First build, any comments?

[Grind Penitence]

This will be my first ever build, so any comments and suggestions would be welcomed, perhaps some good luck monkeys as well.

CASE: COOLER MASTER Praetorian Black ALUMINUM MID-TOWER CASE, Model "PAC-T01-EK" -RETAIL
PSU: Fortron 530W Power Supply, Model "FSP530-60GNA" -RETAIL
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512k L2 Cache, The Only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor - Retail
MOBO: SOLTEK "SL-K8AN2E-GR" NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL
MEMORY: OCZ Enhanced Latency Serices 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
VIDEO CARD: eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "256-A8-N344-AX" -RETAIL
HARD DRIVE: SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model SP1213C, OEM Drive Only
CD/DVD Drive: Lite-On Black 52X32X52X16 Combo Drive, Model SOHC-5232K BLACK, Retail
FLOPPY DRIVE: Samsung Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model SFD321B/LBL1, OEM Drive Only
MODEM:
Zonet V.92 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem, Model ZFM5620-CF - Retail
KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Microsoft Black Multimedia Keyboard & Wheel Mouse Optical Bundle PS/2 102keys -OEM
SPEAKERS: Creative SBS330 2.1 Speaker -OEM

Total: $1216.47

The system will generally be used for gaming and other basic stuff. I don't plan to overclock but might in the future. I also plan to pick up another 512MB stick of memory later, had to sacrifice one along with a kidney for the Gefore 6800 GT. I didn't get a DVD burner because I don't see myself needing it. So any compatibility issues, will I need anything else?

Also, one question, I've read up on how static electricity, ESD I believe, may damage your components and I've read various ways to resolve the issue, such as just touching the unpainted part of the case every ten minutes or so, any definitive solution to this? Or can I do just that, because it seems the easiest. Anyway, thanks for any feedback.

[John Prophet]

Ive never had any issues with static...usually if you just keep a hand touching the unpainted part of the case you are good..so touch the case when you are toching the ram etc....try not to touch the metal contacts of the ram of vid card or pci cards or the back of the motherboard etc

[BattleToad]

All I got is:
1. Modem...you actually still use a dial up connection? Your mobo has onboard lan.

2. Go with a better speaker set, your mobo has onboard 6 channel sound. Go with the Logitech Z640's, you can get them for 37.99 and you'll have quality surround sound instead of crappy 2.1 channel.

3. I've havent used a floppy drive in like a year.

Other than that, looks good. As for static, the best advice I can give you is if your ordering in chunks, piece here piece there, then dont open any static sensitive parts (ie mobo, video card, etc.) till you get everything there and are ready to build. Good luck though, and welcome to TechIMO.

[Grind Penitence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BattleToad

All I got is:
1. Modem...you actually still use a dial up connection? Your mobo has onboard lan.

2. Go with a better speaker set, your mobo has onboard 6 channel sound. Go with the Logitech Z640's, you can get them for 37.99 and you'll have quality surround sound instead of crappy 2.1 channel.

3. I've havent used a floppy drive in like a year.

Other than that, looks good. As for static, the best advice I can give you is if your ordering in chunks, piece here piece there, then dont open any static sensitive parts (ie mobo, video card, etc.) till you get everything there and are ready to build. Good luck though, and welcome to TechIMO.

Still on dial-up. That's why there's no need for a DVD burner, can't download porn and whatnot. I heard floppy drives were needed to install sata drivers for the hard drive, but it's not going to hurt with it costing less than ten dollars.

[John Prophet]

hard drives are nice for bios flashes also and for using norton ghost etc

[phenious]

yes, keep your floppy if you have sata drives or you want to use RAID.... or you wanna flash your bios....Good build though

phen

[The Real Bingo]

A floppy drive will be needed for SATA hard drives - you need to install the MOBO drivers. It can't hurt to spend a few bucks for a valuable floppy drive.

[TechKnickle]

You can prevent ESD damage by wearing an anti-static wriststrap. You can get one for like $5.00 at Best Buy or Radio Shack. The thing with ESD is that you wont ever completely wipe out a component, but it will much more likely become unstable and lock your system if there was an ESD episode.

[washe]

Just dont make your build on a carpet floor, this will reduce the risk of ESD.

I havent got any ocurrences with ESD but It can happen, you just need to be grounded properly, a anti-static wriststrp will do it....

remove any jewelery too.

[The Real Bingo]

Heh, I put mine together on carpet. Blue carpet. Maybe it's the color that made it work.