Some "DUH" questions?????

[Xantipis]

About every 3-4 years I get the urge, and money, to assemble a new machine
and spend
weeks cramming-up on current technology which I haven't bothered to keep
up with in the previous years.

So here are some of my DUH questions.

1. PCI has now become PCI-e, so what kind of modem do you get IF the MB
has no PCI slot? I can't seem to find an internal PCI-e modem. I only use my
modem now for Faxing and would like to continue.
2.What are rules of thumb for specing out a power supply?
3.My techno-speak is limited and the following paragraph,from a motherboard
mfg's site, leads me to
ask this question. Where does one get the information to adjust from the
JEDEC norms?

"Due to the High Performance Memory design, motherboards or system
configurations may or may not operate smoothly at the JEDEC (Joint Electron
Device Engineering Council) standard settings (BIOS Default on the
motherboard) such as DDR2 voltage, memory speeds and memory timing. Please
confirm and adjust your memory setting in the BIOS accordingly for better
system stability. "

Thanks for any and all answers.
Xan

 

[S. Smith]

About every 3-4 years I get the urge, and money, to assemble a new machine
and spend
weeks cramming-up on current technology which I haven't bothered to keep
up with in the previous years.

So here are some of my DUH questions.

1. PCI has now become PCI-e, so what kind of modem do you get IF the MB
has no PCI slot? I can't seem to find an internal PCI-e modem. I only use my
modem now for Faxing and would like to continue.

Modem? You're still using a POTS phone modem?!?!? ;-)

My first suggestion is to invest in high speed DSL or cable Internet
access via an ethernet connection. It's just so much faster, reliable,
and easier, that modems are quickly becoming a relic from the past.

If that's simply not an option, then look into getting an external 56k
modem that uses a serial or USB port on the PC. If it's a newer
motherboard that no longer supports Serial or LPT connections
(getting pretty common these days), you can always use a USB
to serial connector, or just opt for a USB modem. You can buy a
decent used USB modem for around $20 these days.

http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-USB...9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1195852696&sr=8-9

2.What are rules of thumb for specing out a power supply?

If you are looking for a power supply that will stand the test of
time, provide ample power, and allow for future upgrades, stick
with the following rules of thumb.

1. Stick with a power supply that provides *AT LEAST* 500 watts...or
better, preferably.

2. Get one that has dual 12 volt rails, and make sure that at least
one of the rails provides 18-20 amps or better (required by many
of the next generation video cards).

3. Make sure that the power supply has a good cooling system. A good
one should have a couple of 120mm fans moving air through it
quickly and quietly.

4. Stick with brands that are reliable and trustworthy. In general I
try to stick with CoolerMaster, Antec, Thermaltake, etc. because
I have had good luck with them over the years.

5. Read the documentation for your motherboard and power supply
and install it right the FIRST time. I've heard too many tales of
people frying their new power supplies, or motherboards, because
they slapped everything in, but didn't make the right connections
on the boards with the power supply. An ounce of caution...

3.My techno-speak is limited and the following paragraph,from a motherboard
mfg's site, leads me to
ask this question. Where does one get the information to adjust from the
JEDEC norms?

"Due to the High Performance Memory design, motherboards or system
configurations may or may not operate smoothly at the JEDEC (Joint Electron
Device Engineering Council) standard settings (BIOS Default on the
motherboard) such as DDR2 voltage, memory speeds and memory timing. Please
confirm and adjust your memory setting in the BIOS accordingly for better
system stability. "

Here is a primer on explaining memory that should get you
started down the right path. It includes an entire section on
memory timings and latency that discuss the JEDEC
recommendations, among other things.

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=985

Generally, just follow the memory makers recommended timings
and set the BIOS timings accordingly. However, sometimes it's
not that easy, as some specific boards don't play nice with
some RAM chips and their recommended timings, for various
reasons.

Good luck!

---





- Scott Smith: (e-mail address removed)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/choppersmith

 

[S. Smith]

Modem? You're still using a POTS phone modem?!?!? ;-)

Sorry, I should have also offered another option for you,
free Internet fax servers, like FaxZero.

http://faxzero.com/

More info here:

http://www.savetz.com/fax/index.php





- Scott Smith: (e-mail address removed)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/choppersmith

 

[ftran999]

About every 3-4 years I get the urge, and money, to assemble a new machine
and spend
weeks cramming-up on current technology which I haven't bothered to keep
up with in the previous years.

So here are some of my DUH questions.

1. PCI has now become PCI-e, so what kind of modem do you get IF the MB
has no PCI slot? I can't seem to find an internal PCI-e modem. I only use
my modem now for Faxing and would like to continue.

Actually PCI-E has replaced AGP. You should still be able to find new
motherboards with PCI slots.

 

[Bill]

About every 3-4 years I get the urge, and money, to assemble a new machine
and spend
weeks cramming-up on current technology which I haven't bothered to keep
up with in the previous years.

So here are some of my DUH questions.

1. PCI has now become PCI-e,

No it hasn't.

so what kind of modem do you get IF the MB
has no PCI slot?

What motherboard have you found that has PCI-e and doesn't have PCI?
And why would you pick such a board if you need PCI slots? And did you
consider an external USB modem? Or an external serial port modem that
would connect to a PCI-e serial card?

I can't seem to find an internal PCI-e modem. I only use my
modem now for Faxing and would like to continue.
2.What are rules of thumb for specing out a power supply?

Figure out how much power you need, increase by 25% to cover future
upgrades.

3.My techno-speak is limited and the following paragraph,from a motherboard
mfg's site, leads me to
ask this question. Where does one get the information to adjust from the
JEDEC norms?

"Due to the High Performance Memory design, motherboards or system
configurations may or may not operate smoothly at the JEDEC (Joint Electron
Device Engineering Council) standard settings (BIOS Default on the
motherboard) such as DDR2 voltage, memory speeds and memory timing. Please
confirm and adjust your memory setting in the BIOS accordingly for better
system stability. "

You adjust the memory voltage in the bios. Just like it says above.
The motherboard manual should cover the settings.

Thanks for any and all answers.
Xan

Post the hardware you're thinking of using to build your new pc.
People will give you pointers. Vague posts garner vague answers.
Specific posts get specific answers.

Bill

 

[Xantipis]

They will help me a lot.
Xan

 

[SteveH]

Surprise surprise, there /are/ people that still /have/ to use dial up you
know.
Although the o/p didn't say of course that he uses dial up for anything
other than faxing.

SteveH

 

[S. Smith]

Surprise surprise, there /are/ people that still /have/ to use dial up you
know.

I know, and there probably always will be.

I know at my in-laws place in northern Wisconsin, they don't have
any other choice (except maybe satellite) and they are so far out that
there is a lot of line noise and frequent drops in bad weather.

Sad, but true.





- Scott Smith: (e-mail address removed)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/choppersmith