My PC Build 2.0

[patrickcyr]

So I took the decision of building a second computer on my own. My first build that I made about a year ago tought me alot of things. I fried a couple of CPUs along the way and saw some blue smoke and sparks coming out of my PSUs, but I guess it served me as lessons and I'm now ready to build a real professional custom PC.

So I need your advice guys because there's a couple of components I'm not sure.

I want the following things in my computer :

EVGA 680i motherboard
EVGA Geforce 8800 (320MB)
Zalman 9700
Core 2 Duo E6300
80GB 10,000RPM Raptor

I'm not sure about the RAM, PSU and the case.

I want 2GB DDR2 (1GBx2) (maybe G.Skill?)

And concerning the PSU, I thought of Antec but I'm not sure how many watts I need (around 600?)

and finally, the case, I woud like to have it screwless (doesn't need to be entirely in aluminium)

thanks in advance for your help!

EDIT : please keep in mind this is a budget gaming pc, my 7.30$ salary per hour can't afford something too big

 

[akhilles]

Are you going to overclock it?

For 8800gts, a 425w 28a psu is required. For 8800gtx, a 475w 32a is needed. If in doubt, buy one that's more than enough for 8800gtx so when you upgrade the video from gts to gtx, you won't have to upgrade the psu.

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1491365#1491365

 

[jeff_2087]

Is the 680i and Raptor really necessary? The 680i is a fast board, no doubt about it, but unless you're going SLi the 975 or 965 boards are great too, and in the case of the 965, can be half the price of the 680i. Also, apparantly some people have issues with their 680is (especially SATA drives and RAID) but mine has run flawlessly (although I don't use RAID). And about the Raptor, they're great fast hard drives, but if this is a gaming machine you really don't need it. For that price, you could get a 500 gig 7200rpm drive. Of course, a Raptor would speed up loading times a little, but with 2 gigs of ram you wouldn't see any significant framerate benefit.

With that said, if you do want those parts, I think they're both great. But I dunno if they belong in a budget gaming build. You'd probably be better off using the extra money to get a 640 mb GTS or something.

For RAM, I like my Mushkin HP DDR2-800, I've got it running a little under 800mhz but at 3-4-3-9 1T timings. But any of the respected brands will do, G.Skill, Geil, Corsair, Kingston, maybe Team Group or OCZ. Just look for whatever offers the best timings for the price at wherever you're getting your parts.

As for the PSU, 600w would be easily enough for a non-SLi build.

Speaking of SLi, if that's why you listed the 680i, I think you should definitely consider a 640meg GTS over the 320. If you get anoher 320 later on and put them in SLi, you've got a lot of processing power with a meager amount of memory to support it.

 

[scorch]

With the ram as mentioned above its a good idea to stick with the major brands-- Corsair kingston and such. The 8800 video cards are asking for 26 amps on the 12V rail. I would look at the 500 Watt and up power supplys then check the specs for the amps on the 12V rails. Antec is a good brand for power supplies as I remember they have a good warranty. There are other brands which others will suggest which are probally as good or mabye better.

 

[mythos]

If you're really on 7.30 an hour, you have no business buying any of these components -

EDIT

Bloody teenagers with no expenses.

END EDIT

 

[patrickcyr]

haha mythos, don't panic.

I'm only 15 years old, I have a part time job, I still live with my parents, I don't have any bills to pay or a family to feed, so don't worry, the only expenses I have is when I go to the movie theater/social stuff like that so I don't mine investing on a computer.

 

[patrickcyr]

so for the RAM, is something like this good :
http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-G-SKILL-2GB-2-x-1GB-DDR2-800-PC2-6400-4-4-4-12_W0QQitemZ230093818402QQihZ013QQcategoryZ74942QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

is 4-4-4-12 timing good?

 

[mythos]

Hehe - sorry the previous thread I was replying to got me a little riled up Forget that lots of people here aren't actually supporting themselves yet

CAS 4 is good for DDR2800, that RAM should do you just fine, just make sure you do some research on how to set the RAM voltage in your bios in case it doesn't POST the first time you try. Shouldn't be much of an issue anymore but who knows. Also, if you have spare DDR2 sticks from your old comp to boot up the first time and get into the bios, that might be ideal.

I still wouldn't recommend those components for a "budget" gaming build as they are only marginal increases over much cheaper components but - Enjoy your build Suggestions here on the forums are generally good you don't even need to do much more than browse some topics your interested in.

 

[geofelt]

My 2 cents:
For a budget gaming rig, spend some extra $ on the video card; A 8800gts-320 is $300, and a 8800gts-640 can be had for $340-360. Even a 8800gtx is $550. This is the most important component for gaming. The e6300 is fine, and I am a fan of fast hard drives like the raptor, I would not change that. As to the Mobo, I would look at a P965 based board for about $120 as a source of $ to spend on the vga card. They only have one VGA slot, but by the time you want to upgrade, everything will be superceeded by better price performance anyway.
You can also save by using the stock intel heat sink. It cools well enough, and if you are going to transport the PC, it will not as easily get bumped out of alignment.
For memory, 2x1g is good. No need to spend extra for more than 667 memory. There is only a marginal difference in performance with 800 memory, because of the c2d architecture. Go to the psu 101 pages on this forum and do the calculations, and pick one of the quality brands. It is my perception that the FSP(fotron) psu's are the lowest priced,and a good value. As to a case, pick what appeals to you. They all work. If you will transport it, check the size and weight. I like cases with a couple of larger(120mm) fans because they cool better, and are quieter. As long as the side comes off with thumb screws, using a screwdriver on the interior does not bother me.
You did not ask about a monitor. If you have any money left,spend it on the best monitor you can afford. This is the one component that you see every day, and it will last you through several cycles of new technology.

 

[Lionhardt]

Dude, you're 15 too?
That makes three of us, mabye we can revolt and take over Tom's Hardware soon.

 

[CmdPT]

There are lots of RAM companies to pick from OCZ, Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston. But OCZ and Corsair RAM are a bit over priced but they are very good quality rams. I would choose either G.Skill or OCZ.

For the PSU Go with 520W or 600W. The OCZ 600W GameXtreme is pretty good IMO.

For the case its totally up to you on what you like or suits you. Like for example you don't want it too big or too small or something that would fit in or on your desk ect...

 

[patrickcyr]

hahaha! =P

canadian 15-er or american 15-er?