Need help building computer ( first timer)

[kingroach]

After reading this forum for last couple of weeks and reding some pc building tutorials, I gathered some courage to build a new pc. I searched around newegg and heres the parts I slected:

Case: Rosewill R5717 SL 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case+450W Power Supply withTool-Free kits - Retail

Price: $44.99

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100144ADVL Radeon X1600PRO 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Video Card - Retail

Price: $76.99

RAM: pqi TURBO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Desktop Memory Model PQI25400-1GSB - Retail

Price: $78.99

MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Price: $126.99

For Readyboost: A-DATA PD2 2GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) Model PD2-G20 - Retail

Price: $17.99

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E4300 - Retail

Price: $174.99


I will use dvd-burner, hard drive and monitor from my current computer = $0

Total+shipping: $555.54

I dont play any serious games on my computer ( just flash and casual games like zuma etc.). Most multitasking I do is to run linux on vmware/ some ocassional video encoding etc. My concern is that since I am not a heavy user and I dont have any plan to overclock right now, is the graphics card and motherboard is overkill for me?.. Also in the DS3 motherboard summery, it says it only supports DDR2-800 memory but the memory I selected is a cheap DDR2-667 memory. My max budget is $600.

 

[scorch]

if you click on the specifications tab on the right side of the newegg product decription and scroll down and look at the features it reads:
I see you already read this but........

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets. This would turn me away from the memory you choose.
Mabye this will work. Buy 2 and you can run in dual channel.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820134115

Other wise I don't see a problem.

 

[g-paw]

Couple of thoughts.
If you have a camcorder, I'd get a mobo with onboard firewire. Most mobo that come with firewire are either SLI or with onboard video although I think there is an Intel mobo that has firewire and no SLI. You'll get 3 PCI slots at most and why take one up with a firewire card? I would not get cheap RAM and would get DDR2-800. I have Kingston Value RAM in a couple of my machines they are fine. Go to the Kingston web site and find your mobo and they'll tell you what RAM is compatible. Check out this reviews, looks like for under a $100 the nVidia 7600GS or Radion X 1650 Pro might be better.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/02/06/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/page2.html#best_pcie_card_for_under_100_tie

I understand wanting to keep the cost down, I don't build high end machines because I don't play games. On the other hand, you don't want to just get the cheapest parts because you're likely to have problems, they likely won't last, and the machine just won't run as well as it could. If you decide to get a mobo with firewire, I'd get a case with a front firewire port.

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811147033

 

[4Ryan6]

http://www.homepcbuilder.com/lessons/installation/index.html

 

[kingroach]

what would be a good combination of motherboard and ram for about $200. I wont overclock so overclocked stability isnt an issue ( even if I overclock I wont pass 300 mhz FSB) .. I picked the DDR2 667 because I heard I could use cheap RAM's with C2D 4300.. I also read good thing about the DS3 board in a THG article but it seems to be incompatable with 667 RAM..

I do have an dvd-camcorder but it uses USB port or I can just import direct from dvd so firewire isnt a problem.. I have an pci USB/firewire card in my current computer if I need fiewire..

 

[bradgv]

I just finished upgrading my computer (the one that I had for 4 years died) and I have a couple of recommendations on the experience that I had. I would probably say go with the gigabyte board that ends in S3 (as opposed to the DS3) the only difference is that the DS3 has higher quality capacitors (that I know of) and it is about $20 more. Put that $20 into better memory, I got some Corsair DDR2 800 for about $100 that is very good. Cheap memory can cause more problems than you can imagine. I would also say go with the Core 2 6300, it's basically the same price but it runs a native 1066mhz front side bus. This makes it not overclock quite as well as the other one but I haven't found that to be a problem. With this combination I have mine running a 1600MHz front side bus which pushes my processor up to 2.8GHz and it has been running rock solid. I don't like to have to mess around with anything, so that was my primary concern. Other than that just the stock cooler shich seems to be adequate and pretty quiet. Other than that I think you have a great looking setup, and if you don't play many games I'd leave the video card the way you had it.

 

[deusex]

The DS3 is compatible with DDR2 667 RAM. A top brand like Gigabyte would not skulk on such a mundane addition.