My 1st build with 8800 GTS (PSU?, MB?)

VFighterX

June 12, 2007 1:12:45 AM

This is my first post also.

I'm sorry if my knowledge of computers are minimal.

Processor -

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
or
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

Should I just get the E6420 instead, and try to overclock that?

Motherboard -

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail <<< I'm not sure about the motherboard. Is the P965 the right one, or would the other ones better?

RAM -

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

HD -

Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Is the 16 mb cache worth it? The harddrive to me is cheap compared to the other ones.

Video Card -

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

Case -

RAIDMAX KATANA ATX-729FB Black SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
or
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
or
COOLER MASTER Centurion 532 RC-532-SKN1 Black Aluminum bezel, SECC chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Would you guys recommend any other cases? Go mid-tower or full? I want the case to not be ugly too.

PSU -

Broadway Com Corp P4-OKIA-550-RB ATX 550W Power Supply 115/230 V FCC, CE, CSA - Retail
not sure about PSU, 8800 GTS is reccommended with 550W with (12V - 26A)

Optical Drive -

SAMSUNG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache E-IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner - OEM

The computer will cost around $800, including the mail in rebate but not including the shipping costs.

I would like some part suggestions or tips.

Also I'm not sure if I will be overclocking. If I do would I need an aftermarket cpu cooler?

More about : 1st build 8800 gts psu

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gators1223

June 12, 2007 1:39:30 AM

yes if you over clock you will need after market cooling. as for the processor, if you are going to over clock i would go for the 6420. Thats a good mobo i would see if you can get rev 3.3 though. The ram is fine, i would go with a bigger har drive maybe 320 gblike this one. everything else looks good

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 1:59:38 AM

Quote:

yes if you over clock you will need after market cooling. as for the processor, if you are going to over clock i would go for the 6420. Thats a good mobo i would see if you can get rev 3.3 though. The ram is fine, i would go with a bigger har drive maybe 320 gblike this one. everything else looks good

Thank you so much. I'll take a look at that harddrive.

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deusex

June 12, 2007 3:56:43 AM

sounds like my first post XD
I would go with a e4300, get a aftermarket cooler, and use the ds3's ocing prowess to save money

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jda70

June 12, 2007 4:04:28 AM

As far as I know you can get rev 3.3 mother board from these 2 places.
www.clubit.com
www.pcclub.com
Clubit.com is where I got my mother board from.

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jjnguy13

June 12, 2007 4:34:21 AM

I would not get that PSU. It looks like a really low quality one. Even though it has the 550W rating, that doesn't tell the whole story about the PSU.

Check out this http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/PSU-Reference-L...
link for a good PSU.

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 5:29:02 AM

hmm let's see

1. other HD

2. aftermarket cooler

3. e4300, utilize the power of the ds3, lol

4. different PSU

5. check for rev 3.3 mb

Ok, I'll check these out then.

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tsf

June 12, 2007 7:02:31 AM

looks like we r both gettin the exact same spec!!! but i opted for this HDD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

may i suggest these: (does anyone know what revision r these. i thought they r rev3.3)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

or this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

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alcattle

June 12, 2007 9:41:42 AM

The first MB you listed is the one you want. The other one has onboard graphics.

Here
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 4:16:07 PM

Oh, and would you guys trust this website for PSU calculations?
eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.5

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 4:28:40 PM

Hey! A cheaper motherboard.

http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA4830994

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 5:59:48 PM

If I don't overclock, would the rev 3.3 still be a good choice for a motherboard, rather than the cheaper versions?

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 6:29:56 PM

Would it be better to get a SATA optical drive instead?

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Jim_L9

June 12, 2007 6:56:20 PM

Yes, it makes the cabling cleaner which keeps the interior of your PC cooler, which is important if you are going to OC.

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 8:57:16 PM

Thx

According to the PSU calculator I just need a PSU that can give 397 W.

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 9:14:04 PM

Quote:

I would not get that PSU. It looks like a really low quality one. Even though it has the 550W rating, that doesn't tell the whole story about the PSU.

Check out this http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/PSU-Reference-L...
link for a good PSU.

Thx to jjnguy13 for directing me to the section.

So I guess this PSU would be decent?

HIPER HPU-4M480-PS ATX12V v2.2 480W Power Supply 100 - 120V AC cUL,TUV,CB,CE,FCC - Retail

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jjnguy13

June 12, 2007 11:32:52 PM

Well, hiper is on the list, but that actual model isn't. Take it from a bad PSU owner, spend a little more money on your PSU and you will be thankful that you did.

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VFighterX

June 12, 2007 11:56:59 PM

Quote:

Well, hiper is on the list, but that actual model isn't. Take it from a bad PSU owner, spend a little more money on your PSU and you will be thankful that you did.

??? I clicked the direct link on the list, so I thought it was the actual model.

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coverfire

June 13, 2007 12:22:43 AM

Since that system is virtually identical to mine (if you go the E6420 which I have clocked @ 3.2ghz) I would go with a more powerfull p-supply, I am just barely getting by with my thermaltake 550watt, the 6 pin connector that goes to the GTS couldn't even power the thing completely I had to use a 2 molex to 6 pin connector to feed the beast.

System Specs:
E6420 @ 3.2ghz
Gigabyte 965 DS3 board
2x1 gig g.skill
2x 80gig SATA 2 in raid 0
DVD-RW drive
Evga Superclocked 8800GTS
Thermaltake toughpower 550watt with dual 12V rails.

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jjnguy13

June 13, 2007 2:15:40 AM

I might be wrong...I'm no expert by any measure.

The PSU just seems cheap for a 480 watt.

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VFighterX

June 13, 2007 8:43:00 PM

Would it be better if I just get a nice dx9 card and wait a year or two to get a dx10 card? My monitor's max and native resolution is 1280 x 1024. This is because I'm not sure how successfully an 8800 can run a game on dx10.

Get this card? -

Radeon X1950XT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16

Any other recommendations or tips?

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grant8844

June 13, 2007 9:13:15 PM

get a better PSU

Corsair HX620 modular $140
excellent quality and really can deliver 800 watts

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tm84p

June 13, 2007 9:57:37 PM

Confirm getting a better PSU, I just built a system similiar to yours last month with a Coolermaster 550W PSU and it fried within a month. Took the Mobo with it! Trust me you don't want the headache of a fried PSU. And one thing with Corsair PSU's, they are good but with the flat, ribbon style Modular cables you are going to have a headache trying to get them all in one nice bundle. I would go with something that has round cables.