Hey all,
I'm working on putting together my first comp. I have not kept up with hardware for about the past 2 years, but after a bit of research, this is what i came up with (link should work).

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] n+progress


I really wanted to keep it around $650, but that may not be possible. Any advice on this build, that will help reduce cost, or anything listed I should stay away from?

Also, this is my first time putting a comp. together, does it seem I have all needed componets?

Thanks

Looks like you've been reading this forum.

I'd scrap the chipset cooler (unnecessary), mobo & psu & get these instead:

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $108.99

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX400-PN, RoHS, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, 20+ 4 pin, PCI Express, 400W Power Supply - Retail $41.99

The case looks very functional.

check out this thread link
what do you plan on using this system for?

Thanks for the reply and yeah these boards have been a big help.

I switched out the PSU and have a question about the motherboard. I was looking at the one you just suggested and another, exact same price.

The one you said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128017

And the other:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813121035

Can someone tell me how they stack up against each other. The reason I ask is because the second one has on-board Firewire


And it's going to be used for mid-range gaming, I don't need all the bells and whistles. My current system is old and starting to have issues, and want something that I can use now, but has room to upgrade in the future.

Thanks for that link also drummerdude

the gigabyte board is better, you can always add a pci firewire card if you want. also there is a bfg 7600gt that has a $50 rebate link

Thanks guys, took both of your advice.
A little bit more than I wanted price wise, not sure I can shave the price anywhere, I can deal with it I guess.

So how does everything look now?
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] n+progress

Hey Cainx, my 1 1/2 cents are this...

First you may want to pick a different motherboard. That one supports only DDR-2 533mhz memory, you picked DDR-2 800 mhz memory. Also the FSB is set at 800mhz... they have 1066 Mhz boards out now so you may want to look for something a little better.

If you want to still go with Gigabyte, I'd go with a GA-965P-S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128017


What I heard about recent Gigabyte boards is that the BIOS needs to be updating. I've had Gigabyte boards... with mixed results. This one appears to be fine.

Honestly, a motherboard is one of the most important components... all the other components can be upgraded depending on the motherboard specs. Finding a good one is key because you may want to rebuild down the road. I'm sure the Socket T (775) won't go away and will support much bigger CPUs. That will reduce your cost in the long term.

The other thing I see right away is that you don't have a CPU heatsink... not sure what you intend the $4.99 Zalman for because I don't think you'd need it (its for the northbridge not the CPU)?? Using the stock heatsink from the retail box is fine... but it may be noisy. Spending a little extra to get a better one is worth it if you want to cool the CPU more effectively and quieter... The past few builds I used Artic Cooling ... quiet and very easy to install with plastic tabs... much easier than Heat sinks of the past which needed a screw driver.

If you want to look at an Artic Cooling Heat sink look at the Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (for the Intel CPU) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134

Its totally up to you, others swear their allegiance to others like Thermaltake or Zalman. As long as its easy to install and does the job according to your specs it is what matters.

Few other comments,

Case looks good as long as you like the front door. I'm not a door person because they get in the way but doors hide the drive bays nicely. Thats your preference.

Power Supply... no experience with Roswell... the thing I hate about power supplies is that they are noisy or don't move enough air. If you want quiet, look at a Cooler Master http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817159040
... but it'll add some cost.

No inputs likes keyboards or mice? Monitor? I'm sure you got those covered.

The Pentium 805 D Smithfield is the Best CPU bargain I found out there... if you pick one of the motherboards I suggested, you can always upgrade to a better CPU later.

Hard Drive should be fine... but if it were me I'd go with a Seagate Perpendicular drive. Its a matter of a opinion and will add more cost (they start at $80).

Graphic card should be great and last a while.

Very smart getting a floppy drive just in case. I'm a risk taker and haven't included one on the last couple of builds because I never needed floppies. The BIOS can be flashed through windows now. However I've never been burned doesn't mean someone else might be... usually a BIOS floppy is included just in case...

CPU grease should be included with the retail CPU package so you're good but its just enough to do one build. If you think you might need more, get some Artic Silver... should be about $5 anywhere.

Intel builds are generally more expensive than AMD (I've built mostly AMD)... but honestly, what you have isn't too bad and that CPU beats anything AMD offers in that price range. To build a nice computer to last a while, I usually look at spending $700-800 because the curve on the prices verse quality of the parts is in that range. Going cheaper is really tough without compromising on a few important things... however spending a little extra on some things are worth it long term such as power supply , motherboard, and case. My attitude is that that money is hard earned and should go as far as possible.

Hopefully that helps you. Please post your final decision... I always compare notes and improve my wish list (the system I use is 4 yrs old build spring 2003 but going strong with upgraded parts).

guess I can rescind most of my post since you changed the parts already! The updated list looks good... what do you need firewire for?

Hehe thanks Spet3r, appreciate that post. Really helpfully and got me to realize that I should get quailty parts over cheap parts.

And someone recently gave me a Camcorder with a Firewire hookup for christmas

But I think this is the final list, heh.
Any more comment on it, how does it look?
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] n+progress

Yeah... I'd go with the first set of memory that you picked. OCZ isn't a bad brand at all... plus its performance ram for the same price. I have it in mine...a bout 1.5GB worth (DDR400). The ram you got on the list now is like a bargain brand? Think it was this one you listed before:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227126

Definitely get Performance grade memory if you can, its really nice boost over regular memory. Spending $105 already... $10 more, you'll get it back with a rebate. You're looking for a 5-5-5 or a 6-6-6 according to the Motherboard specs so it should work.

Interesting that you swtiched to a Thermaltake Powersupply from the other one? I liked the second one you had but I can't recall what it was... went for $44 and 400w. But honestly if you're looking at more power, get the CoolerMaster for $50.... its got a nice big 120mm fan on it so it'll be nice and quiet supplying 500w. Reason I like it is because you can actually turn the fan on auto so its not always running if its not needed.

Are you sure you don't want a CPU fan / heatsink with that setup? I can't help but cringe if you stick with the stock fan but its your machine.

With the RAM someone told me the Motherboard accepts only RAM rated at 1.8v. And the OCZ was at 2.0v. So I just switched it to something which was 1.8v. Was that not needed?

And for the Powersupply, someone recommeded that due to it being Active PFC, I wasn't to sure on making that change.

And I just forgot to add the CPU fan. You recommended this one, correct?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134

Sorry buddy... on AMD systems I never paid much attention to the voltage.

Get this ram instead for $118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820211064

From what I know its suppose to work on Intel systems and its a ASUS certified vendor (your getting Gigabyte, but its still helpful to know).

As far as power supplies go... Check out this site
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/faqpfc.html

Seems to explain briefly the difference. Having an active PFC is nice if you want the full 400 watt or whatever the rating of the power supply at a constant rate from the AC power source. If theres any noise the power supply would correct it much better than passive to keep the juice flowing at a constant rate. But in all honesty I've used passive for years without much issue. This is just one of those things that you'll have to decide for yourself because it won't really matter much either way for what your doing.

Oh yeah... definitely go for that heatsink. I've installed three of those already and they are a dream. Those plastic tabs are real nice to work with. Takes about a min to install and theres no fidgiting with a screwdriver. Once running most of the systems I built were running at 32-36 C which is awesome.

The thing I like about it is that the fan doesn't sit on a ball roller bearing... rather it hangs from a cantilever extending its life and keeping it quiet.

Do you have anyone a phone call away in case you have questions putting the thing together since its your first one?

Ok, build completed hehe. Got it under $800, shipping will put it over but I just tell myself the mail in rebate will take care of it heh.

Thanks for all the help SPET3R, probably saved me a headache down the road.

Unfortuantly no one near to help with the build, but I'm looking forward to it. I've done upgrades and changed cases before, but this should be a good learning experience.

You bet... I hope everything goes together well. The trickiest part is always finding the plug ins for the Power Switch , Reset Button, and LEDs... Another tip is install the CPU / heatsink outside of the case. The rest is Legos... as long as it boots.

If you got any more questions about the actual building... feel free my email is speter011@yahoo.com

Your current specs are great. It's not hard to build. Do it on a table/desk with a large cardboard. Try the barebone w/o drives. Follow the manual.