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First Build- Suggestions?


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#1
Bob_Bobber0

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Hey guys, I'm about to purchase components for my first build, and I just wanted to know if y'all had any suggestions, or recommendations based on my selection.

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119068

Power Supply: Thermaltake ATX 430W Power Supply 115/230
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817153023

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115017

Motherboard: Intel BLKDP35DPM LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813121313

Video Card: EVGA GeForce 8600GTS 512MB
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130286

Ram: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 (PC6400)
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231098

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148262

DVD/RW Drive: SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151153

Please let me know if I'm missing anything or if any of these parts are incompatible, I did a decent amount of research though so I'm fairly certain it will all work. Thanks again.
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#2
Troy

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Hi Bob_Bobber0, welcome to Geeks to Go!

It looks like a reasonably nice build. The only thing I suggest is you upgrade the Power Supply, it just might be cutting it a bit short and you should always have a little more head-room. I suggest something like this.
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#3
jackflash1991

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Ok well as said by Troy you are going to need a bigger power supply.

The Quad is ok but for some games the 4 cores are not used to full potential. Might I suggest a dual core Core 2 Duo E6750. It is cheaper and plays games better then the Quad.
Take a look for when the two CPUs play Prey: http://www23.tomshar...m...3&chart=425
Core 2 Duo E6750: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115029

If you are a gamer then the 8600 is not a good card. Yes it has DirectX 10 but it does not have enough power to play DirectX 10 games. Either go with an 8800GTS 320MB or go with a lower DirectX 9 card that out performs the 8600 with less money. I would suggest the 8800 so you do not have to spend more money in the future for a new card to play DirectX 10 games.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130082
$269.99 after mail and rebate.

PS: Welcome to Geeks to Go Bob.


Edit: What operating system are you going with?

Edited by jackflash1991, 15 September 2007 - 08:42 AM.

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#4
Bob_Bobber0

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Thanks for the responses guys. My friend from Purdue is hooking me up with Vista Basic I believe, (he gets it for $15). I forgot to mention I already have monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers, so no worries there.

As for a power supply, what do you guys think of this one? Its 600w and from the reviews it seems to be a good buy:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817162017

I went for the quad cause I figured it'd last longer than the Core 2's before an upgrade is needed, and eventually games will begin to take advantage of the quad capabilities no?

I kinda wanna keep the price >$900 but I also don't wanna have to spend large amounts of money down the road, (I'm a freshman in college). So I just wanna make smart choices on all the components that I purchase.

Thanks for the help. keep it coming!

Edited by Bob_Bobber0, 15 September 2007 - 10:39 AM.

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#5
jackflash1991

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As for a power supply, what do you guys think of this one? Its 600w and from the reviews it seems to be a good buy:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817162017

I am not familiar with that manufacturer. Only buy from well known PSU (Power Supply Unit) manufactures. If you don't you usually get screwed over. I recommend Antec. They are a very reliable PSU manufacture that may not have fancy paint jobs or fancy cable management systems but are very cost effective. Also they have some of the most power efficient PSUs with a >80% efficiency, making the case a lot cooler and the fans run quieter!
http://www.newegg.co...a...e=1&bop=And

I kinda wanna keep the price >$900 but I also don't wanna have to spend large amounts of money down the road, (I'm a freshman in college). So I just wanna make smart choices on all the components that I purchase.

I would definitely go with the 8800GTS 320MB then. It is more expensive but it will save you a lot of money down the road.

Edited by jackflash1991, 15 September 2007 - 12:45 PM.

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#6
Bob_Bobber0

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Thanks. I'll look into Antec.

EVGA has a program where, within 90 days of your purchase, you can upgrade your video card to a better one, and only pay the difference. So effectively, even if I don't get the 8800, I'm putting money towards it, and around Christmas time, if the price drops, I can upgrade for like $70 bucks.

I think I'm going to stick to the quad core processor, as I edit my music with pro-tools and other apps that the quad core will excess at.

One of friends said I should get a different mother board. He mentioned something about it being OEM. Could you explain what he is referring to?

I tried to find quality components at the lowest cost, and I think I'm right about what it'll cost. Is there a cheaper video card than the one I selected that would perform just as good?
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#7
jackflash1991

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Thanks. I'll look into Antec.

EVGA has a program where, within 90 days of your purchase, you can upgrade your video card to a better one, and only pay the difference. So effectively, even if I don't get the 8800, I'm putting money towards it, and around Christmas time, if the price drops, I can upgrade for like $70 bucks.

I think I'm going to stick to the quad core processor, as I edit my music with pro-tools and other apps that the quad core will excess at.

Good deal. :whistling:

One of friends said I should get a different mother board. He mentioned something about it being OEM. Could you explain what he is referring to?

OEM, Original equipment manufacturer: http://en.wikipedia....nt_manufacturer

I tried to find quality components at the lowest cost, and I think I'm right about what it'll cost. Is there a cheaper video card than the one I selected that would perform just as good?

The 8600 is a DirectX 10 card. If you want to you could get a DirectX 9 card and get more performance for less money. You just will not be able to play DirectX 10 games (All of the new DirectX 10 games that are coming out also support DirectX 9 for the moment.)
DirectX 9 cards that I recommend that will outperform the 8600:
Radeon X1950 PRO
GeForce 7900 GS
Radeon X1950 XT
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#8
Bob_Bobber0

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Thanks for the suggestions on graphics cards.

What do you think about this mobo?

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128059
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#9
jackflash1991

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Thanks for the suggestions on graphics cards.

What do you think about this mobo?

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128059

It's nice. I even almost got it for myself.
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#10
Bob_Bobber0

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Thanks. The only thing I'm concerned about is my power supply. Right now I'm looking at this one:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817189005

Thats about the best I could find in that price range, I really don't wanna spend anymore unless its absolutely necessary.

What do you think about it?
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#11
jackflash1991

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I am not familiar with that manufacturer. Only buy from well known PSU (Power Supply Unit) manufactures. If you don't you usually get screwed over. I recommend Antec. They are a very reliable PSU manufacture that may not have fancy paint jobs or fancy cable management systems but are very cost effective. Also they have some of the most power efficient PSUs with a >80% efficiency, making the case a lot cooler and the fans run quieter!

Again I am not familiar with that PSU. A 500W PSU that cheap has got to be crap. The PSU is the most important component and very often skimped on. If all of the other components do not get enough power the computer will not run or it will be money down the drain because the components will run slower because they are underpowered. Or often with crappy PSUs they will fry the whole system.

Also I would push for at least a 550W.
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#12
Titan8990

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Jackfash is right. You can get this PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817371002 for $20 more (after rebate) and it will be worth every penny. Something like this: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817128002 could also fit your needs if you are not planning on an 8800 but other than that you are looking to speed $100 more on a quality PSU.
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#13
james_8970

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EVGA has a program where, within 90 days of your purchase, you can upgrade your video card to a better one, and only pay the difference. So effectively, even if I don't get the 8800, I'm putting money towards it, and around Christmas time, if the price drops, I can upgrade for like $70 bucks.

Not entirely true, remember the 8800GTS will come down in price as the GTX does, so they will use the price of the GTS at that point in time, not at the time you bought it. The great thing about the step up program is that the next set of GPU's from nVidia are set to release in November. So you'll be able to upgrade for cheap, if you are planning on upgrading in November it may be worth holding off for another week, because then it'll be more likely that nVidia will have released their products before your step up time period has expired.


Jackfash is right. You can get this PSU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817371002 for $20 more (after rebate) and it will be worth every penny. Something like this: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817128002 could also fit your needs if you are not planning on an 8800 but other than that you are looking to speed $100 more on a quality PSU.

That Antec PSU is fine, but that Hiper PSU concerns me and I wouldn't suggest it. I cannot find a efficiency rating on that PSU as of yet and the two reviews I did find on this PSU both mentioned that the rails are outputing to many volts which could result in components running hotter and reduced component life because of which.
James

Edited by james_8970, 15 September 2007 - 09:13 PM.

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#14
Bob_Bobber0

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What about this Thermaltake?

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817153028

or is this just a brand to stay away from?
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#15
james_8970

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Thermaltec is ok, however the PSU's efficancy is to low, the label doesn't provide the maximum Amps the 12V rails will output and this PSU will struggle with your rig.
The Antec PSU titan suggest is good.
James

Edited by james_8970, 15 September 2007 - 10:04 PM.

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