Building a PC & looking for advice

[Janelle]

Hello forumz!

I'm yet another new person here and hoping for advice for building a PC for the first time! Here is what I have so far, and please be gentle - I'm not positive about conflicting hardware and I'm open to suggestions!

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA4200CUBOX

ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard

XFX PVT73GUGD3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250620A 250GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

SeaSonic S12-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, FCC

Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista

Here's a little other info:
I do game, but nothing very high end (yet)..mostly on the level of Everquest or World of Warcraft. I do download a lot of music so I wanted a large HD.

I'm not trying to make a top-of-the-line computer, I just wanted a second computer comparable to the one I have now (Athlon XP, Geforce 6600). If possible I wouldn't even mind downgrading a bit to save money but not sacrifice quality.

I am on a budget! Before I started doing research I was thinking in the neighborhood of $600-$700 (not including monitor/keyboard/mouse etc), but I don't think that will be possible now? I know Intel is better right now, but AMD is cheaper and not BAD right? My AMD has run just fine so far so I'd kind of like to stick with what works.

Also, I don't overclock (yet - too worried about messing up). So I'd like something that will run fine without needing to overclock.

Should I go with the Processor I've chosen or down to a 939 socket one? Is 500w PS enough for that setup? Or too much?
Is 1GB RAM enough? I have seen a few posters saying that DDR2 is not much better then DDR, so now I wonder if a 939 socket + DDR RAM would be just fine for me.
Suggestions for a cheap case? Oops I forgot dvd drives too.
What about cooling?

So many questions! I'd really appreciate any advice!

 

[evongugg]

You can get a cheaper Power Supply with 19-21 amps on the 12v rails for your system.

Top Tier PSU:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

Exhaustive PSU review:
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/xbit-labs-psu-reviews-reviews-ftopict210122.html

Silent PSUs
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

I would stick with the AM2 socket. Socket 939 is dead, no future.
1 GB of Ram is fine, unless you are going with Vista, then 2 GB would be nice.

 

[akhilles]

newegg.com

Shopping Cart
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1
LG 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model GSAH22N-BK - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136103
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$29.99
1
Rosewill R604-P BK 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811147058
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$10.00 Instant

$39.99
$29.99
1
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250820AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148142
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$74.99
1
eVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130073
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate

$119.99
1
SPARKLE ATX-400PN-B204 ATX 12V 2.01 400W Power Supply - OEM
Item #: N82E16817103013
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$43.99
1
G.SKILL Extreme 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model F2-4200PHU2-1GBNT - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231041
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$94.99
1
BIOSTAR TForce965PT LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138037
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy


$104.99
1
Intel Pentium D 805 Smithfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 Dual Core,EM64T Processor Model BX80551PE2666FN - Retail
Item #: N82E16819116001
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy


$93.00

Subtotal: $591.93

These are other options:

NEC 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE / ATAPI Model 7170A-0B - OEM Item #: N82E16827152076
$28.99

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817104954
$53.99

MSI P965 Neo-F LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813130052
$91.99

SeaSonic S12-380 ATX12V 380W Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817151022
$76.99

SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V 430W Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16817151023
$94.99

Rosewill R5601-SL 0.8mm SECC Screw-less Dual 120mm Fans ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - Retail Item #: N82E16811147032
$34.99

Rosewill R5601-BK 0.8mm SECC Screw-less Dual 120mm Fans ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811147038
$39.99

COOLER MASTER RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811119115
$39.99

COOLER MASTER Centurion 532 RC-532-SKN1 Black Aluminum bezel, SECC chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811119094
$44.99

Rosewill R604-P SL 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811147059
$24.99

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT533D2 - Retail Item #: N82E16820145526
$105.99

G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-5300PHU2-1GBNT - Retail Item #: N82E16820231107
$102.99

Patriot Signature 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PSD21G667KH - Retail Item #: N82E16820220070
$105.99

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT667D2 - Retail Item #: N82E16820145568
$107.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115005
$189.00


Your AM2 parts are compatible with each other. However, I'd suggest you go for C2D. The P965 board can support pretty much all 775 cpus including the quad-core ones (QX). You can pick up a PD805 X2 for now. The C2D prices will drop in a few months. When they do, you can pick up an e6300/6400/6600.

DDR & DDR2 at stock might not make a huge difference. There's no reason to keep buying old technology because it's a matter of time before DDR will be phased out. Just like the s939 cpus, which are discontuned. There is remaining stock lying around, but they won't be here forever.

If you decide to stick with s939 & DDR, look for a hybrid board that takes both DDR & DDR2. i.e. Asrock.

As for power supplies, 500w is a bit too much for your setup. I don't know if you will keep upgrading the new pc. If you do, 500w may come in handy someday. For 7600GT, a quality 350w is enough.

The games you play won't need 2 gigs of ram. 1 gig is plenty. 2 gigs are a must for FEAR, Oblivion & Battlefield 1942 & 2142.

 

[evongugg]

For a case I would recommend

Coolermaster Centurion RC-534-KKN2-GP $66.00 minus $10 rebate

For an optical drive I would recommend:

LG 18X DVD+R GSAH22N-BK $36.00

 

[skyguy]

-get a C2D 6300 with a cheaper mobo, it'll be fairly comparible in price but performance will be alot better.

-ditch the ATA hard drive, get a SATA II drive. Period.

-get 2 250 gig hard drives if you need the space instead of one big one. If your hard drive goes for a dump, you're screwed. With 2 250's, you can add data over time, and back it up to the other drive. When you actually fill them up, then get a 500 gig drive, which by then will be much cheaper. Lose your data, lose your mind BACKUP DRIVE.

-get a 1 gig RAM stick now. You can add another stick later. Performance hit for running single channel like this won't be noticed by you in real-world applications. It's cheaper this way and still gives you great upgrades options later.

-get a decent PSU. The Seasonic is a top dog, highly recommended if you can swing the cash.


If you have to go past your budget by $50, do it. Better to get some decent parts than not go all the way and get stuck with something sub-standard and you'll regret it later.

Good luck.

 

[Janelle]

Thank you guys for the information and suggestions! I went and made a few changes, hopefully I haven't messed it all up. How does this sound? (All from newegg)

Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$80
switched to SATA, is that better? Does 16mb cache make much difference over 8mb? If not I will go with an 8mb one. Perpendicular Recording?!

Video Card:
eVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130073
$119.99

Power Supply:
SeaSonic S12-380 ATX12V 380W Power Supply - Retail
$77
Is 380 enough for this set up?

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115005
$189.00

Motherboard:
BIOSTAR TForce965PT LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138037
$104.99

Memory:
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT667D2 - Retail Item #: N82E16820145568
$107.99
Is 1GB still enough with this? I can always get more if I get Vista later

Case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail
$50

LG 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model GSAH22N-BK - OEM Cache: 2MB
$30

Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - OEM
$28

Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM
$139

It's a wee bit over that budget but hey!

 

[skyguy]

1) That's the correct hard drive......SATA w/16 meg cache. Don't even think about IDE anymore.

2) Seasonic is one of the best PSU's you can buy. But 380w is iffy....it won't give you much room for upgrade or anything else later. You may want to consider a PSU that's isn't top of the line, but has more wattage and amps on the 12v rail, in case you decide you upgrade later.

3) 1 gig RAM is ok for now, you can always add another gig later. But consider getting 1 gig stick instead of 2x512. Then you'll have more room for possible expansion later.....because if you go 2x512 now, then up to 4x512 later, you can never go beyond that...it's up to you but I think 1x1024 then 2x1024 later gives you more flexibiliy and keeps your options open.

 

[akhilles]

Current specs looks awesome.

Sorry I didn't read your post carefully. You don't overclock. You don't need dual channel memory kits. Just one stick of 1 gig ram of any brands listed above.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx

A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at least:
A modern processor (at least 800MHz1).
512 MB of system memory.
A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.

SATA 3.0Gb/s is SATAII. The harddisk is right.

380w is enough for 7600gt, but may be not for more expensive video cards.

Good luck.