My first build!!!!

[newjack1]

Hello there people! Happy New Year!

I am planning to build a new PC within a week or so. A little Christmas present for myself!! I have done lots of reading and research of my own, however, I feel I may have overlooked something or selected something that may not work with my selection of parts. Also, I won't be doing any overclocking as I don't know that much about it, I would probably do more harm than good. If something is incompatible, overkill, or not good enough, please let me know ASAP. Here is what I have selected for my new gaming PC:

Case - Antec 900

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L OR Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P
- DS3L = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059
- DS3P = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128067
- I am not sure which is the better choice. I don't see the big difference between them besides cost.

CPU - Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115026

Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 500GB
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

Memory - Mushkin 4GB(2x2GB)
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

GPU - EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

Sound Card - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtremegamer 7.1 OR Auzentech XPlosion 7.1
- Creative = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006
- Auzentech = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156001
- Again, I am not sure which one would be the better choice.

PSU - OCZ GameXstream 850W
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341003

CPU Cooler - Zalman 9700
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

OS - Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate 64-bit

So there it is! Any advise anyone could give me would be great! Thanks for your time and help!!

Cheers!

 

[monste4321]

that processor is the biggest waste of money if this is a gaming machine i would never recommend more then a q6600

 

[monste4321]

what are you going to be using this machine for

 

[emp]

Change the processor to a Q6600 and it will still be overkill for some time to come, no need to waste so much money. Also I'd get the DS3L and if there isn't any available the DS3R, those two over the DS3P. Even though that's a decent PSU, I'd prefer a top quality one like the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750, better quality than GameXStream and it's also cheaper.

I'd advise to steer clear from the GTX and just get a G92 GTS, the performance is unbelievably close and the difference is about $140. And finally I just ordered that very same X-Fi and I'm waiting for it arrive, I've been hearing that if you want your PC for gaming then get the XtremeGamer, but if you prefer listening to music over gaming then get the Auzentech X-Plosion, I believe you want your PC for gaming, so get the X-Fi.

EDIT: I have an Antec Nine Hundred and it has 2 optional 120mm fan slots meaning that they don't include the fans for them, so I suggest you order at least 2 more good 120mm fans for your Nine Hundred.

EDIT-2: This PSU I chose for you is overkill and just incase you want to run dual card setups in the future, but if you are planning on running a single card and want to save some money, then I suggest you look for the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W on newegg, that's the BEST PSU deal that newegg has at the moment.

Links:

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150261

 

[lunyone]

Okay first off don't spend $1k on a CPU, it's a waste of $.
* You should get a q6600 or a e6850 at the minimum for your budget. The newer Penryn chips should be out soon and might be a better buy, but right now the q6600 or the e6850 would be fine.
* I wouldn't spend $550 on a 8800gtx just yet. There should be a new release from nVidia and maybe from AMD soon, so I'd either buy 2 x 8800gt's or 2 x 3870's instead of the 8800gtx right now.
* 850w PSU is a bit pricey. I'd opt for the PCP&C 610 Silencer for $129 shipped. You could also get the 750w Crossfire one for $188 shipped, but only if your going to do some extensive stuff.

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Crossfire Edition) EPS12V 750W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

* The main difference with the DS3L and the DS3P is the DS3L has 1 PCI-e x16 slot and the DS3P has 2 x PCI-e slots (1 is 16x and the other is 4x). The DS3P also has RAID support a butt load of USB and firewire connections on the back I/O panel. So if your going to take advantage of the X-fire support of the DS3P, you'll need to use AMD based GPU's (3850's or 3870's would be a good choice). If your going to stick with nVidia solutions than you can still use any PCI-e based mobo. If your going to use SLI (nVidia chips for 2 or more GPU's) than you will have to select different mobo's.
* The Zalman 9700 is a good aftermarket HSF, but TT120 has also been a good cooling solution too. You can decide which one you want.
* Antec 900 case is a good solid choice in a case. The case keeps things cool and is priced pretty good too.

What is your budget and what are your complete plans for this build? I see your in the $2kish ballpark with the selections that you mentioned.

 

[newjack1]

I don't really have a set budget, but I don't want to spend 5K either. I will mainly be using this PC for gaming. I am tired of having mediocre equipment and want something that will play games flawlessly without having to worry about wheather I should use unit or ground shadows!!!

 

[monste4321]

wow am about to build nearly (basically exactly) the same setup for sub 1k bout 950 after rebates including shipping but i waited for deals, should be around 1200-1300 with one vid card

 

[newjack1]

Ya I just don't have the patience to mail in each rebate for each part

 

[monste4321]

lol ill save nearly 500 in rebates although ill have to wait for them to come back... but i understand your point

 

[newjack1]

I chose the QX6850 core 2 Xtreme because I am not planing to upgrade for a long time. I also got the EVGA geforce 8800 GTX 768MB because I got a wicked deal on it, regular 550, I got it for 250. Gotta love ebay!!

 

[emp]

Good choice on the Video card then, but the thing is (Talking about CPU now) that the QX6850 performance increase over the Q6600 is marginal at best.

 

[newjack1]

Hmmmm..... But the Q6600 is 2.4GHz and the QX6850 is 3.0GHz. I thought that was a huge clock difference

I won't be ordering anything from newegg. They are expensive and they don't ship to Canada.

 

[emp]

Ehhh It's not that noticeable to be quite honest (especially not for over a $1000 difference), and it's nowhere near worth the money. It'd be cheaper to use Q6600 now and buy new motherboard and CPU when Yorkfield (I think this is the one) is released in 2009 which is supposed to be a HUGE jump in processing power compared to C2D arch.

 

[EXT64]

I also advocate the Q6600. While the 6850 will be somewhat faster, the 6600 will be plenty (excessive) for any current game. Then, in a year or so if the comp feels too slow, overclock it up a few notches. That's what I always do. However, it is your money. If you feel the effort saved by not OCing is worth the cost difference, go for it. I am sure either way the comp will be awesome and you will not regret your choice.

 

[newjack1]

Cool! So then what would be your choice of MOBO to go with the CPU and the GPU. Lunyone (above) said the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L would be the best choice out of my picks.

 

[onestar]

That is a very aggressive "first" build. Be careful, and methodical in your building as minor errors can cause major loss. I did not see a case selection in your choices so be certain to select one which gives you a lot of room. First time builds can be daunting in cramped quarters.

 

[newjack1]

I picked the Antec 900 case. I am being aggressive because I only want to do this once. I always say if your gonna do something, do it right the first time.

 

[monste4321]

if your using the single card then get a p35, and the ds3l is perfect if you dont want firewire raid or optical onboard sound, other then that its a real nice easily overclockable board

 

[newjack1]

I just finished by new Build!!! It is flawless! Awesome! Thanks everyone for your input throughout various threads on this site! First boot went without a hicup! Here is my final system specs!

Antec 900 Case with 1 extra fan on side panel for more GPU cooling
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L MOBO
Intel QX6850
Mushkin 4GB DDR2 RAM (2x2GB)
Zalman 9700 CPU cooler
Nvidia 8800 GTX
Creative Labs Soundblaster X-Fi Xtremegamer
PC Power and Cooling scilencer 750W PSU
D-link ethernet card
ASUS 18x DVD burner
Seagate 500GB HardDrive 32MB cache
Windows vista 32bit......for now

Thanks again people!