Computer Build Advice/Suggestions

[Unoriginal Name]

Hi,

I am looking to build a new system. I have always been a store bought computer buying, just walking in to the store and picking up a system already built for me but I have been thinking about building my own for quite some time.

As far as what my wife and I currently use the computer for: general internet surfing (although wife wants to start to download music), e-mail, some gaming (simulation games like SimCity or Age of Empires, other games like Syberia).

We would possibly like a system that we could use to watch/record television shows.

I have been looking at the following components suggested by someone on another board:

CPU: Intel E2140

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P31-S3G

Memory: Wintec Ampo DDR2-800 2GB

Video: Gigabyte GV-NX86T256H 8600GT 256MB Video Card

Video Capture: Hauppage WINTV-HVR1800 MCE Combo (Right now I only get HD video through connecting the cable line to my television. I do not have digital cable or satelite right now.)

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar 500GB

Case: Cooler Master Centurion 534

Power Supply: Rosewill RV-430 430W

DVD/CD Drive: Samsung 20x DVD/CD Burner

I will not be connecting this to my HDTV. I have a DLP and the manual recommends not connecting it. I will be buying a monitor to use with this.

It has been awhile since I've looked at new computers so I am not really sure where to start. I don't really know what type of components to be looking at and what is good enough for what I want to do. I want something that will work great for what we want to do now but also not become outdated very quickly. Can I get any suggestions/changes? My budget is probably $500-$1000.

Thanks in advance,

[Masaki 7-11]

A few suggestions, firstly regarding your power supply, it's got enough power, but the quality is poor, a company like antec or thermaltake provide much more reliable power supplies. Regarding your video card, it will work fine with the games you mentioned, however there are two more options you might want to take a look at first before you decide.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125075
This video card is somewhat similar to the one you picked out, it's got the same type of heatsink and is made by the same company, as well it also provides similar performance. The difference comes mostly from the video decoding which is better than the 8600gt and costs a little bit less.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102034
This video card is the same price as the video card you picked out, but has an active cooling solutions and provides a lot more performance in games than the 8600gt.

[Unoriginal Name]

Ok I made a few changes. I am still looking for a good power supply and case in about the same range I am already in.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail - 170


ASUS P5K-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - 140


GIGABYTE GV-RX26T256H Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail - 97

VisionTek TV Wonder 650 PCI HDTV Tuner w/Remote 900191 PCI Interface - Retail - 130

Wintec Ampo DDR2-800 2GB - 37

Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - 100

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM - 32

Cooler Master Centurion 534 - 50

Rosewill RV-430 430W - 35

Vista 64-bit Home Premium OEM - 111


I have a couple more questions:

1) How does the RAM work? On the motherboard specifications it says Memory standard is 1066 but the RAM I have in my list is 800. Will that work?

2) How much would the speed of the computer change if I was to switch out the processor for a E2180? ( I don't know if I want to Overclock or not yet. What would this do?)

3)Would I be better served to get a external tuner card instead of internal to cut down on heat inside the case? Would there be any drawback to this?

I'm sure I went overkill on some things but I want to build something that will last for awhile and be able to make some upgrades to in the future without starting over.

Thanks again for the suggestions/advice.

[Masaki 7-11]

Regarding the power supply, this is a good power supply from good brand, but it seems it's not too good for overclocking, a more expensive mother board (around $60) will be needed if you want to overclock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171028

The case should be fine, it's a good price, a good brand and has enough ventilation.

One more thing regarding your build, I would recommend staying away from vista 64-bit or xp 64-bit, both are much slower than the 32-bit versions and only provide some benefits if you are using 4GB or more of ram.

Regarding you questions:

1) The memory standard in the motherboard specifications state the maximum speed of ram it supports, however all motherboards are backwards compatible to some degree regarding speed of ram, the type of ram you picked out for your system should work fine.

2)Regarding the change of speed moving from E6650 to E2180, I can't give you an exact answer, but I can tell you what kind of changes are in the processors.
....................E6550...................................E2180
FSB.............1333MHz.................................800Mhz
Frequency....2.33GHz..................................2.0GHz
Cache.............4MB......................................1MB
There are quite a number of different changes in the specs and performance, but either one should provide you with enough power for your current uses. The E6550 would be a better choice if you want a more future-proof computer.

3) Internal TV Tuners are generally better quality than external TV Tuners, are cheaper and have more bandwith to work with than external TV Tuners. Normally TV Tuners don't provide too much heat, so if you have decent case ventilation, it won't be a problem.

[Unoriginal Name]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 A few suggestions, firstly regarding your power supply, it's got enough power, but the quality is poor, a company like antec or thermaltake provide much more reliable power supplies. Regarding your video card, it will work fine with the games you mentioned, however there are two more options you might want to take a look at first before you decide. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125075 This video card is somewhat similar to the one you picked out, it's got the same type of heatsink and is made by the same company, as well it also provides similar performance. The difference comes mostly from the video decoding which is better than the 8600gt and costs a little bit less. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102034 This video card is the same price as the video card you picked out, but has an active cooling solutions and provides a lot more performance in games than the 8600gt.

I have narrowed my choices of video card to these three:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...075&Tpk=2600xt

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161178

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102703

All three are versions of the 2600XT. The last two are 512MB instead of 256MB. Which is the better choice?

[Alaron]

There isn't going to be performance difference between them, all being the same model. I'd go with the HIS model, extra ram and a lower price.

[Unoriginal Name]

How is this psu?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153042

[Masaki 7-11]

That's a very good power supply, it will handle overclocking and it will let you upgrade to a high end video card in the future.

[Unoriginal Name]

Thanks for all your help. I placed my order now the waiting game begins. In case you were wondering here is what I finally went with.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASUS P5K-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
Video Card: HIS Hightech H260XTF512DDN-R Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card
Video Capture: VisionTek TV Wonder 650 Combo PCIe HDTV Tuner PVR w/Remote 900192 PCI-Express x1 Interface
Memory: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8002GK
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Optical Drive: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM
Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 - Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with Front USB, Firewire and Audio Ports
Power Supply: Thermaltake Purepower W0129RU ATX12V 600 W Power Supply
Operating System: Vista 64-bit Home Premium OEM



Thanks again for all your help. I really appreciate it.

[InfiniteGrim]

oops im a little late, i guesss i should have scrolled down. Did it come yet? How well does it run?

[Tin]

Darn Im a few days late. I wouldve chocked up another $15 and got a PC Power and Cooling Silencer 610. Im not a big fan of the Thermaltake Purepower series, but their Toughpower units are nice.

[Unoriginal Name]

Originally Posted by InfiniteGrim oops im a little late, i guesss i should have scrolled down. Did it come yet? How well does it run?

The build was a bit problematic. I hadn't quite installed the motherboard properly and it kept getting shorted out by the board. I finally remedied that situation and it ran great for a day. Today I fire it up install my tuner card and restart and bam "USB device overcurrent detected" and the computer won't load. I call Asus and they say it needs to be RMA'd. Guess I'll be out a computer for a couple more weeks.

[core2duofreak]

quality build. For the processor, ram, and video card you're using, you'll be able to play a lot more graphic intensive games than the ones you originally mentioned. =)

[Unoriginal Name]

I don't buy new computers all that often. I started out wanting to build one cheap but as I went along I decided I wanted to spend a little more money and get something that will last me a good long while. Hopefully this will fit the bill.

Incidentally, I tried building the system on a cardboard box and everything worked out just fine so I must be shorting it with the case. So last night I put everything back in the case and took extra care not to go too tight with anything so as to avoid shorting out. So far so good, hopefully I won't have to RMA the motherboard.