first build

[libcartel]

This is my first build. It will be used for some gaming, mostly source games. I would appreciate your feed back on the parts chose. As I understand it I need thermal compound for the CPU, is this included? Also, is a CPU cooler necessary or is the one included with the CPU sufficient? Is there anything else i am missing?

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6559785&WishListTitle=new

 

[aevm]

I'll paste your list here to save everybody a click.

Antec Nine Hundred $119.99
ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI $149.99
EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB $189.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W $129.99
E8400 $194.99
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $109.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD4000AAKS 400GB 7200 RPM SATA $69.99
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-115DBK - OEM $29.99

What I'd change:

Cheaper case with no annoying lights RC-690
Faster video card with better cooling 8800GTS 512MB
Fast disk with PMR instead of old stuff. E.g. WD6400AAKS
SATA burner instead of IDE. E.g. SH-S203B.

I'm assuming you want to add a second video card later for SLI. If that's true the MB and PSU are fine. If not, save money with GA-EP35-DS3R and 550VX.
The 550VX is $25 less here than at newegg, after shipping and rebates are included:
http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?querytype=home&qu=550vx&qxt=home&display=col

As a general rule, SLI is not worth it if your monitor is 22" or less. There are exceptions, like Crysis, of course.

Your CPU is retail. You don't have to buy a cooler or thermal compound, unless you want to overclock. If the budget is tight, forget the cooler for now and focus on improving the video card and hard disk. You can add a cooler later. A good one is Xigmatek HDT-S1283.

 

[libcartel]

I put together a new list based on your advice. I don't plan on SLI at the moment since I have a 19in monitor. Thanks so much for the help. Does this look okay?



1 COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: RC-690-KKN1-GP

1 GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3P LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-EP35-DS3P

1 EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 512-P3-N841-AR

1 CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply - Retail
Model #: CMPSU-550VX

1 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
Model #: BX80570E8400

1 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Model #: F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

1 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD6400AAKS

1 SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Model #: SH-S203B

Subtotal: $989.92

 

[bushmastertd]

doh, you changed one thing i swas gonna advise you on lol. You at first had teh OCZ memory and i was gonna advise a move to the GSKILL lol, good call. That video card is very good imo, i am running 2 of em in SLI and could not be happier, also gotta love EVGA being very modder friendly. gl with the build

 

[kad]

I put together a new list based on your advice.

I liked your previous 750W PSU more
Better to be safe than sorry
Have some reserved power

Get HS and fan (Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme+Sythe Fan 120MM)
And OC proc, you can get it to 3.6GHz
Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD7500AYYS 750GB is much better performer
Check reviews
http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/Western_Digital_Caviar_RE2_750_GB_/
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/13253
Good luck

 

[libcartel]

I liked your previous 750W PSU more

Get HS and fan (Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme+Sythe Fan 120MM)
And OC proc, you can get it to 3.6GHz

Good luck

I know nothing about OC'ing. Would you recommend this for a beginner?

 

[aevm]

The Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme + SFF21F combo (about $80) is better than the Xigmatek indeed. It's better than anything else, in fact, AFAIK, except maybe Noctua's latest $105 cooler. However, the Xigmatek is almost as good and it's under $40.

Between the WD7500AAKS and WD6400AAKS - the WD6400AAKS is a bit faster. Makes sense, since the WD6400AAKS has 320GB platters, denser than the 250GB platters in the WD7500AAKS.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=447887

The WD7500AYYS has very much the same performance as the WD7500AAKS, it's just more expensive because it has some enterprise-class features.

Not that it really matters - all 3 are excellent drives. I'm very happy with my WD7500AAKS for example. Just stay away from the WD5000AAKS, those are visibly slower.

 

[snajper69]

Good setup. SLI is not worth it. Better save 750W is overkill listen to Aevm his sugestion to stick with 550vx is good one.

 

[libcartel]

I plan on ordering soon. Another concern, the RC-690 comes with three 120mm fans and accommodates up to seven. Are three fans enough to keep this system cool?

 

[aevm]

I think so. More fans will usually make it cooler but noisier. You definitely don't need 7 fans. That's mostly for people who have two or three video cards.

Maybe add another fan or two if/when you overclock the CPU.