Setting up a new gaming PC, IT fair in about a week.

[question13]

The Singapore Comex IT fair is in about a week and im thinking of taking the opportunity to put together a new system.

This is what i have on my list so far :

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 & Asus P5K-E OR gigabyte P35-DS3P
Kingston ValueRam PC2-5300 DDR2-667 2GB
RADEON X1950 PRO 256 OR 512MB PCI Express
HDD - ???(Something with good size:cost ratio)
LG GSA-H62N SATA 18x Super Multi DVD Rewriter
Sound Card - ???
LCD monitor - ???(19 inch non-wide screen probably)
Casing - CoolerMaster Mystique 631
Powersupply - ???(Will the Coolermaster xtreme 430w be enough?)
Speakers - ???(i almost always use earphones anyway...probably just some cheap ones)

Overclocking : I still dont grasp a couple of concepts involved, for example the guides ive read mention multipler x FSB of like 333 mhz, but the FSB of a E6750 is 1333 mhz....so im not sure if i will be doing any overclocking or not. The guides also dont mention how you are supposed to find stuff like the current multiplier. Any cheaper motherboard alternatives? P5K-E/P35-DS3P seems quite expensive.

Usage will be stuff like general gaming, music/movies, etc.

 

[bliq]

overclocking is a huge subject. in short, divide core2duo/pentium FSB by 4 and DDR2 by 2. If they match, you're in good shape (1333 / 4 = 333 and 667 / 4 = 333.5, close enough). In your case, you'll be limited by RAM on overclocking. Better to get PC2-6400/DDR2-800 if you want to overclock your processor a little.

Gigabyte is good, I've had the GA-8KNXP for my socket 478, and I just ordered a GA-P35-DS3R for my new 6850. Sound card? I've always used onboard sound. LCD, for gaming and movies, I think I like the widescreen. For work, I prefer the standard screen since you can see more of a document vertically. I think 430W will be very close to the limit on the power. I added my components up on this calculator

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

And I came up with 462W. I'm going to be using a 650W Antec Trio. I'd bet with your system, you'll be coming close to that figure. Maybe a little less since my case has 3 120mm and 1 250mm fan.

I've been using the same Altec Lansing ATP-3 speakers for like 7 years now. I still love them. Buy something with a convenient headphone jack in front so you can easily attach your headphones without routing anything to the back.

Hard drive really depends on budget. Here in San Francisco, you can get 200GB for $50, 500GB for $110, and 750GB for $189. All in US$.

If you ever get a chance, let me know where the best and cheapest places to buy computer gear in S'pore. My mother in law and sister in law live there and I'm always trying to keep their machines running but it gets expensive shipping parts to them...

 

[question13]

Generally, when choosing a motherboard...what should i be looking for?

I need PC2-6400/DDR2-800 if i want to overclock a E6750? If i use PC2-5300/DDR-667 i wont get any benefits from overclocking the processor?

For PSU calculator, i was using http://web.aanet.com.au/SnooP/psucalc.php. Seemed to get a fairly low figure. The one you posted was kind of confusing...im not sure if i entered it correctly...

For processor and graphics card, i used E6750/X1950pro. I selected a DVD-RW/DVD+RW Drive(is this correct? Im not sure if the LG GSA-H62N SATA 18x Super Multi DVD Rewriter is a DVD-RW drive). One regular 120mm/one LED 120mm fan, one soundblaster card and one SATA HDD. For motherboard i left it at "regular desktop". Caculator got me 244w.

Hmm i just thought of something. Do i need to get a NIC card for my cable modem?

The best and cheapest place for IT stuff in Singapore is Sim Lim Square/Funan IT mall. The thing is, prices in singapore are WAY worse than the ones in US. Your external 500GB drive can be bought for about 180 SGD, in Singapore it's 200+ easily, usually 220 or so. This applies to pretty much everything. Im not sure on shipping stuff like that from the US, but it may or may not be cheaper to buy stuff in the US and ship to them. You can go to www.hardwarezone.com and check the pricelists there. WARNING : The priceguide database there does NOT contain all items that are actually sold at Sim lim square/Funan, only the vendor pricelists in .pdf format are complete.

 

[question13]

Nobody has anything else to add?

 

[sharp910sh]

it seems like a great build, cant complain

 

[zenmaster]

I would get at least a 500w PSU, preferabbly 550w or higher.
Coolmaster and many similar PSUs are not very good and I would go much higher than what is otherwise needed.

Example - A Corsair 450w PSU can likely power any Single GPU system, but many reviewers noted that it can provide more power than many 500 or 550w PSUs from lesser companies.

 

[question13]

Really? I thought Coolermaster PSUs were quite decent....