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a few computer building questions?

Hi everybody,


Just started to have a look inside my computer to fix a few noisy fan problems and though for years I was afraid of touching anything inside it, now I'm beginning to realise that maybe a self build computer is not beyond me? I have a few questions,

1 having 2 optical drives in a computer with one set to master and the other set to slave is iit only one that you need to connect to a soundcard or audio port on motherboard? It looks like it on this computer.

2 my existing computer has 2 hard drives both connected with the same ide ribbon cable to motherbaord which has only 1 hard drive connection. There is space for a 3 hard drive. If I wanted to install a 3 hard drive can I get a ribbon with 4 connectors i.e 3 for hard drives one one for motherbaord?

3 are the led front tower for hard drive etc hard to hook up.

4 why is it that most modern motherbaords have so few pc1 slots? Is it just because most people now get usb gadgets that do the same thing,

many thanks :)

martin57

Comments

  • Hi
    1) Sound is delivered digitally now not by the audio cable you see, although a long, long time ago thats the way it worked to play music cd's but only on that drive, of course.

    2)Nope. One cable for two drives You need a further ribbon cable found in the motherboard box, PC kit.? The m/b needs to have a secondary IDE connector (black) OR have SATA connectors (red) for a new SATA hard drive.

    3) No, they should be connected already. Look on the m/b for a row of pins for this if this is not the case. Marked HDLED. See manual. Once connected if led does not light/flash fit connector the other way round.

    4) Cheaper, or most functions now built into m/b design and external cards not required, ie networking/modem/video/sound/USB&firewire..


    :beer:
  • 1 - There isn't a master and slave as such when it comes to optical drives they both run off one ide cable. You don't really have to connect optical drives to sound cards these days unless you still use the audio port and volume control on the drive buy most modern drives don't feature these.

    2. no 2 is the maximum you can connect on one IDE cable (one master, one slave) Most motherboards these days also have 4+ sata ports on the board as well as an IDE so if you are buying a new MB then you can connect your 2 existing drives plus 4+ sata drives (sata is the newer type of connection for hard drives which offers higher speeds and reliability, the cables are also a lot smaller)

    3. they can be fiddly it just depends on where the pins for them on the board but the board should have a diagram of what each pin is for or names of each pin

    4. I assume you mean PCI which is now pretty much dead as are AGP slots, they have largely been replaced with PCI-e slots which are much smaller and faster, they can handle graphics cards as well as the likes of modems etc.


    Edit: Beaten to it :(
  • fwor
    fwor Posts: 6,845 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Self-build is within the capabilities of most people that can use a screwdriver, IMO. But pre-built PCs are made in such big numbers that for most people I doubt that self-build will save much money.

    To add to other posts above:

    3. Depends on the mobo - they often have connectors specific to the board, so if you don't have the right wiring loom it may be a bit of bodging/soldering required.
  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    fwor wrote: »
    Self-build is within the capabilities of most people that can use a screwdriver, IMO. But pre-built PCs are made in such big numbers that for most people I doubt that self-build will save much money.

    Completely agree. I basically only really just upgrade bits at a time, but if I was to do a major upgrade or new build (which I may have to do soon, PC has too many legacy technologies) I think it'll be a lot cheaper buying it, even specifying the components I want, rather than build it. Used to be the other way around a few years ago.
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
  • martin57 wrote: »
    Hi everybody,


    Just started to have a look inside my computer to fix a few noisy fan problems and though for years I was afraid of touching anything inside it, now I'm beginning to realise that maybe a self build computer is not beyond me? I have a few questions,

    1 having 2 optical drives in a computer with one set to master and the other set to slave is iit only one that you need to connect to a soundcard or audio port on motherboard? It looks like it on this computer.

    2 my existing computer has 2 hard drives both connected with the same ide ribbon cable to motherbaord which has only 1 hard drive connection. There is space for a 3 hard drive. If I wanted to install a 3 hard drive can I get a ribbon with 4 connectors i.e 3 for hard drives one one for motherbaord?

    3 are the led front tower for hard drive etc hard to hook up.

    4 why is it that most modern motherbaords have so few pc1 slots? Is it just because most people now get usb gadgets that do the same thing,

    many thanks :)

    martin57


    follow 'totalsolution'
  • CHR15
    CHR15 Posts: 5,193 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I agree with that too. EDIT: Didn't see Topmatches pointless reply above mine!

    Take this example:

    HP dx2250 - MT ATHLON 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz 2GB 250GB DVD-RW VISTA HOME BASIC

    http://www.pcwb.com/catalogue/item/HPPC1194

    Cost is £233.83 but there is £50 cashback so it will cost £183.83


    Now try and knock up a similar system using Ebuyer, one of the cheapest suppliers for components.

    You will struggle to get it below £230 not including any OS.


    All the fun has been taken out of it now :(

    As Supescaper said, it is only worth upgrading a bit at a time. After a couple of years the PC is like a broom thats had two new heads and three new handles.
  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    CHR15 wrote: »
    After a couple of years the PC is like a broom thats had two new heads and three new handles.

    Classic Trigger (Only Fools...)
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
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