Ordering system tomorrow, what do you think?

[DNyholm]

Case:

Rosewill R5604-BK 0.8mm SECC Screw-less Dual 120mm Fans ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

MoBo:

ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M

RAM:

Patriot eXtreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel

HD:

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Optical Drives:
X2
SAMSUNG 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache SATA DVD Burner With LightScribe Technology

PSU:

Enhance ENP-5150GH 500W ATX12V Rev.2.2 (24/20+8/4+6), 80+ RoHS, Quiet PSU

Video Card:

SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 VIVO HDCP Video Card

Please let me know what you think!!

 

[mcurphy]

It looks like a solid build :thumbsup:

I own the same PSU and HDD, and I couldn't be happier with my decision to go with them. The HDD is nice and quiet and runs very cool. The PSU runs my rig without a hitch. It has a nice black finish and the 120mm fan is pretty silent as well.

Just curious...What made you decide on the E6400 over the E4300 or E6600?

I don't know all the ins and outs of the processor models, but it seems liek for less money you can get the same performance with the E4300. And for just a bit more money you could go with 4MB of cache and much better performance in the E6600.

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

Your PSU is over powered.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Your PSU is over powered.

Over powered? As in more wattage for for what the system needs?

If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to future proof the sytem a bit for upgrades? And for the price of the Enhance, you can't go wrong.

 

[stogez]

Are you going to OC? If so, you could get the E4300 or the E6300 and overclock either to 3.4-3.5ghz pretty easily. If you just want 3.2ghz or so, get the E4300 which will let you get away with cheaper RAM as well.
Also, why have you picked a SLI mobo and an ATI card? You can't run that card with another in SLI...
Get an Intel 965P based mobo (Gigabyte S3/DS3, Asus P5B-E/Deluxe etc.) if you're going to be running a single 1950 card.

Why Lite-On drives? They're not like the old CDRW drives anymore
The DVDRW drives are extremely loud. And the second drive you picked is out of stock
Go with NEC, Plextor, BenQ, Samsung drives and you'll be happy.

 

[DNyholm]

See, this is why I posted this up!!

The main reason I chose the 6400 is because I really don't plan on OC, but I may later on down the road (i usually keep my computer pretty long).

As far as the motherboard, I chose it for the features, though kinda stupid ones (2 IDE) and the price.

For the video card, I was originally going to go with a 7900GS (EVGA) but the $40 rebate went away and it went up to $175 instead of $125. There was nothing else that price, so i figured it I was going to be spending $175 on a video card, I might as well upgrade to a 1950 Pro for a little over $200. I am totally open on the video card front, but I am not going to buy a 8800. Iwould like to get a 'cheaper' vid card now and then buy a midrange DX10 card whenI need it in about a year or so.

For the optical drives, I am just going for anything that has a decent price. When I picked out that liteon, it was in stock this morning!! I'll just grab anything when I am going to check out. I'd like to get them SATA if I can, but if they are too expensive that way, i'll go IDE since I should have 1 IDE open after the build.

Any other suggestions on changes??

 

[mcurphy]

Don't buy NEC!! The NEC quality is falling fast on their drives as well as the Lite-Ons. I just bought an OEM NEC DVD Rom and the thing is louder than my vacuum cleaner. There's some speculation on the cause of this in the newegg reviews. Apparently they used to be high quality, quiet drives, but have very recently changed. I think people are saying that they are now using Sony hardware and that is the main reason. I haven't bothered to research it anymore and I'm strongly considering RMA'ing my drive for something else. I am very dissapointed, as my PC was built with "silence" in mind

Anyhow, if you are looking for a SATA alternative, there were some nicely priced suggestions in this thread the other day.

 

[fraquar]

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Your PSU is over powered.

The absolute worst way to buy a PSU is by looking at the Wattage rating on the package.

Find out what components you have that are gonna be drawing off each of the rails and make sure you have a PSU capable of providing that + and additional 25%. Also, look at the efficiency rating.

There is nothing wrong with running a system with "too much" power supply. There is absolutely nothing gained by running a system with "just enough" power supply. - There is everything wrong with running a system with "not enough" power supply.

Like Mcurphy said - better to future-proof a system that having to replace a PSU later upon expansion.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: fraquar

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Your PSU is over powered.

The absolute worst way to buy a PSU is by looking at the Wattage rating on the package.

Find out what components you have that are gonna be drawing off each of the rails and make sure you have a PSU capable of providing that + and additional 25%. Also, look at the efficiency rating.

There is nothing wrong with running a system with "too much" power supply. There is absolutely nothing gained by running a system with "just enough" power supply. - There is everything wrong with running a system with "not enough" power supply.

Like Mcurphy said - better to future-proof a system that having to replace a PSU later upon expansion.

Thanks for the backup, lol. I wasn't sure if that was what he was trying to imply. I've never heard criticism for too much power...at least not a 500W with a great price and excellent ratings. I could see if he was considering an 1000W, then that may be a little overkill, lol!

But for the price of the Enhance, it's a no-brainer. An excellent choice!

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: DNyholm
The main reason I chose the 6400 is because I really don't plan on OC, but I may later on down the road (i usually keep my computer pretty long).

The RAM you are buying says overclocking, so it's worth asking again: do you plan to overclock or not? Cheaper RAM and a 6600 would be better for a stock system, whereas a 4300 and overclocking RAM would be a cheaper way to overclock.

As for the motherboard: do you really need 2 IDE channels? Even with a SATA optical drive on your shopping list?

 

[fraquar]

Power Supplies IMO are like good wine - once you find one you stick with it.

I use PC Power and Cooling - have been for the last 5 years and unless they go belly up probably always will. Yeah, they are a little more expesive - but with that cost comes the assurance that if anything goes wrong with my system it won't be the Power Supplies fault - and if in the unlikely event it is I know it will get replaced.

I've heard too many horror stories of people with Power Supply problems - and most of the time it is from them trying to cut corners with $1,000+ systems and buying a "cheapo" PSU's or not knowing how much Power Supply they really need.

Never used the Enhance - but if it is as good as you say there is no need to switch. Find a good Manufacturer and stick with them when it comes to PSU's. Thats my motto.

Yeah, for his rig a 1KW would be a "little" overkill - lol. Coold probably make a 7-course meal powered off one of those.

 

[DNyholm]

Well, like I said above, I may overclock in the future, but I don't want to have to do it right away. If I am happy with the performance for what i do on the computer (mainly play Everquest 2, but would like to be able to play Command and Conquor when it comes out), then i'll leave it alone. Otherwise, i'll be forced to overclock and upgrade if the computer falls short in other areas. I like to keep my options open, though i may never overclock it at all.

As far as the 2 IDE's, I have 1 HD I'd like to move over to this computer (IDE), and that would leave me with the 3 open IDE slots that I can use for the optical drives if I can't find a SATA drive or two. I don't NEED the IDE's, but this board seemed to offer everything that i needed for a cheaper price than anything else. I was looking at the P5B-D, but the extra $50 didn't really seem worth it since am not sure about the overclocking.

How about the video card? Does anyone have a suggestion on that?? Should I just got with a 7600GS or move on up to 1950 pro??? Or somewhere in between?? Like I said, i'll probably upgrade when a game comes out that needs it.

 

[bamacre]

I would certainly go with a board with an Intel chipset. Either an Asus P5B or the Gigabyte GA-965P-S3.

Intel chipsets >> Nvidia chipsets

 

[DNyholm]

Ok, i think i have decided to just go with this video card and save a few bucks and get a new one when DX10 is affordable and needed:

BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

Sound stupid to anyone? Will I be seeing way too much bottlenecking from this? I may jump up to the 7900GS if that is the case (obviously, I am stuck here).

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: mcurphy

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Your PSU is over powered.

Over powered? As in more wattage for for what the system needs?

If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to future proof the sytem a bit for upgrades? And for the price of the Enhance, you can't go wrong.

Never mind peeps who say your PC is over powered!!
Your reasonings are legit and right on!!

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: mcurphy

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
Your PSU is over powered.

Over powered? As in more wattage for for what the system needs?

If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to future proof the sytem a bit for upgrades? And for the price of the Enhance, you can't go wrong.

Never mind peeps who say your PC is over powered!!
Your reasonings are legit and right on!!

Thanks! I thought I was right, but the way he just dropped in and said that, I thought maybe he knew something I didn't, lol. I was hoping he would pipe back in and explain himself.

There are too many idiots like that running around here that drop into a thread where someone is trying to ask honest questions for help. The morons just jump in, say something totally off the wall---and completely wrong---and don't explain themselves---and confuse a new builder, and then disapear forever. :|

 

[stogez]

I will say this once again, ditch the 650i board and get a 965P board instead. Buy the Gigabyte S3/DS3 and get an IDE PCI card if you need more ports. You can't run SLI with ATI cards and even with the SLI it will only be 8x each. But ultimately its your choice though. Just thought you would like the opinions since you asked for them.
Don't worry about the PSU comments. I think you should already have your answer on that one.

 

[DNyholm]

Originally posted by: stogez
I will say this once again, ditch the 650i board and get a 965P board instead. Buy the Gigabyte S3/DS3 and get an IDE PCI card if you need more ports. You can't run SLI with ATI cards and even with the SLI it will only be 8x each. But ultimately its your choice though. Just thought you would like the opinions since you asked for them.
Don't worry about the PSU comments. I think you should already have your answer on that one.

When i go onto newegg and read the comments on there for the DS3 or the P5B-D, it just seems like people are having a lot of trouble with them with bad audio, post errors, memory errors, etc. When I read about the SLI board (the 650i, not the 680i), there don't seem to be any problems like the other ones. I'd just hate to buy a board and have some problem that takes forever to figure out or have to RMA the board. I did look at the other boards and the price of the DS3 is nice. but it seems like the quality of the Asus P5B-D is worth the extra money? What do you think??

 

[stogez]

9/10 people on here with a C2D setup are probably running the S3/DS3 or the P5B-E/Deluxe. That should tell you something
The problems are usually from memory compatibility. Read the reviews and you should get a good idea of what works and what doesn't. Or ofcourse just ask on here.
Also, I would suggest getting an E4300 now and overclocking it. You can always upgrade the CPU later. This route will end up being cheaper overall.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: DNyholm

Originally posted by: stogez
I will say this once again, ditch the 650i board and get a 965P board instead. Buy the Gigabyte S3/DS3 and get an IDE PCI card if you need more ports. You can't run SLI with ATI cards and even with the SLI it will only be 8x each. But ultimately its your choice though. Just thought you would like the opinions since you asked for them.
Don't worry about the PSU comments. I think you should already have your answer on that one.

When i go onto newegg and read the comments on there for the DS3 or the P5B-D, it just seems like people are having a lot of trouble with them with bad audio, post errors, memory errors, etc. When I read about the SLI board (the 650i, not the 680i), there don't seem to be any problems like the other ones. I'd just hate to buy a board and have some problem that takes forever to figure out or have to RMA the board. I did look at the other boards and the price of the DS3 is nice. but it seems like the quality of the Asus P5B-D is worth the extra money? What do you think??

Those people on newegg rarely have any idea what they are talking about. You really shouldn't even read them at all; I certainly don't. If I have a question, I post here.

Like stogez said, if you're going to overclock the E4300 is an excellent choice.

If you're interested in a video card other than the 7600gt, here's an x1950xt @ $214.99 after MIR from the egg. For me, it would be worth the extra 70 bucks to enjoy a new rig in it's full glory. Plus, when your ready for dx10 you can ebay it, or sell it on this forum.

edit: I found a review for you to compare the 7600gt and the x1950xt. The x1900xt 256mb reviewed in the article has memory rated at 175Mhz slower than the x1950xt, but the rest of the specs are the same.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2821&p=4

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: Zaitsev

Originally posted by: DNyholm

Originally posted by: stogez
I will say this once again, ditch the 650i board and get a 965P board instead. Buy the Gigabyte S3/DS3 and get an IDE PCI card if you need more ports. You can't run SLI with ATI cards and even with the SLI it will only be 8x each. But ultimately its your choice though. Just thought you would like the opinions since you asked for them.
Don't worry about the PSU comments. I think you should already have your answer on that one.

When i go onto newegg and read the comments on there for the DS3 or the P5B-D, it just seems like people are having a lot of trouble with them with bad audio, post errors, memory errors, etc. When I read about the SLI board (the 650i, not the 680i), there don't seem to be any problems like the other ones. I'd just hate to buy a board and have some problem that takes forever to figure out or have to RMA the board. I did look at the other boards and the price of the DS3 is nice. but it seems like the quality of the Asus P5B-D is worth the extra money? What do you think??

Those people on newegg rarely have any idea what they are talking about. You really shouldn't even read them at all; I certainly don't. If I have a question, I post here.

Like stogez said, if you're going to overclock the E4300 is an excellent choice.

If you're interested in a video card other than the 7600gt, here's an x1950xt @ $214.99 after MIR from the egg. For me, it would be worth the extra 70 bucks to enjoy a new rig in it's full glory. Plus, when your ready for dx10 you can ebay it, or sell it on this forum.

Notice that 90% of the people on newegg reviews have High or Very High tech knowledge?? LOL it always cracks me up. You can tell at least half of them don't have a freakin clue as to what they are talking about. I usually sort through them for a good laugh and you can eventually tell who has good input and who is talking out of their a$$.

Good tip on the X1950XT! It would be well worth the money. If you game at all, and I think you mentioned EQ2 earlier, then it will be a significant upgrade for you to go that route.


I've got the S3 and it is a great board! Just make sure your RAM is compatible. I'm running Corsair XMS2 PC2 6400C and it booted no problem. Once you get the board to boot, be sure to adjust your timings and voltage according to your RAM specs and you'll be good to go. The P965 boards are rated for CAS 5 1.8v RAM, but you will find few choices of DDR2 800 RAM that has that spec. My RAM is rated at CAS 4 2.1v and I didn't have a problem at all with it. There are many other options out there as well. Check out the mobo forum for whatewver board you choose to see what others are using for RAM as a general guide.

 

[DNyholm]

Thanks for the suggestions. I made some changes to the list on the first post. I've added a P5B Deluxe and the 1950xt that you suggested (saw the tom's hardware post on it, looks good). I also picked 2 Samsung SATA optical drives instead. I am going to stick with teh 6400 though since it will have the same upper limit as the 4300, but I won't HAVE to overclock it out of the box. I may venture into overclocking it in the future and it looks like i'll have the equiptment to do it.

Changes look good???

 

[Tim Travis]

Kinda in the same situation. Was going to get the E6400 and wanted to overclock to around 3.2 A lot of people are saying get the E4300 and overclock, but I want the system to be fast enough just in case I can't get it to overclock. I have a pentium 4 at 2.6. Am I going to notice a big increase at stock E4300 (or E6400 for that matter) or will it really kick in when I overclock? Thanks
Tim