Going with Intel now; build list

[schowerpower]

Was going to build up with an AMD, but the more I read, the more the Intel's seem favored. This is my first build from scratch, so any comments appreciated. This is going to be used for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and some other vector programs, so I hope it will hold up. No gaming really, so I just picked a vid card from Asus that I hope lasts.

With the OS, the total is a little above what I wanted, but if it gets me working smoothly, it is totally worth it.

-Mobo ASUS P5B Deluxe Socket T (LGA 775)
-CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz
-RAM CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
-HD Western Digital 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
-Vid Card ASUS EAX1300/TD/128M Radeon X1300 128MB
-Case & PSU Antec LifeStyle SONATA II ATX 450Watt SmartPower 2.0
-DVD burner SAMSUNG Black 18X DVD+R

+ Windows XP

Most importantly, will this build be upgradable in the future at minimal expense? Like to a better CPU?

[jer888]

the cpu will be upgradeable until intel comes out with a new socket should be some time tho

personally i would go with a evga video card and a lite on DVD drive instead but everything else looks good

[newbuilder14]

The X1300 is perfect for your needs - keep that. Everything else looks solid. Dowgrade the RAM to DDR2800, though - no need for faster speeds unless you want some extreme room for overclocking. Great choice on the case, too.

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by jer888 the cpu will be upgradeable until intel comes out with a new socket should be some time tho

Can't really say that for sure. Supposedly, some current Core 2 Duo boards will support Core 2 Quad (Kentsfield). After that it's hard to say what compatibility will be like (CPUs after that might be a new socket though).

To be honest, what you've got there is one powerful computer. By the time you'll want to upgrade (a couple years?) everything'll be outdated...there might be new CPU sockets, new RAM, etc. One can't really predict if a computer will be upgraded too far down the road. Maybe a year or two, but after that, it's anyone's guess. Just the way the industry moves... The storage drive market doesn't move that fast so you should be able to add another hard drive down the road pretty far (you can still get IDE drives even though SATA has been taking over for a couple years).

I'd switch to a LITE-ON or NEC DVD burner. Pay attention to the bundle, a lot of times you can get some burning software.

[newbuilder14]

As for the upgradability, I've read that the Intel Bad Axe and the Asus P5B series will be supported, and most likely all 965P/975X chipset based boards will be compatible with a bios update.

[blue60007]

Here's C2Q compatibility info:
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2848&p=1

I also hear they'll be ramping up C2D speeds, but none of these will really be worth an upgrade.

[newbuilder14]

That's actually the page I was looking for but couldn't find it. Thanks.

[schowerpower]

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah, and I downgraded ram, I just choose the one I had cause it had a bundle deal and I figured what the hey. Downgrading did save me a decent amount too.

Ordered it and hopefully everything will be here by the weekend, and get this running by Monday, big freelance project on the way and having this computer will save me a lot of sweat.

[TrialAndError]

Out of curiosity.
What was the total price of your system and where did you purchase it from?

[Jerseysbest]

Originally Posted by TrialAndError Out of curiosity. What was the total price of your system and where did you purchase it from?

Bought from Newegg.com, $1,150 including shipping. I downgraded to a cheaper RAM and a different DVD drive, so the price total from the original post may not be the same.

Apparently there are two $40 rebates I need to send in, so the total, hopefully, will come down to $1,070.

[newbuilder14]

Did you get the parts?

[Jerseysbest]

Originally Posted by newbuilder14 Did you get the parts?

Yep, got em Thursday but didn't get a chance to put it together till today, which I finished a few hours ago.

Everything went together smoothly, installed all drivers and programs that came with the mobo and video card, as well as the OS of course.

Wiith panel off the CPUs running at 39-40* C under light load, so I guess that's good.

Only concern is the exterior PSU fan hasn't turned on yet, but I guess it's temp controlled?

[newbuilder14]

Yes, the Antec Smart Power power supply has 2 fans, and the rear fan is activated as necessary. I've used 3 of them.

[piasabird]

You planning on Overclocking?

Whenever I see Deluxe, to me it just means you are paying more than you need to be.