New to building a PC

[EM199Si]

So I am looking to build a computer for a little bit of gaming, but mainly just for internet purposes(ie. surfing the web, chatting, etc.) I basically want it to run games like HL2, and COD2. So far I already have: monitor, speakers, mouse/keyboard/cd drives. I'm not looking to put a floppy drive in. So anyways, here are the parts I put together. Would I require a modem if I am running DSL?

Case - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811119118

MoBo - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131142

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115003

RAM - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145034

HDD - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148140

OS - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16832116202

Modem - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16825180003

What else do I need? I think the case comes with a PSU already and the MoBo has built in video card as well as sound card. Let me know what you think and what recommendations you have.

[scythe_god]

What is your budget?

I recommend you buy a video card still. The MB video is fine if you don't plan to do any gaming or graphic intensive tasks but seeing as you do plan on playing HL2 and other such games i think you should get a card. The sound card on the MB is still fine

Heres the card i recommend -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130082

or if that is not in your budget try this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130290

That 350 watt power supply is a bit weak for your system, i would recommend you change the case to one that doesn't come with a power supply and buy it separate. I think a 500 watt one would be perfect and give you lots of head room but im not 100%, ask some of the experts about what they think. Stick to Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling and Fortron Source.

Why use a SLI MB when you don't plan to use 2 video cards? Use an asus p5k bored -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131180

You will need a DVD burner, heres the one i recommend -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106057

everything else looks fine. Good luck with the build.

[glc]

1. That motherboard does not have onboard video. Even if it did, you wouldn't want to try to play HL2 and COD2 with it. Budget at least $150 for a video card and get a motherboard with an Intel P35 chipset.

2. The PSU in that case is unsuitable for any build with a PCI-E video card. Budget at least $50 for a replacement, more if you get a strong video card. ATX 2.0 spec required.

3. Modem not needed for DSL, you will use the onboard Ethernet and an external modem provided by your ISP.

4. The E6750 is faster and cheaper than the E6600.

[Katreat]

I would recommend something along these lines:

MB – Asus P5K (P35 board)
CPU – E6750 (faster and cheaper than E6600)
PSU / Case – the Antec Sonata III (This is one of the few cases that come with a decent psu and is a good choice. If it is not to your liking then just chose any case that suits you and put in a quality 450-500w PSU.)
RAM – Corsair XMS 800 2 GB
Video card – 8600 GT (the 8800 GTS is a better gaming card but the 8600 will handle games if you don’t play at the highest settings)
Burner – Lite-on retail burner SATA. (you said you have a burner but newer MB have moved away from IDE so if your current burner is IDE you might should think about replacing. IDE should still work, but IDE support on newer boards is third party and can be buggy)
HD – 320 GB Seagate
OS – Vista home premium.

At work so cant take the time to price it all out, but that would be about my minimum recommendation for a gaming machine. If you need to cut budget a bit I would probably step down on the CPU to the 6550 and keep the MB and Vid Card where they are at.

Kat

Link for good PSU list: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

Link for Video card choices: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/...for_the_money/

[EM199Si]

Updated my list. I'm looking to keep this computer for many years. Newegg didn't have the Seagate 320GB HDD any more so I opted for the 500GB one. Let me know what you think and if everything is compatible.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811119118

MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131180

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130290

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817171018

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115029

Memory: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145034

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148136

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827106057 (This will also act as a CD reader right?)

OS: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16832116202

Total comes out to $929.92 without shipping.

[glc]

Don't get hung up on Coolermaster power supplies - they are not too good. You are not going to get a quality 500 watt power supply for much less than 75 bucks. Look at this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003

The rest of your selections are good.

[EM199Si]

Hows this thermaltake one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153028
Are all PSU's compatible with most cases? Also are all the parts I listed compatible with each other?

[glc]

Why are you resisting the Corsair? That has to be the best sub-$100 power supply made, period. Do NOT cheap out on a power supply, your components are too precious.

[EM199Si]

Alright I swapped the PSU with the Corsair one that you recommended. Is there any info on the procedures of putting together the computer and starting it?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by EM199Si Is there any info on the procedures of putting together the computer and starting it?

PC Mech: Build Your Own PC

Another Build Your Own Computer Tutorial

Cricket

[EM199Si]

Whats the difference betweent he 32 bit and 64 bit Windows Vista? They are the same price as well. Which should I get?

[shadowpr]

If you're getting 4gb or more of ram, then get the 64 bit version. If not, you will be fine with the 32 bit version.

A lot of people say that driver support isn't as good with the 64bit version, but I haven't had any real trouble with that.

[EM199Si]

Alright so I tweaked my build a little. Let me know what you think. Hoping this will last me a few years.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811119077

MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131180

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130038

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817104954

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115029

Memory: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145034

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148138

DVDRW: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827106057

OS: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16832116202

[shadowpr]

Looks good

[pctime1]

Pretty good. And here is another build you can have a look at it :
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=188193

[EM199Si]

OK so I finished building my PC a few days ago. I downloaded the MoBo drivers and Video card drivers. What other drivers/software/etc. do I need to download/install before activation Windows? And why do these things need to be done before activating Windows? For the video card did I need only to download the Nvidia drivers or do I need to download the EVGA one as well?

[liambl]

I've never heard of installing drivers before Windows activation, only that you need to have all the hardware installed. Either Nvidia or Evga drivers. The Nvidia drivers are just the driver and control panel but the Evga may include other utilities that you probably won't need. I just download drivers from the chipset site (Nvidia or ATi).