Quick build check for a friend

[gramboh]

Hi,

My roommate is ordering parts for a new PC and I was wondering if anyone sees any issues with this build. From my knowledge it should be fine (note he is paying the shop $40 to assemble as he doesn't want to do it himself):

Intel Core?2 Duo Processor E6400 2.13GHz w/ 2MB Cache
Intel Retail Heatsink and Fan
Asus P5B-E w/ DualDDR2 800, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, SATA II, PCI-E x16
OCZ 2GB PC2-6400 Gold Gamer eXtreme XTC Edition Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB)
Antec SLK3000B Black Super Mid Tower
Mushkin HP-550 Enhanced 550W Modular Power Supply
Seagate 320GB Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II w/ NCQ, 16MB Cache
LiteOn LH-20A1P 20x20 DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive, Black (OEM)
eVGA e-GeForce 7950 GT 512MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out

The shop has the Sapphire X1950XT 512MB for ~$30 more than the 7950GT so I told him to change to that card as it is significantly faster, although I can't remember if the 1950XT has the hairdryer fan like the 1900XT or the quieter one like the 1950XTX?

Thanks guys!

 

[moosey]

Your PSU choice isn't the best w/ that Mushkin quality wise.

Are you buying all the parts at the store where it's being assembled?

 

[stogez]

I didn't even know Mushkin made PSUs lol. I guess they're not like their RAM. Get a Seasonic, OCZ, PCP&C etc PSU
I would get the 1950XT over the 7950.
What prices is your friend getting on those parts. Even if the shop is only charging $40 for the assembly, their parts probably cost more than what you can get at Newegg. Definitely something to look into. You can always pay someone $50 to put it together for you if you're saving money when you order online.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i'd get the x1950xt off the bat
with that card i'd get the corsair hx520 psu

the fan of the gpu shouldn't really make a difference... it only vamps up if you're under heavy gaming and while gaming i'd assume he has his sound high or using headphones, otherwise the fan is rather quiet. another option is the vf900, 24/7 quiet and great cooling

 

[gramboh]

Thanks guys,

He changed a few things:

SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus 500W Power Supply w/ Dual +12V
eVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB SuperClocked PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out
OCZ 2GB PC2-6400 EL Platinum XTC Edition Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB)

The 8800 320meg is $40 more than the 512meg 7950GT but significantly faster, the 320meg vs 512meg only seems to matter in Q4 ultra mode (uncompressed textures) so that shouldn't be much of an issue for him. The card also beats the 1950XT in most benchmarks (per Anandtech review) except for high res (1920x1200+) with AA on. As my roommate has a 17in CRT he will be at 1280x1024 anyway.

Stogez we live in Canada so Newegg is not an option. You can save a bit of money from Canadian etailers, but with shipping you end up roughly the same, and the local retailer allows 7 day cash back/exchange and 1 year iin-store warranty which seals the deal. The $40 assembly includes testing everything for DOA etc. which is nice.

BTW total cost is about $1550-1600 CDN with tax, assembly and 1 year in store warranty.

Thanks for the help

 

[gramboh]

Bump for updated components as my message above. Assuming this should work fine. Only things I was wondering

1) 8800 GTS 320meg - this isn't a 12 inch card like the 640meg and GTX is it? It will fit fine in the case (SLK3000B)?

2) Should he get the SATA version of the LiteOn DVDRW? I remember hearing there were issues with SATA DVDR drives but I can't remember what. I think it might have been getting XP install to recognize the drive?

Thanks