First Build - Comments Please

[skudboy]

Hi guys.

I am a complete newbie and have never built a PC before. I posted some time ago with a view to building one but money was an issue so I'm starting afresh!

I am looking to spend at the most £700-£750 on a machine that is mainly for gaming, watching movies, music, internet and video editing. But also one which I can upgrade and add to over the next few years.

I have already got a wireless mouse and keyboard, widescreen monitor, 5.1 logitech speakers. I'm going slightly over budget and getting Vista Home Premium 32bit to take advantage of the OEM prices.

I live in England so the prices I've got are from ebuyer.com.

This is what I've got:

£165.36 - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping (2.4GHz 1066MHz) Socket 775 L2 8MB Cache (2x4MB (4MB per core pair)) Retail Boxed Processor (1 @ 165.36ea.) [131950]
£72.63 - ASUS P5K AiLifestyle Series iP35 Socket 775 eSATA 8channel Audio ATX Motherboard (1 @ 72.63ea.) [129125]
£57.82 - OCZ 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 CL 4-4-4-15 PLATINUM XTC with LIFETIME WARRANTY (1 @ 57.82ea.) [116755]
£73.13 - Seagate ST3500630AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 16MB Cache 7200RPM - OEM (1 @ 73.13ea.) [113428]
£63.34 - Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU - ATX12V v2.2 APFC (1 @ 63.34ea.) [114945]
£18.34 - Samsung SH-S203B 20X DVD±RW/RAM / DL Serial ATA Black Bare Drive - OEM (1 @ 18.34ea.) [129527]
£178.59 - EVGA 8800GTS SuperClocked 320MB DDR3 DVI PCI-E Graphics Card (1 @ 178.59ea.) [125117]
£70.14 - Antec Nine Hundred - Gaming Case with 200mm Top Fan - No PSU (1 @ 70.14ea.) [118268]
Net Total: £N/A
VAT: £N/A
Gross Total: £699.35

If I could bring the price down abit that would be great but I wouldn't want to sacrifice performance too much.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

[Cricket]

You could save some money if you went with a C2D dual core processors instead of a quad core (doesn't make much sense in a gaming rig).

You don't want to use a Samsung optical drive too...reliability is an issue. Lite-On, LG, NEC, Sony opticals are much better.

Rest of the parts look fine.

Cricket

[shadowpr]

might want to check the price of a e6750 instead of the Q6600. that might bring the price down and still give you great performance.

also might want to get an optical drive that is retail so you can get the software if it comes with it.

[skudboy]

Originally Posted by Cricket You could save some money if you went with a C2D dual core processors instead of a quad core (doesn't make much sense in a gaming rig). You don't want to use a Samsung optical drive too...reliability is an issue. Lite-On, LG, NEC, Sony opticals are much better. Rest of the parts look fine. Cricket

How about these:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129936

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130484

Would I be able to overclock it in the future?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by skudboy How about these: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129936 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130484

The CPU is okay but you want to get a retail SATA DVD burner since it comes with burning software (unless you already have your own burning software). Newer motherboards don't support IDE drives natively, they use third party controller chips that don't always work real good. A SATA DVD burner would be a better choice.

Originally Posted by skudboy Would I be able to overclock it in the future?

Can't help you there...I'm not an overclocker.

Cricket

[Alaron]

This is the optical to go for: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127442

That CPU would be a great choice.

[skudboy]

Thanks guys I'll go for those

[skudboy]

I've ordered everything should get it on Tuesday.

After doing a fair bit of research I'm confident I can assemble it but what do I do when I first turn it on?

I understand that I have to configure the bios, do I leave everything at default settings? Then boot it up again with the Vista DVD in the drive?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by skudboy After doing a fair bit of research I'm confident I can assemble it but what do I do when I first turn it on? I understand that I have to configure the bios, do I leave everything at default settings? Then boot it up again with the Vista DVD in the drive?

First of all, don't assemble the computer in the case yet...you want to see if your core components are good and that means assembling the core parts out of the case. Once you know your core parts are good, check to see which mounting holes in the case line up to the mounting holes in the motherboard (the ones with the metal ring around them) and install the standoffs in the appropriate holes. Install the motherboard and then the power supply and continue with the assembly. Once that's done, power up and go into the BIOS and set the first boot device to the CD-ROM/DVD. Put the Windows CD in the drive and then Save and Exit the BIOS. The computer will reboot to the CD and the installation process will begin. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Cricket

[skudboy]

All the parts came today, 3 hours later I'm posting this on my new PC! It worked perfectly first time!

Thank you to everyone for their help/advice/comments, made life so much easier. Its a really satisfying feeling, if I had the money I'd build another one!

[EM199Si]

Wow congrats, I'm building my first computer soon and this motivates me to do it by myself.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by skudboy All the parts came today, 3 hours later I'm posting this on my new PC! It worked perfectly first time!

Congrats on completing your first computer.

Originally Posted by skudboy Its a really satisfying feeling, if I had the money I'd build another one!

Yeah, it can get addicting...and expensive.

Cricket

[FalvinP]

Skudboy.......... Way to go! I ordered parts for my first new build last night. I'll probably get them from Newegg the first of next week. If I get my new machine up and running in three hours, I'll be in heaven!

Like you, I have received a lot of guidance from members of this forum. It's greatly appreciated.