Novice building pc on the cheap, upgrade over time support.

[Oussebon]

As for setting up Linux, you won't be able to download Linux straight onto your PC. When you boot up your PC it will just boot into the BIOS, which doesn't have a way of going online and downloading files until an OS is installed. You will need to use another computer to download your chosen Linux installation media and create a bootable flash drive.

What @Zoid said

The broad process is that you download the Linux ISO file, and then create a bootable USB stick with that ISO file. You plug the USB stick into the PC, boot from that, and away you go.

There's a guide on how to create a bootable USB for Ubuntu on mac here, using Etcher:

Create a bootable USB stick on macOS | Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.

ubuntu.com

I'm not 100% sure what, if any, additional steps there are for making the USB bootable on a PC versus a mac though. Having never used a mac...

There are other guides e.g. using Mac's Disk Utility to do it or UNetbootin. It's clearly possible though

 

[Gaogier]

So I can’t use some sort of ssh code?

how long is the “kettle” plug on the power unit... can I get angled versions?

 

[Oussebon]

Why an angled version?

I'm not sure how long it will be - 1.8m maybe?

You may be able to install Linux using a PC as a PXE server, but making a bootable USB will probably be a lot simpler.

 

[Gaogier]

Where I am having my pc, means that it might be a tight angle for the power cable.

something like this maybe required... https://www.lindy.co.uk/cables-adapters-c1/power-c136/right-angled-iec-adapter-down-p7227

I am sure I will get confused on installing Linux (from downloading to instal)

 

[Zoid]

I am sure I will get confused on installing Linux (from downloading to instal)

You can do it!

Creating installation media is really quite simple, and you can even run Linux entirely off of a flash drive without even installing it on your SSD, so you can familiarize yourself with it before officially installing if you want.

P.S. The right-angle adapter seems like a needless complication. Could you move your computer just 5 or 6 inches out from the wall? You ideally don't want to have the back of your PC sandwiched up against anything anyway for cooling reasons. It will block the rear vents.

 

[Gaogier]

Airflow isn’t a problem, it’s going to have room for cables, WiFi card etc, it’s just the power cable I am concerned about. (why not get a bigger cable?) simply saving a few ££.

 

[Oussebon]

You ideally don't want to have the back of your PC sandwiched up against anything anyway for cooling reasons. It will block the rear vents.

This.

Also, it's going to have other cables coming out of it anyway like the display cable. The PSU needs to exhaust at the rear too!

NB: you can get right angled cables for half the price of an adapter - just make sue they are the correct spec (gauge, fuse, whatever)

 

[Gaogier]

I have most of the cables I have around my house at angles. It’s just less pressure on the cables and gives them better stability. Where I shall plug the pc in, is on an occasion pulled, I don’t want to damage the connectors inside and the actual cable. This would save me money having to repurchase cables and the hassle of reinstalling them all.

Downstairs my av receiver has all ports at angles, my tv’s around the house do too, they pop out quicker and do less damage.

my pc case is currently where the pc would be standing and I have about 3.5-4inch behind it, plenty of room.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

Why not get a longer cable then? I'm quickly looking through the site you posted and a 3m extension cable is half the price from the angled adapter you posted.

3m IEC Extension Cable, Black - from LINDY UK

IEC C14 to IEC C13 extension cable, Fully moulded connectors, VDE approved, 10 year warranty. Fast delivery.

www.lindy.co.uk

EDIT: If you worry about room for cables, in most cases, your PSU is at the very bottom of your case, there shouldn't be any other cables nearby as you can see in the picture I posted below. Even with 1 or 2 more pcie cards there's still plenty of room for a power cable.

 

[Gaogier]

It’s the fact cables bend putting pressure on the pc components and the cable itself get damaged.

you can see the power cable on the picture above is already being bent, therefore putting unnecessary pressure.

 

[Oussebon]

There probably isn't a PSU cable on earth that isn't bent and I've yet to see one die. As long as the cable isn't naff quality, it would be fine.

If you bend a cable so tightly that it puts excessive pressure on the connector, by tugging on it, that could be an issue, but you shouldn't bend a cable that much anyway.

Also, if the cable is right-handled, it won't bend any more than if it is a straight cable plugged into a right angled adapter? And the right angled cables on that site and on other sites are apparently less expensive.

 

[Gaogier]

I just try and get angled or easy pop out cables... if my cleaner (my mum) pushes, lifts or somehow moves it breaks, my av receiver had a broken hdmi port that I had to send out to fix.

 

[Gaogier]

What and how many fans do I get? Rgb ones will work and stay red or do I need just red fans?

Would you recommend something like this? Cable extension

 

[Zoid]

What and how many fans do I get? Rgb ones will work and stay red or do I need just red fans?

Would you recommend something like this? Cable extension

Your case comes with one 120mm fan. I would recommend buying two more fans so that you can have 2 intake fans and one exhaust. You may decide you want more fans than that, but that's what I would start with if you're trying to save money. It looks like the included fan has red LEDs. If you buy RGB fans you'll just need to download whatever RGB control software you want in order to control the color.

As for cables, you do not need that kit. Your power supply will come with all the cables you need. Buying aftermarket sleeved cables is an entirely aesthetic choice, so only do that if you want to spend money specifically on aesthetics. With your power supply, I would specifically not recommend doing this because your PSU is not modular, meaning you couldn't plug aftermarket cables directly into it. They would have to be plugged into the existing cables as extensions, which would leave you with super long cables that would be tangled up in the bottom of your case.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

I have RGB fans mysefl but if you're building a PC on the cheap I'd recommend against it. Best ones are Corsair, but they're expensive (about €35 a fan), you can get Corsair fans with just a 1 colored led for about €15 (I think pound / dollar is arround the same).

 

[Gaogier]

So these fans would be a good idea to get.... 3 fans I assume that you turn one around for intake and exhaust?

 

[Gaogier]

Can someone confirm that my pc can use the wireless pcie card please. I am using amd, the wireless card is intel

 

[Oussebon]

Horses and stable doors, but if you were going to spend £30 on fans for a £50 case you could have just spent £80 on a case with better airflow / features / fans to begin with.

Edit: (I originally missed the fact the Spec04 also supports 2 top mounted fans - comments on that edited out)

Besides which, 3 fans (including the one provided with the case) are plenty. Even 2 would be more than fine.

So you can save £10/£20 by buying the fans individually here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-AF120-Air-Noise-Cooling/dp/B07KH33WRV at £10 each.

 

[Zoid]

Horses and stable doors, but if you were going to spend £30 on fans for a £50 case you could have just spent £80 on a case with better airflow / features / fans to begin with.

The Spec 04 case can only support 3 fans total - 2 front, 1 rear. Unless you remove the front HDD cage (which gives you total 3 front, 1 rear). Assuming you're going to want to keep the HDD cage for such a time as you add an HDD for cheap mass storage, you therefore only need 2 fans.

Besides which, 3 fans are plenty.

So you can save £10 by buying the fans individually here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-AF120-Air-Noise-Cooling/dp/B07KH33WRV at £10 each.

The Spec-04 supports two top-mounted 120mm fans as well But yes, 3 total fans are enough, at least for now.

I would recommend having two intake fans on the front of the case and one exhaust fan on the top (or rear). The fans will have a little arrow on them somewhere showing you which way the air blows through them so you can orient them correctly.

 

[Oussebon]

Ah, good spot, I somehow missed that on the web page I was reading. I did wonder about that as it seemed odd... should have wondered further!

Edited earlier post to remove incorrect bits.

 

[Gaogier]

I went for the case as it would look best with my radio not down to price. I was aware that I would need extra fans.

 

[Oussebon]

I was talking about performance for the money spent, not price alone.

You don't need more than 2 bonus fans. Even 2 is a very generous addition for the system.

 

[Zoid]

Can someone confirm that my pc can use the wireless pcie card please. I am using amd, the wireless card is intel

I forgot to address this. The wireless card you're looking at will work with your system. It uses an Intel AX200 chip as its processor but that doesn't mean it will only work with an Intel-based platform.

 

[Gaogier]

Excellent thank you, I did think it would be good but wasn't 100% sure.

So, I am about to download Ubuntu to a USB stick for installation ready for my new PC build. My only concern is that I will overwrite my Mac OS and files. Is this correct.


Actually could I just connect the SSD that I already have and connect that to my macbook and download and install it directly onto the SSD ready for the build? (I am building Saturday as long as I get the PSU)

 

[Zoid]

Excellent thank you, I did think it would be good but wasn't 100% sure.

So, I am about to download Ubuntu to a USB stick for installation ready for my new PC build. My only concern is that I will overwrite my Mac OS and files. Is this correct.


Actually could I just connect the SSD that I already have and connect that to my macbook and download and install it directly onto the SSD ready for the build? (I am building Saturday as long as I get the PSU)

The instructions in that link are the correct instructions. As long as you carefully follow those instructions, you will create a bootable USB flash drive and will not make any modification to MacOS or the files on your computer.

I would not recommend attempting to connect the SSD to your macbook to install Ubuntu onto it directly.