First time builder! Could use some help please

[warrenlightning]

Hello everyone!

As the title reads, this is my first adventure into building my own PC! I've been doing my homework over the past months and I've decided that I want to try this. I will be taking this machine with me to university so it must be able to multi-task and I also want it for gaming.

Ive set aside a budget of $1300 Canadian for this project (not a strict budget...but a ballpark estimate). I dont know a whole lot about computer hardware (which is good which is not, which is the best bang for the buck...) but Ive compiled a list of hardware that I think is good but am not sure which to choose. Ill also provide a link to the store that I am buying from beside each category so you can browse their store for a better product if need be. So here goes...

MOBO: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...t&cmd=pl&id=MB
Asus P5K-E WiFi-AP Socket 775 Intel P35 ICH9R Chipset $159.99 CDN
Asus P5K-Premium WiFi-AP Socket 775 Intel P35 ICH9R Chipset $200.99
Asus P5E Intel X38 $235.99

CPU: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...&cmd=pl&id=CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 $264.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66Ghz $199.99

CPU Cooling: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...d=pl&id=FN.349
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro $26.99
Scythe Ninja Mini SCMNJ-1000 $39.99
Also considering Zalman CNPS-8700 & Thermaltake Mini Typhoon

Memory: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307
2x Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX 2GB Kit (2x1GB) 2@ $69.99
2x Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C5DHX 2GB Kit (2x1GB) 2@ $47.99
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX 4GB Kit (2x2GB) $106.99
2x Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 CL 5-5-5-12 2GB Kit (2x1GB) 2@ $39.99
2x Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400 CL 4-4-4-12 2GB kit (2x1GB) 2@ $57.99
Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 800MHz 4GB (4 x 1GB) PC2-6400 $109
*Im really confused about the RAM...they all seem the same to me with minor differences in the 5-5-5-12 number. Is there any benefit to having 4x1GB rather than 2x2GB RAM?

Video Card: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=999.243.390
EVGA e-GeForce 8800GT 512MB $211.99
EVGA e-GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB $244.99
XFX GeForce 8800GT $255
BFG GeForce 8800GT $264

Sound Card: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...t&cmd=pl&id=SC
Auzentech HDA X-Plosion $94.99
(I dont really know who manufactures a good SC but Ive heard good things from X-Plosion)

HDD: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...&id=HD.443.877
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB $62.99

Case: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...d=pl&id=CS.664
Antec Nine Hundred ATX Mid Tower $100
Thermaltake VC3000BWS Armor Jr. SECC $94.99

PSU:http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...d=pl&id=PS.808
Not really sure how much wattage is needed, any suggestions are welcomed

Optical Device: http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...d=pl&id=CR.184
Asus DRW-2014L1T DVD Burner $37

Monitor http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...t&cmd=pl&id=MT
LG L204WTX Black 20" Widescreen LCD $191
Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" Widescreen TFT-LCD $225


I would like your opinion on what I have planned. Any suggestions/advice is appreciated!
Thank you for your time!

tanger

[shadowpr]

Not bad.

My suggestions are as follows:

MB: P5K-E
CPU: E6750
Ram: Corsair 2x2gb pack.
Video: Either EVGA 8800gt
HD: Good
PSU: Corsair 550
Optical: Lite-on dvd burner sata retail

Case is a personal choice as to what you like.
You don't need a cpu cooler unless you plan on overclocking.
I never heard of that sound card, and don't really know.
For a monitor, I like Samsung.

[warrenlightning]

thanks for the response shadowpr,

I was looking further into this and I also found these as a suitable MOBO's
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...019&cid=MB.157
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...695&cid=MB.157
What do ya think?

Im also leaning towards the Core 2 Duo E6750. But they also sell the E4600 for $156, E4500 for $138 and the E6550 for $183. Which would be my best bet?

And I've also got a few questions...

a) I see alot of Asus P5K series mobos. What is the difference between all of them? Do they just offer something different?

b) Is there any benfit to having 2x2GB instead of 4x1GB RAM?

c) Is 550W sufficient for a PSU?

I personally like Samsung as well but their models seem to be more expensive than the others...what would you suggest as a 'second best option'?

Thanks!

PS. I dont plan on overclocking so I can save a bit of money there

[shadowpr]

I would either get the P5K or the P5K-E. They have slight differences in the series.

I would still get the e6750 if you can afford it, if not, the e6550 is nice too.

The 2x2gb seems to be a bit more stable and works a bit better in my experience, plus allows for future growth.

550 should be enough. If you want more, you can get it for some extra headroom. 650 would be nice too.

[warrenlightning]

okay, I have a better idea of what I'm after now.
What would you suggest as a second best option next to the Samsung monitor?

[shadowpr]

Not really sure about that.

You can look around the boards for suggestions.

I did just recently get a Hanns-g and it was nice.

Other will probably give you suggestions too.

[warrenlightning]

Okay, I will continue to look into the monitors, but for now, I think I have the rig narrowed down to this...

Asus P5K Chipset $135
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 $200
Corsair XMS2 2x2GB C5DHX $107
eVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT $212
Auzentech HDA X-Plosion $95
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB $63
Thermaltake Armor Jr $95
Corsair 550W $73
Lite-on dvd burner $29
Monitor: TBD ~$220

This amounts to $1229 before taxes. If I want to shave of some more money, whats my best option for that?

[warrenlightning]

I looked into cheaper memory and this is what i found...

Mushkin EM2-6400 DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) $93 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P10004GK) DDR2 PC2-8000 1000 MHz 4GB(2x2048MB) $105 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307
(Isn't much cheaper but maybe a better product?)

OCZ (OCZ2N800SR4GK) NVIDIA SLI Ready XTC 4GB $90 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2RPR800C44GK) Reaper 4GB $105
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P8004GQ) Platinum XTC 4GB (4x1GB) $70
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

[warrenlightning]

I looked into cheaper memory and this is what i found...

Mushkin EM2-6400 DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) $93 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P10004GK) DDR2 PC2-8000 1000 MHz 4GB(2x2048MB) $105 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307
(Isn't much cheaper but maybe a better product?)

OCZ (OCZ2N800SR4GK) NVIDIA SLI Ready XTC 4GB $90 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2RPR800C44GK) Reaper 4GB $105
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P8004GQ) Platinum XTC 4GB (4x1GB) $70
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

[warrenlightning]

I looked into cheaper memory and this is what i found...

Mushkin EM2-6400 DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) $93 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P10004GK) DDR2 PC2-8000 1000 MHz 4GB(2x2048MB) $105 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307
(Isn't much cheaper but maybe a better product?)

OCZ (OCZ2N800SR4GK) NVIDIA SLI Ready XTC 4GB $90 http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2RPR800C44GK) Reaper 4GB $105
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P8004GQ) Platinum XTC 4GB (4x1GB) $70
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

[warrenlightning]

sorry, not sure why it triple-posted...

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by warrenlightning Okay, I will continue to look into the monitors, but for now, I think I have the rig narrowed down to this... Asus P5K Chipset $135 Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 $200 Corsair XMS2 2x2GB C5DHX $107 eVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT $212 Auzentech HDA X-Plosion $95 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB $63 Thermaltake Armor Jr $95 Corsair 550W $73 Lite-on dvd burner $29 Monitor: TBD ~$220 This amounts to $1229 before taxes. If I want to shave of some more money, whats my best option for that?

to save money, I would lose the sound card first. Then I would look at different ram that is still 2x2gb.

[warrenlightning]

OK, Lets leave the sound card out of the picture for now. I explored their site for other RAM options and this is what I came up with...

Mushkin EM2-6400 DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) $93
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ NVIDIA SLI Ready XTC 4GB DDR2 2X2GB $90
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Vista Performance Platinum 4GB (2x2048) $83
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307
I plan to run XP though, is this RAM still suitable for XP?

Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 4GB (2 x 2GB) $93
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

Would any of these options suffice?

I think I might change the case to one of the following (saves ~$10-30)
Enermax Phoenix Black Elegant 3.0mm
NZXT Alpha Classic Series
Thermaltake M9 VI1000BWS
Thermaltake VG7000BWS SopranoRS 101

Any recommendations on these cases?

[Katreat]

I use the on-board sound on the base P5K and it is very nice. I hear the P5K-E is actually even better sound. Sound card is not necessary and an easy upgrade in the future if you get really nice speakers that need it.

both muskin and OCZ make good memory so either would be fine. You could cut costs by sticking with just 2 GB for now, that is plenty for most applications, includinig games.

I use a Chimei 22" wide screen and am very happy with it, and it is a very low budget monitor. Most monitors are made by just a few different people now and re-branded. So look for the warranty and speed.

Nice case, but you could save $50 there if you really need to cut costs, just about any mid tower case will work and you can get some nice once for around $50, but might not like the looks.

Kat

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by Katreat I use the on-board sound on the base P5K and it is very nice. I hear the P5K-E is actually even better sound. Sound card is not necessary and an easy upgrade in the future if you get really nice speakers that need it.

Hmmm, interesting, maybe Ill go with the P5K-E without a SC for now and, as you mentioned...its an easy upgrade in the future.

Originally Posted by Katreat both muskin and OCZ make good memory so either would be fine. You could cut costs by sticking with just 2 GB for now, that is plenty for most applications, includinig games.

I looked into other RAM options and I think I like Mushkin or OCZ...Ill look into getting just 2GB for now...definitely would save me some cash there

Originally Posted by Katreat Nice case, but you could save $50 there if you really need to cut costs, just about any mid tower case will work and you can get some nice once for around $50, but might not like the looks.

Would you recommend any of those towers i mentioned in my previous post?

Thanks alot in advance to both shadowpr and Kat

[warrenlightning]

Im looking at these 2 OCZ options right now..

OCZ (OCZ2RPR8002GK) DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2x1024MB) $45 after mail in rebate
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

OCZ (OCZ2P800R22GK) DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz Platinum XTC Revision 2 2GB (2x1024MB) $30 after mail in rebate
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

Any preference between these two? If not I think I like the OCZ Reaper

[shadowpr]

They all appear out of stock. Might want to look at a different website if you can.

How about these (also out of stock): http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by shadowpr They all appear out of stock. Might want to look at a different website if you can. How about these (also out of stock): http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...id=RAM.346.307

Well it says they are only out of online stock. I live in Hamilton so I can easily visit the store but they only have 2 left!! Its a race, I gotta get there lol

[shadowpr]

LOL.

Well good luck fighting the crowd. Hopefully you don't end up like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6fq1bvdLGI

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by shadowpr LOL. Well good luck fighting the crowd. Hopefully you don't end up like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6fq1bvdLGI

HAHA thats funny stuff..

I managed to get my hands on the OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 800MHz Reaper HPC Edition 2GB (2x1024MB). Worked out to be $73-$30(rebate)= $43

Oh, the guy that worked there told me to make sure that the RAM is compatible before I cut out the barcode for the rebate...Do you guys see a problem with compatibility before I do cut it out?

[Katreat]

You can visit website for the MB and usually see what they list as compatable. The problem is there are likely lots of others that are not listed but still compatable so you just need to try it. I generally stay away from the re-bate game unless I have the item installed and working. Most retailers will not do a return or exchange once you have cut out the UPC, so it is best to make sure it works first to avoid having to go through the manufactures warranty.

As for cases just about anything will work so it is a personal preferance. I used the 900 on my current build, you can usually find it for under $100, it comes on sell pretty often. But I used a $35 coolmaster for the build before and it was no harder to work with. But it is a good place to cut corners if the budget is tight since a computer with a cheap case runs just as well as a computer with an expensive case.

Kat

[warrenlightning]

This is what i found concerning the compatibility issue, it was a post from a forum...

"I'm running the P5K-E with OCZ's Reaper HPC Enhanced Bandwidth Modules DDR2 PC2-6400 (2GB) and didn't have trouble starting up at all with the boards default settings. These were 5-5-5-15 at 1.8V. But I never managed to get the modules work with their advanced settings at 4-3-3-15 at 2.2V . So I'm happy with manually set 4-4-4-15 at 1.8V now which works very stable. If you have CPU-Z at hand check for the SPD data (Serial Presence Detect, chip contains memory parameters for timings and voltage) of the modules. My modules have JEDEC compliant SPDs but also have an extra part with the advanced timings in it. You really should try to set the modules to 5-5-5-15 manually first. Then take out the slower module and see if it can boot now."

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us
(The 4th post down)

And I also found this on OCZ's forum
"Hi there,

It should work just fine sir. From the tests i have made here with the P5K, i haven't had a single issue with any of our ram so far." - dated 09-04-07 from some OCZ support guy

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...ad.php?t=30920

What do you make of this? Am I in the clear?

[Katreat]

I have never had problems with OCZ ram, but have only used it once and not on a P5K board. My guess is that it will work fine but the only way to be sure is to try it. I cant help you with a decision to cut out the UPC, on my last build I just passed on the rebate from corsair because it expired before I had it up and running. The option to return it to the store was just worth more to me than the rebate. It is your call, sorry I cant be more help.

Kat

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by Katreat I have never had problems with OCZ ram, but have only used it once and not on a P5K board. My guess is that it will work fine but the only way to be sure is to try it. I cant help you with a decision to cut out the UPC, on my last build I just passed on the rebate from corsair because it expired before I had it up and running. The option to return it to the store was just worth more to me than the rebate. It is your call, sorry I cant be more help. Kat

You've been plenty of help thus far!
I actually posted on the OCZ Support forum just to be certain...

So this is what I have...

MOBO: Asus P5K-E WiFi-Ap
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66 GHz
RAM: OCZ DDR2 Reaper HPC Edition (2x1024MB)
Video: eVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB
Case: NZXT Alpha Classic Series
PSU: Corsair 550W
Optical: Lite-On LH-20A1S 20x SATA
Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 2220WM Black 22" WS

This comes in at $1258 CDN. Am I missing anything here?

PS. I just want to confirm that 550W is sufficient for the PSU...is this enough?

[Katreat]

The psu is sufficient for your needs. It is really the video card that is the power hog and the system you posted will do fine on 550 w. You will even have enough head room for a future upgrade if you need one.

Kat

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by Katreat The psu is sufficient for your needs. It is really the video card that is the power hog and the system you posted will do fine on 550 w. You will even have enough head room for a future upgrade if you need one. Kat

Okay, thats perfect!

Good news, they responded to my post on the OCZ forum...they said they are both compatible and work well together. http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...127#post259127

Is the building process hard at all? Ive read numerous guides on the internet that break it down step by step...they all make it seem pretty easy. Ive read stories about people having to change some settings in the BIOS to get the RAM to function? (changing voltage or something? Any last minute details i should know?

[shadowpr]

It's easy. Just take your time and know what to do before you do it.

Check out the guide from this site. Helped me with my first build: http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by shadowpr It's easy. Just take your time and know what to do before you do it. Check out the guide from this site. Helped me with my first build: http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

A very informative guide indeed.

What would you suggest for wireless network card?

[shadowpr]

The mb you picked has wireless. The P5K-E/Wifi

[warrenlightning]

Originally Posted by shadowpr The mb you picked has wireless. The P5K-E/Wifi

Ahhh...I almost forgot!...


I think Im just about set now...Im going to start buying hardware over the next week or so, hopefully the build is successful. I just want to thank the both of you, shadowpr & Katreat for you help/advice. Your help is really appreciated.

Thanks again,

tanger