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My First Build...Inputs please!!

J

jaaaaakke

Weaksauce
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
113
Hello all, this is going to be my first built computer! Very excited, and would like to get through this process with minimal headaches, hah.

This is what I plan on doing w/my computer...

1) Heavy video editing / webpage programs
2) Engineering software
3) Gaming

I do not know how to OC, but I would maybe like to learn.....same goes with SLI. I do not know how to SLI but would like to have the option but if not then im not too worried....

Well, I went through newegg and picked out the parts. Please let me know if there is anything I should change and why. My budget is ~1100...but somewhat flexible......

**EDITED**
Here's my temporary FINAL RIG...

Q6600 - 270$
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 - 180$
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 - $130
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V -170$
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 -120$
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC - 70.00$
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA -34$
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail -45$

(I already bought the monitor and GPU = 450)

Price = 1029+ Tax/ship - MIR = 979$ + 450 = 1429$$ TOTAL

Question....Do can i get away with using the CORSAIR 520HX for all of this? That would hlep my cost a bit


Blah, I would love to see my total price go down.. Any suggestions/comments would be MOST appreciated, thank you for your time!!
 
I would recommend you buying the Corasair HX620 PSU (power supply unit). I'm pretty sure that PSU would do the job but I haven't seen a justified bad comment about the HX620 and you'll probably find a large number of people will also recommend you get this PSU.
From what I've read that a good choice of RAM, it's pricey because you've chosen 2GB sticks, if you choose 4*1GB sticks it would be cheaper but personally I'd choose the 2*2GB option.
Raptor drives are only worth it if you require low seek times, think about your requirements, do you require low seek times? If not then go for the Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive. There was a table I read the other day that put it almost on par with the raptor with the exception of seek time. To be fair I can't remember what the two comparisions were on the table so this recommendation may be unjustified and I can't remember which thread I read about it in.
In the same thread somebody commented on the raptor being fairly loud, if noise is an issue to you then bare this in mind.
 
Thanks, I just updated the Hard drive, and will be getting the seagate baracuda instead of the samsung......

I am most concerned with the case/powersupply. I am indeed concerned with overheating etc, but not sure if i picked the most cost-effective parts.
 
I agree got th HX620, i have it and love it.
I would also look into a 2nd video card, Not sure one one GT will handle heavy gaming and video editing.
 
You may also want to read this thread:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1239831&page=3

Apparently the RAM you're wanting to get has dropped to $129, which to be honest is dirt cheap for 4gb.
IIRC all you will need is 800mhz memory though if you run the q6600 processor, something to do with timings and fsb?
I have seen people talking about that case here and it appears an ok choice. When I was researching case cooling the advise I got was to use 120mm case fans for noise and efficiency reasons.
The aftermarket fans for my system will be (based on recommendations of others in [H]:

Case Fan
Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM

CPU cooler
Tuniq Tower 120
or
THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME (meant to be slightly better than the tuniq,depends if you think it's worth the price difference)
 
slugger_2003 said:
You may also want to read this thread:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1239831&page=3

Apparently the RAM you're wanting to get has dropped to $129, which to be honest is dirt cheap for 4gb.
IIRC all you will need is 800mhz memory though if you run the q6600 processor, something to do with timings and fsb?
I have seen people talking about that case here and it appears an ok choice. When I was researching case cooling the advise I got was to use 120mm case fans for noise and efficiency reasons.
The aftermarket fans for my system will be (based on recommendations of others in [H]:

Case Fan
Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM

CPU cooler
Tuniq Tower 120
or
THERMALRIGHT ULTRA 120 EXTREME (meant to be slightly better than the tuniq,depends if you think it's worth the price difference)
Click to expand...

I have the Tuniq Tower 120 on my q6600, running stable at 3.2 (see sig for rig details)
 
If im not overclocking, is the case coolers worth buying? I am still trying to figure out if my case is worth buying as well as the power supply (the mail in rebate is really nice which only makes it 100$.......less than the corsair 620)

I know this is a very noob question as well but, will all these parts be able to fit/run? I dont want to buy all these parts and find out that I didnt get the right power supply to run the part ;[
 
Note that only nForce chipsets support SLI, so if you go with the P35 board you've selected, you won't have SLI as an option. I strongly recommend against purchasing a 680i or 650i board at the moment (needed for SLI) due to the recent announcement that current nForce boards will not support the next generation of Core 2 quad processors (Yorkfield.) Even if you don't plan to upgrade the processor, the 780i product refresh is right around the corner, and the best 680i board on the market (the EVGA A1) is currently out of stock everywhere.

Furthermore, keep in mind that SLI is usually a terrible idea as an upgrade path, as by the time your ready to buy the second card, a new single card solution will be available for a similar (if not cheaper) price that will significantly outperform two of your older cards in SLI. Additionally, by staying with a single card setup, you'll have a cooler, simpler to maintain system. I'm not saying that SLI is a technology to stay away from completely. Generally, however, it's only of benefit if you a) have the setup to benefit from it (which means you're gaming at a res of 1920x1200 or higher) and b) you can afford to get two of the cards at the same time when building your rig.

Given all this, the motherboard you currently have selected is your best bet. It's also one of the best motherboards on the market today. Stick with it.

Otherwise the rig looks fine. Be sure, however, to run a 64-bit OS if you're buying 4 gigs of RAM, as a 32-bit OS will only see four gigs MINUS the sum of your component memory (i.e. the memory in your video card.) I strongly recommend Vista x64 over XP-64, as even though Vista may still have a few rough edges, Vista X64 has far greater 3rd party software hardware support and compatibility for the home / gaming desktop than XP-64.

Good luck with the rig,

Mark
 
Is there any place you guys would recommend buying this? Or would it be better for me to choose and select from different websites?
 
jaaaaakke said:
Is there any place you guys would recommend buying this? Or would it be better for me to choose and select from different websites?
Click to expand...

Go to different websites. Use Google Product Search and Pricewatch to find the cheapest prices for each part -- but stick with the more well-known stores (you can find a list of good stores here).

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but get the Q6600 from ClubIT. In addition to it being (somewhat) cheaper there (compared to NewEgg), it has a guaranteed G0 stepping, which runs cooler and provides more overclocking headroom than other versions.

If you really want to save more money on your rig, you may want to switch out your motherboard, the case, and the power supply. (You can power your rig using a quality PSU with at least 500 watts. Of course more is preferred, but you don't really need a 750 watt PSU.) Here are some options (you can thank Danny Bui and enginurd for these options)....

Intel ATX Motherboards:
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard - $86
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $104
Abit IP35 Intel P35 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R Intel P35 Motherboard - $130
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P Intel P35 Motherboard - $145
Abit IP35 Pro Intel P35 Motherboard - $168

Mid-Tower Cases:
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
Antec NSK4480 ATX Case - $68
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $70
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $80
XClio Windtunnel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $100
Antec Sonata III ATX Case - $106
Gigabyte Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ATB ATX Case - $116
Antec P180 ATX Case - $120
Antec P182 ATX Case - $123
Antec P180B ATX Case - $130
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $137
Lian Li PC-A16A ATX Case - $150
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $156
Lian-Li V1000A Plus II ATX Case - $180

Power Supplies:
XClio Goodpower 500W PSU - $50
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $70
Corsair 550VX 550W PSU - $91
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $101
Corsair 650TX 650W PSU - $137
Corsair 620HX 620W PSU - $140

The key is to choose your components based on the features that you need. For example, I could purchase (instead of the parts in your OP) a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, a Cooler Master Elite 330 case (with two Yate Loon 120mm fans from Jab-Tech), and a Corsair 550VX power supply, and they would work just as well for over $200 less. That's not to say that your choices are bad (save for the power supply, but let's just say there are better options available...), but you are spending a lot of money for stuff that you may not even need or use.

As for the heatsink, you can get away with using the stock HSF if you don't plan on overclocking any time soon. But, the following CPU coolers will keep the Q6600 much cooler than the stock HSF ever could.

Cooler Master GeminII RR-CCH-ANU2-GP HSF - $30
Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

If you feel as if there are way too many options for you, use NewEgg's Advanced/Power Search feature to narrow down the options to what you need most. But if you're trying to cut costs even further, just go with my suggestion.
 
Thanks, im going to re-look through the cases and definitely save money there!

As far as the mobo, i would like to learn how to OC, will the Gigabyte get the job done as the Ip35-pro?
 
jaaaaakke said:
What do you guys think of this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119142

it has a 550W power supply with it!
Click to expand...

thats is not a bad case, seems like there is enough room and fans for proper cooling for what you are looking into getting
but, bare in mind http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171025
this is the PSU you will be getting. it is SLI certified, so that is a good thing, but as someone pointed out on the customer reviews, there is no 8pin PCIE power connector, so you will need to find a motherboard that doesnt need one of them..

looking at the list of motherboards that "tiraides" listed, the ones that have the 8pin (the ones you should avoid) are the ABIT ones... (i cant completely tell on some of the others, because the picture quality was not good enough)

this isnt a major drawback, but something you should account for.

also, you earlier mentioned heavy video editing and gaming.. you should really weigh how much gaming you are doing. if you are using this for 99% video editing, and 1% gaming, you may be interested in getting a card that is more suited for video editing, but can play games on the side... the only drawback is that your games usually suffer in performance and look visually poorer.
the 8800gt will do just fine for video editing, its just sometimes people opt for a "specialty" card if its something they are really crazy about.

hope this helps!
 
Well....i decided to stick with the current mobo and go with the CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ..........ill post my final build for any more criticisms, thanks guys!
 
Here's my temporary FINAL RIG...

Q6600 - 270$
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 - 180$
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 - $130
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V -170$
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 -120$
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC - 70.00$
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA -34$
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail -45$

(I already bought the monitor and GPU = 450)

Price = 1029+ Tax/ship - MIR = 979$ + 450 = 1429$$ TOTAL

Question....Do can i get away with using the CORSAIR 520HX for all of this? That would hlep my cost a bit
 
You can get that power supply for $30 cheaper from ZipZoomFly.com if you had checked the link Tiraides had posted.

Other than that looks good to me.
 
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