Thoughts on this rig

[punkcabbage]

Hi guys.

I'm making a new build in the next few weeks, and i'd love your opinon on my choices so far.
I have a budget of about $1000. Im excited

Mobo - ASUS P5B
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19448/

CPU - Core 2 Duo E6600
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19782/

Memory - KINGSTON 2048mb kit (2x1024mb) PC5300
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19556/

Graphics - Geforce 8800GTS
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/21793/

That comes to $1072.

The HDD i want to use is my 160GB IDE drive in my current rig.
Now this new mobo has the P965 chipset, and i've read the warning about using IDE drives with it. Is it worth investing in a SATA drive? And if so, i would go for:

Graphics - X1950XT
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/21990/

HDD - Seagate 320GB
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19494/

That makes $1003

Good build? Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance guys

[Ed989]

I have a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard (same chipset) and I use two IDE optical drives without a problem. Also, as far as the video cards go, the 8800GTS is a lot more powerful than the X1950XT. In the Tomshardware tests, the 8800GTS beats the X1950XT by a significant amount in just about everything. Here's the link:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphi...=707&chart=315

[marine63]

nevermind the sites i suggested arent international and its a real shame

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by punkcabbage Memory - KINGSTON 2048mb kit (2x1024mb) PC5300 http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19556/

Don't use Kingston RAM, their quality control isn't like it used to be...been seeing lots of problems with their RAM. Use Corsair ValueSelect instead.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage The HDD i want to use is my 160GB IDE drive in my current rig. Now this new mobo has the P965 chipset, and i've read the warning about using IDE drives with it.

The P965 chipset doesn't have native support for IDE drives, it uses a third party controller for that and it's this controller that has been giving some people problems.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage Is it worth investing in a SATA drive?

For a new build, yes it's worth getting a SATA drive...the SATA 3.0 HDDs do transfer data faster than the older ATA100 HDDs.

Cricket

[punkcabbage]

Originally Posted by Cricket Use Corsair ValueSelect instead.

Is this the RAM you mean?
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19554/

Originally Posted by Cricket The P965 chipset doesn't have native support for IDE drives, it uses a third party controller for that and it's this controller that has been giving some people problems.

So what does third party controller mean exactly? Does this mean I need to install drivers specifically for IDE devices? Or something else? Im not familiar with this term.

Originally Posted by Ed989 Also, as far as the video cards go, the 8800GTS is a lot more powerful than the X1950XT.

Yeah, the downgrade to the X1950 XT was to save a bit of money to buy a HDD as well and so i can stay around budget

Thanks so much for input so far!

EDIT: What wattage of PSU would i need for a system like this?
I need a PSU with both molex and SATA cables, yes?
And does that graphics card (X1950 XT) need a power cable?
Can someone do a quick power cable count for me?

Cheers.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by punkcabbage Is this the RAM you mean? http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/19554/

Yes.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage So what does third party controller mean exactly?

It means there is another chip on the motherboard that will handle the IDE chores. It's not handled by the Intel chipset.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage Does this mean I need to install drivers specifically for IDE devices?

Yes, you'll need to install the driver for this specific IDE controller.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage EDIT: What wattage of PSU would i need for a system like this?

A good quality 400 watt power supply will handle this computer easily.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage I need a PSU with both molex and SATA cables, yes?

Most ATX 2.0 or higher power supplies will have at least 2 SATA power connectors and at least 4 to 6 molex power connectors.

Originally Posted by punkcabbage Can someone do a quick power cable count for me?

Any good quality ATX 2.0 power supply will have enough power connections for a basic computer with a typical number of drives.

Cricket

[punkcabbage]

Now PSUs are something that i know nothing about - what price would be likely for a good quality one?

[Jimmy0]

For a decent quality 400/450 Watt PSU, it will be around the $40 - $50 mark.

EDIT: Such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103024

[punkcabbage]

Ok, i've gone ahead with the purchase

Thankyou all for your help and advice, i REALLY appreciate it.

[Kyleee]

I think you should think about GeForce8800GTS 320mb instead 1950XT because many dx10 games coming soon