First Build :-\

[Irwin Z]

Well yeah, I updated it. Will I still need thermal grease, and which one is the best one if I do need it?

I'm trying to get it to go under $1200 (w/ the LCD). Right now it's at $1400. So what should I update in this setup? What is the best power supply to run this thing, and will it cost me significantly more in my electricity bill if I update the wattage? Also, my friend says to get a Retail HD and DVD Player. Should I make that switch?

(Most Expensive to Least)

LCD Monitor - $320.00+
SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1(DC 3000:1) – Retail
• Model #: 226BW
• Item #: N82E16824001096

Video Card - $289.99+
EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card – Retail
• Model #: 320-P2-N811-AR
• Item #: N82E16814130082

CPU - $194.99+
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor – Retail
• Model #: BX80557E6750
• Item #: N82E16819115029

Case - $149.99+
LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII W Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail
• Model #: PC-60BPLUSII W
• Item #: N82E16811112116

Motherboard - $134.99+
ASUS P5K LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
• Model #: P5K
• Item #: N82E16813131180

Power Supply - $99.99+ (Bleh, someone suggested I get Antec NeoPower, and so I'm going to that. Are they way better than Corsair?)
Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
• Model #: NEOHE 550
• Item #: N82E16820145590

Memory (Ram) - $84.99+
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
• Model #: TWIN2X2048-6400
• Item #: N82E16820145034

Hard Drive - $79.99+
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM
• Model #: ST3320620AS
• Item #: N82E16822148140

DVD Burner - $34.99+
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S – Retail
• Model #: LH-20A1S
• Item #: N82E16827106057

DVD Player – $17.99+
LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2S-04 – OEM

[drummerboy92]

You almost definetely don't need a sound card.

Heres a cheaper 8600gts that comes overclocked stock:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127284

You might want to look into an E6750 Core 2 Duo instead of the Q6600 Quad. Just search the threads, there are a lot of them that talk about why to get one or the other.

That RAM won't work. Try this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220144

Or, if you really want Corsair:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034

Corsair has a new PSU on newegg, 550W for $100:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004

[Irwin Z]

Wait, I haven't had the thought to build a comp since 2005, and my initial build was for AMD. I don't know if this has a factor in it, but why won't the current RAM stick work?

Oh yeah, Do I need anything extra to run the CPUs? We still need thermal paste?

[Conundrum]

Originally Posted by Irwin Z Memory (Ram) - $184.99+ CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWINX2048-3200C2PT – Retail

you chose DDR (184 pin) and the motherboard supports only DDR2 (240 pin) Ram.

you could also save a little more with http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145590
for $85, however it is CAS 5 not CAS 4 like you originally chose and drummerboy recommended.
That, and I don't really know how it will affect performance going from cas 4 to cas 5.

[Irwin Z]

Well, that's a drastic save. Any charts showing the difference between the two?

[drummerboy92]

Originally Posted by Irwin Z Oh yeah, Do I need anything extra to run the CPUs? We still need thermal paste?

If you plan on serious overclocking, then you might need a better CPU fan. However, that will void your warranty. I wouldn't recommend overclocking anyway. Too much time, work, and risking high priced parts for me.

[Conundrum]

I was a little curious about the CAS 4 vs CAS 5 myself, as I plan to order my first build this friday (payday )

From a few things I have found so far (link1 , link2) there doesn't seem to be an $80 difference from cas 4 to cas 5, at least in my noobile opinion.
Unless I hear of a dramatic difference from the PC Mechsperts; I plan to stay with the Corsair i posted earlier.

[drummerboy92]

The lower the CAS the better. Here is a link that explains it:
http://corsair.com/_appnotes/Ram_Guy_CAS_Latency.pdf

It isn't the only thing that matters, however. This $160 Corsair was $115 a week ago, they recently up'd the price. I'd go with the Patriot:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220144

Unless the price of this Corsair goes back down to around a hundred, then I'd go with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034

[Irwin Z]

I'll still with the CAS-4 I guess. =| I updated it. Is my setup a little bit better?

[blue60007]

I'd stick with the CAS 5. Sometimes those CAS 4's can be finicky to work with. Also, I don't think you'll see the difference outside of benchmark numbers.

[Irwin Z]

If Cas-5 really has no significant change from a Cas-4, then the buck saved is proper. I'll switch down.

[Katreat]

If you really need to bring the price down I would persoanlly look at the case. You have speced out a very nice gaming machine and I would hate to see you weaken it. On the other hand, $150 for a case is a bit high. Cases are a personal choice, but they dont really do much to make the computer run better. You could save $100 by just buying a nice mid size cool master and it would preform just as good as it would in a Lin case. I like the case you chose, but if you got to cut costs cut them where it wont effect performance.

Same goes for second DVD. There is very little reason to have a second DVD in the case, one works fine, and if you want to burn DVD to DVD you just save it on the HD.

The Corsair PSU is not of a lower quality than the Antec, I would think the opposite is true. However, Antec PSU are generally pretty good so you can go which ever way fits your budget best.

The stock cooler that comes with your CPU will have a termal pad so you dont need thermal paste. Buy the DVD burner retail, so you will get the burning software, but buy the HD and second DVD (if you still fill you need it) OEM. Cable will come with the MB and retail does not give you much if anything else.

As for the ram, I went with CAS-5 and it works fine. I was told by many different sorces that I would probably not notice any difference unless I was into heavy OC'ing.

Kat

[drummerboy92]

Heres a good cheap case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119068

Or for $10 more with more room and better cooling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119137

[Irwin Z]

Alright thanks guys! I want a case like Lian-Li because it looks sleek and smooth. Is it possible to just degrade my VC? I mean, it seems like it's a bit hefty for one.

[Conundrum]

This card seems to be the recommended most often as the bang per buck card/ 8800 alternative.
It's a factory overclocked 8600 for ~$150