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legato89   09-14-2008 at 09:06:41 AM

Hello everyone, I am building my first gaming PC and would like suggestions and opinions on what I've selected:

 

My budget is $1200 and I've kept well under it.

 

DVD Drive SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151173

 

Serial ATA 150/300 cable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812270093

Case, ABS Aplus ABS-CS-Monolith Black SECC Steel ATX Full Tower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811215009

 

Hard Drive, Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136161

 

Thermal Paste: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835100007

 

Motherboard, ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131232

 

CPU, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017

 

OS, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116488

 

Graphics Card, EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130370

 

Combo deal: $178 total
Power Supply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139001
RAM- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145184

 

Since this is my first PC, I am unsure of a few things but have done a lot of reading and am fairly confident everything will work together/fit into the case, but I am not sure if that power supply is enough. I got an SLI motherboard because I plan on trying an SLI setup later on. Also, I heard with some CPUs you do not have to apply thermal paste. This is the thing that I am the most nervous about, applying thermal paste but have seen a few videos on youtube about applying it.

 

The grand total came out to $1,114.60 which is really good. If all of this is okey dokey I'll be ordering it and assembling it next week.


Message edited by legato89 on 09-14-2008 at 10:23:55 AM
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huron   09-14-2008 at 09:42:25 AM
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If you don't have an aftermarket CPU cooler to plan on overclocking, then you don't need the thermal paste.

Also, you don't need the SATA cable - the motherboard should come with an abundance of them (I have extra)

For only $25 more, you can get a 640 GB HDD - great performance and price per gig.

I don't see any memory. Get 2x2GB of RAM with good timings (CAS 4 or 5) and standard voltage - 1.8v. You should be able to find a good set for around $50 or so.

It looks good. Have fun.

Many people will tell you the nvidia boards aren't good, but if you want SLI, then it's the way to go.

Reply to huron
legato89   09-14-2008 at 09:49:33 AM
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I have memory under Combo deal with the power supply. Can you link me the hard drive as well you are talking about? And I'm not sure what you mean by aftermarket CPU cooler. If I don't need to apply thermal paste I'll get rid of it (the CPU comes with a fan and heatsink by the way) and I thought I'd need a cable since the HD was OEM. Will the power supply be reliable for SLI also?

Reply to legato89
dirtmountain   09-14-2008 at 09:51:39 AM
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That motherboard comes with 4 extra SATA cables, no need to order one for your burner, but since you picked a 520w power supply (i think..... some of the links don't work) You'd want to get a more powerful power supply if you intend to SLI that GTX260 later. Something like a 750w Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

Reply to dirtmountain
legato89   09-14-2008 at 10:28:52 AM
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Ah ok, the power supply is a 520w. The one you linked me has a combo deal for this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299

Would that be compatible with everything else, and would it be an improvement on the motherboard I selected?

Reply to legato89
huron   09-14-2008 at 10:59:56 AM
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That motherboard in your new combo is a great board. It is compatible.

Here's the HDD link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218

The CPU with the heatsink from intel comes with thermal paste on it. You only need thermal paste if you get a different heatsink/fan for your CPU (if you might overclock).

Reply to huron
legato89   09-14-2008 at 05:14:31 PM
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Okay, I removed the motherboard and combo deal (the RAM and power supply) and added this motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299 and this power supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006 as a combo deal. Now I need to find RAM and I'm all done.

 

UPDATE: Apparently this motherboard isn't SLI compatible. I guess I'll find another graphics card for crossfire. I was also told that I should never use the stock heatsink for a CPU...any comments on this?


Message edited by legato89 on 09-14-2008 at 06:19:41 PM
Reply to legato89
huron   09-14-2008 at 08:07:47 PM
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That looks good. Honestly the case is a personal choice. Both are OK.

Reply to huron
legato89   09-15-2008 at 05:01:59 PM
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Excellent, I ordered everything last night. Once it arrives and I've assembled it I'll post a pic of my work. Also, how far will I be able to overclock that CPU with the stock heatsink and fan?

Reply to legato89
huron   09-17-2008 at 12:00:01 AM
- 1 +

Good choices. I think you can do OK with overclocking the CPU without aftermarket cooling, but I'm not sure how far. Why not spend the extra $30 and be safe and get another cooler?

Reply to huron
legato89   09-17-2008 at 12:14:35 AM
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I posted in the overclocking board, the reason I didn't just buy a heatsink/fan so I could overclock was I didn't want to deal with the thermal paste. After seeing videos on youtube about applying it I think I can handle it. I'll probably wait until christmas or so and buy a nice heatsink/fan.

Reply to legato89
huron   09-17-2008 at 12:40:45 AM
- 1 +

Remember, it's usually easier to install the new cooler when you put it all together. Otherwise, you often need to take out the entire motherboard (especially if it has a bracket for the back of the board).

It's pretty easy to apply thermal paste. You should be just fine.

Reply to huron
legato89   09-17-2008 at 05:04:59 AM
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Thanks a lot everyone for your help, I will get everything tomorrow and update once I get it put together. My next project will be upgrading the heatsink/fan and overclocking!

Reply to legato89
legato89   09-18-2008 at 08:36:40 AM
- 0 +

Well after many hours of blood, sweat, and tears (mainly sweat) my PC is up and running! I'll post pics tomorrow, my body is too sore. Thanks everyone for your help.

Reply to legato89
huron   09-18-2008 at 01:20:06 PM
- 0 +
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