Help choosing hardware for new PC

[Alex53]

I am considering the following OCuk bundle:

Intel Core 2 DUO LGA775 E6600 2.40GHz Retail / Intel 965P LT Motherboard / 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C5 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle
£272.97

+

BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
£164.99

I then want to keep as much from my current system as possible:

3 IDE hard disks.
Firewire PCI card.
DVD-RW Drive
Midi Tower case with extra fan on the side and some pretty blue LEDs
350W power supply

My main concern is with the new motherboards taking that many IDE drives...maybe a cheap external enclosure if the mobo only have one IDE channel, ie 2 devices? Let me know if I am barking up the wrong tree here.

The other concern is whether the power supply is going to cope?

 

[mattyj1085]

I am considering the following OCuk bundle:

Intel Core 2 DUO LGA775 E6600 2.40GHz Retail / Intel 965P LT Motherboard / 2GB Corsair XMS2-6400C5 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle
£272.97

+

BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 320MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
£164.99

I then want to keep as much from my current system as possible:

3 IDE hard disks.
Firewire PCI card.
DVD-RW Drive
Midi Tower case with extra fan on the side and some pretty blue LEDs
350W power supply

My main concern is with the new motherboards taking that many IDE drives...maybe a cheap external enclosure if the mobo only have one IDE channel, ie 2 devices? Let me know if I am barking up the wrong tree here.

The other concern is whether the power supply is going to cope?

I would suggest you need a new psu 350watt isnt going to be enough for a 8800 GTS
Have you looked at the Asus PN5-E board that has 2 IDE connectors so you could connect all 3 drives up but one would be on the same channel as the dvd drive

Rarther then the bundle why not get this including a new psu

 

[BillytheImpaler]

So your total IDE drive count is 4, right? 3 HDD 1 ODD What case is it?

How much are you willing to spend? mattyj1085's spec looks darn good to me.

There's no way your current PSU will cope.

 

[Alex53]

My budget is around £500. I could go slightly over-budget if necessary, but I do have to allow for around £50 delivery and 6% import duty. VAT doesnt apply in Gibraltar though.

That shopping basket you put together looks like the right thing. One question, what is the fan for, the CPU? Doesnt a retail CPU bring a fan? (I'm probably wrong)

 

[BillytheImpaler]

That shopping basket you put together looks like the right thing. One question, what is the fan for, the CPU? Doesnt a retail CPU bring a fan? (I'm probably wrong)

It does, but the stock fan won't cool an OC'd rig nearly as well or as quietly as that Noctua.

What case do you have? An 8800 throws out a lot of heat.

 

[Alex53]

I dont plan to OC the processor, so do I really need the Noctua?

My case is a gaming case, but I dunno the brand or anything. Its got clear perspex on the side and a fan sorrounded by blue LEDs in the center of that side.

I wouldnt want to spend money on another case unless I need it, but then I wouldnt like to find out I need a case after I have fried something, or have to make another order and spend more on shipping.

Would it help if I take photos of the case and post them?

 

[hp7909]

{snip}Would it help if I take photos of the case and post them?

Yes

Good airflow for above setup will be crucial. Also, you can't fry anything per se but it can be very unstable, i.e. crashing a-lot, etc

 

[Alex53]

Ok this is my current case. One fan on the side, and the power supply one.

Should I be able to keep it? Maybe the grid at the back could accomodate a 60mm fan? Dunno exactly what those require to be screwed onto.

One of the reasons I want to keep it, apart from saving money, is its 41cm tall. I need my case to fit under a desk, and the height available before reaching the shelf under the desk is 41.5cm. I cant fit a taller case anywhere.

You can see how it fits just under the desk in the second pic.

 

[Alex53]

Looking at my case more closely, I see the back of it allows for 2 fans to be added, although there arent any there now.

I measured the distance between the holes and they are about 75mm apart. The holes for the fan on the side panel are also that far apart, and the fan (the whole thing, not just the blades) is 80mm by 80mm.

I assume when you are buying fans, the 80mm by 80mm refer to the whole thing, not the diameter for the blades right?