- Jan 23, 2008
- 6
- 0
- 18,510
Here is my first new system build if you're interested or checking for compatibility:
cpu Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
mobo GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
ram G.SKILL 2GBX2 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
video EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
ps CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply
case Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
optical ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model
mouse Logitech MX518
cooler ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
hd Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM
OS Windows Vista 64 Home Premium
Monitor HP W2207 22" Widescreen Monitor
Total: $1,628.00
A few thoughts:
1. After assembling the whole computer and pressing the power button all I got initially was a brief whir of the fans and a blinking light or two then nothing. After nearly passing out, trying a few desperate fixes, and thinking to myself: “I knew this would happen, this is what you get for doing it yourself,” I took it all apart, connected the mobo, cpu, gpu, ram, to the psu outside the case and connected the monitor. Everything worked just fine, I had plugged in an unnecessary connector into one of the many “fan” slots on the mobo. After realizing this, I put it all back in the case and all was well.
2. Vista 64bit works just fine, I even (gasp) really like it so far. If your hardware is new go for it. I could not get my turtle beach srm external sound card to work—it is not compatible, oh well, onboard sound does not feel like a step down. Had to do some research in order to figure out how to properly install some programs (I never got N-tune to work, always get a BSOD) but it all worked out better than I had expected.
3. I could not overclock at all, always got an extra reboot to defaults, until I detached my WD external hard drive, upon doing so I was in business, currently stable at 3.75ghz on the e8400, no issues for over a week now.
4. All the researching, second-guessing, and lurking in the various forums is the hard part, building was not hard at all, once I figured out my small mistake.
I get around 30 fps on high settings when playing Crysis at 1680x1050 dx10. My highest 3dmark score to date is 14,550
I had a lot of fun throughout the whole process, tried to configure a similar system on Dell’s website, came out to be about over 1K more. I bought the mobo, cpu, gpu, and ram all at once as the last purchase. Everything else I acquired over a six-week period to spread out the cost (and appease the wife). Now that it is over I will have to convince friends and family to do the same so I can get my hands dirty again.
cpu Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
mobo GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
ram G.SKILL 2GBX2 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
video EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
ps CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply
case Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
optical ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model
mouse Logitech MX518
cooler ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
hd Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM
OS Windows Vista 64 Home Premium
Monitor HP W2207 22" Widescreen Monitor
Total: $1,628.00
A few thoughts:
1. After assembling the whole computer and pressing the power button all I got initially was a brief whir of the fans and a blinking light or two then nothing. After nearly passing out, trying a few desperate fixes, and thinking to myself: “I knew this would happen, this is what you get for doing it yourself,” I took it all apart, connected the mobo, cpu, gpu, ram, to the psu outside the case and connected the monitor. Everything worked just fine, I had plugged in an unnecessary connector into one of the many “fan” slots on the mobo. After realizing this, I put it all back in the case and all was well.
2. Vista 64bit works just fine, I even (gasp) really like it so far. If your hardware is new go for it. I could not get my turtle beach srm external sound card to work—it is not compatible, oh well, onboard sound does not feel like a step down. Had to do some research in order to figure out how to properly install some programs (I never got N-tune to work, always get a BSOD) but it all worked out better than I had expected.
3. I could not overclock at all, always got an extra reboot to defaults, until I detached my WD external hard drive, upon doing so I was in business, currently stable at 3.75ghz on the e8400, no issues for over a week now.
4. All the researching, second-guessing, and lurking in the various forums is the hard part, building was not hard at all, once I figured out my small mistake.
I get around 30 fps on high settings when playing Crysis at 1680x1050 dx10. My highest 3dmark score to date is 14,550
I had a lot of fun throughout the whole process, tried to configure a similar system on Dell’s website, came out to be about over 1K more. I bought the mobo, cpu, gpu, and ram all at once as the last purchase. Everything else I acquired over a six-week period to spread out the cost (and appease the wife). Now that it is over I will have to convince friends and family to do the same so I can get my hands dirty again.
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