Materials for custom build?

coopsjc21

coopsjc21

coopsjc21

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Joined
22 Aug 2005
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373
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Kent
Hi,
I'm going to be buying all the stuff for my new system soon which i'll be building. This is my first build so was needing to know, what additional suff will I need other than all the pc components?

Will I need..
Thermal compound?
A CPU cooler (for c2d E8500 retail)?
additional fans?
additional cables?

the spec is..

.Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 LGA775 'Wolfdale' 3.16GHz (1333FSB) - Retail
.Asus ATI Radeon HD 4850 1024MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail
.Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3 Intel P43 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
.Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C6 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit
.Samsung SpinPoint F1 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM

Many thanks!
Pete
 
if you're buying the retail CPU you don't need a cooler or thermal compound unless you plan to overclock.

You shoudln't need any cables as the motherboard should come with at least 2 sata cables though usually 4.
I did spot you don't seem to have specked a PSU, this is quite a vital peice of equipment :P be sure to get one that has the right connectors for the GFX card and motherboard.
Usually cases come with fans but they're usually either not enough or cheap and nasty so it'd be worth buying some decent ones :)
 
With the retail version of the CPU you will get a reference cooler in the package. This will come with compound paste applied and ready to use. If you plan on having lower temperatures and overclocking then you will need to buy a CPU cooler, they usually come with a fan and thermal paste.

If you need to spec a CPU cooler just ask :)
 
As above, but also check out this guide ;)

EDIT: 380W PSU might not be enough for a 4850 setup (& also space in that case). Recommend one with 30A or more on the +12v Rail e.g. Corsair VX 450W & maybe with the Antec 300 Gaming case
 
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Is there a half decent budget case out that has a suitable psu already installed? I didnt want to spend more than £60-70 on the case/psu.
 
coopsjc21 said:
I didnt want to spend more than £60-70 on the case/psu.
Click to expand...
Case & PSU choice are as important as the rest of the components, i.e. it matters because its what houses & powers your £xxx rig.

What I mentioned above is a good pick bearing in mind should last you many years beyond even what you'll initial be setting-up/running.
 
You can pick up a perfectly serviceable case for £30 however a good PSU is worth investing in as cheap nasty ones are inefficient and waste energy while creating excess heat and some may even fail spectacularly damaging other components. Another not so obvious thing is a good earth. If you like quality audio without idle clicking and popping or "hearing your processor working" you need a good ground which is also a responsibility of the PSU.

You should be able to look up the consumption of your components on their manufacturer's site.
Add them all up then subtract from PSU rated power (W) x Efficiency (%) you should get a positive number, proferably > 20. If not, PSU is too small.
 
coopsjc21 said:
Is there a half decent budget case out that has a suitable psu already installed? I didnt want to spend more than £60-70 on the case/psu.
Click to expand...

Buy an Akasa Zen case - and get a 500W PSU

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?&groupid=701&catid=7&subid=507&sortby=priceAsc

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...Paxpower Active PFC ATX2.2 PSU - Black Nickel

Going to cost you an extra £20 but you really cannot skimp on the PSU as you will end up running the risk it might blow and take the rest of the components out or if it is reputable but low powered - you will suffer random shutdowns and power problems.
 
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