Need more help with Conroe build!

[savvy]

Well I made a topic the other day but I am still trying to make sure that I don't do anything wrong with my first build. I fear ordering the wrong parts and not being able to return them and such, delaying the processs of building. :x

Here are things I'm pretty firm on buying:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4Ghz Dual-Core Socket 775 Processor ( 1066MHz FSB 4MB Cache )

MSI nVidia Geforce 7950 GX2 PCI-E HDTV Retail or x1900XTX [Which is a better value?]

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail

19" Widescreen Monitor [I know the monitor is very small for the video card I will get, but I plan to upgrade, so no need to tell me that.]

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive ? OEM x2

SAMSUNG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATA/ATAPI DVD Burner With LightScribe ? OEM

SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Model SFD321B/LBL1 ? OEM

Logitech Cordless Internet Pro Desktop 967461-0403 Black 104 Normal Keys 8 Function Keys USB RF Wireless Slim Desktop Mouse Included - OEM

Syba CL-ME-620 3.5mm Connector Supra-aural Stereo Headphone with Microphone - Retail

Creative Inspire P7800 90 Watts 7.1 Speaker ? Retail

[No sound card because I will probably use motherboard on-board sound; it depends on the motherboard, actually, if I will buy one.]

I need a lot of help with the PSU, motherboard, case, HSF, and thermal compound.

I've been doing some research but I am still confused about how to calculate the wattage I need. Some guides were pretty confusing on google. Can anyone explain the whole 3.3, 5, 12 voltages thing to me or link me to an understandable guide that is easy to read? I heard that some PSUs don't give the whole maximum load specifications and such. It's confusing.
(Someone suggested pc and power cooling silencer 610w or 750w, silverstone 560w single rail version, ocz 520w powerstream, etc.)

Also, I want to get the P5W DH Deluxe but heard it needs a BIOS upgrade and I don't have a Celeron or old mobo or whatever to upgrade it with. Where can I get a motherboard that is out of the box Conroe ready and will support 7950 GX2. (Preferably with on-board network card.)
What motherboard is Conroe ready out of the box? When are the SLI motherboards going to be released, Conroe-supported? I google searched and found ASUS S775 P5N32-SLI SE DLX CONROE Motherboard, is that going to be reputable?Link

I wanted to get a NZXT LEXA-NP Black/ Silver Aluminum Construction Plastic Front Panel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail but heard mixed feelings about it because it is plastic and "feels cheap." I was recommened Lian Li, but those cases aren't aesthetically pleasing. :x What is a good case that comes with good stock fans and looks nice? I want a case that is easy to deal with and will accomodate all my components without hassle or modification.

I am not sure what HSF I need for the E6600. What is a good heat sink fan that has noise control or automatic control for the fan speed which correlates with the noise level. I was recommended the Turiq Tower 120, Scythe Infinity, etc. What is the best overclocking Conroe supporting HSF? (Note: I am not even sure I will be overclocking right away, because I will wait until the results of others.) The stock HSF isn't any good, right? I heard it's noisy.

Finally, Arctic Silver 5 is the best thermal grease/compound, correct?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I could use tremendous help.

Thanks.

 

[myocardia]

From the bottom up, no, Arctic Silver isn't the best thermal compound, this is, for sure: Arctic Cooling MX-1. A good heatsink for a Conroe is either a Scythe Ninja, Tuniq tower 120, or a Zalman 9500. Antec makes really good cases, with nice finishes (most are either aluminum or automotive paint, glossy), that have 3-4 external 5¼" bays, 5-7 3½" bays, and 120mm fans, front and back/or top rear.

For motherboards, you'd be much better off going with a single video card, like an ATI X1900XT/X or a 7800/7900 GTX, because that card you're looking at requires an SLI motherboard. It only uses one SLI slot, but it still requires an SLI board. And the only Asus Intel motherboard that has SLI, the one you linked to, is absolutely horrible. The nForce 4 chipset was built for the AMD Athlon 64's, and it performs like it, even when put onto an Intel motherboard.

The RAM is good, the processor is good, but you're going to need a good name brand psu, with around 600 watts, if you have one very fast video card, like this one: OCZ 600 watt GameXStream, if not this one: OCZ 700 watt GameXStream, or this one: Enermax 620 watt Liberty. This is probably the quietest psu that would run that setup: 600 watt Seasonic.

 

[MrDudeMan]

600+ watts is way overkill

 

[savvy]

myocardia, thanks for the in-depth help. I will look into your recommendations.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: savvy
myocardia, thanks for the in-depth help. I will look into your recommendations.

600 watts is crazy. that is so much more than is necessary for a single video card, even on a very nice system. you will be fine with a 500 watt PSU (which is still overkill, just not as badly). antec, ocz, seasonic, PCP&C, etc. will all be very good. i have used several from each brand and all were superb. the S12 series from seasonic is a popular choice for reference.

 

[savvy]

Yeah, someone told me a 500 watt supply will suffice, but I want to be sure for adding other components and hard drives.

So now all I need help with is the motherboard and the case.

I am still looking into these things.

 

[killr Kadoogan]

If you want a solid, great looking case, go with a Lian Li. I've got the PC-61 (the black one) and it looks great, very quiet, and keeps everything cool.

 

[savvy]

I kind of wanted a see through side panel though. :/

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: savvy
Yeah, someone told me a 500 watt supply will suffice, but I want to be sure for adding other components and hard drives.

So now all I need help with is the motherboard and the case.

I am still looking into these things.

Text

500 is way more than enough for your build...WAY more than enough. i design microcontroller boards on a daily basis and have a solid understanding of power systems engineering. the peak utilization of your CPU, Vcard, and everything else will not draw more current than a 500w PSU can supply...not even close. you will be able to add several hard drives and optical drives at a later time if you so choose. if it really stresses you out getting a 500, then get a 550. there is no reason to go above that unless you want 2 insane video cards for SLI and you plan on having one or more 10/15k SATA/SCSI drives. with your current rig 500w has plenty of leg room.

 

[savvy]

Thanks for the calculator. You said there is no reason going above 550, but certainly it won't hurt performance going higher, will it? :x

I was also told a single 12V rail is better for overclocking.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: savvy
Thanks for the calculator. You said there is no reason going above 550, but certainly it won't hurt performance going higher, will it? :x

I was also told a single 12V rail is better for overclocking.

it wont hurt performance to go above 550. it is just a waste of money. dual 12v rails wont hurt overclocking as long as your current on both is above 30-35 amps. for simplicity it may be a better bet to get a PSU with a single 12v rail and then just forget about that being a potential problem.

 

[lamere]

I would add a sound card. Onboard sound sucks no matter what brand, plus it'll take some of the rescources off the CPU.
A cheap sound card is better than the best onboard sound :barf:

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: lamere
I would add a sound card. Onboard sound sucks no matter what brand, plus it'll take some of the rescources off the CPU.
A cheap sound card is better than the best onboard sound :barf:

i disagree. onboard sound is fine depending on what you want to do with it. also, CPU load is absolutely negligible at current speeds.

 

[imaheadcase]

The diffrence is night and day in games though with a soundcard

 

[lamere]

Originally posted by: imaheadcase
The diffrence is night and day in games though with a soundcard

Agreed. If you're going to game, a third party soundcard is a must. If not, then don't bother with it.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: lamere
I would add a sound card. Onboard sound sucks no matter what brand, plus it'll take some of the rescources off the CPU. A cheap sound card is better than the best onboard sound :barf:

Originally posted by: lamere

Originally posted by: imaheadcase
The diffrence is night and day in games though with a soundcard

Agreed. If you're going to game, a third party soundcard is a must. If not, then don't bother with it.

contradict yourself much?

onboard sound is fine if you arent concerned with that savvy. get an audigy 2 or something similar if you want to upgrade but ive used onboard on several new computers recently and it really wasnt as bad as most people make it out to be. they just want to force their opinion on you. use the onboard sound and see how you like it, then upgrade. there is no need to needlessly spend money especially when you have the option to try out the onboard sound first and easily, actually very easily, add a better card later.

 

[Daleon]

I would highly recommend the P5W DH for the E6600. Most places have been shipping them with newer bios's for a week or more and not heard any new issues with non-booting C2D's. Also has great onboard sound.

This is what I just built.

Gigabyte DS3
E6400 @ 3.2 ghz (27c idle/38c load)
2x1GB Gskill DDR2-800 HZ
ATI X1900XT
Seagate 320GB SATAII 7200.10
Big Typhoon (big, pain in the butt, but wow does it cool)
OCZ GameXstream 700w (Powah! to the PPL)
Coolermaster Stacker 830 (all I have to say is the best case ever made)

I was going to go E6600/P5W DH, but not like I can complain about out performing a stock E6800 $1000 chip with a $250 chip. BF2 is like butah now. Its nice to finnally be back on top of the performance heap where no game out is a challenge for me.