Joey's FIRST PC Build!!!!

One day... i decided i wanted to upgrade my computer's video card so i can play some of the upcoming new pc games. So after much research i bought the Nvidia e-geforce 8800gt 512mb graphics card......to my dissapointment i realized i would need a whole new power supply to power this puppy up. So I headed over to MicroCenter ... asked one employee told him that i currently have a Sony Vaio PC and he said that Sony computers manufactor their own pc parts. So I couldn't upgrade my power supply unless i bought it from sony. So that's when I decided I would just build a whole new computer for myself. And that's when the fun started... I went on Tiger-Direct and bought most of all my parts from there...

• My Shopping list
• The Case - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=A107-3016
• My Mother-Board =) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=E145-2012
• 1000 watt psu http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=ULT40064 ;
  
• Intel Quad CPU 2.44ghz - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=CP2-DUO-Q6600
• Cooling fan - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=S457-1035
• Memory RAM - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=O261-8038
• *Hard Drive and CD-Roms I just transfered over
  

Overall cost me a little less than $900 in parts. But checking a build through AlienWare with the EXACT same specs it would of cost OVER $2500!!! To me this is a HOT Deal! And who doesn't like hot deals. The following week I got a nice BIG box in the mail!

Opening this baby was like christmass morning for a 8 year old to me!!! The case came in a separate box. Everything I ordered and needed for a new pc was here! So I started to unbundle everything a giddy grin on my face.
I was really impressed by all the packaging alone... the pretty colors of the boxes. I tried to stick to a theme... and the theme was... black and blue everything... and stuck with the brand name Nvidia for pretty much everything.

The case came with no instruction manual... but after installing everything I realized you could just go on the Apevia website and download the pdf. manual. Which helped after getting confused about a wire or two.

So after unpacking everything I went straight to work!


I have a friend who works for con edison and he hooked it up with some rubber gloves and a rubber mat they use when they work with extremely high voltage... i just used it to ground my self so i wouldn't give any static electricity to the motherboard or anything to screw it up. I suggest you ground yourself as well before working with a motherboard. Grabbing onto a metal piece of any sort really works as well.

I started of course with the motherboard and installing the CPU I had an intel quad 2.4 ghz ... installing the CPU is pretty simple... just follow lift the hatch place teh CPU in like a jigsaw puzzle and lock it in. Closing the hatch I had to use a little force and it kind of freaked me out that it held on that tight.... but I'm typing this blog on the pc now... so i guess i did it correctly =) AMD CPU's are probably a bit diffrent but all in all should be the same. Just follow the instructions.
The Processor did not come with a fan so I had to buy one seperately ( I bought everything separately so I did not mind at all =) After it was in placed I lined up the fan's screws to the wholes and just... you guessed it... screwed it in! Simple right!? RIGHT!
After admiring my work so far... I contimnued to go ahead and just install the memory cards in place since it's easier to do so with the motherboard out of the case. You want to do everything you can on the motherboard out of the case... makes it much much more convenient!

These are probably the coolest looking memory i've ever seen! Very sleek! I've installed memory before, so this was just a breeze.... probably one of the easiest things to do!

Done! In a matter of seconds! This PC building aint so bad! It's actually kinda fun! WoOT! Next is the main reason for this whole experience...

The 8800GT 512mb Video Card! Placing this thing in was a breeze! After that... I was almost ready to place the motherboard in the Case... But I first started to install the Power Supply in... There was a sale on a 1000watt power supply that I could not resist... unfortunatley this thing was huge and barely fit in my case... i had to remove my top fan for this big-boy to fit in! Thank god I it to fit in period. Make sure your case can fit a power supply or anything you might want to buy for it...BEFORE you buy it!


I then screwed in the spacers for the motherboard... my friend forgot the spacers between the motherboard and the case and he just screwed it in... after a week the mother board short circuit and it died. Very Important!

After Everything is where it's suppose to be I then started plugging the power supply to the motherboard and everything else that needed power and needed some sort of connection... this was probably the most time consuming, and hardest part throughout the whole building process
. After all and all was done... I was finally ready to give my baby life! I connected the power, my speakers, my dual 22" monitors, keyboard and of course mouse.... crossed my fingers and turned it on!!! ...............
......

...
.

NOTHING! SHIT WHAT WENT WRONG!? I got so aggravated and decided i was over tired and needed some rest... as i layed down... and looked over the motherboard manual... I forgot a certain plug to the motherboard!! Plugged it in.... turned it on.... "IT's ALIVE!!!!! IT'SSSSS ALIVE!!! MuHAHAHAAA"

TaDaaa!!!!


So yeah... the feeling you get when it's all said and done... and the ability to say 'you built it' when a friend comes over and says "hay cool computer" and you say "Thanks... I Built it myself".... PRICELESS! =)