Building Computer Help Needed!

[wildfire]

Hi Im building a computer with these parts. Im gonna use the computer for mostly gaming.

I wanna know whether or not these parts are compatible with each other. I also wanna know whether or not I'm missing some crucial parts. I'd also like to know if these parts are crap and I shouldnt buy them. And if you could point me to a replacement that works much better. I wanna keep the computer below $1200.

CPU+MOTHERBOARD : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...MBM-975X-Q6600

2GB RAM : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...874&CatId=2368

VIDEO CARD : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...396&CatId=1826

COMPUTER CASE+POWER SUPPLY : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...p?sku=ULT40034

CPU FAN : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...7363&CatId=139

HARD DRIVE : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...1955&CatId=134

MONITER : Going to use old comps one.

CASE FANS : Comes with the computer case.

SPEAKERS : Going to use old comps one.

MOUSE+KEYBOARD : Going to use old comps one.

CD ROM/DVD ROM Drive : Going to use old comps one.

Thanks to anyone that helps me.

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EDITS :

Going to get a Sata Hard Drive instead.

[dogdude16]

Get a sata harddrive interface, its the future and think about a Seagate or western digital.

[wildfire]

Originally Posted by dogdude16 Get a sata harddrive interface, its the future and think about a Seagate or western digital.

the problem with that is that the motherboard has sata ports or w/e. but when i check the mobo's specs, it says hard drive types : ata 133.

wd and sea gate didnt have any ata 133 and whenever i look at sata hard drives, they all say something like "hard drive typer serial ata 150/300" and the mobo says ata 133 not sata 150/300

im only 13 and not the smartest pickle in a jar

[liambl]

A SATA 150 or 300 hdd will work fine in that motherboard, and they're a much better choice as they are faster, cheaper and more future proof. The IDE connector is provided for backward compatibility. I know you probably won't get the cpu+mobo deal but you may want to go for a P35 chipset based mobo, they're more future proof and support the core2duos and quads with the xx50 model number, not saying that 975X won't suffice

BTW just curious if you are building this yourself?

[wildfire]

hmm ok. and no, im gonna get some help from my dad but it doesnt seem that hard to put it all together.

SO you''re saying that it would be much better to get a mobo like this? p35 chipset.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...920&CatId=1533

i dont know if its good or not because the feedback is all over the place, people saying its good then others saying lit sucks. but if I got this mother board I could save $50 i guess..

BTW what do raid drivers and marvel drivers do? just used to update your sata ports or something? Im reading all the feeedback.

[Katreat]

I have to agree with other posters. Look at P35 chipset MB, the Asus P5K series is nice, but there are a few other quality ones out there. The chipset is the newest and is designed for the new quad cores. Definately go SATA on the Harddrive, seagate usually gets the nod here because they have the longest warrenty and a great reputation. You dont really need an after market cpu cooler. The stock one that comes with the CPU will work fine unless you are doing extream OC'ing. Also, use of a aftermarket cooler will void your warrenty on your cpu.

check out this list for the good/bad in PSUs.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

I can not even find XVS on it so you might want to do a little reserch into the PSU quality. Cases are pretty much personal choice, they will all work, but a bad PSU, can take alot of components with it when it goes out so it is better use a quality PSU that has protections built in to protect your other components.

Finally, I would recommend you price your system out on Newegg. I have bought things from Tiger before, but from everything I hear if you have a bad part or need to return something they dont make it easy. Newegg probably has the best customer service going and always makes it easy to return and replace items. So at least price your system out there and see how they compair.

Kat

[wildfire]

Mmmmm....I'll look into those mobos but I got my paper route in like 10 mintues.. so I should get a better psu cause if it breaks than my whole comp can break huh O.O. damnit -.-

I think I'm going to stick with the psu I have now since the feedback for it seems pretty good, they all say it works. Anyways the case and power supply has a lifetime warranty

Im thinking about changing to a p5k asus but I'll have to find one first.

[flanzig1]

Would look to get the case without a PSU and buy a good quailty PSU like Antec/Enermax/FSP/Corsair. Ultra PSUs are TigerDirect's house brand and are fair at best. Since you seem to be building a fairly high end gamer, don't cheap out on the PSU.

[wildfire]

Hmmm ok. I think I will get a PSU from one of these brands then. PC Power & Cooling or Fortron Source. Im gonna get like a $50 to $100 to computer case then since now my comp is very close to $1200. Im trying to find a Asus p5k mobo currently but may or may not get one but we'll see.

[Icyman23]

oh: one more thing...it is highly advisible to buy an anti-static wristband if you dont have one

btw: im also 13 and not so smart....

[wildfire]

Originally Posted by Icyman23 oh: one more thing...it is highly advisible to buy an anti-static wristband if you dont have one btw: im also 13 and not so smart....

Anti-Static Wrist bands are a joke though I'd ahve to say. Touch some metal and work on like ur wood floors or something and theres no way in hell you'd electricute yourself putting a machine together .

Are there certain specifics for a power supply to work with the case/mobo? If mine don't fit or any parts don't fit or suck, please let me know.

Oh and to that person that said I should keep the stock fan on my CPU, the CPU doesnt come with a fan and says it has to be bought seperately.

Here are some changes I've done. Ive gotten a sata hard drive, better PSU, different Video Card that supports my moniter (VGA). Ive decided not to get an Asus P5K because they are $400 for the cheapest one. I'd rather stick with the motherboard I originally picked out thats only $200 since it will work fine.

Here is build as of now. Total = $1200 EXACTLY, o.o. I'd still like some suggestions though .

CPU+MOBO $550 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...MBM-975X-Q6600

CPU FAN $20 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&Sku=S457-1035

PSU $230 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...720&CatId=2533

VIDEO CARD $160 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...967&CatId=1560

2GB RAM $80 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...874&CatId=2368

HARD DRIVE $80 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...7363&CatId=139

COMPUTER CASE $80 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&Sku=T925-4102

MONITER+MOUSE+KEYBOARD+SPEAKERS : Going to use old comps ones.

CASE FANS : Comes with the computer case.

CD ROM/DVD ROM Drive : Going to use old comps one.

I have Modem, network cards etc already.

[Alaron]

The Intel motherboard in your list uses an older chipset that does not support the new CPUs with 1333Mhz FSB. Go with the Asus P5K. It is $212 on TigerDirect.ca, and buying an Intel Q6600 with it is the same price as your bundle.
Motherboard:http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...406&CatId=3355
CPU: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...631&CatId=2758 This CPU is Retail and will come with a heatsink/fan as well. So you can skip the Masscool unit.

Your power supply is overkill for the 8600GT. You can use a 450w unit easily.

The other components look good.

And on a Moderator note, please watch your language, censored or not. This is a family forum. Thanks.

[wildfire]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....... OK But can you explain to me how to upgrade your bios since I've never done it before and the feedback for the p5k is all over place.

How do you upgrade your bios because it says I will have to if Im gonna use a p5k asus?

It says I have to upgrade raid drivers or marvel drivers or something, how do I do that too?

Should I also get a surge protector because I read that your computer will brake if you get a black out or something without one?

Also, if I used that 750 watt psu, would my comp break because it uses too much watts of power????

How can I tell the difference between the red and black sata ports?

I wanna know how to upgrade the things like while im building the computer because I read that the cpu won't work unless you "flash upgrade bios" or something like that. I'd greatly appreciate if anyone answered those 5 questions.

[Alaron]

The P5K supports the Q6600 out of the box. You won't need to upgrade the BIOS.

You only have one hard drive, so you also don't have to worry about RAID drivers. Your motherboard will come with a disc for LAN drivers and any other drivers you might need.

Yes, always use a surge protector for your machine.

The computer only uses the wattage it needs, so you can use that unit no problem. I'm suggesting you can save money on a lower wattage unit. Your 8600GT doesn't need that much power. (Video cards are the biggest draw on a PSU).

According to the manual, Asus recommends using the red connectors for the first two drives, then the black connectors. So with just one drive, plug it into a red.

[wildfire]

Ok then, Whats a good brand company that makes surge protectors or just give me a link to a good one please. I'll look into surge protectors myself though too .

I think I'm going to get a 600 or 700 watt system supply by OCZ. Because I played with some watt calc and it would seem the comp will take around 501 watts. The video card alone takes 350 watts o.o. video cards really do take loads of power o.o.

Oh and how can you tell whether or not your video card will need to be directly connected into the power supply????

Theres all these sections under power protection in the link I provided. Which one am I to be looking at o.o.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...wer-Protection

Surge Suppressors (54)
UPS Battery Backups under 700VA (22)
UPS Battery Backup 700VA and more (58)
UPS - Rackmount (11)
Power Inverters (12)
Power Strips (11)
Replacement Batteries Wizard
UPS Replacement Batteries (3)
Power Distribution Units (5)
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Ive decided on this 600 watt power supply. The part that appealed to me was "Overvoltage/Overcurrent/Short-Circuit protection"
Btw whats MTBF:100,000 hours mean.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...557&CatId=1483

[Alaron]

The recommended power supply wattage you see with a video card includes the system as well. So if it says 350w minimum, that means the system as a whole should be on 350w, the card doesn't need all of that power on its own. Just to clarify that. However, your OCZ unit is solid.

The 8600GT doesn't require a PSU connection. It has no plug on it.

You want to look into "Surge Supressors". APC and Tripplite would be my brand choices.

MTBF means "Mean Time Before Failure".

[wildfire]

Ok cool, ty. Im thinking about purchasing off newegg now though lol, I forgot that the canadian dollars have went up, like sky rocketing. 1 us dollar is now about 97 cents canadian so i might purchase off newegg but who knows.

[wildfire]

For the surge surpressor, this is the most popular one bought.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...3934&CatId=232

Do I plug it into the wall and use it like a outlet extension?

Should I use the phone line and internet slots too?

Whats the difference between the 5 surge protected outlets and the 3 transformer spaced outlets.

Whats the Coaxial surge protection slot thing.

One more thing, for building the computer, should I buy windows vista and stick the disk in right in when I finish assembling the computer.

[flanzig1]

That is a good unit.
That unit provides surge protection for the 3 common types of internet service: dial-up/DSL,cable, and network. Use the one for your type of connection.
The 3 spaced outlets are for electronics that use an external power supply(wall wart).

[wildfire]

Ok, But do I have to get windows vista and install it on the computer after you finish assembling the computer, like very first thing to do?

Anyways, here is my setup as of now.

CPU+CPU FAN $330 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...631&CatId=2758

MOBO $220: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...406&CatId=3355

Video Card $160 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...967&CatId=1560

PSU $100 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...557&CatId=1483

2GB RAM $80 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...874&CatId=2368

HARD DRIVE $80 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...7363&CatId=139

COMPUTER CASE $80 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&Sku=T925-4102

SURGE SUPRESSOR $50 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...3934&CatId=232

I have these already : MONITER+CASE FANS+SPEAKERS+MOUSE+KEYBOARD+CD ROM/DVD ROM DRIVE+NETWORK CARD.

Still taking in suggestions, Ive changed pretty much my whole build that I had at the start of this thread o.o.

If this build is good, all I'm looking into now is like What Vista Or Xp to get.

oo, look at the difference between us and canadian money now o.o.... 1 US is now $0.9944 O.O Im getting richer every day now http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/co...submit=Convert

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GETTING 320GB HARD DRIVE $100 : http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&Sku=TSD-320AS

[flanzig1]

If you can go the extra $20, go for the Seagate 320g with the 16m cache. The one you picked is the 8 m cache. http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...8595&CatId=139
As for XP or Vista, it can be a toss-up. If you are used to XP then XP but for DX10 games you need Vista.
Once the PC is working in the case(can get to the BIOS), set an optical drive to first boot device(in the BIOS). Put the Windows install CD/DVD into the drive,save changes into BIOS and exit. System should boot to the Windows disc.

[wildfire]

Oh cool, Im gonna use vista though since im gonna need dx 10. probably gonna get 64 bit. is there a difference with 8 m cache and 16 m cache? whats cache do? On my 160gb drive i have right now Ive only used 40 of it so I dont think i need 320g, but i dunno what cache does.

[flanzig1]

The bigger the Cache on a hard drive, the less time for the HD to transfer data to and from the system.

[wildfire]

Hmm, ok. I Think Ill go for the 320gb hard drive then.

Another thing, I might try overclocking for my first time with this comp when I buy it, do you think it would be possible to overclock the cpu from 2.4ghz to 2.8ghz? Im reading lots of tutorials on how to overclock.

If I were to ever risk the computer by overclocking. I would keep the cpu's temp like 10 degrees celsius BELOW AVERAGE and then try overclocking to keep the risk of frying the comp to a minimal. Does overclocking actually void your warranties!??!!??!!?

[Alaron]

You can probably do that overclock. Can't say for sure because every chip has more or less tolerance for it. You do void your warranty by overclocking, but chips these days have thermal protection built in to prevent themselves from overheating. Honestly, its easier to just keep things at stock settings. You wouldn't really see any difference.

And just a note, Newegg doesn't ship to Canada. You might check www.ncix.com prices to see if they are any better.

[flanzig1]

Basicly, OCing voids the limited warranty. From the booklet that comes with an Intel CPU: "Limited warranty does NOT cover any Product which has been modified or operated outside of Intel's publicly available specifications"

[wildfire]

Rats if it voids warranties than I'll stick tos tock than -.-.
Grrrr... I hate newegg now!
Guess I'll compare prices at ncix now!

NCIX is cheaper BUT the site is set up poorly, it doesnt tell you the items specification for a couple of the things I looked at and it just seems highly unprofessional and unorganised. I dont really like it but I'll buy from them since I can save some money. Actually NVM, Im not going to save 25 bucks and buy from them ill stick to tigerdirect. I might get a motherboard off of pccanada though, its only $150 there too.

I had to look up model numbers to find out if they were same, The video card is diffrent though, it changed from biostar 8600 gt to a EVGA 8600 gt.

RAM = +$50
CPU+FAN = -$10
MOBO = -$70
HARD DRIVE = -$5
VIDEO CARD = -$30
SURGE SUPPRESSOR = -$5
COMPUTER CASE = +0

I found specs for, mobo, cpu, psu, ram
No specs for video card, surge supressor, computer case

[wildfire]

So I guess I have a pretty solid computer build now, but what windows vista verson should I get?? Im just going to be using it for gaming (mostly). I think that I need Vista home premium 64 bit but Im not too sure, but anyways......

Whats an OPK? Some of the feedback says you require an OPK to install the windows Vista. Is this even the Vista install disk!?!?!? BTW Whats OEM mean? Hey I jsut realised theres a 32 bit and a 64 bit... What difference?!?!?!

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...4283&CatId=306

This is the cheaper Vista Basic, should I get basic or prem??!?!!??!

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...4277&CatId=306

[scythe_god]

The difference between 64 bit and 32 bit basically is how much information the OS can possess at once. I think 32 bit can support 3.25 gb of ram and the 64 bit can support a maximum of 6.5 gb. So it just depends on if you think you will add more ram in the future and if you do how much. Its your choice, both are good.

I'm not a computer expert so i cant answer your other questions sorry.

[wildfire]

Ok, so 1 difference is ram intake, There really no way I will go above 3.25gb of ram so currently, Im siding with 32 bit. BUt Ill wait til someone answeres all the questions Ive put up.