Prepping for first build; need help on case, compatibility

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veritas7

Gawd
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
736
Hello everyone! Been lurking here for a few months and it seems like I've drilled down through reviews and suggestions on multiple forums on what would be a good setup that will last me a long time.

This will be my first build which I hope will be done over my Thanksgiving break from my university - worst case scenario is that I have to delay my build and order my parts right before my Winter break.

I plan to try and overclock my CPU (Q6600) as well as when I become more familiar with my hardware, my RAM as well.

I also have Dell 2407 (1920x1200) monitor as well, which is why I am aiming for the 8800GT SLI.


CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Video Card: 2 eVGA 8800GT in SLI >> What kind depends on what I can find in stock... :(

Mobo: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX >> Found this as a good motherboard for SLI as well as for overclocking the Q6600.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM >> Plus two other SATA 250GB Maxtor drives from my older (dell, bleh) rig.

Optical: Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DVR-112D

HS & Fan: ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler

Audio: Don't know... most likely recycle my old Audigy 2 from my older rig.

Case: Ack! I need the most help on this... I don't know what can properly fit all of this with relative ease. I need something with decent airflow as I am in college I never know what my living situations may be. I was leaning towards either a Lian Li PC-V2000B PLUS II or some sort of Cooler Master (stacker) but it seems like there's a few problems here or there that might make the build not so pleasurable.

Any suggestions for a case? How well are my components for compatibility?

Thanks in advance; I appreciate the great community here at [H]ardForum, you guys seem awesome and amazingly knowledgeable about all different kinds of technology.

If anyone could point me also in a direction for a few good places to buy my case and/or 8800GTs that be splendid... unfortunately all I know to trust is NewEgg and TigerDirect (and they're always out of stock with the new 8800GTs) :|
 
veritas7 said:
Hello everyone! Been lurking here for a few months and it seems like I've drilled down through reviews and suggestions on multiple forums on what would be a good setup that will last me a long time.

This will be my first build which I hope will be done over my Thanksgiving break from my university - worst case scenario is that I have to delay my build and order my parts right before my Winter break.

I plan to try and overclock my CPU (Q6600) as well as when I become more familiar with my hardware, my RAM as well.

I also have Dell 2407 (1920x1200) monitor as well, which is why I am aiming for the 8800GT SLI.


CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Video Card: 2 eVGA 8800GT in SLI >> What kind depends on what I can find in stock... :(

Mobo: EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX >> Found this as a good motherboard for SLI as well as for overclocking the Q6600.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM >> Plus two other SATA 250GB Maxtor drives from my older (dell, bleh) rig.

Optical: Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DVR-112D

HS & Fan: ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler

Audio: Don't know... most likely recycle my old Audigy 2 from my older rig.

Case: Ack! I need the most help on this... I don't know what can properly fit all of this with relative ease. I need something with decent airflow as I am in college I never know what my living situations may be. I was leaning towards either a Lian Li PC-V2000B PLUS II or some sort of Cooler Master (stacker) but it seems like there's a few problems here or there that might make the build not so pleasurable.

Any suggestions for a case? How well are my components for compatibility?

Thanks in advance; I appreciate the great community here at [H]ardForum, you guys seem awesome and amazingly knowledgeable about all different kinds of technology.

If anyone could point me also in a direction for a few good places to buy my case and/or 8800GTs that be splendid... unfortunately all I know to trust is NewEgg and TigerDirect (and they're always out of stock with the new 8800GTs) :|
Click to expand...

Since you have a 24" monitor capable of 1920x1200, SLIed 8800GT's seems like a fine idea. That eVGA motherboard you chose is definitely a good choice, if you don't need some of its features you can consider the LT version instead of the A1 as well. Do you know what OS you plan to run? The ballistix are nice because they overclock very well, and they have a big rebate right now so as long as you are good with 2gb of ram they seem like a great choice. I'd consider a different HSF combo though, the zalman isn't great since you said you were planning on overclocking. Popular options around here are the Tuniq Tower, Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (needs a fan) and the Thermalright Ultima 90 (needs a fan). Every case has kinks, so you'll just have to prioritize what is important to you, it tends to be mostly a personal opinion thing.

As for the 8800GT's, one option at the moment is actually buying from eVGA directly. I have no personal experience with this, but they have it in stock so maybe it is an option for you, I haven't personally shopped around for what etailers might have it right now.

http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N802-A1&family=19
 
Congrats on doing your research. Your PC is pretty good now but it can be improved a bit:

First, if you're willing to deal with rebates, get that Ballistix RAM now while it still has a $40 MIR, dropping it down to $50. If you don't want to deal with rebates, get this set of RAM instead since any cheap set of DDR2 800 RAM is all that you need for the Q6600, even with overclocking in mind:
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $60

Second, go with an SATA DVD burner instead. No real performance increase BUT it'll let you have a cleaner case and therefore better airflow:
Samsung SH-203B 20X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $34

Third, ditch the Zalman HSF. There are much better performing quieter HSF for the price than the Zalman. Go for any of these HSF instead:
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $55 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

Fourth, If you're planning on overclocking, go with the G0 stepping of the Q6600 instead since it runs a bit cooler and therefore can OC higher than the B3 stepping they have at newegg. You can get the G0 Stepping here:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping CPU - $273

Fifth, case choices are almost always a personal choice item. But are a few recommendations:
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $80
Antec Nine Hundred ATX Case - $120
Antec P180 ATX Case - $120
Antec P180B ATX Case - $125
Antec P182 ATX Case - $129
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $137
Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS Full Tower ATX Case - $150
Coolermaster COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $170
LIAN-LI PC-V1100A PLUS II - $220

Other than that looks good to me. Try to see if you can get the 8800GTS from evga like Anchen said.
 
I agree with Danny. :D I'd quote it for truth, but his post is just soooo long! lol... saved me A LOT of typing. :p
 
Thanks Danny and Anchen!

I'll definitely purchase that Q6600 G0, as well as that Tuniq Tower 120.

As for the case, I think the Lian Li is still the way to go - it might be a little expensive but it will definitely last me and it looks pretty darn modular in case of expansion or problems.
 
veritas7 said:
As for the case, I think the Lian Li is still the way to go - it might be a little expensive but it will definitely last me and it looks pretty darn modular in case of expansion or problems.
Click to expand...

If you're willing to spend big on the Lian Li, then don't forget to look at Silverstone models. Similar level of quality and price as Lian Li. I just got a TJ09 for my first build and am very happy with it so far. Sure, it costs a lot, and it's huge (probably larger than I truly need), but it's got room to grow in the future, and room to maneuver inside right now.

steve
 
I appreciate all the help you guys have given - I've ordered everything and in about a week I should be home from uni to put it all together (what a journey that'll be!).

I'll probably be popping in here again if I run in to any problems (first time build, there's going to be... :<) and the Overclock forum too in the future.

Also, I may have missed it - does [H] have an IRC channel to hang out in?

Thanks again!
 
So you were able to get the 8800GT's? Was it off eVGA? Haven't done it before, but I had read some people who had here, so it seems like not a bad idea if you did, and they are generally a good company.
 
Anchen said:
So you were able to get the 8800GT's? Was it off eVGA? Haven't done it before, but I had read some people who had here, so it seems like not a bad idea if you did, and they are generally a good company.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I managed to get two Superclocked 8800GT off of eVGA's site. In stock, three day shipping, and it was overall 20 bucks cheaper than if I went with NewEgg! (and if NewEgg was ever in stock too :p)
 
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