First time building a Computer

[allenj3]

So I recently decided to build a computer. I have never done this before so I appologize in advance for noobish questions or decisions-
First of all, here is my build-
Motherboard-
Gigabyte Z68MX-UD2H-B3
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU -
Intel i5 2400
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52400

Case
Diablotek Evo ATX Mid-Tower Case
Newegg.com - Diablotek EVO CPA-6170 Black 0.6mm SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU
Diablotek 600W ATX v2.2 PSU
Newegg.com - Diablotek DA Series PSDA600 600W ATX12V v2.2 Power Supply

RAM
Kingston KHX1333 8GB
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G

DVD/CD
LGELECOEM LG 22X SATA DVDRW
Micro Center - LG 22x DVD±RW Burner with Dual Layer Support - OEM 781450

HDD
500GB- Already Owned

OS
Windows Home Premium 7

GPU
Geforce 210 already owned

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I know you all are probably ready to whip me with a wet noodle over the PSU. When I bought it I was going for price when I should have done my research more. At the moment, the PSU is running just fine but I wonder- should I start looking for a higher quality one? I have had my eye on the

corsair GS600 Newegg.com - CORSAIR Gaming Series GS600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

Is that a decent PSU or should I look elsewhere? (My limit on PSUs is 100 USD)

Secondly, I'm looking to eventually get a better graphics card and I'm thinking about the Radeon HD6870. Would that be a decent card for running games like- starcraft2, empire total war, shogun2 total war?

My motherboard info tells me that with two cards installed, both x16 slots turn into x8 slots. If I can ever afford money for two cards in crossfire, will that drop the advantage of having two cards much?

As more of a technical question that sort of goes along with the crossfire question-
Eventually, I may turn this PC into an HTPC as it starts to get out of date. Most TV tuners I have looked at have PCI express x1 slots. If I understand correctly, x1 cards can fit into x16 slots. Now with the graphics card I mentioned above, the x1 slot on my board will be covered up with a fan. I could still plug it into one of the other PCI x16 slots but here is where my question comes in-

If I plug it into the slot that is meant for another graphics card in SLI or Crossfire, will it drop my graphics card to only 8x? In the same way, my Motherboard info tells me that if I plug a card in the x1 slot and a card in the last x16 slot it will drop both to x4. Does that mean that the last x16 slot is really an x4? If that is the case, will it have any trouble powering a TV tuner?

Lastly, I think I made a small mistake when installing my OS, and I wonder if there is a fix. When my Mobo started up at first it flashed a warning- "SATA is found running at IDE MODE!" do you want to change it y n-

I just ignored it the first time I installed the system but now I think it would be better to have it run in ACHI mode. If I tell it to go into the ACHI mode now after installing the system in IDE mode then the OS won't boot and I think its because it can't find where the OS is installed. Is there a way to tell the Bios which HD it should boot in ACHI mode or do I have to reinstall the system with the bios in ACHI mode? Does it even matter? (I don't think I understand the difference between IDE and ACHI )

Anyway, thanks for any responses and I hope my questions make a little bit of sense-

Jim

[David M]

What applications will be running and how much do you want to spend?

For two single core graphics cards, two PCI-E slots at 8x each is enough. For a dual core card it is not enough....in my own experience.

I would consider an Asus full sized board and not a micro board. A full sized board will have more PCI-E slots available and in general will have more features. There is also no real advantage to having a micro board in a mid-tower case.

Corsair, Seasonic and Antec make higher quality power supplies. A 650 watt PSU will run any single core graphics card.

[allenj3]

Thanks for the info-

Since I've already purchased the components that I mentioned above a couple of weeks ago and have them running (I'm on that comp now) I don't really plan to change Motherboards at this point, although it probably was silly to get a mATX mobo for a mid-tower case. The only advantage I can see is that its a lot easier to move that big wad of cords coming from the PSU out of the way. I definitely will probably change PSUs however.

I would like to be able to play some of the games I mentioned above (starcraft2, Shogun2 total war etc) with decent frame rates. I've spent a total of about 500 USD on the parts mentioned above and am willing to go up to 700 to 800 USD total. (The less the better) So my budget is roughly 200-300 more USD.

[SARGE]

Originally Posted by allenj3 Thanks for the info- see is that its a lot easier to move that big wad of cords coming from the PSU out of the way. I definitely will probably change PSUs however.

Big wad of cords. Go modular, use only what you need. You're welcome Works for me perfectly.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 (CMPSU-650HX) 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

[jdeb]

SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W
Newegg.com - SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

[allenj3]

Thanks for the feedback

I had read online that modular PSUs may not be as reliable. I'm assuming that's no longer true? Also, would you consider that card you mentioned better than the Sapphire?-
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

[David M]

In this forum plenty of people use modular PSU's. That's all I use now. They seem to be very reliable now.

[allenj3]

Ok cool- yeah, who knows how old those articles I was reading were...

One other thing- I don't know much about amps or volts but that one modular that jdeb mentioned only has 20amps on the +12v. Is that ok for most graphics cards? If you don't use the other 12v line do those two add up?

[flanzig1]

Many higher wattage PSUs have multiple +12v rails, so the one jdeb listed has 40amps on the +12v.

[glc]

Your three PCI-Ex16 slots are rated at x16, x8, and x4. Putting a PCI-Ex1 card in the x4 slot will not slow the x16 slot down.

[allenj3]

Ok, thanks for the info guys. I'm saving up for one of the PSUs mentioned above, then the graphics card and maybe eventually an SSD.

I've heard some rumors over the interwebs that SSDs sometimes have driver problems. Is that still true or have they mostly fixed that? I would rather not spend day after day messing with driver and wake from sleep issues.

I found an answer to my question about switching to AHCI mode. If anyone else out there neglects to switch their mobo to AHCI before installing the OS and you don't want to mess around with your registry- here is the solution. I guess windows 7 disables all unused drivers when it installs so you have to wake it up. I just used the automatic fix and it worked well.

[jdeb]

I use the Intel 320's for cache drives and the Intel 510's for OS & app drives. They are the only ones I am using these days as I have not had a problem with them. I have used the house brand (ISPG, AData) from Micro Center on budget builds and have not had any issues with them either.