1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch

PC_Building_Nub · 06-29-2008, 04:12 PM

So, as the title suggests, I've never built a PC before. I've decided I'd like to try it. I was playing around earlier today on Newegg and came up with a preliminary list that I'd love for anyone who knows anything about building PCs to comment on/provide suggestions. So, anyway, here goes:

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=EVGA%2b780I

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115042

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

Graphics Processing: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130338

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116474

DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135156

DVD Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135151

Sound Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102012

Power Supply:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171023

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146047

+a 19 inch widescreen LCD and some speakers

All totalled with rebates this is like 1700 before shipping.

A few questions:

1) Should I even bother with the 9800 GX2? If not, what to replace with?

2) Will that power supply get the job done (I may SLI in the future)?

3) Should I bother with the soundcard? I have some 5.1 speakers... is onboard good enough? (I'm not a huge audiophile)

4) Will the case + PSU have enough cooling? Or would I need to invest in additional cooling solutions?

5) Am I missing anything important?

6) Will all this work together nice and friendly?

Anyway, feel free to rip into this any way you see fit... no need to be gentle (as long as you're helpful).

PC_Building_Nub · 06-29-2008, 05:06 PM

Having examined a few things a bit closer, it would seem that if I do end up going with the 9800 GX2 that I'll need to change my power supply to one with a 8pin PCI-E connector. I'm still not sure whether or not 650W would be enough power.

Something like this perhaps?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817256012

brimstone1392 · 06-29-2008, 05:27 PM

Let's see, where to start...

Well, as far as the 9800GX2, I'm definitely not a fan at that price. However, if you're willing to put up that kind of money, you should be happy with it.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp
That site has a good, up-to-date wattage calculator to give you a basic idea of what you need. From my experience, Coolermaster has had some problems with their PSUs. I'd recommend going with a PC Power and Cooling PSU, but that's just me.

Now, the soundcard is an interesting question. If you're not too interested in sound quality in general, you could stick with the onboard sound and be alright. You'll get alot of pops and odd noises, and a fair amount of sound-lag, so to speak. However, a decent soundcard will give your games a little bump in performance due to the decreased use of onboard resources. Also, since you're already spending a pretty penny, look into something like an Omega Striker. At $80, it really is a solid gaming card.

patriothntr · 06-29-2008, 08:16 PM

PC Power and Cooling as well as Corsair are made by Seasonic...all three brands are quite good...

PC_Building_Nub · 06-29-2008, 10:19 PM

At this stage, I'm kinda just wanting confirmation that I've got all the parts I need to make the damn thing actually run

As I've said, I've never done this and haven't really read up much on it other than some browsing today. I'm fairly confident I can handle putting the thing together provided all the parts arrive in one piece... I just need to make sure I'm getting the parts I need (and that they'll work together... already caught the apparent 8pin PCI-E requirement on the SPU to install the GX2).

Also, if anyone has any experience, do I need to consider any extra cooling solutions for the GX2? I've been reading some reviews/etc that say it can run REALLY hot.

PC_Building_Nub · 06-29-2008, 10:52 PM

Also, and this is probably the dumbest question yet, but better safe than sorry...

The GX2 (and seemingly all semi-recent cards) uses DDR3 memory. I'm using DDR2 for the main computer memory (don't think my chipset supports DDR3). I'd like to think these won't conflict in any way, but I can't say that with 100% certainty (I've been looking at other builds that seem to use DDR3 card memory with chips that don't support DDR3, or maye I'm confused).

patriothntr · 06-30-2008, 06:57 AM

GDDR3 on your VGA and the DDR2 on your mobo do not have any issues running together.

06-29-2008, 04:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
PC_Building_Nub Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch So, as the title suggests, I've never built a PC before. I've decided I'd like to try it. I was playing around earlier today on Newegg and came up with a preliminary list that I'd love for anyone who knows anything about building PCs to comment on/provide suggestions. So, anyway, here goes: Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=EVGA%2b780I Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115042 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184 Graphics Processing: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130338 HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073 OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116474 DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135156 DVD Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135151 Sound Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102012 Power Supply:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171023 Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146047 +a 19 inch widescreen LCD and some speakers All totalled with rebates this is like 1700 before shipping. A few questions: 1) Should I even bother with the 9800 GX2? If not, what to replace with? 2) Will that power supply get the job done (I may SLI in the future)? 3) Should I bother with the soundcard? I have some 5.1 speakers... is onboard good enough? (I'm not a huge audiophile) 4) Will the case + PSU have enough cooling? Or would I need to invest in additional cooling solutions? 5) Am I missing anything important? 6) Will all this work together nice and friendly? Anyway, feel free to rip into this any way you see fit... no need to be gentle (as long as you're helpful).

06-29-2008, 05:06 PM	#2 (permalink)
PC_Building_Nub Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: 1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch Having examined a few things a bit closer, it would seem that if I do end up going with the 9800 GX2 that I'll need to change my power supply to one with a 8pin PCI-E connector. I'm still not sure whether or not 650W would be enough power. Something like this perhaps? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817256012

06-29-2008, 05:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
brimstone1392 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP	Re: 1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch Let's see, where to start... Well, as far as the 9800GX2, I'm definitely not a fan at that price. However, if you're willing to put up that kind of money, you should be happy with it. http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp That site has a good, up-to-date wattage calculator to give you a basic idea of what you need. From my experience, Coolermaster has had some problems with their PSUs. I'd recommend going with a PC Power and Cooling PSU, but that's just me. Now, the soundcard is an interesting question. If you're not too interested in sound quality in general, you could stick with the onboard sound and be alright. You'll get alot of pops and odd noises, and a fair amount of sound-lag, so to speak. However, a decent soundcard will give your games a little bump in performance due to the decreased use of onboard resources. Also, since you're already spending a pretty penny, look into something like an Omega Striker. At $80, it really is a solid gaming card.

06-29-2008, 08:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
patriothntr Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 321 OS: XPsp3, PCLOS, other	Re: 1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch PC Power and Cooling as well as Corsair are made by Seasonic...all three brands are quite good...

06-29-2008, 10:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
PC_Building_Nub Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: 1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch At this stage, I'm kinda just wanting confirmation that I've got all the parts I need to make the damn thing actually run As I've said, I've never done this and haven't really read up much on it other than some browsing today. I'm fairly confident I can handle putting the thing together provided all the parts arrive in one piece... I just need to make sure I'm getting the parts I need (and that they'll work together... already caught the apparent 8pin PCI-E requirement on the SPU to install the GX2). Also, if anyone has any experience, do I need to consider any extra cooling solutions for the GX2? I've been reading some reviews/etc that say it can run REALLY hot.

06-29-2008, 10:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
PC_Building_Nub Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: 1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch Also, and this is probably the dumbest question yet, but better safe than sorry... The GX2 (and seemingly all semi-recent cards) uses DDR3 memory. I'm using DDR2 for the main computer memory (don't think my chipset supports DDR3). I'd like to think these won't conflict in any way, but I can't say that with 100% certainty (I've been looking at other builds that seem to use DDR3 card memory with chips that don't support DDR3, or maye I'm confused).

06-30-2008, 06:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
patriothntr Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 321 OS: XPsp3, PCLOS, other	Re: 1st Time Builder... Starting From Scratch GDDR3 on your VGA and the DDR2 on your mobo do not have any issues running together.