Building new computer- advice appreciated

[thioxane]

Hello everyone, I want to build a new computer this summer, and seeing as this is my first time doing it, I would appreciate some help! I would like to use this computer for some solid gaming, especially for Half-life 2 Episode 2.

I've done a fair bit of reading on Tom's Hardware and I think I have a good idea of how to put the system together, but I would like some feedback in case some parts dont work together or there's some newbie thing I did ~.~

Without further adue -

CPU - Core 2 Duo E6420 or Core 2 Duo E6600
Should I get the E6600 or overclock the E6420, will it affect the performance?

CPU Cooler - Zalman CNPS7700-AlCu 120mm Cooler

Motherboard - Gigabyte P965 DS3
This motherboard looks like it'll do the job, and I've seen it used often!

Graphics Card - EVGA 8800 GTS 320

RAM - 2 Gigs of PC6400 DDR2 800MHz
Is this RAM ok, which company is best?

Power Supply Unit
What kind should I get?

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD5000YS 500GB

Case - An old computer case I have, it housed a fairly recent computer

I live in toronto, Canada and I won't be able to order these parts from Newegg as I was planning . I was thinking of buying parts from Tigerdirect, but they seem to be quite expensive and don't carry everything. So I'll probably buy them from eBay - is this a safe option or should I be worried?. Does anyone have any recommendations where I could get good parts for decent prices that will ship to Canada?

Thanks a lot for your thoughts and ideas in advance, ^.^
Thioxane

 

[apt403]

Canadian shops:

http://www.directcanada.com/
http://www.directron.com/canada.html
http://www.xoxide.com/
http://www.ncix.com/
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/

Instead of the 7700 get an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.

I would wait on the mobo. The P35 based, Gigabyte DS3R is coming out soon. Better oc'ing ability, support for the new conroes with a 1333mhz fsb, and it won't cost much more.

 

[thioxane]

I would wait on the mobo. The P35 based, Gigabyte DS3R is coming out soon. Better oc'ing ability, support for the new conroes with a 1333mhz fsb, and it won't cost much more.

How soon does it come out? Does the 1333mhz fsb matter if I plan on only having an e6420, or does it mean I can overclock mroe juice out of it :twisted: hehehe?

 

[apt403]

It doesnt matter for the E6420, but are really, you're not going to change that chip at any time during the life of that mobo?

This is a pretty good review.

As far as the release date goes, IDK the offical one, but you can get the board now, if you're willing to pay a little more.

 

[raven_87]

if this is your first time building, then your probably somewhat new to overclocking; therefore I wouldnt jump into just yet, especially with higher end equipment...

go with the E6420 - the difference between it and the 6600 at stock
isnt what you would call stellar: plus your saving a few pennies

cpu cooler - Scythe

mobo - I had mixed feelings on that board. I've seen good stuff; on the other hand it looks like off the bat it requires the latest build (bios flash) and some other tlc to get it off to the right start..... not saying its a bad decision though...your call

GPU - GTS works fine

Ram - 2x1GB - OCZ, G.skill, Buffalo, PDP, Mushkin, Corsair....

PSU - TT, Seasonic, PC&P (OCZ now) BFG, FSP, Sparkle, Silverstone, Antec

 

[thioxane]

cpu cooler - Scythe

Do they specify if the fan will fit the lga 775 mobo and a core 2 duo?

mobo - I had mixed feelings on that board. I've seen good stuff; on the other hand it looks like off the bat it requires the latest build (bios flash) and some other tlc to get it off to the right start..... not saying its a bad decision though...your call

What other motherboard would you recommend, that's solid and good for a beginner?

PSU - TT, Seasonic, PC&P (OCZ now) BFG, FSP, Sparkle, Silverstone, Antec

How many volts should I got with?

Thanks alot for your advice!
Thioxane

 

[raven_87]

voltage?

well, 3.3v rail 5v rail and 12v rail all need to be solid...

usually the PSU is what I overcompensate for. i.e. a buy a nice unit now that way it will last another 2 future builds depending on timeline....

coupling with said hardware I'd aim for something along these lines...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256009

 

[blueeyesm]

http://www.canadcomputers.com is a good place for low prices and they have multiple shops across Ontario, as well as online shopping.

Be careful with eBay - you really don't know who you are dealing with through that site. The sites listed above are reputable and reliable, plus you will have at least some sort of recourse should anything go wrong with your order.

 

[thioxane]

Thanks for that site, its awesome and they have a store in my area! Just one more question: Is there a big difference between:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=012717&cid=999.243.390

and

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=013078&cid=999.243.390

The store doesn't have the EVGA 8800GTS so I have to go with an Asus one or a BFG one, which should I choose?
Thioxane

 

[blueeyesm]

BFG by default overclocks their video cards. Its for those who want an overclocked card, but don't want to risk a breach of warranty.

Sometimes you can pay for that difference, depending on rebates etc.

In the case between these two offerings, the GPU core freq. on the BFG card has been increased by 50MHz and the Shader freq. has been increased by 100MHz. To some, its worth that little bit extra oompf.

With the deal currently going there, BFG is the cheaper and faster card.