Alright guys, I'm looking to build a new core 2 duo system. The problem is...I've never built a computer before and I don't know for sure what parts to get. I'd like to keep the cost around $1300, but the budget is somewhat flexible. You guys probably have a lot more experience so tell me what you think!
build so far...
case: Antec P180
psu: Seasonic S12 550w
cpu: Intel E6600
mobo: P5B Deluxe, P5W Deluxe, or DS3
ram: 2gb DDR2-800 Patriot or Corsair
hd: 320gb Seagate (already bought before I read it's noisy :-\ )
gpu: evga 7900gs
hsf: Scythe Ninja or Zalman 9500
Also, I have a few quick questions...
1) Which would be the better motherboard for stable overclocking?
2) What ram would be least likely to give me POST problems?
3) Which cooler would be easier for a novice like myself to install?
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NeilBlanchard
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Hello & welcome to SPCR!
You would be better off with the Antec Solo, for two reasons: it is easier to work with, and it has suspension for that noisy Seagate.
A 550watt power supply is way overkill -- the S12330 would be plenty.
I am partial to Corsair and Mushkin RAM; I have not used Patriot.
The Zalman 9500 is not all that quiet.
You would be better off with the Antec Solo, for two reasons: it is easier to work with, and it has suspension for that noisy Seagate.
A 550watt power supply is way overkill -- the S12330 would be plenty.
I am partial to Corsair and Mushkin RAM; I have not used Patriot.
The Zalman 9500 is not all that quiet.
A few thoughts on top of what Neil already said:
Scythe Ninja is known to have compatibility issues with some motherboards. You might want to consider some alternatives such as the Thermalright Ultra-120 to avoid playing the entire "will I be lucky" game.
Whatever heatsink you end up getting, make sure you use a good TIM like Arctic Silver 5. As far as easiest heatsink to work with? All towers can be a pain due to their size and cramped areas in a case so it is usually much easier to mount it on the motherboard before you put the motherboard in the case.
Regarding whcih board for a stable overclock - they are all solid boards for that. I'd give the P5W a slight edge over the P5B because of how the fan headers are implemented. You can have more separate controls for the P5W than P5B. I'm not familiar enough with the Gigabyte board to comment regarding this.
Scythe Ninja is known to have compatibility issues with some motherboards. You might want to consider some alternatives such as the Thermalright Ultra-120 to avoid playing the entire "will I be lucky" game.
Whatever heatsink you end up getting, make sure you use a good TIM like Arctic Silver 5. As far as easiest heatsink to work with? All towers can be a pain due to their size and cramped areas in a case so it is usually much easier to mount it on the motherboard before you put the motherboard in the case.
Regarding whcih board for a stable overclock - they are all solid boards for that. I'd give the P5W a slight edge over the P5B because of how the fan headers are implemented. You can have more separate controls for the P5W than P5B. I'm not familiar enough with the Gigabyte board to comment regarding this.
Ok, I'll most likely be getting the P5W then. After a lot of research it seems that it's pretty much equal with the P5B performance-wise, but I like some of its features better. Will that cooler (ultra-120) work ok with that motherboard? What's another good option incase it's out of stock when I'm buying?
p5b has a newer south-bridge chip with some more features
p5w has a better north bridge with allows you to run ati crossfire setup's.
also the p5w should be 2% faster. (not really interesting if you ask me)
ddr 533 - 800 doesn't really matter with c2d's. the max. speed the fsb of the c2d can cope with is 533, so faster memory doesn't get really more performance. I shouldn't really invest in ddr 800, ddr 533 with good timings is almost as fast as ddr800 with bad timings.
tomshardware.com anandtech.com xbitlabs.com hardocp.com have all reviewed those motherboards. One of them had a head to head comparison of them.
For overclocking you should look at hardocp.com.
question 2 -> just buy quality ram and it runs. Cheap memory can sometimes give some troubles in certain combinations. But that isn't really new information.
I have got the asus eax 1950 pro. When I bought it, it was cheaper and a lot faster than the 7900gs.
3) don't forget the cooling paste and make sure it makes good contact with the cpu, and not with other components.
just buy a good decent psu, not an cheap one. I have 430 watts with my c2d E6600 and my ati 1950pro, runs perfectly.
p5w has a better north bridge with allows you to run ati crossfire setup's.
also the p5w should be 2% faster. (not really interesting if you ask me)
ddr 533 - 800 doesn't really matter with c2d's. the max. speed the fsb of the c2d can cope with is 533, so faster memory doesn't get really more performance. I shouldn't really invest in ddr 800, ddr 533 with good timings is almost as fast as ddr800 with bad timings.
tomshardware.com anandtech.com xbitlabs.com hardocp.com have all reviewed those motherboards. One of them had a head to head comparison of them.
For overclocking you should look at hardocp.com.
question 2 -> just buy quality ram and it runs. Cheap memory can sometimes give some troubles in certain combinations. But that isn't really new information.
I have got the asus eax 1950 pro. When I bought it, it was cheaper and a lot faster than the 7900gs.
3) don't forget the cooling paste and make sure it makes good contact with the cpu, and not with other components.
just buy a good decent psu, not an cheap one. I have 430 watts with my c2d E6600 and my ati 1950pro, runs perfectly.
Thanks for the info. I plan on upgrading the vid card in a few months, so do you think 430w would be enough to power a 8800gtx or better? As for the x1950pro vs 7900gs, it's basically going to come down to which is the better deal when I buy. I'll definitely be getting some AS5, I didn't think of mentioning that 
buy the Seasonic S12 430W, plenty enough and you'll have more power if you add stuff in your computer, like LEDs (?), more HDDs, more fans, more optical drives, etc...
for some reason, the 330W and the 380W are harder to get than the 430W.
so i paid around 100$CAN (with taxes) for a Seasonic S12 430W (at SoHoDiffusion, sadly one of the only places in Montreal able to get Seasonic PSUs), i paid a bit more for a really good quality PSU.
for some reason, the 330W and the 380W are harder to get than the 430W.
so i paid around 100$CAN (with taxes) for a Seasonic S12 430W (at SoHoDiffusion, sadly one of the only places in Montreal able to get Seasonic PSUs), i paid a bit more for a really good quality PSU.