# First Time Computer Builder Needs Help



## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

Well as it is posted this is my first time building my own computer. I need to do some checks on the build before I go ahead and buy the parts. I got a little help with internet resources but I wasn't sure how reliable they were. This is what I think I want it to look like. It is going to be used for hardcore gaming and other general things. Be as blunt as possible... a good list would be nice .

Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1215768&sku=ULT31824

Processor/Motherboard/Memory
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...details.asp?EdpNo=3918489&sku=MCM-680I-Q6600A

Power Supply
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3622549&sku=A406-1086

Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3622549&sku=A406-1086

Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3255389&sku=TSD-250AS7

DvD Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3205935&sku=L12-1051

Fans
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3478786&sku=ULT40144

Notes: Im not sure what else i need... maybe more fans. Im kind of on a budget kind of not. If I have more than necessary please tell me. Im running Windows Vista Home Premium on it. So please any help is wanted.

Thank you


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

I would seriously take a look at the motherboard selection as there are many reports that the 680i chipset has some difficulties. In addition, rumors (and they are only that at this time) say that Nvidia may go out of the chipset business, so you might want to read those comments as well before putting down your cold hard cash. I simply would not go that direction if it were my build.

The second comment, is that your power supply is not the highest quality in the world. I would consider one of the following brands for a quality power supply:

Seasonic – Any Model
Corsair – Any Model
PC Power & Cooling – Any Model
Thermaltake – “Toughpower” Series Only
Coolermaster – “Real Power Pro” Series Only
Silverstone – Any Model

Please also fix the link about the video card, since it does not work as a video card link. It is a repeat of the power supply link and the video card link would be helpful.


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## AquariusFX (Aug 14, 2008)

About saving money. I would recommend Newegg.com for your hardware need.
And if there's fry's electronic store in your area, I would recommend that too.


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

Ditto on the powersupply. Another thing with a good power supply
is to have at least one 8pin pci-e, and at least one 6pin pci-e connector.
If you plan on running sli, you should have 2 8 pin, and 2 six pin pci-e
connectors, the adapters some times just dont cut it.


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## ShosMeister (Jan 19, 2008)

Didn't have a chance to look at all the items in your list, but, I'd have to agree on the power supply. Take a look at this one. It's been recommended by a few people on here to me and, with all of the discounts, it's not much more than your choice - PLUS, it's an energy efficient model.

Your link for the video card links to your power supply so need to fix that and didn't see anything on CPU.


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

Alright ill have to look into that as well... But what about cooling. I have 2 120MM case fans but idk if i need to get a cpu fan or chipset fan too... any help with that?


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

ok well... im looking to spend im staying around the $1400 area... thats my goal... i got spare cash from my old lappy dell inspiron 1501 lol

Ok hear is the video card 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3990171&sku=E145-9822

Here is the new Power Supply im looking at...
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3436149&sku=C13-2501

New Mother Board
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...details.asp?EdpNo=3535339&sku=MBM-E7150-Q6600

New RAM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3228139&CatId=2261

Thank you again... i think these are much better


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## ShosMeister (Jan 19, 2008)

It says that power supply is no longer available. Besides, I would suspect that one of the regular guys will jump in and tell you the need for a bigger one anyway (700W probably based on your config - that's my guess).


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For a 9800gtx+ miniunm 650w this is $5 more with a $20 rebate than a Corsair 650 right now and will support some future upgrades.
http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cmpsu-750tx~7CSMC05E.htm


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Another thing if this is your first build I would stay from oem products as they don't come with accessories needed to assemble the unit cables, back plate etc.


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

Alright this is really helpful... here is what it looks like as of right now

Whole thing

http://www.tigerdirect.com/cgi-bin/ShoppingCart.asp?prchbcart=y&msg=&q=

with this power supply

http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cm...x~7CSMC05E.htm

and i will ask one more time... Do i need any more fans of any type... i have the 2 120mm fan slots filled but other than that idk what else i might need

If there are any other things you think i should add/change please inform me... this has been very helpful


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## ShosMeister (Jan 19, 2008)

I'll let the other really smart guys address your fan question. I think it's enough, but .....

The power supply you are getting is also at NewEgg for nearly the same cost and it comes with an 8GB flash drive - if it makes a difference.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

You can't post a link to a shopping cart as the rest of us can't view the cart.
Do you have a CPU fan on your list? 
Sata Cables?
XP or Vista?


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

ok sorry about that wrench... and no i dont have a cpu fan this is all of it

*Case*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1215768&sku=ULT31824

*Power Supply*
http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cm...x~7CSMC05E.htm

*Motherboard*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3523225&sku=E145-2034
*
Processor*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3591372&sku=CP2-DUO-Q6700

*Ram*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3228139&sku=C13-6082

*Hard Drive*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2203982&sku=TSD-750AS

*Video Card*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3990171&sku=E145-9822

*DvD Drive*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3205935&sku=L12-1051

*Case Fans*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3478786&sku=ULT40144

*Speaker/Mouse/Keyboard (nothing special here... i dont worry about sound too much... im limited on speaker space)*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2597920&sku=A68-1156

*OS*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3746812&sku=M17-7414 SP1

*Other Software (just some bare minimums)*
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3119076&sku=M17-2626

That is everything

Another question is what video cards are tri-sli enabled... i dont have the power supply for it... but i was just wondering


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Before you go for the 780 board check out this article and google for others.
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/31/nvidia-790i-board-pulled-makers

I don't remember seeing benchmarks for the Q6700 but the E8400 beats the Q6600 at stock speeds in all I've seen unless you using photoshop or cad rendering programs there aren't any games that use 4 cores they will run on two of them .

For pc 6400 ram you want to look for 4-4-4-12 timings use the Crucial or Corsair configurer to find the part numbers then google search for the best price.


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## davers (Aug 14, 2008)

I've heard REALLY good things about the EVGA 750i FTW motherboard. Heres the link: Clicky click 

Be sure to watch the video. I've also heard good things about the Q6700 chipset. Personally, I would go with the 750i mated to the E8400 to save a few bucks to maybe sink into a slightly better video card. Maybe the EVGA 896-P3-1260-AR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 you can find at NewEgg for $279 by clicking here:
Clicky click 

I do like your case...I came REALLY close to getting that one! I finally decided on the Antec 1200 because of the crazy amount of case fans you get! See a good youtube build with the Antec here: Clicky click If I remember correctly, he used the E8400 cpu mated to the evga 750i motherboard. The guy who did the build has quite a few excellent videos outlining what he did and how.

Good luck on your build!!!

Dave


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## sharee511 (Aug 10, 2008)

Davers: That Youtube video guy is amazing. I love what he did with those cables. I wish I knew how to do that as my Corsair 750 cables are jammed in my Antec 900 so I can barley get to anything. Good video.

Sherri


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

The cables are routed behind the mobo. I just did the same thing
with the 1200 antec case. What I dont like about the case is that
the psu is at the bottom of the case, and we all know heat rises.
Not my machine, but I did warn the guy about it, prior to the build.


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

Alright... i read the posts about nVidia maybe going out of the chipset buisness and many sources say there are problems with the nVidia mobos... so what if i went teh other way with and intel based MOBO?

And with that which of teh 2 possabilities is more reliable and which do you guys suggest... maybe even which is more Future-proof

ATI Crossfire or nVidia SLI

if i can decide between those i can switch up MOBOS and video cards


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

The King of the hill right now is ATI Crossfire. That is one reason I mentioned to you in my first post that you might want to reconsider the motherboard you had chosen. In addition, I also wanted you to look at something else as mentioned because of the rumors about the board and the troubles that some have had with this chipset.

To Throw a little more crossfire (gas on the fire) your way, my next build for personal usage will be one of the following boards. Both are great boards IMHO:

Asus P5Q Deluxe

/or/

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS4P


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## ShosMeister (Jan 19, 2008)

Check out the new 4870x2!


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

ok well ive taken that into account but i think im going to go with the nvidia... most of those appear to be rumors so here is my build again

Case
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1215768&sku=ULT31824

Processor
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3574211&sku=CP1-DUO-E8400

Motherboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3714950&sku=P450-9116

Ram
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3163026&sku=C13-7084

Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2928334&sku=TSD-250AAKS

Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3592056&sku=P450-8830

Power Supply
http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cm...x~7CSMC05E.htm

Case Fans (Cpu fan with processor)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3478786&sku=ULT40144

Wireless (what i will be using for a while)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2911658&sku=D700-5564

DvD Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3205935&sku=L12-1051

Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2597919&sku=A68-1154

OS
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3746770&sku=M17-7404 SP1

Other Software
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3119076&sku=M17-2626

I downgraded a few things to bring up others... pretty good price i think too

The OEM products (Hard Drive and Operating System) I couldnt find a NON-OEM hard drive and i went with the OEM OS to keep a lower price... why is OEM not recommended for first time builders?

Just tell me what else ill need to fix the OEM problems

With the OS i chose the 64-bit home basic... what is the advantage to that over the 32-bit. I think i have the right hardware to use the 64-bit but im not sure.

and of course if there is anything i should add in or change please tell me

thank you again


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

nevermind... ive been looking at mobo prices and i guess you were right... the intel based mobos are much more stable... and i can get it cheaper so my new mobo is gonna be

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3871479&CatId=3646


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

Well i think im gonna go with an intel board now... i just cant decide between

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3871479&CatId=3646

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3940040&CatId=2547

the ddr3 sounds nice... but i dont no

any suggestions tumbleweed?


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## manic (Aug 2, 2005)

Did a build with this board,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131300
Flawless, great board. Went with the asus wifi board first, was doa.
With both boards there may or may not be bios update issues. I didnt
have a issue with the evolution, using a 9450 quad core cpu. I wouldnt
normally post about this, but the board was really impressive.


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## ShosMeister (Jan 19, 2008)

I was at a toss-up with the DDR2/DDR3 thing as well. I compromised: I bought a board that handles both and put DDR2 in for now with the ability to upgrade to more/faster DDR3 when the price comes down a bit.

Just a thought.


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

DDR2 will do just fine. It is so much more reasonable in price and the data suggests that it is very similar in performance to DDR3. There are even some who say a good DDR2 ram outperforms DDR3, but that is kind of like the old Ford and Chevy argument and I don't want to go there. 

Both boards you are looking at are excellent, although my next build will most likely be the P5Q series, so wanted to mention my personal preference. I just find it hard to justify the cost of some of these board when you have a performer like the P5Q series around.


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## Slipperypete (Aug 15, 2008)

alright well everything is ready for my build but i still need to know one thing.

Will having an *OEM Operating System* and an *OEM Hard Drive* make building difficult?

i couldnt find a NON-OEM hard drive and teh OEM Operating System was much cheaper

here are the links and please help me with this last step

Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2928334&sku=TSD-250AAKS

Operating System
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3746812

if there is anything that i will need to add into my purchase to fix the problems please tell me

thank you


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## ShosMeister (Jan 19, 2008)

Shouldn't matter much on those two items as your case and/or motherboard should come with cables to connect the drive (IDE and SATA). I don't know what the difference is with the OS, but, as long as you get the CD and license code, you should be fine.


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