How-To Geek

Hey all,

I am getting close to purchasing my peripherals to build a new computer. I have never done this before and therefore have been going off of the advice of my brother. We found some good deals on Newegg.com. Here's what I have come up with so far:

CPU/Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

paired with

Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboardl

Video Card: EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600 GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card

Memory: OCZ Flex XLC 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

My one dilemma is that I would like a quiet case as this computer will be in the bedroom. I was thinking about his case:

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

Can someone tell me if all of this looks ok spec wise, ie. will they all work together well? Also, can i get a good recommendation for a sound card, dvd burner and hard drive?

Thanks for your help in advance!

i like antec cases, i ended up getting one. now i need to transfer everything over to it

I use the Antec (Fore Runner Generation) of this case for my builds.
These use to be Full Towers and Will Last Forever.
http://www.antec.com/usa/produ.....8;id=91561
http://www.antec.com/pdf/drawi.....rawing.pdf
They were also a bit cheaper than now.
Antec Comparison link.
http://www.antec.com/pdf/CaseComparison.pdf
Kindest Regards,
Rick P. ♥ :)

Thanks for all the help.

I am now looking at this video card to start:

SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

I will not be playing games very much (granted, if I have such a kick ass computer, I might have to start). But I am thinking that in the future I can use the Crossfire (by adding another video card) to support high resolution video, ie. Blueray playback.

Also, I do not plan on running Vista. I like XP and will stick with it. Seems like what a lot of people are doing.

One other question, should I buy thermal compound from Newegg? or do you think that the processor that I indicated above would come with thermal compound already.

Hey Rick,

Thanks for the considerations. I decided to wait on the case. I did purchase the Sapphire card. Being new at the computer building, what should I worry about with the video card and mother board working together? Will I not be able to utilize crossfire?

Thanks,

Jon

Jon, I like the new GPU -- that Radeon HD 3870 is a newer and more powerful chip than an old GeForce 8 series. It's unlikely that you will need CrossFireX right away. It's nice to know that the option is there should you find your games aren't giving a good framerate. There is no compatibility issue with the motherboard and the graphics adapter.

You talked about a quiet case, but if you will be overclocking, as mentioned by Budo, it's unlikely you will be able to keep the system quiet. Also, a system to be used for playing the latest and greatest games is unlikely to remain quiet either. A game will push all the components to produce more heat meaning you will need more cooling (in other words, fan noise) to keep them cool. There is a delicate balancing act between performance and noise.

Rick P., could you read the PCI-E Express 2.0 Spec for us and just give us the highlights? I think maybe you were talking about the motherboard which has a suspicious note in the specs at NewEgg that says "CrossFireX technology at x8 link". Does that mean when 2 ATI cards are connected in a CrossFireX config that they only run at x8 instead of x16? See the following article from Tom's Hardware Group for a clue:
http://www.tomshardware.com/re.....761-4.html

Rick,

Thanks for the considerations.

I believe that the P45 that I bought comes with an eSata adapter bracket.
I'm not worried about running crossfire at 8x. I am only buying one video card for now. But it is a nice feature to be able to add another and still run both at 8x.
Again, I'm not looking to play huge games or overclock. Therefore, I'm just looking to have a machine that was cheap and was also able to be upgraded in years to come.
I might in the future want to add BlueRay to the computer and create a media machine. Those are my considerations.

If I were to buy the Sonata III case where would I need the fan to go?

Thanks all

Jon, the Intel retail CPU box has a fansink in it. Typically, these have a thermal conductor material on the bottom that is ready to use. You just peel off a protective cover and install it. Since you are not overclocking or starting out with the hottest games, the Sonata case should be quiet enough for in the bedroom. There is a PSU fan and a rear exhaust fan included in the case. You can see those fans in the pictures at NewEgg. If the case has a place for another fan, you probably won't need it right away.

You asked for a sound card recommendation. The motherboard that you have picked out has HD Audio provided by a RealTek chip on board. This is good enough for starters -- it can do up to 7.1 surround sound and is a relatively small burden on the CPU. For a DVD burner, you might consider a special "quiet" version. Samsung makes a quiet DVD drive and probably others as well. Other than that, just make sure it's a respected brand name and DVD writers are quite inexpensive these days. For a hard drive, I would recommend a Seagate Barracuda. They are quiet(er) and have good reliability ratings. Western Digital are noisier, in my experience. I have no recent experience with Samsung, Hitachi, or Maxtor (which is now owned by Seagate).

Keep asking questions -- we are here to help. Just ignore anyone who is not being helpful.

Thanks for everyone's help. Here's what I ended up getting:

Intel C2D E8400 3.0
ASUS P5Q Pro P45
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1000
SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870
Seagate Barracuda 250GB
ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe
Antec Sonata III 500

I'll tell everyone how it turns out.

Very nice system and welcome to the Vista club.