First build, budget C2D, please help

[apittman]

Hi,
Please help me with this parts list for a first build.
I will use the computer for video/audio editing, photoshop, picture storage, fast ripping in Itunes, desktop publishing, sketchup, large database, excel, internet, word, excel and some moderate gaming. I may try a modest overclock, but I’m not sure. I want the computer to be highly upgradeable. I’ll re-use my keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers. I chose parts based on popularity on this list and in Newegg and excellent advice from a post about a month ago. I’m a little over budget and was hoping to cut about $50 or so without losing much quality. Is everything compatible?
Also, I feel confident I can put the thing together, but am insecure about installing Windows XP and my old software. One concern is I have an upgrade version of Office 2000 Pro that I like, but I'm not sure how to get it onto the new machine. It searches for Word or Works to fulfill the upgrade requirement. They came with the old machine, but I don't think I have the right disks. I'd hate to pay Microsoft twice.
Thanks for your help!


COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX $49.99

ASUS P5B LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$116.99

EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video
$89.99 w/ rebate

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail
$114.99 w/ rebate
Do I need this much power? I may run two hard drives later. Is there a cheaper, reliable alternative?

Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6320 - Retail
$165.50
Are the faster C2Ds worth the money? I plan video editing but not heavy gaming.

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-5400c4 - Retail
$69.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$79.99

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - Retail
$44.99

Subtotal: $732.43 w/rebates

[minsonngo]

Looks like a decent budget build to me.


As for the PSU here is a very good alternative that will suit your current setup fine: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371006

[apittman]

Thanks minnsongo!
That PSU would save about $45. But I read the few reviews for it and saw that for a couple people it died on them. Also, there was an issue with powering a graphics card and floppy at the same time. Will I still be able to do a modest overclock? Thanks again.

[minsonngo]

The Antec Earthwatts are really good PSUs...

If you are not comfortable with it you can stick to the Corsair which gives you more headroom.


Here are also some other good PSUs that are priced less than the Corsair that will be fine too:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817194009


As long as the PSUs you pick out are ATX 2.x (x can be any number) and have around 450 watts... you will be good. Here is a list of good brands to look for and bad ones to avoid: What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside

[Mr.Ferrari]

Heck you could save even more and get some more power by going with one of these:
-Xclio StablePower 460w
-AMS Mercury 460w

The Earthwatts a good quality too.

[apittman]

thanks Minsongo and Mr. Ferrari.
I'll check out those PSUs. Sounds like I'll do fine with a few fewer watts?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by apittman I'll check out those PSUs. Sounds like I'll do fine with a few fewer watts?

For those specs you don't need 520 watts...you could get a good quality 400 watt PSU and your computer would run fine. But get a 450 watt PSU just for the extra headroom.

One problem with overclocking is that you run the risk of data corruption. If the files you work on are very important to you, forget about overclocking.

Cricket

[apittman]

Thanks cricket. Sounds like overclocking may not be for me. How often do files get corrupted?

[doubledragon5]

It can happen often if you don't do it right.. And if your not careful, you can burn up your cpu..

[apittman]

Thanks everyone. I decided to go with the Update ENERMAX Noisetaker II EG495P-VE ATX12V 485W Power Supply, $89.99. I'll save about $25 and it looks just as good for me.
Thanks again!

[minsonngo]

The Enermax is a nice choice... let us know if you need anything else.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Originally Posted by apittman Thanks everyone. I decided to go with the Update ENERMAX Noisetaker II EG495P-VE ATX12V 485W Power Supply, $89.99. I'll save about $25 and it looks just as good for me. Thanks again!

For $5 bucks more you could've had the Corsair from Zipzoomfly.com @$95 with free shippnig.

[kmillerusaf]

Go Enermax... I have a Enermax Liberty 500W that I built with this system a year ago and it has handled everything well. What makes me feel good about this purchase is, more than a year later it is still about the same price. Hope i works out for you!