First Build - Compatibility & PSU

[bourne_pc]

Please help me out. This is my first build. Is everything compatible and will a psu of 300w be enough for all the parts and a possible future graphics card? Thanks in advance.

1. Antec Aria PSU:300watts
2. Intel D945GTP Micro-ATX motherboard
3. Intel Pentium D 940 Pressler 800Mhz
4. pqi 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5400)
5. Western Digital WD2500YD 250GB hdd
6. Lite-On DVD+/-R burner
7. SAPPHIRE Theater 550 Pro Theatrix PCI TV Tuner Card

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCMech.

Your build list is mostly compatible. You can drop down to DDR2-533 to save a few bucks. You only need 667 if you are overclocking.

As for the power supply, the Antec Aria will not work. The 300w is not ATX 2.0, so it will not have the required 24pin main power connection that your motherboard requires. Unless you need a miniATX case, the Antec Sonata II is a great case with a high quality 450w PSU that would fit your build perfectly and give you enough room for a video card upgrade.

[bourne_pc]

Thanks, Alaron. I will get an Antec Sonata II. Can you give me suggestions for a good ATX motherboard compatible with the Intel Pentium D 940 800Mhz CPU and a good budget graphics card? I'm trying to limit my budget for this pc + monitor to $1200 (not including shipping), more preferably $1000.

The case is $94, the cpu is $260, the hdd is $90, the burner is $45, the tv tuner card is $73, the monitor is $170, and the media center 2005 os is $116.

motherboard=?
2gb memory=?
graphics card=?

Is DDR2 800 much faster than DDR2 667?

I would like my pc to last for a while with continual upgrades. Will Pentium EE become the standard after Pentium D? If so, should I get a motherboard with Pentium EE/Pentium D/Pentium 4 HT support?
Thanks.

[Alaron]

Abit AW8 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813127213

Corsair 2x1GB DDR2-533 :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145527

Radeon X1600Pro: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127201

That brings your total to $1125.

DDR2-533 is the correct match for your CPU. DDR2-667 or 800 is overkill.

The Pentium D is the current standard for Intel chips and will be for awhile. The successor is going to be the Core 2 Duo but that is not due out for months.

[bourne_pc]

Here is my final list: please check for compatibility.

1. Antec Sonata II
2. 92mm fan
3. Abit AW8 motherboard
4. Intel Pentium D 940
5. SYBA 3 x Ports IEEE1394a FireWire PCI Card
6. PQI 2GB DDR2 667 (only $5 more than 2GB DDR 533)
7. Sapphire Theatrix Theater 550 Pro
8. eVGA geforce 7600GT
9. Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB
10. Lite-On 16x DVD+/-R burner

Could you give me a good recommendation for a 17-19" monitor preferrably but not neccesarily with speakers from Newegg.com? Thanks.

I like the
CHIMEI 937A Silver-Black 19" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 330 cd/m2 600:1 Built in Speakers 0.285mm Pixel Pitch $199.99
and the
CHIMEI 736A Silver-Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor 350 cd/m2 500:1 Built in Speakers 0.264mm Pixel Pitch $164.99
but I've never heard of the company Chimei.

I guess the HYUNDAI N71S Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor 280 cd/m2 500:1 Built in Speakers 0.264mm Pixel Pitch is okay. $169.99

Thanks.

[Alaron]

That list looks good.

I have never heard of Chimei, so I cannot comment on their quality. Hyundai makes good monitors, as well as Viewsonic, Samsung and BenQ. For a budget LCD, I would look at this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824014121 . Mostly because it has a DVI connection. That will make for a sharper picture.

[Staren]

I would not use that RAM. It's only $5 more because it's kind of a generic brand. I'd sticlk with the Corsair that Alaron linked to.

As far as monitors, I really like the Samsung 940B. Great deal, and just a good monitor all around.

[bourne_pc]

The BenQ LCD monitor looks good. DVI connection is better because it connects to the graphic card?

Is it possible to still use the Antec Aria with all those parts I listed with the Sonata II if I use a 20-Pin Power Supply Cable to 24-Pin Motherboard Power supply ATX Converter?

Thanks.

[blue60007]

No, that 300W power supply won't be powerful enough.

Also,

Originally Posted by Alaron The 300w is not ATX 2.0, so it will not have the required 24pin main power connection that your motherboard requires.

[Alaron]

DVI gives a sharper picture then VGA. DVI is purely digital, while VGA has to convert digital to analogue. The conversion can degrade the picture quality. So DVI is a good choice for LCDs.

In addition to my quote (thanks blue), the 7600GT recommends: "Minimum of a 350 Watt power supply". Plus the 20 to 24pin convertors can degrade the power. The 450w unit in the Sonata will work perfectly.

[rspassey]

Id try to not use the 20-24 pin converter on a PSU . Like said above, go with the Sonata - good quality brand, and the 450W will work nicely with your hardware.

Build looks good.

[bourne_pc]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I guess I'll stick with the Sonata II. I just wish I could fit everything into a smaller package.

[Staren]

If you really want to look at smaller cases, you could try this SliverStone: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163044 It's a little cramped, but it works with standard ATX motherboards and power supplies. Bigger then the Aria, but smaller then a mid tower.

[bourne_pc]

The silverstone doesn't come with a power supply. I think cases that come with psu's usually give you more for the money.

Can someone list me a build using an Antec Aria including a SAPPHIRE Theater 550 Pro Theatrix PCI TV Tuner Card that will be good for super fast video encoding (mpeg2 to avi, etc.)? Does the graphic card help at all with the video encoding speed?

[Staren]

Originally Posted by bourne_pc The silverstone doesn't come with a power supply. I think cases that come with psu's usually give you more for the money.

I thought that when I first got into building computers too, but I found it isn't really true. With Antec an Enermax being some of the few exceptions, the PSUs that come with cases are pure junk. It works out better to buy seprate power supplies, at least for me.

[jayb1234]

Take a look at this Antec case if you want to use a desktop case. Same power supply as the sonata II.

The video card is irrelavant for video encoding, it isn't used during encoding.

[bourne_pc]

This is my final list.

1. Antec Sonata II
2. 92mm fan in the air duct to cool the CPU
3. ABIT AW8-MAX motherboard
4. Intel Pentium D 940
5. Corsair 2GB DDR2 533
6. Sapphire Theatrix Theater 550 Pro
7. eVGA geforce 7600GT
8. Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB
9. Lite-On 16x DVD+/-R burner

Just to make sure again, these parts are all compatible and I would not need anything else besides an os, keyboard, mouse, and monitor?

Is it necessary for me to get a front 120mm case fan and an 80mm fan for the graphics card?

Also, just for personal info, are DDR2 800 and DDR2 667 significantly faster than DDR2 533?

My main purpose is to encode video extremely quickly. But I checked on this page, and Pentium D doesn't seem significantly faster than Pentium 4. I assume that Pentium D 940 is the best I can get without losing too much out of my wallet. Is it possible to encode a 2 hour .avi to .mpeg2 in 10-15 minutes? I use MainConcept MPEG Encoder which is the fastest encoder I know of. On my current 2.8Ghz P4 HT with 512mb (DDR 400), it takes about 1 hour to finish one movie. I just want a general idea of the encoding speed of the Pentium D 940 with 2gb of DDR 533 or DDR 667. Perhaps I should invest in one of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 series? They seem a lot faster but more expensive. I am thinking about the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ ; it totally beats Pentium EE 840 and is $350 less.

Alaron stated earlier that the next generation processor will be core 2 duo. I found out that it's supposed to come out in July. Should I wait until then to assemble a pc? Or will the price of the processor be above $1000?

[jayb1234]

As far as the extra case fans, you can add them later if heat is an issue.

Regarding the Core Duo processors, there is at least 1 motherboard out now that will support them. It is an Intel 975 chipset board with some hardware revisions.

Pricing should be similar to the pentium D lines, with several processsors including 1 that will be up around the 1000 range.

[bourne_pc]

Approximately how much will the cheapest Core 2 Duo (Conroe) cost when it comes out? Will it be affordable, like under $300? Would it be a good idea to wait until July?

[jayb1234]

I found this at behardware

Here are the future Intel Conroe processor prices according to The Inquirer: E6700 : 2.67 GHz – FSB1066 – 4 MB cache – $529 E6600 : 2.40 GHz – FSB1066 – 4 MB cache – $315 E6400 : 2.13 GHz – FSB1066 – 2 MB cache – $240 E6300 : 1.86 GHz – FSB1066 – 2 MB cache - $210