[Steve Fallon]

is 16 gbs of ram over kill?

For most things yes. I prefer to have 16GB for video editing/rendering and RAMdisk usage. On average I only use around 5-6GB when in games.

[мistrєss]

Pretty sure that there is nothing you can do on a PC that would ever require more than 8GB, let alone 16GB.

If I'm wrong, which I usually am, I'd love to know what did take 16GB of RAM to do...

I would kill for 32 GB, but 8 GB sticks are just too expensive

Virtualization, baby! Have a virtualized AD and testing environment, and when running enough guests I could easily hit 16 GB ram usage. Multimedia editing and making RAMdisks would probably be more common ways of going over 16 GB of memory usage.

[Wanda Maximoff]

My current PC is from 2002, and it's obviously quite impossible to try and play any sort of game on it. This old thing can't even play 1080p videos without stuttering. So I figure it's time to get a new PC. A couple years ago, I was looking at desktop PCs on www.hp.com, but over time I grew to realize that pre-built Desktop PCs are usually overpriced, and you can get something very similar for a lot cheaper if you build it yourself.

The thing is, I have absolutely no idea where to start when it comes to building my own PC. When it comes to software and things like Operating Systems and networks, I am good to go. It's the hardware side of things where I am brand new. My budget for building a new PC is relatively between the range of $500-$800.

Where do I even begin? I've been looking at having somebody else build a custom PC for me. If that is a realistic option, what do you think about this site? http://www.ecollegepc.com/

Any help would be appreciated.

[chloe hampson]

My current PC is from 2002, and it's obviously quite impossible to try and play any sort of game on it. This old thing can't even play 1080p videos without stuttering. So I figure it's time to get a new PC. A couple years ago, I was looking at desktop PCs on www.hp.com, but over time I grew to realize that pre-built Desktop PCs are usually overpriced, and you can get something very similar for a lot cheaper if you build it yourself.

The thing is, I have absolutely no idea where to start when it comes to building my own PC. When it comes to software and things like Operating Systems and networks, I am good to go. It's the hardware side of things where I am brand new. My budget for building a new PC is relatively between the range of $500-$800.

Where do I even begin? I've been looking at having somebody else build a custom PC for me. If that is a realistic option, what do you think about this site? http://www.ecollegepc.com/

Any help would be appreciated.

There are plenty of links in the OP for videos on how to build your own PC. Check them out. As far as getting components, I'm more than willing to help. But best to stretch that budget more towards the $800 mark. In this case, building your own would be more beneficial....don't need to bother with custom boutique sites.

But what is needed other than the PC tower? Monitor, speakers, mouse, keyboard, Windows OS disc? All these can really affect the choices. Assuming none of those things are needed, either of these two combos are noteworthy

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166 (clicky)
CASE: Rosewill CHALLENGER
MOBO: MSI P67A-C43
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.755265
CASE: Rosewill CHALLENGER
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s


then get these....

DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908


The second combo is clearly the better choice but does go over the budget with the DVD and GPU still needed. So the first choice is still decent. If you need a new OS disc or any of the other stuff that's not in the tower, that will most certainly change things.

[Leonie Connor]

I think my power supply is failing. It's a Corsair TX750, I've owned it for about a year. Three times in the past few days the monitor will suddenly go to its no signal screen, GPU fan goes to 100%, power light switches to orange/standby and I have to shut down by holding the power button.

The first two times this happened the computer turned back on just fine. The third time it wouldn't come back on. I hit power, the fans and lights come on for a second, then die. That would just repeat over and over until I turned off the power supply. I tried several times, eventually when I hit power nothing happened.

I was ready to take it out. Had just unplugged my bluray/dvd drives and thought I'd try once more for the hell of it. It turned on just fine. I shut it down normally, waited a minute and turned it back on again.

After the first two times I thought it was my GPU, with the fan going crazy and no signal to my monitor. Then I was convinced it was the PSU failing when the computer wouldn't come back on. However, now that everything seems to be fine again I have no idea. Any help or suggestions would be appreicated.

Thanks.

[Dina Boudreau]

I'd had that problem with a PC a decade or so ago. No clue. I doubt it's the power supply, though. Sounds like something else is either overheating or preparing to die on you.

[james tait]

Hey. I just ordered an ssd for my computer to use as a boot drive and I am wondering if it is possible to take my current copy of windows and transfer it to the ssd so I do no need to dump 100 dollars on a new os. From minimal searching, it seems possible, but what methods do you recommend? Any personal preferences? I really would like to know because I am new to the ssd world.

[Lawrence Armijo]

Hey. I just ordered an ssd for my computer to use as a boot drive and I am wondering if it is possible to take my current copy of windows and transfer it to the ssd so I do no need to dump 100 dollars on a new os. From minimal searching, it seems possible, but what methods do you recommend? Any personal preferences? I really would like to know because I am new to the ssd world.

I assume you don't have a copy of Windows, because if you do then you should be able to simple reinstall Windows on the SSD. If you don't have a Windows disc then you could use Cloning software to make an image of your current O/S install and transfer it to the SSD. Cruical makes a transfer kit, but any cloning software will do.

Personally I would just reinstall Windows, if applicable.

[Amiee Kent]

I assume you don't have a copy of Windows, because if you do then you should be able to simple reinstall Windows on the SSD. If you don't have a Windows disc then you could use Cloning software to make an image of your current O/S install and transfer it to the SSD. Cruical makes a transfer kit, but any cloning software will do.

Personally I would just reinstall Windows, if applicable.

that is good to know. I heard i can just make a bootable image and run it on the drive, but is it guaranteed to work?

[Bird]

that is good to know. I heard i can just make a bootable image and run it on the drive, but is it guaranteed to work?

A clean install is usually better. Especially since you will want to switch the BIOS over to AHCI mode. (And if you do that after you have Windows installed it will blue screen constantly)

I use Clonezilla to make images of drives, free and it works well.

How big is the SSD? A couple things to remember when having an SSD, depending on how much RAM you have, disable hibernation and move the page file over to another drive.

With your current drive imaged over to the new SSD, you will need to use a Windows recovery disc to run the commands.

bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /fixmbr

Again, a clean install is definitely a better option.

[Jessica Nash]

-snip-

I cannot do a clean install.
It is 64 gigs.
Explain why I need a change the BIOS to AHCI mode though.

[Isabella X]

I cannot do a clean install.
It is 64 gigs.
Explain why I need a change the BIOS to AHCI mode though.

The BIOS is most likely still in IDE mode. AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) will allow better performance of the SSD. http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/Why-do-i-need-AHCI-with-a-SSD-Drive-Guide-Here-Crucial-AHCI-vs/td-p/57078

Also, cloning is much easier if your partitions are the same size. (Such as your current C:\ drive being less than 64GB)

[gemma king]

The BIOS is most likely still in IDE mode. AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) will allow better performance of the SSD. http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/Why-do-i-need-AHCI-with-a-SSD-Drive-Guide-Here-Crucial-AHCI-vs/td-p/57078

Also, cloning is much easier if your partitions are the same size. (Such as your current C:\ drive being less than 64GB)

AHCI is good thing to have even for standard HDDs, but if you don't enable it before installing Windows it is quite a headache to fix. if Windows is installed with the AHCI disabled or not loaded you'll need to boot into Windows (in IDE mode) and change the registry first. After enabling the driver via the registry you then change the BIOS setting.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

You also might want to use your chipset's AHCI drivers versus the default microsoft ones. For example I use AMD's AHCI drivers

[JLG]

I cannot do a clean install.

Why not? While image-based installs are great when you have a stock image, in any other situation, reinstalling Windows is better IMO.

Most computers shipped for the past couple of years have AHCI enabled by default, or at least that's been my experience.

As for your original question: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid+state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows

Do note step 4 is quite important, as otherwise your SSD can be seriously slowed down. I'd throw my vote for CloneZilla instead of EaseUS Partition Master, but that's my opinion. Otherwise the guide is good.

Still, why is reinstalling Windows not an option?

Lastly, 64 GB seems a bit small for a system drive. That's just shy of 60 GiB (Gibibytes, the real space available). I'm using 40 GiB of my 80 GiB Windows partition and only have 2 "games" installed.

[Roberta Obrien]

AHCI is good thing to have even for standard HDDs, but if you don't enable it before installing Windows it is quite a headache to fix. if Windows is installed with the AHCI disabled or not loaded you'll need to boot into Windows (in IDE mode) and change the registry first. After enabling the driver via the registry you then change the BIOS setting. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976 You also might want to use your chipset's AHCI drivers versus the default microsoft ones. For example I use AMD's AHCI drivers

People are saying that apparently AMD's drivers are worse than Microsoft's standard AHCI drivers. Is that true?

Why not? While image-based installs are great when you have a stock image, in any other situation, reinstalling Windows is better IMO. Most computers shipped for the past couple of years have AHCI enabled by default ... Otherwise the guide is good. Still, why is reinstalling Windows not an option? Lastly, 64 GB seems a bit small for a system drive. That's just shy of 60 GiB (Gibibytes, the real space available). I'm using 40 GiB of my 80 GiB Windows partition and only have 2 "games" installed.

It is only meant for an operating system, plus, i got a good deal on it.
I cannot do a fresh install because i do not have a rare item to me, called: "money". It is very hard for me to come by.
Apparently asus did not get the memo to use AHCI.

[Ilona Neumann]

I cannot do a fresh install because i do not have a rare item to me, called: "money". It is very hard for me to come by.

Since when did you need money to do a fresh install

If so, man, I've got some serious bills to pay

Steps:

1. Back up data on current drive

2. Install SSD

3. Stick Windows Install Disc/OEM recovery disc(s) in the drive

4. Alter boot order to boot from disc first

5. Install Windows to the SSD

6. Format old HDD

7. Restore all data to the HDD (except any system settings).

No money needed at any point. Cloning properly from HDD to SSD is too much of a hassle and afterwards you still aren't done. Windows 7 does installation optimizations and disables certain features when you install it to an SSD that you will have to manually do.

[A Dardzz]

People are saying that apparently AMD's drivers are worse than Microsoft's standard AHCI drivers. Is that true?

I don't know about that. At least AMD's drivers are updated occasionally. They do display (in the device manager) differently on the AMD drivers.

It is only meant for an operating system, plus, i got a good deal on it.
I cannot do a fresh install because i do not have a rare item to me, called: "money". It is very hard for me to come by.
Apparently asus did not get the memo to use AHCI.

Devices default to IDE/legacy mode to ensure compatibility.

[michael flanigan]

Since when did you need money to do a fresh install

If so, man, I've got some serious bills to pay

Steps:

1. Back up data on current drive

2. Install SSD

3. Stick Windows Install Disc/OEM recovery disc(s) in the drive

I do not have a recovery disc, but I do have an old OEM copy of windows i used on my brother's computer if that would work.

[GabiiE Liiziiouz]

I do not have a recovery disc, but I do have an old OEM copy of windows i used on my brother's computer if that would work.

Is this a prebuilt PC from the likes of Dell/HP/Sony/etc or one you built yourself?

If it's prebuilt, who built it? Otherwise you should have the disc you installed Windows to, otherwise what version of Windows (XP/Vista/7 Home/Pro/Ultimate)?

[Daniel Brown]

Is this a prebuilt PC from the likes of Dell/HP/Sony/etc or one you built yourself?

Mine is a prebuilt. I do not remember any recovery disc coming with it though.

[stacy hamilton]

Mine is a prebuilt. I do not remember any recovery disc coming with it though.

They very rarely do, you have to make your own (taking between 1 and 6 DVDs depending on the amount of crapware preinstalled and the OEM). Each OEM includes a tool for making them, so which OEM made yours so I can tell you the name of the program, otherwise just searching "recovery" in the start menu may be able to pull it up.

[Alyce Argabright]

They very rarely do, you have to make your own (taking between 1 and 6 DVDs depending on the amount of crapware preinstalled and the OEM). Each OEM includes a tool for making them, so which OEM made yours so I can tell you the name of the program, otherwise just searching "recovery" in the start menu may be able to pull it up.

There will be alot of crapware because my mom got it from Best Buy...
It is an Asus prebuilt.

[Hayley Bristow]

There will be alot of crapware because my mom got it from Best Buy...
It is an Asus prebuilt.

If it's a relatively new laptop your recovery burner is http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Features/AI_Recovery_Burner. ASUS laptops generally take between 4 and 6 single-layer DVDs to get the job done and takes up to 3 hours to create them all.

An alternative is to download the officialhttp://www.windows7hacker.com/index.php/2009/11/download-retail-windows-7-iso-from-official-website/, burn that to a DVD, and use the OEM key that should be printed somewhere on the outside of the case/laptop. This way you get rid of all the crapware too.

[chinadoll]

If it's a relatively new laptop your recovery burner is http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Features/AI_Recovery_Burner. ASUS laptops generally take between 4 and 6 single-layer DVDs to get the job done and takes up to 3 hours to create them all.

An alternative is to download the officialhttp://www.windows7hacker.com/index.php/2009/11/download-retail-windows-7-iso-from-official-website/, burn that to a DVD, and use the OEM key that should be printed somewhere on the outside of the case/laptop. This way you get rid of all the crapware too.

Thanks for the help. I will keep ask of this in mind when it arrives.

[Mashystar]

So I just got a new video card, a Radeon HD 7970 3GB, but I just get "No Signal" from my monitor (Sceptre X246W-1080P LCD Monitor.) I think the problem is that the video card only offers a port for a DVI input, whereas my monitor has a VGA port, and I'm using an http://www.epartsandmore.com/images/web_images/DVI-VGA-Adapter1.jpg to get the two together. It's the only thing I can think of, even though the adapter works fine with my older video card in the same scenario.

Is that my problem? Do I have to get a new monitor?