First Time Builder, Long Time Lurker

[Zelpo]

Howdy all ... been wanting to 'roll my own' for some time now. Current home comp took (yet another) dump today so now it is a high priority to get a new puter in it’s place.

For the past month or two I have been researching a build. Uses include normal home web surfing, picture editing/storage, some mild venturing into OC land, and of course some light to medium PC gaming duty (I'm just a big kid, what can I say). Cost is not a limiting factor, but I'm not out to go broke & build the lastest/greatest either.

Case is already purchased: Antec 900

Mobo: ASUS P5B-E $149.99
Thoughts: I don't plan on x2 video cards, but did want firewire. This the right board for those reqs?

PSU: Seasonic M12 600w $164.99
Thoughts: Yeah it's expensive, but I don't want to compromise on the PSU. I'm going for quality here. Modular due to the case I have. Also, I'm leaning toward 600 instead of 500 so that I have 'room to grow'. Is this overkill?

Processor: Intel E6300 $183.00
Thoughts: Probably plenty for what I need, and the price is right. Plan to mildly OC it for kicks & giggles.

RAM: Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2 800 $195.00 ($155.00 w/MIR)
Thoughts: This stuff was $280 just a few months ago, now $155 with MIR. RAM economics are a mystery to me. Anyway, I consider 2GB a minimum due to a game I regularly play (Civ4)

HDD: Seagate 320GB $89.99
Thoughts: No-brainer here - best drive, warranty, and capacity for the bling. I might get two and use one as a back-up (RAID 1?)

DVD/CD drive: LiteOn SH-16A7S-05 $31.99
Thoughts: SATA for 965 chipset on mobo, price is right, and newegg finally has them in stock.

OS: Windows XP Home edition $89.99
Thoughts: I'm not in the habit of giving my $$ away ... my old Dell has an XP disc & key #, think I can use it on this new comp?

Video Card: Here's where I need help. I don't think I need (or want to spend the $$ for) a 8800 right now, so what would you all recommend? Price wise let's say $200-300.

I spied this unit when doing some research, but to tell you the truth I'm not up on the graphics specs for today's boards. Shooting for something ‘in the middle’ in regard to performance vs. price.

Assuming ~$300 on a video card, grand total is $1204.95 newegg prices.

Appreciate any feedback & comments on this proposed build, thanx again

Matt

[Cricket]

Looks like a solid build.

Can't help you with the video card selection as I'm not a gamer and don't follow the video card market.

Cricket

[Mr.Ferrari]

As far as the psu goes, you'll have all the power you need with a Corsair HX 520W. The 600w will get you nowhere.

If you want latest tech. and a good all around video card I suggest the 8800gts 320mb. A lotta bang/buck.

[LeftyAce]

But since you said you don't have the money for an 8800, I'd suggest getting a GeForce 7300 as a place holder. 8800s should drop in price when ATI's competitor comes out this summer. If you want close to top performance NOW, get a GeForce 7900GT or GS.

*EDIT* That ATI card you linked to is comparable to the 7900...I'm more of an nVidia guy, but that's just because of their linux support.

[Zelpo]

Well, I meant that I'm not willing to shell out $500-600 for those top-of-the-line 8800's ... however, the 8800GTS 320MB model that Ferrari suggested is within my price range.

Question: Is that video card backwards compatable with DirectX 9.0? Currently I don't have a need for 10.0, but that doesn't mean I won't want it in the (near) future. Can't help myself sometimes, must play PC games

Thanks for the comments & suggestions, keep em' comin' !

[LeftyAce]

Ok, I understand. Deffinitely get the 320 in that case. It will play anything up to and including DX10 games. And it'll REALLY fly on older DX9 games :-)

[glc]

The other option is a placeholder card till the DX10 dust clears. A 7600GS or 7600GT at around 100 bucks will play medium duty games just fine for now.

[noob81]

isn't Dx10 only compatible with Vista? might need to add that upgrade into your budget...


and I don't think you can use your current Dell copy of windows....although I imagine theres a way around it.

[glc]

although I imagine theres a way around it

NOPE.

[Katreat]

Dell use to offer an option of sending you retail copies of Windows XP. I think you had to pay 10-20 dollars more when you purchased the computer. Not sure what you have, but just because it came with your dell does not mean it is not a retail copy so you will need to check into that. You would probably have to call Dell or Microsoft to figure that out. But if you have Dells XP recovory disks (I think that is what they call them now) then they will not work on a new system.

As for video cards you will not “need” 10x for at least a couple of years. I expect games will start arriving with it as an option, but they will play just fine with 9x for a long time to come. No game is going to purposely limit its audience like that. So a nice placeholder will not hold you back for the near future and would allow the 10x market to shake out. That said, if you don’t really want to trouble yourself with the need to upgrade the lower end 8800 would cover all bases.

[Zelpo]

Upon closer inspection, the XP disc is a 'reinstallation CD' ... there goes another $100

That's should almost be considered a crime, didn't I already pay for this software at one time? In reality I've reused it once due to a crashed drive.

[JTally]

There's also been some compatibility issues with that particular Corsair RAM and the Asus P5B mobo combo, even though that RAM is on Asus' QVL. I'm sure the majority of people haven't experienced any problems with it, but I know I have, and through reading forums and on the Asus and Corsair websites, I found that I'm not the only one. I RMA'd my P5B Deluxe 3 times and am still having problems with it, although the fix on this forum I found through corsair's website has helped a lot:

http://www.houseofhelp.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=54705

Again, I'm sure my experience is the exception to the rule, but I just wanted to bring it to your attention, since I wish someone had brought it to mine...

[Zelpo]

Big thanks for the link! Hope to not have issues, but you never know *crosses fingers*

Regarding the OS, should I go XP Home or Pro? From quickly reading product descriptions on Newegg I'm not finding much of a difference (with the exception of the price of course).

[Mr.Ferrari]

Personal choice. I would go with Home edition w/Vista upgrade coupon.

[glc]

No, you did not "buy" the software. You have a *license* to use it on the Dell computer it shipped with - and that's ALL you have. You do not "own" ANY software in your possession - you only have a license to use it as per the terms you click through without reading (EULA). That's the way software works.

[Zelpo]

Thanks for clearing that up GLC, I'm with the 99% of people that do not read the EULA word for word, and therefore have little understanding of it. XP Pro disc in route.

I have a couple of dumb questions ...

Last night I'm putting everything together, case Antec 900, mobo P5B-E

Do the 4 pin molex connectors on the case fans go straight to the PSU? I know that's probably a dumb question, but when I tried to push the connections together there was much resistence and I managed to dislodge one of the metal pins in the connector, so I just wanted to make sure.

Also, I do not see a connection (similar in size to the small 4 pin CPU_FAN connection) from the case fans for the CHA_FAN1 & 2 connections. I believe the CHA_FAN connections are to monitor fan speeds, however the mobo manual says to connect the #1 or I may have problems. Are these connections required or an option?

As always, thanks for any help!

[LeftyAce]

The fans can (And usually do) go straight onto the PSU. Fan connectors are usually very light-duty; the pins may not be perfectly straight, so straighten them out first, or you'll get the jamming and bending you saw...

Connecting them to the motherboard in any way is optional. If you want the motherboard to do speed control, then you'll need the speed cables connected. Otherwise, don't bother.

[Zelpo]

Thanks, seems even the PWR_FAN connection seems to be optional. The only required *_FAN connection, according to other P5B-E users on Asus forum is the CPU_FAN connection.

Another question ...

The stock Intel CPU fan that came with the E6300 retail version appeared to have thermal paste already applied in three spots. I did not spread it around, and mounted it 'as is' ... is that the correct thing to do? Does it spread out naturally?

I have a small tube of Arctic Silver 5 that I bought, thinking I would need it.

[LeftyAce]

The PWR_FAN connection is if you want the motherboard to control the speed of the PSU fans. Not necessary; just an option. The CPU fan has to be connected because the motherboard needs to be able to control it reliably and send out major warnings if it fails....all other fans aren't quite so mission critical.

Not sure on the placement of the heat paste, but I'd think intel put it in the right place.

Hang onto that arctic silver just in case; if you ever have to take the heatsink off (to return the motherboard, was my experience :-( you'll need the AS.

[Zelpo]

Just about have everything hooked up, and am left with one of the few module-less connections: an 8 pin molex 'EPS12V 8P' ... I have no idea what it is for. The ASUS mobo manual does not call for it.

The PSU manual (Seasonic 600w M12) is not too detailed, and simply says to connect it to the '4/8 pin connector on the MB'.

Am I okay to just leave this disconnected? Thanks again,

Matt

[Mr.Ferrari]

There should be a 4pin ATX12V and a 8pin EPS12V. Your motherboard only requires the 4pin. The 8pin you can tuck away somewhere.

[Zelpo]

Thanks for the help everyone ... everything is up and running well. Only issue was a uCode error on boot-up, but a flashing the BIOS to the latest greatest solved that problem.

Updated all drivers, and managed a 3DMark06 score of 7336