Advice on proposed build please

[KevinP]

G'day from down under :o

I've decided that it's time I ventured into the wonderful world of building your own PC. Money isn't a major concern at my age but keeping some sense of proportion is - since I only "play at" playing games I don't really need the fastest and greatest PC in town and certainly not the greatest video processing. I do some reasonably heavy calculating work and do lots of music and image/video and, of course, want to be Vista ready.

So, I'd be glad if you could critique my proposed build on that basis. Very happy for any suggestions. I'm really looking forward to the fun of building this thing. :)

Regards

Kevin :) :)


Antec Sonata II case
Intel CORE 2 DUO E6600/ 2.40GHz/ 4MB CACHE/ 1066FSB/ LGA775
Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 motherboard
2 X Kingston/Samsung 1GB DDR2 533MHz PC2-4200 Cl3 Non-ECC 240pin Dimm
2 x Seagate Barracuda, 120GB, Serial ATA, 8.5ms, 7200RPM
GIGABYTE NX76G256D-RH GEF7600GS, 256MB, DDRII, PCIEx16, DSUB,
TV-OUT, DVI, HDTV
LG GSA-H10NBB DVD Re-Writer (16x/Dual Layer Black)
BENQ 19" FP92W WIDESCREEN SILVER/BLACK LCD
Logitech X-530 70W 5.1 speakers
Creative Technology Sound Blaster Audigy 4 sound card
Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000 Black USB

[glc]

Looks good, but you should use at least DDR2-667 ram. You should also consider keeping it simple and putting a single larger Seagate 7200.10 drive in.

[flanzig1]

Does the Antec case your looking at come with a PSU? If it is the one with the 450w Antec PSU, then you set.
You need an OS also.

[newbuilder14]

I would not buy the Gigabyte S3 motherboard, it is a step down from the DS3 motherboard, which is even a step down from the P5B to many. Everyone here at PCMech recommends you build a setup such as what you are looking at with a high quality Asus P5B motherboard as seen here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131030 - I used it and everything went together without a hitch, so I'm hoping the same will happen for you. :)

[piXel]

Does the Antec case your looking at come with a PSU? If it is the one with the 450w Antec PSU, then you set.
You need an OS also.

The PSU has major issues and generally dies in around 10 months, my mates did and so did alot of others on new egg.

[newbuilder14]

The PSU has major issues and generally dies in around 10 months, my mates did and so did alot of others on new egg.

Not completely true... Antec power supplies are quality units - I have used, probably about 5 of them, and they are still holding up strong. Sure, you get a bad one once in a while but that is with all units nowadays. The OP should be well off using that power supply.

[KevinP]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I have decided to use the ASUS P5B motherboard on your advice and to look at the issue of the power supply before getting the Sonata II case.

I already have a fully licensed XP OS and will install that at this stage. I just really need to relook at the procedure for making a slipstreamed (?? is that the term) installation disk from my original and all the later updates. Downloading and installing all of them again would not be fun!!!

Thanks again

Kevin :) :)

[chuck4456]

You can get the SILVERSTONE ST50EF or the FSP AX500 for about 90 bucks. Get the case without the PSU. The XFX 7600GT is a better video card. Unless you really need dual drives, get the Seagate 7200.10 16mbPRT 250gb similar to what GLC has suggested.

[newbuilder14]

Chuck's first recommendation is a very good choice, as are Enermax units, Seasonic units, etc.

Honestly, get the idea that the Antec unit is low quality - it is not, I have used Antec power supplies in all but two of my systems as I love their price/reliability. They are on the recommended list.

[glc]

Chuck, I believe the OP is in Oz - see the "G'day from down under"?

[Cricket]

Not completely true... Antec power supplies are quality units - I have used, probably about 5 of them, and they are still holding up strong. Sure, you get a bad one once in a while but that is with all units nowadays. The OP should be well off using that power supply.

Honestly, get the idea that the Antec unit is low quality - it is not, I have used Antec power supplies in all but two of my systems as I love their price/reliability. They are on the recommended list.Although Antec power supplies are considered good quality units there have been several instances where Antec sent out batches of certain power supplies models that were plagued with problems. I can recall three of these occuring since 2000...the first time their power supplies would suddenly die very prematurely (sometimes after just a few hours of use but most would go a few days or weeks before they went). The second time was similar but there would be weird system instabilities (I think because of voltage fluctuations) prior to the units dying after a short time in service. The last time seems to be more like the first time where the units would die prematurely after a short period of use. I think this happened mostly to the Smart Power units but I heard the True Power units may also have had problems.

The good thing is Antec's have over-voltage protection and rarely kill other components when they die...but they do die, sometimes in droves.

I've looked inside a lot of Antec power supplies and I think they aren't as well made as some of the other brands. I've looked inside Enermax, Fortron Source and Sparkle Power power supplies as well as some DEER, L&C, Allied and other cheap units and to me Antec power supplies resemble the cheaper units more than they do the better ones. This is one of the reasons I try not to use Antec power supplies as much as I used to (especially in my own computers). I've never had a Fortron Source or Sparkle Power power supply die on me...yet.

:) Cricket

[glc]

Antecs are still a heck of a lot better than the vast majority of PSU's that come preinstalled in cases.

[Cricket]

Thats so true. The last 3 builds I did were in 3 different Antec cases with Antec power supplies...no one wanted the plain AOpen cases I usually build with...and all 3 builds went well and no one has called with any power related problems yet.

But when I'm asked to upgrade older computers I try to go with Fortron Source or Sparkle Power, mostly because I've never had any real problems with them. I've had a few Antecs die in builds I've done over the years.

:) Cricket

[KevinP]

OK. I can see that several batches of faulty Antec power supplies since 2000 would make anyone wary of them, regardless of how good/reliable they are when the QA process is working properly :)

The other thing I've been told is that the Antec Sonata II case has a "baffle" in it which is very hard to get in or out once all the components are in the case, making it difficult to work in, especially if I need to dive into the case to make changes or repairs.

So, although neither factor by itself would be a stopper, maybe together I'd be better off looking at another case.

Given the other components, eg motherboard, CPU etc, could you suggest a good case and power supply. If there's a really reliable brand, that might make it easier since Australia is not awash with choices in terms of PC parts etc (at least some of the ones I've seen being discussed are not readily available here).

Thanks for your help.

Kevin :) :)

[Mr.Ferrari]

The reason why I've stopped suggesting antec's CWT made units is due purely to two more recent issues. The components(more specifically the capacitors) and quality control. Your Antec is made by CWT or Channel Well Tech., the design in itself is absolutely awesome, that thing can hold heavy loads great!

Its capacitors though, which are of the "Fuhjyuu" brand, have a bad reputation, not just in powersupplys but with any computer component. They dislike heat and have a tendency to just burst/fail after a while. Now this isnt usually an issue in powersupplies as long as the manufacturers keep up good quality control, but antec/cwt has more recently declined in that department and as a result, powersupply failures. Also those Antec units use VERY low speed fans. Which causes ALOT of heat buildup, that is the cause of failure.

Anyways, with your build, that should not at all be an issue. Your using parts which consume very little power. But if you want to keep the powersupply future proof with heavy videocard upgrades, then yes I would suggest something else. Your Antec is still quality.

Is there any particular store/catalog from which your purchasing your parts? Since your buying with AUD...

[glc]

AOpen is big in Oz as I remember. Their power supplies are made by FSP.