And another "review my build" thread... :)

[tomstevens26]

Been about 3 years since I built my last PC...ready to go ahead and upgrade now. Was toying with the idea of reusing my existing case, RAM, etc... but now I've decide to go ahead and just build an entirely new PC.

Anywho, tried to catch up on the current technologies (things have changed a little since I built my XP2500+ ) so I've been reading here, Anands reviews, HardOCP, and the Newegg customer reviews. Any glaring problems as far as compatibility issues on the list below?


Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 @ 2.13GHz

RAM
Corsair XMS2-6400

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320G SATA w/ 16MB buffer

Case
Coolermaster CAC-T05-UW Centurion 5 Mid tower case

Optical Drive
NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD/RW

PSU
Antec NeoHE 550 550W PSU

Sound card
SB X-Fi Xtreme Music sound card

Video card
BFG GeForce 7900 GT 256MB

The RAM checks out on Gigabytes website as compatible with this motherboard, so hopefully there shouldn't be any issues there. I haven't seen any issues with anyone getting this motherboard and it NOT supporting the Core 2 Duo out of the box -- no one having to put in an old P4 chip to update the bios, get a new BIOS chip shipped, etc. The PSU got good reviews on HardOCP, NforcersHQ, and a couple of other websites.

One thing I'm not sure on is the hard drive. Always been a big Seagate fan because they've always been quite (by my standards) and reliable. My question about this specific drive is that since it's a bare/OEM model, will I have everything I need to connect it? I'm assuming the answer is "yes" since the mobo comes with two SATA cables and the PSU has SATA power cables.

As for the PC uses, well, I play way too much WoW, some FPS games (CoD2, UT2004, FEAR, Prey, etc...) and then some moderate Photoshopping. That's about it.

So, if anyone would be kind enough to look over this potential build and let me know if it looks good, or if I should make any changes I would really appreciate it!!

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Bobthelost]

Well researched

HD= Fine. Cabling is all included with the motherboard.

PSU = Ok, it's not a bad PSU at all, more than you need here (430W would do it) but i'd prefer a seasonic or enermax liberty instead. I have one sitting not three feet from my head and i can't hear it running, my LCD makes more noise than it does.

GPU: 7950 ? Or X1900XT 256?

If you're not an audiophile then don't get the XFI, onboard HD sound is pretty good these days. If you do have a set of cans or speakers that merit an XFI then go for it, but the odds are you don't.

It's all nitpicking, you could buy that and be happy.

 

[Corporate Thug]

i have that same harddrive, i dont think it comes with the sata cables. But those cables are included with teh motherboard, so you are fine there.

I really think the 7900GT is overpriced. You can get a x1900xt for that price and it will be faster

or this is cheaper as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150144

edit:

I would rather get this PSU

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...de=101207&Category_Code=mc_powersupply

 

[tomstevens26]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies!!

PSU
As for that PSU being overkill, yeah, I thought it would be, but the 430W is $89.99, and the 550 currently is $99.99 with a $20 MIR, so it'll end up costing me $10 less than the 430W. Figured I might as well take ZZF up on that offer.

Graphics Card
I wasn't totally settled on the 7900GT. I was toying between it, an X1900 XT, or maybe even the XTX. Heck, the ATI X1900 XTX is only $86 more? Any thoughts on that as the choice? Assuming I'd still be OK with the 550W PSU?

Sound Card
Thanks for the info on the onboard audio. I've read mixed reviews on it. I'm far from being an audiophile, and I'm not using high end speakers by any means...currently using the Logitech Z-640s. My concern is CPU usage. Doesn't the onboard audio take away from the CPU? I seem to remember reading something (again, this is back in the Nforce2 days) where the onboard audio can tax the CPU by as much as 20%. Is that no longer the case? If not, then I agree that I could probably stick with the onboard audio and be just as happy.

Thanks again for the help and guidance.
Tom

 

[Bobthelost]

Sound card: Nope, i've seen tests going as high as 4% (you've got two cores, you'll live ) and i think it's more around 2%.

A 550W PSU can run any graphics card around as well as an overclocked P4D. If it's going that cheap then i'd jump on that deal quick.

Which graphics card you get is up to you, i got a 7800GT, great card, but i realised that i don't need it, i'd be happy gaming with less eyecandy.

 

[Operandi]

Drop the X-Fi and put the money saved into a faster CPU or GPU; buying a soundcard for lower CPU utilization is not a reason.

If it was my system I would change the PSU to a Seasonic S12 380 or 430 watt, either or which is plenty; power requirements are grossly exaggerated.

Personally preference but I would go with a better case, perhaps a Lian Li PC-7B.

 

[acegazda]

perhaps you should look into the enhance 5140gh. Has 28 amps on the 12v rails, more than enough, and is 80+ certified. That means quiet too. Its a bargain for $65 shipped @ ewiz. I'd definetly vouch for the x1900xt 256mb, I saw a thread where someone figured out some frames per dollar figures and the x1900xt 256mb was the best @ like $3.25/frame.
Last suggestion would be to get the CM centurion 534 or 531 which have 12cm intake fans and a bracket for a rear 12cm exhaust fan. Both are ~$50 shipped.

 

[tomstevens26]

Yay! It's ordered.

I opted to NOT get the X-Fi and will be using the onboard audio. I did go ahead and get the ATI X1900XTX I linked in my second post. I had looked at the Seasonic PSUs, but unfortunately ZZF only had the Seasonic 600W. I realize I could have ordered from somewhere, but everything else is coming from ZZF, so I decided to go with the Neo.

As for the case, that Lian Li looks nice, but I went ahead with the Centurion. Always used Enlight or Antec cases in the past. Saw the Centurion on Newegg (still ordered from ZZF because I have to pay freaking tax from Newegg) and figured with the reviews I'd give it a shot. Hoping I won't be disappointed. 697 reviews w/ 81% being 5/5 stars, so hopefully I'll be able to rate it the same.

The only thing I'm dreading is the HSF installation. From everything I've read, I decided to go with the stock HSF since at most I'll try some mild overclocking. I've read everything from "installation a bit tedious" to "thought I was going to crack the motherboard" in regards to the HSF installation. Is it really that difficult? Back when I used to build quite frequently for friends and family, I built mainly using AMD. I remember their installations being "tricky" but once you got comfortable doing it wasn't an issue. How does the stock HSF fan attach to the socket? I'm assuming from the comments I've seen about force required that it's a clip mechanism and not a screw solution, correct? Any suggstions?

Thanks again,
Tom

 

[dBTelos]

Good PSU choise, one of the few Antec PSUs that are good anymore.

 

[tomstevens26]

Got my stuff Thursday, and setup went wihtout a hitch last night. Sure enough, didn't need any floppy drivers. Installed using the Intel SATA port with native mode disabled...installed the Intel INF drivers first thing after the install, rebooted, enabled native mode, and everything is working great. Hooked it up to a Dell 2007FWP and it looks awesome.

I did have some concerns at first with the completely tool free case. Wasn't quite sure I trusted the screwless way the slide panels hold in the HD and DVDRW but it seemed to hold them very secure once I installed them. So far no problems after about 5 hours of solid WoW, then a few hours of Half Life 2 and F.E.A.R. Thanks again to everyone for their help!

Tom

 

[JEDIYoda]

nice job.....a few minor changes here and there only due to personnal preferences...very nice choice of components!!

 

[dBTelos]

Np. Glad it went well for you.