Looking for advice

[FSav176]

Im looking to build a new computer. I currently have an old presario s5200nx with probably nothing I can re-use from it hardware wise. I will be keeping the monitor and speakers so all I will need is in box hardware. As of right now Ive settled on the Q6600 over the E8500 since I wont be gaming all that much and would rather the quad core. I will have a friend of mine help me with overclocking so that is also a factor in my build. My main questions are on motherboard, power supplies, and cooling system. Also a case that is economical as well as functional. As far as graphics card I will not be purchasing one until a game I come out (Darkfall) comes out, which could be never. Hard drive I think Im going to go with the Seagate 1tb and just a basic dvd drive.


CPU - Q6600
MOBO - ??
RAM - Whatevers compatable with the mobo suggested. 4gb min.
Case - ??
Cooling System - ??
Power Supply - ??

Cost is not really an issue. Thanks in advance for any input.

[FSav176]

Oh also I plan on running XP for my OS.
As of right now Im looking at:

Asus p5q mobo
and
Xclio 380 case

[Alaron]

P5Q and Q6600 is a great start.

I would add Corsair DDR2-800. Get a 2x2GB kit for your 4GB total. Keep in mind that a 32bit OS will report 3.2GB but I'd still get 4GB, the OS uses what it can.

We recommend Corsair brand power supplies. I can't recommend the wattage number without knowing your video card, but the 650w would power most any cards right now.

I'd pick up a DVD Burner, as they are read/write it all drives.

and....Welcome to PCMech.

[FSav176]

Thanks for the advice. Whats the stance on cases that come with power supplies? Cost effective? Also with this build would I be able to go a while with out a video card if im not going to be playing any games? Mostly just going to be using it as a media library for apple tv and such at first.

[FSav176]

Optical Drive:
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
HD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Video Card:
EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Ram:
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail
MOBO:
ASUS P5Q SE LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model HH80562PH0568M - OEM

Total is about $900. Would you sub anything and what else would you recommend for cooling both for stock for now and OC for later.

[aram]

I would drop the PSU down to 550w or at most 650w if you plan to get another 8800 for SLI in future.

Check out this PSU calculator for a pretty accurate estimate of what you'll need.

You might also want to consider getting C4 memory, or getting 1066MHz C5 and clocking it down to 800MHz which should allow you to lower the cas to 4.

[FSav176]

The reason I selected that power supply was because of a combo deal new egg was offering. Is there a downfall of going with a higher W?

[FSav176]

Also Im not really sure what C4 memory is. Do you have a link to an example?

[aram]

no theres no problem with getting a more powerful PSU, only price so if thats not an issue then its all good

C4 is the 'cas latency', and represents how quickly the memory can react to processor requests. The lower the cas latency, the snappier the memory will be. This can have more effect on performance than increased MHz, and generally the higher the MHz the higher the cas latency.

if you want to read more about latency there is section on this page which briefly explains it: http://www.pcityourself.com/choosing/memory.php

[Alaron]

That PSU is a great unit and you'll have room to upgrade later. If the price is right, go for it.

Check for a DVD Burner that comes with software. Retail units do, OEMs usually do not. I like LiteOn brand.

The rest looks good. I'd stick with that memory you listed. CAS 5 RAM is a bit more stable on Intel platforms. You wouldn't notice the difference to switch for 4 (a bit faster timing).

[shadowpr]

I agree with Alaron.

Only thing I would add is that if you don't like the lite-on drives, I've started to also like asus dvd drives. Either one should be good.

[FSav176]

Thanks so much for the advice guys. I really appreciate it. One last issue is cooling. For running the cpu on stock is the cooling provided by that case sufficient or would I need to add aftermarket cooling? Also for OC'ing what cooling additions would you suggest?

[shadowpr]

The cooling provided for stock settings is more than enough.

I you want to start getting into overclocking, then you would want to get a better heatsink. That will void the warrenty though.

[FSav176]

Ok sold. Thanks again for all the help guys. This should be a pretty big step up from my current setup, a compaq presario s5200nx.

[aram]

Originally Posted by Alaron CAS 5 RAM is a bit more stable on Intel platforms.

I hadn't heard that....any idea what makes C4 less stable?