Opinions on custom build before purchasing

[buxleyp]

Hello,

First time poster here. After many years of buying pre-built machines, I've decided to get back into building my own. Since it's been a while (well, a very long while) I wanted to get some feedback on the components I've chosen. I plan to purchase in two days, so any and all opinions welcome. Primary use will be home office and occasional gaming and theater.

From newegg:
Processor: Core 2 Duo E6600, $313
Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS9500, $48
Mobo: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1, $250
RAM: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400), $185
Video: EVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO, $155 (maybe upgrade to a newer card in a year)
Drives: 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB, $150 each
Case: LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower
PS: XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W
Optical: LITE-ON LH-20A1H-185, $34
KB: Logitech diNovo Edge, $166 (I'm using it in a living room environment)

newegg total ~$1600

from local circuitcity
Monitor: Samsung 226BW, $380 (getting from local store just in case I need to return it for backlight bleeding or dead pixels)

existing spare parts:
Logitech speakers
Logitech MX518 mouse
APC 1200VA UPS

total price: ~$2000

Some specific concerns:
A. I've heard most heat sinks are large. Will the Lian-Li case accommodate the Zalman?
B. How noisy are the 7200.10 500g Barracudas vs the 400g or 320g?
C. As a refresher, can anyone recommend a detailed step-by-step guide on building a PC (precautions, tips, component install order)

Thanks in advance!

 

[ThermoNuke]

That 7900GS is going to bottleneck the piss out of an otherwise great system. I would drop one of your Seagates and get atleast a 8800GTS/320 and go raid later. If this is going to be used for home office I dont see the importance of having Raid anyways unless you intend to run in raid-1.

 

[buxleyp]

Would the 500W XCLIO sufficiently power the 8800GTS? The requirements state 12V/26A, but the XCLIO offers: +3.3V@30A; +5V@28A; [email protected]; +12V1@16A; +12V2@17A; [email protected]; [email protected]

Does this mean that the XCLIO offers at most 17A at 12V?

Thanks

 

[engiNURD]

Yes, it can sufficiently power an 8800GTS. No, it does not mean 17A max on the +12v rail. I believe the XClio 500W can provide 29A on the +12V rail, assuming the max load on the +3.3V and +5V rails is 150W. If its 180W, then it can provide 500-180=320/12 = ~26.6A on the +12V rail. I'll confirm when I get home.

The X1950Pro would be a better buy over the 7900GS... it outperforms it and is similarly priced.

Guide: http://www.mechbgon.com/build/index.html

Reading material: http://psu.thetruck.net and jonnyguru.com

 

[buxleyp]

Thanks to all for the tips.

I ended up getting an E-VGA 8800GTS/320 instead of the 7900GS, as Newegg had it for $270 after rebates.

Now off to study the reading guides and waiting for the delivery guy!