First PC: Parts Suggestions

[Redundant]

This will be my first custom PC and would like some suggestions in the parts I have chosen.

Here are the links:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 755 Processor:up: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003)

Not sure which is better:

eVGA 7900GTO 512MB 256-Bit GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130065)
or
eVGA 7950GT KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130061)

Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590)

eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 755 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX MoBo:up: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188009)

Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 320GB 16MB Cache SATA II Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140)

Enermax Liberty 500watt Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817194003)

Samsung Black 18x DVD+/-R Burner with Lightscribe (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827151136)

Not sure about this but I do want a 20" Wide LCD:

DELL 2007WFP Wide LCD (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4688)
^Seems many people have serious problems with banding.

I already have a CM Centurion 5 case (without window)

I welcome any suggestions but I am pretty much settled with the Processor, MoBo, and Hard Drive.

BTW, should I get a video card and monitor with HDCP capabilities?

[Zephik]

Well.... I would say that this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130061) is best because it consumes 50 watts less power both in sli and non sli setups. But the other one does have a higher core clock... Then if you look at the one I picked, it has a higher memory clock. I don't think that is as important as the core clock though... So I would say if you are concerned about power and space then go with the one I picked. If you have power and space, go with the other one.

As for the mobo you listed... to me it seems okay but over priced. That might be just me, I think I tend to over look things sometimes... It's quad ready, but for your average gamer I really don't think its necessary. If you have looked it over from top to bottom and still think its worth what your going to pay, then go for it. Btw, this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131025) is the mobo I am looking at and I think it is pretty fantastic for just about everything you could need a good mobo for.

With the PSU, if you are buying it for its modular cables, don't. All I have read is that the modular design for that PSU sucks. But it does have an active PFC which is good. I would say find a different PSU with modular cable design and with an active PFC. This one is just going to clutter your case like there is no tomorrow.

Everything else seems to be pretty solid. Should make a pretty great system with a little bit more research. imo.

-SnowFire

[jaxspades]

Why not get an Nvidia GeForce 8800 for graphics?
It's about 100 more, for the lesser version of the two, but it would allow for DirectX 10 games and has better specs all around.

8800:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071

You can take a look and see what you think.

Plus, it is HDCP certified. If you want to run Vista, then you need a card and a monitor with HDCP capabilities.

If you don't care about DX10 or Vista, then the card SnowFire suggested is an excellent choice.

[sirkillalot617]

ye get a 8800 or buy a cheapo gpu somin like a 7600 until u have a enough money to get the 8800

[Redundant]

Well.... I would say that this one is best because it consumes 50 watts less power both in sli and non sli setups. But the other one does have a higher core clock... Then if you look at the one I picked, it has a higher memory clock. I don't think that is as important as the core clock though... So I would say if you are concerned about power and space then go with the one I picked. If you have power and space, go with the other one.
So which one is faster overall? I was thinking that the double slot one had better cooling. Yes, I have room in my case; I measured it. Do you think HDCP is important?:think:


As for the mobo you listed... to me it seems okay but over priced. That might be just me, I think I tend to over look things sometimes... It's quad ready, but for your average gamer I really don't think its necessary. If you have looked it over from top to bottom and still think its worth what your going to pay, then go for it. Btw, this is the mobo I am looking at and I think it is pretty fantastic for just about everything you could need a good mobo for.
Oddly, I had chosen that at first, but then changed it after seeing that I couldn't take out that wireless card. Having a separate card capable of wireless-N seems better to me. And, As you said, It will be quad-core capable and has a faster FSB so it will stay updated for a while.:banana:


Why not get an Nvidia GeForce 8800 for graphics?
It's about 100 more, for the lesser version of the two, but it would allow for DirectX 10 games and has better specs all around.
Actually its almost $200 dollars more and I would also have to pay an extra $100 for a high powered PSU also increasing power bill because it's such a power hungry card. Next year they will probably have a more efficient version out.

I don't care about DX10 currently because I don't know of any titles that I'm interested in. And why does Vista need an HDCP video card and LCD? Everyone that uses the Beta version seems not to have video problems. What are it's advantages?


If you don't care about DX10 or Vista, then the card SnowFire suggested is an excellent choice.
There on the box it says it's HDCP enabled.:think:


With the PSU, if you are buying it for its modular cables, don't. All I have read is that the modular design for that PSU sucks. But it does have an active PFC which is good. I would say find a different PSU with modular cable design and with an active PFC. This one is just going to clutter your case like there is no tomorrow.

Can you direct me to where it says it sucks? How can a modular PSU clutter a case with only necessary wiring attached???

I still need to know about that Dell monitor. Tons of people have had problems with color banding. Do you think they fixed it? It supposedly was something wrong with the DVI card inside the monitor.:?


I could've sworn I posted this in the Chatterbox. Damn. (Mods, if possible, please move this as it isn't in the right forum, sorry)

[Zephik]

So which one is faster overall?

The one with the higher core clock speed is the better one I would say.



Oddly, I had chosen that at first, but then changed it after seeing that I couldn't take out that wireless card. Having a separate card capable of wireless-N seems better to me. And, As you said, It will be quad-core capable and has a faster FSB so it will stay updated for a while.

Wireless-N sounds pretty rockin when I researched it last. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that you have to have a Wireless-N router as well. My Wireless-G is many times faster than Dial-Up so I am okay with what I have now compared to forking up 200+ bucks. ...now if I could only get that Netgear 240 router working!



Actually its almost $200 dollars more and I would also have to pay an extra $100 for a high powered PSU. Next year they will probably have a more efficient version out.

I don't care about DX10 currently because I don't know of any titles that I'm interested in.

Those are my thoughts. Then again, I would never fork up more than $200USD for a video card. I have poor vision so the screen is all blurry anyways, which in a way kind of makes it all look nice and smooth lol.



Can you direct me to where it says it sucks? How can a modular PSU clutter a case with only necessary wiring attached???

Read the reviews that have the most people agreeing with what the review said. There are a few of them and they all mentioned a negative with the modular design of the PSU.

-SnowFire

[Redundant]

Read the reviews that have the most people agreeing with what the review said. There are a few of them and they all mentioned a negative with the modular design of the PSU.

Ok, so I saw the bad reviews and will probably pick this one instead:

CORSAIR HX520w ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817139001&CMP=BAC-HardOCPGuide0406&ATT=CorsairPSU)

Hows the modular cabling design on that one? I'm pretty sure this one will run the 8800 GPU's too. It also has higher efficiency. It looks like I'll only need 3 or 4 of the cables...


About the video card/monitor, from what I can tell both the 7950GT and the Dell 2007WFP can run HDCP content, right?

In the reviews it says that the memory may fail in the 7900GTO's. This pretty much is steering me away from these. It's really only the cooler that I liked anyway.:p

Well thats two better choices: a more efficient PSU and a lower wattage Graphics card.


UPDATED LIST:



Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 755 Processor:up: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003)

eVGA 7950GT KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130061)

Corsair XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145590)

eVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 755 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX MoBo:up: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188009)

Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 320GB 16MB Cache SATA II Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140)

CORSAIR HX520w ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817139001&CMP=BAC-HardOCPGuide0406&ATT=CorsairPSU)

Samsung Black 18x DVD+/-R Burner with Lightscribe (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827151136)


Not sure about this but I do want a 20" Wide LCD:

DELL 2007WFP Wide LCD (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-4688)
^Seems many people have serious problems with banding.

I already have a CM Centurion 5 case (without window)


*What do you think about this monitor? Do you suspect I will have banding problems like people have had in the past? Anybody?*

[chedabob]

For a monitor, id say sacrifice an inch, and get the Asus AL1916W. Its an awesome LCD. I paid £180 for it back in January. Its only got a vga input (although there is another model that has DVI), but its got 8ms response, 1440x900 resolution, and it performs great. Not had a single problem with it.

[Redundant]

No, I really want that extra inch of screen real estate :D
A 20" has 1,764,000 pixels while a 19" has 1,296,000 pixels.
Also, the Dell one is HDCP compliant and has a plethora of connections. If you can find one that also has these features, I would gladly look at it. ;)

[Silenced_Coyote]

Here is one Dell review. (http://www.pureoverclock.com/article637.html) It talks about the banding issue.

Also, I would stick with the EVGA board. It is great for overclocking and stable too. I personally think it is way better than the Asus board that was recommended by someone else. Even if you aren't into overclocking, the EVGA board will keep your upgrade path open better than the Asus one. Who knows, you might win the lotto and upgrade to 8800GTX's in SLI with a 3rd for physics processing. ;)

A good review of the Corsair PSU if you are unsure of it (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article692-page1.html).

[Redundant]

OK, so I've kind of run into a problem: I won't have as much money to spend as I thought I did. It sucks, I know...:down:
While I still want a computer that can run XP fast, I have to change some parts to get the total down. I think the best choices to change would be the LCD, video card, and RAM.

I still want a 20" monitor but am I going to forget the whole HDCP thing and go with a regular 20" LCD. This one looks good (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014105).

Instead of 2GB or RAM, I'll get 1GB. Which one of these do you think is better? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCompare.asp?Category=17&Brand=1666&N=2000170147+50001666+1052108080+1052416064+105230 7858&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&Subcategory=147&CompareItemList=N82E16820145153%2CN82E16820145588) The one with the LEDs has a better heatsink but do you think it's worth 17 bucks? Also, do you think they'll have the same RAM in 6 months so I can upgrade to 2GB in dual channel?

For a video card, this 7600GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049) is a great deal with the rebate. As I don't have any games that won't work on that, it will be good enough until I get a good one in a year or so...

Silenced_Coyote, thanks for those two reviews; they were both helpful.

[simon275]

Get the normal ram no the blingy stuff.

Yes in price to performance ratio the 7600gt is pretty good.