Before I order, critique please?

[mackry]

My final build before I order. Critique please if you'd like and feel free to give me suggestions. I also need a PSU to pick. I have my mind set on the Corsair 520HX. Moreover, I plan on overclocking the proc to around 3.4ghz. Would this setup work well for that?

Budget around $900
I plan on using this rig for mainly gaming (Crysis, cod4, ut) and some applications like Photoshop and Office XP 2007, thats about it.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6445012

 

[PhantomFelix]

You might find the HDD to be quite small, so spending another $30 on a 320gb might be better in the long run. You should spend $5 more and get the Scythe Ninja heatsink. It will cool better, but some people have mounting problems with it. The Infinity isn't much more, and doesn't seem to have the mounting problem, but not sure if it actually cools better than the Ninja.

You could save the $30 for the HDD by getting the DS3L, if you don't need the extra ports on the DS3R.

 

[verticle]

links to wish lists aren't best. read the sticky at the top of the forum...

looks like a good build, very similar to what i am getting ready to build, but to really get any helpful suggestions, you might want to list what you are using this for, and your approx. budget.

the one thing that stands out as a weak spot for me is the hard drive, its rather small.

 

[mackry]

You might find the HDD to be quite small, so spending another $30 on a 320gb might be better in the long run. You should spend $5 more and get the Scythe Ninja heatsink. It will cool better, but some people have mounting problems with it. The Infinity isn't much more, and doesn't seem to have the mounting problem, but not sure if it actually cools better than the Ninja.

You could save the $30 for the HDD by getting the DS3L, if you don't need the extra ports on the DS3R.

links to wish lists aren't best. read the sticky at the top of the forum...

looks like a good build, very similar to what i am getting ready to build, but to really get any helpful suggestions, you might want to list what you are using this for, and your approx. budget.

the one thing that stands out as a weak spot for me is the hard drive, its rather small.

Thanks for the responses. I plan on using this rig for mainly gaming (Crysis, cod4, ut) and some applications like Photoshop and Office XP 2007, thats about it. Also, I think the HDD size is too much for me as I currently have a 74gb raptor wd and still isn't full on space. BTW, thanks PhantomFelix for showing me the L version of that mobo. Saving me $30. They are the same performance thought correct?

My budget is around $900 btw.

 

[engiNURD]

The DS3L just lacks ICH9R, and uses ICH9 instead, which reduces the SATA ports to 4. It also has a smaller NB heatsink, so you'll probably need some active cooling for it if you go above 400/425Mhz FSB SDR (touch it and see how hot it gets; if its too hot to keep your finger on it, you need better cooling for it).

If you don't want to spend for a better cooler, at least get the cooler for the cost of shipping:

$20 - Cooler Master RR-CCH-L9U1-GP HYPER TX 2 CPU HSF ($20 MIR)

But I strongly recommend one of these instead:

$35 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja Plus Rev.B CPU HSF (optional $7 Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit; recommended esp. for quadcore usage)
$45 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU HSF
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + Panaflo Hydrowave Fan, FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$55 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)

I like the Ultima90 the best, since it cools better than my ninja, as good as my tuniq, and is lighter/smaller than both; its also the easiest to install. My E6750 @ 3.8Ghz (1.55v) idles at 28°C and reaches 52°C during full load (22°C ambient) with the Ultima90 and panaflo fan.

My final build before I order. Critique please if you'd like and feel free to give me suggestions. I also need a PSU to pick. I have my mind set on the Corsair 520HX. Moreover, I plan on overclocking the proc to around 3.4ghz. Would this setup work well for that?

Budget around $900
I plan on using this rig for mainly gaming (Crysis, cod4, ut) and some applications like Photoshop and Office XP 2007, thats about it.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6445012

Don't get the Corsair 520W from newegg. Get it from buy.com instead, for $80AR.

You may not reach 3.4Ghz with that RAM. Some kits can OC to 425Mhz, others to 450Mhz, but theres no guarantee that it will reach either of those speeds. So, to play it safe, I highly suggest some Ballistix instead:

$90 - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 BL2KIT12864AA804 ($40 MIR)

 

[mackry]

The DS3L just lacks ICH9R, and uses ICH9 instead, which reduces the SATA ports to 4. It also has a smaller NB heatsink, so you'll probably need some active cooling for it if you go above 400/425Mhz FSB SDR (touch it and see how hot it gets; if its too hot to keep your finger on it, you need better cooling for it).

If you don't want to spend for a better cooler, at least get the cooler for the cost of shipping:

$20 - Cooler Master RR-CCH-L9U1-GP HYPER TX 2 CPU HSF ($20 MIR)

But I strongly recommend one of these instead:

$35 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja Plus Rev.B CPU HSF (optional $7 Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit; recommended esp. for quadcore usage)
$45 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU HSF
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + Panaflo Hydrowave Fan, FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$55 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)

I like the Ultima90 the best, since it cools better than my ninja, as good as my tuniq, and is lighter/smaller than both; its also the easiest to install. My E6750 @ 3.8Ghz (1.55v) idles at 28°C and reaches 52°C during full load (22°C ambient) with the Ultima90 and panaflo fan.



Don't get the Corsair 520W from newegg. Get it from buy.com instead, for $80AR.

You may not reach 3.4Ghz with that RAM. Some kits can OC to 425Mhz, others to 450Mhz, but theres no guarantee that it will reach either of those speeds. So, to play it safe, I highly suggest some Ballistix instead:

$90 - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 BL2KIT12864AA804 ($40 MIR)

Great, I've decided to go with your Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja recommendation, and the 520HX from buy.com (nice find free shipping!) I think im going to stick with the G.Skill though, my friend has some and i love it too. I really appreciate your suggestion. Anything else before I order?

 

[mackry]

Anyone else?

 

[engiNURD]

I think im going to stick with the G.Skill though, my friend has some and i love it too. I really appreciate your suggestion. Anything else before I order?

No prob. I have those same sticks, too. In fact, I have two pairs. One can OC to around 425-430, and the other can reach 450 with some tweaking. They should be able to get you to 3.4Ghz, but if not, you won't notice much of a difference with 3.2Ghz.

E6750: 8 × 333 = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-667 << STOCK speeds
E6750: 8 × 400 = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-800 << Easy OC
E6750: 8 × 425 = 3.4Ghz, DDR2-800 << Nice OC
E6750: 8 × 450 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-900 << Good OC
E6750: 8 × 500 = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-1000 << Great OC

The Ballistix can definately reach DDR2-1000. I have two of these kits as well, and my only gripe with them is the high voltage they require.

BTW, the Ninja isn't easy to install. If you'd like to make it easier to install and somewhat more secure, you could get the Bolt-Thru kit I listed above next to it. It made it much easier to install, imo (pic).