New PC Spec

JonoB

JonoB

JonoB

Associate
Joined
19 Nov 2004
Posts
248
Howdy all.

About to take the plunge and build up a new PC, which will be used for office work, gaming and some photo and video editing. I am looking for something reasonably future proof, and I think that I have generally chosen the best value for money in each component. Oh, and it must be quiet - I hate noisy machines.

CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 (stock cooler on this seems fine, right? Even for some mild o/c'ing?)

Mobo: Asus P5B Deluxe (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

RAM: OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2

Case: Either Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS Aluminium Midi-Tower Case - Black OR
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case (any preferences between these two, or would you suggest another?)

Sound: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Soundcard - Retail. Not sure if this is necessary as I dont know what the onboard sound is like on the mobo.

PSU: Antec TruePower Trio 550W PSU OR Enermax Noisetaker 535W (any preferences between these two, or would you suggest another?)

I have monitors, keyboard, mice, hard drives already (although may stick a in new SATA II for boot drive - probably a Samsung).

Would dig to hear your thoughts on the above. Thanks for the help.
 
It all looks good so far although I don't see a graphics card there?

Stock cooling is fine for most uses including some mild overclocking but if oyu want to go further pick an aftermarket cooler.

Onboard sound is generally pretty good now so I might drop the soundcard for just now if you want to keep costs down.

I'd choose the Lian-Li out of the cases but that is because I prefer the looks.

Either of the PSUs would be fine, they are both well regarded. :)
 
What about the graphics card?? If your budget allows go for the 8800GTS 320Mb.

I would personally go for the P5B-E Plus for £82, better value for money IMO that's just as good as the deluxe but without crossfire support, built-in wireless card and the fancy heatpipe.

If you want a quiet machine invest in a decent air cooler - Tuniq Tower 120, Scythe Ninja/Infinity, Noctua NH-U12F or Freezer 7 pro.

Both PSUs are good tbh.

I have the Lian-Li case and it's GREAT! Though I will suggest you replace the stock 120mm fans as they are not exactly quiet.

Also the new mobo have only supports upto 2 PATA devices.
 
Meh, I had put this as my graphics card, but it missed my cut and paste:

Graphics: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS SuperClocked 320MB
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

Just a few quick questions:

1. Are the PSU's that I have chosen powerful enough?

2. When you say that these mobos only support 2 pata devices; does that mean that there is only one mobo header? So, for example, I can connect a cd writer and dvd writer on one ata cable, and thats it?

3. I do have a fan controller on my existing pc that I can use to slow down the case fans a bit; BUT the Antec Nine Hundred does come with inbuilt fan regulators which is pretty nifty. Aesthetics aside (the case sits under my desk and I am not too interested in how it looks) - any other opinions on the Antec vs the Lian Li from a system builder and ease of use point of view?

4. With regards to the P5B-E Plus vs P5B Deluxe mobo, seems like the biggest loss is the crossfire and wifi that I lose out on. Wifi is nice, but I mostly run my pc on ethernet anyway so not much of a deal. Question on Crossfire: afaik the 8800 cards are not Crossfire compatible?
 
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1. I have a 320MB 8800 sitting in a C2D E6600 overclocked rig and my Antec Truepower Trio 550W is stable no problems whatsoever. 550W is easily enough.

2. P5B has one IDE slot so yes, 2 devices on the one slot from IDE.

3. N/A

4. Crossfire and SLi is a waste of time and money, teidous to setup and for the few FPS extra that are recorded its not worth investing in. I don't think they are crossfire compatible though. SLi only AFAIK.
 
1 - Yes both PSUs are more than enough to power your new rig with 8800GTS.

2 - Yes there is only 1 port so you can only connect 2 PATA devices.

3 - I stand by the Lian Li. But the 900 case is not bad also, has a gigantic fan at the top (must be 140mm) so cooling will not be a problem, not sure about the built-in fan regulator though, but if you already have a fan controller then I suppose it doesn't matter that much.

4 - No: Nvidia - SLI & ATI - Crossfire. So if you are using 8800GTS then crossfire doesn't matter to you. If you are looking to SLI your 8800 later you will need a Nvidia chipset based mobo like the P5N-E or the P5N32-E Plus.
 
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