Please Help with 1st Build

[The_Juggernaut]

Hi, I'm new here and would greatly appreciate any help for my first build, which will be mostly for gaming and photo/videoediting (but more for gaming).

Case
Antec p180b $129.99 ($50 mail-in rebate)

Motherboard
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe $209.99

Processor
Intel e6600 $313.00

Memory
Patriot eXtreme Performance DDR2-800 (2x1GB) $204.99 ($50 mail-in rebate)

Videocard
EVGA 8800GTX $569.99 ($30 mail-in rebate)

Hard Drives
Western Digital Raptor 74GB $159.99 ($20 mail-in rebate)
Seagate Barracuda 320GB

Optical Drive
Samsung SATA DVD Burner $39.99

Sound Card
X-Fi Xtreme Gamer $74.99

CPU Cooler
Zalman 9700 $59.99

Power Supply
Corsair HX620 $169.99 ($20 mail-in rebate)

Total Price: $1,858.90

So, my questions are:

1. Are there any compatibility issues? I'm particularly interested in whether or not the RAM will work with the P5W, as I've heard that ASUS boards are picky with RAM.

2. I was planning to put my OS and programs on the Raptor and use the Seagate for my data. Should I partition either of them, or will they be fine without partitions?

3. How easy is it to remove the upper drive cage on the p180? I'm guessing I would need to remove it to get the 8800GTX to fit. I was also going to put an intake fan there too.

Well thanks for reading all that, I'm sure you guys are tired of these "help me!" threads, but I guess I gotta start somewhere. So...how well did I do picking out parts? Is it alright or do I need to go back to the drawing board? Any better recommendations? Thanks in advance!

 

[digital_exhaust]

I'm not going to comment on your hardware choices, there are others around here better qualified to do that.

But I will address question #2.
There is no need to partition your drives, and using them as you suggested in your question is by far the best configuration, in my opinion.

Hope it helps.

 

[omz]

from what i remember reading this past week (recently got out of touch on the comp scene, getting back in) you could save some cash here and there from your parts.
drop the cpu down to a e6300 and switch over to a gigabyte ds3.
the memory looks fine (looks to be micron ICs which should OC very nicely)
not really knowledgable on the psu, but i'm sure otehrs can help.
as for your hdd, the raptor is overrated imo. i'd just ditch both those drives, head over to Frys and grab the 400gb seagate they have on sale.
also, you can grab a nice dvd writer while your at frys and save yourself some cash
just my 2 cents, i'm sure others will correct me if i'm wrong. gl

 

[Dangman]

2. No need to partition. But I do recommend that you ditch that raptor. It is a bit overrated like a few people here have said and that Seagate 7200.10 320GB hard drive is pretty fast. Just use that leftover money to buy a second Seagate for more storage.
3. It's pretty easy. Just unscrew one screw, pull it out and there you go.

Oh I'd recommend that you buy that Corsair power supply from ZipZoomFly.com. It's $145 with free shipping there. Plus it has a $20 MIR, so it comes out to $125 AR. Thats a damn good price.

There's a much better motherboard for that price, the MSI P6N SLI Platinum NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130081

It has a cheaper price and it's a fantastic overclocking mobo. Here's a review of it:
http://anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2946

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Thanks for the replies, I'll look into those ZipZoomFly deals.

As for the motherboard, I chose the P5W DH Deluxe because most people said it was one of the more stable motherboards out there, which is something I was concerned about. It also seemed to be a decent overclocker too. I'll probably stick with the e6600 though, just in case overclocking doesn't go so well, it'll still have a higher stock clock speed.

I'd rather have 2 separate hard drives rather than one really large one, so I'll think about getting a second Seagate. I'll do some more research on how much the Raptor helps with loading and booting in the mean time.

Money-wise though, I'm doing ok. My limit was $2000 (mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. excluded), and I'm underneath that. So right now, I'm more concerned about my 1st question, compatibility.

 

[daphatgrant]

Lmao, I was at the Egg last night and besides the ram I spec'd out the exact same rig . If it were me I'd go for Corsair memory, but that's just my preference. On to your questions

1. Compatibility-wise you should be fine, I'd prefer different ram but again that's my preference.

2. You shouldn't need to do any partitioning and having your OS on the raptor is the right decision.

3. I have the gray P180 and it kicks ass. The upper drive cage comes out very easily, I took mine out to allow better airflow.

Everything looks good man, ask any questions you have, we are here to help. Good luck and let us know how it turns out .

-DPG

 

[engiNURD]

If it were me I'd go for Corsair memory, but that's just my preference.

The Patriot LLK sticks overclock better. Though, you don't need highly overclockable ram with an E6600.

@OP: if you ever plan on getting a large LCD monitor, you may want to get an SLI motherboard, like the one Danny recommended, instead of a Crossfire mobo.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Why not save some money, ditch the sound card and use the motherboard's onboard sound? It should be fine unless you doing a lot of audio-intensive work.

 

[The_Juggernaut]

^^ Will there be any noticeable difference between onboard and the X-Fi nowadays? My ears are pretty sensitive and I couldn't stand onboard sound on my old computer.

if you ever plan on getting a large LCD monitor, you may want to get an SLI motherboard, like the one Danny recommended, instead of a Crossfire mobo.

Wouldn't Crossfire with whatever ATI comes out with for DX10 be equivalent to SLI? Besides, neither SLI nor Crossfire look very good for the money spent. Wouldn't upgrading to whatever the best single card at the time be more effective (and less expensive)?

 

[SippieCup]

Wouldn't Crossfire with whatever ATI comes out with for DX10 be equivalent to SLI? Besides, neither SLI nor Crossfire look very good for the money spent. Wouldn't upgrading to whatever the best single card at the time be more effective (and less expensive)?

for the money spent if bought together, then yes... upgrading to the best single card is more effective and less expensive.


buit if you get the best one now, and an sli/xfire board, in 1 year you can get the same card you have now, for like 300 bucks less, and get equal or better performance than the "best cards" that are out at the time, saving you money ^^


PS: wear at lead 1 glove for holding the cooler (on the hand that holds the fins, or you will cut yerself and get blood on teh mobo.

believe me, i did it =p

 

[Mansize_tissue]

PS: wear at lead 1 glove for holding the cooler (on the hand that holds the fins, or you will cut yerself and get blood on teh mobo.

believe me, i did it =p

Heh, good advice. I must remember to do this when i get my tuniq later this year.

 

[daphatgrant]

Why not save some money, ditch the sound card and use the motherboard's onboard sound? It should be fine unless you doing a lot of audio-intensive work.

I'm going to have to disagree here, onboard audio is alright but very rarely can be compared to a stand alone sound solution.

 

[engiNURD]

Wouldn't Crossfire with whatever ATI comes out with for DX10 be equivalent to SLI? Besides, neither SLI nor Crossfire look very good for the money spent. Wouldn't upgrading to whatever the best single card at the time be more effective (and less expensive)?

Yes it would. But you're buying an NVIDIA card right now. You could always sell it. Notice I said SLI/Crossfire is only needed if you plan on getting a large screen monitor. Two of the current best will most likely be better than a single card for extremley high resolutions. Thats what SLI/Crossfire was designed for... pushing a ton of pixels at the same time. If you're just gaming at less than 16x12, then no need for either.

 

[johnnq]

your'e going to kick yourself a year from now for spending so much on those bells and whistles. i splurged 300 bucks on a 7800gt...i wish i had just boughtan x850xt for 150 (at the time). then i could get something even better than a 7800 gt a year later...i'm playing the same damn games.

i'm in a happy mood so i'll give you some advice (that is, if you like to save every penny). don't ask forum members about your rig. ok, compatibility is fine, but EVERYBODY has their own opinion! find something for yourself, and in the end, you'll be satisfied. i don't think anybody could put together a better computer for what i needed at the time of my last purchase. so despite what i just told you, i'm telling you that you're spending WAY too much! keep in mind that the 8800gtx will be half price in a year, and just a piece of plastic and metal in 10 years. think of all the other things you'd rather spend 600 bucks on.

 

[The_Juggernaut]

^^ You make some very good points there and I understand where you're coming from. Yes, obviously I know my needs best and as such, I'm probably the best person that can pick out the parts to suit my needs exactly. However, I asked about my build for advice (much like what you gave me) and opinions, so that I could expand my possibilities (and make sure the components don't blow up when I put them together), otherwise I would have stuck with my initial impressions, regardless of how misguided they were.

I also understand that this is quite a large sum of money to be spending, and it was the first thing I considered. As I don't upgrade often, I made sure the parts would last a considerable while at least. And as technology trends go, things are always dropping in price, and if I were to nitpick at that, I would never buy anything (much less what I wanted). Still though, I wanted a high end rig. Even if I kick myself later, at least I'd be happy for a long while before that. Besides, later on, I'd much rather regret that I spent some money rather than regret that I bought something worse. Regretting something you lost is much better than regretting something you have IMHO. Besides, if I were to get hit by a car a day after I built this, I'd rather not die thinking "I wonder how awesome the 8800GTX would have been..."

Still though, you put up some very good things to consider, and I thank you for that.

Yes it would. But you're buying an NVIDIA card right now. You could always sell it. Notice I said SLI/Crossfire is only needed if you plan on getting a large screen monitor. Two of the current best will most likely be better than a single card for extremley high resolutions. Thats what SLI/Crossfire was designed for... pushing a ton of pixels at the same time. If you're just gaming at less than 16x12, then no need for either.

I see what you were getting at now. I guess it would have helped if I mentioned that I'd be playing at 1680x1050 resolution. I don't plan on getting a bigger monitor so I'm pretty sure I'll be alright with single cards.

 

[The_Juggernaut]

wear at lead 1 glove for holding the cooler (on the hand that holds the fins, or you will cut yerself and get blood on teh mobo.

believe me, i did it =p

lol, I'll be sure to remember that. I don't know if it's just me, but all these CPU coolers nowadays look a lot like medieval weaponry (for some reason, the Tuniq Tower looks a lot like a mace to me). You could probably hurt someone with those things.

PS. Sorry about posting twice in a row, but I couldn't figure out how to put two quotes in one post lol.

 

[pcpal]

I'd spend more on the CPU and a little less on the video card.

 

[stain.]

I'm going to have to disagree here, onboard audio is alright but very rarely can be compared to a stand alone sound solution.

OR better yet, I have that exact same card. used for 4 months max. I'll sell it to you for $70 shipped.

Can't beat that if you want a soundcard.

If you want, get the rig I have in my sig.. well, bump up the video card a bit and you can get away with 800mhz ram.

 

[engiNURD]

PS. Sorry about posting twice in a row, but I couldn't figure out how to put two quotes in one post lol.

The icon next to the "quote" icon... click it... and it will add the quoted post(s) to your reply, once you've hit the "reply" icon (or a "quote" icon).

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Ok, now it seems from what you guys said, my "proposed" build looks alright. However, I've been reading and it looks like Intel's quad core processors are gonna drop in price a lot by the end of the year. Specifically, I've heard that the Q6600 might hit $266 by September.

Now, if I wanted to switch out to a quad-core then, would I have to change anything with the system? Specifically, would the 620 watt power supply be enough for a quad-core processor or should I look into something a little more future-proof?

Also, would Windows require reactivation if I change processors? Thanks again for taking the time to help me.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Ok, now it seems from what you guys said, my "proposed" build looks alright. However, I've been reading and it looks like Intel's quad core processors are gonna drop in price a lot by the end of the year. Specifically, I've heard that the Q6600 might hit $266 by September.

Now, if I wanted to switch out to a quad-core then, would I have to change anything with the system? Specifically, would the 620 watt power supply be enough for a quad-core processor or should I look into something a little more future-proof?

Also, would Windows require reactivation if I change processors? Thanks again for taking the time to help me.

The 620w should handle the quad core fine, it's been done before; it is the Corsair 620w, right? However, i'd look for something a little beefier, to hold me out for any other upgrades i may make. You could look into the Etasis 850s, Seasonic 700w or PC P&C Silencer (i believe) 750w.

I'm not too sure about Windows re-activation, though. There's a good chance you'll have to, because, well... because life is difficult.

 

[Dangman]

That Corsair power supply should be enough for quad-core. You really don't have to change anything with the system when you upgrade to a quad-core CPU. And no, Windows will not require reactivation if you change CPUs.

 

[engiNURD]

some reading material about wpa: http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.php

i assumed you meant XP, since i didnt find any mention of "vista" on here.

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Thanks for the nice read. I was actually talking about Vista though (I got an OEM copy from a friend for Home Premium), but I heard that they both operate the same in that respect, Vista being exactly the same or even more lenient.

Anyway, I'm still a bit concerned about whether the Corsair HX620 can handle a quad-core with room for upgrades/OCing. I really like the Corsair PSU though, it's had a lot of good reviews.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Anyway, I'm still a bit concerned about whether the Corsair HX620 can handle a quad-core with room for upgrades/OCing. I really like the Corsair PSU though, it's had a lot of good reviews.

You could always bump up to the Seasonic 700w powersupply, which is manufactured by the same company (i believe) and should be equal in quality.

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Yeah, I was thinking about the Seasonic M12, but it seems to be a much less popular choice (unless anyone would like to vouch for it). Still, I might decide to bump up for the extra power.

Also, I'm thinking about purchasing soon, and was wondering, considering everything that was brought up, if I was good to go or not? I'm in no hurry, so I won't mind if I have to edit my parts list, but I would really like to be able to order soon.

Last thing, will this UPS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101006 be enough to keep this thing running for a couple minutes in a case of a power outage? I only need enough time to save and shutdown, so even 5 minutes should be ok.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Yeah, I was thinking about the Seasonic M12, but it seems to be a much less popular choice (unless anyone would like to vouch for it). Still, I might decide to bump up for the extra power.

Check out jonnyGURU's review of the Seasonic M12 700w, if you haven't already. It certainly is a great PSU. Personally, however, i would go for something which has native 8-pin PCI-e connectors; a list can be found here.

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Well, I've decided to just stick with the Corsair PSU. I filled in my system specs on the Outervision Extreme PSU Calculator and under max everything (plus 25% for capacitor aging, though I'm not really sure how much I was supposed to put for that), and the OC'ed quad, the wattage added up to only 605 watts. I probably won't OC the quad much, if at all anyway, so I'm thinking I should be fine. Though, if I need the 8-pin later for a new Video Card or just more juice, I might upgrade the PSU then, but I'd rather not run up my electric bill.

Now that that's done though, I need one last check. I'm going to order all this tonight or tomorrow, so if you guys could, please look over the specs again. And thank you so much, you guys have been awesome help. I'm really just looking for some reassurance at this point. I'm a bit nervous about this first build.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Well, I've decided to just stick with the Corsair PSU. I filled in my system specs on the Outervision Extreme PSU Calculator and under max everything (plus 25% for capacitor aging, though I'm not really sure how much I was supposed to put for that), and the OC'ed quad, the wattage added up to only 605 watts. I probably won't OC the quad much, if at all anyway, so I'm thinking I should be fine. Though, if I need the 8-pin later for a new Video Card or just more juice, I might upgrade the PSU then, but I'd rather not run up my electric bill.

Now that that's done though, I need one last check. I'm going to order all this tonight or tomorrow, so if you guys could, please look over the specs again. And thank you so much, you guys have been awesome help. I'm really just looking for some reassurance at this point. I'm a bit nervous about this first build.

Would you mind posting your final specs. again?

 

[The_Juggernaut]

Hehe, forgot about that.


Antec p180b
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Intel e6600
Patriot eXtreme Performance DDR2-800 (2x1GB)
EVGA 8800GTX
Western Digital Raptor 74GB
Seagate Barracuda 320GB
Samsung SATA DVD Burner
X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
Zalman 9700
Corsair HX620

I edited my original post for the proper links.

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Hehe, forgot about that.


Antec p180b
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
Intel e6600
Patriot eXtreme Performance DDR2-800 (2x1GB)
EVGA 8800GTX
Western Digital Raptor 74GB
Seagate Barracuda 320GB
Samsung SATA DVD Burner
X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
Zalman 9700
Corsair HX620

I edited my original post for the proper links.

That looks good! Although, i'd consider changing that CPU cooler for a Thermalright Ultra -120 or Tuniq Tower.