Any Final Words of Advice?

[MikeHof]

Well I finally got all of the parts to begin asseembling my first computer. It will use:

Thunderbird 850
MSI K7T Pro 2 A mobo
WD 30 gig hd. w/ ultra ata100
384mb p133 ram
onboard sound
PCI Voodoo 5500 64mb
I/O Magic 52X, 7200rpm cd rom
floppy out of old Gateway
Tiger Direct case w/ AMD approved 250 watt
onboard sound(for now)

Any words of advice for this first time computer builder?? Once I start on this I won't have a running computer & will have no way of finding help besides my father who lives 100 miles away. GULP!!

Mike

[Variable]

I can only wish you good luck and may averything work!

[Steve R Jones]

Might consider a 300 watt power supply.

AMD Athlon™ Processor Recommended Power Supplies

To ensure reliable operation of AMD Athlon™ Processor-based systems, an AMD-recommended power supply is required.

Read On

[Richard_Cranium72]

For newbies, use a static strap.

Don't overtighten screws.

The mobo has standoffs to keep it from grounding out on the case however the screw holes usually have solder around the holes to help in the "proper" mobo ground.

The only potential prob I see, is the VooDoo.
I'm not sure on a new system as when to add drivers for it..

The RAM will be a bit tough to snap in, push on the ends only. Put it in before installing and place the mobo on some newspaper or dense foam.

Observe all mounting screw holes as you put the mobo in.

On the HD, If you have a ATA/66 type cable, the blue end goes to the mobo.

Also on the HD and CD the cable end with the red stripe goes next to the power inlet.

On the floppy, if you get it wrong the floppy will run all the time.

uhhhh, I probably left out a bunch, someone will correct me..

DrVette

[RayH]

Before you start assembling anything, make sure the case power supply is set for the correct voltage. You will have the mobo manual to guide you through a lot of stuff. But that may slip your mind!

Use only ONE RAM chip to boot the computer. If it goes haywire on the first boot, you won't loose all your RAM. If all goes well, instert the other RAM later.

[chuckiechan]

Be sure to fire it up with a minimum of cards, your video card and sound card first...get them happy. Then add your modem card after everything is running fine with no conflicts.

Good luck, looks like you are on the right performance track!