First Time Build Need Advice

[averyroberson45]

Hey guys this is my first build ever. Need somebody to look over this build and lemme know what you think. Im basically trying to build a rig that will last for a couple of year. I play alot of games as well. Im wanting a rig that is upgradable over the next couple of years.
I'm gonna be reformatting my HD & cdrom from my old computer and using it along with the monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc. My old computer is a Dell P4 1.6ghz 512ram, geforce fx 5200 that i bought like 5 years ago.

Also I bought a Geforce 7600GT like last november for another computer and thats the vid card im gonna be going with.

If you guys know anything that is basically the same but cheaper lemme know because im on a really tight budget.


Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775
WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel
they have a -$10 saving if you buy the CPU & ram together. $302 CPU & Ram Together.

ASUS P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $140

Rosewill RP500-2 ATX 2.01 500W Power Supply 115/230 V CSA, CB, TUV, FCC, UL. $50

XION Onyx XON-303 Black/Blue Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $70

It all equals to about $565

This is what ive come up with so far.

[blue60007]

I'm not so sure about the RAM brand. Also, DDR2-667 would be enough. Corsair Value select is usually pretty cheap. Also, with the Intel price drops here in a couple days I would expect the E6600 to be cheaper. Otherwise it looks the new line up includes a CPU that will be faster and cheaper than the E6600.

http://www.pcstats.com/NewsView.cfm?NewsID=58654

Also, I'd consider a different brand of PSU. Rosewill quality is hit and miss. A Corsair 520W would offer plenty of juice for a future video card upgrade, but costs twice as much. There are Forton Source (FSP) units in the same price and wattage range you might look at.

Don't forget the OS. You can only use one copy per computer.

[averyroberson45]

yeah i already have xp for the new comp

[averyroberson45]

its the one from my old computer that i wont be using anymore at all

[averyroberson45]

would it be worth tho going ahead and start collecting the DDR2 800 ?

[averyroberson45]

and using my old hd wont affect my gaming will it, i plan to replace it as soon as my budget allows it

[jer888]

Try not to multiple post, you can edit you posts with the button at the bottom right of your post.

Go with Corsair Value Select RAM. Its a more trusted brand and the customer service is great. Its also not expensive.

Like Blue said, wait for the price drop.

There is a Power Supply sticky in the Hardware forum. Choose from the "Good" brands.

[wjperry]

The ASUS P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard appears to support only 2 PATA devices. Ths will present a problem since I assume your old HDD is IDE. I would strongly advise that you get a new SATA 3 Gb/s HDD fior your new machine. Here is one I would highly recommend:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148144

[jer888]

If you are using your old optical drive and old hard drive to start then thats 2 and that should be fine since the P5K supports 2. If you are ADDING another hard drive, then it has to be SATA because your IDE channel will already be full. If you are REPLACING the old hard drive then don't worry about it.

[wjperry]

While it might work, I wouldn't mix a HDD and optical drive on the same IDE channel.

[jer888]

True, performance can suffer when you mix the two. You will be best off buying a SATA hard drive soon as possible.

[averyroberson45]

im just gonna be using the harddrive from my old dell. i dont have the money for a new harddrive at all.

heres the new mother board i picked out tell me what you think and if my old hardrive will work on it.
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - FROM NEWEGG

and im confused whats an optical drive? i bought the dell stock 5 years ago with a 40gig harddrive that i havent even filled up yet, i normally only play one game at a time then uninstall it when im tired of it anyways.

[Jimmy0]

An optical drive is the CD/DVD drive. Either CD-RW or DVD-RW or whatever it is you have to read your CD's and DVD's.

[LeftyAce]

When you DO go to get the harddrive, the 320GB version of the one wjperry linked to is only $10 more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...gate%2b7200.10