First time building a computer?

[Decatron]

So this is my first time building a computer from scratch. I have narrowed down the components to these. Make any suggestions.






TC3J-4032 P :: Power Up 5511 Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB and Audio Ports and 450-Watt Power Supply (16.9 lbs)








H94-1706 :: I-inc IF171ABB 17" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 1440x900 (WXGA+), 5ms, 600:1, 250nits, Black (8 lbs)





ULT-LS500 :: Ultra LS500 Lifetime Series 500W Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, PCI-Express (3.75 lbs)





S167-4520 :: Sony DRU-V200S/BR DVD Rewritable Drive SATA - 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 12x DVD-R DL, 12x DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-ROM, 48x CD-R, 32x CD-RW, 48x CD-ROM Black (1.5 lbs)




O261-7522 :: OCZ Platinum XTC 4GB Dual Channel PC6400 Memory - DDR2-800MHz, Enhanced Bandwidth, 4096MB (2 x 2048MB) (0.25 lbs)





TSD-750AS2 :: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB Hard Drive - 7200RPM, 32MB, SATA-300, OEM (1.7 lbs)





P450-9616 :: XFX GeForce 9600 GSO Video Card - 768MB DDR2, PCI Express 2.0, Dual Link DVI, SLI Ready (2.05 lbs)




CP1-DUO-Q8200 :: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Processor BX80580Q8200 - 2.33GHz, 4MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Quad Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan (0.4 lbs)




A455-2824 :: Asus P5Q Motherboard - Intel P45, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, S/PDIF, Gigabit LAN, Firewire, USB 2.0, SATA, RAID (3.55 lbs)

[shadowpr]

There are a few recommendations I would make, but first, what is your budget?

What is the main use of the computer?

What country are you in?

Are you buying online, or from a retail store?

[Decatron]

My budget is going to be no more than $1200.

I will be using this mainly for a gaming computer

[Decatron]

I will be buying online

And I live in Canada

[shadowpr]

I would buy from www.newegg.com

MB: Asus p5q pro: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299
CPU: E8500: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115036
Ram: 2x2gb ddr2-800: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122
HD: WD 750gb caviar black sata: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136283
Video: 4870 1gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102801
PSU: Corsair 750: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006
Case: Your choice.

OS: Vista HP 64: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488

Total of: $902 with out case, and shipping. Also before rebates.

You could try a i7 build too if you want for that budget, or increase the video card to a 285 or 295.


EDIT: Didn't see the Canada part till after i made that list. You can try newegg canada.

[Decatron]

Everything is good. But would it be a better idea to get this processor instead since its quad core.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor

[shadowpr]

You won't see any real improvements if you're mostly gaming. The money you save on a faster dual core can be used for the video card.

Flight sims might be the exception, but most games are more dependent on the video card than anything else.

A quad is also mainly handy when you do a lot of multitasking.

[Decatron]

RAIDMAX AZTEC ATX-619WB Black/ Silver 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

MSI K9A2 Platinum AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100258-1GL Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q8300 -

Acer X203H bd Black 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Retail

[Decatron]

How good is the original computer I had picked out. Just wonder.

[Alaron]

Couple of suggestions. First, you can't use an Intel CPU with an AMD board. Switch back to the Asus P5Q motherboard, it is top notch.

Also, go for a Western Digital hard drive. Seagate has some quality control issues lately.

The rest looks good.

[Decatron]

the rest is fine is refering to the first post right

[Decatron]

so I should stick with this

THD-500AAKB :: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, ATA-100, OEM (1.55 lbs)





ULT-LS500 :: Ultra LS500 Lifetime Series 500W Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, PCI-Express (3.75 lbs)






S167-4520 :: Sony DRU-V200S/BR DVD Rewritable Drive SATA - 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 12x DVD-R DL, 12x DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-ROM, 48x CD-R, 32x CD-RW, 48x CD-ROM Black (1.5 lbs)






O261-7522 :: OCZ Platinum XTC 4GB Dual Channel PC6400 Memory - DDR2-800MHz, Enhanced Bandwidth, 4096MB (2 x 2048MB) (0.25 lbs)






P450-9616 :: XFX GeForce 9600 GSO Video Card - 768MB DDR2, PCI Express 2.0, Dual Link DVI, SLI Ready (2.05 lbs)






CP1-DUO-Q8200 :: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Processor BX80580Q8200 - 2.33GHz, 4MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Quad Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan (0.4 lbs)






A455-2824 :: Asus P5Q Motherboard - Intel P45, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, S/PDIF, Gigabit LAN, Firewire, USB 2.0, SATA, RAID (3.55 lbs)

[Alaron]

No, I was referring to your latest list. You'll be much happier with that then your original list. Just for example, the Radeon video card is better, and most importantly the Ultra power supply is gone. Ultra's are junk.

[Decatron]

So this is the final product

THD-500AAKB :: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, ATA-100, OEM (1.55 lbs)

RAIDMAX AZTEC ATX-619WB Black/ Silver 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB

Asus P5Q Motherboard - Intel P45, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, S/PDIF, Gigabit LAN, Firewire, USB 2.0, SATA, RAID (3.55 lbs)

SAPPHIRE 100258-1GL Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q8300 -

Acer X203H bd Black 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Retail

[Decatron]

I just have one more question left. What other graphics cards do you recommend because the radeon one is a bit too expensive.

[shadowpr]

Here is my list from a canada retailer:

mb: asus p5q: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813131295
cpu: e8500: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16819115036
ram: 2x2gb ddr2-800: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820146693
hd: wd caviar black 640gb sata: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16822136319
dvd: lite-on burner sata: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16827106286
video: 4870 1gb: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16814102801
psu: corsair 650: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817139005
case: your choice
os: vista hp 64: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...16832116488CVF

Total: in canadian dollars: $1116 before shipping.

Also, you can check ncix.com for other prices that might be cheaper:
psu: corsair 750: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...acture=Corsair

[Decatron]

this is also another configuration, which is different and less expensive


GIGABYTE Triton 180 Black 0.7mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

MSI K9A2 Platinum AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100255DDR4 Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail


Rosewill RP500-2 500W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply - Retail

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail

AMD Phenom 9950 Agena 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HD995ZXAGHBOX - Retail

[lfnfan]

there sure is a lot of choice out there.

if your main use for the pc will be gaming, i would suggest you focus on finding a dual core processor in your price range - quad cores are not the best choice for gaming. Reconsider the Intel E8400 instead of the AMD quad in your latest post. OK, it's a bit more expensive but then I would also recommend:

avoiding the MSI motherboard - it's not a great make. And it's expensive. To me it seems that its main advantage is the 4 (!) 16x PCIE2.0 slots. You only have one graphics card in your build list, so what will you do with the other three slots? If you want to save money, you could consider the Asus P5QL-E. I'm a bit biased as it's the board that I have. But it's also $75 cheaper than the MSI, and has one 16x PCIE 2.0 slot, to go with your one graphics card. Check it out and see if it will meet your needs.

The HT 4670 graphics card is probably the best 'value' card out there (I also have that card), but if you are serious about gaming, see if you can stretch to the 4850 or even 4870 - these cards are so much better than the 4670 - check out the benchmarks on eg. xbitlabs.com

Concerned about the Rosewill power supply you have chosen - as others with more experience than me have commented - these are unreliable. If the power supply fails, there is a chance it will take your mobo, cpu, gpu ram with it. A smart investment is to buy a good psu (there is a sticky in the appropriate forum). There's a fun video of a cheap psu catching fire on the Corsair website. cool.