First build, am I making any mistakes?

[ssammy]

I've recently decided to build my first computer since it seems that Dell (the only computer maker I've ever known) is going to take several weeks to put a Conroe system together. I'm now realizing that I can put together a much better system than I would have ordered. I've looked at other peoples configurations and come up with sort of a hybrid. I don't know if there are any incompatibilities. Any advice would be great. I'm using for home video stuff, photoshop and the occasional game.

E6600

Gigabyte GA_965P_DS3

Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply

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

Thermaltake VA8000SWA Armour Aluminium Super Tower

SAPPHIRE 100149 Radeon X1900XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM (or maybe the 1800)

NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner

Raptor 36 GB (for OS and programs)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache (for everything else)

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

Did I miss anything? I use an Apple Airport Express to stream music to my stereo. I just have a simple pair of speakers and subwoofer at the computer. Do I need a sound card or is the motherboard fine? Also, I have a copy of XP that came with my old Dell. Can I use it? Should I buy a new one? Do I need any extra fans or anything?

Thanks. I hope I'm up for this. I've read the Corsair site's instructions. Will those work well for me? Any other instruction suggestions would be appreciated. I'm a bit spooked about setting the jumpers and doing the bios.

Sam

 

[ssammy]

I just noticed a few things.

I switched my second drive to:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM

Also, the case is surely overkill for me. I have a total of 3 internal hard drives and a DVD drive to load it with. Any suggestions? I basically copied someone on this forum with the case and motherboard choice.

Maybe I should do this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133132

Sam

 

[ssammy]

Another question:

Can I put my existing regular ATA music drive into this new system in one of the SATA spots?

Sam

 

[Sheepish]

Hi, SATA and ATA (An older IDE-133 drive id imagine?) are not compatible unfortunately. The DS3 motherboard only has 1xIDE connector so you could get away with using this older drive if you are only going to be using a single cd/dvd drive (since an IDE cable covers two hdd's or disc drives, plus a floppy).

Im still using 3 IDE hard disks ive had for a while, next drive i buy will be SATA but not until i actually need the storage.

Oh and well done on avoiding Dell and doing it DIY

 

[windego]

Looks ok. I have a few suggestions though.

CPU: Ok
Board: OK
PSU: Ok
Ram: Ok, what latency? C4 or C5? C4(4-4-4-4-12) would be best.
Case: Ok
Graphics: Ok
DVD: Ok
HD: Ok, i would suggest getting 74gig version for OS etc. Trust me 34 gig runs out very fast. Especially when you start installing games.
AS5: Very nice thermal compound, but where is your hsf? the stock hsf already has thermal compound applied to it. I would suggest getting a zalman- 9500-AT/9500-LED. Depending on if you like the mobo controlling fan speed. AT = mobo controlled.

What about keyboard/mouse? i would get a logitech MX- cordless desktop set if i was you.

 

[ssammy]

I'm set for the keyboard and mouse already. I'll check out the RAM latency.

I guess I'm showing how much of a newbie I am to this with the thermal compound. So, you're saying I don't need it because the E6600 already has a heatsink attached to it? I don't need to mess around with that at all? Why do I need the extra fan? Or is that replacing a fan that comes with the case?

Is this case going to be OK?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133132

Sam

 

[The_Prophecy]

AS5: Very nice thermal compound, but where is your hsf? the stock hsf already has thermal compound applied to it. I would suggest getting a zalman- 9500-AT/9500-LED. Depending on if you like the mobo controlling fan speed. AT = mobo controlled.

Don't use the preapplied crap that comes on the stock heatsink. I wouldn't bother with a CNPS9500 unless you're going to be overclocking that Conroe by more than 800Mhz, otherwise the stock hsf will be fine. Do use the AS5 though.

 

[ssammy]

Sorry for peppering this board with dumb questions.

I'm getting this case:
Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

If I need more than the 4 USB ports on the back, what is my best option? One of those bridge/expanders? Another USB card?

 

[WR2]

If I need more than the 4 USB ports on the back, what is my best option? One of those bridge/expanders? Another USB card?

Probably an external, powered USB Hub.
Example: Linksys external powered USB Hub