Plz help with first solo build

Thanx, for taking the time to look at this. I have a budget of about 1,500.00 and as you can see I am at that with these. I do not do much gaming but the son gets back from the service in a few months (I know – he will) and he will want a system. The requirements have really increased in the last 4 years. This system will not need to be overclocked he can do that to his system when he gets one put together. This will end up being for me. I want a stable system. I do web browsing, email , DVD burning, picture and video editing, general home business apps. I think this system has room for upgrading so should do me. Will it run the popular games?

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16811129155 $89.99
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI x 16 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813131031 $219.99
eVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814130073 $99.99
Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0GHz LGA 775 Dual Core Processor Model BX80553930 - Retail Item #: N82E16819116238 $115.00
OCZ Gold 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8001GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227126 $97.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822144417 $69.99
ViewSonic Q19wb Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Item #: N82E16824116014 $158.99
SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151136 $31.99
SABRENT CRW-UINB 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port - Retail Item #: N82E16820300608 $11.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - Retail Item #: N82E16835186134 $29.99
Verbatim 4.7GB 16X DVD+R LightScribe 2 x 10 Packs Discs - Retail Item #: N82E16817130009 $6.99
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound - OEM Item #: N82E16835100009 $4.99
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2b w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM Item #: N82E16832116171 $109.99

Totals without S/H with rebates 1,047.88 without rebates $1,171.88

Did I miss anything? I have the keyboard, mouse and floppy drive. With him not being here to help I am little apprehensive that I can recall the things I learned when we worked on them together. If any other information is needed please let me know.

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Get an Core2Duo E6300 for $80 more
Get a Asus P5B-E for $70 less
And try to stretch your budget to include 2Gig of RAM

Reply to Apple_Fritters

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail Item #: N82E16811129155 $89.99 --- okay
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI x 16 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813131031 $219.99 --- okay
eVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814130073 $99.99 --- okay
Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0GHz LGA 775 Dual Core Processor Model BX80553930 - Retail Item #: N82E16819116238 $115.00 --- forget about it, purchase a core 2 duo processor
OCZ Gold 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8001GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227126 $97.99 --- okay
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822144417 $69.99 --- okay
ViewSonic Q19wb Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail Item #: N82E16824116014 $158.99 --- okay
SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151136 $31.99 --- okay
SABRENT CRW-UINB 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port - Retail Item #: N82E16820300608 $11.99 --- okay
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - Retail Item #: N82E16835186134 $29.99 --- okay
Verbatim 4.7GB 16X DVD+R LightScribe 2 x 10 Packs Discs - Retail Item #: N82E16817130009 $6.99 --- okay
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound - OEM Item #: N82E16835100009 $4.99 --- okay
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 SP2b w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM Item #: N82E16832116171 $109.99 --- okay

Totals without S/H with rebates 1,047.88 without rebates $1,171.88 --- $1,255 w/o rebates, well worth to upgrade to e6300 Core2Duo processor

Reply to sunangel

Quote :

ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI x 16 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813131031 $219.99 --- okay

Hey SunAngel, do you really like this mobo, it's a nForce4.

Reply to Apple_Fritters

The pentium D processors run very hot. If you get a basic core 2 duo(e6300) you won't need an aftermarket cooler; the stock cooler will be fine, saving $30. A good p965 mobo will be $110-$130, paying for the c2d processor. If you want to splurge, get a second identical monitor; it will be the best money you ever spent on a computer.

Reply to geofelt

I don't know anything about that board. I said "okay" because that is what he wants. I know for sure he should not buy the Pent D processor. Seems we both agree on that. From my perspective, his/her build is okay. I personally would make some minor modifications, but I am not here to question someones tastes.

Reply to sunangel

as said already Do not get a Pentium!
get an e6300

save some money and just get a Gigabyte 965p-S3 Motherboard
Asus P5B-E if you need Firewire/eSATA

you could save some $$$ and just get 667mhz ram, it will OC to 800mhz anyway(if its a decent brand)
try and get 2GB RAM

also the Seagate Sata2 HDD's are a little faster because they have PMR

Reply to Giraffe

Don't get the Pentium D. I have that 7600GT, I would buy a Zalman VF 700 and change the heatsink. It is really really loud.

Reply to qwazzy

Thank you all for the help. I have some questions

Quote :

And try to stretch your budget to include 2Gig of RAM

Is this needed for his games?

Everyone suggests that I go to the Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz . Is that faster then the Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0GHz ??? I guess that I do not understand this - ( call me stupid if you need to) but I can not find anything that I understand that answers this for me. I see that it is suggested alot so I will do it cause he will probly call me stupid when he gets home if I don't.

I am changing the MB to the Asus P5B-E also cause I do not need the onboard video ( and was going to have to disable it anyway) cause I know I want at least the 256MB for video that the eVGA 256-P2-N550 board has.

Quote :

you won't need an aftermarket cooler; the stock cooler

I was getting this cause the case only had one fan - I do not have air conditioning and I do not want it to get to hot. I run the systems I have now with the side off - and vac them out at least bi-weekly.

Quote :

get a second identical monitor;

Why would I need this? - I can only watch one at a time and I do not have the room.

Quote :

personally would make some minor modifications, but I am not here to question someones tastes;

Make any suggestions that you think would be better. If my son was not overseas or at least had email contact I would let him make the suggestions. I was feeling out of water as I was tring to get this together in the first place and was thinking of getting a boxed unit. But I know he would call me more then stupid.
Seagate's have left a bad taste in my mouth or have they gotten better over the last 5 years or so?

Quote :

I would buy a Zalman VF 700 and change the heatsink

Why do this if I could just get a different card?
What about this I was lookin at :
XFX PVT72GWANG GeForce 7300GS 256MB Onboard (512MB TurboCache Supported) 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Low Profile Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150128
If not then any suggestion are welcome that is why I am here.

Well, if you hadn't called me stupid before are you now????????
Thanks again everyone.

Reply to WapsiJoe

2GB is prefered for games now

the e6300 is much faster than a 3ghz PD
you could also go for the e4300 C2D which is also better

Seagate is a good brand and would be my #1 choice atm

dont gert a 7300GS, TurboCache cards are lame

Reply to Giraffe

Quote :

Thank you all for the help. I have some questions
And try to stretch your budget to include 2Gig of RAM

Is this needed for his games?

Everyone suggests that I go to the Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz . Is that faster then the Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0GHz ??? I guess that I do not understand this - ( call me stupid if you need to) but I can not find anything that I understand that answers this for me. I see that it is suggested alot so I will do it cause he will probly call me stupid when he gets home if I don't.

I am changing the MB to the Asus P5B-E also cause I do not need the onboard video ( and was going to have to disable it anyway) cause I know I want at least the 256MB for video that the eVGA 256-P2-N550 board has.

Quote :

you won't need an aftermarket cooler; the stock cooler

I was getting this cause the case only had one fan - I do not have air conditioning and I do not want it to get to hot. I run the systems I have now with the side off - and vac them out at least bi-weekly.

Quote :

get a second identical monitor;

Why would I need this? - I can only watch one at a time and I do not have the room.

Quote :

personally would make some minor modifications, but I am not here to question someones tastes;

Make any suggestions that you think would be better. If my son was not overseas or at least had email contact I would let him make the suggestions. I was feeling out of water as I was tring to get this together in the first place and was thinking of getting a boxed unit. But I know he would call me more then stupid.
Seagate's have left a bad taste in my mouth or have they gotten better over the last 5 years or so?

Quote :

I would buy a Zalman VF 700 and change the heatsink

Why do this if I could just get a different card?
What about this I was lookin at :
XFX PVT72GWANG GeForce 7300GS 256MB Onboard (512MB TurboCache Supported) 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Low Profile Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150128
If not then any suggestion are welcome that is why I am here.

Well, if you hadn't called me stupid before are you now????????
Thanks again everyone.

2GB is considered a good amount to have for high-end games in Windows XP, but it'll be a necessity for future gaming in Vista since the operating system will use far more memory. 1GB will be the minimum to run Vista smoothly.

Yes, get the E6300 over the Pentium D 930. The architecture is completely redesigned and new, and the processor is able to do more processing per cycle. Similar to how AMD the last couple years was able to be competitive with Intel processors even though they ran at a much lower speed. Nothing compares with the Core2Duo series for performance, cool operation, and power consumption right now, and I wouldn't recommend any other chip for a standard desktop. Read articles about it on this site and anandtech.com.

The Asus P5B-E is a fine motherboard, as well as the Gigabyte P965-DS3 for about the same price. I personally use the DS3 more often in builds but you can't go wrong with either..

Unless you're planning on overclocking (by the looks of it you aren't), you definitely don't need an aftermarket cooler. The stock cooler allows high overclocks anyway, so if you're not overclocking, your CPU will be fine even with a warm ambient temperature.

The Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 series of hard drives are fine.. I personally use the Western Digital Caviar SE16 drives at about the same price. I wouldn't hesitate to use the Seagates though.

Do NOT get anything lower than a 7600GS for a videocard though.. the 7600GT is about the best bang for the the cheap buck out, and the 7600GS is what I'd pick for a $100 videocard. There's a major difference between the 7600GS and 7300GS.. not as much between the 7600GS and 7600GT.

As for the videocard cooler.. the noise heard depends on the case. The Zalman VF900 is a much better cooler than the VF700, so the option to upgrade that later is available if it's too loud for you..

The rest looks alright though.. if you have any more questions based on my responses, PM me..

Reply to -silencer-

Quote :

Everyone suggests that I go to the Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz . Is that faster then the Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0GHz ??? I guess that I do not understand this - ( call me stupid if you need to) but I can not find anything that I understand that answers this for me. I see that it is suggested alot so I will do it cause he will probly call me stupid when he gets home if I don't.

The E series chips are newer and much better. Even at a slower clock speed, the E6300 outperforms the D930 (an stays much cooler). That's a good change.

Quote :

I am changing the MB to the Asus P5B-E also ...

Another good change. uch better bang for your buck. And the firmware and drivers are a bit more stable, which is also in line with what you are looking for.

Quote :

you won't need an aftermarket cooler; the stock cooler

I was getting this cause the case only had one fan - I do not have air conditioning and I do not want it to get to hot. I run the systems I have now with the side off - and vac them out at least bi-weekly.
As said above, the E6300 runs cooler than older CPUs. He's right, the stock cooler is fine for anyone who doesn't overclock unless you are trying to reduce noise and use a slow fan with a big heatsink (which I don't think you are). And for the record, in a decent case the machine will run cooler with the side on instead of off. Taking it off disrupts the airflow. And a single fan is enough to move air so long as you don't clutter the air passages with a mess of cables.

Quote :

get a second identical monitor;

Why would I need this? - I can only watch one at a time and I do not have the room.
Agree - you don't need it.

Quote :

Seagate's have left a bad taste in my mouth or have they gotten better over the last 5 years or so?

Yes, they actually have. You can still get bad drives though from any manufacturer. It does happen. But you can get a WD drive for the same price if you'd rather.

Reply to John_C

the surrent Seagate drives are a little faster than the WD drives
http://www.anandtech.com/storage/s [...] =2803&p=10

Reply to Giraffe

Quote :

the surrent Seagate drives are a little faster than the WD drives
http://www.anandtech.com/storage/s [...] =2803&p=10

yep, and a little more noisy. for most, the seagate is likely the best choice but the difference is slight enough that it really doesn't much matter.

Reply to John_C

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