First Time Builder Looking for Help

[Jhriad]

Alrighty this will be my first time building an entire computer from the ground up so I was hoping that I could get some advice on parts and whatnot from those of you with a bit more experience. Currently I'm looking to build a computer (including monitor) for a max of $1500. It'll be a gaming machine but will see plenty of other general use.

Here's the parts I have picked out so far, please critique as you see fit and any advice on brands, etc would great.



Case:

Antec Nine HundredAntec Nine Hundred

Motherboard:

I'm having a hard time choosing for this one. I've been flip flopping between several boards but this is my tentative choice for now. If anyone has any positive (or negative) experience with any of the new P35 boards (especially with 4 GBs of RAM, which I'll be upgrading to later on.) and would like to share their experience I'd love to hear it.

ASUS P5K-E
ASUS P5K-E

Processor:

Core 2 Duo E6750Intel Core 2 Duo E6750

Memory:

Another area I'm having a tad bit of difficulty with as I'm unsure if these are the same product listed in the QVL for the mobo. The part number in the QVL is listed as BL2KIT12864AA804.16FD. The listing on Newegg drops off the last part however so I can't tell if it's the BL2KIT12864AA804.16FD or .16FD3. From what I've gathered the .16FD3 is the identical product but is the more current run of that product so I'm not quite sure why one would work and one wouldn't in a 4 gig setup.

Crucial Ballistix (2x1GB) DD2

Hard Drive:

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140">Seagate 320 GB SATA
</a>

Video Card:

EVGA 8800GTS 640MB

DVD Drive:

Lite-On DVD Combo Drive

Power Supply:

ATM I'm unsure what power supply to go with. Here are two I've been thinking about. If you see any problems with compatibility with my other parts please tell me (as it's likely I missed something). Also anyone have any experience with this XION brand? Their reviews for this PSU and a few cases I looked at are pretty good and it would be nice to save a few bucks on the psu. I'm not quite sure if that psu would work for everything though. Any advice here would be more than welcome hehe.

XION 600W PSU

SilverStone 650W PSU

Monitor:

Hanns-G 19" 2ms LCD Monitor



Anyways as I've said any tips on these parts (or others) or just building a system in general you all would like to give me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Aznguy1872]

I would ditch the XION and get a COSAIR 520HX, or even the 620HX as its going for 100 dollars at BUY.com which is very cheap for that quality of PSU. The rest looks pretty good, the ram you picked out is very nice. As for the motherboard, I personally have the Abit IP35 Pro and it is fantastic, I highly recommend it.

 

[Boyo]

Looks like a great rig until you hit the PSU. I would recommend Corsair or Enermax 620W.

 

[xitshsif]

I think the video card is overkill for that monitor. The 320MB version would be just fine.

 

[Jhriad]

Is the Silverstone psu no good? I was told they were a fairly good psu maker along with Antec, Thermaltake, SeaSonic, and a few others I can't remember atm. I wasn't sure about the XION psu as I'd never heard of them but the price was good and the reviews on newegg were very positive. Seemed like a steal for a modular cable psu.

I'm looking for a 600+ watt psu mostly because a few different configuration programs/sites said that with the setup I plan to have I'd likely need around the mid 500 watt range and I wanted to have a little breathing room. How many of you have experience with the Corsair psus?

@xitshsif

How is the video card overkill for the monitor? I'm not doubt you but I am curious as to the 'why' of it.

 

[xitshsif]

Originally posted by: Jhriad
@xitshsif
How is the video card overkill for the monitor? I'm not doubt you but I am curious as to the 'why' of it.

Check out the charts at tomshardware Link

At your resolution, 1400 x 900, which is similar to 1280x1024 the difference between the 640MB and the 320MB is negligible, definitely not worth the $80-$90 price difference.

 

[Jhriad]

Thanks for the link. Great info.

Is the reason for the large drop on Dark Messiah the lower amount of ram on the card? Do you happen to know (or have a link to) any effects the differences in ram amount on the GTS cards has on MMOs. Given the number of characters you sometimes have to have drawn on the screen would the larger GTS card help there or would they both perform the same?

 

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: Jhriad
Is the Silverstone psu no good? I was told they were a fairly good psu maker along with Antec, Thermaltake, SeaSonic, and a few others I can't remember atm. I wasn't sure about the XION psu as I'd never heard of them but the price was good and the reviews on newegg were very positive. Seemed like a steal for a modular cable psu.

I'm looking for a 600+ watt psu mostly because a few different configuration programs/sites said that with the setup I plan to have I'd likely need around the mid 500 watt range and I wanted to have a little breathing room. How many of you have experience with the Corsair psus?

@xitshsif

How is the video card overkill for the monitor? I'm not doubt you but I am curious as to the 'why' of it.

There is Nothing Wrong With the Silverstone Decathlon Series, they are a Quality PSU.. I SPEC Silverstone almost Exclusively nowdays....

 

[engiNURD]

The VRAM helps with the detail settings. I agree, that you don't really need the extra VRAM for a 19" wide.

That system will have enough breathing room with the Corsair 520W. If you want a good deal, the Toughpower 750W modular is only $125 at frys.com.

I'd drop that board down to a P35-DS3R to save some money. Put that saved money towards a CPU HSF, like the Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B for $36 @ jab-tech.com.

 

[Jhriad]

I'm going to drop that 8800 down to the 320mb version and save a few bucks. I generally run in lower resolutions (1280x1024) currently and don't see myself wanting to go much farther up anyways. Besides I was hoping to upgrade to the Geforce 9 series whenever it comes out so I'll just save those couple bucks 'till then.

Before I decided on a PSU I wanted to ask, what power connector would the next series (Geforce 9 in particular) be using? I seem to remember something about an 8-pin but I wasn't sure if that was correct. If so, should I look for a PSU with an 8 pin for future proofing the system?

Additionally does anyone have any recommendations for a good alternative monitor for gaming, general use, & movies? I've noticed on several sites that the better rated monitors for gaming are 5:4 ratio rather than 16:10. Should I forgo hopes of a widescreen and go with a 5:4.

 

[corsa]

Antec P180B ...silence, better looks, less dust.
Corsair HX620 ...Silverstone ST60F I recently tried out was a noisy animal. :frown:
Samsung Spinpiont 500Gb ...180Gb extra for not much more $ ?
Nvidia 8800GTS 320Mb .... if u have 640Mb money, go ATI 2900XT
Lite-on vs Pioneer ....hmm i have the lite-on and i'm happy, but i'm yet to hear of Pioneer having issues b4 so might go that way next build..?:roll:

so there ya go, an overuse of emoticons & my 2 cents

 

[corsa]

here ya go Jhriad, found a good guide for ya

Gaming PC Guide @ arstechnica.com
hope that helps