First time builder. Looking for comments/suggestions on build

B

Brose

n00b
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
33
Hello, as the title suggests, this is the first time I will be building a computer. I don't possess a lot of knowledge when it comes to computer parts, but i have been doing some research the past couple days. My research so far has led me to the below build/questions. Any help/info/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Motherboard:
I admit this has given me the most trouble, but from what I can tell and have been told, both the GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX ($225) and ABIT IX38 Quad GT LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX ($210) are good boards. But, I am still completely open to suggestions (preferably want something with PCI2.0 and works with DDR2 1066 ram).

Video Card:
GeForce 8800GT 512MB ($180)
or
GeForce 8800GTS ?MB
From what I understand, only a certain kind of 8800GTS is better than the GT for a similar price. So if I wanted to get the better 8800GTS, which one should I get or look for?

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 ($200)
I believe it is recommended to get the G0 stepping version, so how do I know I have the right one?

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Raptor 150gb 10,000 RPM ($170)
or
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM ($95)
Is the Raptor that much better for the price? (space isn't really a concern since I already have another HD for storing files)

Memory:
Corsair Dominator 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 ($96)
or
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 ($109)

Power Supply:
I heard I should get a power supply with more power than I need, but I don't even know how much power I need. Either way, I heard that PC Power & Cooling and Corsair are both reliable brands. Of course, I am looking for good price/performance for what I need.

Case:
Something else that I really don't know about. But, I was told that the CoolerMaster 690 ($85) is pretty good for the price.

Fan/Heatsink:
XIGMATEK HDT S1283 Rifle CPU Cooler 120mm ($35)
or
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler ($27)


Misc. facts:
- I plan to play video games on this machine.
- I don't plan/want to upgrade for a couple years.
- Will attempt to Overclock to a small degree.
- Not really willing to spend much more than the proposed parts.
 
Q6600 isn't that great when it comes to games. e8300 will be better buy and ATI cards are faster, 4850 would own a 8800 GT.
 
what is your monitor size, if you have a smaller one then you wouldnt need a crossfire motherboard
 
Stick with a P35 or P45 based board if you aren't going with Crossfire from the start.

The Q6600 will do just fine with gaming, especially if OCed a bit, so ignore those suggesting you go dual core. Better to have the extra cores for now and not make full use of them than not have them and be forced to upgrade more quickly in the future if you're trying to avoid that.

The Raptor isn't that much better. The only Raptor I would even consider at this point is the 300GB VelociRaptor, but that's $300, and again, I do not feel the price is worth it. It's a lot to pay for slightly reduced loading times and nothing else.

With a Q6600 (9x multiplier chip) you only need DDR2-800. DDR2 is rated at 2x real speed, so 400 x 9 = 3600, or 3.6Ghz, which is about the maximum overclock you will get out of a Q6600.

Definitely get the Xigmatech HSF, as the AC Freezer 7 Pro isn't really enough for a quad. Also get the Thermalright or Xigmatech bolt-thru mounting kit (~$6-8).

I'd recommend you get a less expensive motherboard and replace the 8800 GT / GTS (the 512MB GTS is the one you're thinking of, by the way) with a Radeon HD 4870 (~$300). That should offer much higher over-all performance. Also, forget X38/X48 unless you intend to go with Crossfire X (multiple ATI cards) from the start. That's their only real feature over P35 / P45.
 
It is sometimes difficult to get up to date information and suggestions on computer parts, especially when you don't really know what it all means. So I had no idea about the Radeon HD 4850.

Also, I doubt I will ever do Crossfire. If I wanted to, then I would probably have enough money to get a new motherboard anyways.

Silent-Circuit, thats exactly why I chose the quad core. While I want to play some games on this machine, it is actually more of future proof machine so I don't have to upgrade in the future just to play a game. That's why I chose a quad core and DDR2 1066 memory (with a mobo that will support it). Besides, if I can find 4GB DDR2 1066 memory for pretty much the same price as 4GB DDR2 800 memory, why not get it, right?

If it's not too much trouble could you guys provide more links to good mobos that will be more suitable for me? I feel like I am asking a really dumb question but, how would I use a mouse and keyboard with only one PS/2 port on the mobo Sirk linked?

I agree the Raptor seems rather expensive. I suppose for now I can just keep the 2 hard drives (at least 4 yrs old) from my old computer if it wont affect much unless you guys recommend something else.

The only reason I question the case is because I want to make sure I have good air flow, cooling, and enough space for everything.

I am assuming a 620W PSU will be plenty of power for this build?

Also, is the Radeon HD 4870 really going to be worth spending $100 more than the Radeon HD 4850?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I just want to make sure I get the best computer I can get for this approximate price range. I do appreciate the help.
 
Brose said:
It is sometimes difficult to get up to date information and suggestions on computer parts, especially when you don't really know what it all means. So I had no idea about the Radeon HD 4850.

Also, I doubt I will ever do Crossfire. If I wanted to, then I would probably have enough money to get a new motherboard anyways.

Silent-Circuit, thats exactly why I chose the quad core. While I want to play some games on this machine, it is actually more of future proof machine so I don't have to upgrade in the future just to play a game. That's why I chose a quad core and DDR2 1066 memory (with a mobo that will support it). Besides, if I can find 4GB DDR2 1066 memory for pretty much the same price as 4GB DDR2 800 memory, why not get it, right?

If it's not too much trouble could you guys provide more links to good mobos that will be more suitable for me? I feel like I am asking a really dumb question but, how would I use a mouse and keyboard with only one PS/2 port on the mobo Sirk linked?

I agree the Raptor seems rather expensive. I suppose for now I can just keep the 2 hard drives (at least 4 yrs old) from my old computer if it wont affect much unless you guys recommend something else.

The only reason I question the case is because I want to make sure I have good air flow, cooling, and enough space for everything.

I am assuming a 620W PSU will be plenty of power for this build?

Also, is the Radeon HD 4870 really going to be worth spending $100 more than the Radeon HD 4850?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I just want to make sure I get the best computer I can get for this approximate price range. I do appreciate the help.
Click to expand...

you kinda have to say what size monitor youre planning on gaming on because at lower resolutions you would not need a 4870 over a 4850 so tell us that would help alot and since youre not going to use crossfire go for a gigabyte ga-ep43-ds3l
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128347
the 2 platter western digital 640gb is nearly as fast as the raptor hard drive so you'll be okay if you went with that
 
Brose said:
Also, I doubt I will ever do Crossfire. If I wanted to, then I would probably have enough money to get a new motherboard anyways.

Silent-Circuit, thats exactly why I chose the quad core. While I want to play some games on this machine, it is actually more of future proof machine so I don't have to upgrade in the future just to play a game. That's why I chose a quad core and DDR2 1066 memory (with a mobo that will support it). Besides, if I can find 4GB DDR2 1066 memory for pretty much the same price as 4GB DDR2 800 memory, why not get it, right?

If it's not too much trouble could you guys provide more links to good mobos that will be more suitable for me? I feel like I am asking a really dumb question but, how would I use a mouse and keyboard with only one PS/2 port on the mobo Sirk linked?

I agree the Raptor seems rather expensive. I suppose for now I can just keep the 2 hard drives (at least 4 yrs old) from my old computer if it wont affect much unless you guys recommend something else.

The only reason I question the case is because I want to make sure I have good air flow, cooling, and enough space for everything.

I am assuming a 620W PSU will be plenty of power for this build?

Also, is the Radeon HD 4870 really going to be worth spending $100 more than the Radeon HD 4850?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I just want to make sure I get the best computer I can get for this approximate price range. I do appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
620W will be more than enough power. As for the case pick one with at least a couple of 120mm fans for good airflow. Lian Li, CM, and Antec are all popular brands around here but it mostly just comes down to preference. Whether or not the 4870 is worth the money is pretty subjective depending on what resolution you plan on playing at and how long you plan on going before you upgrade. If you're playing at 1680x1050 or higher, I'd probably go with the 4870. This motherboard is very popular right now and ought to serve you well as long as you're not planning to use Crossfire. As for the PS/2 port issue, USB->PS/2 adapters are pretty easy to come by if you don't have enough ports.

Keep in mind that no machine is ever going to be future proof. By selecting your components wisely and a little bit of overclocking though, you can keep a machine running well for several years with minimal investment and upgrades.
 
Some mobo recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $96
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $114
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $146
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $185
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, and high overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup or don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38.

Looks like the DS3L is getting a few recommendations already.

Oh and ditch the Dominator RAM and the G.Skill DDR2 1066 RAM. You don't need them and DDR2 100 RAM is cheaper:
G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $85

While the Corsair 620HX 620W PSU is more than enough for your system, for just $100, I recommend getting this PSU if you don't care for modular cables:
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $99

Oh and some case recommendations:
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $40
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $50
Cooler Master Centurion 532 ATX Case - $55
Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $60
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $70
Cooler Master Mystique RC-632S-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $75
Antec Solo - $78
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $80
Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case - $80
AeroCool Masstige ATX Case - $105
Antec P180 ATX Case - $130
Gigabyte Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ATB ATX Case - $115
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $120
Antec P182 ATX Case - $130
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Lian Li PC-A16A ATX Case - $150
Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $155
Lian-Li V1000A Plus II ATX Case - $180
Cooler Master Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $192
Cooler Master Cosmos S 1000 RC-1100-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $230
Lian Li PC-V1200 ATX Case (Silver) - 180
Lian Li PC-V1200 ATX Case (Black) - $214
Lian Li PC-V1200B Plus II ATX Case - $215
Lian-Li PC-V1100A PLUS II ATX Case - $220
Lian Li PC-A71B ATX Case - $220

And definitely get the WD6400AAKS drives. They're as fast as current Raptor drives.
 
I have a 19" monitor.

Looks like the DS3L will be good for me, especially since a couple people recommended it already and the price is right. I'll have to look into what exactly RAID is and if I will ever use it.

Actually, that Corsair 750W PSU was exactly the PSU I was thinking about getting.

Consider the WD6400AAKS bought

Also, I'll definitely look into all of those cases. I appreciate the effort to get all of the links.

Of course, future proof is for lack of a better word. But, Itchyeyes summed up what I am trying to do nicely.
 
If I were to go with the Q9450 CPU, then would it be more beneficial to go with DDR2 1066 RAM? Or is it like the Q6600 where it only makes use of up to DDR2 800 RAM?

Also, would you say that the only real benefit (for myself) of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 and Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 over the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 is that they support RAID and FireWire?

and if it came down to Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 and Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45, which would you recommend? (Right now they are the same exact price)
 
Brose said:
If I were to go with the Q9450 CPU, then would it be more beneficial to go with DDR2 1066 RAM? Or is it like the Q6600 where it only makes use of up to DDR2 800 RAM?

Also, would you say that the only real benefit (for myself) of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 and Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 over the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 is that they support RAID and FireWire?

and if it came down to Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 and Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45, which would you recommend? (Right now they are the same exact price)
Click to expand...

In the case of the Q9450, it is possible for them to hit 4.0Ghz if you're extremely lucky. So in that case, all you need for the Q9450 is DDR2 1000 RAM:

Q9450:
Multi x Actual FSB, RAM Speed = Clock Speed
8 × 333Mhz = 2.6Ghz, DDR2-667 <<== Stock speeds
8 × 400Mhz = 3.2Ghz, DDR2-800 <<== Easy OC
8 × 450Mhz = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-900 <<== Good OC
8 × 500Mhz = 4.0Ghz, DDR2-1000 <<== Excellent OC

However, the highest OC I've seen so far with the Q9450 is 3.6Ghz or so.

For yourself, yes, firewire and RAID is all that the DS3R and P5Q Pro have over the DS3L.

I'd go with the Gigabyte DS3R. Asus' website can be so damn slow sometimes which makes getting drivers and BIOs updates from them a pain in the ass. Also, I like the placement of the IDE port of the DS3R better. (Yes I still use an IDE drive. :))
 
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