Computer dilemma

[FR4NOx]

Hello, long time no see.

So, I've gotten myself an AMD FX-6300, a new hard drive, and an ASRock N68C-GS FX motherboard. I bought these to repair/upgrade my old Pentium machine, hopefully reusing some older parts.

Well, that didn't work out.

With

everything (Click to View)

FX-6300
1TB WD 64mb 7200rpm hard drive
GT 240
ASRock board
generic DVD drive
4GB DDR2 800 ram

installed, I broke the AMD heatsink and the computer would start but not POST. I tried removing the graphics card and troubleshooted it. I contacted ASRock, but I haven't heard from them, and I can't return it because my dad bought it in November and I've just received it from him.

It also lit my SD card drive on fire.

This was tested first with a Thermaltake 600w PSU (didn't work ) and then with a taiwanese branded 245w PSU, which worked (figures).

Then, I realized my processor wasn't compatible with the BIOS, so I install a Sempron 145 and troubleshoot it again.

Nothing.

So, I go to Microcenter and get a Biostar A880GZ motherboard and 8GB of Crucial Ballistix ram and a Hyper 212+ cooler (was on sale) and spend 3 hours putting everything together. My problem here is that I don't have a home for my front panel cable. It doesn't fit the designated front panel plug thing, but it fits the serial port. What the hell?

Is there any way I can make this work? I'm not getting a new case (this is an emachines et1831-03 case) because I'm too cheap to get a new CD drive (it wont come out of it) and because I'm too cheap for a quality case. I'd rather just sell everything on ebay and buy something from xoticpc.

Thanks in advance!

[Tommer]

I stopped reading at the part where the card-reader caught fire.

Listen I don't mean to patronize you but if your PC caught fire under your own hands then I seriously don't think you're ready to build another PC. The cheap crappy taiwanese PSU would work because it's well.. cheap. It generally wont or have very terrible short-circuit/overload protection and won't detect if something is wrong, it will also last several years less and when the PSU goes there's a good chance it will take your whole setup with it in a bang. If the decent PSU didn't work it means there is something wrong with your PC setup.

You'd run into less expense, less fire hazards to buy pre-owned or pay a little extra for a custom-made ready built which might look more expensive but when you value your time, safety and peace of mind at more than £5 an hour not so much.

[FR4NOx]

Fair enough, everybody who says building a PC is easy can choke on their next meal.

[Johan.]

Well, to be honest, Kenwood, it is easy.

[[TC]»Pete«]

It is pretty easy to build your own PC. That said, if you don't read up on how to do it, it's going to be difficult isn't it.

[Savy]

Even Mikee could build his own pc (kinda)

[Johan.]

He might need the sheep to guide him though.

[[TC]►Leon◄]

I can´t build one, which is why I get techy people I know to do it. That way I know it will work and if it doesn´t, I can yell at them.

[ChrisM]

(2013-03-03 21:43)Leon Wrote:  I can´t build one, which is why I get techy people I know to do it. That way I know it will work and if it doesn´t, I can yell at them.

I quite like how your mind works, sometimes.

[Dan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkykETgkoo

Best tutorial for building computer I have EVER watched.

Thank me later.

[Russ773]

Wow he rattles on a bit...even his dog got bored and walked out! ...Just kidding!

Quite a handy insight in to making or piecing together your own machine. Like others, I've always wanted to 'make my own' but my knowledge is limited so I'll stick with shop bought machines and tinker with them at will.

Nice find!

He's also done a gaming PC

Part 1 - here
Part 2 - here
Part 3 - here
Part 3B - here

[[TC] Stephen]

I've made about 3 or 4 pcs now and I y s all been trial and error. I haveny really had any issues with them that I couldn't fix. Apart from my first one where I forgot the mobo standoffs, you can probably guess what I had to do after that

[Johan.]

You got yourself a mobile fireplace huh..

[[TC] Stephen]

Had a quick search and the 6300 is compatible withe motherboard, but you need to update the BIOS (if not already). Why doesn't the PSU work? what is it doing? was it working previously?

How did you 'break' the heat sink? its kinda hard to do, it's a piece of metal..

As for the sd reader allegedly catching fire, did you ground yourself to the case or some other metal/rubber(?) surface while you were connecting anything, static electricity will pretty much destroy any chips or electronics that you touch and when you start the pc you'll see a nice cloud of smoke coming from whatever it was.

And Johan, I was lucky to get a brand new one I just said that it smoked up and they said return it for another one, they probably didn't even look at it xD