Another "New Build" Thread

[Klitch]

So I know you all get a lot of these "advice" threads but please just bear with me. I myself posted one earlier this summer, but I've revised my choices and thought I'd look for some more advice

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Gaming and engineering progarms

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20%
About $1200

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA, but ordering on online

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
None

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Old 19" monitor

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Yes, many

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I hope to OC the CPU to about 3 to 3.4ghz

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Sometime this month

I said I've done a lot of research into what would be best for me and this is what I've come up with http://secure.newegg.com/WishL...985&WishListTitle=1000"]NewEgg Wishlist[/URL]

So to go into detail about what I've chosen and why

CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115017"]Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz - $194.99 [/URL]
I know the arguments for and against getting a Quad or just a Dual. I've picked the Q6600 because I know it overclocks very well, and I love to do multi task stuff, the first thing I do with my games is figure out how to play in a window. I'm anticipating being able to take advantage of Quad for my engineering programs. I also know I won't be able to upgrade my computer for a couple years and I'm thinking the Quad might be better in the long run.

GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814129113"]VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 - $284.99 and w/MIR $264.99[/URL]
I've read nothing but excellent things about the 4870. I plan on using the tweak that someone posted on this form about increasing the stock fan speed to about 35% or 40% and overclocking this card to 790mhz.

Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813136038"]DFI BloodIron P35-T2RL - $119.99[/URL]
This board was recommended by your site, but admittedly picking a mobo is probably my weakest area of knowledge. But I think I should be able to OC fairly easily on this one.

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227280"]OCZ Platinum Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1000MHZ - $92.99 and w/MIR $62.99 [/URL]
Memory is cheap and I haven't found a better deal and this. $63 for 4gb of 1000Mhz? Yes please

Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218"]Western Digital 640GB 7200 RPM OEM - $84.99[/URL]
640gb is plenty of room and this is really good price.

PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139001"]CORSAIR 520HX 520W - $119.99 and w/MIR $99.99[/URL]
As I understand it, a very good PSU. I don't think I'll need more than 500W and a modular PSU should make things easier for me since this is my first build.

CPU Heatsink http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835233003"]XIGMATEK HDT 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - $36.99 and w/MIR $26.99[/URL]
This cooler should let me get my Q6600 to over 3ghz right? I originally hoped to find a Thermalright Ultra 120mm, (Not the extreme edition) but I literally couldn't find one! I would really like to hit 3.4 with the Q6600.

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129042"]Antec Three Hundred Black ATX - $59.95[/URL]
I'm not a fan of flashy cases and LED lights make me sad inside. This case looks functional for me and I like all the places to mount fans. I don't really see anything wrong with this case, but I haven't seen many recommendations for it so if someone know why, I would like to know! Maybe I'm suffering under a delusion here

Case Fans http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835233009"]XIGMATEK XSF 120mm Case Fan - $6.99 x2 = $13.98[/URL]
I counted 5 places to mount 120mm fans on the 300 and I know it comes with 3 already. Will buying these two fans for the empty slots make a difference?

Optical Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151154"]SAMSUNG Black 20X OEM - $27.99[/URL] **UPDATE** This just went out of stock at Newegg! I need a new suggestion!
I saw a recommendation for this drive somewhere, looks solid to me, price is right.

Keyboard and Mouse http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16823109035"]Microsoft A4B-00007 Black - $29.99[/URL]
Just like I've never been fond of flashing computer cases, I've never really seen a whole lot of use for a "gaming keyboard or mouse." This combo doesn't look like it is going to break on me.

Sound http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16836121014"]Logitech S-220 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System OEM - $20.99[/URL]
No comment. I'm not an audiophile but I enjoy music.

OS http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116488"]Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit OEM - $109.99[/URL]
Yay for Vista. I prefer Vista over XP.

One final thought, will I be able to use all the OEM products I selected or do I need to buy some cables?

 

[DSF]

Your motherboard comes with two SATA cables that will cover the DVD Drive and HDD. I don't know about the OEM speaker system, but but Newegg tends to show what comes in the package.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Since you're picking up an aftermarket CPU cooler, you should grab the OEM version of the Q6600, which is a tad bit cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115018

The motherboard is fine, but I think the Gigabyte EP35-DS3R is a tad bit better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128086 (whenever/if it gets back in stock)

Else, I think the Asus P5QL-E would be a great board for you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131322

That's a great deal on the Antec Three Hundred. If you like the looks, grab it. The only thing I could recommend in this category is the Enermax Chakra case. It's roughly the same price as the Three Hundred and comes with free shipping from Newegg. I mainly picked it up for its massive 250 mm side fan and the eSATA front port.

If you honestly really like modular power supplies, then the 520W Corsair is a good buy. However, there are better (cheaper) deals on more powerful, non modular units on Newegg, including the Antec EarthWatts series, OCZ Stealth- and GameXStream series, and even the non-modular Corsair PSUs. I've never bought a modular unit and cables don't really bother me. As long as the case isn't chock full of internal accessories, it is very easy to to organize cables for optimal air flow.

The last thing I noticed with your build is that it seems to be missing a DVD drive/burner. You will need one to install Windows Vista, so I hope you get or already have one! If you don't have one, don't forget to grab a SATA DVD burner/drive to help on cable management. Any drive will be fine, so there's not much to recommend here. Just keep in mind retail drives will usually come with software while OEM drives usually don't.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
The motherboard is fine, but I think the Gigabyte EP35-DS3R is a tad bit better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128086 (whenever/if it gets back in stock)

Any particular criteria you used to make that decision? I'm not disagreeing necessarily, I'm just wondering what makes you prefer the Gigabyte.

He does have a DVD Drive listed, it's under optical drive.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Originally posted by: DSF

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
The motherboard is fine, but I think the Gigabyte EP35-DS3R is a tad bit better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128086 (whenever/if it gets back in stock)

Any particular criteria you used to make that decision? I'm not disagreeing necessarily, I'm just wondering what makes you prefer the Gigabyte.

He does have a DVD Drive listed, it's under optical drive.

I just preferred the Gigabyte because:

-An extra PCI-E x1 slot
-More SATA Ports
-RAID 10
-Better audio chipset... I'm assuming. I've never really found reviews and comparisons among various integrated audio chipsets.
-Uses Gigabyte's Dynamic Energy Saver.

Practically speaking, there isn't much of a difference. A person certainly wouldn't be wasting his or her money by choosing one over the other.

And his actual Newegg wishlist doesn't have an Optical drive, unless I'm completely missing it.

 

[DSF]

Yep, you're right about the wishlist, I didn't even look at it. I'm not sure he's really planning to order using that though, as he has five copies of the drive, five copies of the speaker system, two arctic silver tubes, etc. At least, I hope he's not.

 

[Klitch]

Hey guys for the support here. I did have a DVD Drive picked out when i first made up the wishlist but it has since gone out of stock at newegg. And, DSF don't worry, I only have one copy of each selection, Newegg is just messing up on you.


For the motherboard, how does http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131295"]ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX[/URL] look? I had a friend recommend it to me.