New Build

[catacon]

Hey Everybody!

So I might actually have some extra money to buy a dual core PC soon. I'm not really into much heavy gaming, just a little bit. I will mostly use this computer for web browsing, folding, a little audio editing, and some CAD work. I considered going with an AMD build, but it ended up being more expensive.

I already have a case, floppy, monitor, etc. How does it look?

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion...tacon%27s+comp

Thanks!

[freakitchen]

Looks like a decent budget-build Catacon. Just a couple of things I'd change - the first being the power supply, Hiper units don't have a great reputation quality-wise. This FSP is a similar price, and top quality:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=fsp%2b450w

Second, I'd go for some higher quality, branded RAM, like Corsair Value Select. If your budget allows it, consider 2GB - DDR2 is cheap at the moment.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098

Finally, take a close look at hard drive prices - an 80GB drive is pretty small these days; you might find a 160GB drive is just a few $$ more.

[LeftyAce]

I see you've switched to Corsair VS. Good choice.
Also not sure on your budget, but for $80 you can get a 320GB Seagate 7200.10. I realize it's double the cost of the 80G you have listed, but it's 4 times the size, and for audio editing and CAD I'd imagine it's good to have more space.

[catacon]

All right I switched the PSU and memory. I was thinking 1GB would be plenty, but 2GB will save me future upgrades.

I think I will stick with an 80GB hard drive for now (I am already a bit over budget). I can always add another drive later.

I was a little worried about the motherboard. I have used it before with a Pentium D and it worked fine, but some of the reviews are a little disheartening. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

[LeftyAce]

Fine on the harddrive; they are after all very easy to upgrade : -)

Honestly I don't know anything about that particular motherboard, but my experience with ASUS has been overwhelmingly positive, so I wouldn't be too concerned. Also, newegg reviewers are usually, well, dumb. Usually people who don't get quality parts or don't put things together properly...

[freakitchen]

For me, it's a decent board for doing Core 2 Duo on a budget - the 945 chipset has been revised for C2D support. Personally, I'd rather go for a P965 chipset board - this Intel board is just $10 more than the Asus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121036

[catacon]

What is the advantage of that Intel over the Asus? I know Intel CPU's and Intel Motherboards give the most reliability, but is there something else. Like I said, I'm already over budget, so unless it's a big deal, I would like to stay with the Asus.

[freakitchen]

The only advantage of the Intel is the newer chipset - P965 was designed specifically for Core 2 Duo, P945 was retro-fitted. This means nothing in terms of performance, it's simply that I would always tend towards the *best* possibly chipset for a system for reasons of stability, especially for the sake of $10

However, I appreciate that my suggestion for 2GB of RAM has already pushed you over-budget. If you went with the ASUS, I wouldn't say you'd made a bad decision, we're talking very fine differences here. Since I made the suggestion, I thought I should at least justify it

[catacon]

I was thinking of trying my hand a overclocking a bit since I have heard that the C2D's are good for that. Does the Intel offer any overclocking capabilites?

Thanks!

[maxnik]

Originally Posted by catacon I was thinking of trying my hand a overclocking a bit since I have heard that the C2D's are good for that. Does the Intel offer any overclocking capabilites? Thanks!

i believe you can't do any overclocking with Intel motherboards.

[freakitchen]

Yep, Intel boards do not offer overclocking capabilities. Stick with the ASUS if that's what you want. Whilst the Core 2 Duos ARE very overclockable, i still don't think its a tactic to *save* money. With the board and memory you chose, you should be able to overclock the chip a little, but if you're looking for serious performance gains, you'd need to invest in faster memory, and a motherboard that costs double the price. Overclocking on a budget isn't something I'd ever recommend.

[catacon]

I'm not try to save money and I'm not really trying to get huge performance boosts. I was thinking of maybe getting my feet wet with overclocking a little. I may not even do it. I think I am going to stick with the Asus, though, just in case.

Thanks again for all the help.

[catacon]

I went ahead and switched to this HD. I figured for $8 more and twice as much space, why not.

[freakitchen]

Only downside to that drive is that it has only 8MB of Cache - the current standard is 16MB, but of course, these drives carry a small price premium. You should go for one if you can afford to.

[catacon]

What about this drive?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136062

Now I'm way over budget, but whatever. I'll just have to work a few extra hours.

[freakitchen]

Yes, that's the one I'd get instead.

[catacon]

I noticed that this RAM will end up being cheaper than what I have now. It is also DDR2 800 instead of 667. Can I use that with the Asus board (I assume it will just downclock it) or would I need the Intel board? Also, is there much difference between 800 and 667?

Thanks!

[Katreat]

With a C2D processor, not OCed, the 667 ram exceeds the processor speed so it is a safe bet. Faster ram wont hurt anything. The 800 ram will work fine, you just wont see any real advantage unless you are overclocking. That ram should work fine with your Mobo.

Kat

[catacon]

Oh man, I should have just bought the parts and forgot about it. Now I have been looking at getting CPU/memory combos and seeing if I can save even more money.

Assuming everything else stays the same (HD, mobo, etc.) here are my options:

1. Corsair VS 2GB DDR2667 Memory & C2D E4400 - $505
2. OCZ Gold 2GB DDR2800 Memory & C2D E4400 - $490
3. OCZ Gold 2GB DDR2800 Memory & C2D E4500 - $510

Number 1 was the original option which is still good. Number 2 is $15 cheaper and has DDR2800 memory (which I guess doesn't really help). Number 3 is $5 more expensive but has the DDR2800 memory and the E4500 which is .2Ghz faster (not really noticable) AND has Virtualization technology. Is the extra $5 worth the .2Ghz and virtulization?

Thanks!

[catacon]

Well I decided on the memory. I think I will stick with the original plan. I have been reading about the OCZ Gold memory and it appears that people have been having some issues with it. I don't know if anyone here knows about it or has had good experiences with it, but it seems a lot of people are get 1 good stick and 1 bad multiple times. So unless someone can change my mind, I think I will stick with the Corsair VS.

I have been rethinking the motherboard and power supply. I think I will go with the Intel board Freakitchen listed. I think I should go with reliability with this instead of performance. While I would like to overclock, it just seems like I would need higher performance parts to notice any real difference.

On to the power supply. I was planning on getting this FSP unit. However, I found this Thermaltake unit which would save me $20. I know both are good brands, so I can't decide is the FSP unit would be that much more reliable. What do you guys think?

Thanks a lot!

[LeftyAce]

You'll have no problems with the Corsair; I'm not sure on the OCZ.
You're probably right on the overclocking decision/parts statement.

I'd go FSP for the powersupply.

[freakitchen]

I'd second all your recent choices, although I'd definitely choose the FSP over the Thermaltake - for a supposedly more 'powerful' unit, the specs are poorer (compare the amps on the +12v rails between the two). Don't let the rebate fool you - the Thermaltake is really only worth $40.

[catacon]

All right, I will stick with the FSP power supply.

I have one more question regarding the DVD burner. Currently I have a IDE drive listed, but I thought it might be nice not to use any IDE drives (which means no bulky cables). So I was wondering how good SATA drives are. Is there any difference between SATA drives and IDE (besides the interface)?

Thanks!

[freakitchen]

No difference at all. I actually forgot to mention that since you're going for the P965 based Intel board, you *should* go SATA for all drives - the IDE controller on these boards is third-party and not so brilliant for compatibility purposes. Pick yourself a Lite-on SATA burner with the features you want.

[catacon]

All right, I picked out this drive. Should be fine.

Well, I think that is everything. I am going to place my order later this evening. I ended up being about $30 over budget, but that's OK. I would rather have a more reliable system and pay a bit more than have an OK system and save some money.

Thanks again for all the help!

[LeftyAce]

Go for a retail drive instead. The one you linked to is OEM so it doesn't come with burning software. Here's one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106072

[catacon]

I actually already have Nero, so I shouldn't need any software.

[catacon]

Well, the parts arrived. I'm going to start building now. One of my big goals for this build is cable management. In previous builds, I have had tons of unorganized cables everywhere, this time it will be different.

One question before I begin: The case I am using, has built-in standoffs a Micro-ATX board (6 of them) and then places to add more standoffs for an ATX board. Will I need these additional standoffs, or will six be enough?

Thanks!

[freakitchen]

Just use exactly as many as there are holes in the motherboard for screws. Cases should come with at least enough for an ATX installation, which is usually 8 i think, so you might have to add a couple more.

[catacon]

All right, I'm not sure I have enough, but I will look. Thanks!