First time builder needs suggestions on build

[Viczar]

Hey guys,

As the name implies I am planning on building my own PC for the first time. I have some general knowlege on the topic, but I've never done it myself before so there will obviously be some stuff I dont know about. I've picked out some parts which I thought would be good. If you guys have an suggestions on why a different part would be better, please let me know. I'm looking to spend around $1200 - $1400 Canadian ($1050 - $1200 American) for the box. The prices I list are in Canadian dollars.

Case:
Apevia Black X-Cruiser - $93.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1446794&sku=A107-1050

PSU:
Power Up 550 Watt - $53.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2227022&sku=GEN-2004

Motherboard & CPU (Combo):
Asus M2N4-SLI NVIDIA Socket AM2 ATX Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.40GHz Processor
Together - $385.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2932492&sku=MBM-M2N4SLI-4600

Hard-drive:
Seagate 160GB 7200RPM SATA-300 - $86.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2937363&sku=TSD-160AS5

RAM:
Corsair TWINX Dual Channel 2048MB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2341730&sku=C13-3022

DVD Burner:
Sony DRU-120C Multi-Drive - $53.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2700058&sku=S167-4219

Sound Card:
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Extreme Audio - $86.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2687630&sku=C44-3346

Video Card:
EVGA GeForce 7950 GT 512MB GDDR3 - $317.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2466891&sku=E145-7902

That comes to $1294.92.

Pretty much I want to know if all the parts will go together well (one thing I was unsure of was if the mobo supported the hard-drive because I'm unsure what SATA-300 is) and also want to know any suggestions you guys could give me. Lastly, if any other Canadians know of a good online retailer that ships to Canada, let me know!

Thanks for the help!

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCMech.

First question to ask is if you must have AMD? Intel Core 2 Duo based machines outperform AMD based machines right now, it is definitely something to look into.

For the system you have listed, here are my suggestions:
The PSU is a junker, replace it. Take a look at our list: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

For an AM2 system, you need DDR2-800. Corsair is good for a brand.

Your Sony drive doesn't look like it comes with software. Retail LiteOns do have software.

You should take a look at www.ncix.com TigerDirect has a poor reputation.

Your hard drive will work.

I recommend buying your Motherboard and CPU separately, that board is not the best. Swap it with the Asus M2N-E.

[Viczar]

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't need to get AMD, I just thought itd save me money? What AMD model is comparable to the Core 2 Duo 1.86 (believe its the E6300?) so I have some guidelines to look at I guess.

Thanks!

[vaiovenom]

I would definately stay away from that power supply and get a good quality one, especially with the video card you will be using. Doesn't make sense to buy a $350 video card and a $50 power supply. Seasonic is always a good way to go.

[Viczar]

Ok, how does this power supply sound?
Enermax All in One 535W ATX12V V2.0 20/24 Pin Power Supply W/ PCI-E SLI Ready (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15772)
and would it fit in this case: Apevia X-CRUISER (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15055)

Also, I've been looking at the processors and it seems that the general consensus right now is that Intel is better. The intel E6400 (2.13 GHz) is about 300 bucks and the AMD X2 5200 2.6 GHz is around 300. If Intel is the best route, then what motherboard would you guys recommend with it, for around $100?

Lastly, I'm looking at getting a pair of Logitech Z-5500's, and was wondering what sound card you guys would recommend? I've been reading some forums on NCIX.com and people are saying to get the best sound with those speakers you should get a digital sound card? The sound card would also have to work well with gaming. Don't know much about sound cards, so the help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

[Hazaro]

I think we need a stick to tell people of the Price drop on 4/9 and 4/22 :)
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/dualcore-roundup.html
A standard P5B would be $130 US, so you might want to find something cheaper.
For Power go for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817189003
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817139001

I also need a soundcard for my build :P

[vaiovenom]

Asus Boards are good and I believe you can get a P5B within your budget. If you are going to go with AMD, stay away from socket 939, but yes, I suggest Intel socket 775 which will support The Celeron chips, Pentium D, Core 2 Duo. Lots of room to upgrade in the future.
You are on the right track with choosing Creative for your soundcard and your budget will support a good creative card. On a side note, most new boards come with onboard 7:1 sound that could save you some bucks, and instead of buying the premium soundcard, it would better to spend that money on a better motherboard. The P5B Deluxe is a great way to go.
As for the power supplies, google the ones you had in mind and read reviews. Some good quality ones are Antec and Seasonic. Make sure you account for the power hungry video card that you will be using.

[Viczar]

Hey guys,

I think I've nearly finalized my build:

Case: Apevia X-CRUISER - $93.99
PSU: OCZ GameXStream 600W ATX12V - $129.59
Heatsink: Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro AM2 - $28.38
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-E ATX AM2 - $125.35
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ - $182.40 (Going to wait until the price goes down, but I'm going to upgrade to the AMD that comes to about this price)
Hard-drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache - $115.00
Memory: OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 - $215.15
DVD Burner: Samsung SH-S182 DVD+RW - $49.72
Graphics Card: EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800 GTS 500MHZ 640MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3 - $486.00
Sound Card: Sondigo Inferno 7.1 Channel PCI - $104.99

Which comes to about $1556.00 - with around 100 bucks back in rebates.
The one thing I am unsure of is the sound card - I've been reading that the Creatives (for around 100 bucks) aren't that great, and that I should be looking into getting a digital sound card? The Sondigo one that I have listed seems to be getting good reviews. Also, when do you guys think retailers like NCIX.com will be selling the AMD's at the new cheaper price?

Thanks again for the input.

[skooiker]

I have to agree that Intel is the way to go for dual core right now. AMDs take a lot more power, and are still not quite as fast. Intel outperforms with less energy consumption.

[Alaron]

Your build is ok as is.

Though, as the others have mentioned, Intel is a better buy right now. Swap the motherboard/CPU/RAM for an Asus P5B, Core 2 Duo E6300 (or e6600 if you can afford it) and 2GB (2x1GB) of Corsair VS DDR2-667.

To clear up the price drops, the Intel chips are going to drop, not the AMDs. If you can wait, the Core 2 Duo prices are going to drop on April 22.

As for the sound card, try your motherboard's onboard sound first. Its not bad. Then you can worry about adding a sound card later if you feel you need to.

Check if that Samsung comes with burning software.