Build for a friend... advice?

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Steve01S4

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 30, 2006
Messages
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I'm helping a friend put together a new computer, for a bit of gaming (almost exclusively MMORPGs) and some school/research stuff, which isn't extremely cpu intensive. She lives across the country and has never built a computer before, so I'm trying to put together something that goes together pretty easily. The goal of the system is longevity more than performance. She's already got a 24" Dell but usually doesn't game full screen on it. More often games are in a 1280x1024 window with other programs running in the background.

Here's what I picked out:

CASE: Cooler Master Mystique
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119107

PS: Silverstone SST-ST56F
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817163112

MB: Asus P5N-E
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131142

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003

RAM: G-Skill @GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231087

HD: Seagate 7200.10 320GB SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140

DVD: 18x NEC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152076

VIDEO: EVGA 8000GTS Superclocked
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130080

How does everything look? It'd be nice of the system could be upgraded to SLI and/or quad core at some point in the (not near) future, and it'll probably get a RAM upgrade at some point. Oh yeah, no OC, at least not anytime soon. Coming from a P4-2.4 this is going to be fast enough for now.

Thanks for any advice.
 
Ok, FIRST is she HOT? (pics or shens) ;)

Second, will you mind being on the phone with her 24/7 WHEN there's a problem. Which will no doubtedly occur. If not in the initial build phase (VERY LIKELY), later on down the road when she gets a virus, or adds a peripherial, etc.. and can't figure out why her computer isn't working, etc. TRUST ME ON THIS, you think its bad now with the tech support calls, if you help someone build it (select all the parts or build for them), they assume ANY problem is your fault. So they will be ringing the phone off the hook.

Now this isn't a problem if the answer to first & second are yes. (hot & you don't mind talking to her)

Third, she will undoubtedly be endebted to you.... so ask for sexual favors! LOL

Ok, now on to the build portion. I'd swap the mobo for an Asus P5B (965 chipset) much less chance of problems. There are 3 different versions at 3 different price points, pick the one that best suits your needs. If you're not overclocking even the basic one should be fine.

Unless you want there to be problems so she'll owe you more "favors", then pick the nvidia board! She'll have to call you when the harddrive corrupts! :p LOL
 
chrisf6969 said:
Ok, FIRST is she HOT? (pics or shens) ;)
Third, she will undoubtedly be endebted to you.... so ask for sexual favors! LOL

Ok, now on to the build portion. I'd swap the mobo for an Asus P5B (965 chipset) much less chance of problems. There are 3 different versions at 3 different price points, pick the one that best suits your needs. If you're not overclocking even the basic one should be fine.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better
 
chrisf6969 said:
Ok, FIRST is she HOT? (pics or shens) ;)

Second, will you mind being on the phone with her 24/7 WHEN there's a problem. Which will no doubtedly occur. If not in the initial build phase (VERY LIKELY), later on down the road when she gets a virus, or adds a peripherial, etc.. and can't figure out why her computer isn't working, etc. TRUST ME ON THIS, you think its bad now with the tech support calls, if you help someone build it (select all the parts or build for them), they assume ANY problem is your fault. So they will be ringing the phone off the hook.

Now this isn't a problem if the answer to first & second are yes. (hot & you don't mind talking to her)

Third, she will undoubtedly be endebted to you.... so ask for sexual favors! LOL

Ok, now on to the build portion. I'd swap the mobo for an Asus P5B (965 chipset) much less chance of problems. There are 3 different versions at 3 different price points, pick the one that best suits your needs. If you're not overclocking even the basic one should be fine.

Unless you want there to be problems so she'll owe you more "favors", then pick the nvidia board! She'll have to call you when the harddrive corrupts! :p LOL
Click to expand...

moosey said:
Couldn't have said it better
Click to expand...

QFT!!
 
Ok, I'm looking at the P5B-E. What would you guys recommend for RAM for it? 2x1GB, DDR2-800, overclocking isn't important. I just don't want to run into any compatibility problems, since she won't have any extra DDR2 to test with.

Oh, BTW... Yes, she's hot. No, you're not getting pictures. I'm not so worried about the tech support. I just really want everything to work out of the box (as much as such a thing can be guaranteed).
 
Guess I should have put a smiley in there. Anyway, why so powerful? Longevity. Why bother building a new computer if it's not powerful enough to last a few years? Anyway, it fits the budget, and I don't think the money saved with a lower end processor would be better spent elsewhere. The E6600 seems to be the sweet spot in the Conroe line to me.

And wtf... isn't this the [H]? Never thought I'd see anyone recommending less power here! :D

Any advice on the RAM?

Thanks to those who've helped so far. This is the first time I've done anything Intel, and my own systems are usually workstation grade stuff, so most of my hardware knowledge is in other areas.
 
Crippling her system so she has to play with you joystick more often?

*rimshot*
 
The system looks good. I'm not a big fan of ASUS even though a lot of people think they are the best boards out there. I had 2 different boards that gave me fits (A7N 333 and another I forget)

Also, I've thought that spending ~300-350 for a CPU was about right. But I've also wondered if it might be better to spend $200 and then upgrade with another $200 CPU every 2-3 years. Since CPU's aren't usually fully utilized, maybe spending them money up front doesn't make sense.? I don't know.
 
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