First Time Builder Seeking Advice

[Akinos]

Hi guys. First post, first thread, first time building my own computer. Seeking advice for my build. Primarily going to be used for gaming. Company of Heroes, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. Upcoming Supreme Commander and Spore. Would like to be able to run games on high settings at 1440x900 res (Samsung 940bw). Anyway, here it is:



Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail

ASUS P5B-E Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

eVGA 512-P2-N637-AR GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Superclocked Video Card - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Thermaltake W0093RU ATX 12V 2.0 Version 500W Power Supply - Retail

Antec Performance I P180B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4 x HDD area ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model SH-S182D - OEM

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM



I should mention that I do not plan on overclocking, as I have no idea how. Also, I don't know what the Superclocked video card is, but Newegg is sold out of eVGA's regular 7950GT.

Mainly worried about all of my components being compatible (never done this before). I would also like to avoid putting to much power in any one aspect of the PC, leaving my rig bottlenecking everywhere else...

Thanks!

 

[dBTelos]

PSU: http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-EN5...7f1467e96a571138181cb5ab5548f7c6c1b89c
Enhance ENP 460W w/ PCI-E

SLi?

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...sp?ProductCode=373100&prodlist=froogle
Corsair HX520W w/ SLi

 

[westihockey09]

Yeah you need a Power Supply Unit. dBTelos's selections are nice. Other than that, it is a very nice build and will give you great gaming performance.

 

[Akinos]

Based on Newegg reviews, I was going to go with the THERMALTAKE TR2 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0 - Retail:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153028

Or the FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX500-A, 2.0 version, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 500W - Retail:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934

I've heard that Thermaltake and Fortron are reputable companies, and both of these PSUs have a 5/5 average rating after 60-70 reviews. Are they compatible with the rest of my system?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: Akinos
Based on Newegg reviews, I was going to go with the THERMALTAKE TR2 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.0 - Retail:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153028

Or the FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX500-A, 2.0 version, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 500W - Retail:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934

I've heard that Thermaltake and Fortron are reputable companies, and both of these PSUs have a 5/5 average rating after 60-70 reviews. Are they compatible with the rest of my system?

dBTelos has good info on PSU's. Your selections are decent and certainly compatible.

However, please don't make ANY purchase decissions based on NewEgg reviews! Do a search for reviews on specific components from sites using repeatable scientific testing and real life situations.

 

[Clevee]

This is the PSU that I own, it has lots of power(580w), you can plug in only the cables that you need ( for saving space ), its BEAUTIFUL!!!, blue LED lights in it, 80mm fan, and its only $89.99 +shipping. I've owned it for about 3 months now and had zero problems with it. The quality of this psu is amazing.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817128001

 

[ProSlayer]

RAM - Since you are not overclocking, you are better off with the cheapest stick you can get. The only difference between brand-name RAM and other ones is that brand-name are better for overclocking. You are better off going with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231098

Video Card - I would suggest the X1900XT.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102022

 

[Akinos]

Originally posted by: Clevee
This is the PSU that I own, it has lots of power(580w), you can plug in only the cables that you need ( for saving space ), its BEAUTIFUL!!!, blue LED lights in it, 80mm fan, and its only $89.99 +shipping. I've owned it for about 3 months now and had zero problems with it. The quality of this psu is amazing.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817128001

That's hot. Now I NEED a PSU with modular cabling! :laugh:

Guess I should go with cheaper RAM, too.

Thanks, guys.

 

[Akinos]

Alright, after some research, and deciding that I'd like SLI and OCing to be future options for me, here is my updated build:



Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail

ASUS P5B-E Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

HIPER HPU-4K580-MS ATX12V 580W Power Supply - Retail

Antec Performance I P180B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4 x HDD area ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model SH-S182D - OEM

Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM



One thing I'm not sure of. In the "Features" for the P5B-E is says:

Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets.

What is that about? Will my current RAM selection not work out?

SLI: With this build will I be able to just throw another vid card in?

OC: Once I wrap my head around OCing, will my build be able to do so as is, or will I need extra cooling hardware?

 

[Clevee]

After you put it all together and OC it watch the temperatures, if they get to high id put one of these in ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118004 ), it should drop your cpu temps alot, and it also help with air flow through the case. For the SLI cooling you can just put better heatsinks on your video cards if they get to hot.

 

[dBTelos]

If you want flashy lights, put in a couple cold cathods. If you want modular cabling, then the HX520W from Corsair. It will last much longer then any Hiper and has better quality. If you don't plan on SLi then the Sunbeam Nuuo could power one of those cards. It's the 450W version. NeoHE is another option (430W). All are modular.

 

[Akinos]

Yeah I will definitely look into cooling options when I go to OC. Thanks.

That Corsair looks nice. I will probably go with it or this bad boy...

ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail

Suddenly I feel as if I am skimping out on the mobo... I managed to snag the P180B on frys.com for 90 w/free shipping, so I can shift some funds over to the mobo. Any suggestions?

 

[dBTelos]

http://tinyurl.com/jpjaa
Enermax Liberty 500W w/ SLi

Save yourself $15.