Making a New PC.

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Share_The_Pain

New Member
I've been creating a PC on ncix.com for a few weeks now, and I feel that I'm almost ready to order.

My specs are:

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 3.0GHZ 1333FSB 4MB Retail: $330

Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-M68SM-S2 mATX AM2 Nforce 630A 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Video Sound GBLAN Motherboard: $89

RAM:
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC5400 DDR2-667 CL 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory: $97

Video Card:
EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 640MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card: $418

Heatsink:
Scythe Ninja Plus REV.B Heatpipe Fanless Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S478 S754 S939 W/ 120MM Fan Adjuster: $45

Computer Case:
Compucase 6C28B ATX Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 4X.3.5INT W/ Front USB & Audio No PS: $36

Power Supply:
Corsair VX550W 550W ATX 12V 41A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan: $105

Hard Drive:
Western Digital SE-16 320GB 3.5IN SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty: $92

OS:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition OEM: $100

DVD Drive:
LG 16X Black DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE UDMA33 INT OEM: $25

Power Management:
Belkin Pureav Home Theater & PC Surge Protector 2665 Joules 9 Outlet Dual Coax: $64

And I was wondering a few things:
1) Is this a fairly good deal for the price? Any parts you would recommend instead?
2) I was thinking about getting the Antec Nine Hundred case for $117, and I was wondering, is it really worth it for the extra money?
3) Should I up the power supply a bit? Perhaps to a 620W?

4) I'm looking for a pretty good gaming system, I've read around this site and you seem to think that AMD is better for gaming, however my friends tell me that Intel CPU's are far faster and can be overclocked like mad. Which would you tell me to go with?

Thanks,

-STP
 
Like they said, the motherboard you have listed is for an AMD processor.

I would recommend spending the extra for the case as long as it looks like it improves airflow. Back when i had my build with a P4 (hot as hell) i had it in a $30 case. The temperatures were high and i had trouble keeping it stable. I decided to move to a new case which cost me $110. It hurt a lot when i bought it but i got it for two reasons. One being it looked a hell of a lot better than my previous case and two that the airflow was greatly increased since it had room in the front rear and top for fans. the new case lowered my cpu temps a good 10 degrees celcius. Now that i have a core 2 duo in that case i have plenty of room to overclock without reaching a dangerous temp zone. Just my experiences. Figured id share them.
 
You might want to change the heatsink to something better. I have heard the Scythe is not really a good manufacturer. I might have heard it wrong, but personally I would go with Zalman or Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
 
b3rt_d4ni3l said:
You might want to change the heatsink to something better. I have heard the Scythe is not really a good manufacturer. I might have heard it wrong, but personally I would go with Zalman or Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
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On the contrary, I've heard great things about Scythe Ninja heatsinks. I also planned on picking up a $15 120mm fan at futureshop to put on the Ninja.

Changed the case to the Nine Hundred. With this case, I probably wouldn't even need a heatsink. :P However I like to play on the safe-side.

Also swapped the mobo for a:

Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L ATX LGA775 P31 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard: $95

Better?

Also, please note question #4 in my first post, I'm gathering several opinions on said question as it is the only thing that I'm 'really' concernced about.

Incase you were wondering, with the most recent changes made, the price comes to approx $1488 CAD.
 
Share_The_Pain said:
On the contrary, I've heard great things about Scythe Ninja heatsinks. I also planned on picking up a $15 120mm fan at futureshop to put on the Ninja.

Changed the case to the Nine Hundred. With this case, I probably wouldn't even need a heatsink. :P However I like to play on the safe-side.

Also swapped the mobo for a:

Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L ATX LGA775 P31 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard: $95

Better?

Also, please note question #4 in my first post, I'm gathering several opinions on said question as it is the only thing that I'm 'really' concernced about.

Incase you were wondering, with the most recent changes made, the price comes to approx $1488 CAD.
Click to expand...

Everything is good if you get the motherboard...

AMD WAS good, Intel has the lead now.
 
oscaryu1 said:
Everything is good if you get the motherboard...

AMD WAS good, Intel has the lead now.
Click to expand...
I suppose reading 2 & 1/2 year old opinions isn't that great of an idea, I just noted the date on those threads. :rolleyes:

I'll be sending the system specs to an apparent 'expert' friend of my mother tonight, and hopefully he will give me some good news about it tomorrow. (I'd like to think I know exactly what I'm getting here, but I'm an idiot, so I don't.) :)

I would still be greatful for more opinions on the subject, although I do appreciate the help already given, the more the merrier.

Cheers.
 
Also I might upgrade that LG Optical Drive to SATA just because you will see increased performance.
Also your RAM is at 667mhz, I would highly reccommend that you go with 800mhz DDR2
Im pretty sure you will see faster speed.
 
Motherboard, get the GA-P35-DS3L.
And may be a good idea to get a 64bit OS as you may upgrade more RAM in furture
By the way, directcanada seems cheaper, worth to have a look.
 
Share_The_Pain said:
What's the difference between the P31 and the P35?

I'll look at directcanada a bit later today aswell.
Click to expand...

P31-DS3L - 4GB support RAM max.

P35-DS3L - 8GB RAM support max.


Not really big difference... but the price, yup. I'd get the 4GB one. You'd only need 4GB for the next few years...
 
oscaryu1 said:
P31-DS3L - 4GB support RAM max.

P35-DS3L - 8GB RAM support max.


Not really big difference... but the price, yup. I'd get the 4GB one. You'd only need 4GB for the next few years...
Click to expand...

Ah thanks, but yeah, the P31 will do fine. No need to spend that extra money for RAM space that I'll never fill.
 
Share_The_Pain said:
Ah thanks, but yeah, the P31 will do fine. No need to spend that extra money for RAM space that I'll never fill.
Click to expand...

Well next year or so you might need 4GB, but sooner or later, you'll need an new rig altogether, so why spend more on something your not going to need? :D P31's an good choice.
 
honestly i would wait until you've read up on building a PC a little more, if you were about to order an AMD mobo with an intel chip... things are more than likely going to go sour during installation. either hold off until you are a little more confident building it, or have someone who knows PCs there when you do it
 
DirtyD86 said:
honestly i would wait until you've read up on building a PC a little more, if you were about to order an AMD mobo with an intel chip... things are more than likely going to go sour during installation. either hold off until you are a little more confident building it, or have someone who knows PCs there when you do it
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That is why I'm here; I'm checking with other people to fill in/fix any problems that may arise from my lack of knowledge.

I've been told that XP Home doesn't recognize dual core processors, yet I've also heard that it will with SP2. Can anyone confirm either of these?
 
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