Confusion on what parts to pick?

[yellier35]

I am building my first PC ever--yeah!! There are a few things I am not sure of. I am trying to keep the price around 2gs.

what do you think about what I selected?

RAM question:
I was thinking by selecting the 6400 ram with 2gs would be better than selecting the fastest ram available with 2 512mb. I figured I could over clock them. Is this a good assumption?

Hard Drive question:
I already have hard drives from my old cpu which are 7200 IDE, but have read there are issues with trying to use IDE now. So, is the hard drive I have below the fastest? I am confused because I have looked at the 10000 raptors but there 1.5 Gb/s data transfer rate is slower than others with less rpms. The others have 3gbs or something.

The case:

Who makes the best cases? I think the case is ok, but its a little big. Any one know which cases can fit the ridiculous sized graphics cards 8800s. I am going to buy one now and in the future sli it.

The power supply:
Will this power supply be able to handle 2 8800s gts or gtx? I would like to get one with less wattage, if I don't need that much.


Here is a list of what I am deciding to use:

1. Antec Performance One P180 Silver ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 125.00

2. SeaSonic M12 700 watt $209.99

3. GIGABYTE GA-N680SLI-DQ6 349.00

4. Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 512.00

5. EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 305.00

6. 2GB kit (1GBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 PC2-6400 memory module 300.0 BL2KIT12864AA804

Western digital raptor 150gb 0 210.00 For now nix

Media drive DVD/CD RW-+ 0 60.00 For now nix
total for now 1800.99

thanks,

[blue60007]

RAM: More "slower" RAM is better than a little really fast RAM.
I would get a new SATA hard drive as you mentioned. The latest motherboards are only coming with a single IDE channel and you'll probably use that for optical drives... as for the old IDE drives you could get an external drive enclosure and use the drive as backup. Don't worry about the 1.5Gb/s and 3Gb/s difference. All that is, is the interface's (SATA) theoretical maximum burst speed...the hard drive will never go anywhere near that fast.

Case: I've heard that's a pretty nice case...Antec makes solid quality cases. I don't know about the video card space issue...the 8800GTS is smaller than the GTX so I would think it would be less of an issue.

Power supply: The Seasonic is on nVidia's certified list for 8800GTS'. I wouldn't go any lower.

Do you really want to drop that much money on 2 first gen DX10 cards that'll be replaced in the near future? One will probably be plenty for you. SLI is really a marketing ploy to get you to buy more hardware. I'd skip and just save the money and use it to swap in the latest and greatest video card in a year or two. It'll end up being as fast or faster than 2 8800's. Actually I've heard of a few cases where 2 8800's is slower than a single 8800...just something else to consider.

[yellier35]

o ok, so I will be able to use my old optical drives with the 1 ide on the mobo.

I have read that the gts will fit but the gtx will not. So, I think, I will be okay.

Actually, I am only buying the cheapest gts version--only one. Which reminds me, should I even bother with an sli motherboard? Yeah, I was looking online trying to understand the point of sli, and figured I may not ever use it. if I use a 19inch screen, all that extra power is wasted no? But maybe getting an sli mobo kind of future proofs me--lol.

I also heard ati's card is coming out soon, so maybe prices of the gts will come down even more.

Also, the heat issues, whats the best silent option? I am reading on the forumns now...

[blue60007]

Oh, I see...must've missed that. Depending on how long you wait to add that second card it may not even be available. Cards out a year ago are hard to find. The only time I've seen real appreciable benefits from SLI are on huge monitors with extreme resolutions. A single 8800 will tackle any game at a 19"'s resolution easily. I would imagine a second card would just sit around twiddling it's thumbs (so to speak).

You could save a lot of money by getting a single slot motherboard (like the ASUS P5B series) and a lower powered power supply. We've been recommending a Corsair 520W for 8800's, I believe it's $90 cheaper.

Also you might consider a E6600 instead...$200 cheaper and you probably won't notice a whole lot of difference between the two.

[yellier35]

I agree with that as well. So, as I understand it, sli really benefits people with resolutions above 1600 X ... Thats what I have read in a lot of forums unless I misunderstood.

So, if I got the gts, will it be able to play games for next couple of years? Like now all games can be played at max, when will that change... I don't really game that much any way.

Gigbyte vs asus, I was going with asus p5b... but my friend told me their support stinks and their drivers are bad. I was looking at giga and their webpage is fantastic. Also, I really don't like how the giga has 4 ethernet ports--thats ridiculous.

I was originally going to go with the corsair but went with the other one.
If all I need is a 520, I might get one of those modular earth watt power supplies from antec or sea.... Might as well save on electric--lol. I heard the corsair is really good too.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The Corsair is a Seasonic. With just as high if not higher efficiency to save electricity. Modular too.

[yellier35]

o ok, wow does seasonic make them all.--lol

So if I am not going to do SLI which Mobo is good?
GA-965P-DQ6 (rev. 3.3) //is this good?

Does Asus update their drivers regularly?

[blue60007]

If you don't play games that much then I don't see the need for SLI anyways...

Drivers for what? I don't know what you would need to update regulary for a motherboard...

[Mr.Ferrari]

You mean their BIOS?

If you really insist on SLI, you need a 680i chipset motherboard, and the only somewhat decent one is the Asus P5N32-E SLI for the price.

However if your going intel, a intel chipset motherboard will definitely be the most stable choice.

[yellier35]

sorry haha, in my head I think everyone knows what I mean--haha. I meant the bios. I have done some more reading and SLI isnt for me.

What Mobo out there is as good as the one I chose then?

[blue60007]

The only time you'd need to update the BIOS is if it adds support to more CPU's...or fix a couple other issues. From what I've seen ASUS does release a fair number of BIOS updates but I haven't compared it to other brands. I wouldn't make that a huge factor in the decision. I'd look at quality, functionality, features, etc. of the motherboard over everything else.

[yellier35]

Ok, here are the 2 boards I am interested in. I am not sure between the 2. I assume the p5w is newer or something....Both are about the same price.

Which of the two is better?
P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP or ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP

on asus's website it mentioned the board is optimized for kingstons hyperx ram, does it matter what i choose?

[Mr.Ferrari]

Corsair XMS2 > Kingston HyperX

The P5WDH is actually a bit older, if not only by a month. The P5WDH is based off of the older 975x chipset, and the P5B has the newer 965. The P5WDH has the advantage of running full crossfire with 2 ati cards.

If it was up to me, I would pick the P5B Deluxe. Just a more stable, and higher quality board.

[yellier35]

ok.

here is what I am gonna get: haha it will change most likely.

Antec Performance One P180 Silver ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 125.00
P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP $208.99
SeaSonic M12 SS-500HM $134.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz $313.00
EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 305.00

FSB question:
Asus states I can get 1333 something like that of front side bus with just a bios update. Is that true? I thought the cpu has to support that.

okay, so nix the below for corsair. Dumb question, but what is the max speed of ram I can use. I keep reading I can use higher than 6400. but the main specs say up to 6400. I looked on crucial and they show higher than that.
Kingston HyperX 2GB DDR2 900(PC2 7200) Dual Channel Kit $252.49 KHX7200D2K2/2G
total 1339.47

[glc]

There is no point using anything faster than DDR2-800 ram, it's suitable for FSB speeds up to 1600.

[yellier35]

ok so 6400 it is. Is crucial ballistix ram just as good as corsair?

I would like to overclock the cpu close to 3.0 ghz, would Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Heatsink help out?

and another question, the p180 cases power supply goes on the bottom how do I know how long the power cable is? I have heard some dont fit cause of the short cables

[yellier35]

ok I seem to have hit new egg at the right time. Is everything I have selected good to go please let me know. O, the graphics card is that good?

thanks, stuff is waiting in the cart......

o the newegg extended warranties should I get those?

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129154
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
$129.99
1 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145034
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$50.00 Mail-in Rebate
$231.00
1 ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131028
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$195.99
1 Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136012
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

-$10.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$219.99
$209.99
1 SeaSonic M12 SS-500HM ATX12V / EPS12V 500W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817151029
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$134.99
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115003
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$313.00
1 EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130071
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Add this item to your cart

$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$389.99
Grand Total: $1,604.95

[glc]

No, do not get the C4 ram, get the regular XMS2.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

[yellier35]

o I already ordered it. Should I cancel?

[yellier35]

hmmmm....whats wrong with what I selected? Should I cancel my order? How do I cancel an order to just change 1 part? I am still on step one of newegg.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Up to you. If you can still cancel, I suggest it.

However I haven't really seen any issues with the Cas4 ram. Its Cas3 that the 965 mobo's have issues with. And the ram usually comes auto set to JEDEC at Cas5.

But if you can cancel the order and swap the ram, it would be easier on you if anything goes wrong in the future.

[yellier35]

yeah, its too late now. I hope everything goes well!!

I got this too...Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Heatsink

I was looking at the instructions, and it says to remove the heatsink paste. Is that correct? I am asking now, cause If i need to use paste(haha what ever its called) then ill get that Artic silver stuff.

thanks

[flanzig1]

I believe that the Freezer 7 comes with a tube of thermal compound. I would start with the stock Intel heatsink and see how that works. that way you don't void the warranty on the CPU right away. Can always change to the Freezer if temps go up to dangerous levels with OC on the stock unit.

[yellier35]

got my parts yeah!! by the way ups stinks...everything came opended and mangled.

Questiion:

installing the PSU in the antec p180 case, DO I install the psu fan up or down? The instructions for the psu said pref. down.

thanks..

o yeah...installing the psu in this case is a nightmare--well not that bad. They force u to bend metal and squize that sucker in.

[Disgrace]

Originally Posted by yellier35 installing the PSU in the antec p180 case, DO I install the psu fan up or down? The instructions for the psu said pref. down. o yeah...installing the psu in this case is a nightmare--well not that bad. They force u to bend metal and squize that sucker in.

I got that case... the manual said it doesn't matter (im sure) so I put it the way so the side-sticker wasn't upside down being the semi-perfectionist I am sometimes.

Agreed about the installation. Had a lot of problems with this build earlier and had to reinstall PSU many times. Hard work but I got better and quicker every time.

[socialsupernova]

i just built almost the exact same computer as you, same motherboard, case, CPU, and power supply I think. If you have any questions or need help with anything feel free to let me know, although I am having problems with mine as well. I had a hard time withe cable management but after an afternoon spent hunched over that thing you learn your way around.

[yellier35]

wierd, 1 screw wont screw in on the case, for the mobo. Should I leave it? it just keeps on screwing as if it doesnt fit(which might be the case)...

[yellier35]

duh...never mind....I got it,. The case came with 2 identical types of screws,,except the other set has a thinner head..

[yellier35]

Quick question, the graphics card came with 2 power lead adapters(I guess that what its called)...I part plugs in the graphics card and splits into two power thingys. Do I plug them both in the power supply?

[yellier35]

another question: the case has the front audio connections 1 for audio and 1 for mic. 1 big plug and a bunch of little plugs where in the world do they go on the motherboard?