First Build Ever $1000: Need Advice/Comments

J

jskagg

Weaksauce
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Dec 2, 2003
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Hey guys, I am building my first computer ever. I will be using it for school, work, and gaming (UT3). I currently have a 17" LCD that runs at 1280x1024. I need advice on the build. These are the parts I have in mind for the system:

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail ($60)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor ($284) or Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 ($187)

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L Core 2 Quad/ Intel P35/ DDR2-1066/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard ($98)

Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory ($66)

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply ($100)

Video Card: 8800gt 512mb when it comes out on Oct 29th (~$250)

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW S203B($30)

HD: Segate Barracude 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250gb ($70) Have a 300gb 2nd HD already.

Misc: arctic silver 5, ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler ($20)

I would like the price to be around $1000 total.

1) Motherboard suggestions? I don't need sli or advanced features but may want to try a simple overclock.
2) Quad core or e6750?
3) What else do I need?
4) Will the 520w psu be enough?
5) Do I need another heatsink like the artic silver 7?
6) Quieter case fans?
 
bump. Added in a motherboard selection for critiquing. Also does the g0 stepping on the e6750 and q6600 make a difference?
 
All E6750s are G0 stepping. So it doesn't matter there. It's a different story with the Q6600. the G0 stepping Q6600 runs cooler and therefore OC higher than the B3 stepping of the Q6600.

1) The DS3L is a good choice. If you don't need legacy ports, I recommend checking out the Abit IP35-E:
Abit IP35-E Intel P35 Motherboard - $86

2) Now, the big question, E6750 or Q6600? If you don't plan on upgrading to the new Penryn CPUs in a year or so and in fact not planning to upgrade the CPU at all for the next two years, I say Q6600. But if you do plan on upgrading after a year or so, then the E6750.

However also consider that right now, a quad-core CPU is only beneficial for media encoding, rendering, editing or processing. But in the future, more games will take advantage of quad core CPUs.

2) (Listed twice there, OP) For $5 more, you can get an extra 70GB:
Western Digital WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $75

3) Yes it should be enough

4) The AC7 Pro isn't good enough to OC the Q6600, even for an small OC. I recommend any of the following HSF instead:
Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3

5) For the price, these are the quietest case fans you can own:
120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12 Case Fan - $3.50

Though if you're willing to spend a little extra for longevity and silence:
Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14

Also, your optical drive link has a description for the GTS.
 
Spend a few bucks more get the Ultra 120 with a quiet Nexus fan. Look at the Antec Solo case, I highly recommend you make this system quiet as well. Get the Asus P5K cant go wrong here.
Thanks
 
Thanks for the comments/corrections. My main purpose for the arctic cooler 7 was to be be quieter and cooler than the stock. If it does not provide the ability to overclock much that is fine. I don't really want to deal with a bigger, heavier, and more complex heatsink for my first build. I guess I will still have to contemplate whether the e6750 or q6600 as I have not yet been swayed either way. Thanks for clearing up the g0 stepping for me.

The reason I chose that Seagate drive was perpendicular recording, which as I understand it is superior. Does that western digital have it? I have a 300gb samsung as a 2nd drive so I am not worried about space. I don't know if there is a performance difference between that seagate and the western digital though.

Thanks for the fan links.

The antec solo case is nice and I know it would be quieter but I think it has much poorer cooling and not as much room to work with as the coolermaster case. Plus the coolermaster case for $40 after rebate seems like a heck of a deal.

One more question: The case I listed can use 140mm fans. Are these superior to 120mm in terms of noise, airflow, and the sort?

Any other critiques?
 
Danny is right, AC7Pro is not good enough (sold mine cuz its loud) but I would recommend you to buy an Asus Silent Square - $46.98 instead... It runs nice and quiet (inaudible even at max speed) on my g0 quad daily @ 3.0ghz. It will definitely look good on your cm690 as you can see the asus logo through one of your side fan grill.
And why those gskill ram when you can get the oc promised Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 - $59.99 for less? Beside its CL4... you gotta buy 4x1GB if you plan on running vista (I mean you have to anyway, cause the dx10 card ;))
Other than these two, I would stay with your seagate hd and gigabyte board, and get two of the SEF21E fan danny mentioned for the case.
 
I gotta agree with Danny - Also, the reviews on the Ninja are extremely good. Add a scythe S flex 120 fan and your good to go. The rest of the build looks good. As far as CPU, dealers choice!. Let us know when your up and running.
 
Well, the way I understand it, PPR is just a technology to cram more storage in the same amount of platters. So while the 250GB Seagate drive has less storage than the WD, it is lighter and is possibly but only slighty faster if my Seagate 320GB is any indication.
 
Since this is your first build, the easiest CPU heatsink to install is the Thermalright Ultima90... and its as good as a Tuniq Tower 120, just lighter/smaller. The Tuniq and Ninja are a bit more difficult to install due to their size. If you go with a Ninja, its best to get a bolt-thru kit for use with a quadcore. Seriously though, you're best off with the Ultima90 and a Panaflo Hydrowave fan instead. HSF Review:
http://anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3068&p=4

The RC-690 is quiet enough. Use Yate Loon fans for the case fans. The S-Flex fans are too expensive for simple case fans. They're good for use with a heatsink, though... but they don't come in 92mm, which is really all you need for the Ultima90.

You'll get good performance out of either brand drive, regardless of PRT. I believe the Seagate is slightly faster, though it might be a bit louder.

You don't need Ballistix with a Q6600, so don't bother having to deal with such a huge rebate. You won't notice the difference between CL4 and CL5 anyway. If you don't mind rebates, then go for the Ballistix... but again, you really don't need them with a Q6600. I like to avoid rebates when I can, and this is an instance where you could definitely avoid a huge rebate.

This will help you determine whether or not the quadcore is for you...
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=872&model2=871&chart=418
 
It does get great reviews simply because of its price/performance ratio. It performs nearly as well as the big tower coolers on dual and single core chips and could be had for the cost of shipping!

I still doubt it could match a Tuniq. I have a Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, which looks strikingly similar to the TX2, and it doesnt perform nearly as good as my Tuniq when used on either of my Core2Duos (E4300/E6750). With my E4300, my OC limit was 3Ghz with the AC F7Pro. When I switched to the Tuniq, I could hit 3.4Ghz, and still remain cooler than when it was at 3Ghz w/ the F7 Pro.

Performance doesn't scale well for the F7Pro nor the Ninja. It might be due to the mounting mechanism. Many have used the Ninja/F7Pro and were disappointed. Several of them tried switching to a Bolt-Thru kit and got very good results.

For a dual core CPU, the TX2 and F7Pro are fine. For a quadcore, they simply can't take the extra heat, IMO.
 
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