The (new) Official PC building thread!

You will need a separate PCI Modem Card...at least they are cheap now days...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-Networking-_-NA-_-NA

 

Alright. Will get one then. I know technology is making modem connections obsolete, but unfortunately this pc will be living in a low-tech place.

 

Looking to buy the following:

1 ASUS M2N AM2 NVIDIA nForce 430 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2N
Item #: N82E16813131042

1 GECUBE GC-XHD2600XTG4-D3 Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: GC-XHD2600XTG4-D3
Item #: N82E16814241064

1 ZALMAN ZM – 750 HP ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: ZM – 750 HP
Item #: N82E16817379006

1 AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 45W Processor Model ADH2350DOBOX - Retail
Model #: ADH2350DOBOX
Item #: N82E16819103231

1 OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ28002048ELDCGE-K - Retail
Model #: OCZ28002048ELDCGE-K
Item #: N82E16820227030

1 ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail
Model #: DRW-2014L1T
Item #: N82E16827135156

My current set-up is the Sony Vaio PCV-RS420(UC) http://www.iq.sony.com/srvs/DocsConnect/docget.asp?manualid=13068&DL=',600,560,10,10,'Manuals I added the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro and 2 HDDs to my current system that ill be keeping.

Just seeing if all these options fit and are efficient, open to all suggestions. Im several years back on PC hardware knowledge so anything helps, thank you!

 

I have one in my main PC...and it was come in handy numerous times...

@Idioteck
It helps if you post links to the products...definitely not new technology...
No need for a Zalman 700wt P/S...are you building a HTCP?..

 

ASUS M2N AM2 NVIDIA nForce 430 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
GECUBE GC-XHD2600XTG4-D3 Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
ZALMAN ZM – 750 HP ATX12V / EPS12V 750W Power Supply - Retail
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 45W Processor Model ADH2350DOBOX - Retail
OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ28002048ELDCGE-K - Retail
ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail


Well, ill be hooking it up to a Samsung 56" 1080p DLP, to watch movies and whatnot. But mostly it will be used for gaming and watching movies on a 20" LCD screen

I was looking at a 400W PSU and someone told me to go 700~750.

The only reason i went AMD is because ATI has what i want graphics card wise, and from what i heard AMD owns ATI and the are a pretty pair.

 

Your linking did not work...anyway...I would be looking at a HD3850 card if you want to game with this...it will also work well for HD/Blueray playback...If you get the right drive...The HD3850 is to close to the price of a HD2600XT...not to upgrade to the HD3850...

Why are you looking at that M/B and CPU?..
What is your budget?..

 

fixed the linking...

Well, id like to keep it under a grand. I havent started saving for the parts yet so it'll take me a few months. The cheaper it is the sooner i can get it.


So my train of thought when mock building the set-up was..
First the Graphics card, then the CPU and then the motherboard and Memory and then the PSU and Combo drive.

I picked the CPU based on price and its 65nm size, dual-core, and from what i know (very little) the specs looked decent.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Black Edition Processor Model ADO5000DSWOF - Retail
Is something like that more contemporary?

 

Who ever said you would need a 700wt P/S does not know what they are talking about...look at the Corsair 450VX...It will do you just fine...
The best price on one is at Dell the site is down or I would link you to it...$69 with a $10 rebate $59...

AMD & ATI are just fine...you definitely will be better off with the HD3850...

Now you are talking...a much better choice...

 

haha ok i thought so, i used a PSU estimator and put in all my components and it said ~400 so i picked one and someone said 700~750 would be best. I thought almost doubling the Wattage was a little extreme, but i know basically nothing about hardware.

I noticed that the HD3850 is PCI Express 2.0. whats the advantage over x16?

So basically i would like something that would be able to play 1080p VC-1 files with no stutter.

 

Lp: Yeah I've thought about that on a few occasions, things like "s***! what if I drop a screw in there?" :O
The only problem I have with wire routing is that the 4-pin +12V connectors are never long enough to not have to run a complete diagonal from the PSU to the motherboard, that often leads to them resting on the graphics card heatsink. Knowing how hot those get, I'm not sure I'd want a cable on top of them, just to be safe...
Jtan: I never even knew they built motherboards with integrated 56k modems, I've certainly never seen one, you can buy a PCI modem for cheap.
Idioteck: The motherboard you've chosen is a full size ATX board. It won't fit in a Vaio case, so you'll need a new case. Stick with something like a Corsair VX power supply rather than the 700W Zalman, and go with a proper CPU.

I used to use power supply calculators religiously, but since my recommended 470W system only uses 250W at mains (and therefore only 210W at DC) I gave up with all that rubbish. Any gaming PC, as long as it has one CPU and one graphics card should run off a 500W power supply, no question.

 

After much consideration, ive decided to pick up a quad core(Q6600)instead of the e6750.(the 95w edition)

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_i...=7108&osCsid=ccbc8acce035d5853dad937477142b9a

Just wondering if i should keep with the gigabyte board or go in with a 680i due to the jump? If not it's a saving for me

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_i...=7586&osCsid=ccbc8acce035d5853dad937477142b9a

^ kinda like this. I was also gonna get it for SLI(i know it can be a waste but it's just for future proof ness)

 

SLi is not at all futureproof, it's for getting higher detail levels in SOME games. Support for it is no better than when it was first released though. The cheaper motherboard will handle the quad core fine.

 

I understand. My build is looking "1337" atm. And i settled on that black gigabyte 3d aurora case.

 

680i mobos have a tendancey to be very suntable. esp with all RAM slots full. it would be better for you to go with an ultra than an SLI setup

 

If you are thinking of getting a quadcore processor, don't make the mistake that I did. Bought a motherboard that supported only one of the quad cores. There are 2 Q6600. Some MBs only support one of them. I bought an Intel MB that supported Quad core processors JUST NOT MY INTEL QUAD CORE. Talked to them and they were unresponsive. Go to Intel site and find out which Quad Core that you want before deciding. Also, for me, I decided on the CPU before anything else. The CPU will guide you in the other decisions.

 

could someone give me some input on a good MOBO for a E6750 processor?

thank you for any help/info

 

Get a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R, or a GA-P35C-DS3R if you want DDR3.

 

@He_Man,
I have the silver Aurora with an EVGA 680i, E6850 cpu and a couple of 8800GTS 640MB cards in SLI. Do I need all of that? Probably not. It sure looks cool though. Gives me good 3DMark06 benchmarks too. Above 16,000.
It is probably a waste of money for most folks (including me) to build something like that. I'm not the most pragmatic person though. I just wanted a damn fast PC and had the money to buy the parts and build it. I'm very proud of it.
The EVGA 680i board has been flawless for me. It's easy to overclock and very stable. I've had the E6850 a bit over 4.0 Ghz a couple of times for a minute or two... Which is good for a newbie overclocker like me. It's works daily at 3.7 or so.

@ greensman,
I can solder Molex connector pins but it's not neccesary. Crimped connections are strong if done correctly with the right tool. That's how they are normally put together. Crimping is a lot faster. No flux residue either.

 

I was just looking at those two motherboards as well as the P35-DS4 Rev 2. I've just about picked out all my the parts for my new build, except I'm having a really hard time deciding which motherboard to purchase, and I'm running out of time before Christmas haha.

I have a Q6600 processor, all 3 boards will handle it just fine. I'd like to have both DDR2 and DDR3 if possible, DDR2 so I don't have to spend $500 on RAM now, and DDR3 for later when the prices drop and I want to add more RAM. For right now I am going with Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB).

I also like how the DS4 has tons of USB and SATA ports, I think 8 each. SamMorris was telling me the other boards have the same amount of USB ports but NewEgg doesnt list them for some reason, so I'm not really 100%. (I know he loves the GA-P35-DS3R though, so thats a big cosign for that board.) I'd also like a 1394 port if possible. I don't need cross fire or SLI or anything like that. I wish one of them had dual Gig LANs, but oh well.


Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4R

If you all had your choice of getting one of these 3 motherboards for free (price doesn't really matter is all I'm saying) and your needs matched mine, what would you pick?

 

Well know what my choice would be. As for the DS3R, it's the revision that determines how many of each port you have. Revision 2 has the extra USB ports on the back, but removes the included parallel port. Rev1.1 has the full 8 S-ATA ports but lacks the extra back 2 USBs (they're on another header instead). Rev1.0 has the parallel port, but only 4 back USB2s and only 6 S-ATA ports.