First Build want opinions

[thetallone]

Ive been looking to get a new computer for university. I will be used for gaming and the other standard stuff and i was just hoping to get second opinons on this parts list i put together. I am looking to spend around 1300 canadian (all prices on list in canadian) I am also not looking to over clock right now.

Asus P5N-SLI w/ DualDDR2, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, PCI-E x16 SLI 134.95
or possible Asus P5N-E SLI w/ DualDDR2 800, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, Dual PCI-E x16 SLI 159.95

Intel Core™2 Duo Processor E6300 1.86GHz w/ 2MB Cache 229.95

Kingston 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 199.9

Seagate 320GB Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II w/ NCQ, 16MB Cache 109.95

eVGA e-GeForce 7900 GS KO 256MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out 189.95

Cooler Master Elite 330 Chassis, Black 49.95

LiteOn LH-20A1P 20x20 DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive, Black (OEM) 42.95

Samsung SyncMaster 931BW 19in Widescreen LCD w/ DVI, 2ms, 2000:1, Glossy Black 279.95

 

[jeff_2087]

Pretty good, though you might consider getting a different board. That one is based on the 5 series chipset for Intel, which seemed to pretty much fall flat. You could look at the Gigabyte 965P DS3 or Asus P5N-E SLi.

If you're not overclocking at all, the cheaper MSI 965 Platinum or other Gigabyte 965 boards that are cheaper than the DS3.

 

[skyguy]

Agreed. Sounds like SLI is definitely not needed here. Waste of money.
The Gigabyte 965P-S3 or the MSI 965 Neo-F are your best bets. Giga for overclocking, MSI for stock. Both are very inexpensive and solid boards. Last I checked Canada Computers had the MSI on sale. Looks like you're not overclocking, so consider the MSI.

Also check Direct Canada, they generally have the best prices in Canada, and are based in B.C so if you live outside of B.C then you don't pay PST And for orders over $300 they have free Purolator shipping....can't beat that. Those 2 things right there can save you $100 possibly.

Also, a 19" widescreen is actually smaller than a standard aspect 19". It's the height of a 17" LCD 8O . The widescreen aspect may sound tempting, but not until you get up to about 22" in size. The 19" wide will look TINY compared to a standard aspect 19". So you should reconsider that. Samsung monitors are GREAT though.

 

[thetallone]

So whats the difference between Gigabyte 965P-S, Gigabyte 965P DS3 and Asus P5N-E SLi. Cause only the 965P-S has much of a change in price.

 

[thetallone]

Ive been advised on another forum to upgrade the ram to this OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit 230.57

would this be a better idea in case i ever wanted to over clock.

 

[Marell]

Perty close to a system I just built for someone.

If I were you I'de get a P5B-E 965 board from Asus.

Yes the RAM idea is good...

Get the 20x Liteon Sata burner (it just came out) that way there is no ribbon in your box.

Get something like a Silverstone Element 500W the 7900GS your are picking up is an OC model. With the OC 7900GS you might need to be closer to a 7900GT PSU requirments:

I believe here is the power requirment's for refrence design:

7900GS: 430W (20A)
7900GT: 450W (22A)

I think the Silverstone should work, don't cheapout on the PS!!! BTW check out NCIX.

Also figure out if the 19" LCD you are getting is one of the 2007 Samsung LCD models. I know the new 20" & 22" model's are the 226bw & 206bw their just coming of the boat...

I know you are on a budget, but shrug it's only money. BTW the e6400 is usually on special for like an extra CA$40.00 more then the e6300.

Heh, yes I know I am a bad inflance.


Marell

 

[skyguy]

The S3 is the exact same performance, etc as the DS3 except it doesn't have solid state capacitors. This means it won't last as long. HOWEVER, that's not to say it's crap. It simply means that it'll last 5 years instead of 6 or 7. So I'd say get the S3, it's cheaper and will do the trick just nicely.

The P5N-E SLI board is very nice too. However, you're paying for SLI and I highly doubt you'll ever need it from what you describe. Also this mobo is more picky with RAM and timings. The S3 isn't

You can upgrade to the suggested OCZ RAM if you want to overclock at some point in the future. It's somewhat budget overclocking RAM, but it will definitely do the trick, and it's not very expensive either. So if you can afford to spend the bit of extra $$ then definitely go for the OCZ. I used to have that stuff and it overclocks fine....not insane high, but very respectable. Go for it.

So I'd say the S3 and the OCZ.....very good inexpensive combination there. You'll be very happy with that. Very stable, easy to overclock if you ever choose to, good features, and won't break the bank. Definitely a winning combination there, good choice!