Review my first build

K

Kmillion

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Oct 3, 2006
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I am looking to build a PC for the first time. I already have a nice gaming rig, but my fiance needs a new desktop so I have decided to build it for her. I would appreciate it if you could look over the components I have selected and possibly make some suggestions. Trying to keep the price below $1400. I went to newegg and priced out this build. Also do you see any possible compatibilty issues with these parts? I decided to throw in the new 320mb 8800 GTS so that when new dx10 games come out I have a computer that I can try them out on. Thanks for your help.

LIAN LI PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model LH-20A1H-186 - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

COOLMAX "SLI" CXI-500B ATX v2.01 500W Power Supply - Retail

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 - Retail

ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail

ZALMAN 7700-Cu LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

XFX PVT80GGHE9 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 GRAW Bundle HDCP Video Card - Retail

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium DVD - Retail

Subtotal: $1,372.91
 
Since you want Lian-Li, switch to the Lian-Li PC-60APLUSII instead, because of its dual 120mm fans (quieter).

Go for the 16x SATA Lite-On burner instead of the 20x IDE.

Drop the Coolmax and go for either the Antec SP2.0 500W or XClio Goodpower 500W. Though, the Enhance 5150G 500W from eWiz would be better than either of those, imo.

This ram would be a better deal: $167 - Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 TWIN2X2048-6400 ($207 - $40MIR)

I like the Scythe Ninja better than the 7700. It keeps my E6400 @ 3.2Ghz idle at 31° and at 52° on load. Plus, its damn near silent, unlike the 7700 (slightly louder): $55 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm CPU HSF (Quiet)

I'd also hold off on vista, since you chose an 8800GTS. You do know that NVIDIA has no drivers for vista, right? hehe. They should have them soon, though.

Onboard sound is good enough unless she's an audiophile.
 
Thanks for the advice enginurd. I have changed the case to the one you suggested but now I am going to get it in silver. Good catch on the ram, I overlooked it when I went through there the first time. One question I had was, what is the difference between the two drives? The reason I selected the first one was because of the lightscribe technology. Do you know if the mobo is compatible with the new cooler that you have recommended? I also thought about what you said concerning going with Vista. If I start with XP, later I will have to purchase the upgrade to Vista which will be necessary for DX10 to play the new games that will be coming out which was the reason I decided on the 8800GTS. I will save money by going with Vista right away. I hope that NVIDIA will deliver their vista drivers before the new games are released.
 
Lightscribe... etching onto the top of the disc... it needs special media. Its useless, imo, unless you like those rather plain laser etchings. SATA will keep the bulky IDE cables out of the system.

I checked the Scythe site, and the P5N-E SLI isn't on there. Though, I don't care much for that list, because my board was on there, and it didn't fit :p So, I just grabbed a dremel and cut out the rounded part of the bracket. Judging from the pic on newegg, you'll have to do the same mod I did to get it to fit. Its rather easy, but if you'd rather not or don't have a dremel, then go with the 9500 instead of the 7700.

NVIDIA said they plan to have the driver fix in the April update.

Silver is nice, but your drives won't match nicely unless you get the drive covers. The black will blend better with black bezel drives. The aluminum drive covers tend to weaken the motors of lite-on drives, btw. I have two lian li silver cases with drive covers, and the lite-on drives have a bit of trouble popping open after a year or so; but they work fine without the drive cover. Just something to think about.
 
enginurd said:
I checked the Scythe site, and the P5N-E SLI isn't on there. Though, I don't care much for that list, because my board was on there, and it didn't fit :p So, I just grabbed a dremel and cut out the rounded part of the bracket. Judging from the pic on newegg, you'll have to do the same mod I did to get it to fit. Its rather easy, but if you'd rather not or don't have a dremel, then go with the 9500 instead of the 7700.
Click to expand...
And why not a Tuniq Tower 120? nice and quiet ;)
 
setekh said:
And why not a Tuniq Tower 120? nice and quiet ;)
Click to expand...
I have one, and I dont like it all too much, but the OP could go with it if he wants. Though, the Zalman is easier to install. So, I thought that the 9500 would be more appealing, since he was concerned about ease of installation earlier.
 
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