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First PC Build-Would love help!

M

Mullinz

n00b
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
8
This is my first time ordering the parts and putting the PC together myself, although I've helped out others do the same and know somewhat what I'm doing I hope. But that's why I came to you guys, anyways I'm building a solid gaming PC with abilities to handle anything I throw at it basically, here's the list of stuff I've sorted out so far, I just want to know if everything is compatible and if there are any better options for each item.

Budget: $1500-2000

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Power Supply: ABS Tagan BZ Series BZ900 900W ATX12V / EPS12V Patent Piperock Modular Power Supply - Retail

Case Fans: Not really sure about this, do I need extras or does the case have enough with it? I am hoping to OC the CPU and GPU somewhat but nothing crazy.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - Retail

MotherBoard: ABIT IP35 Pro XE LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail, I'm not really sure if this is the best motherboard for the money and my other components so if there's any suggestions here I'm listening

CPU Cooler/Heatsink: Not really sure which one is best for my processor

Memory: OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK - Retail

Hard Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Optical Drive: Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-215DBK - OEM

Video/Graphics Card: Planning on getting a nvidia gtx 260, but I'm probably going to see what the new ATI's look like as well, or might consider the 9800 gx2

Sound Card: Not really sure here, I don't need anything incredible sound wise

OS: I'm trying to decide between vista and XP, thinking I will probably try vista for myself to see what I think of it

I've already got the keyboard/mouse and the moniter (23 inch plain old screen, might get an LCD later)

Also I'm not sure cable wise what I need to get because I'm pretty sure I need to order some, so help there would be incredible. But yeah like I said it'll be mainly used for gaming/graphic editing sorry for the long post but I'd love to get some feedback on this build and I know these forums are the right place to come to.
 
Pretty solid build, just note that you will probably need a 64-bit OS to address the 4GB of RAM.
 
There are a bunch of better cases than the Nine Hundred, but thats a personal preference, mostly. :p

Avoid that Tagan... they accused [H] of giving them a poor review because they didn't pay for a better review. They got a bad review because their product isn't as good as they thought it was. Go for the Corsair 750W from provantage.com or buy.com for only $100 -- great deal on a great PSU.

Since you've chosen a pretty high-priced mobo, you might want to check out the new P45 boards, like the GA-EP45-DS3R, or the P5Q-E. What features do you need in a mobo?

Any of these would be good:
$37 - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler (optional: $7 - XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit)
$50 - ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm CPU Cooler ($10 MIR)
$59 - Noctua NH-U12P Universal heatsink

Get this RAM instead. It will allow you to OC better without being possibly limited by the RAM:
$85 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-1000 F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

The VRaptor isn't worth its price premium, IMO. Current 7200RPM high-density-platter drives like the Samsung F1 series and WD3200AAKS and WD6400AAKS drives, are fast enough for most people (they're even faster than the old raptors). But hey, if you have cash to burn, knock yourself out.

The Samsung optical drives (SH-S203B & SH-S203N) are very quiet. I have no idea how the Pioneer is, though.

Try onboard HD Audio first. If you don't like it, get a soundcard. Its an easy upgrade after you've built your system.

What resolution/settings do you play games at?

Your mobo should come with all necessary cables.
 
Yeah the problem is I don't really know what I want in a mobo, I just play on 1280x1024 size and would like to play on as high settings as possible, I want the mobo to be able to OC the components well and besides that I only plan on ever using 1-2 HDD's, I want one with ability to hold up to 8gigs max, I'm not bothered about DDR3 since the price is not worth the small performance increase. And what are the P45 boards capable of compared to P35s?
 
P45 Express is the die shrink of P35 Express (90nm to 65nm). Since its a die shrink, it will require less voltage, run cooler, and hopefully OC better. If not, at least it adds PCI-E 2.0 and better Crossfire support (8x/8x). Its not worth a huge price premium or wait time over P35 boards, so if you need something right now, and a P35 board suffices your needs, then go for it. P45 boards will have a price premium for the first month or so. However, if you don't mind the price premium, and its less than an X38 board, go for a P45.

It sounds like all you need, though, is the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L. The main difference between P43 and P45 is the better crossfire support. P45 can do 8x/8x, and P43 has no CF support at all. Since you don't ever plan on going Crossfire, and you only plan on having 2 HDDs, the DS3L should suite your needs just fine. If you want something with better expandability, then the DS3R is good. Both should OC nicely:

$100 - Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX
 
Alright so I've switched the ram to the G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
and I'm also getting the XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail for the cpu but now I'm having trouble deciding on a motherboard, after a few responses to questions it seems like I should get a P45 board, but they are new and don't have a ton of reviews so I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for a solid P45 motherboard with good onboard audio, 8 gig capacity for ram, nice overclockability, and that will work well with the components I've decided on, would love to hear some feedback, thanks.

I've read a few reviews saying the MSI P45 Platinum LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard is a good mobo, agree/disagree?
 
According to the [H] review, yes, the MSI Plat is a good board. Gigabyte has had a solid track record lately for all those things you mentioned ("good onboard audio, 8 gig capacity for ram, nice overclockability, and that will work well with the components I've decided on"). Though, I agree, there aren't enough reviews out there about these boards yet. Still, I suspect Gigabyte to maintain their level of quality (for enthusiasts) in these new boards.
 
qwksi1 said:
why not a p45 board?
Click to expand...
:confused: he asked for P45 recommendations...
Mullinz said:
...now I'm having trouble deciding on a motherboard, after a few responses to questions it seems like I should get a P45 board, but they are new and don't have a ton of reviews so I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for a solid P45 motherboard with good onboard audio, 8 gig capacity for ram, nice overclockability, and that will work well with the components I've decided on, would love to hear some feedback, thanks.

I've read a few reviews saying the MSI P45 Platinum LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard is a good mobo, agree/disagree?
Click to expand...
 
Well I'm not dead set on the P45's, it's just what has been recommended to me by a few people, this board GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
seems like it would also work out well, I think, so I'm open to all suggestions.
 
If you don't need dual 16x Crossfire, don't bother with X48 or X38 boards.
 
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