Complete Novice here : First build, compatibility issues (?) and rec please.

[Monorojo]

Hello, was thinking of buying myself a computer, but instead decided to build. This is what i have so far.

Case : LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU: COOLMAX CUG-700B ATX 12V( V.2.2) 700W Power Supply

Mobo: ASUS Striker Extreme LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6700

HDD: Maxtor MaXLine Pro 500 7H500F0 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

RAM: OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P800R22GK

Video Card : EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

Pri Optical: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-05

Sound Car : Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card

Monitor : CHIMEI CMV 221D-NBC Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor

OS : Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

Keyboard : Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard

Mouse : Razer Copperhead Anarchy Red 2000 dpi Gaming Mouse


Honestly i already have a modem that i use with my laptop, and what about LAN? Do i have to buy a component that will allow me to use LAN? I have no idea what FDD stands for honestly.

Extras that i have right now are :

ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

Do not have speakers yet, would like a rec. on those if thats alright. Anything that i am missing that is vital? Any compatability issues you can see right off the back? What extras should i look into. Do most of the products come with shrink wraps and proper ESD safe components or do I have to order them myself?

My aim was to spend 3k and so far this is putting me at just under 2.5k off NewEgg including taxes and shipping, so wondering if anything that can be upgraded that will make a radical difference in performance for only $50-100 more?

Think this is a good build, or should i downgrade yet still keep the same performance for less cash? Any good sites to help me build this sucker up once i have all the parts?

Thank you in advice, sorry for being a complete noob

[yoloksky]

hello,

FDD stands for floppy disk drive, you only need it rarely on troubleshooting stuff using a startup disk.. its not bad if you have one.

you might wish to link both your laptop and build using wireless lan so its not a bad choice if you buy a wireless lan(maybe your laptop is already wifi capable). If you want to connect through the internet/online gaming (both laptop, and your build), a router might come in handy. Go for wireless router compatible with your wireless lan so you won't have trouble connecting rj45 stuff.

it seems your building a supercomputer :)

br,

[HarshWinter]

coolmax PSUs are low quality lake a look a this list.
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

You dont need ddr2 800, use ddr2 667.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098

Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131030

For the sound card, i would say ditch it, use onboard sound unless you run into problems.

For the cpu the e6700 is fine but get the E6600 is you want to shave down the $.

As for window vista is would suggest waiting, get a old copy of xp (sp2).

If you have a question dont ever be afraid to ask I/we can help u pick a psu if u need it or and thing else.

[LeftyAce]

Welcome to PCMech!

With a $3000 budget you can get absolute top of the line components. Do you need to fit a monitor into that price?

Also, for future reference, it makes easier to see what you're working with if you post links to the parts you're talking about...not sure if you know where you're ordering this stuff from, but newegg.com is highly recommended for their prices and customer support.

Ok, to the list:

The case is entirely up to you. Get one you like the look of. Lian Li cases are high quality, so you can't go wrong there.

As HarshWinter said, get a quality PSU. The Corsair 520 and 620 HX units are a good bet. 520W would power all the parts you have listed just fine.

I'd encourage you NOT to go the SLI route. The performance gain is well under 2X and the additional money you spend on the motherboard, powersupply and two video cards just isn't justified. 1 next-gen card will beat two last-gen cards in sli, so save some money and plan to upgrade a little sooner.

CPU: Depending on where we are budget wise, there are two possible ways I'd change this. Either downgrade it to the e6600....the performance difference is minimall certailny not worth $100. OR, if we've got money left over, go ahead and put a QuadCore cpu in there.

HDD: Seagate hdds are a favorite around here for their huge warranty (5 years) and good speeds. Take a look at something in the 7200.10 series such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148136

RAM: Platinum ram is overkill if you're not planning on overclocking. As Harsh Winter said, Corsair Value Select DDR2 667 is fine: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098

Video card: Here's where I'd spend a bit more for a performance increase in gaming. TAke a look at eVGA's 8800GTX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

Optical looks good. Make sure to get a Retail version (not OEM) because the retail LiteOns come with Nero software.

Sound Card: Unless you're an extreme audiophile, stick with the onboard sound built onto the motherboard. If you find you don't like it, you can always add a soundcard later.

OS: We recommend people stay away from vista for now. There's too many driver and other issues that still need to be worked out. Get an oem copy of XP home with an upgrade c oupon for Vista and upgrade when the first service pack comes out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116056


I'm not a good one to ask on speakers, sorry.

Keep in mind that using anything but the heatsink and fan provided by intel will void your 3 year processor warranty. You won't gain anything from using the Zalman unless you start overclocking.

Arctic silver's good to have around.

The P5B has a built in NIC (Network Interface Card, or ethernet card) that'll allow you to connect to a network through a router. If you want wireless networking built-in, look at the P5B WiFi edition.

Don't apologize for being new to this; we all started out just like you :-)

[Monorojo]

Let me first say thank you for the comments and help.

Ok, so revised complete plan (with case and Vista already ordered, could always keep Vista for future though and get XP also if highly recommended.)

I now realize i need to get an internal modem so i could hook up to the internet, but what else should i get need to optimize my internet performance for this machine?

Changes summarized are as such : 620k Corsair PSU, P5B Deluxe Mobo w/ Wifi, went down to E6600 for better value, pumped up Video Card to GTX8800, got a Seagate 500GB HDD, went to single 2GB 667DDR memory, changed Opt. to Phillips DVD burner and added a cheapo FDD just in case. Any foreseeable problems with compatability with each other and especially Vista?


As far as internal modem, I'm looking at

Zoom Telephonics 2920 56Kbps PCI Bus (Plug & Play) 56Kbps Internal FaxModem link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825115010)

A lot more pricey than the rest, but seems to have a lot more features as well. Best i can get or waste of money?

Case : LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-ticklink (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817139002)

Mobo: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131028)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive link (http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Shopping/ShoppingCart.asp?submit=ChangeItem)

RAM: Patriot 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memorylink (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220231)

Video Card : EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130072)

Pri Optical: PHILIPS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE interface (ATAPI) RETAIL link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827248006)

FDD : NEC Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - OEM link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16821152005)
Monitor : CHIMEI CMV 221D-NBC Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor

OS : Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD

Keyboard : Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard

Mouse : Razer Copperhead Anarchy Red 2000 dpi Gaming Mouse

Thanks again.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The 520W psu is more then enough, the 620w won't really get you anything more, but its your choice.

I would personally go for a dual channel kit (2x1GB) from a better known manufacturer such as Corsair.

Also go for a retail lite-on dvdrw instead.

Everything else looks good.

[LeftyAce]

Are you using Dial Up internet? That's the only reason you'd need a modem. The motherboard has an ethernet card for use with a broadband connection.

You should get 2 1GB sticks of ram to take advantage of dual channel operation. This corsair ram is cheaper than what you've got listed and probably more reliable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098


That optical drive will probably give you trouble. The P5B motherboards don't have good IDE ports. Get a SATA optical such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106046

LiteOn is very reliable, and not as expensive as some of the other brands.

Get a FDD if you want. I didn't, and haven't needed one in the year since building my computer, and hadn't used the one in my old computer for 2 years before that...

Rest of the list looks good.

*EDIT* Oops, some of that duplicates Mr.Ferrari's post

[Monorojo]

Cool.

Going with 520W PSU, going with 2x2GB RAM (overkill lol). Changing opt. drive to lite-ON SATA drive



*EDIT* Oops, some of that duplicates Mr.Ferrari's post


Thats pretty awesome actually, when 2 guru's make the same rec. i cant go wrong :)

Thanks alot guys, putting order in now

[LeftyAce]

2x2GB? So 4GB total? 32 bit vista (and your 32 bit processor) will only allow you to use 3.2 GB of that....you're wasting memory here. 2GB total should be fine. If you must, get 3, but I can't think what you'd need it for.