Topic: New commission

[Dack]

Worth checking out:
http://www.ocworkbench.com/ocwb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=30;t=003047;p=1

For temperature increases etc.

Newest Bartons don't overclock as well but the usual increase people are getting is about 195 instead of 166 (or just under an XP3200+ speed).

On the one I've got here I simply changed the FSB to 200 to start with - that worked (for a bit) but then I started getting lockups so downclocked it a bit.

[Tony]

Well I settled on the spec, and here it is:

AsRock K7S8XE motherboard
AMD XP 2500+ Barton
GeForce FX 5200 128MB 8 x AGP
512MB DDR 333Mhz Memory
Western Digital ?Caviar? 80GB HDD
Samsung DVD-CD Drive 16 x 48
Samsung RW-CD Drive 52 x 32 x 52
Floppy Disk Drive
Proview 17? LCD Monitor with integrated speakers
Microsoft Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Suntek TH-651 Case with 2 front and 4 rear USB ports.
One additional 8cm Case Fan.

All items ordered online at  8.30 am Wednesday morning, from  Dabs and CCL  I used Dabs because CCL dont stock AsRock Mobo's [at the mo] or  Suntek cases.  I find CCL prices are more competative than Dabs, plus you can at least email or speak on the phone to a person at CCL. Dabs on the other hand don't want to know , so if you have a question about the product, tough.

So on price and  customer contact I find CCL much better than Dabs, but Dabs beat CCL into a cocked hat when it comes to delivery. Dabs delivered the case and motherboard Thursday morning around 9.00 am, as for CCL on the other hand I'm still waiting, as the graphics card was out of stock, though at the time of ordering all items were listed as in stock. But o be fair I think stock levels are checked and adjusted online at end of day.

I rang Thursday, and their sales said they were due in that day, and their web site indicates they are back  in stock as of Friday. But the Proview Monitor is listed as OS now, I hope they allocated me one before they ran out.  >

Anyway I know the PSU and case fans work incidently the 8cm case fan in the picture is one I bought earlier from CCL, they are so cheap you can buy them in bulk Dabs charge ballpark £6 for a 8cm case fan, whilst CCL's "ASKA" 8cm case fans only cost £1.75
 


Just a couple more gripes, the USB cables for the front ports on the Suntek case could do with being a couple of inches longer. And Why do some Motherboard manufactures put the Case fan connecter at the front bottom side on the MOBO, when invariably the fan is positioned rear nearer the top on the case  >

Come on CCL get your finger out    >

My fellow Chuckle Brother Simon and I, do hope some of you find our PC building exploits/traumas of benefit  
If not tell us, as in my case my "typing" finger is so slow it means writing about building a PC invariably takes as long as building one, And I could spend the time talking to the Wife instead of typing  

[Simon]

Why do some Motherboard manufactures put the Case fan connecter at the front bottom side on the MOBO, when invariably the fan is positioned rear nearer the top on the case   >

That's exactly the trouble I had with an Asus mobo, but as AsRock are made by Asus, I suppose that's not surprising.  I imagine they expect you to put the fan in the front of the case, but if you did, where would you plug in a rear fan if you also wanted one?  Only having one case fan connector (and in the wrong place), is a real let down, on an otherwise good value mobo, in my opinion.

[Tony]

Only having one case fan connector (and in the wrong place), is a real let down, on an otherwise good value mobo, in my opinion.

I agree Simon, mind you that is about all that is lacking on this motherboard. And in the biggest majority of builds, one additional fan connection is sufficient. Indeed I have yet to open up one of the "Big Box Shifters" PC World/ Curries/Comet offerings that have an additional fan in them. Maybe the latest models have case fans, but I ain't come across any in my travels. But that said, if your into over clocking and as such in need of more cooling, a more costly board would be needed.

The K7S8X which supports 333FSB CPU's up to 3000+ is only £24.50 and it also supports DDR400, and the K7S8XE which supports 400FSB CPU's is only £31.50 both inclusive of VAT. And both boards have an 8xAGP slot, 5 PCI slots, plus on board Lan, and 4 rear USB ports with a header on the board for 2 frontUSB ports. You can easily pay double those prices for same spec mobo's

[Tony]

Have I deposed Simon as  ?The Most Awkward CCL Customer?  


It all started with a phone call to CCL last Thursday, regarding my order  scheduled for Friday delivery, as I had noticed the graphics card according to their website had gone out of stock. I was told they would be back in stock that day.

Anyway, Friday I notice  graphics is indeed in stock, but the monitor has gone OS. So Monday, as I do not received a dispatch consignment note via email from CCL  I decided to phone them.

Anyway I queued for a while and then get disconnected before getting hold of a human, don?t you just  hate it when that happens. OK I?ll email them:


Hi there,

I have an order No: 32*****, scheduled for delivery last Friday. I rang Thursday and was told the graphics card was OS but expected in that day. Friday I noticed online it was marked as in stock, and then I noticed the monitor had reverted to OS. Question is, was a monitor allocated to my order, and when will the order be dispatched.

No reply came the answer, not even a read receipt, so in the afternoon I?m back on the phone again, After queuing I finally get a sales advisor called Phillip,

Me: Hi Philip I?m chasing order No 32*****

Philip: It?s awaiting a graphics card

Me: No it?s not..........

Philip: Oh your right it?s been picked.

Me: Eh!!!!! Will it be  dispatched to day

Philip: Donno, it?s out of our hands, carrier you see.

Me: Will you issue a dispatch note if you do dispatch

Philip: No, we don?t do that anymore

Me: Eh !!! you used to

Philip: I know, but not any more
 
Me: Eh !!! You mean I dare not leave the house for a week in case my order is on a van???

Philip: Ring the carriers

Me: Yer right, without a consignment number, they will think I?m nuts!!!!!!!!

Philip: MMM proburbly, I know it sounds silly doesn?t it , but I don?t usually do this job.

Me: Phillip, ?  your dicking me ? right? You have not allocated me a monitor, and now you dare not tell me. Tell me the truth, least ways I can leave the house tomorrow.

Philip: No your order has been picked, ready for dispatch.

Me: But you first said it was waiting for a graphics card , then a miracle happens so the more you say the more I?m losing  confidence in what you?re saying .

Philip: No it?s picked.

Phone down, I have a cunning plan, I ring a mate. Michael your 15 mins from CCL, do us a favor, if I can arrange for you to pick up my order, it will force CCL?s  hand, sorted.

Me: Hi Philip, I have a mate??..

Philip: Donno about that, hold a mo??.You best ring customer services ??I?m customer sales.

Bollacks, phone down

Customer Services here:

HI Wassem,  the story so far???

Wassem: put the story in writing or an email, as the  boss?s won?t believe me.

Me: I bloody did??.

Wassem: Oh leave it with me I?ll ring you back about dispatch, because if it is picked it will be in the ?dispatch cage? cannot get it out for pickup by your mate

An hour later, how long does it take to confirm an order is ready.

Me: Hi Neil,  I?m awaiting a call from Wassem?.

Neil: Wassem is sat next to me,  I?ll sort it for you

Ring Ring, Hello

Wassem: Why you ring, I said I?d ring you

Me: Yes but you didn?t, well now your on the phone, have you sorted it,

Wassem: No, but I will, even if I have to stay till 7 0?clock tonight.

Me: What?s so hard about ascertaining if the order is picked or not, caged or not?

Wassem: I?m not allowed to leave my desk, so if my internal emails are not answered???.

So come 5 o?clock, it?s time to email Wassem again


Hi Wassem,

sorry if I spelt your name wrong , anyway here is the copy of the email you requested.

The wife works in Hewlett Packhard customer support, and you know what, you sound just like one of her co workers, Imran.

Charm the birds out of the tree's he does, so failing dispatch of  my order, I'd like to have your babies.  But seeing as I'm a bloke,  I say that safe in the knowledge that either the dispatch of my order Monday, or my conception, are two miracles even beyond your undoubted abilities.

Well I dare say, dealing with Dabs won?t be half as entertaining as conversing with CCL, but I dare say I'll just have to except their next day delivery  as compensation.

All the best,

Tony


5.54pm I get an answer phone message

Wassem here, your order is dispatch, this is the consignment number, and here is the carrier?s local depot phone number. Hope to speak to you soon.

I check the carriers website, and yes it was picked up by the carrier and due for delivery today.

So you see miracles can and do happen, but I cannot help but think, having one of Wassem?s babies may have been the easier option.


And I cannot help but feel there is a problem somewhere in the system that needs rectifying..........anyone seen Phillip ?

Beat that Simon  

PS: In the interest's of fairness I must state that I have had four seperate orders from CCL Computers via their online  website. And this last one was the only one that did not come up to expectations. Will I still use them as my first choice supplier.........YES....as Wassem pulled it out of the fire for them at the last very last minute.

[Simon]

A most entertaining read, Tony.  

It's much the same problem as I had.  CCL are great, if you can sit in all day, and not worry when your order is going to arrive.  The problems start when you start complicating things by asking awkward questions like, "Have my goods been dispatched?", at which point they don't seem to know their arse from their elbow.  There is certainly a bridge that needs repairing between their Ordering and Dispatch departments.

[Tony]

Oh dear trouble at the mill,

when I switch the PC on, it runs for a few seconds, I mean a few seconds as in about "four" then it dies. So I have disconnected "everything" one at a time. Only when I removed the CPU does it not cut out.

Now I'm glad those AsRock boards are not expensive, since after removing the heatsink and fan, I noticed that part of the plastic lugs that the heatsink clip anchores on to have broken. Now I don't know if it was my hamfistedness installing the HS or taking it off?

Question is, is/was the CPU faulty from the start, or if the HS was not sat firmly on the CPU, would the temp cutout on the MOBo work that fast, and reset with in seconds. Anyway another board on the way from Dabs.

Advice regards the above will be appreciated from the experts.    

 

Off to the Daughters for tea, I expect to see loads of advice when I get back  

[Adept]

Off to the Daughters for tea, I expect to see loads of advice when I get back  

Oh, I see - swan off to your daughter's for tea and expect us to do all the work for you eh?

My tea's just been put on the table, so you'll get no help from me until I've eaten it matey  

[Simon]

Now I'm glad those AsRock boards are not expensive, since after removing the heatsink and fan, I noticed that part of the plastic lugs that the heatsink clip anchores on to have broken.

I wonder if that's one of the corners they cut to keep the cost of the boards down?  Can you not return it to Dabs as faulty?  How do you know that lug wasn't weak when you got it?  As far as cutting out quickly goes, my guess would also be that the problem was in the seating of the CPU / Heatsink / Fan collaboration.  By cutting out quickly, it may hopefully have saved the CPU from damage, which is, after all, what it's supposed to do.

Anyway, that's my two pennath -- now back to the expert, when he's finished stuffing his face!

 

[Sandra]

I think its the heatsink not being fitted correctly Tony that caused it to overheat and the thermal cutout shut it down.
They do seem to cool down enough to restart very quickly  

[Tony]

Cheers matey's,

It's all part of the learning curve, must admit I did seem to struggle a bit installing the HS, i tried doing it with the board in situ just to see if it could be done. In the end I took the board out of the case, but it seemed OK, when i clipped it into place. I mean I'm hopeing it was me being clumsy installing the HS, or it means it's something else. And I just knackered a good board when I took the HS off, two of the lugs where hanging on so to speak, how good is superglue  

Whilst I was driving over to the Daughters, I thought.... PSU, Ok it's only a 300watt, that's the only PSU they do with that case. Their whole range have 300watt PSU's, I cannot see them limiting there salebility by having a PSU in that wont run current CPU's. I mean surely it should run the mobo and CPU and a case fan?  I've been looking on the AMD site but found nowt yet.  To be honest I thought I know what Sandra's going to say.

Simon, I think the CPU socket is a bog standard socket used be many mobo makers.

[Tony]

now then on going to this site http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ link by dreddg99 [cheers] everything up and running it reckons I need minimum 336 watts. But like I said, nothing but the mobo, cpu, keybboard and mouse, case fan, CPU fan, the ready reckoner adds that lot up to  167 watts. So 300watt should have eat it.  All be it that a bigger PSU is proburbly needed.

Where is the best place online for PSU's [fast]

[TR]

now then on going to this site http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ link by dreddg99 [cheers] everything up and running it reckons I need minimum 336 watts. But like I said, nothing but the mobo, cpu, keybboard and mouse, case fan, CPU fan, the ready reckoner adds that lot up to  167 watts. So 300watt should have eat it.  All be it that a bigger PSU is proburbly needed.

Where is the best place online for PSU's [fast]

Tony, Iv'e just calculated for my new case that I'm getting and I might need to up the PSU  

[Tony]

Well Hooky,

I've just toted my current system up using that site and it says I need 335 watts minimum. Yet it's the same 300watt supply in the same caee as this new PC is in, and I han never had a moments bother with it!!!!!!!! So dont buy a new PSU just yet mate.

[Adept]

Same here

Mine came to 422W but I only have a 350W power supply and it seems to be OK.