Another New Build Thread: E6600

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 07:00

Hi folks this is my first post and I need some of your expert advice on a build I am planning. I've only ever really upgraded twice (some time ago now) and am a little overwhelmed at all the choices that are out there now! I was going to stick with AMD but after spending hours reading on here I think I will probably go with the following:

CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail

Motherboard: I have seen good comments about the P5B Deluxe but am looking at the Abit AW9D-MAX Intel 975X (Socket 775) if anyone has any comments on that?

RAM: Seen the bad comments on the GeIL but it's tempting at the special offer this week on the 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C5 800MHz Value DDR2 Dual Channel Kit? Or there's also an offer on the Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) too?

HDD: Haven't really found anything yet (been on here hours reading) but has to be fast, cool and QUIET.

VIDEO: ATI Radeon X1950 Pro ICEQ 3 TURBO SILENT Heatpipe 256MB? (I don't play that many games but may be interested in trying "World of Warcraft" online etc or some games in future - I have a Radeon 9250 128mb atm in this pc).

Cooler: Arctic Freezer 7 pro?

Case: Can't decide, am currently looking at: NZXT Lexa Classic: Arctic Cooling T1 Pro (I want dust filters and quietness).

Soundcard: X-fi Xtreme Gamer retail (on offer atm)? Or the X-fi Xtreme music OEM?

PSU: (If I get a case without one) Akasa Ultra quiet 500W Paxpower.

I also want a WiFi router/firewall.... ideas?

I have up to around £1200+ as a budget (but would like to pay less if I can obviously lol) and I mainly want a really QUIET PC as this old thing I'm on right now is just pure noise.

This is my basic list I have put together through reading through the forums and on OCUK site what do you guys think and could I improve any of the things I'm looking at or need to add anything else?

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 09:23

Hi Nick, so a good report on the GiEL then I guess, a tough decision.

HDDs I am looking at Hitachi Deskstar T7K500 NCQ 320GB SATA-II 16MB Cache or more promising is the Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 3200KS SATA-II 16MB Cache. I know there are faster drives but I really am sick of HDD noise on the pc I have right now.

Also might go for the 512mb version of the ATI Radeon X1950 Pro in case I Crossfire? Just wondering if the motherboards I am looking at will be ok with the other hardware.

edit: And looking at the reviews of the 512mb it looks like I'll have to up my PSU from that 400watt if I go that route..

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 09:44

I'm also looking at the Coolermaster Ammo 533 case and tempted by the Asus Vento :rolleyes:

I basically need to figure out now if either of the two MBOs will take Crossfire if I decide to buy another card in future (gonna go read the blurbs again) and to work out a case that will fit all this into it - and I'm not finding it too easy to work all this out atm.

Some help please! :confused:

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 10:21

Will_3rd said:
The Samsung Spinpoints are the generally the quietest HDD's AFAIK.

Nice, I just read the reviews Here and they sound pretty good so I may go for the 320gig of one of those I think, thanks!

You might want to get the 8800gts as it out performs the x1950 pro.

You mean This one? I admit I know next to nothing about video cards but was looking at the 512mb ATI "turbo silent" at £158, is the 8800 (at 320mb) worth the extra £30? Sorry I'm confused there are so many different ones :confused:

And just in case I do decide on dual graphics in the future it looks like the Abit AW9D-MAX Mobo is the only option out of the two I listed (unless there is a better one to consider)?

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 10:39

As for PSU I guess I'll need something like this Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU unless there is an equally good cheaper option (or better at similar price option).

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 11:18

Wow thanks for the replies guys I really appreciate it as I've been reading on here for hours trying to figure out what to get lol! I'll reply to some in a few but just adding something for my notes (and any comments) while I have the page open.

Mark228 said:
As for PSU I guess I'll need something like this Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU unless there is an equally good cheaper option (or better at similar price option).

I've seen This PSU the OCZ GameXStream 700w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 which is priced similar to the Corsair, is that going to be a better option? Can someone explain to this n00b what ATX2 is please? :rolleyes:

I guess this depends on if I am going to need an "SLI ready" PSU.

p.s. I can up my budget if need be but don't really want to go over £1500 for a PC (even tho it is my main entertainment- I don't watch or own a TV so I guess I can spend money on a decent PC instead of a HDTV).

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 13:24

masslac said:
Epic first post.

Agreed!

And helped me make a few decisions too, great post Tony thanks.

Gunda, we are indeed looking close spec here. Wondering if your Enermax Liberty 620W is better than the Corsair I'm looking at too.

OK here is my new updated partial list with pricing, if anyone can do a better spec then please show me a basket/list as I've read a lot of this forum and know you guys know what you are talking about!

Memory: Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-6400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) £170.36 inc VAT

MB: BFG nForce 680 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £176.24 inc VAT

CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail £204.44 inc VAT

PSU: Corsair HX 620W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU £103.39 inc VAT

Graphics: BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail £199.74 inc VAT

COOLING: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) £16.44 inc VAT
OR
(Titan Vanessa-L TTC-NK25TB/SC £30.54 inc VAT)

DRIVE: Samsung SpinPoint T HD401LJ 400GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £85.76 inc VAT

DVD: Samsung SH-182MRSMN 18x18 DVD±RW Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter (Beige,Black,Silver) - Retail £22.31 inc VAT (?)

£978.68 so far

I can't decide on a case and it obviously has to be able to fit all my goodies in! :rolleyes:

-----------

CASE: NZXT Lexa Classic Series Ultra light Aluminum Midtower £84.59 inc VAT
OR
Akasa Eclipse 62 Aluminium Case £103.38 inc VAT
OR
CoolerMaster Ammo 533 Aluminum (No PSU) - Silver £50.51 inc VAT
OR
Coolermaster Mystique 632 Black £82.24 inc VAT
OR
Coolermaster Wave Master - Black £88.11 inc VAT
OR
Asus VENTO 7700 Gamers Case Blue/Black/Silver £105.74 inc VAT
Or
Antec Titan 550 Tower Case - 550w TruePower PSU £113.39 inc VAT (With this option will the included PSU be ok for my needs thus saving me money on the Corsair?).
OR
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming case £68.14 inc VAT

---------------

other bits:

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g) £7.04 inc VAT

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium OEM - do I go 32 or 64? I'm guessing 32 at the moment right? £72.84 inc VAT

Belinea 2225S1W 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black/Silver £211.49 inc VAT

I'll maybe post in the Networks forum about what Wifi/router/firewall to get but I am on NTL modem atm but am moving soon to where I can only get ADSL so dunno what to get.

OcUK is only ten minutes away from me so I'll be picking all this lot up once I get around to making a final decision on the case etc. Hurry up and help me decide LOL

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 15:27

melbourne720 said:
Although the BFG 680i is a great board, it looks expensive next to the P5N 650SLI, TBH. If you got cheaper PC6400 RAM as well, you'd be able to afford a 8800 GTX, which would show much more benefit over the corsair ram or the 680i motherboard.

Arrrghhhhhh! lol Well the listing for the 650 doesn't look as good as the 680i - or at least the blurb isn't as detailed. Those GTXs are on offer this week too lol at only £375.99 inc VAT compared to the cheapest GTS at ~ £200. You've tempted me with the GTX now but I'm just not sure I play games enough to justify the extra cash. Are there any games that the GTS 320mb can't handle well enough?
edit: bearing in mind I'm looking at the 22" widescreen...

Also, consider the 183 DVD writer (next one up from the one you've chosen), as it is sata and faster.

Thanks, I've updated my list.

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 16:29

Ooohh I found the case I want, but doesn't look like OcUK have them in :rolleyes:

Asus Vento 3600 in Red mmmmmmmmm

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 17:31

melbourne720 said:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2894&p=5

Right so it's a race to the finish and the 650 and 680i are neck and neck at the final hurdles. At almost half the price and almost the same power the 650 is a really good mobo for that price for definite. What is leaning me towards the 680 tho is that:

"Sure, the 680i boards have additional features such as dual Gigabit Ethernet connections with DualNet technology, dual x16 graphics slots along with a slot designed for physics capability, an additional two SATA 3Gb/s and USB 2.0 ports, and enhancements like LinkBoost, SLI Ready Memory, and extended overclocking capabilities."

Now are those extras worth the extra cash and will they come in handy in the future? The 650 has "support for four IDE devices" but I plan on moving over totally to SATA (and using a USB external box for any IDEs). If I was on a tighter budget then the 650 would be the obvious choice but as I'm not on too tight a budget I think it looks like the 680i is the winner for me personally.

I'd like to thank everyone who gave input so far as I came in here with really not much idea of what to get and after hours of hand-wringing it looks like I am finally getting to some final decisions on build. Thanks a lot for that guys, this is a great forum.

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 21:13

OK I think I only have one thing left that is niggling me, this RAM:

Memory: Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-6400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) £170.36 inc VAT 800MHz RAM Speed, CAS 4-4-4-12 Timings, 1.9-2.3v VDIMM

Is this the best choice in that price range for my setup? Could someone explain briefly what the 4-4-4-12 means and is 4-4-4-10 better and why? Thanks!

Mark228 · 14 Feb 2007 at 23:32

TonyH said:
For me the OCZ at 1066MHz is a clear winner.

Tony, what can I say? Excellent advice by the looks of it. Not only is the board (I just found out) I've chosen specially designed to go with the 8800 Graphics cards (yes I'm going for the GTX) but you've now pointed out the RAM that is also specially designed to go with this exact setup. I read the review Here on OcUK which mentioned This site

I now have my build chosen and ready to buy tomorrow (apart from a case..), thanks a lot for yours and everyone else's input, I can't wait to get this baby running!

I'll be back on the overclocking part of the forums when I need to learn how to overclock safely lol And maybe I'll upgrade to a better CPU cooler now too?