Another new build advice thread

I'd avoid using the cheap PSU. NZXT make fabulous cases, but I'm not sure I'd want a power supply from them. Go with something like this instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010&Tpk=Stealthxstream

I've not had any experience with the P31 chipset yet, I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Perhaps this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131184&Tpk=P5K-V
CPU is OK, memory and hard drive are good.

 

Hey LOCO I'm no guru but maybe Mort81, Lp531, fasfrank, or one of the others will visit but I'm here anyway.

Since you already got the case there's nothing we can do about that.

a GPU is needed and this was pointed out earlier in the PC thread...good for the money I think and so does sam.. link to gpu

Honestly I don't know much about the board but for your needs (no SLi) you have chosen OK I think.

P/S I'm not sure that the NZXT is the way to go. I know from experience that a GOOD P/S is worth it's wait in gold, sooooo let's look at some other deals why don't we.

cooler master eXtreme 500

Thermaltake PurePower 500

Sigma Shark 585

cooler master eXtreme 600

I don't know about the Sigma so someone else will have to comment on it, I'm sure it's not the best but NONE of these are really. I think the other 3 for the money aren't to bad and will do what you need them to. I'm guessing some video editing and A LOT of surfing. LOL.

Remember that's it's all up to you ultimately!! That means you have to be happy with whatever decision you make. If I or some else makes a suggestion it's just that. It's always nice to bounce ideas off someone tho and I'm rebounding right now. HEHEHE...

Good luck buddy and if you need any help or advice ask someone else....hehehe...j/k PM about anything buddy.

....gm

 

The Asus just uses a good, well known chipset. Asus and Gigabyte both make good boards, but reviews of the P31 chipset aren't promising.

 

That's a great idea LOCO. I would look at the RAM available right now tho. I can't see it going any lower atm. I may have to put off my Intel build too. It seems that every turn brings on a burden that puts off my dream toy for NOW!! I'll see what Santa leaves as far as the green stuff this year and go from there.

....gm

 

@Locoeng
Whats the budget on this thing?..
Got any Wiggle Room?..
Go with a GA-P35...
I think theonejrs is going to have a E4300 for sale...he might make you a deal...
Memory...look for something with 4-4-4-12 timing...Crucial...Corsair or G-Skill...
Case looked a little weak...
O/S why do you have one of those in the shopping cart...we can Help you there...}

 

I don't know about the OS but you shouldn't have to buy any cables EXCEPT for the rounded IDE cable for the DVDRW drives you choose. If you go SATA which is OK your board might come with enough to cover the needs. (only comes with 2) You're looking at a SATA HDD right? Yep just looked.

Here's something to look at from the EGG....link for cables

Here's this link too....these guys are great and help with multiple items on shipping.

Pretty good cpu hsf for the money. You're gonna need something a little better than the hsf that comes with the Intel chip. jm2c here... link from the EGG

AC Freezer 7 Pro from the EGG....good deal too (it's Open Box but a good deal!!)

hth....

.....gm

 

Unless you're going to use your old PC, you should already have most of what you need along the line of peripherals. Cables usually come with the drives and peripherals unless you buy some OEM hardware that doesn't come with everything needed. You can beef up the ventilation on your case with a front fan. That gives better cross flow ventilation. If not using SATA optical drives, use the round cables as greensman suggests. They're better for ventilation and the internals look nicer. They don't cost much, so doesn't effect the budget by more than a few dollars.

There's a couple of spots I refuse to budget just to shave off a few dollars. The PSU is one of them. Until recently most factory PCs were about 250-300 watts. For most normal users a good 500-600 watt PSU will be more than enough. I like the OCZ and Corsair units with the Corsair being a favorite because of the modular cable system. You use on the cables you need. It's less cluttered inside the case (better ventilation) and no tied off cables. Antec is good as is the Thermaltakes greensman mentioned.

You've already purchased the RAM, so it's of no use to comment on what to get. Give us a link to satisfy our curiosity though. I usually use Corsair RAM, but I've been known to use OCZ, both excellent brands. I've upgraded some systems using Kingston with good results. For a basic PC most manufacturers make decent RAM. Instead of buying everything a piece at a time, I would have put some of the money for the build in the safe, coffee can or whatever. That way the CPU, mobo, and RAM could be purchased at the same time. The reason I do that is to get the best available at build time. Things can sometimes change a lot in a few months.

Of the boards mentioned, I'd say the ASUS Sammorris noted is a decent choice. Gigabyte and ASUS boards are my favorites. There's other good boards as well and a lot of people have their favorites. If there's technology that's proving itself, most board builders get in line. ASUS is probably the most user friendly and they have good guides and support, plus a good website with online support. If a board goes down, which doesn't happen very often, ASUS often repairs the one you send in. I've seen a few people make mistakes overclocking and damage a mobo (ASUS as well as others). I've seen very few mobos go down under normal operation.

You'll need a decent GPU. The Sapphire greensman suggested is a good choice and the price isn't bad. Granted it's over twice what you're looking at, but you started at the basement of the price scale. I'm not a fan of GeCube, but there's more than just the brand name I'm not fond of with your choice. Note the 512MB Ram with 256 onboard. Wonder where that other 256 comes from, if the need arises. That's one of the older Radeon chipsets. A lot of people invest as much in the GPU as they do the CPU, some even more. I'm not saying to splurge that much, but budget about $100 for a decent card.


I forgot to mention, once you have the system up and running, check to see if the BIOS is up to date. Sometimes they're updated from time of manufacture to when you build. There's a change log, so check to see if you need or want to update. Similar to updating the firmware on a burner (well maybe not that easy, lol).

The new flat widescreen monitors are great and you can get a 22 inch for about $200 to $300. Here's a 22" I came across while browsing. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094

I noticed Greensman mentioned an aftermarket cooler for the CPU. Unless you're overclocking or buying a CPU that comes without a HSF, there's no need. For stock systems the cooler Intel ships does a decent job. That's money you can spend toward the better GPU he mentioned. I don't like the thermal compound that comes stock with the HSF and CPU. I like the Arctic Silver.

To quickly recap what I suggested:
Upgrade the case you have with a front fan, if an option.
Get a good PSU and plan according to upgrades you may want in the future.
Thermaltake fans are good, if you can't get a matching CoolMax.
Don't skimp on the PSU, get a good one.
Round cables instead of flat IDE when/if IDE is used.
Use Arctic Silver for thermal compound
Think about the ASUS board Sammorris mentioned and the GPU greensman mentioned.

 

Another good deal on a P/S....link to ZZF CM 550W $29.99 w/ $40 savings

ThermalTake 120mm fan at SVC.com (just bought 2 of these myself)

Arctic Silver 5 at the EGG

....gm

edit:

I agree but for $16 for the AC Freezer Pro or the Cooler Master TX it's cheap cooling for the benefits you receive. I added a front fan and the CM TX hsf to my AMD 3800 build and it lowered my temps almost 10*C under ZERO load. jm2c on that....

edit 2: forgot about this post. lol. The Thermaltake fans are ok but loud!! If you have them under some sort of controller they're not to bad but at full tilt they will be annoying.

 

Greensman,
You'd best check the specs on the PSU you suggested. No C2D support. As for the CPU cooling, the manufacturer gives a heat range that a processor can safely operate in and under normal situations the stock fans do a good job of keeping them there. Unless LOCO plans on overclocking his system, he doesn't need the bigger cooler. Spend those dollars on something more necessary. Now if he was building a system to OC, I'd suggest the better cooling and a host of other things. But his previous purchases and budget show he's building a good working PC, but not a "bench racer".

 

@Locoeng

Antec Sonata III Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129024
$149.95-$20.00 Instant=$129.99 with $30.00 Mail-in Rebate $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811129024

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128059
$109.99-$10.00 Instant $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128059

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145177
Free 3 Business Day Shipping
$120.00-$10.00 Instant $110.00 $40.00 Mail-in Rebate $70.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145177

COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835103031
$29.99-$20.00 Mail-in Rebate $9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835103031

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115029
$214.98-$19.99 Combo $194.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115029

Sword of the New World: GAME - OEM
Item #: N82E16800992029
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
FREE with CPU

SAPPHIRE 100189 Radeon X1900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card - OEM
Item #: N82E16814102705
$89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102705

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148262
$69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148262

$704.90 Sub Total
$28.78 Shipping
$733.68 TOTAL
$90 in Rebates
$643.68 TOTAL after Rebates

Use the 250GB for your O/S...when you get your Rebates back...take the money and buy a 500GB Storage Drive...This will give you one Kick Ass Machine in your price range...With Major O/C Potential...

 

PacMan I don't see why it wouldn't support the C2D cpu's. Here's a link to the Cooler Master website and it shows everything you need for support of a C2D from what I can tell. I may need more explanation but from what I see it should support the the Intel C2D chips.

The Gigabyte mobo he linked to has a 4-pin cpu connector and the CPU he linked to suggests a voltage range of 1.162V-1.312V. I think that covers the needs for a C2D cpu. Of course in this instance or occasion.

If I'm wrong here or don't understand my P/S, cpu, and mobo compatibility stuff then by all means correct me.

I know what the link to ZZF said but it may be misleading in some way. :S

...gm

 

Well Lp531 went all out didn't he...

Nice post Lp531 and when the time comes for me to do the Intel C2D system you are gonna be on the TOP 10 list for advice on building.

....gm

 

@greensman
It supports it..

I only know one way to do it...The Right Way...I just saw that he already has the case so here is the P/S...

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817703005
$199.99-70=$129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817703005

$724.94 Sub Total
$10.14 Shipping
$735.08 Total before Rebates
$60.00 Rebates
$675.08 Total after Rebates

 

Greensman,
I was looking at the spec list on the link you supplied.

General
Type ATX12V
Packaging Retail

Specification
# of Fans 1
Output Capacity 550W
6 Pin PCI-E Connectors 1
8 Pin PCI-E Connectors None
S-ATA Connectors 3
Dual +12V Yes

Feature
PFC No
Fanless No
Modular Cabling Support No
Dual Core CPU Support No
Quad Core CPU Support No
Quad GPU Ready No
SLI/CrossFire Support None

Lp531
Are you among the group that advocates using a single rail 12V PSU?

 

From ZZF........

Yes and I semi-addressed that in my response above. It seems to me that the information provided by ZZF may be misleading. Lp531 confirmed the support of the C2D with that P/S. I'm not saying it's the best P/S in that range but it's not to bad. I have the 500W model (about a month now) and it seems to do just fine.

I don't want to remove the link because it's the only way that LOCO can get the P/S if he so desires.

I agree it seems the unit may not support C2D but with some research and confirmation from Lp I think it might do the job just fine.

...gm