Some help on BYOPC, please?

[BMackKC]

Good morning.

I am building some specifications for a new computer, which will be used primarily for business applications and application development (Visual Studio). I will not be doing any gaming on this machine, so a Whiz-Bang vid card is not important to me. I also am not planning on doing any overclocking.

Here's what I've settled on so far:

ASUS P5B Deluxe MB
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
2 X Seagate 7200.10 320G S-ATA HD, striped

Here's where I need some suggestions and advice:

1. My case has a fan in the power supply, and one on the side of the case. Is the fan included with the retail packaging of the IC2D sufficient, or do I need to buy an additional fan (remember I'm not overclocking)?

2. The memory options at newegg.com are staggering. Is the 800 memory worth the extra money, or is 667 sufficient? What is a) the BEST memory available, and b) the best bang for the least buck?

3. Video card that will drive 1600x1200 resolution. I'm looking for a decent card...again no gaming, but occasionally some photo editing.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Mike

 

[Gigantopithecus]

1. the included retail hsf will be sufficient.
2. pass
3. a 6600gt will easily handle photo editing at that resolution. You might even be able to use something lower, but I'm not sure how low so...

 

[themisfit610]

Don't bother with a high end video card if you are just editing photos. The horsepower will go unused.

Get something basic like a 7300. Honestly any PCI Express video card will do - just don't get onboard as it will slow your whole system down. A Radeon x300 with 128MB can be found for under $40 on newegg. The video card is NOT used for photoshop / office work.

Your fan should be perfectly fine, and the faster RAM is only valid if you plan on overclocking. The difference (non overclocked) between 667 and 800 is so small it's not worth it.


~Misfit