Overall compatibility check!

[rstokes]

Overall compatibility check!

The time has come where my wife has “let” me build a new PC. I have tried to research as much as I can before posting, but I must admit, I’m a networking kind of guy, not a hardware type. If there is something obviously wrong with my build, please let me know.

My goal of this post is to get an overall ops and compatibility check. My choices are as follows:

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz $285

Video Card
EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $285

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB $75

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L $99

RAM
2GB kit (1GBx2), Ballistix DDR2 PC2-6400 $156

PSU
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI $99

Case
Antec 900 Midtower $79

CPU Cooling
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme $65

Additional Cooling
Scythe S-Flex SFF21F 120mm (3) $35

Optical Drive
Sony Optiarc 7170 SATA $33

Thermal Paste
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $15

Total=$1226

Let me now explain some of my reasoning for this gear. First, I had to really ask myself do I need such extreme equipment. I pretty much play WoW, burn some DVD’s once in a while, listen to music; honestly, nothing super hard core. I had an idea in mind to budget about 1500, but I started thinking to myself that I really don’t need some of my hopeful wishes, so I scaled back where I could.

I am set in stone on the processor and case. I love the way the case looks, seeing as 2 of my buddies have it and I waited long enough for the July price cuts to know I want an E6850. Beyond that, I am pretty flexible about what to use, reminding you I’m not too tech savvy on hardware. I do plan to overclock where I can, and I have read so many wonderful things about the thermalright being the man for the job.

So, on to my specific questions!!

1. My biggest fear…will the Thermalright cooler fit inside the Antec 900 case?
2. The motherboard…yes, there are bigger and better, but will the work for my needs?
3. Is my power supply a little too beefy? I really like the way the OCZ looks with the antec case, so I decided it was worth the extra wattage. Opinions?
4. Have I missed anything? I did not include keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers or sound card, as I have all of this already.

Thanks in advance,

rstokes

 

[Dior]

Everything is looking good, 120 Ultra will fit into the Antec 900 just fine, plenty of room in that case.
Your motherboard is good enough, but I'd recommend spending an extra $30 and getting DS3R instead for the sound alone.
OCZ is a very nice unit. No need to get anything else, but the alternatives are Corsair 520HX and 620HX. Great units.

You should reconsider and get Q6600 instead, especially considering that you will be overclocking, with an exceptional cooler like yours and great ram like Crucial you will be able to overclock to 3.0Ghz easily, at this point it will perform identically to E6850 but also have an extra 2 cores, certainly nothing you'd want to miss out on at this time. If you decide to get the Q6600, make sure you get the new G0 stepping instead of the B3, they overclock a lot better and run cooler. ClubIt sells them for $295:
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A1938452

Good luck.

 

[rstokes]

Dior-

Thanks for checking my thread out and adding your ideas. I definitely have decided on the DS3R board because as you said, the sound options are there. $30 more on an upgraded board doesn’t hurt too badly at all.

You sparked an interest in the Q6600, considering I have now read a lot of threads about how easy it OC’s. Although I don’t have any experience, I am not a person who is afraid to read. Can you suggest any good places to start in terms of overclocking with the DS3R and the Q6600.

Finally, if I am going to overclock, will the PC2-6400 RAM hold up, or should I jump up to the PC2-8500 for $80 more? I don’t want to push the PC too hard because this PC has to lasts me a few years, another reason the Q6600 is starting to sound better.

Thanks again!

rstokes