Another First-time Build

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ssbsts

n00b
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
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I am building a system from scratch for the first time and I am planning on placing the order ASAP and I just wanted to ask and make sure that my components seem right and will all work together.

Core 2 Duo e6400
Gigabyte 965P-S3 Mobo
Chaintech GeForce 7300GT VGA256C
WD Caviar SE16 250GB
CoolerMaster Centurion 5
Rosewill RP500-PSU
As for ram i originally was thinking to get this 2x512 Corasir XMS2 1GB DDR2 800 because of my budget and I understand that dual channel is better.
However, now i am wondering if i should get this1gb Corsair XMS2 1GB DDR2 800 first and upgrade to two gb later.

This build comes in right around $700, $730 shipped. That pretty much maxes out my budget. I am pretty anxious to order, but being a first time build i certainly want to get it right. Any changes you think i should make?
Like always, thanks in advance.
 
$180 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz
$100 - Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express (review)
$100 - WINTEC AMPO 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2-800 3AMD2800-1G1K-R
$80 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250620AS 250GB 7200RPM SATA300 16MB Cache
$70 - eVGA 256-P2-N443-LX GeForce 7300GT 256MB
$50 - XClio GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W
$35 - Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver w/ Side Window ($50 - $15MIR)
========
$615 + tax and shipping (after rebates)

No need for corsair, nor the E6400. Set the FSB on the Foxconn to 305Mhz, leave the cpu voltage at default, and you'll be all set to perform at E6400 speeds (305*7=2.13Ghz) for $40 less with the E6300 (put the savings towards the 7600gt). The DDR2-800 RAM will work fine at a lower clock speed, or even at its rated 400, which would yield 2.8Ghz. Though, that would be a little too hot since it would require a bit more voltage. Stick to the modest OC for now.

The seagate has a 5yr warranty. Though, the WD is more quiet. I have the WD, and I love it. The Seagate is probably faster (i have the 320gb seagate bretheren, which is about 10MB/s faster than the WD).

DO NOT get the Rosewill PSU. Check with the PSU subforum to see why. Go with the XClio instead, its a safer buy.

XFX, BFG, and eVGA have great post-sale support. Though, in my experiences, chaintech is pretty good, too.

What games do you play? I'd spend the extra $40 on the 7600GT instead of the 7300GT:
$110 - BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE Geforce 7600GT 256MB ($140 - $30MIR)
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I did decide to change the psu to the xclio unit. As far as gaming goes, to be quite honest i dont game much, but just wanted something decent just in case. Considering that, it may be better for me even to downgrade. With the memory, i would rather just spend the extra to get corsair because i have had it in the past and i trust it, the wintec ram looks great, but the reviews over at newegg are less than spectacular. But who knows how accurate they are anyway. But i guess with the memory my main question is how much of a difference is there between 4x512mb and 2x1gb because i will ultimately upgrade to 2gb in the future.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Then yah, just go for the 7300GT. I'd still recommend dropping the CPU to the E6300. The performance gained by stepping up to the E6400 isn't worth it, especially since the E6300 can reach E6400 speeds without much effort (stock voltage, stock cooling, just a bump in the fsb).

How soon do you plan on upgrading to another gig of ram? If its anytime within the next few months, I'd say go for the 1GB stick. If its more like 6 months from now, get the 2x512 and sell them when you're ready to upgrade to 2GB.
 
Ideally i would upgrade in the next couple months. Thats why i am leaning towards 1gb stick now.
 
looks good, but if you go with single channel, you will lose some performance...choose what ever you want. If you plan to upgrade, then I see no big problem.
If you have never overclocked or dont want to, stick with the E6400....

Good luck and have fun
 
This is just my opinion but the PSU choice makes me shutter a bit... Rosewill and PSU's... the track record just doesnt seem to be there... look it up though...

Have an awesome time building...take your time... You'll love it!
 
Battle_Rattle said:
This is just my opinion but the PSU choice makes me shutter a bit... Rosewill and PSU's... the track record just doesnt seem to be there... look it up though...

Have an awesome time building...take your time... You'll love it!
Click to expand...
He already switched to a different model.
 
Now i am starting to think maybe switch to the 6300. I am after a moderate overclock, nothing major,so the 6400 probably wouldnt benefit me too much i guess. With $40 in savings maybe i could just go with 2x1gb right from the start and go slightly over budget. Crap, i hate when i have to make decisions.
 
ssbsts said:
Now i am starting to think maybe switch to the 6300. I am after a moderate overclock, nothing major,so the 6400 probably wouldnt benefit me too much i guess. With $40 in savings maybe i could just go with 2x1gb right from the start and go slightly over budget. Crap, i hate when i have to make decisions.
Click to expand...
Good idea! gogogo!

$180 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz
$100 - Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express (review)
$205 - G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 @ 4-4-4-12 2.0v F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK
$75 - WD Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200RPM SATA300 16MB Cache
$70 - Chaintech VGA256C-SE73GT GeForce 7300GT 256MB
$50 - XClio GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W
$35 - Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver w/ Side Window ($50 - $15MIR)
========
$715 + tax and shipping (after rebates)
 
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