First major build - need some opinions

[Arlo012]

So I've taken apart some computers and re-assembled them, etc, but I have never actually put together one from scratch. As a result I would like to consult with some of you guys on this forum first to see what could use some work.

Here's a list of what I had planned:

Mobo: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131142

HD x2 (Planning on running them in RAID 0): Western Digital Caviar 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074

Processor x2: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115002

GPU: GeForce 8600GTS 512MB --- With room to add another one and use SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130286

RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231148

Parts from this point on I already own, and as a result I'm not looking to replace them unless absolutely necessary.

PSU: 650 Watts, BFG Tech
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817702003

DVD/CD drive (no link, sorry -- self explanatory though)
CD Burner (no link either)
Wireless card (don't remember if it's PCI or PCI express -- and still no link)
Case: ATX mid tower case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144151

I'm pretty sure I covered it all.... but please feel free to give your suggestions. This is just my original plan, and I'd have a hard time believing that I got it right the first time.

Thanks again,
Jeff

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Arlo012 Here's a list of what I had planned: Mobo: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131142

It's best to use a motherboard with a Intel chipset if you're using a Intel processor. And SLi really isn't worth it unless you run two high end video cards...two lesser video cards in SLi won't come close to the performance of one high end video card.

Originally Posted by Arlo012 HD x2 (Planning on running them in RAID 0): Western Digital Caviar 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074

We don't recommend using RAID 0 because of the chances of complete data loss if one hard drive goes bad. And the performance of RAID 0 really isn't that much better than running a single hard drive...the risks outweigh the benefits.

Originally Posted by Arlo012 Processor x2: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115002

I'd get a E6750 instead...same speed, faster FSB (1333 vs. 1066) for almost half the cost. And why did you put the x2 after Processor? Did you plan to buy two?

Originally Posted by Arlo012 GPU: GeForce 8600GTS 512MB --- With room to add another one and use SLI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130286

I would get a 8800 video card now (GT, GTS, GTX or Ultra) instead of two 8600s...it's been shown that one 8800 will outperform two 8600 in SLi. You end up spending less in the long run.

Originally Posted by Arlo012 RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) SDRAM DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231148

To make use of all 4GB of RAM you need to get a 64 bit operating system. If you use a 32 bit OS the computer will only use about 3.2GB of RAM even with 4GB installed.

Originally Posted by Arlo012 PSU: 650 Watts, BFG Tech http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817702003

BFG power supplies aren't too good...been hearing of some arriving DOA or dying soon after the computer is built.

Originally Posted by Arlo012 DVD/CD drive (no link, sorry -- self explanatory though) CD Burner (no link either)

Are the IDE or SATA optical drives?

Originally Posted by Arlo012 Case: ATX mid tower case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144151

The case is fine, just don't use APEVIA power supplies, they're terrible.

Cricket

[Arlo012]

Motherboard: Could you direct me to a motherboard that has an Intel chipset? I was under the impression that because the Asus motherboard was called an "Intel Motherboard" that it would be perfectly compatible.

Hard drive: So what would you recommend for the hard drive? Previously I was considering buying one 10k RPM HD for OS, etc, and adding a second (larger) one for mass data. Would that be best, or would you recommend just a standard one HD configuration (because 320 gigs is plenty for me... the only reason I would go for two HDs is for speed benefits, and if RAID 0 is too risky for that it doesn't seem logical).

Processor: Ok, that makes perfect sense.... and I put x2 because I was under the impression that you had to purchase two of them (as each box would have one processor in it). Please, PLEASE correct me on that though.... that's one heck of a mistake either way.

GPU: Alright, that makes sense to me. How much of a difference does the memory size make a difference though? Because an 8800 GTS has 640MB and an 8800 GTX has 768 MB. Eventually I will probably upgrade to SLI, however at this point prices are high for these (a little under $200 difference between them...). I'm sure the GTX is better, but is the difference in performance worth that much?

RAM: It can't hurt to have 4 GB RAM and only be able to use 3.2 of them, right? Because eventually 64bit will become more mainstream and stable so it would be usable then (when I upgrade).

PSU: I've been using this PSU for a little under a year and it's had no problems so far...

CD/DVD Drives: Pretty sure they're IDE.... so they're gonna need replacing too presumably.

Case: Good -- no use spending for no reason.

Thanks again Cricket, this is a huge help!

Jeff

[Jimmy0]

Motherboard: I would go with the Asus P5K

GFX: I would get an 8800GT 512MB, if you can find it, check out some benchmarks and you will see that they outperform the GTS and come close to the GTX (so much that a GTX isn't really worth the performance/cost ratio).

CD/DVD Drives: I would personally get SATA drives if you can afford them into your budget. If you have no real need for two drives, you can just get one DVDRW drive and run with that and possibly add another at a later date if you really need too.

[Arlo012]

The Asus P5K motherboard isn't SLI compatible though.... that seems to defeat the purpose of having room to upgrade (via SLI in this case).

I checked out the benchmarks, and you're definitely right -- the 8800 GT looks good. I was considering something like this

It's overclocked by default, however from reading the reviews the temperature worries me. Would I be better off buying a cheap water cooling system like this or instead buying a cheaper card and then manually overclocking it myself (if I feel the need)?

[flanzig1]

For Sli, should really run Sli Certified PSUs and one that is rated for the type of cards you want to run. It looks like that the BFG isn't certified for Sli.

[Arlo012]

flanzig1: The box to the PSU is sitting here on my desk and it says "Dual PCI express connectors. Dedicated power for SLI graphics."

Unless there's some official seal or something I was assuming that's the best it gets.

[shadowpr]

http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html