New Build...Need Help

[MiPilot]

Hi Guys and Gals,

I am intrigued by the idea of building a computer but have never done so. I intend to use it for moderate gaming and daily office, web, and cad design. Reliability and ease of assembly/start up is a must.

Here is what I was thinking:

EVGA 122-CK-NF63-TR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813188019

EVGA 256-P2-N761-AR GeForce 8600GTS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130084

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115003

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-8500C5 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145033

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148140

ATI 100-715331 PCI Interface TV Wonder 650 - High Definition Personal Video Recorder for PC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815294001

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823126179

Logitech G7 Black 6 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB RF Wireless Laser Mouse - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16826104203

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106072

Antec Sonata II Mid Tower Case w/450 watt smartpower 2,0
http://shop3.outpost.com/product/4470276?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Will probably go with Windows XP Media for OS.

I want to reuse my 17” Dell LCD and upgrade to a 24” widescreen later.

How is the onboard audio…..should I look into a sound card instead? I am going to reuse my Altec Lansing ADA 995 5.1 THX speakers.

OPTION #2

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6420 - Retail


Any places to save money (overkill), problem areas, or missed items?

Thanks for any and all responses,

Steve

 

[mtotho]

OK. First you may need a more powerful psu.
You can save money on a cheaper motherboard, i dont think u need to spend that much.
For the same price or maybe just a few bucks more you could get a 500gb hardrive.
I reccomend Razer Diamondback mouse for gaming and for everyday use.
I would get PATA/ide not serial ata dvd drive, u can save 20 bucks and it is comparable quality.
Good cheap psu case combo, again you may need more power, some gpus use more than 300 watts, add in all that other stuff and your getting close, idk see what other people say.
I have e6600 and 2x1gb corsair and i am very pleased.

When i built my desktop a year ago, i got the asus p5w dh deluxe which cost more than yours, the onboard sound quality was fine...up until it stopped working a few months later, i coulnd not fix it. I purchased a creative soundblaster card for about 50 bucks... the sound quality wasnt noticeably better but it seems more stable. You could always upgrade sound later, allocate all you money to the basics, forget the flashy stuff for now.

I have a 19" screen that i am very pleased with. My laptop has a 14" screen i am very pleaseed with. My tv has a 32" screen i am very pleased with. My point is that you dont notice the difference in size in a monitor, especially after you have been using it for a while. I switch back and forth all the time, dont put yourself out for a 24"er. If anything go 19" cause there numerous and cheap. Make sure if your getting a screen that it is widescreen lcd dvi.

Whatever mouse you get, get wired, same for you keyboard. Your desktop isnt going anywhere.

 

[superman22x]

Don't get XP, everyone is used to it, but things are going to slowly change to vista, maybe its not the best now(I love it) but it will be better soon, for one, you are getting a DX10 card for no reason if you are getting XP, because DX10 just isnt for XP. So get Vista Home Premium.

 

[mtotho]

I personally prefer XP way more that Vista for speed and ease of use. I know there are new things coming out for vista but that is why i have dual-boot xp and vista. He is trying to save money and right now vista is not necessary to spend that much more. Maybe after he has bought his computer and he is getting more money he can purchase vista and run dual boot. How much does xp cost now a days? I am sure he can find it for like 50 bucks.
That card is fine for xp. Just because Vista hogs more of it doesnt mean its going towards a better purpose. Also in the specs of that card it said a minimum of 350 watts, im sure u could upgrade to 600 watts for not much more money.
What is your budget anyway?

 

[MiPilot]

Thanks for the advice so far.....I am looking into getting a different case and separate PSU.

Any case suggestions....my office is in a finished section of a pole building and we seem to be always fighting the dust. Maybe filters would be fine.

I was going to go for Vista Premium but thought I would hold off a little longer for bug fixes. If this is a non issue I will get it right away.

Next dumb question ..... I assume that all items will come with the required cables and mounting hardware.

BTW Budget is fixed at $1400.00

Thanks, Steve

 

[Celegorm]

I love the motherboard, don't change it. Go with the video card from option 2, and the processor from option one.

On board sound will be good for 5.1 on your current motherboard. I have it running 5.1 and it works flawlessly.

Vista really isn't that buggy. It's all driver issues which are being hammered out relitivly quickly now. Based on that, I would have vista now if I could afford it.

 

[mtotho]

A lot of your needed cables (sata, ide, etc) come with the motherboard. Power cables are attached to psu(obviously). Like i said, im not even going to voice my own opinion about vista anymore, the fact is your on a budget and you will be way happier to spend your money on stuff that counts(hardware), not software. Vista is 100-200 dollars, thats a better processor or gpu right there. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817162014 this power supply is more powerful and is in your budget. Read the reviews to make sure nothing is wrong and dont take into consideration one skeptical person; Although that one got good reviews.
I am very happy with my antec p180 case.. but that is a little out of your budget. This case on the other hand is only 50 bucks http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
it has the best reviews of any case and it looks pretty sweet.
Back to the operating system, if you eventually do get vista, i hear you need at least the 200 dollars home premium, never get basic. I reccomend searching on other sites for xp pro. Im not condoning this but you could always...Download them.

 

[freestyler105]

@ mtotho - that's not a very good PSU, especially for a higher end video card. Watts aren't everything.

If you want a high quality PSU with room for upgrades, look at something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256008

 

[mtotho]

Yea i suppose that is a solid Psu. I consider myself very knowledgeable about computers but my worst area is Electricity, Wattage, Volts, Amperage, and so on.

 

[freestyler105]

Yea i suppose that is a solid Psu. I consider myself very knowledgeable about computers but my worst area is Electricity, Wattage, Volts, Amperage, and so on.

It's actually much better. The main rail on the PSU where power is drawn from is the +12V rail. So obviously, you want as many amps there as you can get. Even though that PSU has 620 watts, it only has 24A on the +12V rail.

The Silverstone PSU has 2 +12V rails, each with 18A. That's a pretty big difference, and you'll see the difference in stability.