Building new Quad Core PC need some input

[jdelrio22]

I was curious about building a new system. I haven't built one since the AMD 3000 32bit processors back in the nvidia soundforge/nforce 2 days.

here is what I will be getting

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700


Back in the day it was Asus or Epox that were good boards.

So I am seeking advice on what type of power supply to get.

I have seen cheap memory around for $42 at places like Best buy and I was curious about how that type relates to the other speeds of memory.

I am clueless about what speed of memory to pair with the processor.

So basically I just need some sound advice on building a new machine. I am aiming for $1500 as the top mark but I like to use reliable and durable parts.

I intend to do things like School work, play a few games like WoW and UT 3. Do a dual screen setup. Small amount of video editing and music. I would like to watch HD movies later on (right now bluray drives are a bit spendy)

As far as brand preference goes I don't really have one, I just go for what is the most stable, reliable, and durable of hardware. For Ex. I am willing to spend 30-50 more on memory that is considered "better" than the cheaper stuff.

I have no tower at this time so this would be a completely new machine with new hardware.

I intend to leave the machine at default speeds.

All the parts are going to be in the US.

As far as the process of building a machine with the new hardware I was curious as to what things I may need. Thermal paste was one thing in particular that was needed in the past. I am curious as to how SATA is setup compared to the old EIDE.

I would ultimately like to try a WD Raid 0 raptor hdd setup. I have never done one but perhaps I don't need it. Any input would be greatly appreciated and thanks for your time.

 

[Blain]

* Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 - Way too much $$$ for only 260MHz over a Q6600.
* MB kings now are Gigabyte & Asus (yes, there are other solid MB manufacturers).
* DDR2 PC2-6400 is plenty for any CPU on the market right now. My favs are Corsair & Mushkin.
* Get SATA drives, as IDE sockets are going the way of the dinosaur.
* The CM Cosmos 1000 is one sweet case... looks & design.
* It's hard to go wrong with Corsair 640W, PC Power & Cooling 750W or a good Seasonic PS.
* Cooling with a down-blowing HS will also help cool your MB components.
* Video cards a PCI Express these days.

 

[jkresh]

Blain seems to have commented on most of it but he didnt mention raid so I will.
For the vast majority of computing tasks Raid 0 is pointless (and you want reliability which raid 0 does not help), it can be beneficial if you do a lot of video capture/transcoding (from dv/hd cams not tv tuners) but for almost everyhting else the speed vs cost/reliability is not worth it. If you are set on raid then raid 5 might be an option but motherboard based raid 5 tends to suck and good cards are very expensive.

 

[jeffw2767602]

1. q6600 g0 stepping
2. ddr2800 crucial ballistix $55 AR
3. no raptor raid, if you want raptor speed get a hitachi 1tb drive. it keeps up with a raptor, you get 6x the space, and double the MTBF.
4. nvidia 8800 series video card