Does this E8400/ATI 4850 system look OK?

[kenratboy]

I was going to build a new system last year, but I got sidetracked and am getting back into it. To me, this is a 'comfortable' price. Good value, but not slow stuff. Under $1000 with EVERYTHING (core parts, fans, cables, delivery, bribes, Purina Monkey Chow (its real), etc.). 19" LCD now, professional 22 or 24" later on (no TN for me).

My biggest question is - WHAT POWER SUPPLY!!!??? I picked a 520W Corsair (listed below), is this OK?


MAIN PARTS:

--Intel E8400 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
--Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337
--G.SKILL 2 x 2GB PC2 6400 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122
--ATI 4850 with FANCY COOLER (worth it for lower noise and temps?) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127370
--Western Digital 640GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218


OTHER STUFF:

--Lian Li PC-7B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112099
--Corsair 520 watt PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
--Pioneer DVD+/-RW drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129020
--Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134


Again, not sure on the power supply, but does everything look good? Should everything work well together? Still not sure on the 2 vs. 4 core CPU, but I can easily change this before I buy/in a few years.

Thanks, I really appreciate your help!

 

[cal8949]

the system looks good i would get 4 gigs of ram for vista. i would spend a little more money on a better motherboard like a asus pq5


the c2d 8400 will be better in overclocking and gaming then the q6600. if your you dont plan to do much gaming get a q6600

 

[kenratboy]

Thanks for the reply.

It is a 4GB kit with 2, 2GB modules. Even if I can only see ~3.3GB, its still worth it.

I go between light office applications like Word, Excel, basic CAD stuff, internet, etc. and some casual gaming. My 5 year old box with a 3 year old video card is getting old, and I feel a replacement is in order.

As for the motherboard, I have absolutely no aversion to spending more, but I have seen a lot of good things about the Gigabyte (the brand and this model). Not interested in SLI/CrossFire, Xtreme OCing, or stuff like that. However, if the QUALITY is better, I would be all over that. I know the nightmares of a bad motherboard. Its HELL!!!

Also, is the 520W PSU going to be OK?

Thanks!

 

[San Pedro]

Get Vista 64 so that all of your RAM is put to use.

If you're comfortable with gigabyte motherboards look for one with PCI-E 2.0 slot, the p45 should have one.

 

[kenratboy]

Is Gigabyte a good brand, or is there something better I should look at? I am open to suggestions. Because I upgrade infrequently, things like solid capacitors, better chipset cooling, etc. are appealing to me.

 

[omicron_15]

I prefer Gigabyte, have had good experiences with their boards lasting a long time. The p35 chipset only supports PCIe 1.0 16x connection which is equivalent to a PCIe 2.0 8x connecction. Your 4850 might score around 5% slower then it could be going from a p35 chipset to a p45 will be an additonal $50 atleast so its up to you if you want to spend the dough. 500W powersuply is fine would go with a name brand one though, I would suggest Corsair.

 

[makotech222]

the 520 is probably gonna be okay. i got the 550 from corsair, and im starting to regret it. it works fine now, but it really limits my chance to upgrade to more/better video cards. if you ever plan on upgrading, bump it up to maybe, 620 or 750 watts.

 

[kenratboy]

So maybe the Asus for $130 would be better because it does have a 2.0 slot (I will probably upgrade the 4850 for whatever the best $200 card is in 2-3 years, and 1.0 would really limit me at that point I guess).

So a 500-600 watt Corsair would be fine? Not going to do SLI/CrossFire, 17 hard drives, or anything like that, as long as it has enough overhead to not be stressed when driving my system, that is OK.

 

[WR2]

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L $108 is only $22 more than the EP35-DS3L and has the PCI-e 2.0 PCI-e slots (all P43/P45 motherboards do). Asus P5Q is a great board and so is the GA-EP45-DS3L.

Corsair 520HX / 550VX / 650TX any one of those will be fine. Price is within about $5 for each.
The Corsair 450VX would be fine for your current E8400/4850 system - but possibly light on power for future upgrade.

Coolermaster RC-690 case $80

Looking like a very nice build.

 

[pcgamer12]

AC Freezer 7 Pro is a great cooler, get it when it's $26.99 with free shipping. Definitely go with a Gigabyte motherboard. Asus is good too. Other possible cases are Antec Three Hundred, Antec Nine Hundred. The CM RC-690 is a very nice case as well.