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New build, your opinions.


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#1
reconman

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Hey every one!


So I'm planning on purchasing all of the hardware components for my first build in a week or so and I just wanted to get your opinions on the hardware I've got lined up for it. I do need some recommendations for a good power supply that's not too costly. I already have the CPU, btw.


CPU - e8400 3.0ghz
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L
RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB
HardDrive - Western Digital Caviar 500GB
Graphics Card - EVGA GeForce 8800GT 512MB
DVD Drive - LITE-ON Black 20X
Case - APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX

Thanks :)
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#2
Titan8990

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Looks pretty good. Personally, I would try and find a case that you like that has 120mm fans instead of 80mm. The one you have selected will work fine if you don't plan on OCing but I think that you won't have much trouble finding a case that is both visually appealing to you as well as good cooling. Do you plan on doing any overclocking?


Power supply recommendation: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139004

Edited by Titan8990, 26 March 2008 - 02:08 PM.

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#3
reconman

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Thanks for the PSU recommendation, was looking at the same one me self. I'll be over clocking so what would you say the "best" fan size/ arrangement would be on a case?

These two cases look pretty good, same price but different fan size/ arrangements. I'm not really sure which would be better (leaning toward the 2nd one.)

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119047

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119106 - I can always just buy another 120mm fan for this case and place it in the front, right?
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#4
kamille316

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I'd go with Pioneer DVD-drive than the Lite-on you selected.
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#5
Titan8990

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I own the second one and it works fairly well with an extra 120mm fan added to the front. You will probably want to invest in an aftermarket cooler as well.
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#6
reconman

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I was thinking about getting a better cooling system for the CPU (all depends on my budget really) but I'm not going to be doing too much OC'ing with it (3.6ghz or so) and from what I hear the e8400 stays at a decent temp when OC'd using the stock fan/heatsink. My dads friend will most likely be overclocking it since he has the same cpu and mobo and said it runs great at 3.6-3.8ghz using the stock cooling system. He was one of those guys that stood in line to get windows 95 when it came out lol.


@kamille316

Are there any specific reasons you recommend the Pioneer over the Lite-On?
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#7
Titan8990

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I recommend that at the least you get this: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835185125
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#8
reconman

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$20 doesn't seem too bad considering it'll be quite an improvement from the stock cooling system. It seems I keep adding more and more to my budget :) It'll be worth it though :) Oh, while we're on the subject of heat sinks and such, what would you recommend for thermal past? I hear some are rather messy compared to others.
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#9
Troy

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Hi there,

If you have already purchased the Core 2 Duo E8400, then you'll want to grab the heatsink/fan that is compatible with socket 775. The one Titan linked to is the AMD compatible version.

Here is the link for the one you want - a little more expensive, but still a great unit for the price - I would recommend it. :)

Cheers

Troy
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#10
kamille316

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Are there any specific reasons you recommend the Pioneer over the Lite-On?

They work quite a bit better and I have seen people (i.e. james8970) recommend it than the Lite-on. I also know someone who has Pioneer and it works great. I do however have a Samsung drive and that works great too.

For the thermal paste, if you're getting the Arctic Cooling Freezer, the thermal paste comes pre-applied. If you want something as a backup, I suggest Arctic Cooling MX-2.
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#11
Titan8990

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Good catch Troy.

As far as paste goes the Artic Freezer heatsinks come with thermal grease pre-applied so you will not have to worry about any mess. If you are still looking for something cheaper you could get this which still quite an improvement on the stock cooler: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835186009
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#12
kamille316

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For that one Titan, it says this for compatibility and he's going for the Intel E8400:

All Intel Celeron D
Intel Pentium 4 up to 650
Intel Pentium D up to 840
All AMD Sempron (Socket 754)
and Athlon 64
AMD Athlon 64 FX up to FX-59
AMD Athlon X2 up to 5000+


Edited by kamille316, 27 March 2008 - 11:18 AM.

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#13
Titan8990

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You will not find a cooler on the market that specifies that it works with 8xxx series chips because of how new they are. Generally if it is compatible with LGA 775 then it is compatible with all the 775 chips because they are generally the same size. In this article the Alpine 7 and Freezer 7 are tested on a X6800 chip: http://www.anandtech...s...?i=3210&p=5


The Alpine 7 will work with Core 2 Duo chips regardless of what Newegg says.

Edited by Titan8990, 27 March 2008 - 11:51 AM.

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#14
kamille316

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Thanks for clarifying.
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#15
Titan8990

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Thanks for keeping an eye out. As you saw earlier in this thread I can occasionally make mistakes.
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