25 AM.

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#6
Digerati

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The case is well built and painted on the inside which I like.

Painted on the inside? I don't like that at all! It may look nice but the primary method to discharge static in our bodies to prevent ESD damage to sensitive devices (CPUs, memory modules, etc.) is to touch "bare" metal of the case interior before reaching in. Paint would act as an electrical insulator and NOT good when conduction is what you want.

Are you sure it is paint, and not anodized?
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#7
jetpac

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well the parts are ordered, so hopefully the case won't be an issue. As far as the wrist straps, the price is $10 because I'm getting two of them. It's the same as the RAM, quantity is 2.
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#8
Spyderturbo007

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Honestly, I'm not sure if it's painted or anodized.
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#9
Digerati

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Well, you may need to dig around inside and find bare metal to touch. Perhaps the PSU, or drive cage, though a part of the case itself would be better, instead of something attached to the case. If anodized, that is probably okay. But a wrist strap would be a good idea, and you will need to find a spot where you can make the teeth of the clip dig in (scratch) a bit to make a good mechanical connection.

A tempting spot might be a motherboard screw - but that would be a bad idea as the idea is to remove any static in your body BEFORE you get near the motherboard.

You need to inspect the interior for dust and fan operation monthly, and clean as necessary. So next time in there, I would sort it out. A static discharge so tiny it is below the threshold of human awareness is more than enough to totally destroy a CPU, memory module or other ESD sensitive device. So it is important to find a spot you can put you and the computer "at the same potential". I can't imagine any chassis maker for electronics equipment painting the interior of the chassis, except maybe for corrosion control. But that cost money so it is not normally done for products expected to be housed indoors with people. And in those situations where it might be exposed to harsher normal environment there typically are clearly marked ground points to tie on to.
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