New Build, please review,

Stregachess

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May 30, 2008
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Please review my final build list before I fire off my order.
About 90% of this will come from NewEgg. A few thoughts and issues are below my build list.


Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
ASUS P5K SE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V / EPS12V 550W Power Supply
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600
OCZ Vindicator 6-Heatpipe Universal CPU Cooler (OCZVIND)
CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C3DF - Retail
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Logitech 967738-0403 Black USB Standard Deluxe 250 Keyboard - OEM
SAMSUNG 245BW Black 24" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustment - Retail
ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD for System Builders



Here are my open issues/thoughts:

I'm not against putting a few more dollars in the MOB (suggestions?)

I dropped a Thermaltake Power Supply and replaced it with a SeaSonic based on reviews, now I'm thinking move up to the 650W version model of the SeaSonic?

Most items say Retail so I believe that means "complete" where HD or say OEM do I knew extra "stuff" or am I covered?

CPU cooler is like $52 at FrozenCPU, it's like $40 at tigerdirect is this really the same product? Also I went with "easy of installation" for 1st time builder, it seems "big" if there is a better suggestions shout.

My original plan was to go with to HP 20" Monitors, just too expensive decided on one 24 Samsung and will a 20" Samsung on from PS once I earn a few more points. This actually opens up my budget a bit to improve some other spots.

I'd like to pump the memory up to 4GB, just buy two of the above or a better config?

Not, over clocking, not a gamer, (at least for now on both) will mostly be used to play poker, movie editing, picture editing, that sort off stuff. Some database and light programming, nothing earth shattering but would like to have a some better stuff so upgrading is easier and it will be usable for longer period of time.

Thanks in advance!
 
P182, WD7500AAKS, 8800GTS 512MB, Q6600, 245BBW and that burner are all excellent choices.

Check out the aBit IP35 Pro if you want the best P35 MB. I also like the GA-EP35-DS3R.

Save $10 and get the Corsair 650TX instead of that 550W Seasonic. Mind you, Seasonic is a great brand, and they even designed my own PC P&C Silencer 750W, but at current prices the 650TX is a better deal.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650tx

Change the cooler to Xigmatek HDT-S1283. BTW, I checked reviews of the P182 at newegg and you're guaranteed that this cooler will fit. It's the best cooler you can buy these days for $40. I can think of 3 coolers that beat it but they're all close to $100 and I think some of those won't fit in the P182 anyway. Since you're not planning to overclock, you could just buy the CPU retail and use the cooler that comes with it. If you do want an aftermarket cooler, try to get the CPU OEM so you don't pay for the stock cooler just to throw it out.

Yeah, if you can get 2x2GB of RAM that's a great move, especially when using Vista.


Retail HDD may mean you get a SATA cable and CD with drivers. The MB will come with SATA cables anyway, and drivers are downloadable from WD's site, so again OEM is not that bad.

 

clay12340

Distinguished
Oct 5, 2007
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Definitely move the memory up to 4gb. Vista 64 will appreciate it and you'll be much happier. Move up to a 2x2gb kit. Filling all 4 dimms on some boards can be finnicky especially for overclocking. It also has twice the potential of having a malfunctioning or weak stick of ram.

You could also consider one of the seagate 7200.11 HDDs. I believe they perform slightly better than the WD ones at the same price and capacity. Tom's has an HDD chart that you can look at for some performance benchmarks and compare it to your needs.

It might be worth waiting a week on some bench marks from the new ATI/Nvidia video cards. They are likely to put a new offering in the same price range as the GTS. That may or may not shift the price of that card down or allow you to buy a more powerful card without spending more money. There will always be something new around the corner though, so at some point you just have to pull the trigger.



If you arn't overclocking then you're wasting your money on that CPU heatsink. The retail sink is fine for a stock clocked CPU. If you do plan to overclock later you can always open the case and install a new heat sink. If you decide to go with an aftermarket cooler you might look into an OEM CPU. They are generally a bit cheaper since they don't include a retail heatsink and fan.

In my opinion when installing either the retail or an aftermarket cooler using those damn push pins you'll want to have the board out of the case and lying on something like a sheet of cardboard. People claim you can install them without removing the board, but it feels like your going to snap the board in half when it is braced on the motherboard stand offs.


Retail is going to mean it comes in a pretty box and has a manual and probably some extra software disks and maybe some cables and stickers. OEM just means you're going to get a bare drive/keyboard in a protective foam or cardboard box. It has different implications for different components.

Keyboards don't need any additional cables. If they have associated software you'll only need it to run the optional buttons and you can just download it from the manufacturer's webpage. Your motherboard should come with some PATA/SATA cables for your HDD. A hard drive doesn't really have software or drivers, but if you're putting like 6 in a rig you will need to buy additional cables. For an OEM DVD drive it is basically the same as the HDD. It will need cables but your motherboard should come with them. There is likely some sort of burning software and DVD playback that comes with a retail purchase, but you don't need it. The manufacturer's site probably offers it and there are probably better free software packages anyhow.