Building A Computer

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Bad Brain

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Dec 6, 2007
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I need a new computer, price range of around $1000-1500. I'm gonna be saving up and will probably purchase everything in 2-3 months.

I've never built one from scratch before, so I have no knowledge of compatibility and all that stuff. I want to be sure everything I buy will definately work with one another, so that I can just put it all together and not wind up in a problem that I don't know how to fix or what caused it.

I basically only use it for watching movies, listening to music, downloading, and browsing the internet. I don't do any gaming but that's only because the computer I have wouldn't be able to handle it, so I might do some light gaming if I have a machine that is capable. I'm not going to be OC'ing or anything like that though.

My main concern is that I have no clue how to figure out what is compatible with what, and this is what I'm looking at so far...if you recognize any incompatibilities, or have better suggestions, if you see something that isn't needed, or I am missing a component or something please let me know:


Case: Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 250GB
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
Memory: Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Heatsink & Fan: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
Graphics Card: EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
CD/DVD ROM: ASUS Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 14X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe


Thanks for your help fellas
 
Compatability-wise there's nothing really wrong with what you chose. You can save some money using some different parts though that should still fit your needs while reducing your bottom line.

Motherboard: X38 based boards main feature is a second full x16 PCI-E lane for crossfire, as well as possible support for DDR3 and PCI-E 2.0 compliance. However, since you will do light gaming, and are only purchasing 1 8800GT, just get a P35 based board. I'm gonna quote Danny Bui here on some good suggestions and pro/cons on various P35 boards:

Danny Bui said:
Well there is no "Best Gigabyte board" Just the best board for your needs:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $86
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $145
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $175

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports, then the DS3L is a good choice. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, and legacy ports, than the DS3R is a good choice. If you need firewire ports as well as two PCI-E x16 port for Crossfire, than the DS3P is a good choice. If you want a good overclocker with two PCI-E x16 slots, RAID, 8 SATA ports, legacy ports, and firewire, then go for the DS4. Theoretically, the giant heatsinks and heatpipes on the DS4 should help it OC higher than the DS3 since the DS3 can already OC to 475MHz FSB with its normal HS setup.

However if you want to check out Abit, here are some recommendations:
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $90
Abit IP35 Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $168

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 4 SATA ports or legacy ports, then the IP35-E is a good choice. If you need firewire and RAID, than the IP35. If you want an high-end overclocking mobo, then go with the IP35 Pro. It's one of the better overclocking mobos out there.
Click to expand...

That Kingston ram kit is 100 dollars for 2GB which is quite high in this day and age of affordable memory. Even after rebate (which you can't always rely on working) it's still 75 which is costly. I'd consider this G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2-800 kit. Or even get 4GB (2x2GB) G.Skill for only a few bucks more than that Kingston set. The latency is a bit worse, but is double the price for a pretty small upgrade in performance from better latency worth it? In terms of reliability G.Skill is pretty good as well.

The Arctic Cooler you chose is fine if you aren't overclocking the Q6600, but honestly you could probably get away with just the stock cooler then. If you were going to get an aftermarket HSF, consider perhaps the Thermalright Ultima-90, which is a rather small heatsink by today's standards but cools very well for an air cooler, being only definitively bested by the big boy Ultra 120 Extreme, and if you pair it up with a reasonably quiet 92 or 120mm fan it'll be quiet too.

Not sure if you are a big audiophile, I personally don't notice a *huge* different between onboard sound these days and dedicated sound cards, but I am not the most discerning person so if you feel you need it then get it. XI-FI has some issues though, and Creative isn't exactly the fastest releaser of drivers in the market. Maybe consider one of Auzentech's sound cards if you are looking for just a better Audio experience. Xi-Fi's main feature is supposedly helping gaming performance, which isn't your biggest concern I believe.

With the savings, maybe consider getting a bigger hard drive or getting more hard drives. Since your main usage will be downloading/music/movies having more space is convenient. Do you already have an OS or are you just going to reuse your old OS? Good luck with your build however you go.
 
I'd wait until you have saved up your money to make the list, because stuff will change enough in 3 months time.
 
excellent choice of parts :D

Some things I'd reconsider

Motherboard - Go with a p35... You can get a ip35-pro or GA-P35-DS4 for less money, but you'll get a more mature board and similar(if not better) performance.

Ip35-e's aren't sold anymore, but the GA-p35-DS3L or DS3R are also good motherboards for a lot cheaper.


A 520w can easily handle your system.
But 620's not a bad choice either, as it's only a couple more bucks..
Clubit.com has it cheaper, if you care enough to save a couple bucks..

Sondigo's card would be my choice for better sound.. less bloated-software first of all.. and should be in stock by the time you buy your computer.
I also agree with Anchen on the ram. Go with Crucial or G.skill ram from newegg.

Also, the penryn chips should be out by the time you buy your pc. They're supposedly pretty cheap for the performance..
 
Gen.Ben said:
I'd wait until you have saved up your money to make the list, because stuff will change enough in 3 months time.
Click to expand...

QFT. Two months is already too far in advance to plan. But three? Too far. So heed the above advice.
 
Thanks everybody, yeah I'll redo the list when it comes time to order everything, I just wanted to get a general idea of what it will run me and what I'll need.

I'll take your guys' advice on the P35 motherboard, lesser soundcard, diff. memory and no heatsink, I had a feeling the parts I had were gonna be more of a gaming system than I need it to be. I have a 400gb external and second 250gb internal hd's that I will be able to use for it so I'm covered in that area
 
Quick question though, do you have money saved up now for this PC? And if so, how much?
For your needs I doubt you'll need a $1000 to $1500 PC for if gaming wasn't a priority
 
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