NEW PC - first builder

[andrew1224]

Hello guys. I am a first time PC builder. I need help to check the compatibility and would like to get suggestions. This pc will not be solely for the gaming rather just for the home entertaining. I am thinking under $900 PC.


CASE: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129155

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115004

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

VIDEO: EVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130073

MEMORY: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145568

HARD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148140

CDROM: LG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE Super-Multi DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136108

Thanks guys.

[Khalil]

Looks like a nice set up. You have chosen high quality products, you will have a nice rig.

[andrew1224]

I forgot to mention that I want to have a quite pc. Do you guys think I need to purchase things that degrade noise like cooling pans or heatsinks? If I do, can you recommand any products?

[Alaron]

Your DVDRW doesn't come with any software. Retail Lite-On drives come with Nero.

The E6400 is a great chip, but it really isn't worth the extra cost over the E6300. They are essentially the same chip, and the bit of extra clock speed is not noticable.

As for the quiet, the Sonata is a low noise case with the 120mm fan. I would get the system going and see how the noise is to you and then worry about extra cooling.

[jer888]

Originally Posted by andrew1224 I forgot to mention that I want to have a quite pc. Do you guys think I need to purchase things that degrade noise like cooling pans or heatsinks? If I do, can you recommand any products?

the Sonata is a good case for noise but remember, the case dosen't make the noise and don't rely on the case to prevent the noise from escaping. If after you set it up it seems to loud, get a passive CPU cooler like the scythe ninja and get some quiet fans but make sure you have good airflow. if you need help beyond this I would go to here

[freakitchen]

Only thing I suggest you do is drop the processor down to the E6300. Unless you're overclocking, the difference you'll see between the two processors doesn't warrant the price difference.

The Antec Sonata II is built for quiet. The case has the one 120mm fan, and the smartpower PSUs are whisper quiet.

The way to eliminate noise is to eliminate fans. The motherboard's chipset is passively cooled, so the only small - and potentially noisy - fan in the case is on the video card you picked. If quiet is of the essence you might consider downgrading the video card slightly to the 7600GS - this opens up a lot of fanless options:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130029

There *are* fanless 7600GTs, but the cooling needs to be especially beefy, as the core naturally runs hotter.

FK

Edit: Beaten to it on a couple of those comments!