$1000 Core 2 Duo setup

[TheeZy]

First the stuff I'm not so worried about:

PSU: Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply
Case: Thermaltake Armor
GPU: eVGA 256-P2-N584-AR Geforce 7900GT KO 256MB

Here's the stuff I'm not to sure about:

CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
Memory: No idea.

Here are my concerns:

1) My CPU has already been ordered and is being shipped right now. I think it's OEM though so does that mean I need to purchase fans or heatsinks or something? I need a cheap recommendation.

2) For the motherboard, I'm trying to get a motherboard that is likely to cause very few problems and have acceptable performance for as cheap as possible. I don't need sli or crossfire support and I don't plan on overclocking. From what I've read a lot of people like this motherboard and many others are getting it. I'm interested on your thoughts with this board.

3) I have no idea what to do about the memory. I don't understand what makes certain memory better than others (timing, etc). I just want the highest quality 2x 1GB memory that I can get for under $200 that is guaranteed to work with my motherboard. I would prefer Corsair if possible.

Any recommendations or info on my choices would be great. Thanks.

 

[second_derivative]

RAM:

i like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590

i've also seen this recommended, it has better timings (and higher voltage), but i don't know how Corsair compares to G.Skill:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820231073

good luck

 

[The_Prophecy]

The link you provided to the CPU says it's retail. You won't need an aftermarket cooler.

For the RAM, i would go for this set of OCZ

Motherboard: The Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 is a good board, and there are other choices out there, like the Abit AB9 Pro, or the Asus P5B.

 

[TheeZy]

Here are the four motherboards that fit my price range that I'm considering. Overclocking isn't too important for me. I'd rather have a stable, reliable board than anything else.

Intel BOXDP965LTCK
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
ASUS P5B
ABIT AB9

Thoughts on these?

 

[The_Prophecy]

They are all good.... have a look at the features and figure out what set would suit your needs best.

 

[TheeZy]

Ok, I'll go with the Gigabyte since so many other people are.

How does this memory compare to the memory you suggested?

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory

Spec-wise it looks about the samr to the one you mentioned above except it's timing is 5-5-5-12 instead of OCZ's 5-5-5-10. Does that make much of a difference?

The reason I like the Corsair one I just linked is because the newegg ratings are WAY higher than the OCZ one. If they will perform similarly I'd feel safer with Corsair.

If you can, reply back soon because the rebate ends tomorrow so I have to throw something together quickly.

 

[The_Prophecy]

The lower the timings, the better. I always go for the ram with the lowest timings, especially if that ram is cheaper than a set with higher timings with the same frequency. OCZ is a very respectable brand. Just as good as Corsair on Intel platforms. I am of course refering to conflicts between OCZ DDR2 ram and the AM2 platform.