Virgin Builder

[sillywabbit]

Hey all. As the title implies, this will be my first build. My order consists of the following:

1) Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $94.99
2) EVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $119.99
3) HIPER HPU-4S580-MS ATX12V v2.2 580W Power Supply - Retail 84.99
4)Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model $40.00 Mail-in Rebate $251.99
5) GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel
$126.99
6)Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model

I bought the Antec P180 case yesterday(currently $80 with free shipping at frys.com fyi). Just a few questions:

A)Besides the thermal compound i'll be buying, are there any other items i need to get? Additional cables, heatsinks, fans etc?
B) I decided to go with a cheap video card for now and will upgrade down the road. In regards to the RAM, if you can suggest any other choices that might be better but keeping around the $200 range (patriot was $211), i'd appreciate it. I've never flashed a bios or even entered into the screen, so i'd like memory that will basically be plug-n-play but have the headroom to overclock in the future as i learn more.

Thanks in advance .

 

[skyguy]

Good setup you got there. I assume you'll be overclocking, judging by your specs? If so, then there are many RAM choices that can accommodate your needs. OCZ Platinum, SuperTalent, even G.Skill.....depends how high you want to OC. If you're not overclocking, then get cheap 667 RAM for your budget....800 RAM won't be needed.

Your mobo should come with the SATA cables and IDE for optical drive that you'll need. The P180 case will come with mobo screws and other such things. PSU will have everything you need there. So you should be good with all the cables you need.

You may want to consider an aftermarket heatsink. Not necessary, but it'll be quieter and cooler than the stock one included....unless you go OEM, then you need a heatsink for sure.

Lastly, don't worry about flashing your BIOS. There is a better way: Go to Gigabyte's website and just download @BIOS, read the instructions. It lets you update your BIOS through Windows. Very simple and straightforward. Get it here:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/NewTech/old_motherboard_newtech/tech_a_bios.htm

 

[sillywabbit]

Thanks for the reply. I have a question about purchasing Ram in general. The MB i chose recommends 5-5-5-12 timings and a voltage of 1.8.
I understand if I get ram with say 2.2V i would need to adjust that but what if i get RAM at the recommended 1.8V with different timings? Would i need to enter the bios and adjust the timings or will my system work w/o adjustment?

 

[yakyb]

looks good to me and good idea with the vid card you have obviously done your research. you shouldn't need anything else it will mostly come with your MOBO but i would personally advise thaat you get yourself a good aftermarket Cpu cooler if you are planning on OCing, also have a look at upgrading that Vid card in 6 months time when things are a little more stable

 

[yakyb]

the BIOS can be quite intimidating for Starters but trust me if your building from scratch you will have to enter it at some point. however find out where the reset button is and stop worrying you'll be fine i would advise that you start by turning off a few of the intergrated perepherils (onboard sound etc) and see the effect it has when you go into windows.
regarding your Ram (i have never used your board mind) i would expect that the Bios version would now recognise your ram but its really not an issue to go into the bios and change it

remember so long as you dont put it too high you can always reset and start again (reset Bios when Comp is turned off)

 

[sillywabbit]

Ok, thanks Sky and Yaky. I missed the part of the first reply about flashing bios thru windows so that makes things seems easier. And yes, for Beginners that darn bios does seem intimidating. Gotta jump in at some point or another. Ordering today.

Thanks again for the replies. And a general thanks out to all those who have posted replies to others' questions. You help us all learn that way.
Ninja, JJ, Mpilch, Ape, Prozac, Pauld, heyyou, qOJDO, pipp, wusy, rwar and i have to give credit to BM. I'm sure i missed many more

 

[skyguy]

The quick BIOS lesson is hit <Del> when starting up, then in BIOS hit <Ctrl-F1>. That unlocks all the features. Then go from there. Find your way around, set up the time and the other settings are easy. Just read your mobo manual. Don't worry about the complicated stuff at first like timings, etc.

You're gonna have the same mobo as me, so if you have questions about BIOS, just post here or PM me and I can answer them for you.

 

[erickoegle]

I would suggest getting a different Power Supply. The Hiper 580watts psus are known to have length of cable issues with the Antec P180 case.

Q: I just bought HIPER Type R 580W PSU and notice the P4 connector is not long enough to
reach the motherboard, what can I do?
A: This PSU may not be suitable for tower cases, where the PSU is situated at the bottom of the
tower case. Known incompatible case: Antec P180.

 

[sillywabbit]

Shoot, ordered already. Any suggestions on a PSU with longer cables?

Actually, just went on Hiper website and their P4 connector measures in at 450mm so looks like it will be ok. I guess it depends on if MB P4 connector is near top, middle or bottom.

 

[erickoegle]

Usually with power supplies you choose based on wattage and name. Probably check to make sure that the powersupply doesnt fit in the case. Even though it says that the P180 is incompatable, check to make sure. If it doesn't reach completely, contact the place of purchase, maybe they will only make you ship it back to them for a full refund. Chances are though, they will charge a restocking fee for non-defective products. I am not entirely sure but possibly instead of returning the PSU you could just find extenders online. I am not sure if you would just need one for the 20/24pin ATX molex, but after you figure out what you need you may be able to find one online cheaply. If not Antec powersupplies should fit their own cases.

 

[NamelessMC]

A few tips-

Get a new heatsink! - People having success with the stock HSF doesn't take away from the fact that a good heatsink/fan will make you a little easier to sleep at night.

I strongly recommend Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, but NOT AT NEWEGG. Newegg has a 100% mark-up on the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. It's a $29 HSF they're selling for $58. Quite ridiculous.

Here it is at ChiefValue.com for $24.99
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro $24.99

ChiefValue has a 4.65 out of 5 lifetime rating with Pricegrabber.com so I know they're reputable.

Newegg has the Freezer7Pro up for $59.99 which in my opinion, is theft.

 

[sillywabbit]

Thanks MC, i'll pick that up.

erickoegle -- i might see if i can change my order and p/u a seasonic. I've done some searching and read their new psu revision cables are 2 inches longer than before and i've seen some builds using revision 1 along with the p180 with succes. Thanks

 

[sillywabbit]

Newegg is sickly efficient. I ordered less than 2 hours ago then called to make a change and come to find out the order (8 items) is already packed and on the truck. Shees. Talk about being too efficient.

 

[NamelessMC]

Newegg is sickly efficient. I ordered less than 2 hours ago then called to make a change and come to find out the order (8 items) is already packed and on the truck. Shees. Talk about being too efficient.

Doesn't change the fact that they're charging $59.99 for a heatsink that retails for $24.99.

They're a great seller but with things like that lying around, you should definitely at least check a price of theirs compared to MSRP before you dive in and make sure you're getting the "deal" of a lifetime.

 

[sillywabbit]

I didn't order that heatsink from newegg Same with the Antec case---found that at Frys for $80.

 

[skyguy]

Good deal there.....the Egg is overpriced for some things lately.

In any event, I have the P180 case and the new Rev. Seasonic. Excellent PSU. No issues with cable length except the 4-pin ATX cord....sort of. I'm very anal about cable management and I hide everything. So my mobo has it at the top left and I couldn't route it behind the mobo, so I had to do some magic to hide it.

Other than that, if you're not seriously badA$$ about your cable management, then the Seasonic is a dream. Absolutely quiet, deadly efficient. Best PSU I've ever had, bar none.