Yet another, New Build help a n00b thread!

[clemtiger007]

Hello Anandtech, I've been a lurker for a while, and finally decided to jump in and see if I could glean some knowledge from you helpful folks.

I have already purchased in last few weeks these first items:

Case: Antec Nine Hundred ($78.86 shipped from outpost.com)
Power Supply: Corsair 520W ($89.99 - $20 MIR = $69.99 from Buy.com)
CPU: Q6600 ($299.99 from outpost.com)
Grapics Card: BFG 640MB 8800GTS ($333.38 from bestbuy.com, not yet shipped)
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate ($190.00)

Mother Board: Mostly settled on GA-P35-DS3R, is there anything else I should consider? I don't want a combo board, and looking to use DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066. ($136.60 shipped @ Newegg)

RAM: I need help here, would like a good deal on either DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066. In light of the upcoming games coming out (Crysis, UT3, etc etc) , should I be considering 4GB? I kind of want to just get everything done at once if so. (Price: Undetermined)

DVD Drive(s): Does it matter how many Sata drives I have before I have issues with power? I think I would like a DVD Drive + a DVD burner, but wouldn't be against just a combo drive. I want reliable and reasonably quiet, though reliable more important. (Price: TBD)

Extra Cooling: Need recommendations. I guess Quads are pretty hot right now, and I didn't get a G0 version either. What cooler would be good/compatible with what I have? (Price: TBD)

I have a new 250GB IDE drive, I know Sata is better, but could I use this as a storage drive in some capacity? I think I'm looking for a nice Sata drive up to 500GB, I'll do Raid if it's recommended, but I typically don't have lots of problems and don't store tons of stuff either. (Price: TBD)

Monitor: I've been looking into a refurb BenQ FP241W from here. Just a bit worried about the limited warranty. (Price: 469.94 shipped)


I'd like to be right around $1500 total without a monitor, or $2000 total with a monitor. If I'm adding right, so far I've spent $972.22, with still needing MB, RAM, HD(s) and DVD drive(s).

Is there anything else a newbie builder would need to remember to get? I'll find someone to help me along with the actual build, but want to get everything ready. Any and all feedback, help is appreciated, and nothing is set in stone. I haven't opened any of the received items, so I can definitely return something if I need to. I've thought of holding the Q6600 until the official price drops 7/22, but ordered it due to the unknown.

 

[airhendrix13]

Mobo: Good choice

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227175
4GB is overkill as of now, 2GB is fine and more can be added if needed.

DVD Drive(s): Get the 2 drives and if there are power issues either return the PSu and get a bigger one or return the drives and get a combo. 2 drives will cost like $60-$70, the combo will be around $30-$40.

Cooler: I wouldn't consider them "hot", maybe compared the C2D, but it isn't much worse than a P4. Go with either a Scythe, Tunic Tower, or a Zalman 9700.

HD: Use the IDE as storage for your downloads and have your programs installed on the SATA. Don't use RAID if you don't have to. It's just something else that can go wrong, and although the benchmarks are better with RAID, you will see little real world difference.

Monitor: I wouldn't go with that monitor if it has a sub-par warranty, go with this Acer, they make very good monitors, its about the same price, and has a 3 year warranty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824009113

Looks good otherwise.

Enjoy,

airhendrix13

 

[clemtiger007]

Thanks for the comments. I think I may go ahead and order the mobo, and may begin looking for an alternative deal on the graphics card. (just seems not to be shipping as quickly as I would hope). Still undecided on RAM, and guess I need to do a little research to see if this mobo is picky on the RAM it takes. I've read some comments about OCZ memory having issues from time to time.

I'll read up on that Acer monitor, I would like a longer warranty, but the BenQ's are supposed to be an extremely well liked monitor. Thanks again for the comments-

 

[airhendrix13]

No problem. PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[Sinn707]

Hi,
First thing's first: don't order a refurbished monitor, they cost $250+ less for a reason.
Maybe you should consider going down to a solid 22", LG L226WTY-BF or Samsung 226BW, both are great, LG is a little better due to wider viewing angles in my opinion.
With the money saved you could get a 8800 GTX, even though MSI costs less and clocked higher, you should still get EVGA just for their step up program. The DDR2 1066Mhz kit I'd recommend is this one. If for some reason 2GB won't be enough you could just buy one more kit in the future.
And lastly, the cooling I'd recommend is Tuniq 120 Tower combined with a quality thermal paste.

Good luck.