Installing RAM, DDR2, DDR and RDRAM
Installing Video Cards (PCI Express and AGP) and Modems
Installing Hard Drives, CD Recorders and/or DVD Recorders
My illustrated guide to replacing an AGP video card. |
Full size flowchart with text: |
One of the new technologies I was really looking forward to when I did the 4th edition of Build Your Own PC was the new PCI Express bus. PCI Express video adapters at 16X run twice as fast as the current AGP 8X bus, and Nvidia GeoForce 6800 with 256 MB RAM and a mermaid painted on the heatsink was really a burner (in the performance sense). The particular adapter we used provided two of the new DVI outputs, none of the old high density D shell 15 pin connectors need apply. The PCI Express 16X slot (you can always tell which PCI Express slot is the fastest (ie, widest) by the length) is a definite improvement over the old AGP popping out of the slot all the time design.
Our Athlon 64 featured an 8X AGP video adapter, a Crucial Radeon 9800 PRO with 128 MB video RAM and both types of video connector options, a DVI and an SVGA. This video card is used in many of the high end Athlon 64 gaming PC's, and it's also a screamer. Both of these video cards really put a draw on power resources in the computer, requiring and extra 4x1 connector from the power supply.
The older P4 was built with a 3D AGP Phantom, 4X AGP card, which was a premier gaming card in its day. Now it looks naked without an active heatsink.
All three systems are built with a 56 Kb/s modem, V.92's in the newer systems, a V.90 in the holdover. I keep including modems in PC builds because they are rarely integrated in the I/O cord, and they come in handy if you move somewhere without broadband or it the cable or DSL goes out. For extra adapters, we tossed a PCI wireless adapter in our Athlon 64 build, and the legacy P4 features add in SCSI and IDE RAID adapters.
This illustrated guide to building a PC can't be updated due to my non-compete with McGraw-Hill. Click on B/W thumbnails for fullsize color images, use "Back" button on browser to return.
| Our 56K modem is k56flex (Rockwell/Lucent) and V.90 compatible, matching the current capabilities of our ISP (always ask your Internet Service Provider which standards they support before buying a modem). The transfer rate of even this fast modem is easily handled by one of our two old style ISA bus slot. Always keep your fingers off the gold traces when installing PC adapters, since finger oil can impede the electrical contact. |
16 bit ISA 56K modem |
Screwing in the modem |
Don't wait untill you are about to close the case to put the screws in your adapter cards. A good reason for this is that the act of putting in the screw can cause the card to pivot in the slot, lifting the back section away from the slot finger contacts, preventing the system from seeing the adapter or booting. |
| Our Intel motherboard comes with one special slot for use with an AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) video adapter, and nothing else. Like the Pentium II and Celeron SECs (Single Edge Connectors), the AGP connector uses two levels of contacts, and thanks to sophisticated pipelining and and bus cycle usage, can transfer data at speeds four times that of the PCI bus. |
Trident 2MB AGP Video Adapter |
Screwing in the AGP adapter |
The AGP slot is located nearest to the CPU and will accept only AGP adapters. Another good reason for screwing the adapter in now is that you'll be less tempted to gamble on putting the screws in with the system turned on once you've successfully booted, a real no-no. |
| The AGP card, to the left, provides not only a standard VGA port, but also an NTSC and S-Video ports for displaying video. The modem ports are for line (to the wall), phone (out to a handset), speaker and mic, for hands-free operation. The configuration switches for the modem can be accessed without opening the case. |
Installed adapters from outside case |
Motherboard configuration jumper |
The speed of the Pentium II or Celeron processor is set in CMOS, but to do so, you must first boot the system in "configure" mode. The boot will come directly to the configuration menu supplied by the BIOS, and the settings will be saved, after which you must shut down and return the jumper to normal. |
Step-by-step PC Repair Troubleshooting Techniques and Running a Computer Repair Business