Advice building first computer.

[gators81]

Hi all,

This is my first time building a computer. I am going to be using it for general stuff, but mostly gaming. I also do some video and photo editing, as well.

I have been doing some reading and decided to base my system around the new Core 2 Duo E6600.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...512&CatId=2396

At stock speeds it seems to perform better than any of the AMD chips in that price range, and it also is supposed to be fairly stable to overclock a little.

I have also purchased a DVD burner and a sound card because they seemed like fairly good deals at the time.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827152058

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102188


So now I need to get the rest of the things to put my system together. I have a monitor, speakers (Not great, if you know of a good deal on a 5.1 or 7.1 system please let me know.), mouse and keyboard.


Here is what I was thinking so far as other parts to go with my system.


Case - (I like this one, just not sure if it will fit everything I wanted and still cool well.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129017


Motherboard - (Really don't have any idea, just read a few reviews and this seemed to be pretty highly regarded. It is fairly expensive though. I don't plan on doing heavy overclocking either.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131025


RAM - (I want to have nice RAM, but I don't need top of the line. I just want something that won't slow down my computer. I figure 2 GB will be enough, but can get 4 if it will matter a lot.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211129


Hard Drives - (I want the 10,000 RPM Raptor for my main drive to run my OS and a few games I play a lot on. For the rest of my storage I figure I can use slower HDs. I have a pair of Maxtor 120 GB HD's from before. Would I be able to hook them all up at the same time, possibly using a RAID array for the Maxtors? I notice they are also ATA133 instead of SATA 3.0. Will they be significantly slower?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136033
http://www.computerhq.com/Maxtor_120...-id-16963.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701

Optical Drive - (Just want a regular DVD/CD Player as well as the burner. This seemed cheap and quiet.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827101131

Floppy Drive - (Pretty much just for the occasional driver. Not sure how important this is. I just went with the one with a lot of positive reviews.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821103203

Video Card - (I want a nice one to play current games, but from what i've been reading none of the current ones will support DirectX10 which means I will probably want to get a new card when that comes out. With that in mind I just want one that will play current gen games pretty well, nothing top of the line. Don't have a preference of Nvidia or ATI, just want the best performance I can get in a card around $250, or less if you think it will suffice.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814122244
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814195019
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131428

Power Supply Unit - (Don't know how much is needed, or what is important besides power. If I end up using 2 optical drives, and maybe 4 HDs I will probably need a lot.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103933
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817163112
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002



Do I need any extra fans, cables, screws, coolant paste, etc? Or if I order these things would I be able to put the computer together and have it working?



Any advice or comments appreciated. I really don't have any idea what i'm doing, and i'm sure I messed something up.


Thanks for your time.

[pam123]

Unless you're planning on running dual graphics cards that motherboard is overkill.
Check out this alternative : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131030
Download the manual for the motherboard you chose from the Asus site and buy the ram the manufacturer recommends.
The extras (screws,cables, etc.) come with the retail versions of the products and THG over clocked the Core Duo processors using stock Intel cooling and had no problems.

[blue60007]

I would definitely wait until Newegg gets that processor in stock. I would never pre-order hardware like that (especially from Tiger Direct). The day they came out they lied about their stock for a while (they did have some in stock, but they sold way more than they had).

You'll want to get a dual channel kit (2x512MB) of DDR2-667. I usually recommend Corsair. Might want to double check the QVL on ASUS's site as Pam suggested.

[glc]

I'd recommend DDR2-800 for a Core 2 Duo.

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by glc I'd recommend DDR2-800 for a Core 2 Duo.

Really? Does the extra bandwidth help a bit with C2D?

In that case, I'd suggest this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145566

I believe it is on the QVL and I am running the 1 gig modules on that board, so you should be OK.

[glc]

Yes, remember the C2D is 1066 FSB.

[flanzig1]

For a PSU, go with the Antec that you listed.

[jayb1234]

That case is on Intels Thermally Advantaged Chassis list, so the cooling should be no problem.

[Mr.Ferrari]

And if you truely do not plan on doing the dual card thing. I would suggest this motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128012
It has been doing equivalent to or in some cases better then the asus p5wdh in benchies. Also been a more popular motherboard. That asus p5b will do to for a normal non overclocking setup. But if I had the extra cash, I would definately stay with the p5wdh, due to its stability and well asus's reputation. As well as ease of use.

And that p180 is a beauty when it comes to aircooling. Superb superb chassis, great choice.

And on the psu. If you dont plan on doing a heavy dual card crossfire setup, I would choose either the silverstone or antec. Antec because of bang/buck. The ocz/forton epsilon unit is made for more heavier setups.

Just bear in mind. DX10 is being overhyped. Yes cards which support it will come out soon. But by the time games that actually use dx10 to its full potential (I said full potential, not just a few little bells and whistles) your card will be considered ancient. Not to mention the bugs that will be out with this new generation.

All your choice really. We can onlys wait and see to what dx10 will bring. By the time real games *fully* supporting dx10 will be out, you will have to yet upgrade again to keep up.

But any of those cards will be more then enough, I would personally choose the X1800XT.

[gators81]

I bought this video card because it was on sale, and it seemed pretty nice. This way if I decide to go for crossfire down the road I can get the crossfire version as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814142063

I have heard that the card is pretty noisy, and was wondering about getting an aftermarket cooler to add on to it. I know they aren't going to drop the temperature that much, but if they work decently and make it quiet I'll be very happy. I really don't want a loud system.

I was looking at either the Zalman VF900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118001

or the Accelero x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186002

I have read that these push the air back into the case instead of out though, so would I need any extra fans for my case to help solve this problem? I am also concerned that the cooler might interfere with the PCI sound card I have.

The case also has a spot for a seperate 80mm fan especially for a graphics card, in a certain duct. What would be a good fan I can put in there to help keep things cool?


I purchased the 150GB Raptor HD because it had a decent rebate as well, so wasn't that much more than the 74GB version.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136012


So now I have those parts, plus the following already-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827152058
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16829102188

I also have a monitor, and the two 120 GB maxtor HD's. They might be slow, but I can use them for storage, and with the 150 GB Raptor that should be enough to keep all my main programs on.

I am going to go with the ASUS P5W DH DELUXE Motherboard. It supports crossfire and I think I might end up upgrading to that in a few months.




Now I pretty much just need to decide on the Ram and PSU.

I think i'm going to go with the OCZ PSU. It might be overkill, but with 2 optical drives, 3 HDs, and possibly dual videocards I am worried about any power problems. From what i've read the x1900 cards are fairly power hungry, even though my CPU isn't. I think I would rather be safe than sorry.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002


I was going to get two of these RAM cards. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211129

This review makes them sound like they work pretty good for a conroe system, and they don't cost $400+.
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2797&p=17

If anybody knows of any good RAM that will run me about $200 or less, I would love some suggestions.


Thanks for all the help.

[blue60007]

Try the stock cooler first. My X1800XT has the same design and it's very quiet.

Never heard of that brand (well, I have, but I can't comment on quality). You can get a 2 gig kit (2 1GB modules) of Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 for about $200 - give or take.

[gators81]

It's very quiet in your case, or just quiet in general?

Every review I've read has said the X1900XT says it's a good card, but extremely loud. A bunch of people on the forums have commented about the noise as well.

[blue60007]

Hmm, well I don't have the X1900XT, but the X1800XT is quiet...it ain't deadly quiet, but you'd be hard pressed to hear it over the other noises. Under a load the fan speed does crank up to an audible level. It'll scare you when it first turns on - the fan starts at 100% (and it IS LOUD at 100%) but it cranks down. The fan never reaches near 100% during normal operation. I would just try the card out, and if it's too loud, then look into a 3rd party heatsink. It's not something you *have* to do now.