Opinions needed before I order these parts...

[SpydaMan]

I am ready to order some more parts for my new build, but I wanted to check before I did. First, I had the memory below saved in my wish list but I think I want the DDR2 667 as shown in the list below. Is this correct???...

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT533D2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145527

Also, I am not sure about the power supply below either. Is this good enough for my build, or should it be beefed up some.

Here is what I am proposing for my build...

Already have...CASE: Rosewill TU-155 Black Steel ATX Black 0.8mm SGCC Steel Mid Tower Computer Case 400W(20+4 pin) Power Supply – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147001

NOTE: Will be replacing the power supply with the following…

POWER SUPPLY: ENERMAX Noisetaker II EG495P-VE ATX12V 485W Power Supply 115/230 V – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817194009

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131070

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

VIDEO CARD: EVGA 512-P2-N548-TX GeForce 7600GS 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130021

Already have...HARD DRIVE 1(os/programs): Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160812A 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148103

HARD DRIVE 2 (storage): 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

Already have...OPTICAL DRIVE 1: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106072

OPTICAL DRIVE 2: ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827135143

Already have...FLOPPY DRIVE/CARD READER: Rosewill RCR-FD200 All-in-one USB 2.0 Black 3.5" Card Reader with 1.44MB Floppy Drive – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820223072

[Alaron]

Looks pretty good. Your PSU swap is a good one.

Yes, the DDR2-667 is what you want for that setup.

My only suggestion was to swap that Seagate 160 with a SATA unit, but you already bought it, so no worries.

[SpydaMan]

Originally Posted by Alaron My only suggestion was to swap that Seagate 160 with a SATA unit, but you already bought it, so no worries.

How much of a performance difference would there be between IDE and SATA HDD's??? If there is a noticable difference, I could use the IDE one I have for an external back-up and order a SATA one.

[Mr.Ferrari]

You can get a corsair at ZZF for $95 after rebate with free shipping. Better powersupply if you can opt for it...

[Lespaul20]

For the HDD, not much of a difference. I think Alaron was just referring as a matter of convenience(Correct me if I'm wrong). SATA is slowing taking over ATA and having the SATA would free up a ATA port for a CD-ROM etc. Not a big deal if you don't plan on having a lot of ATA devices.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by SpydaMan I am ready to order some more parts for my new build, but I wanted to check before I did. First, I had the memory below saved in my wish list but I think I want the DDR2 667 as shown in the list below. Is this correct???...[/B]

Yes, you'll want DDR2 667.

Originally Posted by SpydaMan Also, I am not sure about the power supply below either. Is this good enough for my build, or should it be beefed up some. [/B]

That Enermax is fine.

Originally Posted by SpydaMan Here is what I am proposing for my build... Already have...CASE: Rosewill TU-155 Black Steel ATX Black 0.8mm SGCC Steel Mid Tower Computer Case 400W(20+4 pin) Power Supply – Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147001[/B]

Just so you know, that case is pretty cheap and flimsy. I've built with cases like it in the past and they worked okay but the quality really disappointed me. Never used that type of case after that.

Originally Posted by SpydaMan How much of a performance difference would there be between IDE and SATA HDD's???

There is a difference between IDE and SATA 3.0...there wasn't much between IDE and SATA.

Originally Posted by SpydaMan If there is a noticable difference, I could use the IDE one I have for an external back-up and order a SATA one.

You'll want to do that anyway...the motherboard you're getting uses a Intel chipset that doesn't have native support for IDE devices, it's handled by a third party controller which I understand is glitchy and not fun to work with. Better to get all SATA drives if possible.

Besides, SATA is current technology...IDE was yesterday's technology. You're building a brand new computer...wouldn't you want it to have current technology?

Cricket

[SpydaMan]

Originally Posted by Lespaul20 Not a big deal if you don't plan on having a lot of ATA devices.

I wanted everything SATA but stupidity got the order placed before I looked it over better, LOL. I also incorrectly ordered an ATA dvd-rom, but I sold that at work, so all is not lost.

I want to put together an external enclosure, so I will use the ATA hard drive for that if there are no compatability issues in doing that. I'm just trying NOT to screw up my first build!!!

[SpydaMan]

Originally Posted by Cricket Just so you know, that case is pretty cheap and flimsy. I've built with cases like it in the past and they worked okay but the quality really disappointed me.

Can you go into more details with what makes it cheap and flimsy and how to tell this without seeing it in person??? I would think as long as the components fit into it properly, that is all that would matter.

Originally Posted by Cricket Besides, SATA is current technology...IDE was yesterday's technology. You're building a brand new computer...wouldn't you want it to have current technology?

Yeah, I will order a SATA HDD for the computer. Would the IDE be OK for an external enclosure, or would SATA be better for that as well?

[LeftyAce]

There's really no way to tell how sturdy or not a case is without physically inspecting it.....or asking someone else who has, which is where Cricket comes in. Either you trust his opinion, or not, but short of buying the case and finding out for yourself, he's probably your best indicator.

No case company is going to advertise "Flimsy case, with 6 usb....." :-)

IDE would be fine for an external enclosure, if you already have an IDE drive. If you're buying a drive specifically to put into an enclosure, might as well get SATA, because that will allow you to get an eSATA enclosure which allows much faster data transfer than USB.

[SpydaMan]

Originally Posted by LeftyAce IDE would be fine for an external enclosure, if you already have an IDE drive. If you're buying a drive specifically to put into an enclosure, might as well get SATA...

Well, I incorrectly ordered an IDE drive, but I know I can sell it to someone I know and get my money back, which would eliminate the need to return it. Soooo, which of these SATA drives would be a good one, as they look alike to me. It would be used for programs and my operating system...

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160811AS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148149

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815AS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148230

Seagate SV35 Series ST3160812SV 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148163

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by SpydaMan Can you go into more details with what makes it cheap and flimsy and how to tell this without seeing it in person???

I've built over a hundred computers over the 10 years I've been messing with computers and have used over a hundred cases. I mostly use Antec or AOpen cases now but when I first got started I used a "Zebra" case (that was really the name of the brand) and it looked just like that Rosewill case...the chassis metal was shiny, there were all those small holes on the back of the case by the expansion slots, it was really light and it was really flimsy. The metal was thin and dented easily too. I used a few other brands that were very similar until I learned to avoid the ones with the shiny metal chassis with all those holes by the expansion ports.

I noticed that cases with dull SECC steel chassis tended to have thicker metal, were heavier, felt solid and the overall quality was just better. The good cases I've used have come from Antec, AOpen, InWin, Chenbro, Enlight, Thermaltake, Chieftec and Chenming. I have the easiest time getting Antec and AOpen cases here in Hawaii.

Originally Posted by SpydaMan Yeah, I will order a SATA HDD for the computer. Would the IDE be OK for an external enclosure, or would SATA be better for that as well?

IDE HDD in a external housing is fine...but a SATA HDD in a eSATA housing does transfer data faster. But an IDE HDD in a external housing works fine...I have 8 external IDE housings at home and I think they work fine.

Cricket

[glfredrick]

I wouldn't lump all Rosewill cases in the same lump...

After reading a lot of reviews, I selected one and I'm very pleased with it.

It is anything but flimsy. I'm sure that other cases are sturdier, but I wonder just how much more is actually needed. Perhaps if I were planning on carrying it around to LAN parties or something, I might go for a stronger-built case, but otherwise, this one is a keeper in my book

I got this model:

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811147038

I'm just about to finish my build and the case has been wonderful to work with compared to others I've used before. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it -- especially for the money.

I especially like the top mounted USB, sound, and floppy drive, as I hang my computer below my desk. It has tons of room inside as well.

Two 120 mm fans with good placement, porting for the CPU cooling, covered spare drive bays (and the door swings all the way open if it isn't needed) plus a main optical drive out in the open so the door doesn't have to be opened all the time. It also has filters on the fans and port, plus movable aid ducting up front (you can open and close the duct like a register in your house!).

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by glfredrick I got this model: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811147038.

That one is made from SECC cold rolled steel which I believe is stronger than the SGCC steel the Rosewill TU-155 Black Steel ATX is made from.

I just try to avoid any case with a shiny metal chassis. From my experience those are the most flimsy cases to work with.

Cricket

[Alaron]

If you're going to get a SATA drive, you want the 7200.10 from your list.