First time build questions

[Dirtdog15]

I was recently on the Neogaf forums and came across a post entitled "The $900 PC Crysis Challenge (By Crytek)". I watched the videos that were posted and was amazed that you can get it to run on HIGH settings with a pc at that price point. I decided it was time to upgrade my computer and I was it was going to be one that I built. The components they recommend are:

CPU Intel Core2Duo E6750
GPU GeForce 8800GT 512MB
Motherboard NVIDIA nForce 650i Socket 775
PSU 600W ATX12V
RAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
HDD SATA 250GB 7200RPM
DVD 20x DVD±R Burner
Case ATX Midi Tower Computer Case
OS Microsoft Windows XP Home with SP2

By going through some of the previous post I was able to get a general idea of what brands to look for. I now have some general questions for you guys.

1.) Is there anything you guys would change? This is just around my price point

2.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142 is this motherboard good for upgrading in the future? I would be able to run 2 8800's in the future right?

3.) Does this processor fan come with the paste pre-applied?

4.) Would I need any extra cooling fans?

5.) Never built a computer before so is there any online guides or books that you recommend?

Thanks for your help and look to become frequent visitor

 

[rgeist554]

1. I'd get a name-brand PSU and Case. Cheap PSU = poor performance, headaches, and annoyances*. (I bet the fan in that PSU is going to vibrate, squeak, and make high pitched noises all day)

2. That would allow you to SLI, but something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188024 will allow you to have SLI support as well as support 45nm CPU's. (Just look for the 780i chipset. Any of those boards should have SLI and 45nm support)

3. If you're talking about the one that comes with the CPU, yeah. (Make sure you get a retail box though, not OEM. OEM does not come with a fan)

4. Depends. We need to see what case you're getting.

5. http://www.tomshardware.com/2002/09/04/building_your_own_pc/page6.html
It's a little dated, but you should learn something from it. You can also ask questions on the board too.

 

[Dirtdog15]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 This seems like a well reviewed and popular case.

Would that motherboard let me use the Core2Duo E6750 or will the new chips be around the same price?

 

[rgeist554]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021 This seems like a well reviewed and popular case.

It is a very good case. I have it my self. You can ignore most of the negative reviews on it, as they are mainly about the first revision of the case - it would cause some trouble with graphics card using the top slot on the back of the case. It's fixed now though.

Would that motherboard let me use the Core2Duo E6750 or will the new chips be around the same price?

If you want something cheap but good, try the GA-P35-DS3L. It also supports the E6750 as well as the new 45 nm chips. (As advertised on their website here: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2599 )

That being said... if you can wait a few days, try the E8400. It costs a little more than the E6750, but it's better than it's big brother, the E6850. I think you may even be able to purchase them now. It's 45nm, which means it has a lower core voltage, runs cooler, and it just is an all around better chip.

 

[Dirtdog15]

Thanks for the help.

 

[Dirtdog15]

I think I finally decided on the final specs.

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140

Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318

Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565

Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219

DVD/R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106057

Just waiting on the E8400's to become available.

What would be the best bet on a OS and will I need any extra cables? I will be using this mostly for gaming. Thanks

 

[Jaywill]

For $35 more, I'd suggest you go with this hard drive instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

It's the newer 7200.11 revision, bigger obviously, and will be a bit faster than the drive you chose.

Everything else looks great! I think you'll be really happy with it. Good luck with your first build.

Regarding your questions. I'm personally sticking with XP Pro for now, as I'm rarely an early adopter of Operating Systems. But it's your call. If you do decide to go with Vista, I'd suggest you go with 4GB of ram instead of 2GB.

For cables you should be all set, except OEM hard drives usually don't come with a cable. So you'll need a SATA cable if you don't already have one lying around.

 

[Dirtdog15]

I know there cheap but do I still need to buy a floppy drive for it?

 

[Jaywill]

I know there cheap but do I still need to buy a floppy drive for it?

Need? Probably not. But for like $7, why not? The only downside is it's an extra cable to run through your case. If you prefer a cleaner look to the front of your case, don't want another place to blow dust bunnies out of, and don't want to run an extra cable ... don't use one. If you don't care, it'll give your system a tiny tiny tiny bit more flexibility.

 

[Silverion77]

Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219

If getting that motherboard I would strongly suggest a HD3870
It gives you room to run in crossfire which is just as good as 8800 GT's in SLI

If you never plan on getting a second card, you can just go with a P35 board and save some money

 

[fueled_by_ramen]

Just a quick note about the cables. Even if you get an OEM hard drive (no cables) every motherboard will come with at least 2 SATA or PATA cables so that's no problem.

 

[Dirtdog15]

I want to buy a motherboard that supports the E8400 out of the box. Right now it is only the 780i's and X38? Is it worth the extra money for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813141005 ?

Would you rather have the 880GT or the HD3870? Thanks

 

[Silverion77]

Only get the 780i if you plan on SLI, otherwise stick with an intel board (P35 and X38)

If you are getting only one video card, the 8800GT performs better, but if you plan on getting a second than 2 HD3870s perform just as well as 2 8800GT's

 

[Dirtdog15]

Just gonna get the one so i'll stick with the X38

 

[geofelt]

If you want a mobo that will support the E8400, check out the mobo web site and see if it is on their supported list. I recently checked this out for gigabyte, and in general all the P35 mobo's need to be at revision 2.1.

If your use is for gaming, see if you can squeeze the 8800GTS-512-G92 into your budget . It is THE most important component. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130312 Not only is it a bit faster, but it has a very good cooler that expels hot air directly out of the back of the case instead of recirculating it and heating up the cpu. Consider EVGA to preserve your option to step-up to a better card if it should become available in the next 90 days.

The crucial memory has good timings, but at 2.2v. I recently built a system with a GA-P35-DS3R rev 2.1 and 4gb corsair ddr2-800 memory(1.8v). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184 It worked fine, right out of the box. I would spend more for 4gb instead of faster 2gb memory. Memory speed does not help c2d cpu in applications hardly at all.

Unless you are looking for bragging rights level overclocks, the X38 boards do not seem worth the price. Put the $100 saved elsewhere. You can't do sli on any intel chipset, including x38, for that, you would need an nvidia chipset board. The equivalent onthe intel chipset boards is crossfire which requires ati vga cards.

SLI has been a poor upgrade path in the past. It should be used only by
those who will not currently be satisfied by the fastest available single vga card
which is currently the 8800GTX-OC. The more modern 8800GTS-512-G92 is very close in performance, and has a good cooling system.
To get SLI. you have to spend more up front for a SLI capable mobo, and a
more powerful SLI capable PSU. Upgrading a single card later with a
second equal card does not get you 2x increase, it is more like 1.1x to 1.5x depending on the game.
At that time, you will still be paying top dollar for a card that is closer to
being obsolete. It would be better to sell the old card and use the proceeds

A floppy is cheap, but you won't need it except perhaps if you need raid and XP, neither of which appeals to me. I also don't like the clunky cable it needs. Any decent mobo will include all the cables you need. Look at the newegg photos to see what is included.
I don't see the sense of investing in XP today. It clearly is not where microsoft will put their development dollars.
towards a better new generation single card.
For a first time builder, I suggest that you download the manuals for the case and mobo. It should answer many questions.

 

[Silverion77]

So if only one card then get the 8800GT.
I love mine.....atm I can run Crysis on Very High, but I have to restart before hand to wipe memory and its only at 1280x1024

Edit: Didnt see geofelt's message above, but I totally agree with him. The P35s will be able to support 45nm Cpus and you can put the saved $100 towards the GTS which has a better cooler

 

[Dirtdog15]

Just switching my motherboard to the P35 was able to save enough for the extra 2gb or memory and the GTS. Will the new revision on the motherboard be available soon or will I have to get the different BIOS? Never built a pc before that is why I am concerned about a motherboard that won't work with the processor out of the box. Is the difference between the 6750 and the 8400 that great? Was thinking just get the 6750 now and still upgrade in the future. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116142 Is that the version of Vista I should get?

 

[Silverion77]

If overclocked the 8400 will perform better than the E6750. how much Im not sure.

If I were you I'd get 64-bit Vista (Home Premium) so if you wanted to you could get 4 gigs of Ram. 32-bit will only use about 3-3.25 depending on other hardware, but 64-bit will use all of it

Also, save $100+ and get an OEM version

Edit: I took a look at the P35 motherboards. The Rev.2 Gigabyte P35-DS3L/R/P all support the E8x00, but require the new Bios updates. F11 for the R, F9 for the P and F8a for the L which is beta

 

[geofelt]

Here is a list of mobo's from gigabyte that support the E8400 The mobo should come with the latest bios, but if it is not fresh stock, then it might not. In that case, you will have to update it yourself.
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_List.aspx?CPUVender=Intel%20Core%202%20Duo&CPUModel=Socket%20775_1208

The E8400 is somewhat(5-10%?) faster than the E6850.

 

[Silverion77]

(above) The Rev. 2.0s also support the CPU but require a bios update

 

[RetiredChief]

Might want to reconsider switching from XP to Vista.

Xp is still being supported. Vista will be replaced, I beleive 2nd Half 09.

Vista looks great, But looks are not every thing. Note I have xp/vista dualboot on main computer, and XP on one laptop, and Vista on new laptop. Performance wise XP seams faster.

Two sons, one Part owner of Electronic design Company (He does most of the Electronic designs) - He does a lot of video work - He dumped vista 64. 2nd Son, It manager. uSoft catching a lot of flack on Vista, and that is reason for moving up (NOT COUNTING delays) new operating system.

 

[Silverion77]

Its silly to go to XP....everyone will eventually need to upgrade.

Vista is the new thing, and will eventually wash out XP. How long that will take, idk, but i feel like it will happen

 

[RetiredChief]

Silverion77
Maybe with the new SP, Vista will probably improve. But you noticed th MS recanted and is coming out SP3 for winXP. We would have been better off if more people Didn't by Vista - This might have sent a message to MS (Not Bashing them) that Bloat ware/DRM will not be tolerated. The fact that Dealers also had to back pedel on XP says alot. A 25 Percent (est based on comments) reduction in performance is not a joyous attribute.

Added comment
Also, If infact a new Operating system is going to be out in two years, why "Downgrade" to Vista.

 

[jsc]

Take a look at:
http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Troubleshooting+a+New+Build

I realize that it's a troubleshooting guide, but it will show you where common problem areas are, before you start building.

 

[Dirtdog15]

Thanks for all the help. Probably gonna wait 2-3 weeks before I order everything just to see what everyone thiinks of the new chips