First time builder, input would be appreciated :)

Ocktopus

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This is the first system Im building since my Alienware decided to take a dump after 5yrs of quality service(piece of crap)

I want to build a budget, everyday, futureproof system with some gaming here and there in mind and Im wondering if this suits me well. I may want to over clock this system too.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W Power Supply 115/230 V CSA, CB, TUV, FCC, UL - Retail

Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black 105 Normal Keys 9 Function K..eys USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

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

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

Grand Total: $810.45 with shipping(newegg.com)

Adding speakers: Logitech X-530 5.1 5-Piece System with Subwoofer Speaker: $39.99(Amazon.com)
 

jeff_2087

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Looks good though I'd recommend not using the Rosewill power supply in favour of something with more quality like FSP Group, or Seasonic or Silverstone, that sort of thing. I'm sure you could get a more solid PSU from FSP Group (for example) that has all the juice you need for around $50. 450W would be more than enough for the 7600GT.
 

Ocktopus

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I was thinking of using this mobo since I was considering doing SLI with two 7600 GTs in the future. Is SLI worth the trouble?

MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
 

jeff_2087

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Not for two 7600GTs, that's for sure. If you're planning SLi, it's only suitable for the 8800 series, preferably GTX. Otherwise you're better off just getting a faster single card right now than upgrading to SLi.

EDIT: by the way, the 7600GT will only give you mild gaming. If you're serious about gaming, definitely spend more on the graphics card. Also you should definitely overclock this system because all the parts you have are capable of doing big overclocks, it'd be a shame not to.
 

hardwire99

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Whats wrong with Rosewill's PSU?

The higher quality PSU provide a higher efficiency rating, and a better 12v rail. some of the cheap PSU 12v rails vary voltage by up to 10%. This is bad for the components.
 

Ocktopus

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Whats wrong with Rosewill's PSU?

The higher quality PSU provide a higher efficiency rating, and a better 12v rail. some of the cheap PSU 12v rails vary voltage by up to 10%. This is bad for the components.


Can you recommend a PSU that is going to run my current setup efficiently as well as one that will hold up if I overclock?
 

skyguy

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Get a new PSU.

SLI is not worth it unless you're gaming at very high resolutions.

And swap that case for the Coolermaster 534.....much better.
 

hardwire99

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I personally run the Seasonic S12 600w. But that one is 129.99 you would probably do well with a Silverstone or the FPS one that was mentioned.

The reason I have the S12 is for the 88% efficiency. It makes a big difference.
 

Ocktopus

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Getting this PSU:
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail
2 year manufacture warranty

Also I switch the case out for the Coolermaster 534
 

Ocktopus

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Every time I boot up my system it will boot up for a few seconds and then shutdown. I was able to check the PC Health Status under the BIOS and the CPU temp was hitting 108C!!!! What the hell is going on with it. Do I need to add my own thermal paste? The CPU fan which is Intel Stock btw was running fine. Any help appreciated.
 

alcattle

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You need some thermal paste, what was on there before? What ever it was, 99% chance that is the problem, I guessed that befreo you mentioned the cooler.
 

Ocktopus

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I cleaned off the old thermal paste and added a new layer. Now CPU temp stays at 41-43C. Now I got another problem on my hands. When windows is about to setup to install, I jumps into a blue stop screen saying that there is an issue with the HDD. Now Im guessing that I need to install drivers for my Seagate 320HDD SATA.
 

hardwire99

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On your motherboard there should be some silk screening near the SATA connectors, make sure that you are plugged into the first SATA port with your HDD.
 

Ocktopus

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Sounds good. You should have a good build when you are finished. Let us know how it turns out.

I finally got this mini beast running.

What programs do you guys recommend to put this system
under stress test?
 

skyguy

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-Prime95 or Orthos for CPU
-3DMark05 or 06 for GPU
-Intel TAT and/or CoreTemp for temp monitoring
-Speedfan for temps and volt monitoring
-Sisoft SANDRA Lite for system benchmarking and memory benchies
-Super Pi MOD for CPU benchmarking
 

Ocktopus

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Why is CoreTemp reporting that my cores are running between 48c and 50c each and SpeedFan reports that they are running around 30c to 33c each?

Which monitoring system is more accurate?

Also Im running Vista and after I rebooted to get the settings of TCP Optimizer in, Windows didnt want to boot. I eventually got it running again. Is that piece of crap optimizer to blame I wonder?
Or is Vista just that much of a picky bitch?