New Build Suggestions/E6600 and Asus P5B

[Peekay]

Hi,

I'm looking into building my first computer. After some research on this site, Ive decided on a Asus P5B motherboard and a C2D E6600. Can any of you help me pick out a case, a PSU, HD (500 gb), memory (2 gigs), and video card? I just want to make sure all my parts are compatible so I dont run into major problems while trying to assemble the pc.

I plan on using this computer to play all the latest games (if possible max settings) and want all the latest techs within reason. I don't want to look back in a couple of months and say I should have gotten this instead of what I originally got. On the other hand, I don't mind buying a cheaper older part, and waiting for the latest techs to come down in price. I hope this makes sense.

Furthermore, I plan on purchasing all the parts from Canadian retailers so I need parts that are available at tiger.ca or ncix.com and not newegg.com. As for the video car, should it be directx10 compatible or should I just get the cheaper directx9 cards and wait for the prices to come down a pit. Lastly, does the P5B have wireless capabilities? If not what other mobo would be good.

Thanks


Asus P5B
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...120&CatId=2432

Intel E6600
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...ufacture=Intel

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Peekay Can any of you help me pick out a case,

Case choice is very personal and the only thing to be wary of is that it either comes with a good quality power supply or none at all (so you can add your own high quality unit). Most modern cases have decent cooling and is able to hold lots of drives, you just gotta find out that appeals to your sense of taste.

Originally Posted by Peekay a PSU,

The CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply seems to be the PSU of choice nowadays. Excellent unit.

Originally Posted by Peekay HD (500 gb),

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive.

Originally Posted by Peekay memory (2 gigs),

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory.

Originally Posted by Peekay and video card? As for the video car, should it be directx10 compatible or should I just get the cheaper directx9 cards and wait for the prices to come down a pit.

Can't help you there, I'm not a gamer.

Originally Posted by Peekay Lastly, does the P5B have wireless capabilities?

Nope.

Originally Posted by Peekay If not what other mobo would be good.

ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard.

Cricket

[Alaron]

For the video card, it depends on your budget. We had been recommending the 7600/7900GS cards, since they are a great bang for the buck. But if you can wait a couple weeks, there should be much better availability and information on the 'budget' DX10 cards that have come out, such as the 8600 family.

[Peekay]

Thank you very much for the help so far, Heres what I have;

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19144

Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 1X1024MB DDR2-667 240PIN DIMM
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18584

ASUS P5B Deluxe / WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 Conroe 965P DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI 8 SATA2 Sound Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19356

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18413

EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20496

Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM Power Supply
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19832

As for the case, I'm still not sure which one to get. I want to make sure its compatible with all the other parts. As long as its black, do you guys have any suggestion from the ncix.com site?

Is it worth getting the deluxe mobo, or would it be cheaper simply to get the p5b and buy a wireless card? What are some other differences between the deluxe version and the p5b.

How is this video card that I've chosen? Is this enough memory?

As for the memory, shouldn't I get something with a higher speed. Doesn't this mobo support dual channel memory up to 1066 mhz?

I forgot to mention a recommendation on an optical drive. Dual Layer DVD, CD burner, any suggestions?

Thanks again for the help. This forum is an awesome resource for someone like me diving into the PC building hobby.

Thanks

[glc]

1. I'd get the plain P5B and a wireless card that matches your router.
2. ANY standard ATX case will work.
3. The DDR2-667 is all you need for stock speeds and mild overclocking. The only reason to get faster memory is if you plan on exploring the higher end of overclocking.
4. I'd recommend a retail boxed SATA DVD burner. My preferred brand is Lite-On.
5. That's an excellent video card for the money until you plan on moving up to Vista and DX10. 256mb ram is plenty unless you are using a super high resolution monitor and want to run your games at full res.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Peekay As for the case, I'm still not sure which one to get. I want to make sure its compatible with all the other parts. As long as its black, do you guys have any suggestion from the ncix.com site?

As long as you get a ATX mid-tower you'll be fine. Why don't you show us some of the black cases you're interested in and we can tell you if it's a good case or not.

Originally Posted by Peekay Is it worth getting the deluxe mobo, or would it be cheaper simply to get the p5b and buy a wireless card?

Whether it's worth it is up to you. Getting the P5B with a separate wireless card will allow you to get the wireless card you want to use.

Originally Posted by Peekay What are some other differences between the deluxe version and the p5b.

Some say the Deluxe uses better components but I think it just gives you more features.

Originally Posted by Peekay As for the memory, shouldn't I get something with a higher speed. Doesn't this mobo support dual channel memory up to 1066 mhz?

Yes, but you don't need faster RAM unless you're going to overclock the system. But overclocking will void all your warranties so you'll have to decide if you want to keep your warranties or go for more speed.

Originally Posted by Peekay I forgot to mention a recommendation on an optical drive. Dual Layer DVD, CD burner, any suggestions?

Get a SATA Dual Layer DVD burner, it can do it all...read CDs and DVDs and burn CDs and DVDs.

Cricket

[Peekay]

Thanks again for the quick responses. heres what I have

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19144

Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 1X1024MB DDR2-667 240PIN DIMM
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18584

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18413

EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20496

Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM Power Supply
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19832

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21123

Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...9&promoid=1061

ASUS P5B Deluxe / WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 Conroe 965P DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI 8 SATA2 Sound Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...6&promoid=1061

As for the mobo, wouldn't it be better just to get the deluxe as the wifi is already built in. Separate wireless cards cost 60-90 CAN$.

Hows the Case, will this work with everything else, is it too expensive?

Is the LiteOn DVD drive compatible with everything else. Is it a good selection.

Are their any special tools I need to build a PC aside from a screw driver and common household tools. Do I need to purchase a Fan and thermal gel, or is the fan included already in the CPU.

Any other suggestion are always welcome

Thanks

[Alaron]

The P5B Deluxe is a great choice. The built in wireless is a handy feature if you have wireless network.

The Antec 900 is highly recommended. There is a review on it in the Hardware Review Forum here.

That LiteOn is a solid choice.

Your heatsink/fan will come with the CPU. It will have a thermal pad on it already. You won't need any extra tools.

My only suggestion is to change the ram to 2x512MB instead of one stick. Dual Channeling adds a performance boost.

[Peekay]

I should have mentioned that I'm going to get two sticks of the corsair memory totaling 2 gigs

[Peekay]

How's this card?

BFG GeForce 8600 Gts OC 710MHZ 256MB 2.0GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...s&promoid=1061

Its directx10 compatible and not that much more expensive than the one listed above

[glc]

I'm seeing mixed reviews on the new lower end DX10 cards. I personally would wait till we see ATI's DX10 cards before buying any DX10 card.

[Peekay]

Hows are these parts? Does everything work together?

Thanks again

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19144

Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 1X1024MB DDR2-667 240PIN DIMM X 2
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18584

EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20496

Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM Power Supply
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19832

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21123

Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...9&promoid=1061

ASUS P5B Deluxe / WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 Conroe 965P DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI 8 SATA2 Sound Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...6&promoid=1061

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18409

I changed the HD to the 320 gb version as its alot cheaper relative to the 500 gb version. Is there any other recommendations before I buy the parts?

Thank you very much

[glc]

You should buy the ram in a dual channel kit instead of 2 individual modules.

[Peekay]

Thanks

Hows this?

Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 2X1GB DDR2-667 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

[Alaron]

Good choice.

[Peekay]

I just want to make sure everything is good before I go and order the parts from ncix.com. Doesn't this video card seems a little much for a placeholder card?

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19144

RAM
Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 2X1GB DDR2-667 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=CORSAIR

Video Card
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=20496

PSU
Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM Power Supply
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19832

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21123

DVD Drive
Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...9&promoid=1061

Mobo
ASUS P5B Deluxe / WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 Conroe 965P DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI 8 SATA2 Sound Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...6&promoid=1061

HD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18409

[Hazaro]

Great holder card until some good affordable DX10 cards which we will need to play some actual DX10 games that come out.

[Peekay]

How does everything else look?

[freakitchen]

everything else looks excellent.

[Disgrace]

Good to go. That build is combining just about all the recommendations out there. I've got that CPU; excellent. I assume you have all the peripherals too.

Enjoy building and using it.

[Peekay]

Thanks everyone for their input. Lets hope I won't run into too many problems building it. I think Ill just buy the peripherals at my local PC store.

Thanks

[Peekay]

I accidentally cleared my cart from the NCIX website and just wanted to make sure I picked the right parts again that you guys had recommended. Let me know if they still work together. I decide to go with the Asus P5B motherboard with a separate wireless card. Its a lot cheaper this way. Is this the right way to go? Is this a good wireless card? Also, ncix is is gving me the option for Express RMA shipping and Dead Pixel exchange for 14$ CAN respectively. Is this a way to get more money from me or is it a logical thing to do. Lastly, hows this monitor, I was reading some reviews and most people seem to like it. What do you guys think. I really appreciate all the help and thank you again.



Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...3&promoid=1064

Liteon LH-20A1S DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X 2MB SATA DVD Writer Black Beige Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...9&promoid=1064

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...9&promoid=1064

Corsair Value Select PC2-5300 2X1GB DDR2-667 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...3&promoid=1064

ASUS P5B ATX LGA775 Conroe 965P DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI 6 SATA2 Sound RAID Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...5&promoid=1064

Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN ATX Modular 120MM Power Supply
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...2&promoid=1064

EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GS KO 500MHZ 256MB 256BIT 1.38GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card

Logitech Cordless Desktop Ex 110 Wireless RF Keyboard & Optical Mouse USB/PS2
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18788

D-LINK DWL-G510 Airplus G Wireless PCI Adapter 802.11G 54MBPS
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...3&promoid=1064

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...4&promoid=1064

Acer AL2216WBD 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Black 1680X1050 700:1 5MS VGA DVI-D Monitor (With Price Match 279.99$ CAN)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...3&promoid=1064

edit: I was just looking for info on wireless cards and it seems like I would need a faster wireless card. I currently have a router (http://www.trendnet.com/products/TEW-432BRP.htm) with 54 mbps capabilities so would it pointless to get a wireless card over that speed? Should I invest in a better router if I want to create a fast home network where I can share files easily between computers? Is this even the right forum to be asking these questions?

[doubledragon5]

Everything looks good here.. That Video card is solid I have it in my current build (sig). Keyboard mouse also good as I like logitech over MS.. I also have the Antec 900 a little awkward putting tings in but plenty of airflow.. One thing to remember when installing the psu the fan which is usually on the bottom will now be on top..Sop basically you will be installing it upside down..

[Peekay]

thank you very much

[Peekay]

So I received all my parts yesterday in the mail and the assembly went surprisingly well. First boot with no major problems. The only thing is I cant get my wireless card to install. In device manager, it doesn’t recognize the hardware. I should mention that I installed the card before installing the software and in the wireless instruction manual it told me to do the reverse. I’ve tried everything to get windows to recognize it but nothing works. I downloaded the drivers from the website and pointed the wizard to look in a specific folder with no success. Ive used the CD, and tried uninstalling the software and reinstalling the card.
When assembling the PC, I did not touch any of the jumpers and I also don’t know where to put the 1394 cable form the case into the motherboard. There is also the ac97 and hdaudio cables from the case and I don’t know where to put them. The ethernet and USB controllers are also not recognized in windows. Is this the problem? I’m using XP Pro. I’ve also tried updating the bios with the asus utility found on the cd through windows. I don’t know if it worked because it keeps on asking me to open some file. It does download something from the asus servers though.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

[minsonngo]

Have you tried moving the wireless card to another slot? If that doesn't work... try installing it in another system to see if it will detect it... if it doesn't your card could be DOA.

As for the ethernet and USB controllers... you need to install the drivers that are normally found on the CD included with your motherboard.

Normally... you don't need to update the BIOS unless there is a need for it.

Also as for the front panel connectors like the audio and such... consult your motherboard manual and find out of they have the set of pins on the motherboard that will support them. If so they will tell you how to connect them from the case to motherboard. If the motherboard does NOT support them... you can simply tie the cables out of the way. Same goes for the 1394 or Firewire port on the front of the case.