New Build and Some Questions

[3dwarrior]

Well I decided to build a new computer. It's going to be used for gaming and im also thinking of getting into 3d moddeling. I will probably overclock it when I feel it's not up to par, just wondering how will it affect it's life-span? and will I need more cooling?

I live in Canada so you got to keep that in mind with prices. I got most of it picked out just looking for confirmations and answers for some questions.

--Proccessor--
Intel® Core™2 Duo E6300, 1.86-GHz @ 1066Mhz w/ 2Mb Cache w/ Heat Sink & Fan $214.99

Only 1 core can be used for an application/game, right? Meaning you don't count it as a 3.6... So is 1.86 ok for gaming, and can it last me 5 years?

--Video Card--
BFG Tech GeForce™ 7900 GT OC™ w/256Mb GDDR3 & PCI Express x16 $329.99 - $50.00 (mail-in rebate)

Was thinking of making it SLI later on but it seems most people think its pointless. So I'll probably upgrade to a dx10 card when this one won't be able to run things well. Is the power supply and mobo fine for that, what about cooling (with and without dx10 card)?

--Ram--
OCZ 1Gb PC-2 5400 DDR2 EL Dual Channel Gold Gamer eXtreme XTC Edition $194.99 - $10.00 (mail-in rebate)

--Power Supply--
Antec® TruePower Trio 550 - 550W ATX12V v2.2 Power Supply $119.99

--Motherboard--
Asus® P5B, Socket 775, Intel® P965 Chipset w/ PCI Express x16(ATX) $169.99

It notes that: "Motherboard may need bios update to support most processor." Does that mean that maybe dual-core would not work until BIOS update? Or that it won't work at all?

--Hard Drive--
160GB Western Digital® Caviar® SE SATAII-300 7200RPM 8Mb OEM $69.99

--DVD/CD Reader/Writer
Sony AWQ170A Dual Layer DVD±R/RW Drive (IDE) OEM, Black $44.99

--Monitor--
Acer® AL1916WASD, 19in Digital Active Matrix TFT Wide-Screen LCD, Silver $244.99

What's the difference of having/not having dvi-d connection?

--Case--
Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case with Touch-Sensitive Controls (3 fans) $50.99

The case apperently comes with no instruction and has touch-sensitive controls and temperature read, and some of the comments said that it's a little cramped... but for a 1st time building I'll be fine? right...?

Total(+gst +shipping -mail in rebate) == $1548.21

 

[shata]

This build you made is pretty impressive and planned out i cant complain about anything.

And yes the cpu runs at 1.86ghz but it out runs the fx60 from what i hear so its all good.

Yeah great computer.

 

[WR2]

Only 1 core can be used for an application/game, right? Meaning you don't count it as a 3.6... So is 1.86 ok for gaming, and can it last me 5 years?

It all depends on the game/program and if was written to support multiple CPUs. Most current single CPU written games do really well on C2D CPUs. Use the THG Interactive CPU chart to test that theory out. You can choose other CPU and benchmark comparisons base on what you currently have. C2D vs AMD 64 3500+ FEAR benchmark

Was thinking of making it SLI later on but it seems most people think its pointless. So I'll probably upgrade to a dx10 card when this one won't be able to run things well.

Crossfire/SLI start to make sense when your monitor size reaches 1600x1200 resolution and higher. At 1920x1200 widescreen resolution, for example, you might need the extra GPU horsepower to keep game playable with all the eye-candy options enabled in certain games. The motherboard and power supply will be fine with a single DX10 card.

--Monitor--
Acer® AL1916WASD, 19in Digital Active Matrix TFT Wide-Screen LCD, Silver $244.99
What's the difference of having/not having dvi-d connection?

You will love that widescreen monitor and video card combo. Excellent choices.
Your video card is dual DVI only and you'll have an all digital video experiance with your GPU and monitor. If you have an old CRT you wanted to keep using you would need a video card that had the older D-SUB VGA connector.

I know nothing of that case or the quality of those touch-sensitive controls. But these days we send our PCs to standyby, restart and shutdown with the keyboard so its probably not a big issue. A cramped case won't be much fun for a first time build (or any build for that matter). If you won't be working inside your case on a regular basis its probably not an issue.

There is one area that can be improved on and that is your choice of motherboard. This one is $50 more but really opens up major performance options in the 5 future years (at $10 a year thats a bargin). Asus P5B Deluxe. Its one of the recommended MBs for the C2D overclocking option. Its also on the supported list of C2Q quad CPUs. (The P5 vanilla you picked was also on the list but not a good overclocking board due to bios limitations).

If you can't stretch the budget an extra $50 I'd downgrade the video card a bit, maybe a 7900GS, and get the better motherboard. That will give you an excuse to get a DX card sooner, rather than later.

 

[shadowduck]

--Monitor--
Acer® AL1916WASD, 19in Digital Active Matrix TFT Wide-Screen LCD, Silver $244.99
What's the difference of having/not having dvi-d connection?

You will love that widescreen monitor and video card combo. Excellent choices.
Your video card is dual DVI only and you'll have an all digital video experiance with your GPU and monitor. If you have an old CRT you wanted to keep using you would need a video card that had the older D-SUB VGA connector.


WR2- or you can use the included DVI to DSUB adapter that comes in the box with the video card.

 

[3dwarrior]

After the mail in rebate the 7900 GT price is only $20 bigger than the 7900 GS, so I'll probably stick with it. How does overclocking affect the computer over time though(a side from the increased boost in performance)?

 

[shadowduck]

After the mail in rebate the 7900 GT price is only $20 bigger than the 7900 GS, so I'll probably stick with it. How does overclocking affect the computer over time though(a side from the increased boost in performance)?

Look at the X1900XT 256 which will smoke both of them. The X1900XT 256 can touch the 7900GTX in some benches.

 

[WR2]

I did forget about the DVI-VGA adapters. Shows how long its been since I had to even think about those. Gone Digital all the way ages ago!

How does overclocking affect the computer over time though(a side from the increased boost in performance)?

Light to moderate overclocking should have little impact on system lifespan with decent system cooling.

IMO the #1 danger to PC longevity has to do with power issues - surges, spikes, brownouts and other power abnormalities. Cheap insurance against that is a UPS (battery back up) to condition the power coming into the PC. Typical UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

The X1900XT is great card and if you're going to be looking at that be sure to look at the 7950GT too.