New build parts

[FalvinP]

I'm finally getting ready to build my first rig. The budget is around $1K-$1.5K, but I want to stay toward the lower end.

I have a monitor, mouse, keyboard, floppy, and speakers. I also have an unopened, new BFG GT7950video card. I don't do gaming, so I don't need a Dx10 card at this point.

The main thing the rig will be used for is to edit video, dvd encoding, editing pics, etc.

I don't plan to overclock, but with the $50 total savings on the 800 memory, I decided that for only $15 more I'd go with the XMS rather than the Value Select memory.

How does this look? (all items from Newegg)


LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106057

$34.99


GIGABYTE 3D Aurora 570 GZ-FA1CA-ASS Silver 1.0 mm Aluminum body ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811233012

-$30.00 Instant
$169.99
$139.99


Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822144701

$69.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139001

-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$139.99
$119.99


CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145177

-$10.00 Instant
$40.00 Mail-in Rebate
$120.00
$110.00


ASUS P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131180

$134.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115029

$194.99


Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116202
Return Policy: Software Return Policy

$111.99

Microsoft Office Basic 2003 SP2 Single Pack - OEM
Item #: N82E16837102084

$199.99

Subtotal: $1,116.92

Shipping: $26.51

Grand Total: $1,143.43

[Alaron]

That all looks good to me.

My only thought is maybe bump up the hard drive to a 320GB if you're working with lots of media. Price is just a tad more.

[doubledragon5]

I would suggest Segate 320Mb 7200.10 for the Hd. Their more reliable then the WD..

[glc]

Replace that C4 ram with standard CAS 5 1.8 or 1.9v ram. Intel chipsets have been having issues with the CAS 4 high voltage ram.

[FalvinP]

Is this a better choice?

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590

[flanzig1]

Yup. That's what you need. CAS 5 or the full name: Cas Latency of 5

[FalvinP]

Last night I did it! I ordered the parts to build my first pc! I should get them from Newegg the first of next week.

I changed the HD capacity as suggested above, but when it came time to order, Newegg was out of stock and I didn't want to wait. Ordered the 250gb drive. I'll probably get a 700.10 500Gb drive in a few months.

I changed to the ram that was suggested above.

The biggest change was that I changed the case to a Lian LI PC A70A. Since I don't have any space constraints, I wanted this large case, with plenty of room for my fumble fingers to wade around in.

I agonized for a couple of days whether to order this one or a brand new offering from Gigabyte, the 3D Mars. Newegg has the Mars, but you won't find it if you search for 3D Mars. For some reason they have the model number (GZ-FA2CA-AJS) in the title, but not the model name. I really like some features for both cases, but when it came right down to it, I couldn't resist the removable motherboard tray and the super large size of the Lian Li. Also, I wanted to see what all the fuss with Lian Li is.....lol...... It was $80 more than the 3D Mars, but hopefully it will fit my needs for many years, as long as the form factors don't change too much.

I've had the "build your own pc" article printed out for over a year now. I'm scrutinizing the motherboard manual very carefully to become familiar with it. Hopefully, I'll be ready when the parts come.

[EM199Si]

Keep us updated on how it goes, I just ordered my parts today for my first build as well. Good Luck.

[FalvinP]

Well, I got my parts yesterday and I now have it put together. Unfortunately, I boo booed big time when installing Vista. Please see my cry for help here:

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=188447

Any nelp would be greatly appreciated.

[FalvinP]

I'm typing this from my new computer.

I thought I'd give the final outcome of my build. I have had a couple of other threads in a couple other sections, that deal with my videocard problem. Everything is now wonderful. I've received a reburbished videocard (took two weeks to get it) from BFG and it works great in my system.

I had a couple of other small issues, but after receiving help from several PC Mechanic people, I was able to get things going. After following the six steps to securing a new pc, I've now set up the security suite that came with my motherboard (before going online), set up my email, and browsed the web.

Overall, this experience has been very satisfying. Other than the typical apprehension that I had done something wrong when the system wouldn't complete the Vista installation (because of the bad video card), everything went well. I think my component choices overall were pretty good, although since I got my videocard, the 8800GT's have come out for a greatly reduced cost. I love my Lian Li case, but I still wonder if the Gigabyte 3D Mars (the other case under final consideration) would have served my needs just as well for $80 less. The Lian Li is huge, but I have a nice corner space for it, and it will only be moved to work inside of it, so the big size is not an issue.

Thanks to all here who gave me answers to my questions.