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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 14th Aug 2013 at 1:08 PM
Default new pc to build, needing advice
My old pc was just 4 years, especially bought when Sims3 came out. But well, with all expansions, mods and lots of custom content, you all know. I installed less expansions, used CC Magic and so on. But now I have a problem with my RAM and maybe probably also with my mobo. Repairing might not be the solution. About time for a new to build pc (my son will be doing that).

Read all the threads of Calista, but the actual types of parts are not available anymore. I guess that's normal after 4 years. Although the content as such was very helpfull. I asked help at a Dutch pc forum and they came with a shoppinglist.

I forgot to mention that I have a SSD 128 G which was build in last april, I want to use that in the new pc.
Plus my C-drive (1 TB) and my DVd/CD drive which is only 1 year old. Of course I already have a monitor, mouse and keyboard.

SHOPPINGLIST

Could someone here tell me what you think about it?
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Scholar
#2 Old 14th Aug 2013 at 2:48 PM
Can you tell me what you have already, besides the SSD, HDD and DVD? What processor, motherboard, ram, psu and gpu are you using already? Also, what is your budget?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 14th Aug 2013 at 9:08 PM
Well, I don't think that other parts are usable and the problem at this moment is that my pc won't start up, giving beeps long short short. Meaning with this motherboard that there is a problem with the memory. So I cannot run fx diag to fill you in about the rest. Motherboard is an ASUS P5KPL-AM, dual channel memory architecture (DDR2) with full memory built in (one is probably faulty), but as I have 32 -bit Windows Vista capacity is not 4 but 3,2 GB. It has a quad core processor, no futher details now.
Graphic card is ATI 4800 HD series.

Budget 600-700 Euro, including Windows 7. But my husband says he can get a copy from his work for less money than the amount stated in the shoppinglist. Anyway, I'm not in a extreme hurry. I need to 'scrape' some more money together. This will take a month or maybe two.
Scholar
#4 Old 15th Aug 2013 at 5:16 AM
I'm reading the Asus website (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5KPLAM/) and I don't see anywhere it say that the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard. I'm looking at the picture even and I don't see any RAM.

Is this what your motherboard looks like: http://www.asus.com/media/global/pr...AOiP5y_500.jpg?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#5 Old 15th Aug 2013 at 12:56 PM
Mmm I think it looks like that, but to be sure I have to open the case of my pc.
Maybe I was not clear. The memory is not soldered. You can put them in yourself and/or replace them. As I have to open the case to remove one of the memory sticks (and sorry, I'm Dutch so my English in all computer components must be poor, hopefully you understand what I mean) Maybe I can take a photo of the mobo and attach this later this afternoon.
Scholar
#6 Old 15th Aug 2013 at 2:26 PM
Yeah you should open your PC and see what kind of motherboard you have. If you're having a RAM problem I would suggest you test your PC with each stick of RAM separately to see which one is bad. If you can simply replace the RAM and keep your computer for another year or two, then I would suggest you do that, then wait and see what The Sims 4 requirements are. If you buy a PC today, by the time The Sims 4 comes out it will already be 2 years old and you will have to replace it again two years later. I think it would be best if you could save money now, replace the whole system when The Sims 4 comes out in two years and have a bigger budget to spend on quality parts.

If your husband can get Windows 7 64bit, then I would suggest he buy it now. Microsoft is no longer selling Windows 7 retail and it is more compatible for gaming than Windows 8. Even if you buy a new computer later, you can use the retail license you buy now on the new computer.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#7 Old 16th Aug 2013 at 1:43 PM
Oh for Christs sake... removed one of the RAM sticks. Now my pc starts bleeping like hell: continiously short beeps.
Scholar
#8 Old 16th Aug 2013 at 4:37 PM
Test each of the RAM sticks seperately. If you have two sticks, name one stick A, the other stick B. Put in stick A only, see if compute works. Then put in stick B and see if it works. It should help you identify which of the two stick as bad.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#9 Old 16th Aug 2013 at 7:21 PM
Yep, I was doing that, but now I have no screen, so I HEAR my pc is doing something, but what ? I'm totally confused now and don't know what to do next.
Maybe checking all cables etc, because of opening the case I had to unplug everything, replug it again. But maybe it's the grafics card.... It has become a real puzzle and my knowledge about hardware is nada. I'm really gratefull for your help and patience.





Btw, removed the fan, cleaned it. That's why it's not on the pic. And put it back again (of course)
Scholar
#10 Old 16th Aug 2013 at 7:51 PM
If you removed the CPU fan, make sure you re-applied thermal paste, reseated it securely onto the CPU and that the CPU fan was plugged into the motherboard. Then make sure that the graphics card is correctly connected to its power cables. If after doing that the computer won't start with ANY of the RAM modules, then check that the fan on the power supply unit is turning. If it is, it may be your CPU or your motherboard. Do you have another computer lying around that accepts DDR2 that you could test you RAM modules in?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#11 Old 16th Aug 2013 at 11:30 PM
I didn't remove the CPU fan. (I wouldn't dare to) Nor did I do something with the power cables of the graphics card. But I will run the pc with the case open to see if the fan of the power supply unit is turning. Unfortunately I don't have another computer 'lying around' etc. I already thought of that option.
Tomorrow I will continue my quest
 
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