Possible Build, first time to try it

[zeroinfish]

I am considering trying to build my own PC. I am not an idiot, but I am not very informed about PC hardware and it makes me kind of nervous to try. I am especially worried about getting compatible components so that everything works properly once I snap it in. Could I please get some feedback on this build I am considering?

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard ($90.00)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059

Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Processor - Retail ($125)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115031

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM ($50)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail ($42)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134046

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail ($25)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144199

COOLER MASTER CAVALIER 3 CAV-T03-UK Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($60)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119074

SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache PATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM ($25)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151151

Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC - Retail ($35)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM ($90)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116056

Radeon HD 3850 RV650 55nm 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready Video Card (~$150)
No link yet, waiting on a price cut or something.

Total: just under $700

I'd appreciate any tips on what won't work together, what I forgot, or what I could do better. I am most concerned with getting the best deal, and this is actually a bit more expensive than I was hoping for, so if there is anyway to cut costs by moving to a cheaper (but still good value) component, I'd love to hear that too.

Thanks all for helping a newbie.

 

[rgeist554]

For what purpose is this PC being built for? (Gaming, Video Editing / Encoding, Photos, etc.) This will affect the choices people make about hardware in your system.

 

[akhilles]

I don't think it's a good idea to stress a power supply regardless of the quality. That said, you should get a 450W at the minimum. If you overclock, get 550W-ish.

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiered+PSU+Listings?t=anon

 

[zeroinfish]

I'm planning to use this primarily for gaming. I don't tend to play the newest or highest end games, and I'm not picking about running with high settings. I do however want the best value for my money and something that will have some longevity. If it weren't for games I'd probably be much more of a cheapskate (if that's possible!)

 

[MrCommunistGen]

For a couple dollars more you can get 2x1GB PC6400 if you look around a bit. I'm not sure if getting 3GB of RAM has much benefit over 2GB in XP for most situations (what will it be used for?). The PSU should be fine. Its not great but the price is good. According to the PSU calculator a system like that should draw about 270W.

-mcg

 

[zeroinfish]

Thanks for the advice. I guess PC6400 is just faster and a better deal in your view?

Why would 3GB not be better than 2GB? I stopped short of 4 because my OS is 32-bit, but I thought surely 3 would be better than 2.

What I am especially concerned about is running into some problem like not having the right connections for one of my components, or one item won't work with the other for some reason. I'm very new to this and would really appreciate any insight into whether these particular choices would all fit together properly. Thanks!

 

[rgeist554]

Those components should all be compatible. As for a video card that would give you the best value, I can easily say the HD 3850 would be a good choice of you. Not the most powerful card, but you should be able to run just about anything on it and for ~$179 it's a killer deal.

 

[zeroinfish]

Thank you for taking a look. What about how the optical drive says "PATA" instead of "SATA" -- is that something that should worry me?

Also, how do I know if that power supply has the right connector to plug into the video card? I understand that card has to plug in directly to draw extra power.

These kinds of concerns (and others I may not know to ask about) are what have made me reluctant to try my hand at system building, so I appreciate all the advice on this forum.

 

[tlmck]

Your build looks fine as is. I would suggest the Corsair 450vx PSU, and the DDR2 800 ram for better future proofing. Your next upgrade might only be a quad core 45nm Penryn chip, which you could just drop in with the improved ram. The Corsair is also a bit better in quality in areas that matter.

Other than the thinner cabling, there is no technical advantage to a SATA optical drive. You can get round and flat cables for IDE that achieve much the same affect.

 

[rgeist554]

PATA and SATA appear to use the same cabling from a quick glance, but I cannot confirm their compatibility. To be on the safe side, you should just get SATA drives instead.

If the PSU doesn't have a direct 6 pin plug, you can always use the one that's bundled with the card. It takes 1-2 Molex connectors (which every PSU has) and converts it to a 6 pin for you. So don't worry about that.

 

[aevm]

Get the Samsung SH-S203B, it's SATA, $34
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151153&Tpk=SH-S203B

Also, you can replace your 430W Earthwatts and the case with this 500W Earthwatts/Antec Sonata case, for about the same money (after rebate).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

 

[rgeist554]

I think you should take aevm's suggestion, it'll give you more headroom if you ever want to OC and just give a little more scalability to your system.

 

[zeroinfish]

Thank you for the responses. I am planning to order the items listed in the original posts, with some editions as suggested in this thread. Specifically I will be replacing the RAM with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590, and swapping the case and PSU for the one suggested by aevm.

I'll also be buying a SATA cable for the hard drive, a PATA EIDE cable for the DVD drive, and a VGA to DVI adaptor for my monitor.

Many of the rebates for the items I selected expire in a few hours, so if there is any last advice for me, please offer it soon. Thanks again!

 

[San Pedro]

I'd also go with a SATA hard drive instead, if not the motherboard will come with a EIDE cable so don't worry about buying one, and the video card will come with 2x DVI outputs and probably come with 2x DVI to VGA adapters so don't bother buying them seperately.

Looks good though, and enjoy your new pc!

 

[tlmck]

Thank you for the responses. I am planning to order the items listed in the original posts, with some editions as suggested in this thread. Specifically I will be replacing the RAM with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590, and swapping the case and PSU for the one suggested by aevm.

I'll also be buying a SATA cable for the hard drive, a PATA EIDE cable for the DVD drive, and a VGA to DVI adaptor for my monitor.

Many of the rebates for the items I selected expire in a few hours, so if there is any last advice for me, please offer it soon. Thanks again!

All cables should come with your order. You can order custom cables (shorter, longer, round, etc...) later if needed.

 

[zeroinfish]

Thanks for the tips. Someone told me that I would need cables for the hard drive and DVD drive because they are listed as "OEM". I see that San Pedro says the EIDE cable for the DVD drive will come with the motherboard, but what about the SATA cable for the hard drive? Just making sure.

 

[Zorg]

All the cables should come with the mobo. and the dvi to vga adapters should come with the card, but you should verify that.