Hello guys. I'm looking to try to setup a system together. I have not put an entire system together but I feel confident enough that I can do it and have opened and played around with enough computers now so..... here's what I've got.

2 cases, one which is the larger one (quite big actually) is the one I'm going to use to build the system.

325 watt power supply
extra 200 watt power supply (from the other computer)
Internal speaker
A huge fan
Floppy and CD-DRIVE
Another smaller fan
3DFX pci graphics card, unknown type
NEW working 10/100 PCI ethernet card
PCI SCSI controller w/cable
3 SCSI hard drives (9.1 Gig, 10,000 RPM)
A RAM stick, unknown type
A bunch of extra graphics cards, AGP and something else, I'm not sure


I assume and hope all of this stuff works. So in that case I have a couple questions...

I ideally want the system to run Debian Linux.

1. CD and Floppy cables are pretty standard right? If I get a decent motherboard I should be able to just plug em in right?

2. What else will I need?
Motherboard, CPU, and RAM? The machine will be a server so I don't need a fancy video card or sound card. Anybody have any suggestions? I don't wanna go all out and spend tons of money but I don't want a junky system... I checked out pricewatch and newegg but there's still a lot to choose from... Maybe one of those AMD 64 cpus? I hear AMD is a little cheaper than Pentiums....

3. How will I mount the motherboard? The case is large so I guess I could just cut through and screw it right onto the side...

Thanks a bunch for the help!

Here is my checklist for components when building a system:[list=1][*]Case (actual case and power supply)[*]Motherboard[*]Processor[*]RAM[*]Video Card[*]Hard Drive[*]CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive (or burner) [somewhat optional][*]Floppy drive [somewhat optional][*]Sound Card [optional][*]Network Card (modem/ethernet) [optional][/list=1]

Now, your questions:
1. Yes, floppy drive cables are standard. IDE cables are standard (assuming IDE for the CD-ROM). SCSI cables are standard, but SCSI cables come in two widths (narrow and wide). You will need to know what width your SCSI controller is as well as the hard drives (they may be different). A wide controller can handle narrow drives, but a narrow controller cannot handle wide drives (as far as I know).

2. From the list, you have items 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10.
Mandatory components:
Motherboard and Processor

Optional components:
Soundcard.

3. Motherboards (when bought retail) will come with mounting hardware. Motherboards also have a form factor. I've been "out of the game" for a little while, but the last form factor I encountered was ATX. That form factor simply describes where the mounting hardware goes. An ATX motherboard will always mount cleanly with an ATX case. I would strongly suggest against physically modifying your case to force the motherboard to mount (e.g. driving your own screw holes). The motherboard must be electrically isolated from the case. If not, you will run the risk of creating a short. A short can have any of a number of effects, such as preventing the computer from POST'ing, damaging connected components (processor, cards, etc), and damaging the motherboard itself (either killing it outright or damaging sub-systems like on-board video/sound/LAN/USB/disk controllers).

Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to bring up another potential "gotcha"... You really need to identify your RAM. The "big three" components in a computer are the motherboard, processor and RAM. A motherboard will only accept a specific geometry for processor (good old forms like slot 1, socket 470, and others) and a specific speed range. That's not so big a problem in this case (unless you're going to buy used components). A motherboard also expects a certain type of RAM. It might be easier just to chunk the RAM and look for a bare bones motherboard combo on Pricewatch or some similar site. You should be able to find a number of vendors that will sell you a motherboard, processor, and RAM bundled together.

I am putting a comp together too. Only have the case so far. Here is a good link for howtos
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

and a good link on parts, good mobo bundles and resonable prices
http://www.tigerdirect.com/

luck

The RAM is:

-128MB PC133 SDRAM

pretty old, and useless...

The SCSI is:

-wide ultra2

that's good...



When you say that it has to be isolated so that there is no electrical damage... what material would be good in order to mount the motherboard in a case that is not the right form?

Is there any benefit to getting a motherboard with a built in SCSI controller? Any speed difference?

I will check and see what kind of case designs I have.

Thanks for the links and help!

Not necessarily. If you are looking to pick up some cheap parts, you could probably find a motherboard that supports PC133. They are getting fewer though...

There probably won't be any speed difference for an on-board SCSI controller. The only difference might be that newer motherboards could give you an Ultra3 controller (or it might be called Ultra 160; a little fuzzy on that). The thing is, unless your drives are Ultra3-capable, then it won't matter; the controller would throttle down to whatever they support. The benefit could be that you could later upgrade and see higher transfer speeds by replacing your drives.

Anything non-conductive (non-metal) is ok, but still, I would suggest getting a case that doesn't require modification. Chances are good that you have an ATX form factor case; ATX has been around for years. If you're still fishing for a method to custom fit a board to a case, then most motherboard mounting kits come with "spacers". These spacers are made of plastic or are long screws. If screws are used, they will include non-conducting washers to put on either side of the motherboard where the scre fits. There should not be a continuous path of touching metal between the motherboard and the back of the case.

"325 watt power supply"

You might be pushing the limit of your power supply. Most components draw their maximum power when the machine is first turned on. So add up the maximum power draw of all of your components and if it is less than 325 watts then you should be OK. If the total maximum total power draw exceeds 325 watts then you may have to rig up a way to power up your machine in stages.

___________________________________
Be prepared. Create a LifeBoat CD.
http://users.rcn.com/srstites/LifeBo...home.page.html

Steve Stites

Yeah, I can always hook up the other 200watt power supply if I have to. Didn't have time to check out the cases today, I will try tomorrow.

either on amazon.com or your local "used" book store you can find plenty of books on assembling your own pc...

sounds like fun though!

isn't Linux fun!

- perry

Well, I guess I only have one case that I can use. The other one is not a full case and is missing the sides... so I have a Compaq AP500 workstation case. I searched the internet but I could not find the case type. Be it ATX or other. It's a rather unusual design though, the PCI slot and so on is a separate board that actually comes off with this metal support piece attached an plugs directly into the motherboard. Obviously it will be coming out and replaced but still, an odd design.

Here are two pictures I took...

http://abyss.hostrocket.com/images/compaq2.jpg
http://abyss.hostrocket.com/images/compaq3.jpg

I may have to take the route of securing the motherboard with plastic/non metal screws like was mentioned. Thanks for the help!

Anyone had any experience with these?

http://www.ecsusa.com/

A friend told me they were cheap and reliable.

thanks, looks like i'm buying a new computer...

sweet!!!

can you imagine that machine with slackware 10.0 running on it....!

- perry