1st build compatibility check - suggestions and opinions welcome

[Jeff1125]

Greetings everyone,

I am just about ready to order the parts for my first PC build, so I thought I would take my turn to post my list and have everyone take a look. This system is going to be used mainly for gaming and video editing, and I do not plan on doing any overclocking. The video card is basically a placeholder until I upgrade to a DX10 card\Vista, probably not until late this year. I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, OS, floppy drive and speakers.

I think my list is pretty solid, but any comments\suggestions\opinons are welcome.

Case - Antec Lifestyle Sonata II - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129155

Mobo - ASUS P5B LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131030

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003

Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140

RAM - CORSAIR VS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098

Optical - LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106015

Sound - Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006

Video - PNY GeForce 7600GS 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133192

From what I understand, the PSU that comes with the Antec case should should provide ample power for this setup. I expect to have to upgrade whenever I get a new video card. If anyone has any personal experience with any of these part, either positive or negative, I would like to hear it.

Thank you very much in advance for your comments!

[glc]

Approved, but do you really need a sound card?

[Jeff1125]

Not necessarily, I've just heard a lot of good things about the X-Fi cards. I did find one of your older replies stating that the onboard audio is sufficient. If that's the case I will go without a sound card for now, and add one in the future if needs be. Thanks glc.

[blue60007]

If you don't have a nice set of speakers/headphones, I don't see much need for the X-Fi.

However, like you said, you can always add one later on if you're not happy with onboard.

[FalvinP]

Hi everyone. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate Jeff's post. He has obviously read the information on how to solicit opinions on a new build. He put the full description of the item, along with the link. This is much better than saying something generic like "hard drive" and then place the link underneath. It really saves time rather than having to click 10 or 12 links to see what the item is. Must people don't even have to click the link because they already know the component and are therefore more likely to offer instant opinions.

I just hope that when the time comes, I will post a complete, succinct post as Jeff has done.

[newbuilder14]

Your selections are VERY WELL made. Now, that video card is an awesome choice (7600gs), however I just had a one year old PNY GeForce 6600 fan die on me. Since you will probably upgrade soon, and fan failures are a fact of life, I think you're fine with that video card.

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by FalvinP He put the full description of the item, along with the link. This is much better than saying something generic like "hard drive" and then place the link underneath. It really saves time rather than having to click 10 or 12 links to see what the item is. Must people don't even have to click the link because they already know the component and are therefore more likely to offer instant opinions.

I definitely agree. I wish all new builders were so thorough.

Rest of the build looks good too.

[Jeff1125]

Thanks for the kind words guys, they are very much appreciated!

All my parts have shipped and will hopefully be at my doorstep by Friday, so I looking forward to a fun weekend!

[Jeff1125]

Thanks for your help and suggestions guys! I spent the weekend putting everything together and it works like a champ! To my surprise, everything worked on the first try. I love it when stuff works the way it's supposed to...

[FalvinP]

Congratulations Jeff! After reading so many posts about new build problems, it's nice to actually see a success story. I would think that the larger majority of build go without incident, but it's still nice to see a positive outcome.

I hope to build my first system in a few months. I'll certainly know where to go for advice!

[glc]

Your build went well because you used quality compatible parts - and you obviously must have used careful assembly techniques.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=163758

[newbuilder14]

Congratulations on successfully completing your first build - it is always nice to hear stories about new builders having success on the first try (I know I did, that's what made me come back for more).