I plan on building this computer, my first build by the end of next month. I would like to keep my budget in and around $2500 CDN. I won’t likely game a whole lot, but probably some. I will be doing some video and photo editing, some word processing for work, and school (some of which includes data processing but nothing too heavy). I plan on OC’n in the future, maybe in the next few months.

Thank-you for looking at my build proposal and critiquing where necessary! All opinions are appreciated.
All prices are in Canadians dollars:
Case:

Antec P180 Black ATX Mid Tower Aluminum Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS W/ USB & Audio Ports - $156.06

I really like the simplicity of this case. I would probably prefer a TJ07 or a TJ09 but the cost is more than double. If I can save a few pennies here I may as well.

PSU:
Corsair CMPSU-620HX - $145.36
This seems like a no-brainer but then again…
Mobo:
EVGA Nforce 680I SLI LGA775 Conroe ATX DDR2 2PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard - $284.51
I like the overclocking features of this board. However I’m open to some suggestions. I probably won’t SLI in the near future, which makes SLI’n in the future doubtful too (may as well just buy a new generation card). I like this board because it will support Quad-core, 1333 FSB, and should OC quite well. I’m worried that the Bad Axe 2 does not provide enough options for the future. Any other suggestions? Maybe something being released in the next month or so?
CPU:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Cache Retail Box - $373.36

I will obviously wait a month for the price drop. I do plan on OC’n, but not necessarily right away. I’m not married to this CPU and have considered getting a e6400 as well or maybe even the e6420 with the increased cache. I think this will come down to price vs. performance. I might even consider an AMD, if the Barcas are released (but not holding my breath for an April release).

RAM:

OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit – $194.71

With the mail-in-rebate this set seems to be the best buy but I’m certainly not married to it. Any other suggestions?

HD:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache Ncq Hard Drive - $96.98

Seems to be the best. I’ll probably add more hd space in the future but this should hold me.

DVD writer:

Liteon DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 Dl 8X Cdrw 48X32X48 Ide Black Oem W/O Software - $36.50

This one is wide open. I will probably add a separate DVD drive down the road, but for now a writer will have to do. Any suggestions?

OS:

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM - $129.99

I realize this one is rather risky but I just can’t buy XP now and pay for an upgrade 6 months down the road.

Video Card:

EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800 GTX 575MHZ 768MB 1.8GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card - $673.27

I may end up with a lower card like a GTS 320 ($346.62) or 640 ($459.58. Since my gaming will be limited to games like Medieval II, and Sid Maier’s Railroads (example), I’m having troubles justifying the extra $200+ for the GTX. I’m easily persuaded though…

Monitor:

Dell 2407

Just arrived yesterday so it’s too late to talk me out of this one! Good price and good reviews upped me from a 22”. - $649

Speakers:

Logitech X-540

Also arrived this week. These will hold me over until I assemble a small receiver, speaker combo capable of handling my love for opera music.

Another question I have is in regards to my RAM and PSU. Both have rebates that expire this month. Do you believe that I would safe enough buying these now to save the extra dollars?

This brings me to $2840 (with the monitor) already ‘slightly’ over budget and that doesn't even include taxes of about $150. I have a wife to answer to so my budget is unlikely to strectch.

Cheers for having a look and maybe even taking the time to respond. I look forward to suggestions and critiques.

Looks great. What will you be using it for?

A little bit of gaming, but mostly home and business applications. Stuff like video editing (minor) and photo editing.

It should be fine.

Thanks Proof!

Looking at my budget, I will likely downgrade my video card to a GTS 640.

Nothing wrong with a GTS.

I'd suggest downgrading to a GTS also because of what you mentioned about your primary uses. I think GTX will be a bit of an overkill.

Here's a couple of hints from a first timer.

- May sure your mobo is placed correctly and with spacers and all those stuff because I almost went crazy figuring out what was causing my fans to spin only once when I first switched it on. Guess what, it was shorting somewhere along the connection with the case.

- LOTS OF LIGHT

- Have someone help you; a good person would be a girlfriend who don't know much except to read the manuals for you and hold the light. That way, there's no arguments and clash of opinions <wink>

- Read the instructions; trust me, they help quite a bit especially for a first timer.

Lastly, have fun because I certainly did (except when I was pulling my hair out for 2 hours cuz of the short circuit).

I can't tell you how many builds I have been through where I have the "fans spin once" problem. It is easy to fix because it is always a short. But d@mn is it common and annoying.

Thanks for that! I appreciate you taking the time to write that out. I know, from frequenting this boards for a long time, that these threads get repetitive and writing out suggestions/ideas gets tiresome.

I probably shouldn't have my girlfriend help me, since I'm planning on building this at home. I really don't want my wife meeting my girlfriend.


Seriously though, I will probably build this in my office or workshop that has plenty of light.

I pretty sure I'll go with the GTS. The $200 price difference will likely be money well saved.

Having just built my first computer, I agree!!
I would have been lost with out my petzl headlamp- the cheap ones run $25US, run forever & are great in a power outages too. Shop light might not cut it as hands tend to get in the way & cast shadows.

Regarding reading the manual, yep....and make notes in it, like which HD is your primary? etc..