Ordered parts to build a system; any "gotchas" I should be aware of?

[mylittlepony]

Building a new system from scratch for a friend. He's fortunate enough to be in a position where cost was not a big factor, yet I didn't want to go overboard on a system that's primarily used by his kids for doing homework and occasional surfing. I got this for under $1800 on Newegg.

I largely picked components from the system builder thread, as you'll see below. My question is: are there any assembly/installation "gotchas" I should be concerned about?

-What I know so far: I should flash the Asus P5Q board with the latest BIOS ASAP.
-The wires for this power supply are quite long and numerous, so I'll have to find a good place in the case to shove them out of the way.

The system:
*Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core BX80569Q9550
*ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
*mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
*ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
*HIS Hightech H487F1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
*CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V
*COOLERMASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
*SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q
*Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
*Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English
*Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD

 

[disports]

It looks fine. It certainly wouldn't hurt to flash the BIOS. The P5Q's 24 pin connector placement is not optimal, but certainly workable.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Nice rig. If you plan to overclock, you might want a more powerful cooler than the Freezer 7 Pro. However, at stock speed, that's more than enough.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: mylittlepony
Building a new system from scratch for a friend. He's fortunate enough to be in a position where cost was not a big factor, yet I didn't want to go overboard on a system that's primarily used by his kids for doing homework and occasional surfing. I got this for under $1800 on Newegg.

:shocked:

OMFG...

Q9550 + 4870X2 for homework & surfing isn't your concept of "overboard"?

Should've bought him a Dell/HP with a huge LCD screen for <$1000 and let them provide the tech support.

But yeah, looks like a hell of a system. Might bump up to 8GB but not really necessary.

 

[gramboh]

Yeah that is totally insane for a PC for light desktop use. Why would you get a discrete video card, especially high end like a 4870 if they aren't playing games? It will just eat power and be loud.

I'd build something like a E8500/8600 (no need to OC), 4gb memory, high quality mobo (stability) with integrated video or a $75 video card with HD decoding, big hard drive, external HD for back-up and a nice 24 inch LCD (the most important piece for that type of build, don't get a $400 TN panel, get a $600 PVA type).

 

[akugami]

I saw what Denithor saw. For a gaming rig, that is top notch. For a Web browser...overkill by a crap ton. I'm also wondering if a Core 2 Duo wouldn't be better for his uses. It'd save him a lot of money for extra performance he doesn't need. Unless of course he does the occasional home movie editing, in that case, get him the quad core. You might look into a modular PSU if you're afraid of cable clutter. Since money does not seem the most pressing, would he consider a Blu-Ray drive that can also burn CD's and DVD's for about $150.

Be aware if you build it for him that you're essentially tech support. Download all drivers and BIOS updates you need before you build the computer.

 

[jeffw2767602]

That is overkill x50 for surfing lol. You could easily build him a $1100 system with a 24 inch monitor included that would serve well for his purposes for 3-5 years.