new pc build info ?

[polkcountyguy24]

Hi there i am building a new pc here is my parts list if i left out the video card and the sound card thats cause i plan to use the on board video and sound just till i can save up for better one's if i left anything out let me know and what you think of the parts

(1) Thermaltake LANBOX Lite VF6000BNS Black SECC Gaming Cube Computer Case - Retail

(2) Thermaltake Purepower RX W0143RU ATX12V 550W Cable Management / Active PFC / 14CM Fan / Triple +12V Rails Power Supply 115/230 V CE, FCC, UL, CUL, TUV, and BSMI certification - Retail

(3) BIOSTAR G965 Micro 775(Vista) Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

(4) Intel Pentium 4 630 Prescott 3.0GHz LGA 775 EM64T Processor Model BX80547PG3000F - Retail

(5) LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM Write and Replaceable White Front Panel Black SATA Model SH-16A7S-06 - Retail

(6) CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X1024A-6400 - Retail

(7) Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

(8) Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Basic for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

(9) ZALMAN CNPS7700-ALCU 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan - Retail

[Cricket]

Are you on a real tight budget? You've selected some older parts for this build.

Cricket

[polkcountyguy24]

what parts are older let me know maybe i can change them up with new one's

[Cricket]

The 630 P4 is several generations old already and not really a good performer. The newest Intel processors are the Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad.

Although BioStar isn't a real bad brand for the motherboard, there are better brands available. I'd look at ASUS and ABIT if I were building a new computer right now.

Cricket

[polkcountyguy24]

ok cool i will look into that not looking for something to high end just sometime to do everyday stuff and maybe play a few games

[polkcountyguy24]

ok i found some more upto date parts what do you think now

ASUS P5B-VM LGA 775 Intel G965 Express Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by polkcountyguy24 ok i found some more upto date parts what do you think now ASUS P5B-VM LGA 775 Intel G965 Express Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

Those are fine. If you want to keep the cost down you can get the E6320 with 4MB shared L2 cache instead of only 2MB shared L2 cache that the E6400 has. The difference in speed between these two CPUs isn't noticeable but the 2MB more L2 cache does make a difference.

Cricket

[polkcountyguy24]

yeah i was looking at that so i am thinking about getting the E6320 it seems to be better and a little cheaper too

[andper10]

EDIT: Cricket beat me to the CPU suggestion.
What is your budget for this build? Do you have monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers that you will be reusing?

Get a Seagate Hard Drive. 5 year warranty and the .10 versions have Perpendicular Recording Technology which makes them fast: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148144

Case is a personal choice so if you like it thats really what matters. If you don't need to get a cube you can get better cooling. 60mm fans aren't exactly the ideal exhaust fans. They will probably be loud and not very efficient. This is a nice little non-cube case: $50 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119077 . But if you like the cube design then it is ok. Just beware that the 60mm fans will probably be loud and inefficient.

I like the look of the P5B-MX. It seems to be the new version of the P5L-MX (it has Quad Core Support, the P5L-MX doesn't).

I have that P4 630 CPU and I just overclocked it today because it is starting to become a bottleneck. For a new computer I would at least get a Pentium D (Newegg doesn't have any Retail ones available right now). If you can afford it the E6320 has very good bang for your buck: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115015 . If you want to stick with the E6400 at least get the E6420 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115016 ) because it has double the L2 Cache of the E6400. If you aren't overclocking then just use the stock CPU cooler that comes with the CPU.

Thermaltake's PSU's are ok, but most people around here would recommend the Corsair 520 Watt PSU. It is made by Seasonic, one of the best PSU manufacturers. It is currently cheaper than newegg at buy.com: http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-520w...203270716.html - If you arent' getting a video card then you don't need nearly that much power. However if you ever plan to add a video card it would be a good idea to go ahead and get the Corsair 520W so you don't have to upgrade your PSU down the line. If you don't plan on getting/adding a video card than this should be a good fit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104952

We recomend XP until Vista gets some service pack(s): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116056

That DVD burner is out of stock. This would be a good replacement: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106072 . If you get a LiteOn get a retail version because they come with burning software.

You don't need DDR2 800 unless you are overclocking. Try 2GB's of Corsair Value Select DDR2 667 for only $81: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098

Enjoy your build!

[polkcountyguy24]

so even if a mobo says it uses DDR2 800 you can use something lower like DDR2 667?

[marine63]

it may if your talking about newegg.com go to the manufacturers page and look at the specs on the motherboard

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by polkcountyguy24 so even if a mobo says it uses DDR2 800 you can use something lower like DDR2 667?

Yes. DDR2 667 is actually a better match for that processor.

Cricket