Sould I build my PC in the dark?

[shiatan]

None of the prebuilds make me happy and I know that I should build what I want. My friend took it upon himself to motivate me to do this. He got everyone together and bought me 2 graphics cards for my birthday. I have found out he got them at woot.com and they are without cables, CDs, or manual. OEM ?? Please help me out and remember I'm a newby. :~) I have done some research of what I would like and about $1000 to spend. Thanks for reading and any help you can give. *$1223

The cards I have are - nVidia GeForce 7900GS 256MB PCI-E x16 OEM.
Yes they are GS's.I have the specs and driver download site.

CPU
core 2 6400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115004 $235 *

MoBo
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131031 $240 *

ASUS P5W DH WIFI-Intel 975X http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131025 $270

ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-Intel P965 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131028 $220

Memory
Patriot 2GB DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220144 $233 *

OCZ Gold 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227030 $205

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034 $296

Hard Drive
WD Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144701 $78

WD Caviar SE16 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136003 $100 *

Burner
LITE-ON DVD CD 2M Cache ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner With LightScribe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106015 $36 *

PSU -I would like to get something 80PLUS certified if possible but compatibility and proper power is important.
SeaSonic S12-500 ATX12V 500W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151024 $130

SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151025 $155 *

Sound Card - I don't know much about these.
Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102002 $29

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4 SB0610 7.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102004 $72 *

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188 $112

Speakers
Creative Inspire P7800 90 Watts 7.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836116153 $86 *

Card Reader and Floppy - I like the fact that both are together.
MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821104104 $18

Case - Space and noise is my worry here.
APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-DISCOVERY-BK http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144170 $66 *

Xoxide X-Purity Case - LCD Edition http://www.xoxide.com/x-purity-case-lcd.html $60

JPAC 411 Black Black Steel ATX Mid Tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811217015 $37

 

[88NovaTwincam]

Sweet pair of cards!

P5B Deluxe or DQ6
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 675 (PC2 5400)
The only drive to consider
The pioneer 111-L and be flashed to a 111-D to set booktype if lightscribe isn't important..

I believe the corsair psu's are seasonics also..
OCZ has some nice rebates right now too!

CPU cooler?

CASE:
Sweet Case $90shipped@egg


Who need's a floppy?

With that kind of budget you should overclock!
That ram is only 5400 but I don't think this matters much being able to lower the CPU mulitplier..

 

[Bobthelost]

If you're not overclocking then go for much cheaper RAM than that. You can save $100 or so by going with 533 or 667.

The 500W PSU is excellent for the two graphics cards you've got. The 600W will do nothing for you.

Sound card: Don't do it unless you are an audiophile. Odds are you wouldn't notice the difference. (Not with those speakers either) The onboard is pretty damned good these days.

Case: Windows are noisier than metal, aluminium is more vibration prone than steel. But to make a computer quiet you need to start with quiet components first of all.

 

[88NovaTwincam]

I totally agree on the sound card issue!

AVOID Creative Labs at all COSTS!

If you have a digital input on your sound system go for the Chaintech AV710
otherwise just use on-board sound or find a Turtle Beach..



Would that Corsair XMS2 533 stop a 6300 from o/c to max?

 

[DavidoFoo]

C2D E6400
Asus P5B Deluxe
Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80061-9
Seagate 7200.10 320GB
Lite-on SHM-165H6S
Either of the Seasonics is fine
I really have no idea about the sound card/speakers
Antec P180(B) http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=1921109&enterthread=y

 

[Ayah]

Originally posted by: 88NovaTwincam
I totally agree on the sound card issue!

AVOID Creative Labs at all COSTS!

If you have a digital input on your sound system go for the Chaintech AV710
otherwise just use on-board sound or find a Turtle Beach..



Would that Corsair XMS2 533 stop a 6300 from o/c to max?

You can just overclock the memory with the CPU and/or run a divider too.

 

[88NovaTwincam]

Excellent deal on the memory!

Newegg is $150 more!

 

[shiatan]

Hey everyone. Thanks for the help.
I was thinking about overclocking the CPU. http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802
Which memory would be best if I do this?

Crucial Technology Ballistix, OCZ PC2-6400 ??

 

[shiatan]

Doesn't the OEM mean they come without manual, drivers, and cables ??
Is buying OEM a good thing for a first build?
I was going to buy a book to help me fill in the gaps for doing this.
Any suggestions ??

 

[shiatan]

I'm back.
Here is what I have narrowed everything down to.
Still not sure of PSU or memory combatibilty. Still researching those.

The cards I have are - nVidia GeForce 7900GS 256MB PCI-E x16 OEM.
CPU
core 2 6400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115004 $235 *

MoBo
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131031 $240 *

ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-Intel P965 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131028 $220

Memory
Patriot 2GB DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220144 $233 *

Crucial Technology Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 2GB kit DDR2-800 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80061-9 $240

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231087 $200

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034 $296

Hard Drive ..
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140 $95*

Burner
LITE-ON DVD CD 2M Cache ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner With LightScribe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106015 $36 *

PSU
SeaSonic S12-500 ATX12V 500W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151024 $130*

SeaSonic S12-600 ATX12V 600W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151025 $155

COOLMAX "SLI" CXI-500B ATX v2.01 500W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159054 $80


5.1 Sound card
DIAMOND XtremeSound XS51 5.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829111003 $18*

5.1 Speakers
Logitech X-530 70 Watts 5.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118 $60*
Logitech THX Z-5300e 280 Watts RMS 5.1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121121 $115


Card Reader and Floppy - I like the fact that both are together.
MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal USB 2.0 digital card reader with Floppy Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821104104 $18*

Case - Space and noise is my worry here.
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119047 $45*

*$1110

 

[Icepick]

Originally posted by: shiatan
Doesn't the OEM mean they come without manual, drivers, and cables ??
Is buying OEM a good thing for a first build?
I was going to buy a book to help me fill in the gaps for doing this.
Any suggestions ??

OEM is an acronym for "Original Equipment Manufacturer". OEM is a great way to shave a few bucks off the bottom line. It's the same exact product - only cheaper since you don't get the driver CD, cables and manual. You don't need the drivers because you will want to download the latest drivers from the manufacturer's web site anyway. You don't really need manuals for most of your computer parts (hard drive, DVD burner, video card, etc...) Your motherboard will come with all of the cables you need to connect your drives.

 

[Kirby64]

Originally posted by: Icepick

Originally posted by: shiatan
Doesn't the OEM mean they come without manual, drivers, and cables ??
Is buying OEM a good thing for a first build?
I was going to buy a book to help me fill in the gaps for doing this.
Any suggestions ??

OEM is an acronym for "Original Equipment Manufacturer". OEM is a great way to shave a few bucks off the bottom line. It's the same exact product - only cheaper since you don't get the driver CD, cables and manual. You don't need the drivers because you will want to download the latest drivers from the manufacturer's web site anyway. You don't really need manuals for most of your computer parts (hard drive, DVD burner, video card, etc...) Your motherboard will come with all of the cables you need to connect your drives.

One thing to note is that OEM sometimes has a shorter warranty period than retail. So if warranty concerns you, the extra 3-10 dollars for retail might not be such a bad idea.

 

[Leros]

What is wrong with Creative sound cards? I love my audigy 2 zs.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: 88NovaTwincam
I totally agree on the sound card issue!

AVOID Creative Labs at all COSTS!

If you have a digital input on your sound system go for the Chaintech AV710
otherwise just use on-board sound or find a Turtle Beach..



Would that Corsair XMS2 533 stop a 6300 from o/c to max?

If you're a gamer you have to buy Creative Labs cards. They're the only ones that can supoort EAX standards.

 

[Howard]

No. Many sound cards support EAX 1.0 and 2.0.

If you have the two video cards, you may as well go with an SLI board unless you plan to sell one of them.

As far as OCing goes, the P5N32-SLI, from what I hear, doesn't OC well at all. I'd say that DDR2-667 is enough for you, and if you don't plan to OC at all, 533 is perfect.

If noise is a concern, I'd switch a few things up. The HD, for instance. The 7200.10 drives can be quiet, but if you get one that isn't, it's going to be very loud.

The case is a good choice if you plan to run it with only an exhaust fan. To get decent flow from an 80mm, it has to be loud, and the Cent 5 has a restrictive intake in addition to only having an 80mm mount. I would go with the ubiquitous Antec SLK3000B for about $50 including shipping, or one of the new Rosewill cases from Newegg (the R6 line) if you don't like the looks of the SLK3000B.

 

[Avalon]

You are either going to need an SLI board or a motherboard with two physical PCI-e x16 slots, and even then you will have to find cracked drivers to allow SLI on your board.

 

[skinnyj]

ya why did you chose a p5n board when everyone said get a p5b?

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Avalon
You are either going to need an SLI board or a motherboard with two physical PCI-e x16 slots, and even then you will have to find cracked drivers to allow SLI on your board.

Also, not all boards with 2 PCIe slots will allow SLI or CF operation.

 

[shiatan]

I picked the P5N because as far as I could find it is an SLI board and the P5B is not. Please help me out if I'm wrong.

Here are the links
P5N http://usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=227&model=745&modelmenu=1
P5N

P5B http://usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=307&model=1179&modelmenu=1
P5B

One of the reasons I went with that case is the computer will sit in the desk and the air access will be from the front.

 

[MrUniq]

You don't need a soundcard..give asus some credit for charging that price and use the onboard . Glad to see fewer newbuild people jumping on the heatsink bandwagon.

 

[johnos]

im thinking for the speakers something from logitech is always good
Logitech Stereo Speakers Page
im looking at getting the Z-2300s.
they seem really good and if u google and find some reviews i have yet to see a bad one.
but i have not heard anything on the speakers that you mentioned so i cannot say that the logitechs are better

 

[Geomagick]

Originally posted by: shiatan

Sould I build my PC in the dark?

No. Turn the lights on - much easier.

Being silly aside.

The P5N moniker covers a wide range of chipsets.
These being nForce 4, nForce 570, nForce 590.

The board you were looking at is one of the nForce 4 boards and is probably not worth going for, especially given that the 570 and 590 boards aren't far off.

 

[shiatan]

When are the nForce 570 and nForce 590 due to come out ??

 

[Geomagick]

Here in the UK my favoured retailer has the P5NSLI nForce 570 in stock already.

The 590 is available for preorder, however there are no dates yet. It is also very expensive.

 

[shiatan]

First thing I noticed is the 570 board only supports X8 X8 in SLI mode and the 590 supports X16 X16. Still looking for it on sale or a release date. :~(