building a new system. help?

[xx04201987xx]

well this is my first post ever and im not that great with computers like you guys.
im thinking of building a system and don't know which parts to go with.
im not a heavy gamer but i watch a lot of movies on my computer.
so maybe u guys can help me out and tell me what parts are good for me.

here is what i just thought i might get...
core 2 duo e6850
geforce 8600 GT or GTS (aiming for about $150+ or -)
ABIT IP35 Pro (kind of scared since im reading a lot of reviews about abit having ZERO customer services)
Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 X 1GB) PC2-6400 800Mhz 240-pin DDR2 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB Hard Drive
Ultra X2 ULT40121 750-Watt Power Supply
Lite-On LH-20A1S SuperAllwrite SATA

is the mobo worth getting it or switch to a different mobo?
and same question for the video card.

and how many watts do i need to have if i want to expand this system later on?

thanks for the help in advance.

 

[cozumel]

You say you are not a heavy gamer but which games are you looking to play?

You won't need 750W PSU and could if you are planning to play Crysis or similar games put the money toward a better GFX as the 8600 would underperform on Crysis when compared to an 8800GT or GTS.

Although if you are saying future upgrades what is your plan? Do you plan to crossfire an ATI or SLI NVidia on a different board? Are you looking to overclock?

Currently, with the parts you have chosen and without an overclock, a 450W quality PSU will be more than be sufficient.

 

[xx04201987xx]

I probably won't be playing games like Crysis.
in that case would 8600 GT or GTS be good enough for me to use?
what brand is good for the price?

and I don't plan to upgrade video part too much since it will be a waste for me.
I was thinking more like memory, hard drives, sound card and so on.
nothing too fancy.

and I don't see too much reason for overclocking but since you brought it up
if I do decide to overclock CPU and memory
and including those small upgrades up there
about how much power would I need?
and is there a brand you can recommend for me?

 

[cozumel]

If you're unsure about the Abit P35 Pro then take a look at
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0 - $152.99 or if you are not planning using RAID (which it appears not as you have chosen just one hdd)
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L - $96.99
Both are high quality boards.

The E6850 you have chosen costs the same as the Q6600 but the Q6600 will offer you a better performance.

The Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit currently retails at $49.99 after rebates, will easily outstrip the Corsair XMS2 on performance and is half the price.

The Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive OEM is the model that supercedes the 7200.10 you have chosen. It has double the cache and I have had good feedback on it. There is an extra cost though as it retails at $119.99 ($15 more than the 7200.10)

I like the Corsair HX range of PSUs and the CMPSU-520HX will offer everything you need at $99.99 after rebate.

On the GFX front I really have a positive dislike for the 8600GTS and recommend you consider the ATI 2600XT or 3000 series or if you can afford and budget stretches and you feel it is worth it the 8800GT as it would futureproof you for a while.

Stick all of that into a Coolermaster RC-690 case (i think about $50 retail) and you'll have a nice rig that will last and offer you excellent upgrade opportunites.

 

[TemjinGold]

Depending on deals, I would either swap that E6850 for an E6750 or Q6600. The E6750 can be as much as $100 cheaper than the E6850 and if you don't do anything intensive (since you say you mainly watch a lot of movies) you seriously won't even notice the difference in speed. The Q6600 is more "future-proof" if that's your thing but by the time quad-cores do anything for mainstream, it will likely be way too slow. For your usage, the E6750 is likely your best choice if money is a concern.

The 8600 is currently horrible at its price point thanks to the Radeon 3850 (~$20 more) as the latter will completely wipe the floor with the former. If you are biased against ATi (not judging here), then stepping down to the E6750 and getting a smaller, quality PSU (these) will give you the needed scratch for an 8800GT. E6750 + 8800GT is WAY better than E6850 + 8600 anything.

For ram, since you aren't planning on OC, I would get the absolute cheapest ram you can find. Believe it or not, the performance difference between the highest specced and lowest specced ram is BARELY noticeable at best, and not at all in the apps you plan on using your PC for. Quality ram is worth it for hitting better OCs (and still that's subjective) but you already said you won't be doing that.

 

[cozumel]

Of course, if you were going to step down on the CPU then I reckon that outside of the Q6600 the E2180 is the best bang for buck at the moment and only costs $84.99. It will easily do everything that you have specified and will overclock very well as will the crucial ballistix. The GA-P35-DSP or DSL are also typically very good at supporting an overclock if you did want to experiment as you said in you last post xx04201987xx (that is a strange name).

The Corsair 520W that I linked would support everything overclocked if you did go down that road and the money saved by getting the E2180 would allow you to buy an 8800GT or 8800GTS.

Edit: And the Corsair VX range PSU's linked to by TemjinGold offer real good value. Get the 550W model if you want to futureproof. Wow man. Good price. Almost giving them away.
They are not as good a spec as the HX range but are still quality.

 

[TemjinGold]

Hehe, I take no credit for that. I was just impressed with the price when checking the Hot Deals threads. The HX series is nice with modular and stuff but the VX for near half the price is definitely hard to pass when both units are so similar in build.

 

[blurrb]

Hmm, if you're not a heavy gamer then deduct on the PSU grab a Antec Neo 500w for like $70. While you're at it since you like videos, opt for some Crucial or Ballistix DDR2800 and go with 2x1GB sticks or if you're into any type of video/graphic editing go with 4GB. Also I would grab the Sapphire HD3850 256MB for like $170 on zipzoomfly including shipping.

 

[xx04201987xx]

read and checked out what both of you guys said and I'm leaning toward something like...
E6750
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0
8800GT
coursair 520HX (I really like the idea of not having extra wires running and what not)

and from this I would like to crank up the CPU and OC it
how far can I push it?
and would I need better memory in order to do that?
I've already ordered Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 X 1GB) PC2-6400 800Mhz 240-pin DDR2 Memory
since there was a deal for little less than $40 after MIR
also can you guys recommend and link 8800GT for me?
I'm really newb at this building system and it's my first time building my own system
so I don't want to do anything stupid XP

thank you both so much for all the help =)

 

[xx04201987xx]

oh and another quick question.
for the mobo it says memory standard is DDR2 1066
does that mean I can't use DDR2 800???

 

[cozumel]

If you are not getting the Q6600 then I really would suggest getting the E2180 instead. These are the two CPUs that offer the best bang for buck and the 2180 ...but it is your choice and I'm not gonna go on...

I recommend an EVGA 8800GT purely because they offer the 'step-up' program which means you can upgrade to a better model wthin 90 days and just pay the difference. No-one else offers this AFAIK. Take a look here.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: xx04201987xx
well this is my first post ever and im not that great with computers like you guys.
im thinking of building a system and don't know which parts to go with.
im not a heavy gamer but i watch a lot of movies on my computer.
so maybe u guys can help me out and tell me what parts are good for me.

here is what i just thought i might get...
core 2 duo e6850
geforce 8600 GT or GTS (aiming for about $150+ or -)
ABIT IP35 Pro (kind of scared since im reading a lot of reviews about abit having ZERO customer services)
Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 X 1GB) PC2-6400 800Mhz 240-pin DDR2 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB Hard Drive
Ultra X2 ULT40121 750-Watt Power Supply
Lite-On LH-20A1S SuperAllwrite SATA

is the mobo worth getting it or switch to a different mobo?
and same question for the video card.

and how many watts do i need to have if i want to expand this system later on?

thanks for the help in advance.

If you aren't into computers and building computers, and you don't plan to game, a Dell (read www.gotapex.com's latest newslinks for deals - Vostro 200 from the Biz section is what I mention here) 19" LCD monitor and Dual Core Intel box for $399 (total) is about the best deal going. Add a $150 graphics card (if you choose - if you just watch videos and such you don't need to do this) and you're all set.... with 1 year of support and far less hassle.

 

[cozumel]

The OP came here to learn how to build, not be advised to buy a DELL that offers a zero upgrade path, low grade components, locked BIOS, limited OEM mobo etc etc. All Dell offers is a bundle at a good price that traps you into buying a new pc whenever you want to upgrade.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: cozumel
The OP came here to learn how to build, not be advised to buy a DELL that offers a zero upgrade path, low grade components, locked BIOS, limited OEM mobo etc etc. All Dell offers is a bundle at a good price that traps you into buying a new pc whenever you want to upgrade.

Actually, he said he's 'thinking' of building a system, and he didn't ask for an upgrade path nor did he say he needed expensive components (in fact, he said just the opposite - 8600/non-gamer). I don't think most people care about locked BIOSs and such, and if he's worried about Abit's tech support quality, it's quite likely he's not, either.

"All they offer" is a great bundle at a great price for excellent speed, high quality, legal OS, and excellent 1 year support warranty. For many people (most, even), even on here, that's a great deal. $399 for a Core system, fully legal with OS, with hard drive, 19" LCD, and all the other stuff, is a steal.

Did you read the OP's post?

 

[cozumel]

Yes I did read the post. He said he is not good with computers but is thinking of building a new syetm and that he would like us to help him and say what parts are good for him. Then he listed a load of parts. He also went on to mention the PSU, possible future expansion, showed an interest in subsequent posts of trying a possible light overclock and wanted to know about future upgradability.

I did not see anywhere in any of his posts a mention of buying a pre-built system. He only expressed an interest in building a system and appears to be very eager to learn. I think it is only right to encourage and advise accordingly.

I would also like to add that I have not picked out a list of expensive parts, just merely advised on what is available and what they offer. I stated the Q6600 and E2180, Ballistix on MIR, an HDD at about the same price he picked out and in one of the last posts said the 'on sale' corsair PSU at $50 linked by another member was a great deal. I advised against the 8600GTS but instead mentioned the 2600 and 3000 series from ATI and advised that he considered the 8800GT if he wanted more futureproofing and his budget would allow (in line with his future expansion and upgrade posts).

 

[TemjinGold]

Whoa, chill guys. No harm in the Dell option being on the table and no harm in us advising him on parts.

OP: 1066 mem standard means it can support UP TO that, so your ddr2-800 will work fine.

An 8800GT link is going to be difficult as most places are out of stock (especially if you stick to one brand.) My advice here would be to cruise the Hot Deals section of the forums often, taking note of when one is mentioned.

 

[xx04201987xx]

well thank you all for the advice and help.
and yes I didn't want to have pre-built system and that's why I've came here for help.
and these are the parts I'm going to be using now.

Q6600
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0
Coursair PSU
8800GT (Might have gone over the budget over a bit from this but I won't have to upgrade for a while XP)
Corsair XMS2 2GB
Seagate 7200 80gig (getting this one cause it was only 52 with shipping and had to save lot of money since 8800GT was chosen)

I'm probably going to get CPU cooler and 2nd hard drive(one that cozumel recommended) then overclock the cpu a little.
and if I see a nice deal throw in another 2 gigs of memory too.

thanks for alllllllllll the help and now its time to order the partssssss =)

 

[cozumel]

Cool man. Get yourself some Arctic MX-2 thermal paste for heatsink/cpu - only a few bucks but will improve the cooling a touch.