Point me in the right direction...

[liquidboss]

Hey guys... first post here but I've been reading and reviewing info for a few months now.

My current PC is getting old and I have been wanting to build a new one for a while. I have been waiting for SLI and now that it is out I am anxious to get started but I am a little lacking in codfidence. I had an experienced friend help me with the last build 3 years ago, and although I remember it being pretty straightforward I would like some resource to gauge how much I remember. Mostly I am concered about anything that may have changed since my last build and problems that may be specific to the new SLI boards. Info on setting up RAID would be great too.

 

[mechBgon]

You may have seen my photo guide, and most of the core concepts apply to any ATX system build. For an SLI rig, be aware that the A8N SLI and most likely all other SLI boards will be built for 24-pin ATX power supplies, not the 20-pin ATX that we're all used to now. You will also need two pizzas during the building process for a rig that nice

On the topic of power supplies, you probably saw the big debates flyin' around in General Hardware about SLI and power, but if not, I can dredge up links for you. Some say get a top-notch 400W PSU, some say get an "overkill" PSU, but everyone agrees it should be quality. Personally, depending on how crazy I wanted to go, I'd consider one of the Enermax units in the 485W+ range probably. Anyone else, feel free to contradict me

Also, the Resources page of that guide is something I've worked pretty hard on due to the increase in worms and other under-the-surface exploits that will make mincemeat of a new, "raw" WindowsXP SP1 installation in as little as a minute or two, depending how unlucky you are. Having the firewall up before connecting is the most urgent need, but there's a lot more you can do to minimize your exposure too.

RAID, check section 5 of the Asus mobo manuals, they cover it. You can download the manual to scope it out in advance Hope that's some help and welcome to the Forums

 

[liquidboss]

Nice guide, that's pretty much what I was interested in. Thanks...

 

[helpmeout]

Mechbgon-- I'm glad you mentioned the Asus manual, it gives me an opportunity to post this. When I built my new computer in October, I couldn't decide between the Asus P4P800-E Deluxe and the Abit IS7 motherboards. I ended up getting the Abit, and never could get SATA working (didn't try RAID). I bought a cheap SATA PCI card to see if I could get it working, and didn't. Had to fight with that mobo in order to get the hard drive recognized at all by Windows. So, I ordered the Asus mobo and installed it yesterday. It has a very good manual. Default settings on the mobo are SATA ready- just hook up the SATA hard drive and go to it. It's great, even has a BIOS a guy can make sense of. So, I made a $100 mistake.. Always good to have an extra mobo lying around though, I guess (LOL).

 

[mechBgon]

Aieee, those Abit P4 boards and their SATA setup... :someone just shoot me now, please! . Yeah, if SATA is going to take over, we need it to not take a miracle to get it to set up Windows and boot from a single SATA drive. It's made more complicated by the fact that the SATA controllers practically all have an alter-ego RAID mode that changes the rules (ok, if it's in RAID mode, then you need a driver floppy, but otherwise... ).

*hugs SCSI drive & controller, these are my friends*