Parts Compatible? First timer.

[TalkRadio84]

So I'm going to try building a PC for myself. My old PC just died, and I've always wanted to give this a try. I've done some research and this site has a wealth of information. Based on what I've read, these are the parts I've arrived at.

I'm open to suggestions and criticisms. I'm especially interested in compatibility issues, so please let me know if anyone sees anything that could cause a conflict, or just let me know of a better or more cost effective part. This will mostly be used for gaming, with some simple audio editing and processing on the side. Thanks in advance.



Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299

XFX GX260NADBF GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150330

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Wolfdale 3.33GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115054

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136055

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS220-08 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106265

Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116511

[SCKiller]

Looks like a good build so far. Go with the Intel E8500 instead. Also might want to go with a WD black drive considering the one you have selected is out of stock.

[TalkRadio84]

Thanks for the advice. I'm curious..why the e8500 instead? Is it simply because it's cheaper for a minimal loss of speed? If so, I can stand to take the hit. This is actually working out to be cheaper than I had anticipated, so I'm under budget and could afford to go bigger.

If I were to go bigger, what's everyone's opinion on which component I should beef up? I'm leaning toward the video card, since this will primarily be used for gaming.

[SCKiller]

Yea it just not worth the extra money IMO. You could get a GTX285.

[chuck4456]

Originally Posted by TalkRadio84 Thanks for the advice. I'm curious..why the e8500 instead? Is it simply because it's cheaper for a minimal loss of speed? If so, I can stand to take the hit. This is actually working out to be cheaper than I had anticipated, so I'm under budget and could afford to go bigger. If I were to go bigger, what's everyone's opinion on which component I should beef up? I'm leaning toward the video card, since this will primarily be used for gaming.

Speaking from experience I can tell you that the E8600 is a highly overrated and overpriced CPU.
Even an E8400 will be fine.

[Khalil]

XFX is garbage. Do yourself a favor and buy a BFG or an Evga.

[scuderia]

I would recommend going with an ATI video card. That motherboard does not support SLI should you decide to go multi-gpu in the future.
I would recommend an HD 4890. Since you've said you're under budget, wait for the Atomic 4890 with the 1Ghz core clock from Sapphire. It should blow any single-gpu card out of the water.

As far as the CPU goes, go with the E8500 and spend the difference on a higher-wattage PSU. The 850TX is great. Disclaimer: Yes, I am a fan of wattage overkill. Too many bad experiences with **** PSU's.

Go with a Caviar Black HDD and DDR2 1066 Dominator RAM.

Whoa, just noticed this. XP? Any particular reason?

[TalkRadio84]

Thanks for the replies. I've taken some of your suggestions and upgraded or changed a few pieces.

Scuderia - The XP was kind of a placeholder until I could figure out which OS I wanted to go with. As this is my first time, I'm having some trouble figuring out which version of which OS would suit me best. I've heard scary stories about Vista. I've also heard that 32 bit OSes will only support up to 4GB of RAM. Is this correct? If so, I may want the option to add more RAM in the future. Would Vista 64 be my only option then?

Also, the reviews on newegg seem to suggest some cable management issues with that PSU. The case I have selected isn't a full size. Does anyone foresee any major complications with cabling as a result?

Sorry for so many questions. I just want to be sure I know exactly what I'm getting. I'd rather deal with any incompatibilities or upgrade issues now rather than later.


Updated list:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129021

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299

SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102830

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9&Tpk=850%20tx

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115036

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS220-08 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106265

[not important]

Looks like a winner!

[shadowpr]

Vista 64 would let you have and use more than 4gb of ram. I persoanlly like it. Others do not.

Windows 7 should be coming out, and it has been getting good reviews so far. You might want to wait for that, and use whatever os you have now, or try linux. Could even download and use the windows 7 RC till it goes retail. (note it's not the safest thing to use a rc as a primary os)

That case makes it a bit harder to manage cables, but if you take time, and wire them properly, and maybe modify the case a bit, you should have no problem.

[TalkRadio84]

Originally Posted by shadowpr Vista 64 would let you have and use more than 4gb of ram. I persoanlly like it. Others do not.

I've done some more research, and it seems that whatever hardware is present on my system when I install and register Vista, that's the hardware i'll be stuck with. I hope I'm misunderstanding this, because I'd like the option to upgrade in a year or two. Or, what if a video card or a RAM stick dies, do I really have to replace it with the exact same model?

That case makes it a bit harder to manage cables, but if you take time, and wire them properly, and maybe modify the case a bit, you should have no problem.

I guess I could always jsut get the full size version of that case. Since this is my first time, I 'm not too confident in my case modding or wiring abilities just yet

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by TalkRadio84 I've done some more research, and it seems that whatever hardware is present on my system when I install and register Vista, that's the hardware i'll be stuck with. I hope I'm misunderstanding this, because I'd like the option to upgrade in a year or two. Or, what if a video card or a RAM stick dies, do I really have to replace it with the exact same model?

No. You can upgrade parts. If you happen to change the motherboard you will just have to reactivate windows.

I guess I could always jsut get the full size version of that case. Since this is my first time, I 'm not too confident in my case modding or wiring abilities just yet

I personally think the case is big. I got it as my first case, and while i like it, I like the smaller antec 300 more.

The wiring problem has nothing to do with the size of the case, just the lack of places to run wires through. (I believe that later versions have improved that though.)

[scuderia]

You know, the Nine Hundred Two (my case) fixed the cable management issue to a large degree. It also looks cooler. :P It's only a few bucks more.

Other than that, you look set! If you plan on overclocking at all, get a decent CPU heatsink. Thermalright makes the best.

Oh! If you are worried about cable management, go with the Corsair HX series. They're mostly modular, with only the most fundamental things hardwired. I love mine. Only thing is, the wattage jumps from 620 to 1,000. Corsair has recently unveiled a new HX (around 800W) to fill in the gap, but I don't know when it will be released.

[TalkRadio84]

Originally Posted by shadowpr No. You can upgrade parts. If you happen to change the motherboard you will just have to reactivate windows [...]

Excellent, thank you. Vista 64 it is. I looked through the specs on all my parts, and they all seem to support a 64 bit OS, so I'm about ready to pull the trigger on this. Unless of course anyone sees a potential conflict with one of the parts and Vista 64 that i missed.

I also upgraded the RAM to 1066. I guess I'll start out with 4gb, and upgrade to 6 or 8 if I really think I need it. From what I hear, Vista is a memory hog, so this may be a possibility.

Originally Posted by scuderia You know, the Nine Hundred Two (my case) fixed the cable management issue to a large degree. It also looks cooler. :P It's only a few bucks more.

Thanks for the tip. And I don't plan on doing any OCing. I did look into it, but I decided this is my first build, so I'll take it one step at a time. If I do, I'll keep thermalright in mind.

[scuderia]

Mk, sounds good man. You've got a winner. Let us know if you have any more questions and/or when its built!

[shadowpr]

Stick with the ram you picked out before. ddr2-800 is all you need unless you overclock.