Suggestion on a new build by a new builder...

[chadsxe]

Well, lets just get this out of the way. This is my first build. My goal is to build an all
around great system. I prefer spending the extra dollar for quality over sheading a few dollars
just for the sake of catching a deal. This build will be running XP SP2 for the time being and
I don't need nor want SLI.


// CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/se...u=CP1-DUO-E6850
309.99

// Video Card
EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130072
529.99

// Case
Antec P182
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...25&Tpk=P182
159.99

// MoBo
My major concern at the moment is buying a mobo that will work with the 1333mhz FSB of my
E6850, except Quad Core for the future updates, and possibly be ready for the Penryn a little
further down the line. Someone recommened me the Asus pK5 Deluxe but I honestly have no
clue if that holds water. I will not be overclocking any time soon but that is not to
say I won't be doing in the futer.

// PSU
Again I am in search of as many opinons as I can get. I am not sure how much power I am looking
for but I am someone recommened a 600W PSU. I really would like the wires to be modular because
of the tight fit that the Antec p182 has.

Maybe something like this?
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sk...s_600_watt.html
Nexus 80 Plus Efficiency 600 Watt Silent PSU

// Memeory
Everything I read point to 2gm (2x1gb) duel channel. My concern would be with the question of
is there any advantage to stepping up DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) over DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)?

maybe ?
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820145177

// HD
Anything that is of good quality will do for me. I really have no need for an large amount of space. I have been running two 80 gig drives for the last few years with out any constraints. I might swap them over but I am always looking for suggestions. Maybe two really good HD about 150 gigs per would do me well.

// Audio
I am swapping an M-Audio 2496 from my old computer
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audi...e2496-main.html
So this should be factored into the power concers


Hmmm.....lets see what else. Well I am swapping my optical drives out of my current computer so that should be
no issue. Other then that I am open for suggestions.


Regards

Chad

 

[Solariscs]

Hey there, for motherboard, asus is good, or the gigabyte P35-DS3R.

For psu get the Corsair 620W, it should be great for your system.

Get some good CAS4 DDR2-800 RAM and you'll be good to go

For the HDD get something like 250 for the future. With that gaming system, you need some room for game and each year the games are getting bigger and bigger. Plus with more free space, your computer will run better.

Good luck with your build! If you have questions, msg me anything, Maximus9102 on AIM/Yahoo

 

[MrCommunistGen]

Well... first off your links don't work. Your parts look pretty top tier overall. You might want to consider a new heatsink if you plan to overclock at all now or down the road.

-mcg

 

[1haplo]

Chad,

For the Motherboard I would say any P35. The Gigabyte and the ASUS boards are both Good. Just look at the options on them and get the one that has the options you need.

I agree with Solariscs on the PSU, Memory, and HD. Unless you want to get a Raptor.

If your going to buy a motherboard I would suggest getting one with Solid State Capacitors, It will last longer.

1Haplo

 

[aevm]

Someone recommened me the Asus pK5 Deluxe but I honestly have no clue if that holds water.

Hi Chad,

The P5K Deluxe does not hold water. A cup would be better for that requirement :lol:

Seriously now, get the Corsair 620HX, GA-P35-DS3R, and 2 GB of DDR2-800. A Q6600 would be better than the E6850 if you want to play Crysis or encode videos.

 

[emp]

Corsair 620HX
GA-P35-DS3R
2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800. (great mem)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148136

Antec Performance One P180B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis 1.0mm cold rolled steel

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129017

Same interior as P182, except it's black not gunmetal.

Note: Screw ASUS! Don't buy **** from them, they used to be good but now that they're at the top they keep bringing out a plethora of issues with their boards. Not to mention the extreme pricing for their useless boards. I mean... are people SERIOUSLY blind enough to pay $200-220 for a P5K???

 

[chadsxe]

Solariscs - Excuse my ignorance but what does CAS4 stand for?

MrCommunis tGen - I figure if and when I overclock I will purchase a new heatsink then.

1haplo - How do you know if a Mobo has solid state capacitors?

aevm - Damn I need a cup also In your regards to the quad and crysis I am still up in the air about this (as are a lot of people). Depending when Cysis is actually released and when Intel hits the market with its new line of processors and/or price cuts will sway my options. I have no problem updating my CPU as needed hence why i want to get a good mobo for future updates. From the looks of things it does not appear Crysis is coming out anytime soon. I figure by the time the game actually does come out I can just buy a new processor as needed. Some might say that sounds crazy but I will easily be able to make use of the processor I am currently buying in another rig when the time comes a calling. What do you think?

emp - thanks for the addtional info on the HD. In regards to Asus vs Gigabyte I am hearing the same thing on both sides. Everyone says they love each indvidual mobo and a few people say they had bad experinces with them. To be honest it is kinda making me crazy because I don't know which way to go. In regards to the P182 vs the P180B I actually like the black better. I just was not sure if the P180B offered everything the P182 did. I looked on newegg revies and people say it does but no one can confirm is this is something weird that Newegg is doing or it is an offical thing from Antec. Do you have any insight? Woth noting that the both are the same price after rebate on the P182.


In regards to the Corsair 620HX- I am looking at pics and correct me if I am wrong but though it looks modular in the sense that you can remove the long running cables it still has a few inches of cable fixed to the PSU, correct? Like I said I have this far because the P182 has a fan close ot the PSU in the bottom chamber and I am worried about clearence issuse.


Again, thanks for everyones help....


Regards

Chad

 

[pous]

CAS4 just means the timings for the memory, if you look at their specifications... like 4-4-4-12 or some such... G.Skills has some nice memory for that from what I can figure, everyone seems to like them.

I think you should go with the GA-P35 DS3R motherboard... but that's just my personal preference.

 

[Mousemonkey]

The 'fixed' cable on the Corsair is the main power cable for the motherboard so you will always need to attach this the rest are optional, as for motherboards I like the current Abit offerings and have an IP 35 with an E6850 and 2GB of OCZ Platinum in it and have had no problems so far.

 

[aevm]

1haplo - How do you know if a Mobo has solid state capacitors?

aevm - Damn I need a cup also In your regards to the quad and crysis I am still up in the air about this (as are a lot of people). Depending when Cysis is actually released and when Intel hits the market with its new line of processors and/or price cuts will sway my options. I have no problem updating my CPU as needed hence why i want to get a good mobo for future updates. From the looks of things it does not appear Crysis is coming out anytime soon. I figure by the time the game actually does come out I can just buy a new processor as needed. Some might say that sounds crazy but I will easily be able to make use of the processor I am currently buying in another rig when the time comes a calling. What do you think?

You know about the solid state capacitors from reviews (anandtech, extremetech, xbitlabs, etc.) or from the manufacturer's Web page. Or just ask in a forum. For example Gigabyte's mobos priced at $100 or more usually have them.

OK, if you're going to upgrade the CPU soon (as in, in 2007 or 2008) then E6850 is a better choice. Maybe E6750, overclock it, save $90. Longer term I'd go with a quad.

I tend to agree with Emp about Asus. The general tone on the Asus mobo forums is kind of nasty these days - a bit too many unhappy customers IMO.

 

[chadsxe]

aevm - yes, as mentioned I have no problem upgrading my cpu as I see fit. If I overclock the E6750 I am almost offsetting the price because off the fact that I would end up having to buy a good heatsink anyways.

Hear is another question...

Would it be to my advatange to get a board that supports DDR2 1066 ala GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6, or is that seriously overkill. This board specs that "Memory Standard DDR2 1066 ". Does that mean that it won't except 800?

 

[newbuilder3]

no, ddr2 800 will work fine. The memory standard is the top speed recommended so you can use 800,667, 533 etc also. You can probably go a little faster than 1066 too with a mild overclock

 

[chadsxe]

newBuilder3 - Sorry if I am not followign but you are saying that with the GS-p34-Dq6 even though it is speced at 1066 anything below that will work?

 

[newbuilder3]

Also, your components look pretty good. Of course everyone has their opinion on the dual core/quad core choice right now. i myself lean toward the quad particularly the q6600 because its even cheaper than the e6850 and it can be pushed to e6850 speeds. Now you said this was an all-around system. If it were a gaming machine soley then i would say for sure go with the e6850, but the quad will only be more relevant in other applications as time goes on and for the price (like $294 right now) its hard to pass up. But either is a fine cpu.

since you aren't concerned with saving a buck hear and there for the best deal. The WD raptors are outstanding performers and since you don't need a ton of storage that won't be a concern that they come in smaller sizes, usually 150gb range is common. You can always add more HD's later if need be.

Hope this helps. Good luck

 

[newbuilder3]

you mean P35 right? Yes you can use slower speed as long as its DDR2. if your concerned check out some reviews of the board at newegg and you will probably see at least a few people running pc6400 (DDR2800) and some maybe even slower. Im not saying its the optimal choice, and if i were doing it i would use the 1066, but its an option you do have. Especially if you get high quality DDR2 you can probably bump 800 up to 1066 anyway

 

[chadsxe]

So this is where I am at the moment. As off now my big hurdle is deciding if I want DDR2 1006
support native or if I will alright with 800. My mobo selection and memory selection depend
on that. I am also concerned about memory quality. I believe the two companys
I am looking at are of quality, correct?


//Mobo

--Still depating if I need DDRS 1066 support or if I will be o.k. with 800
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
149.99

GA-P35-DQ6
229.99

//CPU
E6859
309.99

//PSU
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX
169.99

//Memory

--This is if I go with the GA-P35-DS3p
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB
$129.99

--This if if I go with the GA-P35-DQ6
OCZ 2GB
$167.99


//Case
P182 or P180B (depending I can confirm that this offers everything that the p182 does)
159.99

//Video Card
I actually already have a card so no worries at this point.

 

[barneybadass]

after you determine all your hardware (exclude the PSU for the time being) then go here

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

and fill in all the questions and it will provide you with a pretty good idea about how big your PSU has to be.

 

[emp]

Corsair HX Series CMPSU-620HX 620W Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping***

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373110

ANTEC NeoPower 650 Blue NeoPower650Blue 650W Power Supply Retail ***Free

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006251


Zipzoomfly.com sells PSUs a lot cheaper than newegg (PSUs are newegg's achilles heel)

 

[chadsxe]

Awesome thanks for the heads up emp. Was there a reason as to why you showed me the ANTEC psu? Is it better then the Corsair?

 

[Mousemonkey]

The Corsair is red on black and its a well known fact that women are powerless against red on black and will throw themselves upon you submitting to your every whim and desire. [:mousemonkey]

 

[emp]

Antec and Corsair are manufactured both by Seasonic, have pretty much the same quality standards and same power output, I just showed you incase you can't/won't cash in the rebate and go for the Antec. If you can cash in the rebate, then it's really up to you, toss a coin and choose.

 

[chadsxe]

mousemonkey - WTF haha funny

emp - Is there any logical reasoning as to why I "can't" or "won't" cash in the rebate? Its just a normal rebate correct? Nothing special...

 

[Mousemonkey]

mousemonkey - WTF haha funny

emp - Is there any logical reasoning as to why I "can't" or "won't" cash in the rebate? Its just a normal rebate correct? Nothing special...

Heh heh, sorry I just love my Corsairs (note plural) and I've been on the beer all day.

 

[emp]

mousemonkey - WTF haha funny

emp - Is there any logical reasoning as to why I "can't" or "won't" cash in the rebate? Its just a normal rebate correct? Nothing special...

Not really, Im just saying that so many people can't or won't cash their rebates because they don't know how, or as I said earlier, can't. I was unaware of how well you knew the process, then do it by all means. I really don't take rebates as a deciding factor because it's difficult to know everyone's situation.