Building a new home computer

You can mix and match whatever hard drives you want. They're controlled and accessed completely separately.

As far as testing for bad parts, it depends on what happens when you try to boot. No power? Probably PSU. No POST/BIOS? Probably motherboard.... boot with just one stick of RAM if you suspect a problem there.

Ahhh makes sense, process of elimination.

Still cant decide on the case Q.Q
 
In general, you cannot put the old HDD (w/ old OS) into new hardware and expect it to work. So either backup your data beforehand or (re)install the OS on a different HDD, then transfer the data over.
 
OH MY GOD THATS WHAT IVE BEEN ASKING.

After much thought, I think the rosewill blackbone case will be fine. What are your guys' thoughts?

It's fine. It's a case.

Cases don't really have too much performance impact. Especially not for the type of machine you're building.

With a high-end gaming PC you might care about getting a case that was optimized to keep the system cool, but meh. Many people I know don't even bother with that.
 
It's fine. It's a case.

Cases don't really have too much performance impact. Especially not for the type of machine you're building.

With a high-end gaming PC you might care about getting a case that was optimized to keep the system cool, but meh. Many people I know don't even bother with that.

Alright alright.

Still need a solution for transferring data. The old computer is dead, I cant retrieve any information via that.
 
^ Build your new PC .. with a new hard drive (adds $50 to your build). Install Windows on your new PC. Then, put the old hard drive into the new PC (make sure the BIOS settings will make the PC boot from the new hard drive). Once you have booted into windows, you should be able to browse the old hard drive and transfer documents/photos/music etc to the new hard drive (cut and paste). Once you have transfered all the data .... delete the partitions on the old hard drive and reformat it (via: control panel-> administrative tools -> computer management -> disk management). You'll then have an extra hard drive for storage.

Oh, and as for your build. Get a Corsair power supply, not an Antec (I have had 3 Antecs blow up). Also, if I was getting a case for a microATX board, I would get a Fractal Design Define Mini.
 
It might be worth waiting for AMD's A8 CPUs. The onboard GPU results look pretty good.
 
^ Build your new PC .. with a new hard drive (adds $50 to your build). Install Windows on your new PC. Then, put the old hard drive into the new PC (make sure the BIOS settings will make the PC boot from the new hard drive). Once you have booted into windows, you should be able to browse the old hard drive and transfer documents/photos/music etc to the new hard drive (cut and paste). Once you have transfered all the data .... delete the partitions on the old hard drive and reformat it (via: control panel-> administrative tools -> computer management -> disk management). You'll then have an extra hard drive for storage.

Oh, and as for your build. Get a Corsair power supply, not an Antec (I have had 3 Antecs blow up). Also, if I was getting a case for a microATX board, I would get a Fractal Design Define Mini.

I added a HDD to the thread. So it is possible to just shove the old hard drive (with xp on it) into the new computer that has windows 7 on it (and a new hard drive) and just treat it like a flash drive? Didnt know that would work since the old drive has an OS on it.

As for that case, it looks totally sick but how would I order it? I would much prefer ordering everything from one vendor.

edit: How does this PSU look?http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
 
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It doesn't get treated as a flash drive, it gets treated as another hard drive, i.e. a permanent storage device with a drive letter under My Computer. But yes. Set up the new (Windows 7) computer, and add in the old hard drive later. The only catch is to make sure the computer boots from the new hard drive and doesn't try to boot the old (Windows XP) one. Once you've booted Windows 7, the old hard drive will be completely accessible, it will have all the Windows files and everything but what you're after is the personal data on it.

It's really not as complicated as it sounds, multiple hard drives is not unusual or something to worry about.
 
It doesn't get treated as a flash drive, it gets treated as another hard drive, i.e. a permanent storage device with a drive letter under My Computer. But yes. Set up the new (Windows 7) computer, and add in the old hard drive later. The only catch is to make sure the computer boots from the new hard drive and doesn't try to boot the old (Windows XP) one. Once you've booted Windows 7, the old hard drive will be completely accessible, it will have all the Windows files and everything but what you're after is the personal data on it.

It's really not as complicated as it sounds, multiple hard drives is not unusual or something to worry about.

Awesome, thats relieving to hear.
 
As for that case, it looks totally sick but how would I order it? I would much prefer ordering everything from one vendor.

edit: How does this PSU look?http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

Hmm. It seems Newegg don't stock Fractal Design. But NCIX do. I can't see that particular one listed there yet, but it may be worth giving them a call. They are available, because my favored supplier in Australia has them in stock already. I'm pretty sure it will be much cheaper in Canada.

That power supply looks fine. I would definitely go with Corsair over Antec. An Antec power supply destroyed my home theater PC .. it cooked everything except the hard drives and DVD burner ... then, over the following 12 months the other 2 PCs in the house failed .. again Antec power supplies.
 
Hmm. It seems Newegg don't stock Fractal Design. But NCIX do. I can't see that particular one listed there yet, but it may be worth giving them a call. They are available, because my favored supplier in Australia has them in stock already. I'm pretty sure it will be much cheaper in Canada.

That power supply looks fine. I would definitely go with Corsair over Antec. An Antec power supply destroyed my home theater PC .. it cooked everything except the hard drives and DVD burner ... then, over the following 12 months the other 2 PCs in the house failed .. again Antec power supplies.


Is it a good idea to be ordering from multiple sites? I wont be able to test parts until they all arrive and Im afraid of a really large time gap that will nullify some return policies.....

I've been thinking about that case, and I'm wondering if this computer really needs such an expensive power supply and case.

Since its not a demanding build, even on max load, how will a cheaper PSU/case combo cope? I really dont want any failures and having to deal with returning and stuff.

edit: That fractal case doesn't come with a PSU and is already more expensive than the rosewill so I dont understand why you would suggest it.
 
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You definitely don't need an expensive case, it's entirely a matter of convenience. Personally I'm fine with cheaping out as you won't (hopefully) be working inside the PC very often. On the PSU, there are calculators online that will give you a rough idea of what you need spec-wise, then add a bit for insurance/upgrades. But try to stick with known brands, PSU is one thing you don't want failing spectacularly.
 
You definitely don't need an expensive case, it's entirely a matter of convenience. Personally I'm fine with cheaping out as you won't (hopefully) be working inside the PC very often. On the PSU, there are calculators online that will give you a rough idea of what you need spec-wise, then add a bit for insurance/upgrades. But try to stick with known brands, PSU is one thing you don't want failing spectacularly.

So should I go with a case that has an include PSU? Any recommendations?
 
That's not quite what I meant. A good PSU is important, a good case isn't (on a budget PC like you're building). I'd stick with a decent PSU like you have, but get whatever cheap case looks halfway decent.

As with everything this is all opinion and preference, it won't be the end of the world either way. Also I'm used to American prices so maybe those already are cheap.
 
That's not quite what I meant. A good PSU is important, a good case isn't (on a budget PC like you're building). I'd stick with a decent PSU like you have, but get whatever cheap case looks halfway decent.

As with everything this is all opinion and preference, it won't be the end of the world either way. Also I'm used to American prices so maybe those already are cheap.

Ive decided to go with this. http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC3073

Ive switched all my orders over to direct canada since they have a few parts that are a buck or two cheaper and have free shipping.
 
Is it a good idea to be ordering from multiple sites? I wont be able to test parts until they all arrive and Im afraid of a really large time gap that will nullify some return policies.....

I've been thinking about that case, and I'm wondering if this computer really needs such an expensive power supply and case.

Since its not a demanding build, even on max load, how will a cheaper PSU/case combo cope? I really dont want any failures and having to deal with returning and stuff.

edit: That fractal case doesn't come with a PSU and is already more expensive than the rosewill so I dont understand why you would suggest it.

Unlike the CPU, motherboard, video cards, even RAM; a power supply and case are items that will not become obsolete as soon as you open them. You can use a power supply and case for years and over many upgrades. Never cut costs on the power supply, because when a poorly made one blows you loose more than just that component. As for the case, these things are rather large objects and can be difficult to hide (poorly designed ones are can also be noisy). Unless, the house is decorated in a faux medieval steam punk fashion, a simple neutral design is the best bet. Before you make a choice on a case, always look for pictures of it (other than those of the manufacturer) .. as they often look way worse in real life. As far as computer builds go, I would rather spend $700 on something I am going to be happy with, than $550 on something with weak components.
 
Unlike the CPU, motherboard, video cards, even RAM; a power supply and case are items that will not become obsolete as soon as you open them. You can use a power supply and case for years and over many upgrades. Never cut costs on the power supply, because when a poorly made one blows you loose more than just that component. As for the case, these things are rather large objects and can be difficult to hide (poorly designed ones are can also be noisy). Unless, the house is decorated in a faux medieval steam punk fashion, a simple neutral design is the best bet. Before you make a choice on a case, always look for pictures of it (other than those of the manufacturer) .. as they often look way worse in real life. As far as computer builds go, I would rather spend $700 on something I am going to be happy with, than $550 on something with weak components.

Did you read what this computer was going to be used for? =.="

I understand the importance of a good PSU, but are combo case/psu's that bad?
 
Case is a matter of personal preference. I will talk no more about it.

As for Case/PSU combos .. it depends. I have quickly checked and it seems that Coolermaster do not sell any 420 W PSUs separately, which doesn't give me confidence that the PSU in your case is any good.
 
Case is a matter of personal preference. I will talk no more about it.

As for Case/PSU combos .. it depends. I have quickly checked and it seems that Coolermaster do not sell any 420 W PSUs separately, which doesn't give me confidence that the PSU in your case is any good.

Meeep! Any good recommendations then?
 
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