theicfire

Alright, so I am waiting for black friday to buy all (most) of my pc components to build a new pc. This is the first pc I have ever built but my dad is an electrical engineer, which will hopefully help. I basically want a computer that can game (including crysis).. but in all honesty I will probably end up just doing web and programming stuff.. but still want to game every now and then.

1.Budget: Currently the build up there is <$500 so trying to keep it that way.
2.Brands: No preference.
3.Multitasking: Not ridiculous amounts but I want to be able to.
4.Gaming: I actually never game but I definitely want to be able to (and I will try it for awhile)
5.Calculations: No
6.Overclocking: I don't want to over clock but it would be nice if I had the option (currently the mobo and processor are said to be oc compatible.
7.Storage: Eh. Ive never filled a computer to 80gb but there are cheap hds that have way more...so whatever.
8.Legacy Support: No, this is a completely new build.
9.Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility? All of them :)
10.Case: I'm not educated enough to know what type of case I want.
11.Accessories: Already got'em.
12.Recycled Components: If anything, just hd.
13.Monitor: Got one (22”).
14.Stores: Trustable stores.
15.Location: US
Anyways, this is what I am thinking
Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119068
$44.99
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146041
$30 till 11/26/08

Front fan? (Don't know if I need this or not)
~$10

Power supply
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nnorswebguidec
$29.99(Off newegg for $20.99 till 11/26/08)

Processor-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nnorswebguidec
$175.99

Fan? (If I don't want the one that comes with the processor)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134
$26.99

Memory (memory is memory... right?)
~$20 (tiger direct)

Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...rkey=E145-9500
$44.99

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=GA-EP45-UD3P
$110

Harddrive? (I have a 80gb in my old computer atm)
~$40

Excluding monitor/mouse/keyboard/speakers, am I missing anything? Would some of these not go together well? Is there anything I should get instead of what I listed? What memory would go with that motherboard (I looked on newegg but they didn't have the motherboard listed in their memory finder). If I were to get dual gpus or a better one, would it be able to play intense games like crysis at 40fps+?

Thankyou so much! (And please, if there is one thing you can answer, tell me if the case and power supply are good, because the sale ends 11/26).

wrench97

Hi theicfire and welcome to the forum

The motherboard is a good choice.
The Coolermaster case is good and comes with front and rear fans

I would opt for the Faster E8500 over the Q6600 for gaming or to save some cash go for the E8400 still faster then the Q6600 and cheaper.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/d...x1050,820.html

The power supply you have listed isn't big enough to run a video card you want at least 500w with 26 amps on the 12v rail for a midrange PCIe card.
For Thermaltake stay with the tough power models only or this is really quiet
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703015

And no memory is not just memory use a configuration utility like one of these www.crucial.com or http://www.corsair.com/configurator/default.aspx to make sure you get something compatible.

For stock cpu speeds the OEM fan that comes with a boxed is fine.

Your going to need a DVD drive and a copy of windows.

theicfire

Tyvm for the response.
Isn't a quad core more future proof (As software starts utilizing all 4 cores) Thanks for the comparison site.
The video card I listed doesn't need to be plugged into the psu (I guess meaning it doesn't take up too much power). Do I still need 500w?
I have windows and a dvd player, forgot to mention. I will make sure to check memory compatibility. If it isn't on the list from the mobo manufacturer's website, does that mean it won't work? The list seems very limited.

wrench97

When software starts to utilize quads your still going to have a slower FSB and clock speed games are still about clock speed because the action in the game has to processed inline rather then side by side or step a has to complete before step b can start. High end video and image editing/3d rendering soft ware can use quads but remember the Q6600 is close to 2 year old tech the new i7 core quads are going to the target when normal software gets to quad core usage in the end it's your call but for a budget system a E8400 is hard to beat.

On power supplies almost any modern system will benefit from using a 500-550w PSU for onboard now we are recommending 450w you have to remember all the usb devices that get plugged in today and use power as well as the rest of the pc components last thing you want is to save money today and have a overworked PSU go bad and take out other components a year from now (like eMachines tend to do).

The memory manufactures web sites are the best place to find compatible memory QVL lists are usually outdated and limited.

theicfire

Thanks for the help!
Here is a newer build-

~~~~~~~Didn't change~~~~~~~
Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146041
$30 till 11/26/08
Front fan?
$10
Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=GA-EP45-UD3P
$110

~~~~~~Did change~~~~~~~~
Power supply 450w corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003
$60
OR
550w corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004
$78—I know this is better but do I need it?
wrench97- I'm guessing you will pick the second, as you said 500w+. Any other opinions?

CPU e7300 2.66ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115132
$120

CPU fan XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233003
$22-- Or do without

Video Card (both 9600GT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130360
$65.99
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130360
$70
(help me choose)

Ram- 2gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034
$9.99 (Not sure about memory compatibility, isn't on motherboard or memory lists)

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319
$85

Already have dvd drive and windows.

Thoughts?

Thankyou so much!

wrench97

Both video card links are the same the 9600GT is a good card and requires 6 pin aux power from the PSU so your right I'm going to say 550w.
The 550VX is an excellent PSU one of the best in that class.

The E7300 is also a good CPU but is the same FSB(1066) as the Q6600 I would forgo the aftermarket cooler use the stock and get the E8400 1333 FSB 3.0Gig.

Good choice on the ram and yes it is compatible. Scroll down on the page > http://www.corsair.com/configurator/...aspx?id=754031

theicfire

Does the 450w not have the 6 pin connector? The only difference I see is 550w has 1 more PCI-E connector.

Why does fsb matter? Isn't that just for memory (which, from what I understand, anything above 800mhz is not worth the money). I still might get it just in terms of mhz though for $40...

Thanks for the memory compatibility link, I feel better now (except that I just found out the price went up $7 for the mb...damb)

Thanks

wrench97

The FSB on Intel chips don't work like AMD it is not a direct connection the cpu communicates to the memory controller(northbridge) on the motherboard on the FSB
The memory also communicates to the controller on the memory buss in dual channel mode think of dual channel as 2 pipe lines operating in one direction each to the controller but from the controller to the cpu there is only 1 pipe(This is a over simplified explanation) so it acts like a four lane hi-way that turns into 2 lanes(I'm sure you've seen at one of these at rush hour) even though the ram is capable of going faster it can't move data any faster then the cpu can receive it and process it.

Now on to the power supply yes the 450w has a PCIe connector and I've seen people use one on midrange cards well I've seen them on 8800's to usually when I'm replacing them because the were over worked too long the good ones when your lucky will only lose the PSU when your not you get to replace the ram, the MB and the video card but usually the cpu survives:) 450w is the minimum recommended by the video card manufacturers I don't believe in using minimum specs it always leads to problems Ideally you want to run the psu at 60-80% load max to ensure long life.
There is also a business class market for that supply on quadro card and a 2 year turn over on the equipment, but even most of them now have moved into the 500-600w range.

linderman

I would not bother with anything less than 500 watts


its darn hard to pass up the deal on the coolermaster real power pro 650 watt which is $60.00 after rebate

theicfire

Ok, I'll stick with the higher psu and proccessor.

Thankyou so much!