First time building a PC

C

Caine20

n00b
Joined
Sep 7, 2008
Messages
9
First sorry for my english, it's only my third language and I am still not very good at it^^

So I have had so far 2 PCs (atm a P4 2.6Ghz, 512 ram and 5200 fx -.-) but both have been the already putted together ones, this time I have decided to build one by myself.
I am for a while still going to use my old CRT monitor (17" I think) till I get the money for a new LCD. I have done a lot of research and looking around but I still have one problem with what to get, I am talking about the motherboard. So far I have put this build together:

Case - Cooler Master Elite 331
PSU - Corsair 550W
Mother Board - ASUS P5QL-E
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 4096MB KIT cl5
GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512MB
HD - SATA2 WESTERN DIGITAL 320GB 16MB
DVD RW - SATA2 LiteON LH-20A1L

thats alltogether for 625€ (thats around 1000$ but best to ignore the price since taxes are difrent over here and hardware in general is more expensive over here in the EU (Slovenia to be exact) my budged is around 650€), no shiping in that price since I am going to buy everything at a local store

The PC will be used for gaming and only gaming (well maybe some web surfing) since I have my laptop for everything else. Now the problem like said is with the mother board, I really can't decide which one to get. How is that motherboard? I am not going to overclock anything and I would like my PC to last some 2-3 years (I am perfectly fine with gaming on low settings) with some upgrading here and there (more ram, a better gpu but like said I don't need to always have the best thing avalible), so help me with getting the right MB for me and some overall comments on the build won't hurt either^^

thank you for your help and again sorry for the english^^
 
The Asus P5QL-E has an odd location for the main ATX connection that hampers airflow throughout the case and makes cable management a pain. A nice alternative would be the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L.

Don't forget to purchase another 120mm case fan for the case; it only comes with one (for the rear of the case).

The HD4850 is more than enough for gaming on your current monitor -- it will likely max out most graphical settings on most games you play -- and you could use it just as well for your new monitor (as long as it's under 24 inches, or uses a resolution of less than 1920x1200). If you still need to reduce your overall costs, consider getting the 512MB 8800GT instead (but some places still have it around the same price as the superior HD4850).

All of your other choices look fine to me.
 
The DS3L is a terrific board imho.

Everything else looks peachy-keen.
 
terrefic as in a good or in a bad way? :D also I have heard some bad things about gigabyte MBs that they tend to just fail to work a lot of times some way or anoter, a lot more compared to the asus ones. Any truth in that?

is the airflow in the P5QL-E really so limited or can it be "normalized" with some smart cable positioning? (it's not me who is going to build the stuff together but someone with a lot of experience with such things). I am concerned about the airflow since I read that the 4850 tends to reach some very high tempertures. Oh and the 8800 is imo already kinda outdated thats why I rather go with the 4850 (while not top of the range I think it's gong to last a while longer then the 8800 one, which btw is kinda not to find anymore over here)

how is the normal P5Q in comparison? some 25€ more but thats within my money limit (well no new keyboard that way :D)
edit: looks like the P5Q is only 9€ more
 
Caine20 said:
... I have heard some bad things about gigabyte MBs that they tend to just fail to work a lot of times some way or anoter, a lot more compared to the asus ones. Any truth in that? ...
Click to expand...

I heard it was the other way around... Asus boards tend to fail more than Gigabyte? :p My point is, no manufacturer is perfect -- each has their share of bad parts. Gigabyte and Asus are two of the top manufacturers in the world of motherboards, so either should be fine. If you get a bad one, consider yourself unlucky and RMA it -- simple as that.
 
The DS3L and P5Q are both highly acclaimed, I wouldn't worry about either failing, and if so, just RMA it, very easy.
 
thank you all for your help, my final build now is:

Case - Cooler Master Elite 331
PSU - Corsair 550W
Mother Board - ASUS P5Q
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 4096MB KIT cl5
GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512MB
HD - SATA2 WESTERN DIGITAL 320GB 16MB
DVD RW - SATA2 LiteON LH-20A1L

for 634€, going to buy the stuff in a week or 2

btw: just wondering (not going to affect my decision just a question that was for quite some time on my mind), what the difrence betwen for instance the Asus 4850 and the sapphire 4850? except ofcourse the price tag and the picture on the card :D quality control or something in that way?
 
Eh I would try to go with a Visiontek, lifetime warranty with them.
I thought you had decided on the DS3L?
 
xdivenx said:
Eh I would try to go with a Visiontek, lifetime warranty with them.
I thought you had decided on the DS3L?
Click to expand...

they only got the asus, sapphire and powercolor ones, with the asus being the most expensive one and the powercolor the cheapest.

and I've decided for the P5Q one, it's only 6€ more and they got it in stock, which means I won't have to wait 15-30 days for it.
 
I'd go for the DS3L over the P5QL-E/P5Q, because of what tiraides mentioned. But hey, if you can't wait, then knock yourself out.
 
emmm I didn't pick the "P5QL-E" board, but the "P5Q" one, unless both got the same heating problem, so far it has been only mentioned for the "P5QL-E" one
 
Caine20 said:
emmm I didn't pick the "P5QL-E" board, but the "P5Q" one, unless both got the same heating problem, so far it has been only mentioned for the "P5QL-E" one
Click to expand...

Same location for the connector on both boards. :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top