Looking for PC Mech forums "blessing" on this all purpose rig's parts list

[PhilipMarlowe]

Hi all, hoping I can rely on the charity of this forum community in helping me ensure my parts won't explode once I put them together! This will be my second build, the first an AMD X2 4200+ system I put together in '06. I'm looking for general all purpose power for multitasking, audio and video encoding, web surfing, as well as enough graphics horsepower for occasional gaming with no major compromises.

CPU: Q6600

Motherboard: Asus P5Q Pro

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)

Videocard: POWERCOLOR AX4870 1GBD5-PPH

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W

DVD Drive: Lite-On Drive

Case: Antec P182

I already have a hard drive and a keyboard/mouse. Will likely use Vista 64-bit but still need to research whether there will be any compatibility issues.

Any glaring mismatches here? Thanks!

[minsonngo]

Everything looks fine.

You probably will want to go with a SATA optical drive INSTEAD of the IDE one you have on your list...

[shadowpr]

Drop the ram down to ddr2-800. Save money.

Also, get a retail processor so you get the heatsink.

Agree about getting a sata dvd drive.

Also, you can probably drop the psu down to a 650 and save some money.

[catacon]

The SATA drive isn't necessary, but newer motherboards use a third party IDE controller and they can cause some issues. SATA will give you more stability with the hard drive.

[PhilipMarlowe]

Thanks for the tips! Will definitely switch to a sata drive. Will consider downgrading memory, but want some breathing room in my PSU in case I get a second graphics card next year.

One more question. The most frustrating aspect of my last building experience in '06 was tweaking the bios. I was working with an AMD X2 4200+, an Abit Fatality SLI board, and 2 sticks of mid-grade memory (forget what kind but it was a "safe" choice). Right out of the box with the default bios settings my system was very unstable, and it took a LOT of trial and error tweaking voltage and other arcane settings that I've since long forgotten to get the system to run stable. Do you think this was just bad luck? Is there anything I might be advised to do here to avoid that trouble again?

[PhilipMarlowe]

Oh, and good catch with the CPU - I completely missed that! That would suck to not have a heatsink when everything else arrives

[minsonngo]

Originally Posted by catacon The SATA drive isn't necessary, but newer motherboards use a third party IDE controller and they can cause some issues. SATA will give you more stability with the hard drive.

Why would someone want to go with a soon to be obsolete interface? SATA isn't necessary sure... but it is definitely a smarter choice. Speed difference is negligible in most cases and... but it definately makes cable management easier, improves airflow in the case and there is essentially no price difference.

PCI-E is not necessary... but it is a smarter choice to go with rather than the obsolete AGP interface.

[PhilipMarlowe]

OK, I went through and revised my parts list a little, taking into account the suggestions here and making use of some of the combo deals at Newegg. I changed the DVD to a SATA model, changed the CPU to the retail version, downgraded memory, went with a cheaper videocard at the same spec as before, and added a hard drive.

CPU: Q6600 retail

Memory: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (combo deal with CPU)

Motherboard: Asus P5Q Pro

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W (combo with motherboard)

Case: Antec P182

DVD: LiteOn SATA DVD Burner

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB

Looking good?

[PhilipMarlowe]

Forgot to list the new videocard: MSI R4870 T2D1G OC Radeon HD 4870 1GB

[SCKiller]

I just bough this card. It's awesome.

Sapphire Radeon 4870

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102795

[PhilipMarlowe]

Originally Posted by SCKiller I just bough this card. It's awesome. Sapphire Radeon 4870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102795

Do you think it's better than the MSI one I picked out? It's $40 more.

I'm a little frustrated, because I've found precious few reviews of the different brands of 4870 1GB cards and have no idea how to differentiate among the several for sale at Newegg.

[SCKiller]

Originally Posted by PhilipMarlowe Do you think it's better than the MSI one I picked out? It's $40 more. I'm a little frustrated, because I've found precious few reviews of the different brands of 4870 1GB cards and have no idea how to differentiate among the several for sale at Newegg.

I'm not sure. I think both will work fine. I'm very happy with it though.