please check my hardware if they are compatible

[FasterThanSatan]

it is my first time to build. please check the hardware i picked-out if they are all compatible with each other. if you have any suggestions for a different hardware please do so... it will be very much appreciated.

motherboard:
ASUS P5LD2 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131538

cpu:
Intel Pentium 4 650 Prescott 800MHz FSB 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 EM64T Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116196
what is Prescott anyway?

ram:
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098
should i max the memory? i've read that if you max it out it will slow the system down. is it true?

sound card:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102188

video card:
SAPPHIRE 100150 Radeon X1900XTX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102671

psu:
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931
is 550 enough or should i go higher?

hdd:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701


os: should i go with WinXP w/ SP 1 or 2... or just plain WinXP? i've heard from a friend that some games don't work on SP's...


fdd & ide is easy ain't it? any brand/kind/type of these will be compatible with the hardware. right?

[jayb1234]

Get the version with SP2, any games that have trouble with service packs are generally patched pretty quickly, and you need the service packs for some things to function correctly, USB2 ports among others.

[FasterThanSatan]

thanks for the reply. do i have to look for the patches or will it automatically download by itself? plus... are my hardware compatible with each other? thanks again in advance.

[Cricket]

Your parts look to be compatible with each other.

As for the patches, you're going to have to get them yourself.

Cricket

[MakeYourslf2012]

The Floppy and Optical drives are simple to install. There shouldn't be a problem if you read the motherboard manual.


As for the patches for the games that you want to play - the game usually notifies you if you would like to download/install it. It's an easy process.

Besides, I have never heard of any games having trouble with a Windows SP. What games are you talking about? Is it just something that your firend told you?

[FasterThanSatan]

damn! what if i installed a game... will it say that it needs this particular patch, that patch. etc?

again. need 2nd opinion for the compatabilty of my hardware. if it really is... please give me the "G" signal =)

[FasterThanSatan]

Originally Posted by MakeYourslf2012 as for the patches for the games that you want to play - the game usually notifies you if you would like to download/install it. It's an easy process. Besides, I have never heard of any games having trouble with a Windows SP. What games are you talking about? Is it just something that your firend told you?

well. kind of. he's pc is pretty messed up. he installs everything in there. he has like 8 games then a lot firewall porgrams, a couple of pop-up blockers, it's insane. he just tells me it's for security purposes... then he blames SP if a game don't work. he says he read it on a magazine or something.

[Scrink]

I don't know much about building yet so the others can help you there. but most games these days come with an option to check for patches from their start/launch menu. If not then their personal web sites will have them.

[MakeYourslf2012]

Originally Posted by FasterThanSatan damn! what if i installed a game... will it say that it needs this particular patch, that patch. etc? again. need 2nd opinion for the compatabilty of my hardware. if it really is... please give me the "G" signal =)

Like I said, usually the game will notify you that it need a patch. Most games are still playable as a single player without the patch, it's multiplayer that you need it for. You can read the description of each patch to see what it fixes in the game, usually it's just minor stuff.

I would suggest going with XP SP2 - your friend's PC problems most likly come from his own doing, not the sevice pack.

You hardware looks good though, post back with a full list including opticals, floppy, case, and the version of Windows you decide to go with.

[FasterThanSatan]

oh and one thing. what about lan or ethernet... does my motherboard have one. coz i have an old pc which has an optimun internet cable. and all i know is there's a box thing where the cable are connected then a phone-jack-thingy is connected to the back of the pc. if build this pc, will i have that jack thing?

floppy, i'm not sure what to get. can you recommened one. and also the cd-rom.dvd-rom drives.

my tower is a Thermaltake SHARK VA7000BWA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133143

[jayb1234]

That motherboard has onboard Lan (same as ethernet).

Floppy; Mitsumi will do, they also have one with a 7in1 card reader if that is something that you would want.

Optical drives, Liteon is good and they come with the burning software. They have several with Lightscribe, if you want that.

[FasterThanSatan]

so there is a jack for the internet. all i have to do is plug it in right?

Mitsumi floppy. i'll keep that in mind.
for an Optical drive (so that's other term for it...lol) i want maybe a dvd/cd burner combo... then a separate dvd-rom coz i think its better to run a cd in a dvd/cd rom than a burner... am right?

again... (sorry) so my hardwares are okay? i can go for it?

[jayb1234]

Liteon burners, and players.

A cd or dvd will play just as well in a burner or a player.

Most people with two drives use the player to save wear and tear on the burner.

The ethernet cable from your cable modem plugs into rj-45 jack (the one that looks like an oversized phone jack) on the motherboard back panel.

[FasterThanSatan]

yes. that is it. thanks. so i'll just ask you jayb1234... you think my hardware is ok? i can go for it? i mean start building? coz i have questions up there that is not answered.. like for the ram: should i max the memory? i've read that if you max it out it will slow the system down. is it true? and for the psu is 550 enough or should i go higher?

thanks man.

[jayb1234]

1Gb of ram is plenty for most everyday stuff like internet, e-mail etc..

2Gb will play any game on the market at the high settings.

Anything above 2Gb is overkill.

Motherboard, processor and RAM are compatible.

That Antec TPII-550 is a very good unit and should be just fine.

[FasterThanSatan]

i truly appreciate it jayb1234. and thanks to all who psoted on this thread. now i'm good to go. SWEEEEEEEEEET!!!=)