Are these parts compatible? I'm looking to upgrade my 6 year old system.. I want to know if they are compatible so I can order them! Case Newegg.com - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply Motherboard (I believe has sound card integrated?) Newegg.com - MSI H67MA-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard Processor Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500 RAM Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Ultra Stable Desktop Memory Model CMX4GM2A1333C8 Hard Drive Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive DVD burner Newegg.com - LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - CD / DVD Burners Graphics Card Newegg.com - MSI R5450-MD1GD3H/LP Radeon HD 5450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card If there is any part missing please let me know! I use a wireless adapter, so I don't think I will need a network card or anything.. Thanks!
Technically that is a complete computer right there, and a decent one too. You will need an OS, though; if you're going with legal Windows you'll want to take that cost into consideration. (Cheap if you're a student) But here are some things I would consider adding if I were building it myself: Arctic Silver 5, or IC Diamond thermal interface material (keeps your CPU a couple degrees cooler than whatever shit comes with the processor) Aftermarket heatsink (keeps your CPU another couple degrees cooler and takes the noise level from a jet engine down to a single-prop plane) Noctua case fans (these will actually push less air but I hate loud computers and these things run very quietly) Corsair power supply (the one with the case is probably just fine and dandy, but you know me and noise levels. It will also probably be more power-efficient) Also I'm not sure what your budget is, but consider going up to a 7200 RPM hard drive (improve performance) and 8 GB of memory (4 is the minimum I recommend for a modern PC).
I am upgrading my current system, which already has windows 7 on it, so I am just switching the OS. I'm also considering making the switch to open-source OS, Ubuntu. Can't wait to junk this piece of crap. What I would probably do, is keep the side of it open, and always have a fan blowing in it. My room is cool too, so I don't think heat will be much of a problem. As long as all those parts create a computer, I'm good for now! I just need to get my main parts in then I will upgrade once it's in working order. I have plenty of extra muffin fans, also. Thanks man! edit: I looked into the arctic silver 5, you need to have a heat sink to use it correct? Or would it still lower the temp without a heat sink? And I would like to get a heat sink too, pretty cheap. Which one would you recommend? And haha, my computer right now has 1.5 GB of RAM!!
Here is my revised list. Case Newegg.com - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply Motherboard (I believe has sound card integrated?) Newegg.com - MSI H67MA-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard Processor Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500 RAM Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX8GM2A1333C9 Hard Drive Newegg.com - HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 (0F13180) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive DVD burner Newegg.com - LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - CD / DVD Burners Graphics Card Newegg.com - MSI R5450-MD1GD3H/LP Radeon HD 5450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Video Card do you think this PC will have trouble staying cool?
No need for this, just close it up and let the case fans do their thing. It will be much cooler that way. Having a proper air path makes all the difference. Cool air in, hot air out (versus cool air in, then wherever the fuck the hot air wants to go, which causes turbulence and stagnant hot air pockets). Well the CPU itself requires a heatsink; it will cook itself to death pretty quickly without one. It will come with one that keeps it at an acceptable temperature. Although frequently it will have a thermal pad on the bottom (which you would have to remove and clean off with rubbing alcohol before using the Arctic Silver). But to answer your question directly, nope the Arctic Silver 5 would not cool anything on its own. All it does is improve the conduction of heat from the CPU to the heatsink by filling microscopic air gaps. Technically anything that is more thermally conductive than air, without being electrically conductive, could be used. Here is a great heatsink/fan (HSF): $60 Newegg.com - Thermalright U120eXtrem1366RT R-C 120mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler Well hence the upgrade! But of course another 4GB of RAM will be incredibly easy to add at any time down the road if you change your mind, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Thanks for your expertise Feanor! Do you think with only those parts (second list), that the computer will have trouble staying cool? Keep in mind that I will most definitely use the 3.7 ghz turbo boost on the computer. I have tried to upgrade the ram in my computer. The ram slots are inconveniently located under everything making it virtually impossible to insert them correct. I spent hours trying to fit them in and ended up giving up.
Nah no worries about heat with that setup. Really the component that causes extreme heat is an extreme video card, but even then it's usually fine. Something to do as a best practice, though, is any time you install a new computer component, monitor the temperatures with a free program like SpeedFan (or something provided by the manufacturer). Make sure they are well within operating temperature range for a week or two and then you can forget about it.
Dude! I was trying to see if I had any more ram to install on my desktop, after I figured out that I had no more 1gb sticks, I put all the normal ones back in, and the computer won't start up! I think the motherboard fried or something.. I was grounded but maybe the flashlight messed it up? Oh well, about time I used my laptop to work, it works way better than that piece of crap desktop anyways.. Intel i5 3.0 ghz , 4 gb ram, and an intel HD graphics card. Anyways, thanks again for your help!
^ well that doesn't make a lot of sense. make sure everythings hooked up, or swap out the ram, but u should be able to boot the thing even with bad memory. I am disappointed in ur choice of video card. if you're playing any decent games ur gonna wanna spend $80+. if ur not...whatever. Whats ur total price now?
Yeah I know. I am still using my laptop and the desktop is rotting in the closet. I am actually 100% sure it is the motherboard. The power supply is getting power and everything. The motherboard is the thing that isn't showing power. I took the main pieces out to see if I could see anything wrong, but the results were inconclusive. What graphics card would you reccomend? It sure beats the hell out of my Radeon x1300 I have now. Also beats the hell out of the Intel HD graphics card this laptop is using. Also, I mean that I read that static electricity can fry your motherboard instantly, I was maybe thinking it was the flashlight I used to try and put in the RAM sticks? Either way, I lost some valuable data to me until I get my new computer to transfer the files off the hard drive. Is there a way to hook it up to the laptop?