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First build, help greatly appreciated

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Last response: in Systems
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Hi there everyone. I'm new to THW forum, and after browsing for some time, I finally made up my mind to make my first home build system. This new computer will be used mainly for gaming and office work, and I would like it to run stable, quiet and cool. My budget is about $1,500, and I'm ordering the parts in about two weeks. I know there are already tons of similar threads here, but it would be of great help to me if someone more exprienced with this could give me a hand, make some suggestions, and point out if there is any compatibility issue with the system.

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Heats ink:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mothe rboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Memory:
G. SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F1-3200PHU2-2GBNS - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Video Card:
EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Compu ter Case:
LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

DVD Burner:
Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner, OEM Version Black SATA Model AWG170S-B2 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Monitor:
ViewSonic VX922 Black-Silver 19" 2ms DVI LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Speak ers:
Logitech X-230 32 watts RMS 2.1 Black Speaker System - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PSU: unknown

Total:
$1,415.90 (without PSU)


My concerns:
1. No idea what PSU I would need, please help me out on this one.

2. I will only be doing very light OC, if any, but I still would like an aftermarket heatsink because I heard the stock one is very loud. I have been researching budget quiet running heatsink and fans for a while, but still cannot pick one. I read in some reviews that ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro seems to do the job with a decent price tag, but if someone has other recommendations I would be glad to hear it.

3. Case is a tough choice for me. I do like the idea of light aluminum case such as Lian Li ones very much, but I am at a loss as to which one would fit everything and have nice air flow.

4. I read here that p35 mobo is the way to go, but I'm not sure whether I should go with Gigabyte or Abit.

5. Last question, after I ordered all these components, what other things would I need, like cables, wires, thermal compound?

More about : build greatly appreciated

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one glaring problem with your build... the RAM, that is DDR ram and wont work with the GA-P35C-DS3R that motherboard takes ddr2 or ddr3 ram here is some very good(and cheap after the rebate) ram crucial balistix 2gb BL2KIT12864AA804, (sorry no link cant get to newegg right now)

a corsair 520HX would power your build very nicely...

gigabyte has good motherboards

most wires come with the products, you might want some thermal paste though

First and foremost the DDR 400 ram you picked is outdated, you should go with quality DDR2 800 ram like this Super talent kit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Rest looks just superb, except the monitor.
While I own VX922 and it's a great monitor in all aspects, with the current price tag it's overpriced. You should go with the widescreen. If you want similar response time and great viewing angles as VX922 consider these two 20":

1. LG L206WTY-BF
3000:1 contrast, 2ms response time, 170 degree viewing angles (both horizontal and vertical) The best 20" out there, hands down.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

2. Acer AL2051W 800:1 contrast, 8ms response, 176 degree viewing angles. Has a very rare quality panel, an unbelievable buy for $199.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Good luck, great build.
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Thank you guys so much for replying :)  , I would have made a total fool out of myself taking those DDR 400 RAM home. I've done some more research on my build according to your suggestions, so here is my revised list:

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115029

Heatsink:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Memory:
Unknown

Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152052

Video Card:
EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130038

Computer Case:
Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

DVD Burner:
Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner, OEM Version Black SATA Model AWG170S-B2 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827131047

Monitor:
Acer AL2051W Black/Silver 20" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 Built in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Speakers:
Logitech X-230 32 watts RMS 2.1 Black Speaker System - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6836121123

PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


I would greatly appreciate any comment or suggestion on my build. Again I have some questions about the build if someone would kindly answer them:

1.I always intended to get GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R before I was told that GA-P35-DS3L is a better choice if I do not use firewire or eSATA ports. Is this true?

2.I cannot decide which RAMs to choose because I won't be OCing. Could someone please recommend some RAM sticks that are relatively cheap and durable but do not necessarily OC well?

3.As I'm on a rather tight budget, I'm not sure whether I should go with Corsair 520HX or 450VX. I don't expect to upgrade in the near future, so should the 450VX be sufficient for my build then?

4.It seems that the majority of the people on this forum shop at Newegg, however, I find that sometimes the prices at Zipzoomfly are cheaper and they even throw in free shipping. Is Zipzoomfly a good place to shop for pc components?

1. I would get the DS3R. $35 more buys you RAID support, better onboard audio, better components (the Ultra Durable/Ultra Cooling stuff) and support for 8 SATA devices instead of 4. An excellent investment of $35.

2. Patriot eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400), $62 after $50 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220144
This also happens to overclock well, I hope you don't mind :lol:  :) 

3. I'd still go for the 520HX, to play it safe. It will also save you money on the electricity bill because it's very efficient. Keep in mind that a computer that actually consumes 440W will take 440*1.2 from the wall socket with a 450W PSU and only 440*1.15 with a larger PSU. OK, the numbers are invented, but that's the idea. If you want details look at this chart:

http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3040&p=11
The chart is for my PSU, not the Corsair, but they're both made by Seasonic and the curve is similar for all PSUs anyway. You don't want a smaller PSU that will be used at 90% a lot, you consume less with a larger PSU used at 70%.

4. I'm in Canada, newegg won't ship to me. No clue why. Yes, zipzoomfly is a good place. It's smart of course to check both and go with the one that has a nice sale.

Thanks for your reply. Other than the issues mentioned above, would I have compatibility issues with the selected components?

Also, I checked Newegg and found that Antec Solo and Cooler Master Centurion 534 are about the same price after rebate. Which one should I get for my build?

No compatibility issues that I can see.

The Antec Solo is a very nice case and quiet and very tempting with that enormous rebate. The 8800 GTS will fit in. An 8800 GTX would require a bit of modding to fit. The Centurion 534 is big enough for a GTX already.

I'd go for the Antec Solo, it's a steal at $40. The only issue I have with it is that in 2010 or whenever you buy your next video card it may not fit in and you'll have to buy a new case.

You're bang on with just about everything there. I suggest a PC P&C quad silencer, because I'm their biggest fan. They're only cool because of me!

But seriously, that's a good PSU right there. I reckon it'll last you into your next build.

I saw an 8800GTX in a dell gaming machine today. That card is absurd! It's bigger than a restaurant wine menu. (whine menu anyone?)
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