First Time Build :O

[DirtyPolo]

Hey guys, my usual site for this kind of help is having problems so I've looked around these forums and you seem to give alot better help so here I am! :D

 

I'm looking to build a PC for the first time, I have a list of my current specs, that I have found and want but I just need someone to look over it finally to tell me of any problems or such I might have.

 

CASE: Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. 420 Watts Case (S Type Black Color with Side-Panel 250mm UV LED Fan) £36.20

ALTERNATIVE CASE: Coolermaster CM690 Dominator Black Nvidia Livery Mid Tower Case With Side Window £68.08

ALTERNATIVE CASE 2: Antec Three Hundred £29.85

CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400, Wolfdale , S775, @ 3.0 GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB Cache, 9x Multiplier £109.62

CD: LiteOn LH-20A1L-14C 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD + RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA, Retail, Lightscribe £15.59

CD 2: LiteOn LH-20A1L-14C 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD + RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, SATA, Retail, Lightscribe £15.59

FAN: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - P4 up to 4.4GHz - S775 Dual/Quad Core Ready £12.39

HDD: 500 GB Seagate ST3500320AS Barracuda 7200.11, SATA 300, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.5 ms, NCQ £35.89

MOTHERBOARD: XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard £139.67

MEMORY: 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-18 £42.64

POWERSUPPLY: Hiper HPU-4M730 Type-M 730W Quad Rail SLI ATX V2.2 PSU £65.00

GPU: Zotac 8800GT 512MB AMP Edition, DVI, PCI-E, TV out Graphics Card £103.03

GPU 2: Zotac 8800GT 512MB AMP Edition, DVI, PCI-E, TV out Graphics Card £103.03

NETWORK CARD: Netgear GA311GE Gigabit PCI Network Card (10/100/1000 Ethernet) £13.09

 

Those are the pieces I have in mind and the prices that I found them for cheapest lol

 

I hear that there maybe a more suitable Mobo? for a cheaper price?

I'm not looking to OC just yet as 3.0 will suit me for now, but I may do in the future, and I would prefer an SLI capable system because the Second GPU might not be needed or bought for some time afterwards.

 

Thanks for any advice or tips you can give me in advanced XD :)

 

p.s I am a great fan of the Cooler Master 690 nVidia case :P

Edited October 5, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Hello Polo

 

Welcome to FPCH

 

Our resident Component specialist will be online in a while and will offer his advice regarding these items, please bear with us until then.

 

Thank you.

[DirtyPolo]

Thanks :D I don't mind waiting lol, I've got all the time it takes for me to save up to afford this rig :D

[Guest Wolfeymole]

I'd reconsider on the optical drives though as I don't rate Lite On and would rather go with LG.

 

I'll leave the rest to Dalo Harkin.

[DirtyPolo]

Okay thanks :P

I had originally gone for Sony but then when I saw the overall price, I changed them in a desperate effort to bring the price down as much as possible :D

[Dalo Harkin]

Hi,

 

First off go for the Antec case - they are much roomier and provide much better cooling.

Get another MOBO, the one that you have selected is expensive and not any better than others.

SLI is a waste of time spend the money on a single GPU, that performs much better and costs around the same as an SLI setup.

Go the QUAD CPU route as they cost the same and they are more futureproof than dual, and if you wanted they can be OC'ed better.

I have added a link to a previous thread http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/pc-building-and-hardware-reviews/3957-building-new-computer-need-advice.html to expalin in more detail the past 'issues' with some setups.

[DirtyPolo]

Okay thanks, I've actually read that thread before I registered lol ;)

Could you suggest another mobo that would be fine for the setup? I have tried looking around but almost every person has a different view as to which is best, get's kind of confusing :P

Yeah I wasn't sure about the dual GPU so I'm guessing a single 8800GT will be perfectly fine on it's own. Also, would it be any use preparing for SLI? like, creating a system that could take it if ever needed? or would crossfire be of more use in the future?

 

As for the processor, I'm not a big fan of Quad core, could you recommend one to me? I've looked at your Q6600 in your sig but its only 2.4 (I know it can be OC'd easier) and its more expensive than the E8400 I had chosen originally :S

Am I missing something? I know it will proof the system for future developments etc but is that the only pro?

Sorry if I'm missing the point :P

I haven't built any of my own before so I haven't had to take an interest in the parts, I just get given them to put together XD

 

Also I would mainly be using the PC for gaming, and programming as I intend to take it to university :P

 

Thanks.

Edited October 6, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[Dalo Harkin]

Asus MOBO's are reknowned for being excellent and very good at compatibility.

You can OC a Q6600 to 3.3GHz on Air per core!

I would not really recommend getting a system that can utilise SLI or Crossfire as when the time comes to add another card there will be a cheaper and better single solution available!

[DirtyPolo]

Okay, thanks for the advice, I originally looked at an Asus Mobo but the one that I was interested in I read that they had a lot of problems connected to them and the E8400 that I was looking for aswell.

I know there is a giant debate over the Q6600 or the E8400 but ti seems they are quite evently matched.

I'm guessing the general idea is that the E8400 is the choice if you want to mainly game and the quad if you want to do multitasking such as video editing etc.

 

Would you still recommend Quad for everday tasks and for gaming?

I'm just a bit wary of moving onto a quad because I haven't reserahced much into them

[Dalo Harkin]

well if you look at it in this way

an E8400 runs at 3.0GHz per core so effectively 6.0GHz chip

an E6600 runs at 2.4GHz (stock) so thats 9.6GHz stock

this is purely processing power though.

At the end of the day they are making games now and preparing games for Quad - so they are the way forward in my opinion.

 

Have a read up on Quads and let me know what you think :)

[DirtyPolo]

How easy/hard is it to OC the Q6600 to 3.6? or how high can it safely be OC'd using just air?

If it is pretty easy then I guess you have won me over :P because I do see the potential in using Quads, the only doubt I had would be the performance when gaming, and the extra heat that is generated.

I know the gaming performance is also down to the GPU, so would the Q6600 OC'd work well with the 8800GT? or should I consider changing that too?

I'll take a look at some Asus Mobo's too, seeing as you think I shouldn't look for SLI or crossfire that's widened my choices :P

Thanks, I'll get looking :D

 

EDIT:

 

What about the Gigabyte GA P35-DS3P? with the Q6600 and single 8800GT? :P

Edited October 6, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[DirtyPolo]

Also, I see you advised the Antec Three Hundred over the Cooler Master, may I ask why?

Because the Antec only allows 4 fans at most? where as the Cooler Master has room for 7 120mm Fans or 3 x 120mm and 4 x 140mm fans :P

I know its about double the price, but i don't mind about that, I thought 7 fans would make a better airflow than 4? Plus because it is big enough for an 8800GTX SLI config if needed :]

[Dalo Harkin]

It is very very easy to OC the Q6600 - I would not recommend more than 3.3GHz per core though just on air. (you will need a heatsink like the freezer 7 pro though or the Thermalright 120 Xtreme as a minimum)

If I were you and was looking at the 8800 range have a look at the ATI 4870 range or the 4850 they are extremely good - if you could afford to spend a little more then the 4870x2 (not to be confused with Crossfire as the 4870x2 is 2 GPU's on one card)

as for the case - too many fans create negative pressure in the case and you need airflow to the right places and extraction of air too which the Antec range do particularly well - again depending on your budget you could look at the twelve hundred Antec case (but be prepared, its not cheap )

[DirtyPolo]

Ive looked at the ATI cards but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment, as I could get a 8800GT for less than £100. I'm trying to keep the overall cost below £650. Would these ATI's out-perform the 8800GT?

Would it be easier and cheaper to just get the 8800GTX instead of looking at the ATI's?

 

As for cases, I prefer the Antec Nine Hundred to the Three Hundred but still like the Cooler Master. Would I be at a major disadvantage if I went for the Cooler Master as opposed to the Antec?

[DirtyPolo]

I'll give in to the ways of Antec I believe :P As I do like the twelve hundred case. Would the Nine Hundred be okay for this system? Or should I pay the extra for the Twelve Hundred?

 

Would the Gigabyte GA-EP31-DS3L work in that case along with the Q6600 OC'd?

[DirtyPolo]

One thing i just found out, (which kind of cancels out my last post and sorry for the triple posting but I passed the time limit to edit these >_<), is that the Cool Master 690 was picked as the preferred choice bwteen itself and the Antec Nine Hundred by HEXUS.net reviewers when it was reviewed as in the thermal tests it came out with results not dis-similar to the Antec's.

And because I believe the only Antec case I actually like is the Twelve Hundred, it would make more sense to stick with the Cooler Master for the cheaper price.

 

So I'll stick with the Cooler Master case, but I'll go along with the Q6600 and the Gigabyte Mobo if you think it will be fine and possibly stick with the 8800GT as ATI's alternatives are too expensive for my budget at the moment, if you think that the parts will work well together?

Edited October 7, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[Dalo Harkin]

The parts will work together but with the Q6600 I would go for 1066RAM like the OCZ reaper 8500 its about £40 for 2GB -

as for the case - the twelve hundred is a case that you can keep for a very long time - its massive and has lots of good cooling.

you can go for the Coolermaster but I hate them with a passion - they are ugly, cumbersome and heavy.

The Q6600 and the Gigabyte will be fine together.

The 8800GT is a great card - BUT it does all depend on the size of your monitor - if you are not going beyond 1680x1050 and have the AA and AF turned off or set to low then the 8800GT will be fine -

You do also have to consider though that for an extra £100 you could get a 260GTX or a 4870

[DirtyPolo]

Okay I've chnaged the RAM to the 2GB OCZ.

And as for the case, it's between the Antec Nine Hundred or the Cooler Master which I'll decide later.

 

The problem with the GPU is that I will not exceed that resolution as far as I know, and I am on a budget of about £650 for everything except for Monitor, and so adding an extra £100 for a better GPU would be very good but I cannot afford it at the moment, as my total has already exceeded £600.

 

I appreciate all the help you are giving me, it has helped me learn a lot so far :P I apologise for being a bit of a fussy person :D

 

These are the specs I have got as of now:

 

Case: Antec 900 - £68.16 OR Cooler Master NV 690 - £79.99

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 - £118.66

CPU Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - £12.39

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R - £79.65

RAM: OCZ reaper (2 x 1GB) 1066MHZ PC2 8500 - £44.42

PSU: Hiper HPU-4M630 Type M 630W - £54.64

GPU: 512 Asus 8800GT-TOP PCI-E 2.0 Mem 2000MHz, GDDR3, GPU 700MHz - £117.37 OR 512MB Sapphire HD4850, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), 1986MHz GDDR3, GPU 625MHz, 800 Cores, 2x DL DVI-I/ HDTV - £118.32

 

And allowing about £100 for things like, speakers, mouse/keyboard, HDD, and Optical Drives

Edited October 8, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[Dalo Harkin]

That looks fine to me :D

[DirtyPolo]

With both cases, should I fill every fan space avaliable? XD Or stick with the standard amount that get shipped with them?

And which of those 2 GPU's would you put forward as the best?

 

Thanks for all the help :D

 

Edit:

Taking a look at the cases, the Cooler Master is bigger than the Antec 900 by almost 3cm all ways. I'm still undecisive about which case though :P Seems to be the hardest decison of this whole build Haha :D

 

wonder if anyone can throw any light on the situation? :P I know Halo's views about the Cooler Master lol ;)

Edited October 8, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[DirtyPolo]

Suprisingly enough I've changed my mind once again :P

 

I've finally decided on my case to be the Cooler Master HAF 932 because it looks great and it's a full tower so everything will fit and its ready for upgraded parts int he future and it performs well in keeping temperatures down :P

 

The only decision to make now is the GPU XD

[Dalo Harkin]

As for the GPU I would opt for the 4850 over the 8800 any day

 

As for the case and the fans - As I hate the coolermaster cases so much and would rather pull my own arms off than buy one make sure that their are fans at the top (extracting) at the back of the case preferably 2 (extracting)

and 2 at the front panel (blowing through) the reason I say this is that all the heat builds at the top and back of the case and NEEDS to be extracted that way (something that the Antec cases do extremely well )

[DirtyPolo]

Lol okay, well I'm not sure if you've had a look at the HAF 932 but it has a 230mm fan extracting at the top, which can be replaced with 3 x 120mm if needed and room for a radiator/cooler if water cooling is an option,

The rear extracting fan is a 140mm and the side fan can either be 4 x 120mm or 1 x 230 mm(supplied) and it also has another 230mm fan at the front drawing cooler air in and room for 2 more 120mm fans along the bottom if you need :P

 

It seems like quite a superior case comepared to the other coolermasters, the 690 was the only other one I liked but this is a MUST HAVE for myself :P I spotted it last night on the CM website and HAD to find the reviews about it which all agreed with me that it is an amazing case :P Maybe it might change your view of Cooler Masters? ;) Haha maybe not :)

 

As for GPU's, I'll go with the 4850 I think, can you recommend any specific one with a budget of about £120?

Edited October 9, 2008 by DirtyPolo

[Dalo Harkin]

Maybe it might change your view of Cooler Masters? ;) Haha maybe not :)

 

As for GPU's, I'll go with the 4850 I think, can you recommend any specific one with a budget of about £120?

 

I doubt it for the coolermaster

and as for the 4850 - just go for the cheapest one that you can find as they are all the same reference board and companies just OC them a bit - which you can do yourself if needed with the ATI tool ;)

found this at ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB - Dino PC Ltd £106 :eek:

[DirtyPolo]

Thanks :P

Will the Arctic Freezer 7 Pro still be fine in this setup?

And is that Hiper 670W PSU fine or is there a cheaper more suitable alternative?

 

a few last questions,

What fan setup would be best for this case? Here's the options:

 

Front : 230x30mm red LED fan x 1, 700 R.P.M, 19 dBA

Side: 230x30mm standard fan x 1, 700rpm, 19dBA OR 120mm fan x 4

Top: 230x30mm standard fan x 1, 700 R.P.M, 19dBA OR 120mm fan x 3 OR 120mm x 1 + 230x30mm x 1

Rear: 140x25mm standard fan x 1, 1200 R.P.M, 17dBA OR 140mm fan

 

Also if I should include any 120mm fans, where's the best place to buy them from? preferably with red LEDs depending where in the case they go :P

 

I think i'm very near to ordering it all :P I might order the case soon as it's quite new and I want to get a deal before the price rises or stocks die out :D

 

ALSO:

22-102 - SLI Gaming PC - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, 9800GT, 22" - Dino PC Ltd

 

This kind of caught my eye as it is almost the same spec except for 4GB RAM and different GPU, case and Mobo, but including amonitor for about the full price I am looking at :P

 

I still prefer my spec though :D

Edited October 9, 2008 by DirtyPolo