First Build - Feedback?

[Synthros]

I'm planning to build my first PC. The list I've selected at this point includes :


ZALMAN Z-MACHINE GT1000-B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811235005

Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121059

Intel Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146565

Thermaltake W0106RU 700W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153039

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136012

EVGA 640-P2-N825-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130080

I need to keep this build under $2500, so I probably have a little play from this setup.
Would be very interested in any advice/constructive criticism etc.
I did consider an Asus Mboard but the comments on Newegg were so all over the place, I thought I'd play it a little safer? Thanks.

[Cricket]

The chipset on that Intel motherboard is actually pretty old, you might want to look at one of the P35 motherboards...much more current technology.

You may want to check to see if that RAM will work with that motherboard...it's CAS 4 and you may end up with stability issues. You might want to consider CAS 5 RAM instead.

I wouldn't get a Raptor...the cost per gigabyte is ridiculous. I would get a Seagate 7200.10 16MB cache SATA II HDD as these give near Raptor performance for a lot less and give you a lot more storage space for your money.

And I wouldn't use a Thermaltake power supply, I'd use something with a better reputation. All 3 of my home computers have Fortron Source PSUs in them and I've never had a problem with any of them of any of the ones I've installed in computers I build for others.

Cricket

[Synthros]

Thanks for the feedback the new config factoring in your suggestions and looking some more is looking like :

Zalman Z-Machine Case

(2)Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA

FSP Group (Fortron Source) Everest 800 ATX12V V2.2/EPS V2.91 800W PSU

DFI LP UT NF680I LT SLI-T2 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

OCZ Platinum 4GB(4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB

I realize that 4Gb RAM isn't strictly neccessary, but at $165 it seems pretty reasonable and I don't have to worry about upgrading it later. Point well taken on the Raptor and Seagate is clearly a fave around here. How does this look?

[drummerboy92]

If you want to save some money, you might want to consider getting an 8800gts instead. $530 vs. $370. Here are some charts to show the performance difference. Your choice:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphi...=706&chart=318

8800gts:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130071

[Synthros]

Point taken and that knocks $160 off the build, thanks.

[drummerboy92]

You never did mention what you planned on using this computer for...?

[Synthros]

A little of everything. I definately do some gaming so while I'd like to keep up it isn't neccessary to have an "exteme gaming machine". Some video editing. Mainly it's to satisfy my need for a new toy . My current box (an insanely overpriced Alienware) is about three years old. Certainly serviceable but I want to 1.) upgrade and 2.) learn to do it myself. These boutique built boxes are just to high dollar and I can't justify going that route again when I can do it myself so much cheaper. I'm glad I bumped into this site, I have a feeling I'll be here alot one I get the components and start building it. So while most current components will have a huge advantage over my P4 3.4 and ATI 850XT, I want to build something that I can stick with for awhile and keep the overall cost reasonable so I can add to it later.

One other question, if I am not looking neccesssarily to overclock do I still need to look at a CPU cooling solution or sould I wait and see if it's neccessary? thanks again for the info.

[drummerboy92]

If you don't plan on overclocking the stock CPU fan will be fine. About overclocking, this is what another person on this forum said, and I personally agree with them:
"Overclocking will void your warranty too.

Personally, I don't even mess with overclocking...I prefer to just run my computers at stock speeds for stability and reliability...and I'm just not that interested in it, I have many other things to do with my free time then just play with my computers.

Overclocking isn't something you just do on a whim...you have to do your home work first, be prepared to spend more money on high quality parts, understand all the risks involved (like data corruption and possibly dead/fried parts) and possibly re-installing your OS numerous time. If you don't want to face any of these things, don't overclock."

Another thing, if your not running "high-end" complicated programs that can take advantage of multiple cores, this Core 2 Duo is very closely matched with the CPU you have picked out now, and is $80 cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115029

Charts showing performance comparison between the E6750 and the Q6600:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_20...=871&chart=440

If you change the different Apps on the third drop down menu on that web page, you'll see that in some programs the Q6600 is better, but in others the E6750 is better. In general, the E6750 is better when running current games, since most can only use a single core. If you are a serious multi-tasker and like playing games, web-surfing, listening to music, and burning CDs all at once, then go with the Quad Core. The Quad Core is also more future proof. Your choice.

[Synthros]

More good advice, thanks again. I'm going to stick with the quad-core and proably go ahead and order the list fairly soon unless you or anyone else see anything else. I'm really building this just for the joy of doing it, so I can't really go wrong unless I just select poor components but I think that's pretty much ironed out and it's down to preferences. thanks again.

[flanzig1]

Would look at the Asus P5K series of motherboards, they have the latest chipsets for the newer Intel CPUs. The DFI board you listed is more for the advanced builder that likes to tweek things and wants Sli.
As for the PSU, 800w is overkill, could go with the Corsair HX520 and would power the GTX just fine.

[Synthros]

I was thinking that if I had the right MBoard and PSU now, I could always make it an SLI rig later if I wanted to. Does that make sense?

Current list looks like :

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154 $150

DFI LP UT NF680I LT SLI-T2 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136035 $260

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/product/Produc...82E16819115029 $195

OCZ Platinum 4GB(4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227252 $190

FSP Group (Fortron Source) Everest 800 ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104043 $205

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130071 $370

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148136 (X2)$240

PLEXTOR Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW SATA Super Multi DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827249020 $75

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/Produc...82E16832116213 $180

Unless I'm thinking screwy with the SLI later idea in which case I could knock down the PSU and probably the MBoard. Is there anything about this lineup that might cause problems?

Thanks again this board has been a huge help in getting me to look at some different ideas/options.

[Alaron]

We generall discourage SLI. A single powerful card, like the 8800GTS in your list is more then enough for any new games. And most people find that by the time they are ready for a second video card, Nvidia has released a new line of cards that are better values anyway. I'd stick with a proven combo like the Asus P5K and a single card.

Your list is very solid. I just see a few things.

You'll need Vista 64bit to use all 4GB of RAM. A 32bit OS will only show 3.2GB. You can still install all 4 though. Just wanted to point that out.

Take a look at LiteOn DVD Burners. Plextor's are great, but they aren't any faster then a $40 LiteOn.

[Synthros]

Point taken on the SLI.

Any info on the difference in these two PK5 boards? They're within $5 of each other.

ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131182

ASUS P5K PREMIUM/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131190.

If I go with 64-bit Vista am I better off with the Q6600 vs the E6750 ? Or is that not a big deal? It's about an $80 difference, not a deal breaker either way.

thanks

[flanzig1]

Those 2 board are basicly the same, the Premium comes with the WIFI antenna/extra cables/assorted extra connection ports.
The type of CPU that an OS uses is of minor importance compared to what apps will be using the CPU.

[Gen.Ben]

Unless you are really set on that case. I really think it's a rip off. It's $400.

You can get some of the best cases for cheaper than that.

See if any these appeal to you
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...d&Order=PRICED
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...d&Order=PRICED

If you get a Silverstone or Lian Li case, you wont have to get a new case for probably ever. They are very sturdy and alot better than that Zalman case.

Why is that Zalman case $400 anyways?
I'd say some of the lower end Lian Li cases compare to that Zalman.

[drummerboy92]

Originally Posted by Synthros Current list looks like : Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154 $150

He picked a new case. That Thermaltake looks good.

[Synthros]

I wanted to say a big thank to everyone who responded for all the information and advice. I ordered the latest parts list and Newegg had it all to me in about 72 hours. I was a little daunted a first but I just kept connecting things, lots of things, lots of connections . Plugged it all up turned it on and BINGO! new computer. I can't believe I've never done this myself, before. The only things left to do are stick in another fan at the top of the case (it came with it so why not?). Tidy up the cables (that could be interesting). And go splurge on a new monitor. I was so pumped that it worked the first time, I was dreading what I had thought would be an agonizing troubleshooting period, but the information on these forums, the great advice and reading a ton of Newegg feedback on each component really made it a cinch. Thanks again! And if can ask one more thing, would anyone care to reccommend a monitor? I'm thinking 22-24" widescreen. I gotta go play around with Vista a little more.

[joytime365]

All in all quite good set-up ,and what are you going to do with your pc .

[Synthros]

Excellent question. Buy and sell stocks, surf the web. Edit and burn some DVD's. PLay Bioshock at insane resolutions. Pound away at Excel. Oh yeah, and just look at it because man is it pretty! I added :

ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan with Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118223

And while I realize that someone may tell me that I don't really need it and they will probably be right, it [I]looks[I] very cool! The whole interior of the case has a kickin blue glow! Heh I'm like a little kid, I know. But this has been s great experience and alot of fun. If I hadn't found this board I don't know if I still would have gone thru with it. Thanks again.