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building a new computer need advice!

Z

zohair

n00b
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
49
Hey Guys -

So I am planning on putting together a new computer. I have left over a hard drive, cd drive, monitor and this ram:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

I was wondering if people had any suggestions, for a mother board, case, processor etc.

I am building this for gaming and my budget is probably like 1200.

Thanks!
 
- What size monitor do you have?
- Is your hard drive SATA or PATA?
- Are you planning to overclock?
- What else will you be doing with this PC?

Remember that cases are a personal choice item. So it's up to you to find a case that you like and can live with.
 
thanks for the response -

I have 20.1 monitor, SATA harddrive, and as of now I really don't know to much about OC but I think I would be curious to learn and try it out.

Really its going to be used for basic things outside of gaming. Email/web browsing, some office stuff etc.

Thanks!
 
Since you have a pretty large budget, here's what I recommend as a base build:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping CPU - $280
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $66
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147

I recommend getting another 2GB of RAM because RAM is pretty cheap now and a few games might need 4GB of RAM, i.e Crysis. The 620W Corsair PSU is more than enough power for most rigs. And since you have the money for it, just go for a quad-core CPU now because future games will take advantage of quad-cores. Hell Supreme Commander and Crysis are confirmed to take advantage of quad-cores.

Now what features are you looking for in a mobo? Like RAID, Firewire, number of SATA ports, etc? Take a look at the motherboards that PC_user linked to in addition to these suggestions as well:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $98
MSI P6N SLI-FI nForce 650i Motherboard - $109
Abit IP35 Intel P35 Motherboard - $124
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Intel P35 Motherboard - $170

As for video cards, tomorrow, the 8800GT is being released and from early reports, it performs on par or faster than the 8800GTS 640MB and it's MSRP is supposedly $250. Not a bad deal if it delivers on all fronts.

Cases, again, are a personal choice item. But here are a few suggestions. Remember that these cases fit my personal taste so some of them may not look good to you:
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 532 ATX Case - $50
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $80
Antec P180 ATX Case - $110
Antec Sonata III Case - $114
Antec Nine Hundred ATX Case - $120
Antec P180B ATX Case - $125
Antec P182 ATX Case - $129
XCLIO Windtunnel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $130
Gigabyte Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ATB ATX Case - $135
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $137
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Coolermaster COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $170
LIAN-LI PC-V1100A PLUS II - $220

Do you also need an OS? If so, I recommend getting Vista Home Premium. Vista has improved apparently over the past few months so gaming performance is on par with XP now, supposedly. So if you go with 4GB of RAM, then get the 64bit version. If not, then go with the 32 bit version:
Windows Vista Home Premium OEM - $105
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM - $110
 
thanks for the advice.

I also forgot to mention that I have a 520 watt corsair power supply. Any ideas for CPU cooling fans? Will that case have enough stock cooling or should i try to add to it?

Also I just realized i also have Radeon X1950XT 256MB sitting around. Do you think it would be better to try to Crossfire that or get a new graphics card?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
zohair said:
thanks for the advice.

I also forgot to mention that I have a 520 watt corsair power supply. Any ideas for CPU cooling fans? Will that case have enough stock cooling or should i try to add to it?

Also I just realized i also have Radeon X1950XT 256MB sitting around. Do you think it would be better to try to Crossfire that or get a new graphics card?
Click to expand...

Ahh since, you already have a Corsair, then you should be set in the PSU area. For graphics however, I say get a new graphics card rather a Crossfire setup. Crossfire hasn't exactly been a winning piece of technology and it's a bit of waste IMO.

Also, which case are you talking about? I listed about 15-16 cases. However, for case fans, I recommend these:
120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12 Case Fan - $3.50
 
Ok here is what I was thinking:

Regarding a motherboard. I don't really need raid/firewire or the 6 sata vs 4 sata ports, so i was looking at the following motherboards you guys suggested:

ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127031&Tpk=ip35-e
MSI P6N SLI-FI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130082

No I am not really planning on going with two videocards off the bat, but the price difference wasn't huge so I was wondering what the thoughts were b/w those two boards.

Also I wasn't able to tell what the advantage/difference these two more expensive boards had over those two I just posted:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050

and
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 Rev. 2.0 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128064

A previous mother board stopped working on me so I would rather pay a little more and get a more reliable/better board.

Thoughts?

Ok on to case. All the options listed were great and I was thinking b/w these (all of the asethetics of the cases are equally good to me, I was wondering if anyone had any more technical input as to which case would be "better" with the Q6600 and probably a 8800GT videocard setup.

Antec Performance One P180 Advanced Super Mid Tower Case Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=140118

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Case
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4991611#detailed

Antec Performance One P180B Advanced Super Mid Tower Case - seems to be the same as the P180 but a different color, am i wrong?
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=140138

Really in a case I just want something with good cooling and has enough space for the HS fan etc (I had a situation with my brother's computer where the case almost didn't fit b/c of the HSF).

As far as graphics card all the initial votes go for the 8800GT and so I will probably go with that.

Whew, long post, thanks for the future advice!
 
Well the main difference between the MSI 650i and Abit IP35-E is that the 650i board has two IDE ports, SLI and a firewire port. However, the 650i does run a little hotter than the IP35-E. In addition, the IP35-E, like all Intel P35 based mobos, has confirmed support for Intel's new Yorkfield and Wolfdale CPUs, faster and more refined versions of C2D CPUs. Both OC very well FYI. And if it matters to you, the 650i mobo has legacy ports in case you still use an old printer that connects via parallel port.

As for the differences between the DS3R and DS4, here's a side by side comparison of the two:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...mpareItemList=N82E16813128064,N82E16813128050

Also, the DS4's larger NB heatsink may provide a better OC. The DS3R and DS4 uses solid state caps which supposedly means that the mobo will last longer. No idea whether or no this is true, though.

Oh, I posted a link to the older P180 model which had some cable management problems. So ignore the ZZF link and check out the revised version of the P180 at newegg:
Antec P180 ATX Case - $120

Anyway, yes the main difference now between the P180, P180B and P182 are color choices with the choices being silver, black and gunmetal respectively.

Personally, and this is a bit biased since I own one, I'd go with the P180/180B/182. It does have plenty of space for most HSF including the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme or Tuniq Tower. And it does have pretty good cooling IMO. And frankly, again biased but, I like the look of the P180 far more than the Antec 900.

And plus, a good number of people on this forums owns one so you shouldn't have to wait long for a reply to any problem with the P180 you may have.
 
The heatpipe chipset/mosfet cooling of the DS4 is only needed if you plan on OC'ing pretty high with an E6750 or similar. With a Q6600, you don't need such good cooling because you don't need to run much higher than 400Mhz FSB SDR. Therefore, the DS4's better cooling over the DS3R shouldn't be a factor if you get a Q6600.

I'd avoid the nForce 600 series unless you need SLI or you're on a tight budget. The 650i does offer much more features for its price compared to intel chipsets, but the P35 boards are more stable and the chipset runs much cooler if you're OC'ing.

If you have the money for a Q6600 and don't plan on upgrading for a couple or more years, get it. If you like to upgrade often, the E6750 will serve you well for a year or so. I plan to keep mine for about a year. ;)

Check out the cases in person. I didn't like the P180 when it first came out. The newest revision has won me over, though. However, I gave mine away as a gift. I still havent bought one for myself because I can't find it for $40AR like I did before, lol. I checked out the Nine Hundred in person and it was disappointing to me. It felt so flimsy, like the SuperLanboy. I wouldn't pay more than $40 for it, but its never been that low, IIRC. I would, however, pay around $80 for the P180B, lol. Again, cases are very subjective, so get whichever one floats your boat. Cable management is easier on the P180's than on the Nine Hundred. Other good choices are the CM RC-690, Lian-Li PC-7, or Silverstone TJ06S-W. Hm... the Silverstone Kublai series looks interesting, too.
 
zohair said:
B/w these 3 motherboards which would you guys suggest?

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?ATT=13128059&CMP=AFC-SlickDeals&Item=N82E16813128059

ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127031&Tpk=ip35-e

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128017
Click to expand...

Don't even consider the 965P. Its been replaced with the P35 DS3L. Almost all IP35-E boards I've seen have the double boot issue, including my own IP35. Its not a big deal, but it gets annoying sometimes, if you turn your system off at all, lol. Some people have seen the dual boot issue on the DS3L, too, but I hear its less common. I'd go witht he DS3L, simply because I need legacy ports, lol. What do you need? If they both fit your needs, get the cheaper of the two.
 
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