New guy, first build. Will love for advice.

Mlover

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Aug 23, 2006
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So here I am. After spending hours of my life (hours which are lost forever), reading the tips, the tops, and the tricks; I have finally tried my best to do my best and be like the rest. So all comments would be great. Granted I am new, so haze away. But just remember, some of us have NO clue what they are doing. So with that said, feed me to the bulls.

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400

CPU Cooler of love:
Artic Cooler 7 pro

Motherboard:
ASUS P5NSLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (cheap, but according to ANandTech a good buy? Or not?)

Video Card:
GIGABYTE Geforce 7950GX2 1GB (GV-3D1-7950-RH) (possibly overkill? How would this hold up to DX10)

Ram:
AMPO 1GB X2 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) (3AXD2675-1G2S-R)

Sound: Board for now

Hard Drives: 2 X 250gb WD (7500rpm) SATA (nothing special, except that I already own them)

Cd/Dvd Drive: Nec 3550

Case: Lian Li PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower

Powersupply: Thermaltake TR2 W0070 ATX 430W Power Supply 115/230 V – Retail (big enough??)

OS: Pro XP (possibly Media Center)


Ending notes:
So with all of that said. I would like to thank all of the amazing people on this forum, all of the people from Tom’s Hardware, and most importantly, my boss who thinks I am diligently working hard right now.

Thanks guys!
 

ChrisBond

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Jul 6, 2006
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Wow, GPU is total overkill or just way to spend money considering your not even getting a high end CPU. Whats the size your screen using or what resolution? Just wait a bit and get the X1950XT. and that powersupply isn't enough, you'll need about 700w to be on the safe side. And change the RAM to Consair or OCZ sticks. And everything else looks fine and what's your budget anyway? That would help.
 

shadowduck

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Jan 24, 2006
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Wow, GPU is total overkill or just way to spend money considering your not even getting a high end CPU. Whats the size your screen using or what resolution? Just wait a bit and get the X1950XT. and that powersupply isn't enough, you'll need about 700w to be on the safe side. And change the RAM to Consair or OCZ sticks. And everything else looks fine and what's your budget anyway? That would help.

I would add downgrade the CPU to a E6300 and overclock it. 6400 isn't worth the extra cash.
 

xiii

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Aug 13, 2006
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If I were you, I would get an ATI X1900XTX, the Conroe E6300 and use the extra money on Corsair 2 GB RAM. If you really wanted to just wait for a native DX10 part then you might just get a GeForce 7600 GT and start saving up. Good luck and have fun!
 

shadowduck

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Jan 24, 2006
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If I were you, I would get an ATI X1900XTX, the Conroe E6300 and use the extra money on Corsair 2 GB RAM. If you really wanted to just wait for a native DX10 part then you might just get a GeForce 7600 GT and start saving up. Good luck and have fun!

XTX is a total waste of money. Get the XT and overclock it. OR the 2nd suggestion is much better about getting a 7600.
 

xiii

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Aug 13, 2006
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If I were you, I would get an ATI X1900XTX, the Conroe E6300 and use the extra money on Corsair 2 GB RAM. If you really wanted to just wait for a native DX10 part then you might just get a GeForce 7600 GT and start saving up. Good luck and have fun!

XTX is a total waste of money. Get the XT and overclock it. OR the 2nd suggestion is much better about getting a 7600.

I'm with you, there was an extra "X" there, honest! :wink:
 

Vile

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Jul 4, 2004
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I would add downgrade the CPU to a E6300 and overclock it. 6400 isn't worth the extra cash.

The dif is price is really minimal and the E6400 does OC better than the E6300. I say go for it.
 

Vile

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Jul 4, 2004
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You really need to get other RAM. Try 2x1GB Corsair 5400.

About the video card, the X1900XT sounds nice... but if you're on a budget you might want to wait for the X1900XT 256MB
 

nikolokolus

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Jul 18, 2006
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one thing that kind of jumps out is that thermaltake 430 watt. PSU, especially if you actually go with the 7950gx2 . . . My recommendation would be at least 550 watts with around 36+ amps on the +12 volt rails (combined amps).

Spend a little bit more money and get 2 GB (2X1GB) of namebrand ddr2 800 (pc 6400) like corsair, mushkin, kingston, OCZ, or G.Skill. If you skip the 7950gx2 and get a 7900gt or x1900xt you should have more than enough for the better RAM.

What resolutions does your monitor support?
 

Mlover

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Aug 23, 2006
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Sweet monkey!

Alright, so attempt number #2. Bear with me I am new!

Budget is around $1600.
Max res on monitor is 1280x1024 8ms rt. (but monitor is first thing to go after I replace the machine , so I suspect I will drop a good amount on a decent monitor)

Processor:
Keeping the
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400

CPU Cooler of love:
Artic Cooler 7 pro

Motherboard:
ASUS P5NSLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (cheap, but according to ANandTech a good buy? Or not?) Should I switch this board???

Video Card:
Radeon X1950 XTX 512mb. When she comes out (is there a date on that by the way???)

Ram:
2gb's Corsair XMS2 DDR800 (PC 6400)

Sound: Board for now

Hard Drives: 2 X 250gb WD (7500rpm) SATA (nothing special, except that I already own them)

Cd/Dvd Drive: Nec 3550

Case: Changed to Antec Performance I P180

Powersupply: COOLMAX CUG-600B ATX 12V( V.2.2) 600W Power Supply - Retail

OS: Pro XP (possibly Media Center)

Hope this round goes better.

Thanks again.
 

doordand

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Aug 24, 2006
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Hey, great for a first build, my one critique is the RAM. Maybe it is just me, but I have found that Corsair and OCZ are the best out there. If you are going for DDR2, I would have to say Corsair. If you are going for DDR400 orhigher, I would say OCZ and I have been running GEIL on my other computer and it is great.