New Computer Build Compatibilty

[mrblaineng]

Hey guys this is going to be my first build and I want to see if the parts I chose are compatible with each other and any recommendations for parts would be appreciated. I don?t play much graphic intensive games. I only play warcraft 3 currently and when starcraft 3 comes out I will probably want to play that. My budget is about 1k.

CPU: Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
^I initially wanted to get the E8400, but since I only play warcraft 3 at the moment I thought the E8400 would be overkill. So, I decided to get the E2160 since it has good O.C potential (if I ever decided to OC it) and it is only 69 dollar including shipping at newegg.

CPU Cooler: I don't know if I should really get one for the E2160 since I read reviews where the E2160 was able to O.C to about 3GHz with the stock cooler. I would mind buying one though since I will be able to use the heatsink on the E8400 when I upgrade.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard
^I have read many great reviews on this board and the price on this MOBO fits my budget really well. I read that it is pretty good for O.C. which may be nice to know if I O.C. I was wondering if the E2160 would work without needing to flash the BIOS of the board.

Memory: OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
^I got these from a friend a while ago as a gift. So I already have these at hand and am just wondering if it will play well with the MOBO I selected.

Video Card: EVGA 256-P2-N429-LR GeForce 7200GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card
^I figured since I am only going to play warcraft 3 for the time being I don?t really need a good video card. My friend got one of these for free and he?s going to give me it. I am most definitely going to upgrade in the future, but since it was free I decided to use it for the time being and wait until the prices for the 8800GT drop even more =)

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply
^I have read many articles emphasizing the importance of a quality PSU and I have decided to listen to the experts? advice. I?m not sure if 450W is enough for my build though. With only 450W will I be able to keep this PSU even if I decide to upgrade the E2160 to a E8400?

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
^I really like the Seagate 5 Yr Warranty. I already have one of these on my current rig and I will move to over to the new rig I will be building and I think I will add another one since the current drive is about to run out of room.

DVD/CD Drive: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B
^I chose a SATA model because I don?t want the big IDE ribbon cables. I am one of those people who like the inside of the computer to be tidy and the IDE cables seem really ugly to me =D The price on this drive is also very nice.

OS: Windows XP Home
^I will be using XP for this build. I have heard that if you go to some University's you get free or a discount for Windows XP. I was just wondering if this was true because I wouldn't want to shell out 90 dollar when I could have gotten it for free or at a discounted store. (I'm going to go to UC Riverside if that makes a difference)

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
^I really like the design of this case and it seems to offer a lot of airflow. I will probably try to snatch one when I see it on sale.

Monitor: I am going to get one of these off a local retail store so it would be easier for me to get a replacement if there is a lot of dead pixels on them. I don't know much about monitors, but is there any particular specs to look at when picking one out?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[DSF]

You should be all set. The DS3L will recognize an E8400 or an E2160 without a BIOS update. The RAM should work, but I would run it through Memtest to be on the safe side. If you encounter errors you'll probably need to increase the RAM voltage. In order to access those tweaking options in the DS3L's BIOS you need to hit Ctrl+F1 at the main menu to unlock the advanced options.

The 450VX will have enough power even if you decide to upgrade to an E8400 and an 8800GTS.

The 7200.10 series is a generation old. I can understand the appeal of Seagate's 5-year warranty, but right now Western Digital is making some of the best drives. Their 640GB Caviar is the best value on the market. At any rate, I would buy a drive that's 500GB or larger for two reasons. One, you've already filled up a smaller drive. No reason to think that won't happen again. Two, you pay the least per GB of storage space in the 500-750GB range right now. Drives of that size are the best value. (They also offer slightly better performance than smaller drives, if you want to call that reason three.)

The Nine Hundred isn't the case I'd choose, but that's a matter of personal taste. First, it doesn't have any filters, so with all the air it's sucking in it has the potential to get dusty quickly. Second, I'm not a windows-and-lights kind of guy. Third, it's larger than I'd want to accommodate. All of that said, it's not a bad case, it's just that case is one of the PC components that's very much a matter of taste. There aren't as many objective rights and wrongs as there are in other parts.

 

[mrblaineng]

Thanks DSF for the quick reply and help.
You point on the hard drive is really making me consider the WD 640GB now. After I checked out the price on Newegg it is the best bang for the buck, and I think I will be able to last about 4-5 years with 640GB HD.
I'm the type of person who is totally into the windows-and-lights thing =D but I have heard a lot of complaints about the amount of dust the Antec 900, but I think I will have time during the weekends to clean the case out from time to time.

 

[mrblaineng]

I just saw that Newegg has the EP35-DS3L and it seems like it is replacing the older P35-DS3L model. I was wondering if anyone knows if I should go with the newer model or stick with the older model. The reviews on the newer model isn't as nice as the older model, but I guess it's because the newer model just came out so there aren't as much reviews on it, but I have also read from reviews that the EP35-DS3L doesn't seem to like to save the configuration changes to CPU O.C. and whatnot. Should I get the EP35-DS3L or the P35-DS3L

 

[Roguestar]

Even without the sticky that's a pretty good OP. Those parts you've picked are pretty good, they'll play nice with each other.

I'd go with the EP35 seeing as it's cheaper and is meant to be more energy efficient. Other than that it's identical.