Advice on my first build

L

lmnop

Weaksauce
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Jul 12, 2006
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This will be my first build, I plan to do some decent gaming, web browsing, and music/movies. I'm looking to spend around 2k, including a decent 19" LCD. I will buy a keyboard/mouse/printer from a local retailer.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200CUBOX - Retail $355 ???? After price cut
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103747

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131013

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail $250.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145034

eVGA 256-P2-N584-AR Geforce 7900GT KO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail $269.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130033
*** As of right now I don't do much gaming, just UT99, mainly because my system is pretty outdated. With the purchase of a new system I'm sure I would pick up some newer games which is why i went with this card. Would a x1800 be a better choice? would it work with the mobo i chose?

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $82.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822144701
***Picked this because of the 16mb cache - therefore faster? Was not quite sure what to go with, just wanted something 250gb-320gb.

OCZ PowerStream OCZ520ADJSLI ATX, BTX, EPS12V 520W Power Supply - Retail $134.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817711002
***was not really sure what to go with, just read that OCZ and PC Power and Cooling were good names to go with so I picked this OCZ***

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail $111.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102188

Lian Li PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811112025
*** Not looking for anything fancy with LED's or windows, something solid and quiet. Is this a quiet case? ***

ORION Pro Series Red 18" 180 and 90-Degree-Angled, SATA (SERIAL ATA 150) Cable, 2-Head Model 700-201-05 - Retail $3.49 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16812104557
*** Is this cable necessary since my HD is OEM ? ***

Comes out to $1450.53. I still am in need of a decent 19" LCD that would be good for gaming and movies. I am also in need of a DVD/CD burner/player. There are so many OEM ones on newegg that I don't even know where to begin. Anything else that I am missing???

I have an OEM version of Windows XP Home SP2 that I purchased in December. Will I need to purchase a new copy of Windows? Do I need the 64-bit version?

The motherboard/processor/ram combo should all work together smoothly, right? Also, it appears that the mobo has a network card, but I am not sure?

Any input/suggestions/changes would be GREATLY appreciated or show me what kind of system you would put together for 2k.

Thanks
 
Since it is an OEM drive will I need any hardware (screws, cables) ? Anyone else have any suggestions on the build?
 
Go with a Core 2 Duo instead of an A64 X2. Better bang for the buck, both before and after OCing.

The PSU you picked is alright, but you can get better for less money.

The case uses 80mm fans. Bad for noise. If you want Lian-Li, try the PC-7B.

Motherboards come with SATA cables. If you get really unlucky and get one with a box that somebody forgot to pack a cable in, just go to a local shop and ask for one.

You don't need the 64-bit version of Windows, although I'm not sure how many computers you can legally use an OEM version of Windows on.

With that kind of budget, I'd go with an X1900XT and a VX2025WM.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 - $212 + $? shipping
Scythe Ninja Plus - $32 + ~$7 shipping
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 - $150 + $7 shipping
OCZ Value 2x1GB DDR2-667 - $149 + $5 shipping, $15 MIR
HIS Radeon X1900XT - $370 + $8 shipping, $20 MIR
Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic - $112, free shipping
Samsung SP2504C 250GB - $73 + $5 shipping
Pioneer DVR-111D - $33 + $5 shipping
Seasonic S12-430 - $75 + ~$7 shipping
Antec SLK3000B - $30 + ~$20 shipping
Viewsonic VX2025WM - $329, free shipping (weekend sale)
 
Thanks for the reply 454, your post was very helpful. I was thinking about going with a core 2, namely the EE6600, but I am unsure of their availability or if there would be any major problems with it since its SO new. Would the EE6600 work with the motherboard you suggested? I'm not that familiar with Intel motherboards, is that more of a "high-end" Intel motherboard?

As for the power supply, will 430 watts be enough? I was under the impression that I should get at least 500 watts?

I noticed the ram is DDR2-667. Is there much of *noticeable* performance decrease from 800 to 667?

I have seen that LCD on newegg and it looks pretty good, however I'm not entirely sure that I would like to go widescreen.

I have heard good things about the spinpoint drives, and I do believe I will go with the one you posted. Thanks for the heads up on the noisey case, I am looking for relatively quiet parts. I am going to look into the PC-7B, like you suggested, as well as the antec P180

Any other suggestions/builds would be greatly appreciated!
 
Yes, the E6600 will work.

It's not a high-end motherboard; it's more mid-range if anything.

430W is enough unless you plan on adding another X1900XT, and you won't be able to with this motherboard.

No, running the memory slightly faster than the FSB (which is what you could do with DDR2-800 without overclocking the CPU) nets you negligible increases in speed.
 
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