[Drumbum667]

So I plan on building a new computer. Mostly for gaming, school, and video and picture editing. So far I have these parts. I was wondering, 1) are they all compatible,2) Do I need a sound card,3)What are good DVD and CD drives that can write cds,4)A good coolant for my CPU,5) And a nice looking case

So here are the parts i have:

Western Digital Hard Disk
Video Card
OCZ Ram
Asus Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU

Edited by Drumbum667, 04 November 2006 - 09:28 PM.

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1) are they all compatible

Yeah, they should all work fine together. I've heard that OCZ Ram has some compatibility issues with Azus mobos, but if you update the BIOS you should be fine.

That's one [bleep] of a CPU and great for overclocking, but the mobo you got is not. From reading the reviews, it seems like to get the most out of the CPU you need an Intel D975XBX or ASUS P5W DH DELUXE. Not to say that your mobo won't work, but it seems like if you paid all the money for that cpu you could get the next step up mobo.

2) Do I need a sound card

No, the motherboard has onboard sound. Although, I've never been a fan of onboard sound (never works right for me), but thats just me.

3)What are good DVD and CD drives that can write cds

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106014

A bit noisy, but very fast and very cheap (especially with the sale going on right now). I'd recommend that one, but Newegg has loads so feel free to keep looking.

4)A good coolant for my CPU

The CPU comes with a heatsink and fan, but if you wanna upgrade I recommend a blue orb cpu cooler.

5) And a nice looking case

I don't know what your opinion of a nice looking case is, so just look around on newegg. Make sure to find one that has good airflow and that the mobo will fit in.

[mpfeif101]

1) are they all compatible

Yeah, they should all work fine together. I've heard that OCZ Ram has some compatibility issues with Azus mobos, but if you update the BIOS you should be fine.

That's one [bleep] of a CPU and great for overclocking, but the mobo you got is not. From reading the reviews, it seems like to get the most out of the CPU you need an Intel D975XBX or ASUS P5W DH DELUXE. Not to say that your mobo won't work, but it seems like if you paid all the money for that cpu you could get the next step up mobo.

2) Do I need a sound card

No, the motherboard has onboard sound. Although, I've never been a fan of onboard sound (never works right for me), but thats just me.

3)What are good DVD and CD drives that can write cds

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106014

A bit noisy, but very fast and very cheap (especially with the sale going on right now). I'd recommend that one, but Newegg has loads so feel free to keep looking.

4)A good coolant for my CPU

The CPU comes with a heatsink and fan, but if you wanna upgrade I recommend a blue orb cpu cooler.

5) And a nice looking case

I don't know what your opinion of a nice looking case is, so just look around on newegg. Make sure to find one that has good airflow and that the mobo will fit in.

[Dan1887]

i have had problems with that board in past but it should be fine the asus onboard audio was prob the only good thing i found, definately make sure you update bios and drivers for this board if you are going to use it

[jrm20]

So I plan on building a new computer. Mostly for gaming, school, and video and picture editing. So far I have these parts. I was wondering, 1) are they all compatible,2) Do I need a sound card,3)What are good DVD and CD drives that can write cds,4)A good coolant for my CPU,5) And a nice looking case

So here are the parts i have:

Western Digital Hard Disk
Video Card
OCZ Ram
Asus Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU

There is some better options you can go for. The 1gb of memory isnt going to be enough for you. You need to get 2gb of ram if your gonna spend all that money on an expensive processor it defeats the whole purpose..

Another thing You dont really need that x6800 core 2 duo. You can get the E6600 and overclock it to the x6800 speeds or close to it if you know what you are doing.. The E6600 still has the 4mb cache and its still considered a HIGH end version of the core 2 duo.. The E6700 takes a pretty big price jump from the E6600 and the E6700 is not worth that much more money.. The E6600 is the best price to performance ratio processor.

On a DVD combo drive look at Samsung. You can find them for a couple dollars more than the lite-on and they are alot better...

You need to match up the components better, If you got the x6800 intel core 2 duo with only 1gb of ram you wont be fully impressed. Get 2gb of ram whichever processor you decide on.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115003 is only $312.99 for the e6600...

If you dont want to overclock then go for the e6700 chip.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115002

$509.00 for the e6700..

[Drumbum667]

I'm not gonna 1 gb of ram. I'm getting 3 or 4 gigs thats, that is just the type of Ram i'm getting or so I thought. What is another good company for Ram. I'll prolly end up overclocking my CPU even faster so I was wondering if factory cooling will be ok. And now I need to know if all of this stuff is compatible now. And also can someone advise me if I could overclock this processor. Ialso need to know what is a good PSU.

So here are the parts i have:

Western Digital Hard Disk
Video Card
Need a recommendation for a good RAM company that doesn't have any compatibility issues
Asus Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU
Zalman Cooling
Creative Sound Card
Samsung LightScribe DVD Burner

Edited by Drumbum667, 04 November 2006 - 10:18 PM.

[jrm20]

I'm not gonna 1 gb of ram. I'm getting 3 or 4 gigs thats, that is just the type of Ram i'm getting or so I thought. What is another good company for Ram. I'll prolly end up overclocking my CPU even faster so I was wondering if factory cooling will be ok. And now I need to know if all of this stuff is compatible now. And also can someone advise me if I could overclock this processor.

So here are the parts i have:

Western Digital Hard Disk
Video Card
Need a recommendation for a good RAM company that doesn't have any compatibility issues
Asus Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU
Zalman Cooling
Creative Sound Card
Samsung LightScribe DVD Burner

Yeah I understand that on the memory now but you didnt specify that above.

Corsair is another good memory manufacturer. Mushkin is good aswell but corsair is about the best.


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151133

I would go for this DVD combo from samsung and not the one you chose. This one has alot better good reviews. The lightscribe is only for direct disc labeling so you can make your own labels on special disks. It produces laser-etched labels.


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151133

The Zalman fan will let you overclock the processor abit, but if you want extreme overclocks the only option is water cooling or phase cooling. The conroe chips do well on fans and they are relatively cool chips.

I would steer away from asus but thats my opinion.

[mpfeif101]

That's a nice rig.

I've always been a fan of Corsair and Crucial RAM, both good for overclocking.

Edited by mpfeif101, 04 November 2006 - 10:30 PM.

[Drumbum667]

So basically this is the rig I want. I don't even know if I'll end up getting this cause i dont have the monet yet. By the time I get it I think new things would be out. So here is my updated rig. Just tell me if its compatible. I'm kind of new to building computers so I ask a lot of questions. This is mainly so I can get the hang of whats compatible or not but I will buy it if I have the money.

Samsun DVD Burner
Apevia Case
Western Digital Hard Disk
Widescreen Monitor
ATI Video Card
Creative Sound Card
Logitech Speakers
Zalman Cooling
Microsoft Wireless KeyBoard and Mouse
Corsair Ram
Asus Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU

Edited by Drumbum667, 04 November 2006 - 10:44 PM.

[mpfeif101]

Yea, it looks compatible.

[Drumbum667]

And one more question. When I look at the pictures for the Asus mobo it says that the accessories don't come with. Does that mean it doesn't come with the cables and stuff. Will that be a problem. Should I also get a thermal paste. I hear Arctic 5 thermal paste is good. And also can someone tell me if I can overclock this rig. Maybe the processor and maybe the RAM.

Edited by Drumbum667, 05 November 2006 - 08:50 AM.

[warriorscot]

They will almost always come with cables however i wouldnt get an Asus board, i dont think we have any techs on staff here who still actually reccomend them they have really let quality control slide the last year or so for all their boards(used to be just the AMDs that sucked on reliability).

If you are going to spend so much on a CPU i would get the quad core QX6700 because for gaming you arent going to be getting all that much more from the E6600 to X6800 and if you are doing vid editing then the QX is much better, to be honest it seems pretty overkill if its going to be gaming and you messing about with some vids on occasion for fun get an E6600 save some cash use it for something more fun.

The nice thing about the QX6700 i like is that if you get some really good cooling(its a hot puppy as hot as the old P4s. It has an unlocked mulitplier meaning its very very easy to overclock. Up to you if i was spending that much thats what i would get, but i would never spend so much.

Also you know this http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814142076 is not just much faster but cheaper to. Also DX10 is coming out soon youll probably want one of those.

Also you need to get a better PSU than the one that comes in that case(which is overpriced in my opinion, if i was getting a new case, i would get the new antec with the 200mm fan on top http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811129021 or a p180.

Edited by warriorscot, 05 November 2006 - 09:08 AM.

[Drumbum667]

I like your input Warriorscot. So for cooling I am gonna get the Zalman I have up there, but should I also get a thermal paste. And for the case, the reason I wanted that case is cause I kinda want a nice looking case. Any recommendations on a PSU. And I can't seem to find the QX6700 on newegg. Unless its not out yet. And for te video card will it support DX10. Cause thats what i was wondering about when I was looking at cards. And since you wouldn't recommend Asus any other recommendations or a motherboard. One of my good friends likes to use MSI. are they good. Also I decided to change cases to a cheaper one. Still expensive but theres no PSU so i can buy a better one. Here it is Thermaltake Case. But how do I know what PSU will fit in it. Should I go for a Thermaltake psu.

Edited by Drumbum667, 05 November 2006 - 09:48 AM.

[warriorscot]

That vid card doesnt quite support DX10 its a DX9 card but its design and memory is similar to what dx10 cards it as good a dx9 card as you can get.

the QX6700 just came out today and its not quite in the shops yet but since you dont have the money yet then by the time you do they should be available they go for a neat $999 50 more than the x6800. But still i would never buy such an expensive PSU they just lose the value to quickly making it more difficult to upgrade.

I like MSI motherboards they are usually my first choice, Abit and gigabyte are also good. PSU wise Antec any hyper are my favourites but i dont think hyper are available in the US yet. OCZ and tagan are also good PSUs thermaltake is pretty decent as well but i usually would get an antec before i got a thermaltake.

When you pick the case looks are a factor way down the list because you go for a case thats flashy and in a few months you might not like it so its best to get something simple and stylish in that way. Cooling in the case and space are the most important, and ATX PSU will fit in ANY ATX case.

[Drumbum667]

So in the new case there aren't rele enough fans in my opinion so should I get extra fans, and what about thermal paste for the CPU.

[mpfeif101]

I like using Artic Silver 5 for thermal paste.

Yea, i'd recommend getting a directx 10 compatible card, but if not it's no big deal. Game developers know that a big percentage of their customers will be using directx 9 so for the next few years so games will be both dx9 and dx10 compatible.