Help me with my first build (intel)

[zeek987]

Hey, so this is my first build. I have not dealt with upgrading computers since putting in a ATI All-in-wonder 7500 agp card! Would like this new computer to last at least 2-4 years.

I will need lots of help and suggestions on how to improve my build. I will be editing video, gaming, and general use.
I can't afford a 8800GTX at this point, GTS is pretty much out of the question because of the noise (they are loud right?!). So I was thinking a 8600 GT or GTS that is passively cooled. Basically, gaming is simply an after thought to being able to edit and encode video. I figured since a video editing machine requires so much performance, gaming would be nice if I can afford it, so hopefully either NVidia or ATI will come out with cheaper better, less noisy, less power hungery cards soon. I will be using a Dell 24inch ws (1920x1200) monitor to edit video. I'd love to game on it, but a GTX is too pricey right now for me. So I may use an old Dell 17inch ultrasharp (1280x1024) along with the 8600GT or GTS to game on (couldn't hurt to have more workspace with the videos anyhow).
I already have an Intel Q6600 G0. But I need to buy EVERYTHING else!!!

My thoughts so far:

Use my Q6600 G0
Reuse current mouse/keyboard for now
I have a IDE DVD Burner, but would like a SATA one as well as primary drive (suggestions?)

Case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail = 50
I like the look, gets great reviews. Good enough air flow? Low noise level?

MOBO:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail = 150
Has firewire, esata, pata. seems to be pretty solid. Good at OCing? Is there a better board out there for the same money? +I wouldn't mind having another pci instead of the 2nd pcix16. However, could I later put a 8800GTX in the full x16 slot, and put the 8600gts (below) in the 16x (4x electrical) slot to run 4 total displays? Or is that 16x (4x elec) slot worthless? Finally, should I get a board with both DDR2 and DDR3 for the sake of longevity?

GFX:
GIGABYTE GV-NX86T256H GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail = 125
Seems like a reasonable compromise. No noise, dx10, HDCP. Could I game pretty well with this on the Dell 17inch? I know gaming on the 24inch would be out of the question with this one. Again, hopefully upgrade this to a new card around xmas or soon after that.

PSU:
Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC ATX 430W Power Supply - Retail = 40
Seems to get great reviews. CHEAP price! I didn't really know what to get here. Would love suggestions on the PSU. I want something silent, efficient, and would allow me to upgrade to a better video card in the future, as well as maybe have as many as 4 HDDs.

RAM:
Patriot eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC22G6400LLK - Retail = 112
Not sure where to start here either. Seems solid from reviews, but am uncertain about it working with my choosen MOBO (above). Also, If I were to overclock the Q6600, would I need to get 1066 ram instead?

HDD:
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM = 120
Lots of space for a great price. Seems quick and reliable from reviews. Any better options? I would like to get two, but will wait till I have more $$$.

I have no idea where to start with fans/coolers for the case and cpu. Is there anything else I would need? = about 50?

Total about 700 dollars

Any and all suggestions / help is welcome and much appreciated! Thanks for your time.

 

[sharp910sh]

well i would ditch the 8600gt a rubbish card you might as well go with the x1950 pro or x1950 xt, much better card higher frame rate. and around the same price.

 

[pous]

I was about to say the same thing, everything I've read and been told is that the 8 series cards other than 8800 for Nvidia are terrible. I'd use sharp's advice and go with the x1950 pro/xt whichever suits your fancy.

Then down the road when some newer cards come out and the 8800 drops in price you can grab one up... that's my plan

I think you should get a bigger power supply for that build... try looking at the Antec NeoHE 550 or a nice Corsair PSU. I'm thinking though that you'll probably need 500+ anyway, but I could be wrong... I just figure it's best to have more power than you need, rather than risking stressing/over working your PSU and losing components to it.

Best of luck to you with your build (=

 

[zeek987]

Thanks for the responses, sharp910sh and Pous. The problem is, as a stated above, I would really like to have a pretty quiet system, at idle and under load. The x1950 seems to be fairly loud according to reviews. And the best ati card that is fanless is a x1650pro, and the best nvidia card is the 8600gts. Unless someone can convience me that the 8800GTS/X cards are quite at idle and load, I will try to go with a cheaper fanless gfx card. Then at some point, when the 8800 or something new is cheaper and a good performer, I'll pick one up.
My idea in my original post was to use a fanless gfx card and my 24inch screen for everything BUT gaming. Then use the second DVI port on that fanless card to run games on a 17inch screen. Finally, at a later point, when cards are cheaper, quieter, etc I'd pick up a better card to play games on the 24 inc screen.

My questions were: Would the motherboard I picked allow a 8600gt or gts card to run in the pcie x16 (4x electrical) slot, while something like a 8800 gts/x runs in the full x16 slot?


As for the powersupply, I hear that Seasonic and Corsair PSUs are quiet, but they are expensive. What wattage would I need to drive 4 drives and a gfx card (a 8600 now, a 8800 later......or possibly both!)?

Would this be a great choice for silence and performance, or are the better options?

Thanks again for any and all suggestions! I am not an expert on any of this stuff---wish i was!

 

[sharp910sh]

i have the x1950 pro and its quiet as ever cant hear a sound, just my hard drives working away. so yeah there is nothing to worry about.

 

[zeek987]

sharp910sh - what brand x1950 pro do you have? I'll look it up and if it checks out, maybe pick that up. Thanks!

 

[sharp910sh]

its the Radeon X1950 Pro , this one http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h1124.htm