New computer, will it work?

[Docedo]

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)

RAIDMAX Black Aluminum Gaming Case with 420W Power Supply, Model "668WBP" -RETAIL

Memory (System Memory)

Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Motherboards - Intel

ASUS "P5GD2 Deluxe" 915P Chipset Motherboard For Intel LGA 775 CPU -RETAIL

Network - Interface Cards

LINKSYS Instant Gigabit PCI Ethernet Adapter, Model EG1032

Power Supplies

ASPIRE Chameleon 3-in-1 Silver 550W Aluminum Power Supply, 120mm LED Fan, Model "ATX-AS550W-SV" -RETAIL

Processors

Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 550 3.4 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail

Video Cards

SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "100584L 1024-1C47" -OEM

also, is there anything else I need? This is running at around 1200, is this a good deal as well?

[Vigo]

I dont think that Aspire makes the best psu's.. though Im sure they make some of the highest wattage psu's. You don't need 550. 420 would even still be overkill, but you can get a decent 420 of better branding for around 40 bucks.

Wheres your hard drive and optical drives?

[shadowbreaker513]

Aspire PSUs are on the bad list, so go for a Thermaltake 480W, and that 9800 Pro is only 128 bit which would be a cripple for the card. Go for a mobo with pci express as future proofing, and get yourself a good 6600GT pci express to go along with it. The 128 bit and aspire suggestions will be made by everybody, the pci-e and 6600Gt are just my opinions

[Docedo]

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)

RAIDMAX Black Aluminum Gaming Case with 420W Power Supply, Model "668WBP" -RETAIL

CD/DVD ROM Drives

SAMSUNG 16X DVD Drive Beige, Model TS-H352A/WRBH, Retail

Hard Drives

Maxtor 300GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model 6B300S0, OEM Drive Only

Memory (System Memory)

Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Motherboards - Intel

Intel "BOXD915PCYL" 915P Chipset Motherboard For Intel LGA 775 CPU -RETAIL

Network - Interface Cards

LINKSYS Instant Gigabit PCI Ethernet Adapter, Model EG1032

Power Supplies

Thermaltake W0010 Silent Purepower 480W with Black housing - Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan Power Supply

Processors

Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 550 3.4 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail

Video Cards

EVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB GDDR3, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, PCI-Express, Model "128-P2-N368-TX" -RETAIL

Theres my revamped system. $1,224.67 before tax. I had accidentally deleted my HD and optical drive before during the cut and paste.

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by Vigo I dont think that Aspire makes the best psu's.. though Im sure they make some of the highest wattage psu's. You don't need 550. 420 would even still be overkill, but you can get a decent 420 of better branding for around 40 bucks. Wheres your hard drive and optical drives?

In case you're curious, there is a certain trick that the PSU manufacturers employ - an advertising scheme. There is no set standard on how to measure Watts since Watts is technically the measure of the total output electricity. Just like a Processor or anything for that matter, the cooler a component is, the better it operates. The PSU manufacturers used this to their advantage - they used a very low temperature at which to measure to output and badge that their total wattage output despite repeated claims that the temperature at which the manucaturers tested it at will never realistically be reached inside a hot computer - so as to decrease efficiency almost dangerously to the extent that lack of power may result and could potentially be detrimental to your build.

I have a few comments on your current system setup. First, the optical drive. You may want to consider avoiding Samsung because they are not known to be the best out there - you can get a Lite-On or a Sony optical drive for just as much. I'd highly suggest switching.

Secondly, your Hard Drive and your motherboard are "incompatible" to say it simply - your motherboard does not have a Serial ATA connector integrated into it. I would suggest going with another board or getting the IDE version of the Maxtor 300GB HDD - both of them are viable options.

Also, do you need to Gigabit speed LAN? If not, your motherboard has a perfectly fine integrated Ethernet slot which you can use - I'd suggest doing so unless you find the need for Gigabit in which case you should ignore this

Hope that helps,
kram

[JPMiller]

Krams recomendations are dead on... good eye
----
what he said about PSU's is very correct... Sparkle/ Fortron are one of the few brands that are well known for underating their maximum capacity instead of overating... Thermaltake often rebadge ChannelWell PSU's for their units... ChannelWell's are tied in with Sparkle...
Cricket recently re-pointed this out...

[Docedo]

Ok, i'll switch out the optical and hard drives, and I grabbed the Ethernet card because I thought I needed something there. What do I need to plug my Linksys router in?

[Docedo]

Switched to these:
SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model DDU1613/B2s, OEM

and

Maxtor 300GB 5400RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model 5A300J0, OEM Drive Only

Do I need a NIC card to run my DSL?

[Joeberg]

Modem to Router, Router to computer(s)

I would get seperate hard drives (e.g. 2 80GB drives). Unless you need that sort of space, I wouldn't reccomend a drive that large. Larger drives seem more suceptible to data corruption. A network card is required to use a broadband connection - check your board to see if it includes an onboard ethernet jack.

[Docedo]

So just buy any modem with an ethernet adapter?

[Docedo]

Ok, please just suggest everything I need to hook up my Westell and Linksys (wireless) routers.

[Vigo]

Originally Posted by kram8806 In case you're curious, there is a certain trick that the PSU manufacturers employ - an advertising scheme. There is no set standard on how to measure Watts since Watts is technically the measure of the total output electricity. Just like a Processor or anything for that matter, the cooler a component is, the better it operates. The PSU manufacturers used this to their advantage - they used a very low temperature at which to measure to output and badge that their total wattage output despite repeated claims that the temperature at which the manucaturers tested it at will never realistically be reached inside a hot computer - so as to decrease efficiency almost dangerously to the extent that lack of power may result and could potentially be detrimental to your build.

That is indeed interesting. But if your purpose was to state that he might need 550 watts or close to it, then I think regardless of that information theres no reason to have such a high wattage psu.

The average computer needs what, approx. 250 watts on start up? Maybe a little more if you have a lot of external devices plugged in. And that amount of wattage is only required to boot, not run. You can use the calculator here: http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ to determine what they recommend to use for your setup and even that doesnt come anywhere near 500 watts (with all pci slots, ports and and almost a dozen case fans/lights).

I have a similar set up with a 350 watt forton. Runs (and boots) fine. I have a couple more optical drives and all my usb ports are filled. Even though its may be true a psu will provide less output when its running hot (as in a normal case) I dont think he needs 550, or 480.. though theres no harm in having a high wattage psu (if its a good psu).

[Docedo]

could my mobo support 2 of these: Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model 6Y080L0?

[JPMiller]

The P5GD2 Deluxe provides onboard WiFi-g, allowing users to easily enjoy wireless convenience right out of the box.

MarvellR 88E8053 PCI-E Gigabit LAN Controller, features AI NET2

this is from Asus's site... so in other words you have a built in ethernet card, AND a wireless port for future upgrades...
Bottom line... you dont need any other lan/ethernet card... you mobo comes with one built in..
-------------------
however Asus's site says that board DOES have sata connections on your original motherboard choice as well as PCI express... why did you change?
------------------
I believe Kram was merely pointing out you cannot go strictly by the stickers claim of supposed wattage wich is very true!

[Vigo]

Originally Posted by Docedo Ok, please just suggest everything I need to hook up my Westell and Linksys (wireless) routers.

If you want to connect wirelessly to them you'll need a wireless network card (usb or pci.. i suggest pci).

If you dont need to connect wirelessly the motherboard comes with an ethernet jack, so you can plug the router into the computer through it without having to buy anything else (unless you need the cable).

[Vigo]

Originally Posted by JPMiller this is from Asus's site... so in other words you have a built in ethernet card, AND a wireless port for future upgrades... Bottom line... you dont need any other lan/ethernet card... you mobo comes with one built in.. ------------------- however Asus's site says that board DOES have sata connections on your original motherboard choice as well as PCI express... why did you change?

Seems he switched to the intel board for some reason..

[Docedo]

I switched because they suggested I did. My computer isnt wirelessly connected, thats my mom's laptop, mine just has an ethernet cable to the linksys currently. Should I switch back to the asus, or is my current board fine?

[Vigo]

You're current board will work fine with the router (wired) if thats the board you want. It has an ethernet port.

[Docedo]

So how would i go about getting the cord to the mobo? does it somehow come out of the back? This will be my first custom computer. And can it support the 2 hard drives I stated above?

[JPMiller]

Do you have a link to the new choice of board... I personally think your original choice was a very good one... and all current boards support, at LEAST 2 drives if not more...

[Vigo]

I only saw one hard drive. You can support up to 4 sata and 1 ide (you have one optical on the ide) without having to buy any add on cards. You have 1 sata listed. So you can support 3 more sata and one more ide if you want.

The network port on the back of the motherboard is just like having a network pci card in the macine. Only difference is its integrated directly onto the mother board and doesnt take up a slot. Its located on the same plate where your mouse, keyboard, printer, etc. (ports) are located.